The Sterett Association's first reunion was held in Aurora, Colorado on 19-21June 1998.
This reunion was the brainchild of shipmates Elden Miller and Dave Wolf. At that time, the Sterett Association had not been formed. Elden Miller was the host to this reunion and fronted the costs from his own pocket. Each shipmate was responsible for their own expenses and shared in the cost of renting the hotel facilities.
44 DLG & CG31 shipmates gathered at the Doubletree Hotel in Aurora, Colorado for a weekend of renewing old friendships. Most of these men served aboard DLG-31 in her early years of service. Many had not seen each other in over 27 years.
Two hospitality suites were provided on the 2nd floor of the hotel where everyone gathered to tell sea stories and tall tales. It was a grand experience for all with coffee & doughnuts available. Several shipmates brought their old cruise books, photo albums and 8mm movies taken on the ship.
Saturday's events included a business meeting chaired by Elden Miller. The first order of business was a discussion on how to proceed, whether to form a formal association or to just recruit volunteers to host the next reunion. It was decided to formally form the Sterett Association, collect dues and elect officers. These officers were charged to stage the next reunion. The next reunion was scheduled for 3 years from that date in 2001 and was set to also take place in Colorado. The new officers were charged with developing a set of by-laws and registering the Association with the appropriate State and Federal entities. The following officers were elected:
President - Emery (Pat) Patrick
Vice-President - John Vaden
Secretary/treasurer - Larry Salazar
Officer at Large - Elden Miller
Officer at Large - Rich Hemphill
A banquet meal was served by the hotel on Saturday evening. It was opened by the Sterett color guard and the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the meal, several guest speakers presented their accolades to their shipmates. Drawings were held for door prizes and the newly elected officers gave their speeches of acceptance. Captain Jack Hilton was the only former Commanding Officer in attendance and gave a charge to the newly elected officers. We had our orders!
Sunday morning, shipmates met in the chapel at the hotel for a very moving memorial service presided over by over by Elden Miller. The service was opened by the posting of the colors by the Sterett Color Guard. Following an opening prayer, the Navy Hymn was sung, followed by the reading of the names of shipmates who had passed away as taps were played. It was intensely emotional and there was nary a dry eye in the crowd. A traditional Navaho closing prayer was offered by Mary Elder before everyone left to journey home.