HISTORY
Reflections of an Era
HARA: 1986-1996
by HARA Flyer Editor Chuck Peri
I don't know exactly how it began, I think it was when a few Hughes retirees were sitting together drinking coffee, or was it, having a beer, when Harry said, "Gee, I haven't heard from Tom since he retired. I wonder what he's up to now." "yea," said Jim. "Same with my friend Joe. We used to do a lot together before we retired but now I never get to see him."
Ray then said, "Gee I wonder if there might be some way we could all get together to see each other and talk about our lives now that we are retired." "Sure Ray," said Harry, "Why don't we write some kind of letter and mail it out to retirees that we know to see if they would be interested in meeting periodically and discussing old times and to keep up with any new events." That's how it started. Of course, all the above names have been changed to protect the innocent.
"1986 was a memorable year..."
It started the day Dick Remy mailed out a notice about forming a retirement organization. Well, the response was overwhelming. We first met on July 17, 1986 at the Hughes Recreation Room on Imperial Boulevard. Questionnaires were distributed and we got a lot of answers with good suggestions for forming an association and the things we would be interested in doing.
With the untiring help of Mary Ann McClelland, then Corporate Manager of Retiree Relations, we were now well on our way as an organization. On September 18, 1986 we had our first formal Board meeting at Corporate offices and decided we needed a leader. It didn't take much time at all. With unanimous voice we chose Dick Remy as our President, overriding any resistance he might have had. By pleasant persuasion we selected Mike Welds as our Vice President and Alice McRoberts, a reluctant volunteer, as our Secretary. Other members filled in the committee voids, making a complete board.
Those retirees who were there on the eventful day and have survived these last ten years and are still on the board are Leo Cloth, Stan French, Don Gefvert, Marnie Janssen, Alice L. McRoberts, George Nelson, Chuck Peri, and Dick Remy. Mary Ann McClelland was our Retiree Relations representative.
We were now ready and raring to go. 1986 was a memorable year for us getting our Board Oriented and flowing smoothly.
1987
Come 1987 it was time for election of officers. We adhered to that old axiom "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" so we kept the current board for the year with Dick Remy as President.
During the year, things went well for us. We were having great and informative guest speakers at our luncheon meetings with planned trips and other special functions on sporadic dates. A collection of $1.00 from each of the present members was conducted during a Board meeting in February. Bill Funk, our "Temporary" Treasurer, handled the arrangements for the opening of a Credit Union Hara account with an initial deposit of $18.00!
We held our first formal general meeting on April 16th at the Hacienda Hotel with Mr. Gray Smith of Merrill Lynch speaking on insurance plans and had a State of the Company address by Dr. Puckett on tape. Topping it all off with a buffet lunch for $9.50. It was a great start. We had better than 150 retirees in attendance.
We also had our very first "Day At The Races" at Hollywood Park. It was a winner all around.
Dr. Albert Wheelon assumes the leadership of Hughes Aircraft as Chairman of the Board and C.E.O. and aknowledges HARA and its contribution to retirees.
Our year ending treasury report showed a balance of $19.68.
1988
1988 brought us a new president in Joe Cryden who was elected by unanimous vote. We were to cover a lot of ground this year.
Our first general meeting of the year took place at the Ports O' Call Restaurant with a guarantee of 40 retirees. We were overwhelmed with a welcomed crowd of over 160 smiling faces. At this meeting we held our first 50/50 raffle.
In May we were saddened by the loss of Don McRoberts who succumbed to cancer. He was one of our faithful founders.
Through the efforts of Don Gefvert, we placed our first order for a quantity of twenty-five HARA hats which sold out at the picnic.
Barbara Coffey took over as Manager of Retiree Relations at Corporate replacing Mary Ann McClelland who was promoted.
In addition to the "Hughes Retiree News" published by Corporate, we decided to have our own HARA Newsletter entitled "The Flyer" dealing with the business of HARA. Our first Editor was Joe Cryden, who, after a couple of months turned his editorship over to Marley White.
Our first golf tournament was held at Harbor Park and enjoyed by many duffers.
Leo Cloth arranged our first general meeting held at the Canoga Park facility which was very enjoyable.
