Document ppK3goEJr9xzRG7oYLnB4GZd6

Vol. II, No. 13 PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, HUMBLE OIL REFINING COMPANY June 26, 1969 Under New ESA Agreement Humble to Pay Esso Seamen Who Earn Officer Licenses A new Marine Upgrading Pro gram for unlicensed seamen will pay one month's wages to eligible applicants who obtain an original deck or engine department li cense. The Humble plan was ini tiated at the request of the Esso Seaman's Association. The Marine Upgrading Pro gram will help defray expenses of seamen who complete studies at approved marine schools and obtain licenses. "The one month payment will be the base pay plus seniority pay of the em ployee's department seniority po sition." explained Capt. James G. Moffitt. Marine Dept, operations manager. "This does not. how ever. apply to obtaining a tem porary license." ESSO SCRANTON BOUND TO SEA OF MARMARA FORT The Esso Scranton set sail last week on a 6.500-mile voyage from Texas to Turkey. The last of the Esso Fleet's T-2 tankers departed Port Arthur June 21 bound for Derince, a Turkish port across the Sea of Marmara from the ancient city of Istanbul. The Scranton will take on bunk ers at Ceuta. Morroco, in North Africa, proceed across the Mediter ranean beyond the Island of Crete into the Aegean Sea, pass through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Mar mara and dock on the east coast at Derince, in the vicinity of the Bos porus. The voyage is expected to take 20 to 21 days. On the return leg of her trip, the Scranton may be diverted to Medi terranean ports to take on a U.S. bound cargo. The round-trip is esti mated at 45 to 50 days. Caph Roy Merritt is master of the Scranton on her second voyage to Turkey. In 1963, the ship called at the port city of Golcuk, Turkey. To qualify under the wage-pay ing program a seaman is required to obtain recommendations from two masters for deck department ratings, or from two chief engineers for engine department licenses. Rec ommendations should be addressed to either the port captain, Capt. F. L. Hooper, or to the port engi- neer, T. J. McTaggart. The only other requirement is a satisfactory employment record. "Additionally, this new Marine Upgrading Program will not affect our current Educational Refund Policy for those who may go to one fContinued, Page 7) Record Number of Maritime Academy Grads Join Fleet As Third Mates, Third Assistants You'll be seeing more new faces aboard Esso Fleet ships than ever before. The Marine Dept, this month hired the largest number of mari time academy graduates in its history. Thirty-five of them have al ready reported to ships in the fleet. Sixteen are sailing as third mates and 19 as third assistant engineers. Others will be going aboard Humble tankers through out the summer and early fall. All are 1969 graduates of five dif ferent academies from Maine to Texas. Their alma maters are the Maine Maritime Academy at Castine, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., the State University of New York Mari time College at Ft. Schuyler, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at Buzzards Bay, and the Texas Mari time Academy at Galveston. Sydney Wire. Marine Dept, assist ant general manager, attributed Humble's stepped up hiring program of new graduates to three major developments in the Esso Fleet: a The recent early retirements of officers under the new 20 year retirement plan for seagoing per sonnel. O A need for officers to sail three new 75,600 deadweight ton ships under construction for Humble at this time. (The Esso San Francisco is slated for launching July 12.) And on a short term basis, the S.S. Manhattan -- Humble's Arctic test vessel -- has also stimulated an increased need for officers. Addi tionally, success of the maiden voy age through the Northwest Passage would create an even greater de- (Continued, Page 2) SOURCE of the "black gold rush" of '69 is this isolated oil well on Alaska's North Slope---which is re sponsible for Humble's Manhattan project, a story in itself that begins on Page 3. NEW OFFICERS (Cant'd from Page t) mand for officers throughout the tanker industry. "These number among the rea sons we have launched an exten sive recruitment program at Hum ble." Mr. Wire said. "And, of course, there is a continuing need to fill positions of officers reaching nor mal retirement age." One of those who reaches normal retirement age at the end of this month is Capt. Harold Griffiths, master of the Esso Baltimore. Aware of the influx of new grad uates in the fleet in which he has spent 41 of his 50 years at sea. Humble's senior master recently commented. "The young men from the academies are the new genera tion of officers who will be sailing