CLICK ON THE PDF ICON ABOVE TO PRINT REGISTRATION FORM

AND REUNION INFORMATION.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS FOR

THE CROWNE PLAZA AT THE CROSSING HOTEL

It is imperative that attendees make their room reservations now! Repeat: NOW! Today! Don't wait until that elusive tomorrow. Why? The association has made a commitment for rooms, which is called a "room block", and the price is reduced for those rooms. They are normally $179 per night, and we're paying only $109 plus taxes, quite a reduction. If we fail to block enough rooms, people will be left out because the rooms will be sold to other guests. Or an attendee could end up paying the higher rate if a room is available. At this point, we have had to make an educated guess as to how many rooms will be needed. We can increase the room block if need be, but reservations must be made early so we can correctly project the number of rooms needed. Rooms are available at the same rate based upon availability for three days out from the reunion's last day as well as three days prior to the reunion. You don't have to pay the hotel now, just reserve your rooms with your credit card to hold the reservation.

How do you make reservations? Attendees can begin to make their reservations today. You can go onto the Association's website at www.uss-saint-paul-ca73.com, and click the hotel icon. You can call the hotel directly at (401) 732-6000 between 0830 and 1600 or you can call the Crowne Plaza Toll Free reservation line anytime, at 1-800-227-6963, and ask for the USS SAINT PAUL Reunion in August 2010. If you prefer go to http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/wrwri?rpb=hotel&crUr1=/h/d/cp/1 /en/hotelsearchresults and type in the group code "usp" in the group code box. By the way, if you do go directly to the above-mentioned web link, you can take a virtual tour of the hotel and see the rooms, the surrounding grounds, and read about the points of interest nearby.

Another reason for making your reservations today is that it's crucial for planning the number of buses needed for tours, as well as the seating for banquets, and other events. I can't stress enough how important this is. In the past, presidents have been put in a rough position because they didn't know how many people were going to show up until the last few days before a reunion, which plays havoc with planning.

Thank you for your help. Now, go make those reservations as soon as
you finish reading this article which is NOW.

Providence, Rhode Island Reunion Tours

Providence City Tour - Tour Rhode Island's capital city, truly an historic gem. The tour begins with a visit to the Roger Williams National Memorial Park to learn about the founder of Providence. Drive along Benefit Street's "Mile of History" and view the impressive concentration of colonial homes. See the magnificent Rhode Island State House, Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design and Waterplace Park. Tour the oldest First Baptist Church in America. There will be free time for lunch at the Providence Place Mall with a food court and a variety of restaurants.

Newport Tour - An overview of Newport, rich in history and spectacular "summer cottages", is provided through a narrated driving tour. On Bellevue Avenue, view the homes of the rich and famous. See stunning scenery and beautiful homes along Ocean Drive. A guided tour of the famous Vanderbilt mansion, The Breakers, is included. This 70-room estate, built in 1895, was modeled after a northern Italian Renaissance palace. There will be free time for lunch and shopping at scenic Brick Marketplace and Bannister's Wharf. After lunch, tour the Newport War College and visit the museum with exhibits on naval warfare as studied at the Naval War College.

Dinner Cruise on Narragansett Bay - Rhode Island is called the Ocean State because of its miles of coastline. On a dinner cruise aboard the Vista Jubilee, sit back and enjoy the sights of the Narragansett Bay and the beautiful coastline. A delicious dinner buffet will be served, followed by a DJ providing great music for dancing or just relaxing. There is a cash bar on board.

Boarding will begin at 1800 from the Bay Queen Cruises dock in Warren, RI. The cruise will depart at 1830 and arrive back at the dock at 2130.

Battleship Cove, Saint Paul Memorial - Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts has the country's most complete collection of American World War II Navy ships including the Battleship Massachusetts, which houses the historical museum of our beloved Saint Paul, the submarine Lionfish, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., a landing craft and 2 PT boats. Includes lunch and Our Memorial Service will be held on the fantail of the Battleship.

Business Meeting - Saturday from 0830 to 1030. No food service will be offered. Breakfast is on your own.

Ladies Holiday Gingerbread House Demonstration - This is going to be a delightful time for ladies (and husbands) to see how a real Gingerbread house is made by professional bakers from the Crowne Plaza Hotel. What a beautiful room for all this to take place.