1989
In 1989 we elected Jack Weber as President and right off he assisted in arrangements for our January general meeting held at the Long Beach Naval Station with a tour aboard the Battleship USS New Jersey, all made possible by Navy Commander (USNR) Joe Cryden.
Our "Day at the Races" continued. This time at the beautiful Santa Anita with a luncheon included in the seating for 72 HARA race fans. It was great.
Chuck Clark came aboard as a HARA Board member and was immediately rewarded by being made the Chariman of the Golf Committee. He has been there ever since.
With the help of our Health Committee Chairperson, Elenor Brogdon, we held a very successful general meeting at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
Retirees make the scene for "The Student Price" at the Long Beach Civic, arranged by Dick Remy.
We held a tremendous "Travel Extravaganza" at our July 20th General Meeting with L&M Travel presenting many travel bargains, tours, and cruises. The meeting was held at the Ports O' Call.
Barbara Coffey resigns as Manager of Corporate Retiree Relations. Eddie Murphy replaced her, and was still there in 1996.
1990
In 1990 Chuck Peri becomes President and we have 412 active members. We continued with many popular golf program packages, days at the races and started with visits to local amusements such as the Imax Theater, Gene Autry Museum, Merle Norman Museum, and a trip to Laughlin, NV.
The official HARA logo is conceived by a membership-initiated contest won by retiree Mitchell Krause.
Hughes President, Ken Richardson addressed HARA at our general meeting held at the Proud Bird. The event had an excellent turnout.
Past President, Jack Weber, leads a group of 42 HARA members to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and other exciting New Mexico tours on a seven day entourage.
HARA dues increase from $5.00 to $7.00 per year, and are still a bargain. The year winds up with 742 active members.
1991
We turned to the female of the species and elected Alice L. McRobers as President. We also enjoyed John Olguin's fascinating life story and tales of establishing the Cabrillo Marine Museum at our Ports O' Call meeting.
Our Carson Center meeting was great with an interesting slide show presentation by Betsy Snider Director of Southern California Mono Lake Committee.
Another meeting at the Proud Bird with Mr. James Abrahamson, Hughes Executive V.P. of Corporate Development who spoke on the State of the Company which included a video presentation of the war in the gulf highlighting many HAC-developed and produced electronic warfare armament and devices. AAMRAM Missile, M-1 Tank and A6 equipment all used in the Desert Storm.
Forty HARA members hit the road for an extended trip to Reno, Carson City, Lake Tahoe, Virginia City, and Sparks, NV all under the guidance of Marti Harmsen. They had a great trip.
The HARA Board continues to have a yearly one-day board meeting at Catalina Island. Cool Man.
Twenty-one members joined Lois Jones on the Copper Canyon trip on October 29th to September 4th. The trip was enjoyed by all attendees.
Hughes Aircraft Company reported that it had a total of 20,345 retirees at the year end.
1992
1992 had Bob Jacobson heading HARA as its President. C. Michael (Mike) Armstrong, former Chairman of IBM, becomes Hughes Chairman of the Board and C.E.O. succeeding Dr. Malcolm Currie. We didn't waste any time as we had Mike for our keynote speaker at our July HARA General Meeting at the Proud Bird. It made him feel right at home.
A group of HARA retirees made the tour of the historic South, starting in Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, continued on to Charleston and Savannah under the guidance of Travel Chair Lois Jones. A great time was had by "ya'll."
HARA becomes a tax-free organization through the efforts of Board member, Dave O'Brien.
We have our 24th HARA General Meeting held at Knotts Berry Farm for the first time. Had their delicious fried chicken dinner while being serenaded by a barbershop quartet.
Joe Cryden resigned as Editor of Hughes Retiree News due to ill health.
1993
1993 was welcomed by our new President, Chuck Clark under whose leadership we experienced a rash of new and great courses for our golf tournaments such as Los Verdes, Knollwood, Rancho Park, and Westlake. We had a total of 748 active HARA members of which a large group of us visited the Ronal Reagan Library for a very educational and interesting tour. We followed this up with a group of HARA members cruising through the Panama Canal.
