AMERICAN LEGION POST #175 
PO BOX 105
SEVERNA PARK , MD
21146
TELEPHONE: 410-544-2066
Who’s
who—Post, SAL and
Auxiliary
Leadership…….
American Legion Post 175Post
Commander: Carl “Buddy” George
1st Vice Commander: Dan McDonald 2nd Vice Commander:
Richard Bonnett 3rd Vice Commander Dan
Jordan Adjutant: Tony McGrath Finance Officer: Bob Niederstadt Chaplain: Dale Strait Judge Advocate: Jim Corkery Historian: Harry Grover Service Officer: Mike Herpel Sgt. at Arms: Harry Carroll
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American Legion
Auxiliary
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Sons of American Legion
SAL Elections
Completed Commander Billy Cox 1st Vice: James George 2nd Vice: Mike Clutz Finance Officer : William “BJ” Cox Jr. Adjutant : Kenny Gerald Historian : “Skip” Sersevic Chaplain : Steve Bennett Sergeant at Arms:David Sersevic
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From Your
Commander
Now
that the Holidays are upon us, let us not forget those in need of our help and
support. One of our best assets here at the Post is our willingness to lend our
help and support to others. Let it
always be our main objective.
The
last few months have been very productive ones.
In
October, many tasks were accomplished, they were to numerous to list here but
let me say the month finished with a wonderful Halloween Party put on by our
fantastic Auxiliary with the help of others, a special thanks to Jim
Corkery.
November
was also a busy month at the Post. Starting with a terrific Early Bird Bull and Oyster Roast headed by
our own, 1st. Vice Dan McDonald. Thanks for a job well done.
Then
we moved on to a wonderful Veterans Day Service at the Post Home headed by our
own Chaplain,
Don’t
stop now, here comes the SAL with a Fifties dance that went over very well
despite the nasty weather.
Don’t
forget News Year’s here at the Post.
Hopefully our new chairs for the hall will have arrived, thanks to the
combined effort of our Auxiliary Unit, Sons of the America Legion Squadron, our
own Legion and those who have been purchasing 50-50’s on Friday Nights. Also
thanks to those who have donated to the chair fund.
Finishing
on a sour note, we had an opportunity to make some improvements to our field
and parking lot and also receive a generous donation to the Post, which was
foiled by a once suspended member. To him I say you can always transfer if
you’re not happy here.
Have
safe and wonderful Holidays but always remember the REASON FOR THE SEASON.
Buddy George
Commander
Message
From the 1st Vice
The
Early Bird Bull and Oyster Roast was a sell out and, in my opinion, a great
time was had by all who attended. The
success was due mainly to all the hard work of the volunteers. Now I’m going to THANK them all by name:
Buddy George, Jim Corkery, Richard Bonnett, Mike Herpel, Dan Jordan, Keith
Jordan, Billy Cox, Roger Scarborough, George Lucas, Colleen Cox, Rosemary
Gurick, Michele Jordan, Dave McDonald, Pat Rabeau, Barbara Smith and all the
people who work the Big Six wheel. THANK YOU.
Membership
is coming along very well; we have 501 members who have paid their 2003 dues. 1
Jan 03 is the date set by the Department of Maryland for the Post to be
100%. As a reminder, “If dues are not paid by January 1 of each
calendar year, the member becomes delinquent. If dues have not been paid by
February 1, the member is suspended.” So if you have not paid your dues please do
so. If you know of one of our members
who has not, ask him to do so.
Membership is everyone’s job!
Just
a few things that your Post is working on, Corporal Donald Higdon of the Anne
Arundel Police Department is the Post nominee for the
American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. We are working with
Daniel McDonald
1st Vice
Message From the 2st Vice
The
Annual Charity Luncheon will be held
Thursday, December 12th from
There
will be a variety of delicious hot food , desserts and
an OPEN Bar for those members who make a Tax Deductible donation of 35
dollars or more. Due to local
regulations, the luncheon will be limited to members only.
This
event has been a tradition at this Legion Post for many years. It has been
called the Round Table Luncheon, for those unfamiliar with our local
language. Its purpose is simple:
It
is intended to bring smiles, nourishment and essentials to 10 local, needy
families.
The
names of the recipients are kept confidential and anonymous. They will receive cash certificates
redeemable at local grocery stores. A
past President of our Auxiliary, Pat Kloes, has volunteered again to manage the
selection task. Thanks Pat!
