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Dan Butterfield (05) had a special relationship with Eddie Turner and he put this into words on the '55 Listserv. It is repeated here as "Memories of Eddie during their Boyhood":

When my two brothers, sister, and I moved to Annapolis in 1940 for our Dad's second tour of duty as an Engineering instructor at the Academy we were immediately befriended by Eddie Turner, a smiling, outgoing, adventurous, and mischievous Tom Sawyer of a kid. He was a year older than I.

As the natural neighborhood leader Eddie took it upon himself to squeeze out of each and every day the most fun you could possibly imagine for all of us kids ranging in ages of 5 to 9 years. He would somehow manage to include everyone in the major events such as sandlot football, baseball, or commando warfare against other neighborhood "gangs". However, for the day-to-day adventures we had a closed membership that met in The Clubhouse, a small tool shed on the waterfront at his home looking out on the Severn River. That is where we really grew up and became wise to the ways of the world around us. Hours upon hours throughout the year, hot or cold, rainy or sunny we would discuss, read, argue, play games, learn about girls, grownups, good and bad people in the neighborhood, and plan our next adventure, project, or talk about how each of us was going to the USNA.

Often during warmer days we would spend many hours on his screened-in front porch playing Chinese Checkers and Ma Jong. Sometimes, even the girls from nearby, the Armbrusters sisters and Morris girls, would be invited. I think that Carol, the cute little red-haired girl of the Levis family, who lived across the street, might have come over a few times, but I'm not sure. But girls never entered the clubhouse on the waterfront! According to Eddie's number one rule it was absolutely out of bounds to girls!

From as far back as I can remember Eddie would always make sure that each of us played sports and never were afraid to try just about everything one. We were always pulled into baseball, tag football, ping pong, badminton, and later lacrosse. The most memorable football game that I recall was against a gang of boys from Dreams Landing Navy Housing led by a young fireball named Henry Mustin. They lived up to their reputation of being tough, but I think we beat them due to all-out practicing Eddie demanded of us. It was one of his shining moments of young leadership. I'll never forget it. (I wonder if our classmate, Hank Mustin, also remembers that game).

There was soft-shell and hard-shell crabbing, swimming, sledding, ice skating and piece-of-coal puck ice hockey out on Weems and Spa Creeks. Every week we also walked the rails of the B&O train tracks into Annapolis to see the Saturday matinee movie for all of 11 cents. Afterwards Eddie led the way to the toy store to pick up the latest matchbox model tanks, jeeps, half tracks, and planes to play "Soldier" in front of his home near the Clubhouse.

The scariest adventure of all was the game of "train chicken". While standing on the rails on the railroad bridge, which crossed the Severn at Wardour, we were required, as the train approached, to wait until the very last moment to leap into the water, about 30 feet down. The last one to leap wins! Another version called for us to stick our heads up between the railroad ties and make faces at the engineer of the approaching train, ducking down at the very last second. In later years I often wondered how many of these train engineers suffered near-heart attacks because of us crazy little Wardour Boys. I also wondered if our mothers ever knew about this game. Eddie talked us into not being afraid to take risks.

Then there were the all out neighborhood games of Cops and Robbers, Commandos, and Robin Hood. I remember that the Mustin Gang was rumored to be coming in from Dreams Landing to engage our Wardour Gang in commando warfare. I can't remember if it ever materialized, after a great deal of tactical training and strategic planning led by our young leader, Eddie.

One day he gathered us together in the clubhouse to discuss plans to build a submarine. At the nearby Navy dump we found an industrial water tank and hauled it home to the Turner waterfront. Eddie convinced a friend of his Dad to cut a hatch in our soon-to- be submarine. He also fashioned a hatch cover that we could hold shut after submerging. Our master plan seems to have left out such things as breathing, a periscope fixture, propulsion, and escape. Fortunately, Eddie's Mom ended our early submarine careers just in time. As an epilogue to this story, Eddie, my brother Dave, and I all became submariners in the real thing a few years later.