TRANSPORTATION - To AND FROM THE AIRPORT

For those of you flying in call the Hotel at 401-732-6000

for a complimentary Hotel Shuttle.

It is never too early to start thinking and better yet, saving for the USS SAINT PAUL Association's Reunion in 2010 planned for Providence, Rhode Island. Click anywhere on the "Savings Calculator" below to start figuring out your savings package.

Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated third-largest city in the New England region. Despite having an estimated population of 172,459 as of 2007, it anchors the 36th largest metropolitan population in the country, with an estimated MSA population of 1,600,856, exceeding that of Rhode Island by about 60% due to its reaching into southern Massachusetts. Situated at the mouth of the Providence River, on Narragansett Bay, the city's small footprint is crisscrossed by seemingly erratic streets and a rapidly changing demographic using them.

Providence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for his finding such a haven to settle. After being one of the first cities in the country to industrialize, Providence became noted for its jewelry and silverware industry. Today, Providence city proper alone is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning, which has shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains significant manufacturing work. The city was once nicknamed the "Beehive of Industry", while today "The Renaissance City" is more common, though as of 2000 census, its poverty rate was still among the ten highest for cities over 100,000.

History
The area which is now Providence was first settled in June 1636 by Roger Williams, and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United States. Williams secured a title from the Narragansett natives around this time and gave the city its present name. Williams also cultivated Providence as a refuge for persecuted religious dissenters, as he himself had been exiled from Massachusetts. Providence's growth would be slow during the next quarter-century—the subsuming of its territory into surrounding towns, difficulty of farming the land, and differing of local traditions and land conflicts all slowed development.
In the mid-1770s, the British government levied taxes that impeded Providence's maritime, fishing and agricultural industries, the mainstay of the city's economy. One example was the Sugar Act, which impacted Providence's distilleries and its trade in rum and slaves. These taxes caused Providence to join the other colonies in renouncing allegiance to the British Crown. In response to enforcement of unpopular trade laws, Providence residents spilled the first blood of the American Revolution in the notorious Gaspée Affair of 1772.

Though during the Revolutionary War the city escaped enemy occupation, the capture of nearby Newport disrupted industry and kept the population on alert. Troops were quartered for various campaigns and Brown University's University Hall was used as a barracks and military hospital.

Following the war, the economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, particularly machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry and textiles. At one time, Providence boasted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Silverware, and was the country's ninth-largest city The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. Economic and demographic shifts caused social strife, notably with a series of race riots between whites and blacks during the 1820s. In response to these troubles and the economic growth, Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831.

During the Civil War, local politics split over slavery as many had ties to Southern cotton. Despite ambivalence concerning the war, the number of military volunteers routinely exceeded quota, and the city's manufacturing proved invaluable to the Union. Postwar, horsecar lines covering the city enabled its growth and Providence thrived with waves of immigrants and land annexations bringing the population from 54,595 in 1865 to 175,597 by 1900.

The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920s as industries, notably textiles, shut down. The Great Depression hit the city hard, and Providence's downtown was subsequently flooded by the New England Hurricane of 1938. The city saw further decline as a result of nation-wide trends, with the construction of highways and increased suburbanization. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Providence was a notorious bastion of organized crime. The mafia boss Raymond L.S. Patriarca ruled a vast criminal enterprise.

The city's eponymous "Renaissance" began in the 1970s. From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of local and national Community Development funds were invested throughout the city, and the hitherto falling population began to stabilize. In the 1990s, Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr showcased the city's strength in arts and pushed for further revitalization, ultimately resulting in the uncovering of the city's natural rivers (which had been paved over), relocation of a large section of railroad underground, creation of Waterplace Park and river walks along the river's banks, and construction of the Fleet Skating Rink (now the Bank of America Skating Rink) downtown and the 1.4 million ft² Providence Place Mall.

New investment triggered within the city, with new construction including numerous condo projects, hotels, and a new office highrise all filling in the freed space. Despite new investment, poverty remains an entrenched problem as it does in most post-industrial New England cities. Nearly 30 percent of the city population lives below the poverty line. Recent increases in real estate values further exacerbate problems for those at marginal income levels, as Providence had the highest rise in median housing price of any city in the United States from 2004 to 2005. (Source: Wikipedia)

06/14/10

USS SAINT PAUL'S ASSOCIATION REUNION 2010

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