The History of the DD-950 Association

In 1996 a small group of DD-950 sailors met in Branson, Missouri for the first “Ready Eddie” reunion.  The group came together through the efforts of Jim Kress, a BT aboard the DD-950 in 1961-64.  Jim Kress took advantage of the Internet and placed ads online at appropriate Websites and in some veterans magazines.  Those efforts were rewarded with a meeting with some of Jim’s past DD-950 shipmates that had not been together for over thirty years. 

It was decided to have another DD-950 reunion in 1998.   The 1998 reunion brought eighteen past DD-950 sailors together.  The group formed an association and resolved to continue to search for and find additional DD-950 alumni. 

The 1998 DD-950 reunion group elected Jack Sanders, a BT aboard the DD-950 1962-65, the president of the association.  Bob “TUT” Tuttle, a STG aboard the DD-950 1971-76, became the association’s vice president and volunteered to produce a newsletter for the group.  It was decided that the association would not charge a membership fee, but instead ask for donations.  However, due to the expense of postage and production, only those who become members of the DD-950 Association would receive the newsletter.  It is not necessary to make a donation to join the Richard S. Edwards Association.  All that is asked is that you complete a membership form and keep your addresses current with the association.  As a tax exempt organization it is important that the association keeps good records.  Your donations to the DD-950 association may be tax deductible, please consult your tax advisor. 

Also in 1998, Robert Dege, a RD aboard 1965-68, enlisted his son, Rob, to produce a Website for the DD-950 Association, www.DD950.com.  That Website became the “official” Website of the Richard S. Edwards Association and contains the current list of known past shipmates.  Most crewmembers have listed an email address and those that have not can be reached by sending mail to the association to be forwarded.  The DD950.com Website is very effective finding past crewmembers.  We all owe Rob Dege a big thank you for the hard work he does with the DD950.com Website for the Richard S. Edwards Association. 

In 1999 Jim Rassbach, an IC aboard the DD-950 1974-76, volunteered to produce an additional Website with some photos from the years he had spent on the Ready Eddie.  The original idea was to produce an online cruise book for those years as none had ever been published for the 1974 WestPAC.   “TUT”  worked hard with Jim and thanks to the many shipmates who sent in their photos, the photo album now offers over 500 photos of and by the crew of the DD-950.  The photo album has expanded to include all the years covered by the operation of the DD-950 from 1959 through 1982.  Additionally, recent photos of past crewmembers are available to serve as a continuous online reunion for DD-950 shipmates. 

In June of 2000 the Richard S. Edwards Association reunion in St. Louis, Missouri brought fifty-eight DD-950 sailors together.  The large growth in the number of reunion attendees brings hopes of an even larger DD-950 reunion in the Seattle/Tacoma area in August of 2002.  The association selected the location for the 2002 reunion as it is near the “birth place” of the DD-950, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and the sister ship, the Turner Joy (DD-951) that is now a museum ship.  A tour of the near carbon copy of the Ready Eddie will be a great place for you to meet up with your past shipmates in August of 2002.  Please make your plans to attend the reunion today. 

Bob “TUT” Tuttle spends many hours actively searching for past DD-950 crewmembers.  It is nice when our past friends find the Websites and check in, but many will not.  Somebody has to do the hard work of looking for people.  TUT has written a page of notes of how to get started finding your past shipmates and you can find those notes here on the www.DD950.org Website.  Many of the crewmembers now on our member list were found by TUT’s extensive search efforts. 

By the end of the year 2000 the association found over three hundred past DD-950 shipmates.  We need your help to find the whereabouts of the rest of the crewmembers. The Web pages at www.DD950.org are the business pages of the association.  There you can find the contact information for the officers, and some notes on how to search for past shipmates.  In those pages there are lists of the names for some of the crew that may help you with your search.