Production Notes for the yearbook

There is quite a bit of work involved in creating what we call our “Memory Books,” but for us, it is truly a “labor of love.” Many reunions have a person or persons who have the time and talent to perform such a labor, and in the end, it is well worth doing. These are some of the details. Our books are produced by blurb.com. They, and other companies, have tools to create beautiful books at a reasonable cost. The price varies with the book’s design and number of pages. In our case, each high-quality 60-page book costs about $14.50. We charge each attendee $25.00 per book. It takes some time to learn the tools for producing a book, but that’s part of the love.

We’ve always hired a professional photographer to capture the pictures of our attendees. They will usually take additional photos of your banquet or other event at which they are present. Sometimes they will work for free if you let them sell prints. The attendees themselves can photograph the rest of your event; make sure they know where to send the photos. Some of the attendees are very good photographers. Still other photos can be downloaded from the internet, e.g. page 37.

The list of attendees (pages 49-54) has been deleted to protect attendees’ privacy. The term “gator” refers to any member of the amphibious Navy.

Shared by Skip Sander, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USS Rankin reunion planner, who says he’s willing to talk with anyone who wants more information about producing a souvenir book; ussrankin@aol.com, (412) 367-1376; www.ussrankin.org

Overseas military cemeteries

American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) administers, operates and maintains 26 permanent American military cemeteries and 32 federal memorials, monuments and markers, which are located in 17 foreign countries, the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the British Dependency of Gibraltar plus four memorials located within the United States. These cemeteries and memorials, most of which commemorate the service and sacrifice of Americans who served in World War I and World War II, are among the most beautiful and meticulously maintained shrines in the world. To learn about the number of men and women we honor around the world, visit www.abmc. gov/cemeteries-memorials