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Our 2018 National Buccaneers Convention is just
around the corner starting with the “Hotel lobby happy
hour” on the 4th of May and concluding at the end of
our banquet on Sunday evening.
As an added bonus, we will have a large selection of
“logo marked” National Airlines memorabilia items for
sale, including NAL porcelain-like coffee cups, license
plates, T-shirts, S/S coffee mugs with handle, large
NAL hanging logo, glasses, etc.
The items will be placed in the hospitality room
Thursday afternoon for review. These outstanding
items were graciously donated to “The National
Buccaneers Club” by former NAL Flight Attendant,
Mary Cahill Daniel, with proceeds to go to our club
treasury. In addition, Mary and her husband, Danny
paid all the shipping costs for the nine large boxes.
Looking forward to seeing everyone for another fun-
time memorable event.
NATIONAL BUCCANEERS
NEWSLETTER May 2018
Prez Captain Stan Sez
Officers are: President: Capt. Stan
Barfield
VP/Convention Chair:
Bob Pierson
Treasurers: Bob and Sharon
Thrasher
Bob Pierson
Sharon and Bob Thrasher
Past President:
Capt. John Wentworth &
Linda Wentworth
Editor: Gigi Cockes
from the
HART
Airplane and Airport winners from April 2018
We had a better turn out for the airport and airplane mystery this month. Keep it up.. Correct Airplane answers for the Grumman F9F-9 Panther: John Wentworth, Bob thrasher, Stan Barfield, Bill Houston, Dusty Rhodes, Vince Wynne, Steve Mills, Gary Snodgrass, Jim Gannon, Curt Briggs, Alan Gee, Rusty Heard, Bob Pierson and John Uhrich. Correct Airport guesses For Pensacola: John Wentworth, Stan Barfield, Bob Massey, Dusty Rhodes, Vince Wynne, Gary Snodgrass, Jim Gannon, Curt Briggs, Alan Gee, Rusty Heard, Bob Pierson and John Uhrich. Steve Mills sent me a unique sidebar to the mystery airplane. It is so special I had to share. Hope you enjoy. It fits perfectly with my article and the reason we should all make max effort to attend our reunions. Steve Wrote: The mystery airplane is a Grumman F9F Panther which was preceded by the F9F Cougar. (Straight wing Cougar, Swept wing Panther). I only say that as a lead in to a story that is NAL related. My Uncle Paul, who lived in Miami, flew the Cougar in a Navy Reserve unit at Opa-locka. As his age progressed into his later years he developed dementia and was unable to carry on a conversation. Before he died, I had the opportunity to visit the USS Yorktown CV-10 museum at Patriot's Point in Charleston SC. On the hanger deck sits a F9F Cougar. I decided to take pictures of it for Uncle Paul. I took my mother to see him and while there showed him the pictures. As I showed him the prints I said "I took pictures of the airplane you flew in Opa-locka, the F9F. His eyes focused and a spark of recognition was quite apparent. He looked me straight in the eye and said F9F! I'm sure the next word he would have said if he could would have been, "stupid!" It just showed me how deep a relationship a pilot has with his airplane. The true NAL connection to this story is that another former Navy pilot, who flew the Cougar in that unit, was none other than our own Captain Tom Clarkson. Tom and I were long time friends in Homestead and he also knew Paul. I'm sure there were other NAL pilots in the unit as well.
HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!
May Mystery Airplane and Airport
Email me with your answers! Hart Kelley
A note from Hart:
Why Aren’t You Attending? As you read this short blurb, hopefully most of you are packing and getting ready to head to
Boca Raton for our annual Buccaneers reunion-convention On May 4-7. For all of us who have
attended previously the anticipation of seeing our old friends, co-workers and acquaintances is
important enough to make the effort and take the time to show up. If you aren’t coming this
year or have never attended, why not?
A reunion is a gathering by members of a certain group of people who have not seen each other
for some time? Do you fall into that category? Because even if you came the previous year, it
has been “some time” since you have seen the folks. See, you can't argue with plain old logic.
For those who did not attend last year, or the year before, or the year before that, or maybe
never, you certainly fall into the category who needs to attend. Again, hard to argue with such
astute logic. Plus, we’d love to see you. Maybe?
Now that you are retired you are too busy? Can’t spare the cash? Too far to drive? Didn’t know
a lot of the people? Might run into someone you didn’t like? Any and all of these are lame
excuses when put it into the larger perspective. What is life all about and what is it worth to us?
Life is about friendships, acquaintances, camaraderie and memories.
When we fly west, friendship, memories and good times and bad, are all that is stuffed in our
cranium’s grey matter. Haven’t you at some point in our life said, “boy, wish I
would have done that”? If you haven’t you’re not human and can stop reading now. For
the rest of us, we need to quit with the excuses and get off our ever-widening lower units, and
attend one of the annual Buccaneer reunion/conventions. Not too late for this year?
