The 3rd annual USS William V Pratt Reunion was held August 23rd thru August 27th 2006, in St Louis, MO at the luxurious Crown Plaza Hotel and Suites.
The shipmates and guests who attended the 2006 reunion enjoyed meeting new shipmates, re-uniting old friendships, exchanging sea stories, exploring the sights and sounds with tours of the local St Louis area as well as enjoying food, drinks and entertainment.
The USS William V Pratt, sailors' hospitality room opened at noon on Wednesday August 23rd and remained open until noon on Sunday Aug 27th. As many sailors remember from past reunions, the Pratt hospitality room is a large room, much like a USO space, where shipmates can relax, enjoy a variety of snacks and beverages, converse with one another and enjoy reliving the good old days on the Pratt with the aid of photos albums, cruise books, videos, and listening to some whopping sea stories. The hospitality room also displays William V Pratt memorabilia that can be purchased from supporting vendors.
Each year the USS William V Pratt Reunion Association secures tours, for shipmates and thier spouses who attend the reunion, with tour agencies in the hosting city. The tours allow our shipmates to enjoy time with each other while simulating "hitting the beach on liberty" as well as learning some very cool facts about the hosting city. This year, again, featured some great tours, which included a tour of the St Louis Historical District, a tour to The Budweiser/Anheuser Bush facility (Budwesier was very generous with thier samples and even allowed a few of our sailors to pose as bartenders), Grant's Farms, and tours of the St Louis Arch. Pratt sailors viewed the city from the observatory located at the top of the St Louis Arch.
Thursday thru Saturday at 6PM each day, featured the WVP Association and Crown Plaza Hotel and Suites sponsored "Attitude Adjustment Hour" (Special Beverage Cash Bar for Pratt sailors and thier spouses). Much like a Happy Hour, This time allowed Pratt Sailors and thier spouses time to mingle with each other.
Friday Night featured the informal Buffet Dinner where shipmates enjoyed a variety of meals prepared specially for the WVP Association Reunion guests.
Saturday Night featured, The Formal William V Pratt 2007 Banquet Dinner, 50-50 and raffle table drawings for Cash Prizes and Pratt Merchandise, as well as Entertainment and Dancing. The dance floor was really heated. (We will be posting the cash and raffle winners shortly).
The following 31 shipmates attended the 2006 Reunion: Steven Beekley, John Beisbier, Dennis Bierman, Joe Bilotta, Robert Black, Larry Brown, Timothy Bubla, Jack Childs, Thomas Clark, Richard Fredericks, Gary Geyer, Chuck Giovannitti, Rodger Hall, Carrol Houston, Ted HOwell, Jimmie Johnson, Frank Lamb, Terry McManuels, Douglas Miller, Larry Minew, William Mitchell, Danny Odom, Anthony Pieprzyk, Randy Quenzel, Sean Reiley, Garry Rogers, Daniel Speight, John Szepesi, William "Stoney" Tuck, Guy Wilkes, Wayne Young, as well as many spouses and other guests.
Below are some of the photos from the 2006 St Louis Reunion: More will be added as we get them in |