our ships in the future. And my experience with them has been high ly favorable. They are intelligent, knowledgeable and interested in their work." Apparently there's no "genera tion gap" between Capt. Griffiths-- who began his career at sea in a sailing ship--and the new officers following in his footsteps. Below are the names of recently' hired officers, the academies from which they graduated, and the mimes of the ships aboard which they are making their maiden voy ages as licensed third mates and third .assistants: Third mates: James L. Campion. Maine Maritime Academyx Esso Dallas: Gary Chiljean, State Uni versity of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Lexington: Peter P. Cote. State University of N.Y. Mari time College. Esso .Miami: Frank R. Cowan III. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Flaw York: Robert \V. de Riesthal. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Washington: Bruce C. Gustin, Texas Maritime Academy. Esso Lima: Nathan C. Holt. Texas Mari time Academy. Esso Lima: John A. Mnzza. U.S. Merchant Marine Acad emy. Esso Boston: Frank E. Nespoli. ESSO FLEET NEWS is published every other Thursday for the sea going employees of the Marine De partment. Humble Oil & Refining Co.: T. J. Fuson, General Manager; Sydney Wire. Assistant General Manager. Jim Pitts, Editor Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to The Editor, Esso Fleet News, Humble Oil & Refining Co., P. O. Box 1512, Houston, Texas 77001. ESSO FLEET officers attending the 6th Marine Officers' Conference in Houston May 26-29 are (seated) from left) Chief Mate Lester H. Robinett, Chief Mate Ishmae! Sadler, Chief Engineer Michael R. Zencoe, Chief Mate Herbert A. Trenoweth, Chief Engineer Joseph L. Kellahan, Chief Engineer Isaac D. Jones, Chief Mate Michael C. Hickey. Chief Mate Raymond C. Edwards; (standing from left) Chief Mate Roy O. Berg, Chief Mate Andrew E. Coffill, Chief Engineer Edwin Wages, Capt. Henry F. Wichman, Chief Mate Frank E. U.F. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Baltimore: John R. Piskura, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Dallas. Also Bruce A. Reehl. U.S. Mer chant Marine Academy, Esso Balti more; Eusene Regalbuto. Jr.. State University of N.Y. Maritime Col lege. Esso Lexington; William R. Trimallu. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Bangor: Bruce van tier Unde. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Gettysburg: Martin C>. Weber. Jr.. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Chester: David Esdale. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Hunt ington. Third assistants: John J. Ba.ior. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Florence: Thomas Bishop. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Bangor: James J. Carney. Jr.. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Esso Ja mestoten: Michael A. Cereno. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Essr, Baltimore- Frederick B. Dickman. U.S. Merchant Marine Acad emy. Esso Miniid; Thomas J. Dono- Stoddaru, Chief Mare Edwin Fel lows, Jr., Chief Mate Cornelius Vander Poi, 1st Asst. Engineer Joseph A. Boykin, Chief Engineer Walter N. Werner, Capt. Robert G. Kirby, Capt. Edward Crawford, 1st Asst. Engineer Tom W. Williams, Capt. Charles L. Llewellyn, 1st Asst. Engi neer Donald K. Johnson, Capt. Howard G. McCartney, 1st Asst. Engineer Carleton Rankin, Chief Mate Gerald F. Smith and Chief En gineer William A. Dundon. The con ference was the last of the series that began in late 1968. van. State University of N.Y. Mari time College. Esso Lexington: Dieter W. Dostal. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso New York: William H. Fornuff. State Univer sity of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Gettysburg: Dale C. Glidden. Maine Maritime Academy, Esso Boston: Thomas J. Cox. U.S. Merchant Ma rine Academy. Esso Huntington. Also Glenn S. Haggett. Maine Maritime Academy, Esso Florence: John W. Jones. Maine Maritime Academy, Esso Washington: David A. King. Maine Maritime Academy. Esso Scranton: Christopher Malzon.e. State University of N.Y. Mari time College. Esso Chester: John Mikulasovieh. State University of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Gettys burg: Ronald Sanacore. State Uni versity of N.Y. Maritime College. Esso Jamestnieu: Earl P. Schubert, Jr.. U.S. Merchant Marine Acad emy. Essn Houston: Walter I. Skin ner. U.S. Merchant Marine Acad emy. Esso Boston: Matthew Wendelboe. State University of N.Y. Mari time College. Esso Lima. 0 ui on sih- 5 0 uj Ll' jE a. L HZI EXX-MOR-007704 COHIPU FROM t h e CGtl-LECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HtSTUR' THE UNIVERSITY O F T P Y a s a t