For a diversion, our general meeting was held at the Alpine Village. 190 retirees enjoyed hughe delicious deli sandwiches and beer. "What a hungry bunch?!"
The Spruce Goose winds up in McMinnville, Oregon. This is the year that Board member Tom Whitlow forms a tennis club which becomes very successful. We also had bus trips to Laughlin and to Mesquite, NV. It was a lot of fun.
Mike Armstrong, the HAC C.E.O., was scheduled to be our featured speaker at the Proud Bird but he was called out of town and John Weaver, President of Systems Sector gave us a very enlightening talk.
In addition to the aforementioned trip activities, we also had tours to New Orleans and the Edwards Air Force Base. What a great year. Sadly we reported the passing of former HARA President, Joe Cryden, on March 1, 1993.
1994
In 1994 we experienced the accomplishments of the female gender as a leader. We felt secure in electing Marley White as President. She also remained as Editor of the Flyer.
We started out the year with a very successful meeting at the beautiful Redondo Beach Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza with Douglas Gardner, Vice President and Project Manager of the Playa Vista Project as our featured speaker. Doug spoke on the grandiose plans for the Summa property in Culver City.
In July we all met at the beautiful Elk's Club in Long Beach to hear an informative presentation by the L.A. County Sheriff, Sherman Block, who gave a dynamic talk about the violence in our society and things that should be done to curb it.
We had a real old-fashioned western barbeque and dance at the Knott's Berry Farm Ranch House in October. Plenty of eats, plenty of fun with knee-slappin' music.
A fantastic year continued with a group of HARA members going on an Alaskan tour and cruise for seven days, plus another great trip to Branson with sightseeing and five top western theme shows. We had a Fall foliage tour through entire Northeast. Then, under the guidance of Jack Weber, HARA was proud to be the title sponsor of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation El Segundo Golf Challenge. Over $5,000 were raised for this deserving charity. It was another happy year.
HAC reported a total of 24, 235 retirees at mid-year count.
1995
In 1995 we elected Bill Maithonis as President and we werefaced with many new dilemmas and problems which he handled in a judicious manner.
Our January meeting was held at the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach which featured Dr. Charles Saamis, Professor of Earth Sciences who spoke on a very familiar subject to us Californians - earthquakes. We came away ready for "the big one." W e also had an introduction to another big one, Direct TV, with a vivid demonstration and the future of this new phenomenon.
We had Mr. Steve Dorfman, President of Hughes Communications, at our meeting held at the Proud Bird giving us a "Family Report" on the current status of Hughes.
Our pleasures continued with trips to Laughlin, Day at the Races, Golf and Tennis Tournaments, another trip to Mesquite, NV and a great excursion to Williamsburg and Washington D.C. inspired and courted by Louis Jones.
We held a Hawaiian Luau at our HARA General Meeting in October at the San Pedro Elk's Lodge featuring a Hawaiian theme complete with hula dancers.
Marley White resigns as the HARA Flyer Editor/Publisher. Chuck Peri is appointed Editor and will interface with Alice McRoberts who will assume the desk top publishing of the Flyer.
We held our second Albuquerque Balloon Festival in October as well as our second Cystic Fibrosis Charity Gold Tournament in December. It was another great year.
1996
1996 greeted us with Hy La Vere as President of HARA. We started out the year being represented at the Auto Show at the L.A. Convention Center. We really had a mob! Our HARA General meeting featured our Hughes Credit Union officers speaking about its financial services. The meeting was held at the Crowne Plaza.
We received the good news that the retirees who move out of the state will not be subject to California income tax. Now nobody wants to leave!
Our own Manager of Retiree Relations, Eddie Murphy, is honored by General Mills for participating in their search for a new Betty Crocker image. They picked the right one.
On July 18 we held our meeting at the lavish Airport Marina Resort Hotel. A crowd of 200 attended to enjoy plenty of entertainment and Douglas Gardner updated the retirees on the Playa Vista Project.
So, come this October, we will have run the gamut. Ten years of HARA filled with fun, travel, and excitement. We plan to have that and more the next ten years.
We want to say a word about our great Hughes Credit Union, its management and officers. We have held many meetings where our Credit Union presented us with varied money saving and protection plans and we took advantage of many of them. They have supported us at every turn and we give a huge "THANK YOU" for their support.