I am convinced that many qualities of my own character that helped me in later years, such as strong leadership, unselfishness, working hard, fairness, honesty, business sense, and risk-taking came from Eddie's leadership, friendship, and role model. He had passed to me his Wardour-West Annapolis paper routes by the time I turned 10 years old. He handed over all the lawn-mowing jobs he had held throughout the neighborhood for years. I can't remember why he was so good at convincing me that I needed all of these jobs, but I ended up with them all.

Then the final episode in my remembrance of Eddie was when the worst tragedy of all befell my family. Eddie became very much involved putting his heart out to us all. He was all of 13 years old. While I was in school my Mother was suddenly killed in a freak accident of slipping on ice near our home. Eddie, who had gone to our home to see us after school, ran all the way back to our school about ten blocks away to tell the Principal of the tragedy and then to walk us all home. My Dad was away in the War and my older sister was away in school, so nobody else was at home, except some family friends. Eddie quickly arranged for us to temporarily live with his Grandmother next door to his house, with his family and with another family across the street. There were four of us to get situated until my Dad could get home. So Eddie became our big brother and acting father. I was never able to thank him enough for this truly remarkable deed he performed.

Well, that's the story of some of my boyhood with Eddie Turner. Goodbye, for now, my everlasting friend, boyhood pal, and Naval Academy Classmate.

Gary Snyder (01) sent in a brief synopsis of his and Margo's travels in January and February.

We left for Hawaii on January 18th for a week on Kauai followed by ten days on Oahu with our son and his family. Glenn was selected for CDR and expects to return to the mainland in June and have a tour in the Ballistic Missile Development Office. A planned visit with Skip Chase (17) underwent last minute cancellation because of an illness in his family. We had a great visit in the islands. I had to part company with my mustache because I could not get my diving mask to seal properly. After returning home on February 3rd, we took two days to handle mail, visit aged relatives (my Mom will soon be 99), and reverse the winterizing process on our travel trailer for an early departure for Florida on February 6th. Our first stop was on the Outer Banks to visit Pat & Paul Sutherland (07). We stopped in the visitors center to call Paul as I could not remember exactly where they lived. During the course of the conversation with the lady behind the counter, I mentioned that we were visiting a Naval Academy Classmate and did she perhaps know Paul Sutherland. She gave me a very intense look and said that, "Everyone around here knows Paul Sutherland." That evening Lyn & Dan Shields (16), and Don Aven (01) came over and we all later went out for dinner. Don was one of my wives at the Academy and I was looking forward to seeing him and Millie. She lives in Norfolk, however, and even though she usually comes down to the Outer Banks on the weekends, she was ill and so we missed seeing her. If anyone needs a new bicycle, I can recommend Don as the source. He gave us a nice tour of one of his three bicycle shops. It is well equipped and well stocked with many types of bikes. From the Sutherlands we started south, with Key West as our ultimate destination. We visited a number of non-navy friends and did such things as hiking and biking in Everglades National Park. At one point, I had to restrain myself from reaching through a split rail fence and pinching the tail of an alligator which was sunning itself. It would have been unique. Key West is interesting. We didn't have to go out for dinner much because of the number of art show openings. They all had nice food and champagne. We also escaped all the nasty weather in Florida at that time. On the way home to Pennsylvania, we stopped to see Carl Strang (16) where we had a nice visit. BINNACLE LIST. Dan Shields recovering from hip replacement surgery in Southern Shores, NC; Dick O'Neil (12) recovering from heart bypass surgery in Orlando, FL, and Bart Fordham (16) recovering from arthoscopic knee surgery in Columbia, SC.

Our Classmate, F. Clayton Rose (19) died in his sleep from the effects of cancer on April 4th at home. A memorial Service was held at St. Peters Episcopal Church in Smyrna, Delaware on April 7th. Deep condolences to his wife, Midge.

