MINNESOTA
PAUL BUNYAN CHAPTER NCVAThe Chapter is open to all NCVA members in good standing living in Minnesota and her neighboring States. An initial membership fee of $5.00 puts your name on the mailing list and after that, there will be no annual dues, no fees, and little or no organization! MOTTO: "We have no schedule, and we adhere to it!!" Strictly a "Dutch Treat" group tht plans to meet at least twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall for a good time. We welcome new members. Contact Jon Walsh 651 645-7106 to join.
The Paul Bunyan Chapter has scheduled a meeting for Saturday, May 6th, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. at the Fort Snelling Officers Club, Bloomington, MN. All NCVA members are invited to attend.
There was a meeting of the Paul Bunyan Chapter of NCVA at 11 A.M. on Saturday, February 5, 2000, at the Fort Snelling Officers' Club, Bloomington, Minnesota.
Our motto is "We have no schedule, and we adhere to it" but we met to visit, have lunch, and plan upcoming events.
Attending were Neil & Elaine Berg, Jim & Winnie Beutelspacher, Roger Gordon, Emory Hendrickson, John Hodowanic, Steve & Gloria Huss, Eleanor & Clint Johnson, Dick Ottem, Shel Porter, Jack Ryan, Don Veith, and Jon & Kathleen Walsh.
We were saddened to pass on the news that member John Wyant, Jr. passed away on November 29th, 1999. The Chapter forwarded a donation in his name to the National Brain Tumor Foundation. John was born on December 24th,1937 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and joined the U. S. Navy in 1954. He was married to the former Judith Sundall after meeting her while stationed in Saint Paul (MN), and went on to serve in Istanbul (Turkey), Monterey (CA), Kami Seya (Japan), Fort Devens (MA), Bremerhaven (Germany), Fort Meade (MD), and Morocco. John and Judy joined the Paul Bunyan Chapter in 1992, and helped host the 1993 National NCVA Conference.
Winnie and I first met John and Judy in 1962, when they moved into our off-base housing neighborhood in Tsuruma, Japan. We had remarked on the coincidence, that three people from Saint Paul, and John, who had been stationed there, ended up as neighbors in a small village half way around the world. But the rest of us were really astounded when Winnie asked Judy if her maiden name was Sundall. Winnie and Judy had been classmates in the first through third grades in one of the Saint Paul grade schools.
We also heard from wife Loraine that John Janzen is in the hospital, recovering from a broken hip, and wish him a speedy recovery.
The group discussed possible summer event venues, including the Plymouth Playhouse production of "How to speak Minnesotan" (it pays to practice), a Lake Minnetonka boat cruise (to regain our sea legs), and a Stillwater dinner-train trip. There will be further research on prices and schedules.
Further discussions and sea stories followed a break for lunch, then the meeting was adjourned at 2 P.M.
-- Jim Beutelspacher