Let us not forget Hughes Aircraft in bringing us our fabulous Retirees Picnic each year. "Thank you Hughes" for your participation with HARA.
There are so many more "thanks to you" to be given, but we don't have the time or space. For now we settle down to plan our Ten Year Anniversary Special headed by our first President, Dick Remy.
Just one more big "thank you" to all of our HARA members from all the HARA Board members for being a part of our great association and supporting it for the past then years.
1997
HARA Board
officers: President – Mrs. Jay Peri
First
Vice President – Paul Winslow
Second
Vice President – Leo Cloth
Treasurer
– Don Gefvert
Secretary
– Chuck Clark
Highlights – Hughes was sold to Raytheon.
General Meeting # 43 held at the Redondo Beach Holiday Inn Crown Plaza. Program was Ms. Barbara Leigh with many old time favorite songs.
General Meeting # 44 held at the Anaheim Knott’s Berry Farm. Program was Mr. Russ Butler with a presentation of old time radio shows.
General Meeting # 45 held at the Westchester Furama Hotel. Program was Mr. Karl P. Ulrich of the Department of Justice, speaking on immigration problems.
General Meeting # 46 held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. Program was Mr. Bob Parke, Corporate VP of Hughes Electronics Human Resources speaking on how the merger with Raytheon will affect retirees..
HARA golf tournaments held at Los Robles, Alondra Park, Rancho Park, and River Ridge
Hughes Retiree Picnic held at the Hughes El Segundo Park.
HARA cruises to the Caribbean, Ensenada and China.
HARA Mini trips to Barona Casino, Laughlin Edgewater, Hollywood Park Race Track, Laughlin Flamingo
Hilton, and Catalina Island.
HARA Tennis Tourneys at Hughes El Segundo four times.
1998
HARA Board officers:
President: Bill Maithonis
First Vice President – Laura Leonard
Second Vice President – Keith Jones
Treasurer – Don Gefvert
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - General Meetings # 47 held at the Redondo Beach Holiday Inn Crown Plaza. Program was Dr. Kevin Baines of JPL speaking on the Pathfinder Mission to Mars.
General Meeting # 48 held at the Anaheim Knott’s Berry Farm. Program was Mr. Ralph B. White, cameraman for 20th Century Fox speaking on the filming Titanic.
General Meeting # 49 held at the LAX Proud Bird. Program was Mr. John Graham, LA Department of Airports speaking on future plans for LAX.
General Meeting # 50 held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. Program was Mr. Robert L. Horowitz of Raytheon, speaking on the transition from Hughes to Raytheon.
HARA golf tournaments held at Los Robles, Westlake Village, Los Amigos, and River Ridge.
Hughes Retiree Picnic held at Raytheon (formerly Hughes El Segundo) park
Ms. Eddie Murphy, Head of Hughes retiree relations resigns from Hughes to accept position at UCLA retiree relations.
HARA cruises to Alaska and the Mediterranean.
HARA Mini trips to Laughlin Ramada, Barona Casino, Hollywood Park Race Track, Buffalo Bills Casino at Prima, Laughlin Flamingo Hilton, and Catalina Island.
HARA Tennis tournaments at Raytheon El Segundo held four times..
1999
HARA
Board Officers: President – Bill Maithonis
First Vice President – Keith Jones
Second Vice President – Fran Dailey
Treasurer – Don Gefvert
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - General Meeting # 51 held at the El Segundo Hacienda Hotel. Program was a travel show by Lois and Keith Jones.
General Meeting # 52 held at the San Pedro Elks Club. Program was Ms. Paula Ferrell, Fidelity Investments on Hughes pension, health and welfare plans.
General Meeting # 53 held at the Anaheim Knott’s Berry Farm. Program was about Boeing’s Sea Launched Satellite program.
General Meeting # 54 held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. Program was LA Chief of Police, Mr. Bernard C. Parks, on crime in LA.
HARA Golf Tournaments held at Los Robles, Willowick, Los Amigos, and Simi Hills.
Annual Hughes retiree picnics were discontinued.
