dinner options there were a little further into town. I’m not sure how good of an idea that was – I’d never been on that rail and had no idea what was waiting at the oth-er end! Turns out there was a large music festival at the other end of the line – very loud music and a whole lot of young people. But eventu-ally everyone found some-thing for dinner and ended up back at the hotel! Friday’s breakfast was in the hotel’s café, and then everyone met in the lobby to load up for the Friday tour. Our bus driver/tour guide took us around the VERY BUMPY roads of Buffalo so we could see and learn about various neighbor-hoods, architecture, church-es and restaurants. She (the driver/guide) was quite a character, even tried to buy tacos from a young man running the steps at the Al-bright Knox art gallery. De-spite her valiant attempts, she was not able to identity the sculpture in front of the gallery. One of interesting facts she shared with the group was the origin of the name Buffalo - While it is possible that Buffalo Creek's name originated from French fur traders and Native Ameri-cans calling the creek Beau

Fleuve (French for "Beautiful River"), according to Wikipe-dia, it is also possible that Buffalo Creek was named for the American buffalo, whose historical range may have extended into Western New York. I think the Beau Fleuve story is better! Once the riding tour por-tion of the day was over, we headed over to the Original Anchor Bar for lunch. Some folks did order the Buffalo Wings that the Anchor Bar is famous for creating, others opted for other lunch items. All in all, the food was very good, no complaints about the quality – the service was a tad slow, which ended up putting us behind schedule for the rest of the afternoon – but our guide was still able to keep everyone on the move and get us to the boat on time! The last event of the tour was a ride on the Maid Of The Mist boat from the American side of Niaga-ra Falls, across the river over to the base of both the American and the Horse-shoe Falls. And just for your personal information – the next Friday I was back in Niagara Falls with my family, so we rode the “red” boat from the Canadian side – and I actually like

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By Dina Coffey, PRS GM

The 2016 reunion of the USS CAMBRIA (APA-36) crewmembers was held in Buffalo, NY, June 6-9 at the Hyatt Buffalo Hotel. There were 15 crewmembers and 12 guests in attendance this year. There were quite a few people ready and waiting when the registration desk opened shortly after noon on Thursday. Most of the group arrived early on Thursday afternoon, hung around a bit in the hotel lobby, then made their way on up to the hospi-tality room to catch up with old friends and make a few new friends! The first official event of the reunion was the Welcome Reception at 5pm. AB Henry, reunion coordinator again for 2016, welcomed everyone to the reunion and then passed the mike around for introduc-tions and a few sea stories. It was a lot of fun to hear every-one share about their lives now and things they remem-bered from their days on board the Cambria! After the reception, folks went out for dinner – some in the hotel restaurant, others opted for eateries close to the hotel. A small group of attendees de-cided to follow me onto the local rail system to see what

Volume 19, Issue 2

July 2016 O f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f U S S C a m b r i a ( A P AO f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f U S S C a m b r i a ( A P AO f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f U S S C a m b r i a ( A P AO f f i c i a l N e w s l e t t e r o f U S S C a m b r i a ( A P A ---- 3 6 )3 6 )3 6 )3 6 )

Cambria Press News

2016 Reunion Recap 1-2

Business Meeting Minutes 2

Coordinator’s Column 3

List of Reunion Attendees 3

Welcome Mat & Taps 4

Mail Call 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

2016 BUFFALO REUNION RECAP

2017

USS CAMBRIA

REUNION

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Details in the next issue.

Jacksonville Survey 6

the “blue” boat from the American side better. It held fewer people and every-one was able to have a rail-side view. Both boats got equally wet and equally close to the falls, but there were a lot more people on the “red” boat! Once the boat ride was over, every-one got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. The hospitality room

was pretty quiet for the next few hours while all the tourists repaired their hair dos and outfits from the Niagara Falls mist! The cash bar was set up again in the banquet room and by 6 pm every-one had gathered back in the banquet room for a cocktail hour followed by an authentic Buffalo style meal. Most folks had never tried “Roast beef on Weck” - and it’s definitely an acquired taste. Dinner was followed by a short version of “Name That Tune” (emceed by me) and won by your fearless leader, A B Henry! Once dinner was over, most everyone retired to their rooms for the evening, time to get rested up for the next day’s tour. Saturday’s tour took the group to the naval park in Buffalo – the Buffalo and Erie County Military and Naval Park. The group had been privileged to hear some of William Perkins stories from serving aboard one of the ships now berthed at the park – USS THE SULLI-VANS – including how the design of the ship was changed after he slipped and fell and then slid nearly the length of the ship and was saved from going over-

(Continued from page 1)

ter - $335.00

Total Balance: $2,336.25

4. Old Business: Hank stated that David Stoll, a past President, and Ra-oul Laurent, Jr., had passed away this year.

5. New Business: Next on the agenda was to select the city to attend in 2018 for our reunion. The following cities were suggested and our coordinator Dina Coffey gave us the ins and outs of each suggested city.

