The Keystone

5/2001

The year is going by fast and as usual things on the Web site are moving at an equally fast pace. As many of you know, my provider has reassigned the site to a new location about a month ago and we are still ironing out some of the problems with email and the site itself. I have expressed my dissatisfaction about the problems that many of you have had to my provider and they in turn have been slow to react and solve these problems. I must apologize for the continued problems with your Pennsy Web email accounts, I have spent many hours trying to keep this up to par. While it is working at the present, I do not hold much hope for continued reliability. So, in light of all of this, I am announcing that the site will be moving one more time, this time to a Personally Owned server, you should not notice any changes in the site address or functionality, it will be seamless. Myself and a friend have decide to purchase and operate our own server because he too has experienced the problems that have plagued the Pennsy site.

If you are considering creating a personal web site please email me, I can offer you a fantastic deal, including a starter page and help with a domain name and some basic programming and instructions. Let your friends know as well, this will be a limited offer. Pennsy Web Family members, friends and supporters have priority.

WHAT'S NEW:

Many of you have noticed that the ships store is in the process of a face lift, a much needed one I may add. I have tried to make it easier to use and to find things. Please drop by and look at the new "Tee Shirts" that are currently available. They are really nice and everyone can wear them !!!! The address is http://www.usspennsylvania.com/ShipsStore . There will be new items added there in the next few weeks. Your purchases are what support the site and these great Americans.

Please note: The MARK CHURMS has informed me that the "Reign of Fire" prints will have an dramatic increase in price as of June 1, 2001. The large listed print on the site will now sell for $450.00 ea. For those of you that have these prints, this is good news, for those that don't, you should consider buying it now, before June 1st. If there is any of you may need help with this please just email me and we can work out the details. A payment program may be worked out, but I have to know right away.

The Memphis reunion was held on the 5th and I have received some pictures from Bernard Wooley that will be on the site soon, I will be sending Bernard a Pennsy Web Tee shirt for being the first to send pictures, Thanks Bernard !!! If any of you have additional pictures you would like to send to me please email me and attach the photos or mail them to me and I will see to it that they get on the site. email me at NoSpam_ken@usspennsylvania.org . I also would like to hear how the reunion was? Did you guys and girls enjoy it? I am sorry that the flag did not get there but my Dad is making a case for it and his sister had some very serious health problems and it was delayed. It will be at the next reunion for sure, more info on that at http://www.usspennsylvania.com/bb-38users.htm , look for the pictures and follow the links if you have not read the story behind this historical item.

The Omaha reunion is coming up in Sept, see the reunion page for details. If you are planning to go please fill out the online form and print it and send it in to the address on the form, all the details are at http://www.usspennsylvania.com/bb-38reunion.htm. The Pennsy Ships flag will be at this reunion.

You may now access your usspennsylvania.com email accounts via the web from any computer attached to the internet, simply type http://www.usspennsylvania.com/webmail and enter your user name and password, bingo, there is your mail. For those of you that wish to have a FREE email account, please contact me for details. Our personally owned server has our custom email anti-spam codes installed, we block most spam, I for one think this is a good thing. ;-) On that note, if you do not wish to receive the Keystone in the future, just respond with REMOVE in the subject and I will take care of the rest.

THE LOG BOOK:

As some of you have noticed, the log book was lost, it was being hosted by TOOLZONE.COM and they went "belly up" and took all the records with them. I am going to make an attempt to restore some of the entries from my last back-up of the logs but it will probably be limited. So, in light of that, I encourage you all to sign the book again so that others can get in touch with you or you can find others that may know your relatives. There are several changes to the Log Book and I now have control all records, they won't be lost again. Sorry folks. ;-(

SPECIAL REQUESTS:

Please CC me if you respond to these request.

I have these request from our readers:

Ken,

My dad was Robert Eugene KENNEDY (Shorty) Seaman 2nd Class aboard USS

Pennsylvania until 30 Nov 1934 when he was discharged. I need to find more information about him during that time and afterward when he lived in Long Beach CA and worked at Douglas Aircraft during the war. I would like to hear from anyone who might have know him because I was told he was married during the time he was in the service and would like to find out more about him during this timeframe. Shortly after leaving the service he was robbed and hit over the head with a lead pipe and had very little memory of his

earlier life. I am his daughter and remember after his naval days that he had buddies who would come and visit.

Karolyn Kennedy Witte mailto:cloggers2@email.msn.com

Ken,

I have a Great Uncle George Venable, who served aboard the Pennsylvania. He was a Captain, but I do not know if he commanded the ship. I have a lot of artifacts from him and his time aboard. I have a Official USS Pennsylvania greeting card, from when she still had cage masts. I believe George died in 1919, and was aboard the ship at his time of death.

I know that George was heavy brass, because of artifacts that I have from the commissioning of the USS Arizona. I have the official VIP Invitation from the secretary of the Navy to him, and a Photo taken under her main guns. The picture is of about a dozen Navel and Marine Corps officers ranging from LT to Admiral Cook 0-10. All images are signed. George is in the picture. I believe it was taken on or about her commissioning.

I am interested in finding out how my uncle served aboard the Pennsylvania. Was he the commanding officer? There are family stories that he also served aboard the USS Main. My mother has an alleged ships lantern from the Main.

If you don't have the information I am seeking at hand, could you forward this letter to some one you know will, or possibly tell me the best way to find out.