HARA Cruises to Aegean Odyssy, and Canadian Rockies.
HARA Mini trips to Bryce Canyon, Lake Havasu, Hollywood Park Race Track, Nevada Landing, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Laughlin Flamingo Hilton, and Palm Springs Windmill tour.
HARA tennis tournaments at Raytheon held four times.
2000
HARA Board Officers: President –
Phil Donatelli
First Vice President – Fran Dailey
Second Vice President _ Buzz Baker
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - General Meeting # 55 held at Westchester’s Furama Hotel. Program was World War II veteran and 1936 Olympic hero, Louis Zamperini on his athletic career, and his survival of a plane crash during the war and 47 days adrift in the South Pacific, only to be rescued and captured by the Japanese and spend 2 ½ years as a POW.
General Meeting # 56 held at the San Pedro Elks Club. Program was Mr. Jack A. Shaw, Sr. Vice President at Hughes Electronics on the “new” Hughes after the Boeing acquisition.
General Meeting # 57 held at El Segundo’s Hacienda Hotel. Program was Ms. Ruth Rockey, a Certified Senior Advisor, speaking on avoiding medical traps, taxes, probate, Wall Street myths and facts and other topics relevant to retirees.
General Meeting # 58 held at the San Pedro Port O’ Call. Program was Mr. Charles Hillinger, an author, journalist and comedian, spoke on his experiences in traveling with various presidents and celebrities.
HARA golf tournaments were held at Knollwood, Los Verdes, and Lakewood.
HARA cruises to Mississippi River, Blue Danube, and Panama Canal.
HARA Mini trips to Amargosa Valley Casino, Laughlin Riverside, Laughlin Hilton, Hollywood Park Race Track, Pachenga Casino, Virgin River, Las Vegas Club, and Catalina Island.
HARA tennis tournaments were held at Raytheon four times.
2001
HARA Board Officers: President –
Phil Donatelli
First Vice President – Fran Dailey
Second Vice President - Buzz Baker
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - Mr. Jack Weber, one of the founders of HARA, and HARA president in 1989, passed away.
General Meeting # 59 held at the San Pedro Elks Club. Program was a country western barbecue and western music entertainment.
General Meeting # 60 held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. The Program was a presentation by the Ms. Patricia Freeborn on the many changes that have taken place at the Hughes Aircraft Employees Federal Credit Union, and what the credit union is doing to help retirees.
General Meeting # 61 held at the LAX Proud Bird. Program was the LA County Sheriff Leroy Baca, speaking on the activities and responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Department.
General Meeting # 62 held at the Buena Park Sequoia Conference Center. Program was Ms. Mary Ann Reyes, Director of Public relation for So. California Edison Company, speaking on the energy deregulation.
HARA golf tournaments were held at Indian Wells at Palm Springs, Meadowlark, and Lakewood.
HARA cruises to Spain/Portugal/Morocco, and Greece/Turkey.
HARA Mini trips to Laughlin Flamingo Hilton, Palm Springs Follies, Pachenga, Williams/Sedona/Grand Canyon, Oxnard Strawberry Festival, Hollywood Park Race Track, Laughlin AVI Casino, Edwards Air Force Base, Rincon Casino, Laughlin Riverside, Apple Picking Season, Tamale Festival, and Catalina Island trip.
HARA Tennis tournaments were held at Raytheon four times.
2002
HARA Board Officers: President –
Fran Dailey
First Vice President – Buzz Baker
Second Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - Mr. Chuck Peri, one of the founders of HARA, and HARA president in 1990, passed away.
Ms. Marti Harmsen, arranged and lead the HARA Mini Trips for 12 years passed away.
General Meeting # 63 held at the San Pedro Elks Club. The Program was a country western barbecue and western music entertainment.
General Meeting # 64 held at the El Segundo Hacienda Hotel. A very interesting program on the International Space Station was presented by Mr. Kevin O’Hara and Charles A. Daugherty, of Rockwell/Boeing.
General Meeting # 65 held at the LAX Proud Bird. The program covered the history of the Howard Hughes “Spruce Goose” by Mr. William D. Schaub, President of the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where the Spruce Goose now is on exhibit.