San Antonio, TX - John Huff New Orleans, LA - Bob Canty

Richmond, VA - Donna Henry

New York City - Kenneth Kurnath

Alexandria, VA - Carolyn, Neal

The most votes went to Alexandria, VA for 2018.

6. A motion was made to decide if we wanted to select new officers. Everyone

PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 2222 CAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWS

board only because his shirt caught on a rivet as he hung over the side! This was another enjoyable day, and the group returned to the hotel a little earli-er than expected and was able to hold their business meeting as soon as they returned. I do apologize for not being on site when the meeting started! We had walked down to a barbecue place for lunch and had just sat down – since I hadn’t ordered yet it was easy to go ahead and leave, but it was a ten-

minute walk and I figured if I ran the whole way I would attract unwanted attention, and not be able to talk for huffing and puffing! So I walked quickly and got back as fast as I could, and all was well! Several locations were dis-cussed for the next reunion – some very good choices – but once the final vote was tallied, Washington, DC was selected for the site of the 2018 reun-ion (the 2017 location was selected last year – Jacksonville, FL – another good choice!). Once the business of the day was complete, it was time for folks to get ready for the main event of the reunion – the Saturday night Ban-quet and Memorial Service. The final event of the 2016 reunion was held at 7pm on Saturday evening. The festivities started with a short cocktail hour and photo taking session, followed by a nice meal prepared and served by the staff of the Hyatt. The meal was followed by a memorial ser-vice honoring those crewmembers who had passed away since the 2015 reun-ion. Each memorial service is special,

but I think this one was extra memorable since it included several gentlemen who had been very active within the USS CAMBRIA reunion group. Those hon-ored in 2016 were: Samuel A. Culotta - 09/17/2015; Nicholas M. DiLieto - 03/17/2015; Robert E LaPorte - Date Unk; Raoul Laurent, Jr CPO (Ret) - 05/26/2016; David L. Stoll - 03/31/2016. AB Henry, Roland Parker and Charles Kirk led the service. The memorial ser-vice ended with the playing of taps, a fitting tribute to those who have passed on. Following the memorial service there were two nice surprises – one from Ro-land Parker and one from the hotel staff. Mr Parker stepped to the podium and led the group in a sea chanty – Haul Away Joe. He had a beautiful voice and it was a lot of fun to hear the group members join in the chorus. Then Lynn Alexander, the event manager for the Hyatt brought in a champagne toast for everyone, courtesy of the hotel. She took a mo-ment to thank everyone for their service to the country and then toasted the group and those currently serving in the military. It was a great way to end a great weekend of reunioning! As the banquet drew to a close there were many hugs and handshakes and pats on the back. Everyone is looking forward to the next reunion in Jacksonville, and everyone encouraged each other to reach out to other shipmates and per-sonally invite them to Florida next year!

MINUTES FOR 2016 USS CAMBRIA BUSINESS MEETING

USS Cambria (APA) Buffalo, New York

11 June 2016

1. The meeting began at 1400 hours. Our reunion was held in Buffalo, NY at the Hyatt Hotel.

2. Last year's minutes were read by our President, A. B. Henry, Jr. (Hank). A motion that the minutes be accepted as read was made by John Huff and Charles Kirk seconded the motion.

3. The President, Hank, read Ramon Stafford's treasurer's report (since Ra-mon was unable to attend our reunion). Charles Kirk motioned to accept the treasurer's report and everyone second-ed the motion. At this reunion the report is as follows: Money on hand - checking account - $1,996.25

Money received at reunion for hat/patches - $5.00

Money received at reunion for Newslet-

agreed to keep our current officers but decided that we need to select a second treasurer and seeing no one to volun-teer, Hank said that he would do it tem-porarily, so our current officers will re-main as they are.

President - A. B. Henry, Jr. Vice President - Roland Parker 2nd Vice President - Charles Kirk

Treasurer - Ramon Stafford

Temporary Treasurer - A. B. Henry, Jr. Secretary - Donna Henry

7. Charles Kirk motioned to close our meeting and everyone seconded the motion. Our meeting closed at 1430 hours. AND - hope to see you all next year in Jacksonville, FLA and we wish you fair winds and following seas.

