Association Founding Fathers
In March 2003, 29 Seabees from the Mobile Construction Battalion Fifty-Eight met in Newport News, VA at the Seabee TET Reunion. Knowing that there were former CAN DO - WILL DO compatriots all over the USA who knew how to party and swap stories about our good work back in the 1960s, a committee was formed to schedule an overdue Reunion. The seven former members of our Battalion who contacted former Battalion Seabees and planned this event became our Founding Fathers, and are proudly shown below.
The first gathering was held at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee and well over one hundred former Battalion members showed up. The gathering was a success and, with the help of some deep pockets, the group as a whole decided that an Association should be formed. The organization was named the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 58 Association and the initial slate of officers elected were:
- Kenneth E. Conklin, Chairman
- C. Douglas Sayler, Vice Chairman
- Robert I. Johnston, Secretary
- Ronald A. Rathert, Treasurer
- John Gallen, Officers Rep
- Company Reps
- “A” George Baldwin & George Taylor
- “B” Morris Waid & John Adams
- “C” Bob Bethel,
- “D” open
- “H” Ken ‘Cap’ Caplinger, John Grubic & Houston Hinton
- Robert Saverling, Events Manager.
The new Association voted to have a Reunion in March 2005 in conjunction with the Seabee Birthday in Gulfport, Mississippi. With a very successful Reunion under it's belt, The Great 58 began planning for more opportunities to have Seabees get together, party and renew friendships made a long time ago in another part of this world.
