1994 Reunion
The first reunion was held in Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1994.
The first reunion was really the brain child of Mary Lou Srur. Mary Lou had listened to her husband “Dennett” wonder aloud what had ever become of this shipmate or that shipmate over the years? She had also listened to him daydream over the years as to what it might be like to see old friends and shipmates once again after so many years?
After listening for what seemed an eternity, Mary Lou grabbed the bull by the horns and started to track people down. She began asking as to whether anyone would be interested in getting together to relive our days of glory? And! Thus an idea began to germinate and was ultimately realized in the first ever USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 Reunion!
The first USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 reunion was held in Minneapolis – St. Paul, Minnesota. Why there? Well, that’s where Mary Lou and Dennett live! Mary Lou and Dennett hosted the first reunion at the Marriott Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. By most standards the first reunion was a relatively small affair, but a rousing success for a first time effort. Sixteen former USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 shipmates attended that first gathering.
Former shipmates greeted one another and renewed old friendships and formed new ones in that first meeting. Sea stories were told and re-told into the wee small hours. Now since this was Bloomington, Minnesota, we’re talking about, there isn’t much of a Naval presence there. So, rather than descend on the local Navy Recruiter’s office en mass, it was decided to visit the “Aviation Hall of Fame” and “The Mall of America”.
On the last night of the reunion everyone adjourned to the Hospitality Suite at the “Bloomington Marriott” for a meeting at which was formed the “USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 Association and Reunion Committee”. A poll was conducted to determine if there was sufficient interest in another reunion. There was! It was then decided that there would be a second “McCormick” reunion.
Mary Lou is working to locate more USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 shipmates and when she finds them, she invites them to the next reunion.
Many thanks to Mary Lou and Dennett Srur for their idea to start a reunion of all the USS LYNDE McCORMICK DDG 8 shipmates.