We
have depended on the generosity of our individual post members to
provide the luncheon food; the generosity of our principal organizations, Post
175 Legion, Auxiliary, and
SAL to provide the cash donations that will go to these families.
Individually and collectively, WE make a difference. The more money we collect, the better
we
can perform on this worthwhile service.
ALL
net proceeds go to the intended purposes and a receipt for tax deduction will
be provided.
Please
provide a cash donation to support this program, even if you do not intend on
coming to the luncheon.
We
invite post members who wish to provide food for the luncheon to contact me in
advance.
Donations by check or cash can be presented at the Post Lounge or directly to me. Make checks payable to the American Legion Post 175 with a memo note on it to say “ charity drive ”.
Let’s
make this year’s generosity reflect the Four Star Status which all three
organizations of this post have achieved.
Additional information: call me at 410-757-4983, or call the post at
410-544- 2066.
Please
mark your calendars for this and other events scheduled to be at Post 175.
Richard L. Bonnett
2nd Vice
Commander
From Your Adjutant
All members must obey the post
175 dress code (no tank tops or bare feet), also please remember, no use of
profanity is requested of everyone always.
Violators will be asked to leave.
As a point of information,
although the bartender is in control of the lounge, ALL members are empowered
and expected to help enforce these and all other rules, remember to take it to
the bartender before taking any action.
The above two paragraphs were left
in this article as a continuing reminder in the Adjutant’s absence. The Adjutant’s normal Newsletter Article will
not appear this issue due to his recent illness which he is still recovering
from.
Information normally covered in this section
will be covered in other officers articles.
Hurry and get well and return
soon Tony.
Tony McGrath
Adjutant
A Word from the Chaplain
I’m sorry to report that Legionnaire Ron Smerdon
has been called to Post Everlasting. I
extend my thanks to those Legionnaires who participated in the Memorial
Services. Keep his family in your
prayers. I know it was a comfort to
Nancy Smerdon and her children to have Ron’s service to his country and his
affiliation with the American Legion remembered. A contribution has been sent from the Post to
the American Diabetes Association in memory of Comrade Ron.
Post Adjutant Tony McGrath continues his
recuperation after a serious medical problem.
He is now out of the University of Maryland
Medical Center and staying with a sister.
We all wish him a speedy recovery and return to the Post.
Many thanks to all who
participated in and attended the Veterans Day ceremony. Each anniversary of the cessation of World
War I is an opportunity to remember and honor all veterans who have served our
nation.
The autumn leaves in all their
splendor remind us that the year is coming to a close. We are entering the holiday season. Roma and I wish all of you and your families
a bountiful Thanksgiving, happy Hanukkah, and a very joyous Christmas.
Please let me know of anyone in the hospital or ill
at home. Thanks.
Chaplain
GIVE THE GIFT
OF LIFE
American Legion Post 175 will be jointly sponsoring
a blood drive with the Severna Park Elks Lodge and Severn River Lions
Club. The Red Cross has an urgent need
for blood, especially during the holiday season when supplies are critically
low and the need is high. Each blood
donation can benefit the critically ill or injured by providing whole blood,
platelets, or plasma. Anyone over the
age of 17, weighing more than 110 pounds, and in good health can donate every
54 days. There is no way one can get a
disease from donating blood. The process
takes about an hour. Anyone who has
spent more than six month in
The blood drive will be on
LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR
Your Post is pleased and honored to nominate
Corporal Donald Higdon of the Anne Arundel County Police Department as Law
Enforcement Officer of the Year. In the
words of his commanding officer, “Corporal Higdon is an excellent candidate for
this honor. He has been a sworn Anne
Arundel County Police Officer since February 1982. He served on the streets as a Patrolman from
1982 until 1997. In 1997 he began work
as the Anne Arundel County Teen Court Coordinator. His occupation is that of police officer, but
most of his on and off duty hours are spent serving the community. He has received many awards and citations for
his merits as an officer, and it is time he be cited for the many hours he
spends serving the community. These
hours are an act of heart as he would not be satisfied or feel complete without
volunteering and helping others.” We
hope that Corporal Higdon’s contributions to our communities, and their young
people, will be recognized by the Department of Maryland. He is certainly deserving of such
recognition.
News from our Auxiliary
From the
President
Many thanks to the Officers, Chairmen, and Volunteers
for their good jobs. The following summarizes some of those good
jobs.
Breakfast has been well attended with plenty of good food
.
The Children’s Halloween Party was entertaining and fun for the
kids.
Super Sundays offered a variety of one dish meals prepared for your
eating enjoyment.