General Meeting # 66 held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. The program on Where Are We & Where Are We Going, was presented by Dr. Stan Rosen, Director of Strategic Development for Boeing Satellite Systems, and Dr. L. S. Dougherty, Director of Technology for Electronic Systems of Raytheon Systems Company.
HARA golf tournaments were held at Meadowlark and Dad Miller’s.
HARA cruises to Ireland/Britain, and Canada.
HARA short Trips to Laughlin Riverside, Virgin River, Agua Caliente, Hollywood Park Race Track, Reno Hilton/Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs Follies, and Catalina Island trip.
HARA tennis tournaments were held at Raytheon four times.
2003
HARA Board Officers: President –
Fran Dailey
First Vice President – Buzz Baker
Second Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights - General Meeting # 67 held at the San Pedro Elks Club. The Program was a country western barbecue and western music entertainment.
General Meeting #68 was held at the Westchester Furama Hotel. The program was a very interesting presentation by Mr. Gale Moore, the test pilot for the Howard Hughes XH-17 giant helicopter.
General Meeting # 69 was held at the El Segundo Hacienda Hotel. The program on the Challenge of Homeland Security was presented by Dr. John Ellison.
General Meeting # 70 will be held at the San Pedro Ports O’ Call. The program will be Mr. Jerry Slocum on his collection of puzzles. HARA golf tournaments were held at Meadowlark, Rancho Las Palmas in Palm Springs, and Los Verdes.
HARA cruise to Scandinavia/Russia.
HARA short trips to Sedona/Grand Canyon, Palm Springs Follies, Hollywood Park Race Track, Las Vegas Four Queens
HARA Website becomes a reality and it went online in November 2003.
2004
HARA Board Officers: President – Buzz Baker
First Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Second Vice President – Bob Parke
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
General Meeting # 71 was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club. It was a country western barbecue with western music and square dancing.
General Meeting # 72 was held at the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. The speaker was Ms. Izella Dickey, who spoke on the Navajo Indian code talkers during World War II.
General Meeting # 73 was held at the Lakewood Country Club in Long Beach. The speaker was Mr. Ken Richardson, who spoke on what became of the old Hughes Aircraft Company.
General Meeting # 74 was held at the Ports’ O Call in San Pedro. The speaker was Col. Richard Reaser, Jr. USAF, who spoke on the US GPS system.
HARA held a 10-day trip to Nova Scotia in the fall, and a 6-day trip to Branson in December.
Short trips were made to Laughlin, Palm Springs Follies, Hollywood Park races on Father’s Day, Pachenga Casino, Reno & Lake Tahoe, and Laughlin.
2005
HARA Board Officers: President – Fran Dailey
First Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Second Vice President – Bob Parke
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
General Meeting # 75 was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club. It was a country western barbecue with western music and square dancing. .
General Meeting # 76 was held at the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. The speaker was Henry Linden, who spoke on his hike to the North Pole.
General Meeting # 77 was held at the Ports’ O Call in San Pedro. The speaker was Mr. Greg Cherep, who spoke on home fraud prevention.
General Meeting # 78 was held at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, This was a fun event with a picnic, good music and entertainment, and a GM auto show.
HARA held a 15-day trip to China in the spring, and a 9-day trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico, in the fall.
Short trips were made to the Palm Springs Follies, Yosemite Valley, Father’s Day at the Hollywood Park race track, Pachenga, and Laughlin.
2006
HARA Board Officers: President – BJ Vrieling
First Vice President – Fran Dailey
Second Vice President – Bob Parke
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
General Meeting # 79 was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club. It was a Mexican fiesta and Mexican music..
General Meeting # 80 was held at the Lakewood Country Club in Long Beach. Mr. Ted Westerman, a former Hughes VP, spoke on history of events that took place in the purchase of Hughes by Raytheon from GM.
General Meeting # 81 was held at the Proud Bird Restaurant at LAX. The speaker was Mr. George Marret , who spoke on his many experiences as a Hughes test pilot, and brushes with death in Vietnam.
General Meeting # 82 will be held at Knott’s Berry Farm, in Buena Park. This was a fun event with a picnic, good music and entertainment, and a GM auto show.
