May Monthly Lunch: Annual Blue & Gold Officer Appreciation
Annually, the TxGC Chapter honors our area BGOs, recognizing the hard work they do, day in and day out, in ensuring the Naval Academy has qualified candidates from the Houston area, that will represent themselves and our country proud at USNA, and in the Fleet.
If you’re one of our area BGOs, please contact Rich Bulger (rlbulger69@gmail.com, 281-788-3915), to ensure you’re signed up as an honoree, in order to be recognized during the festivities.
Featured Speaker: CAPT Paul Tortora, USN (Ret.)
Capt. Paul Tortora, USN (ret), was the first Chair of the new Cyber Science Department at the United States Naval Academy. He recently retired from the Navy following a 26-year active duty career as both a Nuclear Submarine Officer and a Naval Intelligence Officer. During his active service he served and deployed on two nuclear fast attack submarines, two amphibious assault ships, and a nuclear aircraft carrier, conducting peacetime and combat operations across the globe.
His ashore assignments included Director of Training at the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center, on the staff of the Director of Naval Intelligence, as the Intelligence Officer and Naval Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, and on the staff of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Friday May 4, 2018: 11:30-13:30
- Agenda (times estimated)
- 11:30-12:00 Networking & margaritas
- 12:00 Seats, introductions, announcements, lunch orders
- 12:15 Guest Speaker
- 12:20-12:30 Lunch plate service during speaker
- 13:15 Speaker conclusion, final announcements B&G
El Tiempo “1308 Annex”: 322 Westheimer Rd
- Lunch Menu
- Chips & salsa, guacamole, & queso
- Choice of Entree:
- Chicken or beef fajitas
- Seafood enchiladas
- Las Vegas platter
TxGC Chapter membership has its benefits…
- Members get 15% when they enter their promo code at check-out
- Member’s promo code emailed out in member-only version of Newsletter
TxGC Exclusive, Private Tour
- Limited space- no walk ups
- Must have TxGC Member code to sign up (provided via member-only email)
- Three areas will be visited: The Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility, the Mission Control Center and the Neutral Bouyancy Lab
- The tour will start at 0800 at the Rocket Park near the front gate of the Johnson Space Center
- The tour will conclude at 11:45 at the Rocket Park
- We will plan to have an informal lunch in the area afterwards
- NEW! Lunch to follow at El Tiempo- Webster
- A list of attendees with full names that match photo IDs must be provided a week before the tour
- If your name is not on the list, then no tour
- There is no cost for the tour
- Pay special attention to Guest Ops Attachment for rules on dress, safety protocol and behavior
TxGC Foundation’s Top Gun Annual Benefit
In 2014, the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, Texas Gulf Coast (TxGC) Foundation, established a new tradition in the Houston area. The Top Gun Annual Benefit has become a noteworthy event that has integrated the community members at large with the local veteran population. The proceeds go to two handpicked, local veterans service organizations (VSOs), selected each year, in addition to a portion going to the TxGC Foundation. For 2018, the two primary VSOs are Team Rubicon and USO Houston. These organizations effectively enrich the lives of their members and communities. Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. During Harvey, Team Rubicon was intricate in serving the community at-large, quickly and effectively. USO Houston continuously adapts to the needs of our men and women in uniform and their families, so that the service member can focus on their mission, serving their country. The TxGC Foundation supports the mission of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in developing young men and women into our nations future Naval Officers.
Over 800 people have experienced the beach volleyball, Kenny Loggins music, games, fun, food, and camaraderie that the Top Gun Benefit provides while raising, over the past three years, over $20,000 for local veteran charities, enabling them to continue their missions. With your support, the Top Gun Annual Benefit will continue to surpass each previous year’s numbers.
2018: Top Gun 5th Annual Benefit
Saturday July 7 @ Wakefield Crowbar
- Food & Drink Specials
- Beach Volleyball Tournament
- Silent Auction
- Family Activities and Games (Kids Activities)
- Giveaways & Prizes
- Top Gun Costume Contest
Sponsorships & Donations Wanted
- Support local veterans
- Interact with potential clients
- Make your mark in the veteran community
- Gain powerful advertising and media exposure
- More detailed information on sponsoring or donating (click here)
- Dan Hanley ’10
- 281-435-2523
- dhanley@2010.usna.com
TICKET INFO COMING SOON
STAY UP TO DATE ON TOP GUN BENEFIT FACEBOOK
2017 Results
- Online revenue: $474
- Door revenue: $1,291
- Volleyball revenue: $2,000
- Auction revenue: $7,135
- Donations: $889
- Sponsors: 4,750
- Total revenue: $16,539
- Expenses: ($1,539)
- Net profit: $15,000
- Funds contributed to benefactors
- USNAAA TxGC Foundation (50%): $7,500
- Lone Star Veterans Assoc. (25%): $3,750
- Team Red, White, & Blue (25%): $3,750
- Funds contributed to benefactors
Beaumont “no-host” Social
- Informal lunch- all are welcome
- Pay your own way (no-host)
- Free appetizers courtesy of the TxGC Chapter
- Please RSVP via Facebook event page or email to John Augusto (m020234@2002.usna.com)
Come out and meet some of your fellow Alumni in the Golden Triangle
Buddy Wellborn’s Navy Football Preview
Monthly Lunches are back! Join us for our annual Navy Football Preview, featuring Buddy Wellborn ’59. Buddy is well regarded as a Navy Football expert, having served as NAAA Trustee. Full bio.
TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!
- Advance purchase online: $30 ($25 for TxGC members)
- Week-of-event & walk-ups*: $35 ($30 for TxGC members)
- *if seats available
- TxGC Member discount is provided by a discount code via member-only newsletter
- TxGC Membership is only $10/year… join today
MENU
- Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
- Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
- Choice of entree
- Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
- Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
- Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
- Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake
Official USNA Tailgate, hosted by North Texas Chapter
- Tx Gulf Coast Chapter will have bus trip/road trip details and sign-up soon for those interested from the Houston area
- More info coming soon
- ALL INFO BELOW IS FROM NTX Site (http://www.usnaaa-ntx.com/article.html?aid=554)
- Details subject to change; please review NTX site for latest details
Tailgate Food: Full meal, desserts, drinks, beer, water
Tailgate Location: SMU Boulevard
Tailgate Prices: $25 adults, $15 age 6-11, $5 age < 6
Game Tickets: NTX provided group tickets (NTX sections 221 & 222)
Ticket Prices: $25 each (regular price $35)- allotment of only 1200 tickets (first come, first served)
Hotel Package: Park City Hilton, Dallas
Hotel Prices: $177/night plus tax; $15/night parking (50% discount); $10 breakfast buffet Sunday (45% discount) – allotment of 40 rooms for Fri & Sat night
Reservations: Sign up online via link, or call hotel directly at 214-368-0400, using code USN group code
- 65 years & older: $6 Per Person
- Child 5 – 11 years old: $3 Per Person
- Child 4 years & under: Free
- Military (Active & Retired): Free
Austin Huckabee
Commissioned as an Armor Officer from Sam Houston State University in 2007, Austin served as an Abrams tank platoon leader and an Air Assault Infantry platoon leader in Baghdad, Iraq from 2009-2010. Since 2012, he as worked for the Houston Police Department as a patrol officer in Greenspoint and Acres Homes, in the Gang Division in a city-wide street level anti-gang unit, and in the SWAT detail as a part-time officer. In 2016, he became a contract instructor for the State Department and Justice Department in Ukraine, training multiple law enforcement agencies in and around Kiev in high-risk tactics. Austin will talk to us about his experiences in training Ukrainian law enforcement agencies how to handle and respond to high risk tactical situations and the impact of the Ukraine’s current political climate affects its law enforcement’s ability to fight corruption.
TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!
- Advance purchase online: $30 ($25 for TxGC members)
- Week-of-event & walk-ups*: $35 ($30 for TxGC members)
- *if seats available
- TxGC Member discount is provided by a discount code via member-only newsletter
- TxGC Membership is only $10/year… join today
MENU
- Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
- Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
- Choice of entree
- Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
- Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
- Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
- Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake
On October 25, 1938…
the Houston Branch of the USNA Alumni Association held their first, formal meeting at the Hotel Stratford. Although the branch had loosely been in existence before this date, it was considered “inactive”, and was formally established per requirements until this date. Members in attendance at the first meeting were Geisenhoff, N. H. ’13; Whistenford, Chas. ’21; Parrott, J.H. ’23; Spangler, J.B. ’23; Randolph, A.K. ’24; Wallace, A.B. ’26; Blank, C.F. ’26; Schirmeyer, T.G. ’27; and Worth, F.R. ’37.
From the December 1938 Shipmate article [re: October meeting]… Whiteford, Randolph, and Parrott recently located in Houston and we were pleased to have them at the meeting. There are about fifteen Naval Academy Alumni in Houston ranging from Mr. Maxey’s class, 1884, to Felix Davis, 1939. A.F. Carter, 1905, and D.W. Moore, 1921, are associated with oil companies located in Houston, but found it impossible to attend our first meeting.
U.S.S. Arkansas visited Galveston for Navy Day and some of the Houston Alumni made a trip to Galveston to visit classmates and friends in the regular Navy. Lt. E.W. Lamons, ’27, now on the U.S.S. Arkansas, spent the week-end with his former roommate, T.G. Schirmeyer, ’27, who is practicing law in Houston. It has been about ten years since they had the occasion to see each other. By the way, Lamons has only been married about four weeks. Logan, ’26, is visiting his folds at Houston. He is on thirty-day leave after serving a tour of duty in the Asiatics. Michaux, ’22 is expected to spend some time with his relatives in Houston in a few weeks when he returns to the States from Asiatic duty.
We are very anxious to have Naval Academy Alumni in this vicinity get in touch with the Houston Branch. This can be done by calling the Secretary, T.G. Schirmeyer, either at his home or at his office. All itinerant Academy men passing through Houston are urged to check in with the Houston Branch because it is always possible to get several of the members together and make your visit a pleasant one. For information concerning the Houston Branch, communicate with T.G. Schirmeyer, Cotton Exchange Bldg.
Other interesting chapter facts:
- First President: J. B. Spanger, ’23
- Chapter changed from “Houston” to “Texas Gulf Coast” in 1 quarter 1975