Final San Diego update, Army-Navy Weekend Announcement

Posted on 10/23/2018 by 1985

Email sent 23 Oct 2018

Greetings again ’85,

Greetings from La Jolla, CA. Sherry and I are enjoying a mini-vacation prior to heading down to the Gas Lamp District for the Notre Dame weekend events starting this Thursday. For those of you going, I have reached out to you as a group with all the final details, here is a link if anyone needs a reminder of the events:

http://1985.usnaclasses.net/2018/09/26/update-on-san-diego-and-home-tailgates

An ’85 Classmate does have 4 tickets in the ’85 seating area for $85 each. Please text or email me today if you are interested or he will look to sell them locally if no ’85 Classmate wants them. I can stlll squeeze you into all the class events and the motor coach if you did buy 2 or 4 of his tickets and would need to know right away. (Great opportunity if you can make a last minute trip for the game and parties). For everyone going, safe travels and I will see you soon.

Next, we had a great turnout for the Houston game/Homecoming this past Saturday, it was good to see many of you there and it was great tailgate. The Mids played hard and fell short, we all hope their improvements will keep coming as the ultimate preparation for the Army game on Dec. 8th in Philadelphia. The final home game is Saturday November 17th against Tulsa at 1530 and we will have the Class Grill fired up cooking brats, burgers and other meats; we’ll and have a sign up in a few weeks for needed sides and other items and look for that announcement. (We will provide the meats and grill masters).

Now, Army/Navy 2018 news: On Friday evening December 7th we will have our annual Army/Navy Class Cocktail party; this year is at the Misconduct Tavern (right?) located at: 1511 Locust St. in downtown Philly from 1730-2000. We have a private room reserved and all food and drinks will be Ala Carte that night from the bar menu for each party (If you have a Black “N” sweater that fits, bring it!). On Saturday, we will be indoor tailgating at Tollman Joe’s Bar located at: 26 E. Oregon Ave, Philly. from 1100-1400 that day (kickoff is at 1500). I am working with them to have a fixed menu served buffet style and drink discounts; I’m looking at $40 per head cost for food and space rental/shuttle service and will collect that via Paypal or Venmo in a few weeks. This is a Great Bar near the stadium ideal for an indoor tailgate (Popular Eagle’s pre-game spot). There will also be a shuttle from their bar to the stadium and free parking available for those driving in. More details will be coming as I finalize this event, mark your calendar and make plans, sign ups starting soon for Army/Navy weekend events, so stay tuned and sign up if you can make it.

All right, that is about all the news I have. For those of you not making the game this weekend, we know you will be looking for ’85 in the stands. Rest assured, as we always do, WE WILL WIN THE PARTY!! Get ready for Army/Navy and have a great Halloween. As always, I am available for any questions, comments or suggestions: robertsmith5@att.net or c: 502-432-6185. Go Navy and BEAT THE IRISH and ARMY!! Bob Smith ’85

Navy Apparel

Posted on 10/23/2018 by 1985

Email sent 15 Oct 2018

Hey Class of ’85,

I left out information about Navy ’85 apparel for the Notre Dame game in my email yesterday. Classmate Jim Berdeguez has put together a custom Tee Shirt for this year’s game in San Diego. Go to the link below to see all of Jim’s Class apparel as well as his custom designs for this year’s game. I truly appreciate having many of Jim’s quality class apparel items and wear it proudly all the time. If you want something and are coming to San Diego, Jim will have your items available for pick up at the events on game weekend. If you are not going and want it shipped for receipt by game day, you will need to get you order in ASAP. Thanks again to Jim for his continued support of our class and our class tailgate/reunion fund. Get your shirts ordered today! (I did). Go Navy and Beat the Irish. Bob Smith ’85