HARA made a cruise to the Caribbean in the spring, a trip to Thailand is planned in the fall, and a 6-day trip to Nashville, for Country Christmas.
2007
HARA Board Officers: President – BJ Vrieling
First Vice President – Fran Dailey
Second Vice President – Bob Parke
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
General Meeting # 83 was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club. We 125 HARA members and guests that enjoyed a delicious country western barbecue, good country music and line dancing.
General Meeting # 84 was held at the Proud Bird Restaurant near LAX. Our guest speaker, Mr. Steve Dorfman, a retired Vice Chairman of Hughes Electronics, was introduced by Mr. Bob Roney, a former executive of Hughes Space and Communications. Mr. Dorfman shared some of his work experiences, and some of his retirement activities with 155 attendees.
General Meeting #85 was held at the Lakewood Country Club in Long Beach. Our guest speaker Mr. Adriane Harris, Vice Chancellor Emeritus from UCLA, shared important information that all retirees should know. He was introduced by Ms. Eddie Murphy. We had 120 attendees.
General Meeting # 86 was held at the Ports O’ Call Restaurant in San Pedro. Our speaker was Ms. Simone Lagomarsino, the CEO of Kinecta Federal Credit Union, gave the 125 attendees an insight of the credit union activities.
Mini Trips included a day at Aqua Caliente Indian Casino in Rancho Mirage for true Las Vegas style day of gambling. Then a three day trip to Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Virginia City for sight seeing and more gambling. This was followed by a Father’s Day at the races at Hollywood Park race track. Then in August we had a three day trip to the Edgewater Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The final “mini trip” for the year was a three day trip to Mesquite, Nevada that included sight seeing at Zion National Park and Kolob Canyon, as well as some gambling.
Our longer trips included a fantastic10 day trip to Costa Rica in March. This trip was enjoyed by 18 people, who saw the coasts of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and many beautiful stops in between. Then, in October, 27 of us traveled to Croatia, which is one of the six countries that have emerged from the former Yugoslavia. This was a beautiful trip with many interesting sights.
By the years end the HARA membership totaled 1164.
2008
HARA Board Officers: President – Fran Dailey
First Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Second Vice President – Joyce Keller
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
General Meeting # 87 was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club. More than 100 HARA members and guests had an excellent barbecue luncheon, and entertaining “Oldies but Goodies” music from the 40’s and 50’s, along with some square dancing.
General Meeting # 88 was held at the Embassy Suites in El Segundo. Our speaker, Mr. Walter Ordway, a former Hughes executive, spoke to 140 attendees on “Digital Movies”. This very informative talk gave us some insight on the challenges and progress that has been made in converting the movie and television industry to digital pictures.
General Meeting #89 was held at the Ports O’ Call restaurant in San Pedro. Our featured speaker was Mr. Blaine Shull, a former Corporate Staff Vice President of Hughes Aircraft Company and a HARA member. Blaine shared with us some of his favorite memories of the Hughes’ days and some of his activities during his retirement. We had more than 150 of our members in attendance.
General Meeting #90 was held at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. It was a beautiful day, the food was excellent, and the entertainment with authentic Hawaiian dancers was great. Over 150 HARA members and friends enjoyed conversing with former co-workers, etc.
Mini Trips this year included a one day visit to the Griffith Observatory, at which 50 attendees had a very interesting day. In June we had a four day trip to Yosemite National Park, staying at the Chukchansi Resort and Casino. This included a tour of the valley floor, a drive to Glacier Point overlooking the valley, Maraposa, and the giant sequoias. Then in November another three day trip was made to the Edgewater Hotel and Casino.
In October, twenty HARA members had a wonderful trip to France, spending three days in Paris, cruised the Seine River, saw the Eiffel tower, the Palace of Versailles and the beaches of Normandy and the Omaha Beach American Military Cemetery.
The year ended with the HARA membership totaling 1095 members.
2009
HARA Board Officers: President – Fran Dailey
First Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Second Vice President – Joyce Keller
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
Meeting #91was held at the San Pedro Elk’s Club, atop of the hills overlooking the ports of San Pedro and Long Beach, and unlimited visibility of the distant snow covered mountains of Southern California. Mr. Dave Donaldson provided a great selection of music and led a few energetic members in some line dancing. Over 100 HARA members and guests enjoyed the family style luncheon of barbecue ribs and chicken, with all the trimmings.
