USS Lloyd Thomas 2023 Annapolis Reunion
The 2023 USS Lloyd Thomas Reunion will be held in Annapolis, Maryland from Thursday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 25th. Annapolis residents John Lienhard and Bill Webb (70’s crew), have volunteered to be our local hosts. The reunion hotel will be the Crown Plaza – Annapolis, at 173 Jennifer Rd, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401.
Click here to download a copy of the 2023 Annapolis Reunion Events signup form.
The Crown Plaza has offered a rate of $129.00 per night, plus taxes, including a complimentary breakfast for two persons per room. They will honor this rate for two days before and two days after the reunion dates.
If you will be arriving before June 22nd, or staying after June 25th, the USS Lloyd Thomas Reunion Online Reservation Link will not accept those dates at our negotiated rate. In that case, you will need to make reservations directly through the hotel at (410) 266-3131. When you make reservations with the hotel, please be sure to mention that you are with the USS Lloyd Thomas Reunion to receive our contracted rate, and to be counted toward our room/night contract minimums, even if you are staying on points or have other arrangements. Some shipmates who have already registered recommend calling the hotel for reservations, as they had trouble with the reservation link. If you call the hotel, and the attendant says there are no rooms available, that only means we have exceeded our blocked room amount for those dates. Just let me know, and I will have the Sales Manager increase the room block amount, if the hotel has remaining unblocked rooms.
We encourage you to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible, as the more desirable rooms and any special requests will be filled on a first come, first served basis. You can always cancel if your schedule does not work out. The guest room cutoff date is May 23rd. After that, rooms are on an as-available basis.
The number of room reservations are what the hotel uses to reserve appropriate hospitality and banquet room capacities for us. The hotel will put us in the smallest hospitality room that will hold our numbers. If too many wait until later to reserve rooms, the larger event rooms may be unavailable.
We would appreciate having your events sign-up sheet returned to us no later than May 19th. We can always handle a late sign-up or two, but the earlier you can submit the sheet, the better.
Click here to download a copy of the 2023 Annapolis Reunion Events signup form.
If you have not attended our reunion before, and would like to visit and check us out, we would really love to see you. There are no registration fees, and all the tours and events are optional. You can attend as many events as you wish, or you can just drop by and visit us at our hospitality room each evening, just to say hello. Please ask a shipmate whom you correspond with if they would join us at Annapolis. We are not getting any younger – even if our mind tells us that we are still 19 and 20 year old able-bodied sailors.
The hospitality room is our base of operations at the hotel, and it will be open from when we return from the day’s tours until the last group decides it is bedtime. Our reunion is family friendly, so your relatives and friends are most definitely welcome.
There is a space on the sign-up sheet to indicate your interest in sharing a room with a fellow shipmate. If you mark that box, we will put you in touch with others willing to share the cost of a room. If you are experiencing mobility issues, we have contacted a company that will deliver rental wheelchairs or other mobility equipment to the hotel. Please check the block on the sign-up sheet if this is of interest to you.
Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) is located 22 miles or about 30 minutes North Northwest of the Crowne Plaza – Annapolis. For ground transportation, Uber/Lyft and taxi services are available. The hotel does not have an airport shuttle. New Carrollton is the closest AMTRAK station to Annapolis, and is about 20 miles away. Annapolis has a Greyhound station, plus other public transportation. If you need transportation help, please give us a call.
At this time, we are not aware of any Covid restrictions, so masking would be at your discretion.
The Event Schedule for the 2022 Reunion is:
Day 1, Thursday, June 22nd
Arrive, check in (Hotel check-in time is 4:00 PM), get reacquainted and swap sea stories.
There will be a Welcome Buffet served at the hospitality room from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. You are welcome to sign up for this event if your arrival time allows.
All American Welcome Buffet – Hamburgers and All Beef Hot Dogs, Classic Potato Salad, Kaiser Rolls and Hot Dog Buns, Cole Slaw and Corn on the Cob, Assorted Sandwich Toppings and Cheese, Relish and Beef Chili, Chef’s Choice of Dessert.