Here is the link for ordering:

https://usna85.secure-decoration.com

Football season has arrived

Posted on 08/29/2018 by 1985

Email sent 29 August 2018

Greetings ’85,

I am writing this looking at surfers on Waikiki Beach and getting ready for the morning walk with my wiife Sherry towards Diamond Head all because Navy is playing U of Hawaii Saturday at 1700 local Hawaii time. We have a GREAT crowd from our Class in attendance; as usual, the most of any individual graduating class (115 tickets sold). Thanks to those who made the trip and I will see you all this week if I have not seen you already. Check out our Class of ’85 Facebook group for the pictures we will post as we cheer the Mids to their first win of the season. So, let’s talk about our first home game. Charlie Smith and the crew in Annapolis have sent me this to attach:

**************** Home Tailgate Information ************************************

I hope everyone is looking forward to another fantastic season of Navy Football. Navy hosts Memphis for the home opener at 3:30 on Sept 8th and our tailgate crew is already working on another great season of tailgating to complement our Midshipmen’s glory on the field.

With last year’s investments in the tent, trailer and gear, we have all the ingredients in place for an excellent tailgating experience. We are using the sign up page again this year and you can find the signup for the Memphis game here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A48ABAB28AAF49-memphis

The theme for the first game is Memphis BBQ. Charlie and Bill have agreed to cook ribs to get things kicked off. We will have cold beer on tap and other beverages to keep you cool. Please sign up so we can get a good count and plan to bring something to share with Classmates.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to Charlie @ Charles.M.Smith@gmail.com if you have suggestions or questions. Your feedback is welcome.

Go Navy – Beat Memphis

********************************************************************************************

Home tailgates will follow the same theme as last year, we have the Class of ’85 Tent, trailer and tailgate site ready to roll out next weekend. Last year everyone pitched in to make this new and improved tailgate site possible. Those who came to any home saw just how nice it is to have such a quality tailgate each and every game. In order to help me fund class tailgating again this year, I will ask that anyone interested in a one time contribution to our Class tailgate fund ($25, $50 or $100) please send it via Paypal or Venmo to: MD11driver85@gmail.com and PLEASE indicate it is for the Class of ’85 Tailgate Fund being sent to friends or family. This will allow me to budget for catering and for beer and wine, as well as continued improvements to our Class of ’85 tailgate experience both at home and away games. We will still have our “Honor box” at tailgates, these donations will help add to the things we can do and will keep the food hot and the beer and wine flowing.

Next week, I will be sending out an email dedicated to our Class of ’85 trip to San Diego for the Notre Dame game on October 27th. I have all the events planned out, so it is time to start collecting money and finalizing my head counts at all the events. There is still plenty of openings to join us on this trip, the hotel block has a few rooms and the Friday night party and tailgate is WIDE OPEN. You can still get tickets to the game from local sources. We are over 100 people signed up for this weekend and I would love to see us reach 150 or more. Stay tuned next week as I roll out the schedule of events and payment information. For now, enjoy the Navy game late Saturday on CBS Sports Network at 2300 EST and look for the Class of ’85 about the 20 yard line on the Navy side in rows 6-10. Get signed up for Memphis if you are going on September 8th and help Charlie out AND, donate a few dollars to our class tailgate fund if you will.

Thanks and BEAT HAWAII!!

Bob Smith ’85

PS: Please see the USNA ’85 website for details on all upcoming class events: http://1985.usnaclasses.net

Navy vs Notre Dame Weekend 2018

Posted on 08/13/2018 by 1985

Email sent 13 Aug 2018

Class of 1985,

Some of you have already signed up for the Navy Notre Dame weekend, bought your tickets and reserved your hotel room and I thank you for doing this as it helps my planning tremendously. Now that I have the Hawaii trip pretty well planned out but not yet executed, I need to turn my sights to the Notre Dame game in San Diego on October 27th. For those of you not yet signed up, please go to the Class website and do so, here is the link: http://1985.usnaclasses.net. There are still a few rooms in our class block and plenty of rooms at other hotels in the area, so staying at the class hotel is not required to attend and enjoy any or all of the events. There are still game tickets available through ticketmaster or other ticket websites, so you can get those taken care of easily. I do not have the exact location of our class seating block other than it is on the Navy side of the field in or near an endzone. Once again, not required to attend the pre and post game tailgate with us, get your tickets and sign up. The schedule events so far looks something like this (all times are local or PST):

Thursday Kick off Happy Hour: 1700-2000, location TBA (Gas Lamp District, cash bar)

Friday Golf Outing: Time and location TBA, but will be morning at a local course.

