We've never met, but from what I've read about you as the Salt Lake City Historian, you must be a "dear"! And I don't mean that in such a way that my wife of almost 50 years would object to it. We are both pleased that you will be at the reunion and are looking forward to meeting you in person.

They have asked that each of us send you some information about ourselves including pictures, in uniform if possible. I'm including one picture [see above] taken around the time I left the Salt Lake in the Fall of 1937. [That date is not a typographical error!] and the other [to the right], is quite current.

When I left the Salt Lake, I had no idea that I would ever get back into the Navy, but I rejoined in 1944 and stayed until I transferred to the Fleet Naval Reserve in 1959. I'll celebrate 42 years since becoming a civilian while we are at Reno.

I retired as a Chief Disbursing Clerk, but it took me a long time to make chief because I had trouble with the typing test. [As you may have noticed, I haven't improved any since then!].

One of the highlights of my Naval career was a tour of duty with the Naval ROTC unit at the University of Notre Dame. It was an all boys school at that time and my wife was employed there. She SAYS that she was having the time of her life as a female at an all boys school, but whether or not that was true, that Navy uniform took her away from all that!!!

My other duties in the Navy included two tours at Subic Bay in the Philippines, duty on a landing ship, dock [LSD], a staff member on a LST squadron, a couple or three stateside shore duties and several other ships.

I worked, as did my wife, for the US Government and combined my time to take one retirement pay, finally retiring in 1975. At almost 85 years of age, I'm still driving, in fact, we'll drive our van-motor home from Florida to Reno this month. My wife helps me drive. In fact, I tell people that she does all the driving, no matter who is behind the wheel!

We're looking forward to the Salt Lake City reunion.

Kindest regards from both of us,

Alf & Norma Hansen