USS Spangler DE-696
2012 Grand Junction, CO

This years USS Spangler's 2012 Reunion was held at the Hampton Inn in beautiful downtown, Grand Junction, CO on October 1st through the 3rd.  Grand Junction sits in a lush valley bisected by the Colorado River with the scenic Grand Mesa to the East and the 32-square mile Colorado National Monument to the west.  The community is well known for fine wines, beautiful outdoor sculptures, and a tree line main street walk-way rivaling any in the country - perfect for strolling and simply enjoying life. 

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Thirty-six SpanglerMates, wives and guest were present.  The guest, seen in the photo above, on the first row (left to right) are Jim Cooper (Don Cooper's grandson), Johnnie Johnson, Gale Johnson (long time friends of the Clugstons), and Becky Maybury & David Maybury (Tom & Phyllis Clugston's daughter and son-in-law).  Those in the 2nd Row are Chad Johnson (Don Coopers grandson), Mike Schurer (Greg Schurer's brother), Judi Johnson (Johnnie & Gale Johnson's daughter) and Rick Johnson (Don Sorenson' s stepson).

The Hampton Inn proved to be well suited for our needs, offering an easy stroll along the scenic Downtown Main Street in front of the Inn.   The excellent food, clean rooms and fine hotel service definitely enhanced our stay. And the the hospitality and private auction room met our needs.   Appreciation is extended to our host,Tom and Phyllis Clugston, and to Dave Norris setting up and arranging the excellent facilities and making certain that everything went so exceedingly well.  A special thanks also goes out to to Tom and Phyllis's daughter for her help and the beautiful USS Spangler cake..

Monday was set aside for registration, getting-together and visiting, kicking off for the Silent Auction, and picking up the SpanglerT-Shirts (beautiful design, by the way).

The business meeting Tuesday morning began with A. J. Goers leading the opening prayer, followed by Pledge Allegiance, introductions and concluded with a survey of possible upcoming reunion locations.   Among several topics of discussion on whether or not the Silent Auction should be continued in the future or be replaced by "passing the hat." Concern had been expressed over the increasing difficulties in bringing in auctions items given of current airline security and baggage carry-on issues.   The general consensus was to go with passing the hat.   Also discussed was next years planned reunion in Las Vegas and for the following year, in either Chicago, Charleston or Portland,  Charleston appeared to be the group favorite. Wayne Dorough spoke for a few minutes on some of the difficulties the Spangler website had encountered in the year and made note of the fact the Spangler now has two websites, a dot com and a dot net, with the dot net being the primary

Tuesday afternoon was set aside for a tour of the Colorado National Monument, a picturesque, grand canyon like area about five miles-west of Grand Junction.   It proved to be a highlight of the reunion.  Don Regan, a retired geologist and National Park Service volunteer guide, did a marvelous job of pointing out and explaining the various geological featuresin the area, including the presence and variety of the wildlife and pinion and juniper forest common in the area.

>The tour proved to be a comfortable, scenic bus and van ride through deep canyons and along the edge of the high plateau. Stops included the Grand Desert Canyon Overlook -- to view the banded, colored strata that comprise the steep-walled canyon below; the Colorado Monument Visitor Center -- to purchase souvenirs, visit the museum and watch a video on the history and unique geology of the Monument..  Also included were stops at the Balanced Rock Overlook for a view of a precariously balanced rock atop a towering spire; at Independence Monument View to see the spectacular 450-foot high Independent Tower; and at Book Cliffs View for a view of the wide valley below along the Colorado River.  George Wade, the bus driver, did a super job of maneuvering the bus along the frequent 15-mile per hour twist and turns that make up the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive.  And following the tour he made a stop long enough for most of the group to purchase ice cream cones before heading back to the Inn..

Wednesday morning and early afternoon were set aside for strolling Main Street in Downtown Grand Junction, visiting the Enstroms Toffee Company or taking in a tour of Wineries in Palisade, a small community a few miles north east of Grand Junction and well known for wine vineyards and peach orchards.  The wine tour included a wine-tasting stop at the picturesque Grand Junction Vineyards, and a stop at the Plum Creek Winery to see the "Chardonnay Chicken" and horse sculptures made from scrap metal.

The Silent Auction closed at 3:00 pm that afternoon and again proved to be successful, bringing in over $700 to aid in meeting future reunion expense needs.

The banquet Wednesday evening went well, as always, with a very good buffet dinner.   A. J. Goers led the group in prayer and followed up with a request that everyone raise a toast in memory of Bob Hunt who passed away recently.

   

The special event for the evening was The Grand Valley Combined (GVC) Honor Guard presentation "Flag Etiquette" with Mr. Gary Parrott, a member, serving as the spokeperson.  The fourteen-member Honor Guard consists of ex-service men and women representing the Army, Navy Air Force, Marines Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.   Mr. Parrott described the design of the American Flag, what the colors and stars represented and how it's folded and what each fold signifies.   Flags from each of the armed services,including the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines were displayed with Mr. Parrott explaining the meaning of the unique designs and colors associated with each flag. A suggestion was made afterwards that for future reunions it would be nice if one or two people were designated to take picures during the banquet in lieu of multiple individuals moving around the room doing the same.