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2009 REUNION LOCATION AND DATES ARE NOW OFFICIAL Now is the time to start making plans to attend the 39th Annual Reunion, October 8-10, 2009, in New Orleans, Louisiana. . The outside activities will be a visit to the National D-Day Museum and a Mississippi River Dinner Cruise.
The host hotel will be the Holiday Inn Downtown-Superdome, 330 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, LA 70112. With 295 rooms including concierge level rooms, you are just steps away from the French Quarter. By popular request, the outside group activities will be limited to Friday morning tour of the National D-Day Museum and the Friday evening Mississippi River Dinner Jazz Cruise on the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen. Once again, we will have a large hospitality room. This will allow our members, their guests and other family members to spend more time socializing. Our age group can no longer run around seeing and doing as we used to do. However, there will be ample opportunity for you to schedule your own activities. The room rate is $79.00 plus 13% tax and a $1.00 per night occupancy fee. If you wish to upgrade to the concierge level, you may do so for $99.00 plus tax and fee. Call the hotel using 800-535-7830 or 504-581-1600 to make room reservations. To obtain these room rates, refer to National World War II Glider Pilots Reunion. This is very important!!! This rate is for one to four people in the standard room and will be honored two days before and two days after the reunion. If you wish to take a video tour of the hotel, click on this link. Holiday Inn-Downtown Complimentary shuttle to and from the New Orleans Airport is not available. You can schedule shuttle service or use a taxi. Complimentary hotel shuttle is available to theFrench Quarter, Harrah’s Casino, and Aquarium of the Americas. Each room provides coffeemaker, hair dryer, complimentary USA Today Newspaper, private balcony, mini-safe, and high speed Internet access. Parking is not free in downtown New Orleans. The normal daily parking fee is $17.00 per day. However, we will have a reduced rate for the reunion of $8.00 plus tax per day. Inside parking is available on the 2nd through 6th floors. The sleeping rooms start on the 7th floor through the 17th floor and the concierge level is on the 18th floor. There is a heated rooftop pool and a state of the art cardiovascular fitness room on the 8th floor. BUT for now, if you desire a concierge level room, or a room with two double beds or a king-size bed, don't delay! Call now for your reservation and use the following toll free phone number 800-535-7830 or 504-581-1600. If you have any questions, please call George or Elaine Theis at 719-338-6487. Or click E-Mail, . Also, check this web page for any late developments. ACTIVITY SCHEDULE Wednesday afternoon, for early arrivals, the video room and the hospitality room will be open. Evening is on your own. Thursday morning at 9:30 AM, the Executive Council will meet in Ballroom “B.” The National Wing Commander's meeting will be held starting at 3:00 PM in Ballroom “A.” The Hospitality Room will be open starting at 9:00 AM. The Thursday evening 6:00 PM cocktail hour followed by dinner will be in the Dixie/Ragtime Ballroom. Friday morning, you will board the buses at 9:30 AM for a short trip to the National D-Day Museum. A catered lunch will be included in the admission fee at the museum. There will be two seatings because of space limitations. You will be assigned a seating priority. All individuals needing assistance will be in the first seating followed by those assigned to the second seating. The buses will return to the hotel early in the afternoon allowing you some rest time before the Friday evening Mississippi River Dinner Paddlewheel Cruise. Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, the General Business meeting will be held in Ballroom “A.”. Upon adjournment, you will be on your own until the 6:00 PM cocktail hour followed by the banquet Dixie/Ragtime Ballroom..
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Several attempts were made following World War II to organize a glider pilot association. The movement didn't really get started until the spring of 1965 when Earl Dust, of Champaign, Illinois, a former member of the 80th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 436th Troop Carrier Group, made a vacation trip from New York to Florida and visited many of his old buddies along the way. Earl decided to call for a reunion of those GPs he had contacted to be held in Champaign in May of 1966. Using a personal list of names, the word was put out and a total of nine GPs and wives showed up. This may not sound like a large group but at that time, it was the largest group of ex-glider pilots gathered in one place since the end of WWII. At this meeting it was decided that these few would initiate a movement calling for a reunion of all former glider pilots. Bickett Ellington and Virginia Randolph "volunteered" to help in locating as many ex-GPs as possible and do the awesome chore of letter writing and address list typing. A Steering Committee was formed headed by Earl Dust. Earl located and appointed ex-GP Lt. Col. Frank Moore as temporary "National Chairman" and indicated that Moore's primary responsibility would be to "search, seek out and locate former glider pilots. Moore was authorized to use all available news sources in this effort. The preliminary mailing lists started to grow. Finally, after months of hard work, the decision was made to call for the first national GP reunion. It would be held in Dallas, Texas on August 13,14, and 15, 1971. Since the national VFW organization was holding its annual reunion on those same dates, it was felt that this would be an ideal opportunity to attract many GPs who might also be attending that event. Sixty-five glider pilots were on hand on August 15,1971 at the Adolphus Hotel when the first annual reunion was convened in Dallas. |