Au s t in fc- converted the vessel to a formidable The S.S. Manhattan: tanker-icebreaker. She Has What It Takes! ' V v- - '1 ` a' -' st&FZ-:'- ' f Sweeping modification? to the S.S. Manhattan have been com pleted to make the experimental tanker-icebreaker the most for midable ship ever launched against the Arctic ice blocking a sea route through the North west Passage. The ship--cut into four sec tions to speed up the work--is being pieced together again. And to the layman puzzled by chart? and diagram? in Walter De vine's office, it looks like a job equal to putting Humpty Dumptv together again. But Walter is no layman. Flo's ship coordina tor on Humble's Arctic Task Finn', and like other profes sional members of the staff. Mr. Devine is confident work on the Manhattan will be completed bv the middle of next month. EXX-MOR-007705 The Lady Is An Itebreaker jo z k <1 'C:-u h< r'wz ^> ^ -J 3 0 LU S_) p- ^ SL. Although no help is needed from nil the king's horses and all the king's men. an army of some 3,000 workers has been plugging away at the bigger-than-life project since February. Some 10.000 tons of steel were added to the Manhattan as major engineering changes took place that include a new icebelt. a specially designed bow. an extra skin of steel and internal strength ening. Walter describes the Manhattan's tremendous size and power to weight ratio as "her most unusual features." He said, "The ice in the Northwest Passage has never before been subjected to such a large and powerful tool as this ship." With ballast and 30.000 tons of fuel, the ship will weigh 150.000 tons when she starts breaking her way through ice that has historically thwarted all attempts to open a commercial sea lane in the passage. "But no ship has ever had the advantages of weight and power that our test ves sel has." Mr. Devine observed. The Manhattan produces a whopping 43.000 shaft horsepower. Conversion of the ship has been carried out in shipyards in three states--Pennsylvania. Virginia and Alabama--and a new bow is near completion at Bath. Me. The Man hattan is being reassembled into a single unit at Chester. Pa. Work on the forepart and mid ship sections at two shipyards was completed earlier this month. The midship section has already been Workers prepare heavy steel plating to be added to forward section of No. 1 cargo tank. About 10,000 tons of steel were put into the ship by an army of 3,000 workers. t EXX-MOR-007706 0 towed from Mobile, Ala., and joined to the forepart at Newport News, Ya. And the two newly joined sec tions have been towed to Chester for assembly with the forward sec tion of the bow. The new ice bowwill be moved from its construction site at Bath, Me., and joined to the ship at Chester in early July. When the Manhattan has been put together again, work will continue at Chester to complete miscellane ous jobs such as connecting wiring and fuel lines. Then a one-day test voyage is slated to check out the ship and her equipment. The Arc tic Task Force is observing and supervising the final stages of the Manhattan project with all the fer vor and tension associated with the Apollo 11 countdown--which is also expected to get underway at about the same time. Perhaps second only to her size, one of the most important engineer ing features of the Manhattan's new design is her bow. Tests show that the new bow greatly increases the ice-breaking capability of a ship over the more conventional ice breaker design. The special bow also works on the familiar down breaking principle with the vessel moving onto the ice at an 18-degrees angle and then increasing to the more conventional 30 degrees. The Manhattan has also been al tered in other less obvious ways, in cluding the addition of new high strength propellers and propeller shafts, external protection for the rudders, and instrumentation equip ment to measure the motions of the ship, ice pressures on the hull, and power plant performance. Closed EXX-MOR-007707 COPIflU FROM THE C 0 IX B T IO N S IN THE CENTER F O ff A ME RiCAN HI.S'TOK THE UNIVERSITY OFTFXAS AT a iis t im CtWIFIJ FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTOK THE UNIVERSITY O FT F Y as a t a ik t im A major change in the Manhattan's design is the ice belt (above) which slopes at a 10 degree angle, making it easier to break ice and preventing it from pushing against hull at 90 degree angle. Gap between two sections of ship narrows as tugboat (below) nudges a piece into position. circuit television will monitor the ice flow and ice breakage patterns around the ship. In addition to opening a sea route in the passage, the test voyage is expected to have long range effects on the future design of specially built tankers for