From the Executive Director:
Tailhook Continues Growth
by CAPT J.R. Davis, USN(Ret)
by CAPT J.R. Davis, USN(Ret)
As many of you already know, the Tailhook Association and John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel have been defendants in a civil action for the past two years. This action began when two nonparticipants at the 2000 Tailhook Reunion registered a noise complaint to the Nugget Hotel management. The complaint eventually grew to include charges of negligence, emotional distress, false imprisonment and willful misconduct against both the Association and the hotel. Our insurance company, the Chubb Group, defended us in every action since the original complaint was filed. In a recent action that ended this civil law suit, the Second Judicial District, State of Nevada, County of Washoe, dismissed the civil suit.
In recent months, our members have been buying increasing numbers of shirts, hats, jackets and other merchandise to demonstrate their pride in being a member of Tailhook. Why not buy an item for yourself or as a gift for family or a friend? Aside from the benefit of supporting the Association, the income from sales helps your headquarters staff improve member benefits and the quality of The Hook magazine. Check out the advertisements on Pages 4, 11, 20 and 47 and give us a call at (800) 322-4665 to order your selection. Better yet, visit our online store to see the entire range of merchandise available.
We continually review our inventory of Tailhook Association logo merchandise as we respond to the desires of our members. Because of many requests, we now have added F2H Banshee and FJ Fury T-shirts in Navy blue and ash.
We have also added new men’s and women’s pique golf shirts with the 2003 Tailhook Reunion logo in Navy blue as well as new men’s pocket golf shirts in two-tone royal blue with black trim. In addition, our supply of women’s golf shirts has been refreshed with new colors.
Bring in a new member or re-sign one of your buddies who has dropped his membership. If every member does his part, we can continue to improve The Hook magazine as we move toward our goal of 13,000 members by the end of 2005. Our membership increased from 10,613 in January 2002 to the current level of 11,633. This increase is due, for the most part, to greater active-duty participation and the Tailhook Educational Foundation’s support of 584 NJROTC school memberships. Our future depends on individual as well as corporate membership. This year our level of corporate participation remains at 24 members.
If you’re planning a squadron reunion or a vacation to San Diego, we suggest using the headquarters building for a reception or an event. We offer an extensive photo and slide archive, a fine Naval Aviation library, many films and videos, catered receptions and access to the Tailhook ship’s store. Contact the headquarters for complete details.
Tailhook 2003 approaches, and we’re planning several improvements to the reunion and symposium program. If you’re part of the planning committee for a reunion group, please consider the advantages of staging your reunion in conjunction with Tailhook 2003 in Reno. Many reunions have joined us in the past and report that it’s “the only way to go.” Reunion groups already are beginning to sign up with us, so contact us early if this plan sounds good to you.
See you in Reno in September.