Respectively submitted by Donna Henry, Secretary

and her shipmate, A. B. Henry, Jr. ___________

PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 3333 CAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWS

Once again the Cambria crew members and their shipmates as-sembled in Buffalo, NY. We saw some new people attend along with the long time attendees. The weath-er cooperated for our two tours, and we were well informed about the history of Buffalo. The second tour was especially memorable for Sen-ior Chief Perkins as he had served aboard the USS The Sullivans. I'm sure that a good time was had by all. We certainly missed our treasur-er and our official city counter Ra-mon and Phyllis Stafford. We all hope to see them in 2017 in Jacksonville Fla. So until the next newsletter, I wish everyone fair winds and following seas.

Hank aka Berkley Henry Jr. __________

2016 REUNION ATTENDEES

COORDINATOR’S COLUMN

Louis & Helen Balala

Robert Canty & Mary Helen Shear Richard & Johnette Guild

Carlyle Henry

Andrew & Donna Henry

John Huff & Helen Dillon

Nathan & Kathie Jacobs

Charles (Chuck) & Karen Kirk

Kenneth & Marianne Kurnath

Aubrey & Barbie Moren

Olin & Carolyn Neal Roland Parker William & Dorothy Perkins

Richard & Deborah Sokolik

Robert Southland

Total Members: 14

Guests: 13

GRAND TOTAL: 27

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VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 4444

I send my condolences to the families of two of our long time crew members and the USS Cambria As-sociation supporters. We lost David Stoll in March 2016 and Raul Lau-rent in May 2016. David and his wife attended most of our reunions , in fact David was president of the USS Cambria Association from 1996 until 2009. They always had a smile on their faced and a great way of mak-ing everyone feel welcome.

Raul and his wife Carolyn have been attending our reunions since 1995. Raul was one of the members who wore his uniform for the formal banquet.

Both of these couples will be sorely missed, and they will be long remembered as great buddies.

Phyllis and I could not make it to Buffalo this year, due to health is-sues. We are looking forward to Jacksonville, FL next year.

TREASURER REPORT

Money on hand at last newslet-ter……………………………$2,239.49

Money received for 2 hats …...$30.00

Money received for newsletter.$50.00

Money received from 2016 reun-ion……………………………...$340.00TOTAL………………………$2,659.49

Money paid for newsletter…..$317.76

Money paid for postage………..$5.48

TOTAL………………………...$323.24

Balance in checking acct.

$2,336.25

I have hats for $15.00 and hat patches for $5.00 including postage. All donations for newsletter send to

Ramon Stafford

5324 Tower Hill Rd. Gladstone Va. 24553 Phone 434-9694811 home 434 221 8149 cell E-Mail rstafford34@hughes.net

Raoul Laurent, Jr. (1955-56) FP2 R Division

Died May 26, 2016

David Stoll (1956-58) RD3 CIC Division

Died March 31, 2016

Alfred Ripka

(1952-54) EM3 Division

Date of death not reported

Nicholas DiLieto

(1943-45) S1/C S1 Division

Died March 17, 2015

Robert LaPorte

(1953-56) Died October 18, 2015

Robert Justo

(1953-55) SM2 Signal Corp

463 Herbert St Orange, CT 06477

203-878-7189

David Valenta

dmvlcdr@gmail.com

___________

From the Desk of Treasurer USS Cambria APA-36, Ramon Stafford 06/23/16

Welcome Mat We are proud to announce that the following USS CAMBRIA ship-mates have recently been located. Welcome Aboard and we hope to see you at the next reunion. Also, you are invited to become an active member of the Association.

Taps The Association was saddened to learn of the following shipmates’ deaths. The entire membership ex-tends our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the de-ceased.

DAVID STOLL

Editor’s Note: David Stoll was a past Presi-dent of the USS Cam-bria Reunion Group

David L. Stoll, 80, of Wapakoneta passed away at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2016, at the Wapakoneta Manor. He was born on Feb. 12, 1936, in Wapakoneta to Leo J. Ruby (Taylor) Stoll who have preceded him in death. On Aug. 29, 1959, he married Ellen L. Kerst who survives in Wapakoneta. Survivors also include two sons and two daughters: David "Tiger" (Phyllis) Stoll II of Wapakoneta, Mark (Linda) Stoll of Texas, Nila (Dennis) Nielson of Mary-land, Sena Kim-Reuter of New York; six grandchildren: and two brother-in-laws: Ted Marker and Ray Kerst. He was preceded in death by two sisters and a brother-in-law and an infant brother George W. Stoll. David served his country for four years in the U.S. Navy. In 1989 he re-tired as a captain from the Wapakoneta Fire Department with 25 years of ser-

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IMPORTANT INFOIMPORTANT INFOIMPORTANT INFOIMPORTANT INFO————PLEASE READPLEASE READPLEASE READPLEASE READ

This issue is being mailed and e-mailed to all active members. For future issues, only those who do not have an email address on file with PRS will receive a paper copy. All those with an email ad-dress on file with PRS will receive the newsletter by email only. So, it is imperative that we have your correct email address. If you do not receive this issue by email, that means we do not have your correct email address and you need to contact us. Send your correct address to:

KAREN@MLRSINC.COM

Please state that you are from the USS Cambria.

