The Catalina Mountain Chapter held its most recent luncheon meeting on Saturday, March 16th, at SaddleBrooke Ranch. The meeting began with a business session presided over by retired Capt. Chuck Vaughan, U.S. Navy, President, during which members were updated on the chapter’s current and upcoming activities.
Our speaker was Virginia "Gail" Joyce, who serves as Chair of MOAA President's Surviving Spouse Advisory Council, as well as being Co-Chair of the MOAA Surviving Spouse Virtual Chapter. Her husband, Larry Joyce, was a retired U. S. Army officer who had served two tours in Viet Nam. Gail earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (cum laude) in 1983 and a Master of Arts in humanities in 1986. Gail is also a Gold Star Mother. Her youngest son, Sergeant James Casey Joyce, an Army Ranger, died on October 3, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sgt. Joyce's story is told in the movie and book Black Hawk Down.
The Catalina Mountains Chapter will hold its next regular meeting at 1130 hours on Saturday, 17 FEB 2024, in the Private Dining Room of the Ranch House Grill & Brewery at SaddleBrooke Ranch, which is about five miles further north of SaddleBrooke on Oracle Road (Arizona 77). The restaurant’s address is 31143 S. Amenity Drive, Oracle, AZ 85623. Our speaker will be Kurt McMillan, our First Vice President. Kurt and his wife Cheryl had the rare opportunity to travel to Uzbekistan for two weeks in May, 2023. Although Kurt has a significant engineering, program management, and business development background, his previous knowledge of Central Asia (also known as "The-Stans") was essentially non-existent. During his presentation, Kurt will provide a wealth of information and insight that he learned about Uzbekistan, which touches on the following areas: history, economic development, political shifts, and especially the culture.
This is our last regular meeting with a presenter before our summer hiatus. We will, however, have a social luncheon at 1130 hours on 20 JUL 2024 in the Private Dining Room of the Ranch House Grill & Brewery at SaddleBrooke Ranch.
All members interested in attending the regular meeting need to contact retired Col. Kurt McMillen [kmmcmillen@gmail.com] or telephone 520-420-7475 to let him know you are attending. Spouses are always welcome. Advance notice of attendance is necessary so that we can assure the luncheon facilities will be sufficient for those who attend the meeting.
For more information on upcoming luncheons, click here.