Board of Directors Actions
Attention to brief: Here’s the lineup from this year’s board. Thanks to you, the voting membership, we had a successful spring election that returned the four incumbents — RADM Jim Robb, USN(Ret); CAPT Scott Ryder, USN; Col Hunter Hobson, USMC; and CDR Kevin McLaughlin, USN. Our newest director is CAPT Walt Stammer III, USN(Ret). He begins his three-year tenure with the fall board meeting. We bid “tailwinds, and ceiling and visibility unlimited skies” to CAPT Charlie “Cajun” de Gruy as he completes nine years of service to our Association. During that time, he volunteered for nearly every committee and staffing project to help advance the goals of the board. It is our good fortune that Cajun continues to serve as a director on the Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) board. We are fortunate to have a strong representation of active-duty Tailhookers on the board to help guide us into the coming decade and keep the emphasis of our Association where it most benefits and reflects the priorities of the fleet.
Our summer meeting was held in Reno/Sparks, Nev., before Hook ’10. Executive Director CAPT J.R. Davis, USN(Ret) reported the successful conclusion of the biannual audit, citing no major discrepancies and presenting completed actions recommended by the auditors. One action required by the board, to form a Compensation Review Committee, was completed during the meeting. You can see the specifics of the annual report in the Executive Director’s comments, but the bottom line is that our finances remain stable. Cash flow is meeting all budget expense demands, and the Association continues to grow within an otherwise weak economy.
We concluded the old business agenda by approving the three-year Strategic Plan goals proposed in our spring meeting. Highlights include moderate membership growth with emphasis on active-duty tailhookers, a focus on bringing back wingmen who may have lost sight of the formation, continued expansion of the TEF, enhancement of our reputation through continued strong support from the Department of the Navy, and preservation/enhancement in the quality of the annual symposium. By all accounts, we rolled into the groove with the ball centered for all these goals at Hook ’10. Membership increased, contributions established a new perpetual scholarship in the name of LT Steve Zilberman (thanks to those who so generously contributed), an article in the Navy Times about the Hook ’10 Reunion and Symposium, and a great program of well-attended panels and discussions capped by the Flag Panel led by our Air Boss, VADM Al Myers. After a good start, the board is dedicated to keeping this pass “on the rails” to an OK-underlined when the Strategic Plan comes up for its next review and update.
The Coming Year — A Century of Naval Aviation
The board meeting concluded with a presentation by CAPT Jim “Guido” DiMatteo, USNR, on the current status and planning for the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA). Guido has been involved with the early stages of preparations for two years and continues to assist with the active-duty CONA Task Force at Commander, Naval Air Forces and the civilian CONA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization led by VADM Mike Bowman, USN(Ret). Tier 1 events have been identified and can be found on the CONA Web site, www.public.navy.mil/airfor/centennial, most of which are focused on the general public at airshows and Fleet Week celebrations throughout the year. There will be a gala kickoff 11 February 2011 aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Calif., and a finale on a date to be selected in December in Washington, D.C., at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles. There will be much more to come on events scheduled for this historic year in future articles. Moreover, the theme for Hook ’11 will be a celebration of CONA. The board will be formalizing the symposium panels and events beginning with our fall meeting. We appreciate input for what you would like to see and hear. This will be a Reunion you won’t want to miss, so start making plans now to attend, 8-10 September 2011!
Last Pass
To all squadron scribes and public affairs officers, make this the year to include your squadron history in The Hook magazine. Use the centennial theme to submit your article and give our editor, CAPT Denny Irelan, USN(Ret), fits over how to squeeze it all in, in each issue. This is a great opportunity to tell your story and highlight the progress of carrier aviation through your shared experiences while honoring the legacy of those who served before, in the same environment, but with different “tools” and maybe not quite the same situational awareness.
Till next time, keep your scan moving and fly that ball all the way to touchdown.