Arctic service. Even before her recent modifica tions, the Manhattan was stronger and more powerful for its size than any ship of its type in the world. Built in 1962 in Bethlehem Steel's Shipyard in Quincy, Mass., the Man hattan was and is the largest mer chant ship ever to fly the stars and stripes, the largest commercial ship ever constructed in the U.S., and one of the largest commercial ves sels in the world (51 feet longer than Queen Elizabeth ID. "We surveyed the world fleet and selected the S.S. Manhattan as prob ably the best equipped ship in the world as an Arctic test vehicle," said Stanley B. Haas, project man ager of the Arctic Task Force. "She was heavily built initially and has a higher ratio of power to weight than most commercial ships--and it's this phase of her overall design that makes her so suitable for our purpose." Mr. Haas has said that the Man hattan has more icebreaking capa bility than any ship in the world. "Her 43,000 shaft horsepower should enable her to free herself and even come to the assistance, if need be. of the two Coast Guard vessels which are going to stay as close to us as possible while conducting their own scientific tests," he said. Clearly, Stan Haas and others close to the Northwest Passage proj ect are convinced that the Manhat tan has what it takes for her round trip voyage to Alaska. k EXX-MOR-007708 A workman welds new strength into the S.S. Manhattan during her con version from a tanker to the world's largest icebreaker. sff&U': 1 )l UPGRAD1N6 PROGRAM ^Conf'c/from Page of the approved merchant marine licensing schools," Capt. Moffitt pointed out. The educational refund plan pays up to 75 per cent of tui tion costs, text books and other aca demic fees at approved schools. Coupled with Humble's educa tional refund program, the Marine Dept.'s upgrading plan is expected to encourage unlicensed seamen to earn officer ratings m the Esso Fleet. It would provide a substan tial pay increase for those who ob tain licenses and sail in an officer's berth. JL-asi i- * SCHOLARSHIP FUND NAMED FOR GARDNER The Marine Club of Baton Rouge has named a scholarship for high school graduates in honor of Capt. Sam V. Gardner. Marine Dept. Branch Office manager at Baton Rouge. The Sam Gardner Scholar ship is available to graduating stu dents in five parishes fcounties). To qualify applicants must write a paper on what the port means to the city of Baton Rouge. Three finalists are named by the Marine Club to deliver speeches on the topic. Their talks are judged by English and speech majors as well as faculty members at Louisiana State University. The student who gives the best talk is awarded a S250 scholarship. And S50 goes to second place and 525 to third. The scholarship, now in its sec ond year, was initiated after Capt. Gardner completed a term as presi dent of the Marine Club of Baton Rouge. A long time active member, he is now serving on the club's board of governors. ` juiv- - A, is*--. ''aV 9H3K5m8 i -A St S.NT- m-m ' tes* RESCUE AT SEA of three Cuban refugees by the Esso Jamestown was photo graphed by 2nd Pumpman Kjeld R. Eriksen as crewmen take the men aboard from the Ven`ure, their 30-foot boat wh:ch was drifting without power in the Atlantic off the Florida coast April 26. Details of the operaiion were carried in the May 15 issue of FLEET NEWS. EXX-MOR-007709 COPIED FliOM THE O JELEf'TION.S IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN H1STOK THE UNIVERSITY OF T P * a s a t a m c t im TAFFRAIL TALK LIBRARY FUND DRIVE Capt. Edmund F. Mahoney, recently master of the Esso Scranton, reports that the officers and crew of that Esso ship have contributed S104 to the American Merchant Marine Library Association's 1969 Ocean Crew Drive. Contributions are used to purchase and circulate library books in the Amer ican Merchant Marine. Capt. Mahoney is now in the Esso New York. SIGN OF PROGRESS Officers and crew sailing in the Esso Baltimore off Florida's east coast gathered around televisions May 18 to watch Apollo 10 lift off on its lunar journey from Cape Kennedy. Keeping track of the moon vehicle's progress was a favorite pastime as the Baltimore headed into the Gulf of Mexico bound to Empire. La. But moans of protest were raised when TVs failed to provide clear pictures of the historic flight. "What's wrong with the blasted TV?" someone asked. "Nothing." laughed John W. Heistand. the ship's radio officer and an electronics expert. "It's sort of ironic that we can transmit good color tele vision pictures live from the moon to Earth but not from one point to another down here. I suppose it's just another sign of progress." SERVICE EMBLEM AWARDS 20 YEARS A gold watch in recognition of 30 years' service