Bingo at Future Care provided a good time for the residents.
The Americanism Essay Contest is under way. Membership dues are steadily
coming in so be sure to pay yours soon.
The Proposed Unit Standing Rules were approved by Department.
The November Fund Raiser exceeded expectations and finally
Our other raffles and cake wheels all did very well.
The following Chairmen and their Committees did outstanding jobs: Pat Kloes and “the Breakfast Crew”; Michele
Jordan, Barbara and Eric Smith, and Jim Corkery for the Children’s Halloween
Party; Barbara Smith
and her “merry soup makers” for Super Sundays; Betty Gentile for
her work on the Unit Standing Rules; and Rene Bachman for being the highest ticket
seller for the November Fund Raiser.
On October 25th, 26th, and 27th, Barbara
Mallonee, Betty Gentile, Fay Higgins, Phyllis Gordon, Betty Kline and myself attended Fall Conference held at the BWI Marriott
Hotel. At that time,
Barbara Mallonee received an award from National for her work on the
Department VA&R program for the year 2001-2002. The award reads in part “Best Overall VA&R Program by a
Department Chairman with Special Emphasis on Recruitment of Volunteers in the
Eastern Division” .
Betty Gentile has been appointed Department VA&R Vice-Chairman for
the year 2002-2003 . An Honorary Life Membership from our Unit was presented to Betty at a
recent meeting.
Congratulations to both of these fine women!
It was great to see so many Auxiliary,
SAL and Legion volunteers
working together to make the recent events at the Post a success. Hall clean up afterwards is much appreciated.
Thank you to all the members and friends who continue to
support our fund raising activities.
Your generous contributions go to support our Auxiliary programs and our
Post in their efforts to make needed improvements and to purchase new
equipment. These things are not possible without your help.
Please remember there is NO
MEETING IN DECEMBER.
On behalf of the Unit, HAPPY
HOLIDAYS AND REMEMBER OUR VETERANS WHO GAVE SO MUCH!!!
.
Pat Rabeau
President
1st Vice-President
At the October 23rd
meeting, the unit reviewed and revised the unit’s standing rules. Many hours were spent going over these rules
and making the proposed changes. I would
like to thank the committee for their hard work and the unit members for their
indulgence when the changes were presented.
If you’ve never attended Fall
Conference, you should consider it. Fall
Conference is when all the Department Chairmen present their programs for the
year. I urge all chairmen to go when
possible to obtain first hand the information needed to promote their program.
Thanks to all the members who
attend the unit meetings. Reach out to a
new member or a current member and encourage them to attend. Everyone’s input is important.
Betty Gentile
1st Vice-President
Chaplain's Message
Get well wishes were sent recently to Elvira Ford, Eleanor Borowski, Mary
Lamb, and Phoebe Cavallo. We hope they
have a speedy recovery. Condolences go
to Nancy Smerdon on the loss of her husband Ron and to Barbara Cogar on the
loss of her son..
Congratulations
to all members who have celebrated birthdays recently.
I am
always available to send cards if anyone wants to call
me with news of any of our members celebrations or illnesses.
Barbara Schneider
410-647-7017
Membership
Ladies
we proudly welcome our new members:
Felicia A. Stein, daughter of Frank and Doris Heubeck of Post #175. Ruth Wisnauskas, widow of Victor Wisnauskas
and Tamara Smith, wife of Vincent Smith of Post #175.
There is not much time left in 2002.
It is important for our members to pay their dues for 2003 before the
end of the year. If not paid by
Don’t forget about your chance to be eligible for a
cash drawing of $100.00 each on the National level, so please
recruit—recruit—recruit a new Senior member.
On the District level, you will be eligible for a $25.00 prize for
recruiting a Senior or a Junior member.
I wish all of our members and their families a very Happy
and Blessed
.
Chairman
410-647-5159
Children
and Youth
Please remember, attendance at
the Children’s . parties are
limited to children and grandchildren age ten and under of Post Members only.
The
Children’s Halloween Party was a great success.
Hayrides, pumpkin patch, costume contest and treats made a lot of happy
kids. Thank you to our volunteers, they
did a great job.
Now it
is time to look forward to our Children’s Christmas Party on December 15th,
Again
these functions are limited to Post
Members children and grandchildren age ten and under.
Michele Jordan
Chairman
Americanism
Essay Contest
The
Americanism Essay Contest is officially under way. The contest guidelines have been delivered to
14 of our area schools. This year’s
essay for grades 3 through 8 is entitled “What
Alice Martin
Chairman
SAL
News
I
would like to personally thank the following people for the huge success of our
third annual crab feast, without whom this whole event would
not have gone off. If you notice you will see that it was a group effort
from all of us (Legion, SAL, Auxiliary, Kennel Club)
at the Legion Post 175.