Published by: Premier Reunion Services

PO Drawer 11438

Hickory, NC 28603

Phone: 828-256-6008

Fax: 828-256-6559

Web site: www.mlrsinc.com/cambria

Our Reunions Work So You Don’t Have To

PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 5555 CAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWSCAMBRIA PRESS NEWS

Fame in 1996 after it was dormant for many years. It was a great honor to be in-ducted.

Sincerely, Marianne Kurnath

153 Madian Ave

Clifton, NY 07011

__________

Dina, I was just e-mailing a USS Cam-bria man who was a Marine on board our ship. His name is Richard Tallant. He was listed in the January 2016 issue of the Newsletter with an e-mail address for him. The e-mail address is incorrect. It should be corrected to:

Richard Tallant fop138@aol.com

__________

Dear Dina, We enjoyed ourselves very much at the reunion. The Saturday tour was interesting, but being with old ship-mates was the prize. So glad that we had two new attendees. While we were in Charleston for our Reunion in 2016 our time was beginning to run short before we were to get back on the bus. Karen and I were looking for a place to eat, but all seemed to be full and had lines. We started walking back to where the bus was to pick us up when we ran into Richard and Johnette Guild who were also looking for a place to eat. We all saw this quaint little restaurant across the street and went to look at the menu. It looked good so we decided to try it. When we got inside, much to our sur-prise, there was a young lady sitting at a the bar smoking from a large pot. We also saw several men sitting at a table doing the same. When we were given a menu we discovered that it had a whole page devoted to different flavors to smoke from a hookah pot. We didn't partake of that, but we sure smelled the after ef-

vice. During his years of fire service he owned and operated Stoll Trucking & Hauling. After retirement he worked for the City of Wapakoneta Water Depart-ment as a water meter reader for 8 years. He was a member of First United Methodist Church, Hamer Lodge #167 and V.F.W. Post 8445. He was a life member of the Amvets #333 and Ameri-can Legion #330 where he served as commander. In his spare time David enjoyed his 1929 Ford Model A Coupe, woodworking, collecting fire department patches from all over the world and trav-elling with his wife Ellen to all 50 states. Most of all he especially loved spending time with his grandchildren.

____________

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Dina, I have contacted Ramon Stafford by email. I don’t know if he got it, so I am letting you know that CPO Raoul J. Laurent, Jr., Ponchatoula, LA with the USS Cambria has passed away. I gave Ramon the details. He was not sick. Had trouble breathing. Had an angiogram with 2 stents. He never got over the procedure and was still weak 2 weeks later. He quite suddenly passed away on May 26th at 1:02 am. He had a night wake on Monday, May 30th and a visitation on May 31st at St. Charles Borromeo Church and buried in the adjoining cemetery with military honors. He was buried in his military uniform. You can pass on my address if any shipmate wishes to contact me. We dearly loved attending the reunions since the 90s. My address is 22157 Fen St., Ponchatoula, LA 70454. Phone 985-722-7011. We were looking forward to Buffalo. Thank you.

Carolyn Laurent ___________

Hi, Ken Kurnath (1950-54) Cambria was recently (Oct. 2015) inducted into the Clifton Athletic Hall of Fame for all he did and continues to do to support the athletic programs in Clifton. He was instrumental in reviving the Hall of

Mail Call

When I was a little lad And so my mother told me, Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! hat if I did not kiss the gals Me lips would all grow moldy. Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, the good ship is a-bolding, Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, the sheet is now unfold-ing, Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! King Louis was the king of France Before the revolution Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! But then he got his head cut off Which spoiled his constitution Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, we'll haul for better weather Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way haul away, we'll haul away to-gether Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! The cook is in the galley boys Making duff so handy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! The captain's in his cabin lads Drinking wine and brandy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, I'll sing to you of Nancy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, she's just my cut and fancy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, we'll haul for better weather Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way haul away, we'll haul away to-gether

Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!

LYRICS TO “HAUL AWAY JOE”

SUNG BY ROLAND PARKER AT THE REUNION

fects. However, the food was real-ly good.