Meeting #92 was held was held at the Los Verdes Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. Mr. Jim Gamble entertained 127 HARA members to an adults only “Puppets After Dark” puppet show. This was a new location for our general meetings, and provided a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, as well as a delicious luncheon.
Meeting #93 was held at the Proud Bird restaurant near LAX, and featured Mr. Ken Richardson, former President and Chief Operating Officer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Over 190 of our members gathered at the Proud Bird restaurant to meet and greet former Hughes President Ken Richardson and his wife Charlotte. It was great to reminisce with him about the good times at Hughes Aircraft Company. Ken is in the process of writing a book about the Hughes experience. He was thinking that the book might be available by the end of 2009, but after meeting with his book agent, he was advised that was bit optimistic. Ken will let us know when his book is available, and we will be sure and let you know.
Meeting #94 was held at the Ports O’ Call restaurant in San Pedro. Mr. John Bogert, an award winning columnist for the Daily Breeze newspaper, gave 120 attendees an interesting and amusing review of some of his columns. During 25 years covering the South Bay, he has interviewed from presidents to the man in the street, always bringing to his five weekly columns a slightly offbeat sense of humor and a rather unusual world view. John’s talk was followed by a delicious luncheon in a large room that provided a nice view of the harbor and the passing ships.
The Mini Trips this year started with a visit by 42 HARA members to the Palm Springs Follies and Casinos in May. This was a 2 day, one night trip which included staying at the Palm Mountain Resort, lunch at the Rockgarden restaurant, the Follies, Spa Casino, deluxe continental breakfast at the hotel, shopping and Street Fair.
In August a trip was made to the Riverside Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Forty-five HARA members spent two nights and three days which included 3 free buffet breakfasts plus a Luau dinner which was a sit down dinner with band & dancing and prize drawings.
In October , 20 HARA members made a 4 days & three nights trip to Reno and Virginia City , staying at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino. Included in this trip was a show package staring Debbie Reynolds. Also included were side trips to various casinos where they were offering cash back rewards amounting to about $14. The traveling was made by deluxe
motor coach and movies were shown along the way.
A group of 15 enjoyed us a marvelous cruise in September aboard the Holland American ship “MS Oosterdam” and what a wonderful experience it was! The Holland America ships are beautiful, the crews are so friendly, and the food, Well, I think we all must have gained at least 10 lbs! But it was worth it. We sailed round trip from Venice, Italy visiting Split, Croatia; Athens, Greece,Istanbul, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey Santorini, Greece; and Katakolon, Greece. In my opinion, these are some of the most beautiful places in the world, and cruising is absolutely the best way to go.
The year ended with a HARA membership total of 1005 members.
2010
HARA Board Officers: President – Fran Dailey
First Vice President – BJ Vrieling
Second Vice President – Joyce Keller
Treasurer – George Rader
Secretary – Chuck Clark
Highlights
Meeting #95 was, by popular demand, back to the San Pedro Elks Lodge. It is time to put a crease in your Stetson, polish up your boots, saddle up your bronco, and kick in you spurs and head back into yesteryear for another Country Western Bar-B-Cue and roundup. The 97 attendees again rode the range with Joey Dee and his fabulous Country Western music. Country western wear, of course, was the preferred uniform of the day. However, for those of you who did not have all that garb, just came dressed in a relaxed outfit of your choosing to really enjoy the day. We had a delicious meal that kept with the Western theme — barbecue ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, salad and good ol’ apple pie or cobbler.
Meeting #96 was held at the Los Verdes Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. Our scheduled speaker, Pat Doyle, of DirecTV had a last minute conflict and was unable to join us. We were very fortunate to welcome Larry Hunter in his place. Larry is Vice President of DirecTV as well as legal counsel and is also a Hughes alumni. Everyone enjoyed his talk and he was able to join the 124 attendees for lunch. Larry gave us an interesting talk of the history and challenges of DirectV, which of course, was started as part of Hughes Aircraft Company.