U.S.S
BROOKE (DEG-1/FFG-1)
ASSOCIATION
FIRST MEETING MINUTES
Sixth Avenue Inn
Seattle,
Washington
September 20,
2003
0905 – 1034
HRS
Tom Adametz opened the First Meeting with an Opening
Statement in behalf of the Constitution & By-Laws Committee and welcoming
all Brooke crew members.
The following is the Minutes of the First Business
Meeting:
Ø
Open meeting at 9:05 am by Tom Adametz made reference to USS
Ramsey Association
Ø
Motion made to create/establish the USS Brooke (DEG-1/FFG-1)
Association
Ø
Seconded by all Brooke members in attendance and voted by same
Ø
Web page is created. Tom
has been contacted by 90 crewmembers to be put on the crew’s list as a
crewmember.
Ø
Constitution and By-Laws is on a page on the web site and this
meeting will discuss it for approval by all members attending.
Ø
Constitutions – Changes
o
Article I – Name – read and no changes
o
Article II – Purpose and Functions – read with changes
§
Section 1, A – Change “Of the Former” to “Brooke”
§
Section 1, D – Remove “Former”
v
Changes approved by all members
o
Article III – Officers – read and no changes
§
Section 1
v
If we think of others, we will throw it in as we go
v
Two-year term may be too long.
v
Length of reunion should be considered every year or every other
year.
v
Guys alive this year may not be alive this year
v
Or consider for every five years
v
We need to do this at the meeting we may have a hundred members
or more and may decide to hold the reunion every two years but for now
reunions every year.
o
Article III – Election of Officers – read and no changes
§
Section 3
v
Election nomination committee to be formed is under
consideration and would send information out to all members and may even have
it on the web site.
v
Will consider modifying the By-Laws to include a nomonation
committee with a means to send out election nomination information but we
would rather have volunteers and send out a letter requesting for volunteers
for filling a position.
v
A similar association (Tin Can Association) includes widows and
wives as members. Brook
Association has it mentioned in By-Laws.
§
Section 4 – read no changes
o
Article IV – read with changes
§
Section 1, F – last sentence to be read, “all receipts are
to be turned in…”
v
Steve Hunt in the name of the USS Brooke has opened a checking
account.
v
Suggestion made for Secretary/Treasurer duties to be split into
two positions but agreed as one.
§
Section 2 – read with no changes but with comments
v
Other associations such as USS Shields reunion
Secretary/Treasurer had all the money and when a change in officers occurred
not everything was turned over. An
audit procedure needs to be created and Secretary/Treasurer needs to comply
with audits.
v
The Secretary/Treasurer Audit to be reviewed by members.
§
Section 3, A – read with no changes
§
Section 3, B – read with no changes but with comments
v
Setting up a reunion is a lot of work and the person as a
point-man needs to coordinate all activities.
v
The point-man to be able to represent the Association Officially
v
Clarification – Positions should be voluntary, amounts of
money will change.
v
Clarification – first sentence is not intended to imply the
President will have all expenses paid.
v
If a point-man is not available in area of reunion site, the
site will not be considered unless agreed to by all members
v
Item to be kept as open item for later debate.
v
Reunion should be planned with two succeeding reunions in mind.
v
For each reunion two sites will be considered as primary and
alternate sites.
o
Article V – read with changes
§
Section 1, A
v
First sentence delete “Shall”
v
Change “…on the vessel USS Brooke…” to read “…aboard
Brooke…”
§
Section 1, B
v
Delete the word “…immediate…”
o
Article VI – read with changes
§
Section 1, A
v
Change “...the regular membership…” to “…a minimum of
five (5) members…”
§
Section 1, C
v
Change “…simple majority of the members…” to
“…majority of the regular members…”
v
Clarification – A quorum will be members of odd numbers in
order to break a voting tie.
v
Only regular members have voting privileges.
o
Article VII – read with changes
§
Section 1, A
v
Change “…simple majority…” to “…majority…”
§
Section 1, B
v
Change “…simple vote…” to”…vote…”
v
Clarification – Change all references of “…simple
majority…” to “…majority…” in the Constitution and By-Laws
o
Article VIII – read with changes
§
Section1, B
v
“…President shall have power to eject…” implies a need
for officer of Master-At-Arms.
v
Clarification – We will revert to Article III, Section 1, A
and add to the list of officers the position of Master-at-Arms
Ø
By-Laws – Changes
o
Article I – read with no changes
§
Section 1 – Comments
v
$25 membership fee was selected per the standard fee for most
other associations.
v
The $25 membership fee is to go to the Brooke Association and
the use of these funds will be defined in the Secretary/Treasurer Audit
v
The $25 membership fee will be determined by membership on what
it may be spent on.