Thank you

Eric Johnson mailto:Eric.Johnson@gaylord.com

Hi Ken,

I happened upon the website for the USS Pennsylvania through a search on Google for the name Claren E. Duke. I hope you can help me with information. I am a Ph.D. student in history at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The is a rather convoluted story, but perhaps someone in your organization can help me with my research.

My research involves the owner and operator of the first curio store and free museum in Phoenix called The Curio. The Curio operated from 1895 until 1908 and was owned by a man named J. W. Benham. He and his wife, Alice, had one child, a daughter named Mary Benham born in 1907. Benham and his wife died when hit by a railroad train near Chicago in 1914 leaving Mary an orphan. She was adopted by Paul Brizard and his wife who lived in Arcata, California. Brizard had been a business partner of J. W. Benham, Mary's father when both were in Phoenix.

When Mary grew up she married Claren E. Duke. It was his name that led me to your web page, so now I know something about him. Mary (Benham) Brizard Duke died in 1988 according to the records, but I have been unable to locate information on Claren E. Duke. Did the Duke's have children and if so are they alive and can someone tell me where I can contact them.

If there is anyone in your organization that could provide information on Mary Duke, Claren E. Duke or their children, if they had any, I would be most appreciative.

Thank you so much.

Kathy Howard

Department of History

Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ 85258-6114

(480) 661-9182

mailto:Kathy.Howard@asu.edu

Stockton, William, Harry

PhM3c {LC} U.S.N.

Pearl Harbor Survior

Date Served 04-28-41 To 01-17-46

Date Died 01-30-84

Birthday 01-01-23

Unfortunately I Do Not Have His Division

My name is Richard Stockton . I am His Son . I Love My Father and miss him very much. Do You know any one who served with my dad? I would like to here from them. Richard Stockton, 13720 Willow Bridge Drive, N.Ft. Myers, Florida 33903 - mailto:vas13720@CompuServe.com

If you have a special request for the next KEYSTONE, please contact me.

I would like to thanks the people who participated in the "friendly fire" discussion that took place a few months ago. There was some really good info that came out of that and I hope it helped those who were affected by it. It is things like this that need to be documented by first hand accounts and I encourage you all to spend some time writing down your thoughts about this great ship and her crew. If you are a relative I suggest the you spend some time with your crewman and write down what he has to say. It is kind of hard to get them to talk about it but if you persist you will come away with a whole new perception of what these Americans are all about, believe me, it will change your life.

THE LIGHTER SIDE:

Tom's Corner:

Submitted by Tom Conklin (watch for him on "Who wants to be a Millionaire")

DID YOU KNOW?

1. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. That's where the phrase, "goodnight, sleep tight" came from.

2. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," uses every letter in the alphabet. (developed by Western Union to test telex/tax communications.)

3. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is 'uncopyrightable.'

4. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out in terror.

5. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

6. The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the . 50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

7. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

8. When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate of 25 miles per year.

9. The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, GP.

10. Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.

11. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.

12. No NFL team which plays it's home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super Bowl.

13. The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It To Beaver."

14. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

15. In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.

16. It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs. (And you thought they were pigskins!)

17. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

18. There's an average of 178 sesame seeds on McDonald's Big Mac bun.

19. The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1.

20. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

21. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined.

22. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon."

23. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's."

24. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this practice.

25. In ancient England, a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F.*.*.*. (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Now you know where that came from.

26. In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

One more:

More little known facts.

1. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

2. Coca-Cola was originally green.

3. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

4. Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.

5. The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

6. The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%--- now get this...

7. The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

8. The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400. (Must not be a show dog!)

9. The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.

10. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

11. The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

12. The youngest pope was 11 years old.

13. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

14. That San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

15. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David

Hearts - Charlemagne

Clubs - Alexander the Great

Diamonds - Julius Caesar

16. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

17. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

18. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

20. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

21. Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

22. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super bowl.

23. The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League all-stars Game.

24. How about this... The nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosy" is a rhyme about the plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores ("Ring around the rosy..."), these sores would smell very bad, so common folks would put flowers on their bodies somewhere (inconspicuously) so that they would cover the smell of the sores ("...a pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease ("...ashes, ashes, we all fall down!") (this game will never be the same for me)

Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?

A. Conception.

Q. What separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show?

A. No theme song.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace.

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

Q. What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day

Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?

A. He was allergic to carrots.

Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?

A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.

Thanks Tom......

From Bill Hughes USS UTAH site http://www.ussutah.org/Default.htm

One evening a son was talking to his father about current events. He asked what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The dad replied, "Well, let me think a minute...I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There weren't things like radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens.

Your Mom and I got married first-then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother, and every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, 'Sir'- and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir. Sundays were set aside for going to church as a family, helping those in need, and just visiting with family or neighbors.

We were before computer-dating, dual careers, gay-rights, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living here was a bigger privilege. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not condominiums. I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk. The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Dominos Pizza, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5&10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar and a Pepsi were all a nickel, and if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail one letter and 2 postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one?

Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, 'grass' was mowed, 'coke' was a cold drink, 'pot' was something your mother cooked in, and 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby. Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a word. And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think a lady needed a husband to have a baby.

No wonder people call us old and confused-and say there is such a generation gap. And I'm only 75 years old!

Pretty good huh?

Ok, I have rambled enough here. Take care folks.

Ken Munro

Please get your reunion forms and reservations made early.

You can send me email regarding WEB HOSTING to webmaster@usspennsylvania.com

Check out the GREAT tee shirts with a great logo. My father just came back from Hawaii and he had many comments about the shirts, they are nice folks. http://www.usspennsylvania.com/ShipsStore There are new hats on sale as well.

We always need your support for these great American's