Friday Evening Cocktail Reception at the Westin Gas Lamp: 1700-1900

Saturday:

Pregame tailgate party at the Gas Lamp Tavern hosted by Eco-Catering: 1230-1530
Board Buses to Qualcomm Stadium: 1530
Kickoff: 1700
Buses to Gas Lamp Tavern 30 minutes post Navy Blue and Gold

The approximate cost of the Friday night Happy Hour (Appetizers and Open beer/wine bar) $80pp

Tailgate Cost: (3 hours of food and open beer/wine bar) $80 pp

Bus transport to and from Qualcomm Stadium: $25.00

This once again promises to be a GREAT weekend for the Class of 1985 and so far, our attendance is amazing and I am sure there will be more of you that can now commit to this trip, so please go ahead and register. If you are not sure, please email me and I can tell you if you are on the list. In a few weeks I will start to finalize the counts for our events and collect money as necessary in advance via Paypal or Zelle. For now, get your travel plans and hotel rooms and game tickets lined up and stay tuned for more updates. We are working on a special Class of ’85 Navy Football Jersey that will go on sale for that weekend courtesy of James Gang Printing and classmate Jim Berdeguez.

Thanks as always and GO NAVY, beat the IRISH!! Bob Smith ’85

Class News and Travel Updates

Posted on 08/05/2018 by 1985

Email sent 4 Aug 2018

Greetings Class of ’85,

It’s time for an update on things as we are about to begin the 2018 Football Season. First off, I am proud to say we are taking nearly 100 Classmates and families/friends to Honolulu for the opening game of the 2018 Navy Season on September 1st against the U of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. There is still availability for this weekend if you want to join us. I am finalizing my ticket, tailgate and Class dinner numbers on August 15th. So, be like a few others who just said: “What the H… We are going to Hawaii”. Airfares seem to be pretty reasonable and I can still get you the Class group rate at the Marriott Waikiki Beach. If you are interested, contact me ASAP. If anyone who thought they had signed up for this trip and you have not been receiving our small group emails and texts, you NEED to contact me ASAP. Next, I am finalizing plans for the October 27th game against Notre Dame in San Diego. Although our class block of tickets is sold out, you can get them from other sources and still join us in San Diego for the weekend. That schedule of events will be published in the next few weeks and I will start collecting money for the tailgate and Friday night cocktail reception. We will be over 170 strong in San Diego or more likely over 200, so why not get on board NOW with this trip?? We will have a Thursday night kickoff happy hour in the Gas Lamp district, Friday night cocktail party, Saturday pre and post game indoor tailgate at the Quad Pub in the Gas Lamp quarter and of course the game. I am looking for someone who lives in San Diego who might like to organize a golf outing for Thursday or Friday morning in San Diego. Classmate Jim Berdeguez and I are designing an ’85 Special Edition Football Jersey for sale starting that weekend to commemorate this event.

Our normal Class of ’85 Tailgate parties will be on for all home games this season. That information will be provided as we get closer to our first home game. If you are coming to a Navy game, you know that ’85 will always have a great tailgate. I am working on events for the Army/Navy weekend, so if you happen to live in Philly and want to help me out, I am appreciative of some help for this year’s game on December 8th. Also, if you live in a city where there is a Navy away game and want to put a class event together, I welcome anyone doing that. Now that Navy plays in the AAC, we play in some fun places. Also, I have started working our 35th Reunion in September of 2020. This is tentative and based on Navy finalizing the 2020 football schedule, BUT, I am looking at a home game now scheduled for September 12, 2020 (Hint: Save the date UFN). Westin Hotel reserved and exploring great options for all events. I will be starting a committee next year for help with all major events of our reunion. (I am getting too old to do all this stuff solo any more).

Enjoy the remainder of your summer and start thinking about Navy football and joining your classmates in Hawaii, San Diego, Annapolis or Philadelphia this season.

As always, Go Navy…. Beat Army! (and everyone else)

Regards,

Bob Smith ’85