v
With more members we will have more money and will be able to
reduce dues if the amount is in access of an established account amount.
v
We need to place upper limit of checking account amount and
subject to vote.
v
Scholarship funds are available for the excessive amounts since
we are a non-profit association. An
example is the Admiral Walter’s Fund
v
Navy Relief Society is also a good place for excess amounts
v
$25 to be used for postage, running the offices and maintaining
Ship’s Store and accounting will be published for all funds by newsletter
only and not on the website for all to see.
v
The ship’s store is to be self sufficient
v
Per Steve Hunt, this year’s reunion is self-sufficient as all
reunions should be.
v
Per Steve Hunt, so far this year, registration and expenses are
covered with money collected including a couple hundred dollars in donations
(approx $1200)
v
Per Steve Hunt, the dinner of Friday night was estimated by him
to be $30 per plate and the bill was paid in the clear.
v
Per Steve Hunt, the cost for the banquet tonight should be ok,
even though we lost one member, William Hunt left this morning at 6:00 am due
to his mother having a heart attack.
v
Two more members showed up today.
v
Leave the option available for Lifetime Membership fees.
v
Leave open the option of a one time Charter Membership Fee
v
We do not see a profit in our association.
v
The USS Radford Association has dues that are suggested and this
ship has been in commission twice as long as Brooke and when ever dues run low
the Radford Newsletter is sent out with a red mark on the front.
This informs the Radford members to donate extra if they can.
v
We can start at $25 membership fee and we do not foresee any
raising of the fees. It is
possible we may lower the fees as time progresses
v
The dues are set at $25 and agreed by members by unanioumus
vote.
v
Comment – a formal letterhead for the Brook Association will
provide creditability.
v
We will have a Federal tax ID number as a non-profit
association.
§
Section 4, A
v
Delete the word “simple”
§
Section 5
v
Change the word “comrades” to “shipmates”
v
We need to establish a general fund for the membership
v
$5000 may not be enough in our fund per Steve Hunt, all funds
collected for this reunion was approx $5,000 and we may need $10,000
§
We need to develop and insert a new Section 2, A in the By-Laws
Article I, as follows:
“When the Association General Fund (after
expenses) exceeds $10,000, the membership shall determine the disposition of
the funds in excess of $10,000”
§
Original Section 2 becomes new Section 3 and so on.
§
The constitution and By-laws as they have been written and
revised are agreed to and accepted by all members by unanimous vote.
Ø
Elections for officers was held and the results are as following
by unanimous vote:
o
President – Tom Adametz
o
Vice President – Tony Precie
o
Secretary/Treasurer – Steve Hunt
o
Chaplin – Jerry Hamlin
o
Master-at-Arms – Duane Schinn
Ø
Post Election Comments and discussions
o
President Adametz will carry on with website and will accept all
contributing articles.
o
Discussion for reunion sites for next year:
§
Reunion sites during the winter time need to go to the sunbelt
areas.
§
September is a good timeframe for reunions.
§
Need to give some thought for East Coast shipmates
§
Bremerton was a good site as Birthplace of Brooke.
§
San Diego is a warm site and next year will be a good site to
get everyone together.
§
Tom Adametz will do all legwork for the San Diego reunion 2004.
§
All members voted unanimously for the site of the 2004 reunion
to be San Diego.
§
The date for the reunion in San Diego 2004 will be either the
second or third weekend in September.
§
Kids in school will be considered
§
For right now the association agrees the reunion will be an
annual event
§
Plans for reunion 2005:
v
Avoid East coast during storm seasons
v
Prospective East Coast sites needed account Brooke members
living on East coast; Whittaker,
William Hunt, Buddy
v
Pensacola and Tampa are considered as prospective sites.
Although Pensacola has transportation issues.
v
Prospective site for 2005 was voted to be New Orleans by members
v
The New Orleans Reunion “pointman” will be Bob Veach.
Ø
Additional Comments or Reports
o
Current name of the Brooke Newsletter is Port and Starboard was
voted upon is kept by unanimous vote.
o
Any dues paid now of $25 will be collected by Steve Hunt and
will be posted for January 1 to December 31, 2004
o
Dues may be sent in by mail at a later date.
o
Steve Hunt has raffle items and please sign Buddy’s standup
poster.
o
The first Brook Association Meeting adjourned at 10:34 am.
Members in
Attendance
Richard Blackington
Anthony Precie
Gene Shuttleworth
Billy R. Morrow
W.H. Bill Johnson
Bob Veach
Dave Kalaf
Steve Hunt
Roy Cook
Bob Wasielewski
Scott P. Youngren
Rodney W. Winchell
Joel Beck
Ray Rathburn
Duane Schinn
John Limbaugh
Jerry Hamling
John Shumlas
Del Turner
Terry Wolfe
Tom Adametz