was recently presented to 3rd Mate Hubert C. Webb (2nd from right) at ceremonies in Houston attended by (from left) Capt. James G. Moffitt, operations man ager; Sydney Wire, assistant general manager, and (far right) Capt. Frank L. Hooper, port captain. Charles F. Fearon Able Seaman September 14, 1966 John Dziekan Radio Officer March 10, 1969 Vincent L. Jervis Pumpman December 1 2, 1967 George Sounders Ordinary Seaman April 4, 1969 Peter Muscarnera Able Seaman September 4, 1968 Raymond Edwards Chief h\a\e June 1, 1969 Chief Engineer Oscar Dorbacker (left) receives a goid watch from T. J. McTaggart, Marine Dept, port engi neer. The presentation was made at a luncheon in Baytown, Texas in Mr. Dorbacker's honor on the occa sion of his 30th year of service with the fleet. DEATH Humble learned only last week . that MICHAEL EKKE, retired pumpman, died last August 18 at T .1 Sailors' Snug Harbor, Staten Is- , rr-_ -S;-. land, N.Y. He was 74. Mr. Ekke - Ml retired in Sept., 1957, after more than 23 years' service. He joined the company in 1922 as fireman in the Polarine and began his career as pumpman ten years later. Within a three-month period in 1942, Mr. Ekke survived the torpedoing of two ships, the Esso Baton Rouge (in which three crewmen were killed) and the Paul H. Harwood (no loss of life). Mr. Ekke was born in Estonia. He has no known survivors. EXX-MOR-007710 TeagSe Grant Student Graduates As Doctor Two Marine Dept, employees' children have been awarded Wal ter C. Teagle Scholarships and another studying under a Teagle stipend graduated this month as a doctor of medicine. Antoinette S. Gomes, M.D., grad uated June 3 from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. Miss Gomes received the Teagle scholarship in 1966. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Antonio F. Gomes Mr. Gomes is chief cook. Albert Martinez, son of retired Oiler A. J. Martinez of Baytown, Tex., has been awarded a grant from the Teagle Foundation to at tend Tulane University at New Or leans. His brother, Carlos, previous ly received a Teagle scholarship, also to Tulane. Mr. Martinez retired in 1967. Ronald T. Carman will attend Cornell University on a scholarship awarded by the Teagle endowment. He is the son of Capt. T. Carman, tugboat captain, of Uniondale, N.Y. Ronald is the second member of the Carman family to receive a Teagle grant. His brother, Robert, also at tended Cornell under a similar scholarship. W. C. Teagle, former president and chairman of the board. Stand ard Oil Company (New Jersey), en dowed the Teagle Foundation Inc. with scholarship funds for company employees after his retirement. Scholarships are available to em ployees' children to Cornell Uni versity. Massachuetts Institute of Technology. Rice University. Tulane University and Harvard University Graduate School of Business. Nurs ing scholarships also are available for studies at any state approved school of nursing offering a diplo ma either as a registered or practi cal nurse. Information regarding scholar ships is available from Mr. Paul J. McEwan. Humble Oil & Refining Co., Marine Dept., P. O. Box 1512, Houston, Tex. 77001. BU Y ON DS THRU PAYROLL DEDUCTION Vi W WITH COMPLIMENTS of Humble Oil & Refining Co., Sydney Wire, Marine Dept. assistant general manager, presents artist's conception of Esso San Francisco to Capt. Albert Phil brick in Galveston, Tex., aboard the Texas Maritime Academy training ship Texas Clipper. It now adorns the office wall of Rear Admiral James D. Craik, U.S.C.G. (Ret), superintendent of the acad emy. Mr. Wire initiated the gift after observing photographs of ships owned by other companies hanging in the corridors of the school's Galveston campus. The San Francisco is slated for launching this summer. Esso Gloucester Goes Info West Coast Service (Cont'd from Page 1) The Humble ship will load her Long Beach cargo at an Atlantic Refinery Company terminal where Humble has leased storage tanks. "We call it THU1IS crude after the names of companies operating off shore leases there." Mr. Reining said. THUMS stands for Texaco. Humble. Union, Mobil and Shell which are partners in the venture. THUMS crude is a heavy, high viscosity oil that requires heating to expedite discharging. "This is one of the reasons we selected the Glou cester for West Coast service." Mr. Reining explained. "She's equipped with heating coils and has tradi tionally been a one-grade carrier." The Gloucester will lift as much as 180,000 barrels of THUMS crude per voyage and up to 200,000 bar rels of the lighter Alaskan oil. "It's about a day's voyage from Long Beach to Benicia," Mr. Rein ing noted. "And the Benicia to Drift River run is a 13-day round trip." The recently opened