The reunion began at check-in time Friday,
September 16th, although many reunioners arrived
earlier on Thursday. Thursday's, and part of
Friday's, weather was somewhat blustery and damp,
but the following three days of late summer weather
was simply the greatest.
Denny Dodge, Don Rosborough, and Jack Bedsole
were the chief organizers for the Chicago Reunion
and they did an excellent job of providing
entertainment, sumptuous dining, and a knowledge of
the many points-of-interest to see in Chicago. Their
efforts to provide a worthy and exciting reunion
were well accomplished and they are to be commended.
Before getting into reunion events, perhaps a
few observations regarding Chicago are in order:
1.) We have never experienced a cleaner
city in the U.S.. And no, we don't believe the
"remedy" for keeping Chicago's streets clean are the
winds of the "Windy City".
2.) Three city wide events
(baseball and football games by the Chicago Cubs and
Chicago Bears, and a Celtic Music Festival) caused
some anxiety in getting to the Navy Pier from the
hotel. Needless to say, our banquet aboard the yacht
Odessy on Lake Michigan
did not leave
the pier without us.
3.) The Chicago skyline is something to
behold, whether bussing around the city during the
day or cruising Lake Michigan at night.
4.) Musems. I'm a museum nut. If you're
into museums Chicago is the place for you. Chicago
has to rank with New York and Washington, D.C. when
it comes to the nation's outstanding museums.
5.) Parks. Chicago's metropolitan area
has allotted spacious grounds for parks and walking
trails. You get the feeling that it's an outdoor
city. Mayor Daley has emphasized the need for open
spaces between downtown buildings and it's evident.
Friday was time to take a trolley tour of
Chicago and lunch at Bubba Gump's on the Navy Pier.
Yep,
that Bubba Gump of the Tom Hanks'
Forrest Gump movie fame.
Friday night's Aruba Punch Sampler was
schmoozing time for old cronies and fellow
classmates to exchange retirement tales and relate
"war" stories from many years ago.
Saturday morning
was spent confabing
with U-156/U-502 Roundtable #3 participants.
Thirteen U-booters were piped aboard U-156 at 8:30
a.m.and a lively discussion ensued regarding the
events of February 16, 1942.
The afternoon hours were spent visiting
Chicago's Field Museum and the Museum of Science &
Industry. After surviving sixty years of severe
weathering on the grounds of the Science museum,
captured German U-boat 505 was moved inside the
museum. The exhibit is worthy of your time.
Saturday evening was spent wining and dining
at the hotel and viewing outsize placards of Lago
photos and other memorabilia organized by Denny
Dodge. In an after hours session, Don Rosborough
projected on a screen pages of past Lago High
Annuals, courtesy of Stan Norcom. (Stan has scanned
most, if not all, of the Lago High annuals onto a
CD.) There were many oooh's! and ahaaas! and "Who's
that with the bushel of hair!" comments from the
viewing audience.
The morning and afternoon hours were spent
doing last minute shopping in downtown Chicago ("Get
out the plastic Marv!") and/or taking in another
museum. Those who were lucky had tickets to either
the Cubs' baseball or Bears' football game.
Sunday was a moonlight dinner cruise on Lake
Michigan, courtesy of the well turned out yacht
Odessy. There's nothing like seeing the Chicago
skyline at night from a boat on Lake Michigan.
Monday was hotel check-out time with the
customery "We'll see you at...." and the good-bye
hugs and kisses. Phone numbers and e-mail and postal
addresses were exchanged for a "let's keep in
touch".
All in all, Denny, Don, Jack, and their
spouses, deserve a "Reunion Well Done". The planning
and effort put forth by these Lagoites was evident
and deserve a heart felt Thank You.
By common consensus, it was agreed that there
will NOT be a '40's-'60's reunion in 2006 since most
Lagoites will be attending the Lago/Aruba Reunion in
June. Reggie Kennerty, Stan Norcom, Warren Norcom,
and Carl Beyer have indicated that they would like
to host the 2007 40's-60's Reunion in Oklahoma City.
Many of the photos taken during the Chicago
Reunion may be viewed on Dan Jensen's Lago web site
www.lago-colony.com
Don D. Gray