Rosemary
Gurick, Michele Jordan, Pat Rabeau, Sue Allenbaugh, Linda DiPaula, Mike Herple,
Buddy George, Eric and Barbara Smith, Rick and Brenda Digby, Keith and Dan
Jordan, Roger Scarbourgh, Dan McDonald, Lee and Kathy O'Dea, Richard Bonnett,
Kenny Gerald, my wife Colleen
and also the
Kennel Club for all the support they have given us by purchasing numerous
tickets, and for volunteering to run the six wheel all day which was a huge
success.
A
very special thanks to Charlie Vane for lending us his steaming pots and for
standing there all day steaming crabs for us all, the were excellent by the
way. Great job Charlie. Also, I would like to thank a
good buddy, (new name Bee Bob) for the added entertainment, not funny at the
time, but now he is well and doing fine, it's fun to talk about. You’re the man,
and a good sport too, Bob.
Thank you volunteers. If I have
missed ANYONE in this list I assure you it was not intentional and ask you to let me know who it was so I can correct any
oversight I may have made.
For all those that came to our meeting on
Some new rules have been adopted. At the time of our SAL meetings, if you are not at
the meeting, and are sitting at the bar while the meeting is in progress, you
will not get served. So don't argue with the bartender it is now in the rules.
That also goes for all the other organizations in this post not just us.
If any SAL member has any ideas or suggestions for the upcoming newsletters
please feel free to drop me a note in the SAL box and I would be happy to add
it. Or if anyone wants to take this job over, please feel free to let me know
we can use your help.
We have taken our Shrimp Night back on Friday's and we need volunteers. There
is a sign up sheet on our cork board. Please help out when you can.
Once again I want to thank everyone for the huge success of the Crab
Feast. It only goes to show that if all
three of our organizations pull together on events we can do a great job - "Together".
Final note. Let's all pay our due's early again this
year so we can get four stars again.
Billy Cox
Squadron Commander, SAL
Planned Post
Activities
Breakfast
The Breakfast Crew continues to prepare the best darn buffet in all of
Come join us—You won’t be sorry!! 3rd Sunday each month—
Souper Sunday
.
Another successful Souper Sunday season ended the last Sunday in
November. A special thanks to Pat Kloes,
Barbara Smith, Eva D’Ambrosio, Gail Helm, Pat Wachter, Paula Fuller, Rosemary
Gurick and Pat Rabeau for doing such a wonderful job in taking the time to cook
their special meals at the post for our Souper Sunday Specials. Let me know if I missed thanking anyone so I
can correct my mistake. Simply
delicious! And once again a special
thanks to all that participated to help support the on-going programs of the
Auxiliary.
Bingo
We held bingo at Future Care on October 21st. We had a Halloween Party for 16 residents who
were served cup cakes, soda, ice cream and given a bag
of treats. Eight Senior
members and one JR member helped with the Bingo. If you would like to help or donate items for
prizes please call 410-575-1540. We meet
the third Monday at
Happy Hours
Very Happy Hours...Mon-Friday 4-
Daily Lunch
(Monday - Sunday)
Daily lunch items,
usually a secret until that day, but always a pleasant treat to the taste
buds. Often it’s a guarded /secret recipe. The lunch crowd is now nearly as big as the
Friday night howlers.
Organization Meetings
Executive Board meets
last Monday of each month. [December 30th—January 27th] at
SAL Unit meets 2nd
Tuesday of each month.
[December 10th – January
14th] at
General
membership meets 2nd Wednesday of each month. [December 11th –
January 8th] at
Auxiliary Unit
will meet the 4th Wednesday of each month. [NO
DECEMBER MEETING—January
22nd] at
Newsletter articles will be accepted at any time. However, all newsletter inputs must be received
at least three weeks in advance of these dates to ensure inclusion in the
following issue.
E-mail
and Internet Access.
Help us get ready moving forward to about 1980.
In anticipation of someday being on the Internet and having
two way electronic communication between the Post and
membership we need your help to start preparing NOW.
Please submit (E-mail, Regular mail, phone, or give it to
the bartender)
Name: ___________________________________
Email: ___________________________________
Phone #: __________________________________
Post E-mail is “Legionpost175@aol.com
Phone # in case of questions only. Not required.