Day 2, Friday, June 23rd
We plan a guided tour of Washington DC, beginning with a stop at the Navy Memorial where we will meet our guide. We will then see the sights of Washington, with stops at the Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials. Lunch will be on your own at Georgetown Park. After lunch, we will visit the USAF Memorial and the World War II Memorials. We plan to be back at the hotel by 5:00 PM. Dinner is on your own. (A list of eating places near the hotel will be provided in your welcome packet).
Day 3, Saturday, June 24th
We will tour the United States Naval Academy in the morning. As this is a government facility, anyone 18 years of age or older must present a valid, unexpired government issued driver’s license or photo identification card. Original, unexpired passports will gain admittance in lieu of the previously stated ID forms, and is required for visitors who are NOT U.S. citizens.
You can either schedule a 90 minute guided walking tour, or if you would not prefer to walk so much, you may choose a 75 minute guided GEM 5 passenger Electric Vehicle tour. Lunch will be on your own at the USNA Navy Yard. After Lunch, we will take a 45 minute cruise of the Annapolis harbor and the US Naval Academy area on the Harbor Queen. Evening dinner and visiting will be on your own.
Day 4, Sunday, June 25th
Sunday morning activities will be on your own. At 3 PM we will hold our business meeting in the Hospitality Room. Happy Hour will start at 6 PM, with our Farewell Banquet dinner at 7 PM.
Banquet menu choices are:
Beef – Pan Seared 10 oz Sirloin Steak, with Sauteed Onion, Mushroom and Garlic Butter, served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Chef’s seasonal vegetables. Medium Rare, Medium or Well Done
Chicken – Chicken Annapolitan – Chicken Breast topped with Crab Imperial and Lemon Butter Sauce served with Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus.
Fish – Twin Broiled Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Lemon Tartar Sauce, served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus.
Vegetarian – Vegetable Tortellini with Rose Sauce
The Salad will be a Fresh Field Salad, with Mixed Greens Lettuce, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Onions, Cheddar Cheese, served with Chef’s Choice Dressing.
Dessert will be Chef’s Choice Assorted Desserts preset at each table.
Day 5, Monday, June 26th
Departure – Hotel check out time is 11:00 AM. Farewell until next year!
We fund our Hospitality Room with money raised by a raffle drawing held at the Sunday evening banquet. We will provide items from the Ship’s Store, and some Annapolis area items for the raffle. If you have any items you would like to donate to our raffle, please bring them with you to the reunion.
Would you consider hosting a future reunion in your hometown, or in an area you know well? All it takes is a familiarity with the local geography, and an idea of some interesting events and attractions you feel your shipmates might enjoy. We can provide advice on hotel selection and negotiations, and do the paperwork to make it happen. We just need ideas, and a little groundwork on your end.
This schedule and the events themselves are subject to adjustment, but we will do our best to keep to the plan. We hope to see you in Annapolis!
Scott and Nadine Sheffer, Reunion Coordinators
PO Box 37, Lamartine, PA 16375
814-797-5458 H 412-951-0588 cell
Email: lloydthomas@breezeline.net
Local Hosts – John Lienhard & Bill Webb
2022 Dayton Reunion Wrap-up
At the Dayton 2022 Reunion, hosted by Donna and Carl Roberts, we had a total of 45 persons attending throughout the week. The reunion was originally planned for 2020, but Covid intervened. All went well though, and we got to learn a lot about the Dayton area’s contribution to modern technology and had a sample of what the Air Force Museum has to offer. I know most of us would like to return for another day at the Air Force Museum.
We welcomed first time reunion attendees Don and Kathy Jones – SN 1972, Dave and Jenna McPherson – FTG 69-70, Ron Murchie – BT 60-64, and Jay Slagle – BT 64-67.
The annual traveling door prizes were awarded as follows: The LT Valve Wheel to Don Jones, the LT Combat American Flag to Rick Hokans, and the Vietnam Brass Shell Casing to Richard Taglieri. We hope all the recipients can join us at Annapolis, and we will pass the traveling prizes on to this year’s lucky winners!
Each year we award a Lone Sailor statue from the US Navy Memorial in Washington DC, and the 2022 shipmate winner was Jay Slagle.
A great “Thank You!” to those who made an extra donation at the Dayton Reunion. We were able to cover the cost of most of the mobility rental and the hospitality room supplies from your donations.
Click here to download a copy of the 2023 Annapolis Reunion Events Signup Form.