USS WASP ASSOCIATION REUNIONS

To: All USS Wasp Association Members.

First, I and your entire Board hope you and your extended families are handling the current health situation without any ill effects.

This note will bring you up to date on the subject of REUNIONS and our relationship with the Squadrons and Shipmates Association, (S&S for further reference in this communication).

Over the past 2 to 3 years your Board had a growing concern about the rate of our diminishing membership, to the point where we thought it was not practical to manage our own reunions and began to research alternatives to our situation.

Two of our Board Members suggested we associate ourselves with the S&S Association. After serious consideration we approached S&S and agreed to establish a “Arm’s Length” relationship. We would maintain our own identity and not “co-mingle” any of our By-Laws or Finances. We updated our By-Laws to reflect our relationship with S&S at our New Orleans reunion in 2018.

As you all know our first experience, under this new relationship was the reunion in Buffalo, NY, September 2019. 

At the General Membership Meeting Mike Trowse, Madeline DeLouis and I were elected to the to S&S Board. Our general feeling was that if we were to take advantage of being members of S&S we should contribute to the Management of the organization.

Being Board members we have attended the monthly Conference Calls and gained insight into their operation. Mike Trowse went deeper into their By-Laws and concluded they were outdated and contained restrictions on how the organization is managed. He offered to put a group together to review and update them and propose changes that would bring more transparency into the operation of the association and its finances.

As a result we have come to the conclusion we cannot accept being associated with S&S with its present management structure and By-Laws.

While the requested changes would be difficult to 

implement the S&S Association has declined ou request for changes at this time. Therefor your Wasp Association Board has voted to disassociate our relationship with S&S effective. July 4, 2020.

There may be some of our members who would want to continue to attend the S&S reunions, that is fine and they should continue to do so. 

Any of our Members who became “S&S Lifetime Members” and wish to cancel that membership will be reimbursed by the Wasp Association for the amount of the S&S Life membership fee. Just contact our Treasurer, Frank Christman, to inform him.

It is unfortunate that we had to make this difficult decision but we believe it is in “Our Associations Best Interests”. We will now embark upon preparing for our 2021 reunion. Currently we are thinking of going back to Nashville, TN. If anyone has input and is willing to be an “on sight” reunion contact for any other location please contact me and we will consider it.

I want to give special mention to Mike Trowse for the strong effort and many hours he put in attempting to resolve the issues that were discovered during this period. Without Mike’s effort we would not have become so aware and concerned about the situation..

In closing please take care of yourselves and your extended families.

On behalf of your Board of Directors,

Bob Allan - Chairman

USS WASP ASSOCIATION, INC REUNION OCTOBER 20-24, 2021
DOUBLETREE JACKSONVILLE RIVERFRONT, JACKSONVILLE, FL

Reunion Registration Open

Hospitality Room Open
Welcome Reception and Dinner Buffet

Hospitality Room Open
ST. AUGUSTINE TOUR ALHAMBRA DINNER THEATER

Hospitality Room Open
MEMORIAL SERVICE/LUNCH/NAVAL BASE TOUR Dinner on your own

Hospitality Room Open
Board Meeting followed by General Membership Meeting AMELIA ISLAND TOUR
Grand Banquet

Farewell Breakfast

TOUR DESCRIPTIONS

ST. AUGUSTINE TOUR
Thursday, Oct 21
Aboard private trolleys, learn how St. Augustine became the “Oldest Continuously Occupied City in the United States.” Listen to stories of Magnolia Street, known as one of the most beautiful streets in America. You will hear of Henry Flagler and his three wives and see many of the buildings that Henry had built. Marvel at the Spanish architecture and many historical sites. You’re sure to enjoy this fully narrated tour of St. Augustine, covering more than 100 points of interest and over 500 years of history. Not only will it be educational, but entertaining as well! After the tour, stroll down the restored St. George Street, lined with quaint shops, art galleries, and restaurants. You’re also free to tour some of the historic buildings you saw on the tour (admissions on your own). You may want to see Castillo de San Marcos, a fort built by the Spanish over 300 years ago.

Enjoy free time on your own for shopping, lunch, and exploring before returning to Jacksonville.

9:00am board bus, 2:30pm back at hotel
$59/Person includes bus, escort, and guided trolley tour. Lunch on your own.

ALHAMBRA DINNER THEATRE
Thursday, Oct 21
Spend an enjoyable evening at Alhambra Dinner Theatre. Start off with a sumptuous served dinner with your choice of several entrees. Following dinner, sit back and enjoy the show: Brighton Beach Memoirs (Sept 18 – Oct 13, 2019). Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his

7:00am - 9:00am - 1:00pm - 6:00pm -

10:00pm 12:00pm 5:00pm 10:00pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24

widowed Aunt Blanche and her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity served up Simon-style.

5:30pm board bus, 11:00pm back at hotel
$107/Person includes bus, escort, dinner, and show. (Wed-Thur Evening) Price is based on a minimum of 40 people.

JACKSONVILLE NAVAL BASE TOUR Friday, Oct 22
Memorial Service and lunch

9:00am board bus, 2:00pm back at hotel

AMELIA ISLAND SHOPPING TOUR
Saturday, Oct 23
With 400+ years of recorded history under eight flags, Amelia Island is an especially historical place that, "The French visited, the Spanish developed, the English named, and the Americans tamed." Time will be allowed at the Amelia Island Museum of History, and then free time to walk around historic Fernandina Beach to shop, have

lunch, and maybe stop in the Marlin Barrel Distillery for a tasting.

1:00pm board bus, 5:00pm back at hotel
$41/Person includes bus, escort, and admission. Lunch on your own.

All Trips require a minimum of 35 people, unless otherwise noted. Please be at the bus boarding area at least five minutes prior to the published time. Driver and Guide Gratuities are not included in the tour prices.

There is a limit of one hydraulically lifted scooter or wheelchair per handicap accessible bus. Please note the combined weight of the passenger and motorized wheelchair or scooter may not exceed 500lb due to lift limitations. If you use a scooter or motorized wheelchair but can climb the steps to board the bus, either you and/or a person traveling with you must be able to put the scooter or wheelchair in the bus’s luggage compartment. Due to liability

issues, drivers and tour guides cannot assist with scooters or motorized wheelchairs.

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/armedforcesreunions Register online at www.afr-reg.com/wasp2021

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY FOR ARMED FORCES REUNIONS, INC.

For attendees canceling reunion activities prior to the cut-off date, Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. (AFR) shall process a full refund less the non-refundable AFR registration fee ($15 per person). Attendees canceling reunion activities after the cut-off date will be refunded to the fullest extent that AFR’s vendor commitments and guarantees will allow, less the non-refundable AFR registration fee. Cancellations will only be taken Monday through Friday from 9:00am until 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time, excluding holidays. Please call (757) 625-6401 to cancel reunion activities and obtain a cancellation code. Refunds processed 4-6 weeks after reunion. Canceling your hotel reservation does not cancel your reunion activities.