I’ll close with something I put in one of these previous space fillers. I wasn’t hired at
National until 1977 and the Blue Blob, I mean Ball, slurped us up in 79, but even those
hired in the late 60’s, who went on to DAL, UAL or some other airline, quite possibly
spent more time at another airline than you did at National? But ask yourself this, “At
which airline did I have the most fun, friends and memories?” In the short span of time
at National, I can truly say I have more fond memories, had more fun times and made
more lifelong friends, than in the remainder of my career.
Think about it for a minute? Then show up, we’ll be looking for you…
If you don’t show up, my friend will put a spell on you!!!
Lunch Box Answer from last month came
from Mary Daniel:
F/E is John Hall, F/A Francis Darnell,
Captain Wm. "Bucky" Smallwood,
F/A Marti Hertner, and 1st Officer Alan
Bartow
THANKS MARY and to all those that tried!
You can take part in the news updates! LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE CONNECTING
WITH YOUR NAL FRIENDS AND TAKE A PICTURE! Send to Gigi Cockes
[email protected] and please add NAL in the subject line. Deadline is the 27th of each
month. Thanks!!
Linda Claytor, Joyce Cossin, Linda white, Linda Belgiano, Nancy Drummond, Beth Skrondal, and Debbie Drab all helped celebrate Linda White's 70th birthday at Old Time Cellars on Main Street in PC.
Photos from
Bob Thrasher
Attendees: Bob & Sharon Thrasher, James & Hilda O’Reilly, Doris & Don Morgan, Dan
Pierce, Larry Helms, Joe Fricks, Chuck Olivaros, Bill Grissom, John Bowling, Dave
Blessing, Bill Strelecki, John Juauy, and Bill West who also won the 50/50. Hope next time
we have a better turnout but several did call in sick or out of town.
Central Florida Buccaneers Luncheon April 2018
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS GIGI? How about Disney World!
After our Cruise to the Panama Canal which was a wonderful 10 day trip we stopped back to visit the
Wentworth’s in Mont Verde, FL again on our way home. As much as that cruise was interesting and I
took 422 photos of sloths, monkey’s, butterflies, an anteater, toucans, and vegetation, none of that could
compare to the Flower Show at Epcot in the spring. The four of us ventured out for a few hours to see
the feat that Disney puts on every year. It was hard to choose which photos would make the cut of the
122 I took that day. The topiaries that are built with leaves, seeds, flowers, and bark were exquisite and
at every turn a different theme of characters. I had taken this tour many years ago with my family and
now I appreciate the work and time and effort that it takes to put on this fabulous display of color,
flowers, butterflies, etc. Even though it is still too early to plant in the mountains of NC I was inspired
by it all. So much so that I decided to bring Spring to the crafting world and made some samples of
greeting cards for future use. I would like to offer a free class at the Boca Raton Convention to make
these 4 cards in a 1 1/2 hour class for the ladies that will be coming to the Convention! Those of you that
are husbands that are reading this, please tell your spouses. We will be making these cards for sympathy,
birthday, get well, and/or thank you. If you are interested in this Make and Take class on Sunday after
the Annual meeting please send me a quick RSVP so I can have your supplies prepped for you. I look
forward to treating you to a fun time of sharing and you will go home with another happy memory of
your NAL Boca Raton Reunion. Just email me at: [email protected] and put SPRING in the
subject line. Let me know if you are attending and if you have small sharp paper scissors bring them
along. All else will be supplied. Thanks and I look forward to seeing you in Boca! Gigi Cockes
We will be using die cut machine and templates,
punches, rubber stamps, stamp ink, ribbons, and
embellishments.
I have taught stamping and scrapbooking classes
for many years in my Ocala, FL store. Now retired,
paper crafting is still a hobby and I would love to
share it with you!
Gone but not forgotten
Obits from Capt. Bill Mauldin
Captain Dick Blackburn, was born on
February 1, 1940. After spending some time
with the USAF, Dick was hired by National on
January 25, 1965. His date of death was April
1, 2018.
Like many of us, Dick served with several
airlines. He served as co-pilot and Captain
with National from January 1965 until Pan Am
bought National in 1980. As Pan Am began
selling off assets, Dick went with the routes
and equipment sold to United Airlines.
Dick’s next of kin is Mrs. Chui Blackburn of
1430 Brickell Bay Drive, Miami, FL 33186.
Wanda Brown, wife of Captain LeRoy Brown, of
Zellwood,Fl , Date of Birth April 24, 1936, passed
away on April 3, 2018, being a licensed pilot, has
taken her final flight west. Wanda joined National
Airlines at age 19 in New York City as a radio
operator where she met her husband of 61 years,
Captain LeRoy H. Brown. Her hobbies included
being a pilot and ham radio operator but her
greatest pride and joy was her family. A donation
may be made in memory of Wanda Brown to:
Debbie Turner Cancer Center
debbieturnercancercare.com/
Obituary of Captain Richard (Dick)
P. Blackburn
Obituary for Wanda Marie Brown
(Wife of NAL Capt. LeRoy Brown)
