USS Holder Association's 22nd Annual Reunion

October 14, 2000 through October 17, 2000

The reunion of the shipmates of the ships named USS Holder DE401, DD819, and DDE819 was held in St. Louis, Missouri at the Hilton Hotel.

Events of the 22nd USS Holder Reunion

Saturday, 14 October, 2000

The reunion commenced with a wine and cheese Welcome Aboard Reception, hosted by the Hilton Hotel, after which we were on our own for dinner. Then the hospitality room was officially open, and the picture taking began.

Sunday, 15 October, 2000

Sunday began with a choice between two tours. One to Grant's Farm, the estate operated by Anheuser-Busch, which included Grant's Farm, a Tier Garten (with samples of Busch products), an historic Bauernhof where Busch's antique carriage collection is housed, and the Clydesdale stallion barn. The other tour included the Missouri Botanical Garden with diverse climates (tropical rainforest, desert, etc). The weather was not the greatest for taking the tours, but we managed to have fun in spite of it all!

At 1700 (5 PM) all hands gathered in the hospitality room to hold our annual Memorial Service, led by Chaplain Ray Bernacchi, EM3 (46-48), followed by the business meeting, led by Jack Bortle, YN3 (55-57). Group photos were taken at the conclusion of the business meeting.

Monday, 16 October, 2000

Monday started with a group breakfast buffet, followed by another tour of the sights of St. Louis in foggy, cold and misty (sometimes rainy) weather. We stopped at the famous St. Louis Arch and nearby church, had lunch at Union Station, and toured the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (with more sampling of the products).

Tuesday, 17 October, 2000

Tuesday, the final tour of the reunion, was to historic St. Charles, with a stop at St. Charles Casino.

Our annual banquet and raffles were held Tuesday evening, and entertainment was provided by the St. Louis Strutters. These talented, world famous senior citizen performers danced in the style of the '40s and '50s. Everyone enjoyed their performance. This was followed by our famous patriotic parade, once again led by our own drum major, John O'Neill, BM2 (58-65).

Wednesday, 18 October, 2000

Farewells and Departures.
Wednesday morning was the time for bidding everyone farewell over coffee and donuts. We look forward to seeing everyone at our 23rd reunion in Orlando.

A highlight of the reunion included meeting first-timers:

• Ernesto Alvarado, MMC(SS) 52-53,
• Malcolm Bisson, SD3 64-66,
• Tom Burke, TE2 54-56,
• Gene Burns, MM2 56-59,
• Elmer Conner, GM2 1946,
• Harold Hodges, MM2 53-56,
• Jim Jennings, IC2 61-62,
• Calvin Lane, NCCS 65-69,
• Harold Masters, F1/c 4546,
• John O'Donnell, HT2 73-76,
• John Oman, BT1 58-59,
• Harvey Quinn, BTFN 59-60,
• Dennis Rhea, FN 60-62,
• Lanny Smith, RD1 57-60,
• Fred Ulam, LCDR 50-52,
• Bob Warren, RM2 61-62, and
• Doug Wilkinson, S1/c 46-47.