refinery at Benicia had been supplied by char ter tankers until the Humble ship went into West Coast service. Capt. James D. Lawton took the Gloucester from Harbor Island, Texas, June 5, passed through the Panama Canal four days later, and is expected to dock at Benicia June 18. UPGRADING PROGRAM {Cont'd from Page 1) ters for deck department officers, or from two chief engineers in the case of engine department officers. A satisfactory employment record is also a requirement for eligibility. Capt. Moffitt said that recommen dations should be addressed to either Frank L. Hooper, port cap tain. or to T. J. McTaggart. P I It COPIED FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HLSTi THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN TAFFRASL TALK * CHOICES Susan Armstrong, daughter of 3rd Mate Robert E. Arm strong now in the Esso Houston. graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School. Cape Elizabeth. Maine, with the happy problem of having to choose between three colleges. She was accepted for the 1969-70 school year at Farmington State College. Gor ham State College and the University of Maine, her nroud mother writes. "Susan has finally de cided to attend the University of Maine Portland Cammis." Mrs. Armstrong says. Having the doors of three colleges opened to you is the kind of selfearned graduation present any student can be proud of. Congratulations! Susan. NOT FORGOTTEN Because it had been more than two years since he retired. AB David Beam was pleasantly sur prised that he was not forgotten by Humble when awards were made recently for safety records set in the Esso Jamestown and Esso Gettysburg. Mr. Beam had sailed in both ships during which time they each accumulated one-million man-hours of work without a reportable disabling injury. Under the Marine Dept.'s incentive safety program, each seaman sailing in a ship setting such a record is entitled to an individual award. Mr. Beam selected a cooker-fryer and a coffee pot as his awards. In gratitude and for not being overlooked even in retirement, the former able seaman wrote to T. J. Fuson. general manager of the Marine Dept., saying: "Ever since the first day I worked for Humble Oil & Refining Company. I have been im pressed with the fair and straightforward square dealing policy observed bv the company in deal ing with its employees." Mr. Beam says he thinks of Humble with every cup of java he pours from his new coffee pot--"especially the first cup." HE'S NO PIKER AB Lloyd Martin of the Esso Lexington in vited Pumpman Kenneth Naley of the Esso Ban gor to join him. Mrs. Martin and son Mike in a game of bowling when the two seamen were in Baytown. Texas, recently. As it turned out 14vear-old Mike beat the socks off of 'em. Mr. Naley challenged the youngster to another game next time he's in port, smiling. "Just wait 'til next time. Mike." But he may not have known at the time that Mike Martin is no piker on the bowling lanes. Mr. Martin writes: "Mike bowled in league competition for the first time this past winter in . . . Houston. His team won the league champion ship by 30 games. He won individual honors with a high series of 636, high game of 224, having started the season with an average of 134 and in creasing it to 158." ; I , &O--C X HIGH SOCIETY GOLFER Chief Mate Michael Hickey of Baltimore, Maryland, made the society columns of the Hous ton Chronicle on his recent visit to the Astro City to attend the 6th Marine Officers' Conference at the Hotel America. Mike's team placed second in the hotel's sixth annual 18th-Hole Putting Tournament. A man who takes his golf seriously. Mr. Hickey was playing against near insurmountable odds. At least that's how Society Editor Betty Ewing described it in her front page write-up in the state's largest newspaper. j , | j j ' . Chief Mate Michael Hickey (left) accepts trophy from Hotel America General Manager James P. Kelly. The odds she described were distractions such as "waitresses in pink miniskirts circulating on the edge of the putting green." The putting contest was held at the cocktail hour--which can influence almost anybody's game. Mr. Hickey, however, ap parently came to the conference for business only --as he failed to bring his own clubs. So Harvey Borgen. coordinator of the conference, rounded up an old club and a golf ball so that Mike could join the action. And despite an unfamiliar club and other "mini" distractions. Mr. Hickey played a game that helped bring his team in second. But some of the credit must go to his coach. Mrs. Hickey--who also was "circulating on the edge of the green." COHIPP FltOM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN THE UNI VERS1TY OF T F Y a q a t a i ictim