Chuck Kirk, BM3 (63-66)

___________

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 6666

2017 USS CAMBRIA REUNION IN JACKSONVILLE, FL

Jacksonville is the largest city by pop-ulation in Florida, the 12th most populous city in the U.S. and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The metropolitan area population is over 1.5 million. Jacksonville is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River and the Jacksonville Beaches are along the adja-cent Atlantic coast. Harbor improvements since the late 19th century have made Jacksonville a major military and civilian deep-water port. Two U. S. Navy bases, Blount Island Command and Naval Sub-marine Base Kings Bay, form the third largest military presence in the U.S. Port of Jacksonville is Florida’s third largest seaport. Significant factors in the local economy include services such as bank-ing, insurance, healthcare and logistics. As with much of Florida, tourism is also important to the Jacksonville area, partic-ularly tourism related to golf. There’s a reason the PGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame are headquartered here. Jacksonville and the surrounding areas boast world-class golf courses for every level of play in beautiful oceanside and riverfront settings. The Northbank River-walk runs 2.0 miles along the St. Johns from Berkman Plaza to I-95 at the Fuller Warren Bridge while the Southbank River-walk stretches 1.2 miles from the Radis-son Hotel to Museum Circle. The Jacksonville Landing is a popular riverfront dining and shopping venue, accessible by River Taxi from the South-bank Riverwalk. Adjacent to Museum Circle is St. Johns River Park, also known as Friendship Park. It is the location of Friendship Fountain, one of the most recognizable and popular attractions for locals as well as tourists in Jacksonville. This landmark was built in 1965 and pro-moted as the “World’s Tallest and Larg-est” fountain at the time.

Jacksonville Attractions

The Jacksonville Landing

A festive shopping center located on the St Johns River with over 60 retail and specialty shops, numerous restaurants and a variety of international delicacies in its food hall. Meal discounts and coupon books are available for groups.

Mayport Naval Station

Group tours are not available weekends. “Windshield” tours are available on weekdays. Visits on active duty ships are sometimes allowed. (This policy may change between now reunion time.) Lunches are available in the Officer’s club. The alert and deployment status will

determine how many and what types of ships are in port. The Commanding Officer Mayport Naval Station controls access to the base.

Riverwalk Cruise Lines

Cruise the St Johns River aboard the “FIRST LADY OF JACKSONVILLE”, a replica of a 19th century stern wheeler. Enjoy the 15 mile luncheon cruise with dancing and a full service bar.

Day Trip to St Augustine

St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. Magnolia St appeared on the pages of National Geographic as one of the most beautiful streets in America. The recommended way to enjoy the “oldest city” is to have a short narrated driving tour of the city, then be dropped off near St Georges St to do some exploring on your own. Following are a couple of tour options available to you.

St Augustine Historical Tours

Board a turn of the century trolley for a completely narrated seven mile tour of the city. On-and-off privileges are included. This means you can stop at a place that interests you and pick up the next trolley that comes by to continue your tour.

St Augustine Sightseeing Trains

Professional guides will take you through early Florida history starting with Ponce de Leon in 1513, Don Pedro Menendez in 1565 and the gala Flagler Era of 1898. The tour covers seven miles with on-and-

off privileges.

Alligator Farm

The world’s original alligator attraction was established in 1893. See all 23 species of crocodiles from Africa, Asia and the Americas, including the Gomek, the largest reptile in the western hemisphere.

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth

North America’s first historic site, the ancient Indian Village Seloy. The National Archeological Park contains foundations and artifacts of the first St Augustine mission and colony.

___________

Please take time to fill out and return this survey of the attractions listed in the Preview of Jacksonville. We will use your surveys to custom design your reunion to your wishes. Mail surveys to:

Premier Reunion Services

PO Box 11438

Hickory, NC 28603

OR: Fax: 828-256-6559

Reunion format:

Do you want entertainment after the Saturday night banquet?

____yes ____no

Please indicate which activities you would like to see on your re-union agenda:

____The Jacksonville Landing

____Mayport Naval Station

____Riverwalk Cruise Lines

____Day Trip to St. Augustine

____St. Augustine Historical Tours

____St. Augustine Sightseeing Trains

____Alligator Farm

____Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth

Please return surveys by

September 12, 2016

2017 USS CAMBRIA

SURVEY

Financial Report from Premier Reunion Services

Cost of this issue of the Cam-bria Press News is $426.65

However, reunion attendees do-nated $150.00 and Ken Kurnath donated $50.00 for the newsletter, so the Association will be billed only $226.65

__________