Paul Sutherland has reported in on the '55 Panama Canal Cruise and it seems a good time was had by all!! The accompanying picture attests to another successful and pleasure-filled cruise arranged by those magnificent travel agents, Sandy & Ted Hyman (13) of S&T Travel. (PHOTO #1 - Class Cruisers) Front row: Shirley Smith, Betty Lavallee, Jeanie Westbrook, BJ Straub, Donna Reinhardt, Pat Sutherland, Sandy Hyman, Jo Coffee & Jeannie Walter; Back row: Noel Smith '54, Bill Lavallee (08), Darrel Westbrook (10), Don Loosley (07), Paul Sutherland, Ted Hyman, Roger Coffee (21) and Joe Walter (07). They visited various islands in the Caribbean before transiting the Panama Canal and stopping in Caldera, Costa Rica before terminating in Acapulco. Would you believe some of the group had a burning desire to visit Walmart in Acapulco? Ted Hyman offered a postscript; Early on the return flight from Acapulco to Houston, an announcement was made requesting the assistance of a doctor or nurse. A passenger was unconscious and in serious distress. Since there was no MD or RN on board, fellow crusier and trained Emergency Medical Technician, Paul Sutherland, took charge, diagnosed the problem, administered oxygen and revived and stabilized the patient. (PHOTO #2 - "Lifesaver" Sutherland and Pat) Paul then disappeared into the cockpit for a lengthy consult with a doctor on the ground. The doctor was evidently sufficiently impressed with Paul's professional competence to allow the flight to continue on to destination. As Ted says, "The whole class can be proud - Paul's not just another

POLITICIAN!"

Welcome to new '55 Listserv members: Dick Gero (20), ELGero@aol.com; Tom Boucher (07), ftombo@hotmail.com; Wally Christmas (14), wchristmas@eartlink.net; John Kelly (05), JIKEMK@aol.com; Paul Slack (04), Slacktime@sisna.com and Gordon Hamley (20), gbhamley@email.msn.com.

Somehow Otto Zipf (15) and his wife Peggy have sandwiched in another vacation trip while their household goods remain unpacked at their new home in Manassas, VA. He reports:

Peggy and I just returned from 16 days of a great vacation in Puerto Rico. We took a clockwise drive around the island. It wet our appetite to return again - to repeat some of what we did, and also to visit more of the interior of the island. Since Joanie & Dick Morgan (03) were also there for a month on their annual jaunt, we arranged meeting on three different occasions. One picture shows our group enjoying a "pick-your-own-fresh-fish" lunch in Palmas del Mar (PHOTO #3 - Puerto Rican Holiday); another shows us in the middle of a Morgan-guided walking tour of the fabulous El Conquistador Resort and Country Club (PHOTO #4 - The Morgans and the Zipfs). Also, Joanie and Dick shared with us their favorite Mexican restaurant "Lolita" near the town of Luquillo, the site of their rental condo. Additionally, we all took in the sights in Old San Juan.

POTPOURRI.

Carl Strang didn't win his election, despite the tremendous help from family, Classmates, and fellow Libertarians. But hey! He overcame tremendous odds to garner as many votes as he did. To all who helped with money, referrals, letters to the editor, and moral support, he sends his heartfelt thanks. Don Lovelace (04) and his wife Nancy attended the wedding of Noel and Jim Blandford (04) in Charleston on January 3rd (PHOTO #5 - Blandford Wedding). Also in attendance were Nancy & Ed Newbegin (12) and Kathy & Pete (W.D.) Peterson (05). They were treated to an elegant ante- bellum setting on the Ashley River. A picture is included with this column, of an illustrious Classmate during 2/c year, using his B-robe to capture the steam from Mother Bancroft's hot water tap, to make his hair grow. Fortunately, his lack of success in this endeavor did not inhibit him from becoming a very senior Admiral. Can you name him? Hint: Caught in a rare moment of study is one of his wives, a future CEC Captain (PHOTO #6 - "Hair-saving" Smith). Included are some worthy pictures taken of Classmates at the Dark Ages Party (PHOTOS #7 - The Wes Saunders and the Dan Eberts; #8 - Demo Kolaras, Erns Anderson & Bob Hinton; #9 - Tom Davis, Jim Powers & Don Conner, and #10 - George W. Martin & Al Dawson).

Conceptual planning for the 45th Reunion has begun. Dates are October 18-22, 2000 and the Saturday football game is with Rutgers. We have over 100 rooms reserved at the Annapolis Marriott which is on the waterfront within walking distance of the Yard. We also have additional rooms reserved at the Days Inn on Route 50 (same as for the 40th). We still have a long way to go - if you have any ideas, put them on our Listserv or call me at (703) 759-7743 or another Washington area Classmate.

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