Navy League of the U.S., Barcelona Council -- NEWS

RECAP OF COUNCIL-SPONSORED EVENTS
2004

December, 2004:
The Barcelona Council held its annual Christmas celebration with the exchange of gifts.

November, 2004:
We welcomed the USS Spruance when it docked at Barcelona and the USS JKF when it docked at Tarragona. See stories, above. The Barcelona Council also co-sponsored its annual Thanksgiving celebration, this year with the American Society and the Barcelona Women“s Network.

October, 2004:
On October 15th, we celebrated the birthdays of the United
States Navy and the United States Marine Corps at our Welcome Back dinner held at Da Greco“s Restaurant. Our President, Tim Cashman, talked about Operation Responsibility, the council“s membership drive that was launched at the event, and welcomed our newest
Community Affiliate, the American School of Barcelona.

In October, we visited the Navy Flag ship of the Sixth Fleet, the USS La Salle, docked at Tarragona.

May, 2004:
Sheila McNeill, the President of the Navy League of the United States, visited our Barcelona Council in May. This was the very first time the Council had the honour to receive the president. Read about President McNeill“s visit at the President“s Visit page.

April, 2004:
The Navy League, Barcelona Council, arranged for a special group tour of the vessels from the Germany Navy visiting Barcelona port.

Also in April, we celebrated Sant Jordi Day with a very enjoyable evening of books and roses at the RealClub Nautico. We were very pleased to have with us Joan T. Eischen, President of the Navy League Madrid Council, and her husband, Martin. Joan spoke to us about some of the many activities taking place in the Madrid Council. There was some fun and excitement when the gifts of books were distributed via draw -- everyone who brought a book went home with a different one.

March, 2004:
A social event / dinner was held on March 12th at
Da Greco restaurant. Although the group was small because of the peace manifestations held on Passeig de Gracia, the group enjoyed a delicious menu and great camaraderi. We highly recommend an evening at Da Greco.

February, 2004:
February 13-17 saw the NATO Flotilla M for South, comprised of the main vessel (Tender Rhein of the German Navy), accompanied by an additional German vessel, as well as one vessel from each of the following nations: Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. The commander of the Tender Rhein, Commodor Michael Mann, was received by Jose Garcia-Reyes. Our Council offered its members the opportunity to visit the vessles. Arrangements were made with the U.S. Embassy in Madrid by Jose Garcia-Reyes for member clearances to visit the U.S. S. Enterprise, which called on Cartegena Port.

January, 2004:
Members met for the annual meeting at the Cercle Liceu Cultural on the 24th. Also in January, the Barcelona Council sponsored a visit to the British vessel calling on Barcelona Port.

Navy League of the United States,
Barcelona Council

P.O. Box 5049, 08007, Barcelona, Espańa
Email: navyleaguebarcelona@yahoo.es

Updated June 15, 2005

Annual General Meeting and Election of Board

NLUS Barcelona Council Celebrates Its 35th Anniversary

The Annual General Meeting of the Barcelona Council was held on January 27th during a dinner event at the La Provence Restaurant. Pictures of the meeting can be viewed in our Photo Album. The Leadership Group for 2005 was elected at a followup General Meeting, held on February 24th: Tim Cashman, President; Albert Altimiras, Vice President; Adam Papaseit Martķn, Secretary; Santiago Torras, Treasurer; Scott Wishart, Judge Advocate;José Luis Hernįndez, Master At Arms; David Kennedy, Advisor and Liaison Officer for Tarragona, and Xavier Dņlera Cruset, Social Coordinator. The membership of the NLUS Barcelona Council thanks these dedicated Board members for their service in 2005, and for the service of outgoing Board members having completed their 2004 term.

The new Board is looking for support from the NLUS members. Following elections, the Board met to discuss the activities and future direction of the Barcelona Council. A few aspects identified as requiring immediate attention to keep the Council alive and effective include fundraising for NLUS goals such as education; the expansion of membership and recruitment; and enhancing existing relations with local authorities and others, such as the business community, other nonprofit entities, etc. During that meeting, it was decided that we would attempt to sponsor at least one core event for our members every month, without neglecting the hospitality mandate we have for visiting vessels to the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona.

We invite you to come forward with your ideas and suggestions, sending your comments to us via email at navyleaguebarcelona@yahoo.com or to our mailing address: Apartado Postal 5049, 08037, Barcelona. We“ll keep you posted as progress is made on these objectives.

This year, the Barcelona Council of the Navy League of the U.S. celebrates the 35th anniversary of its Charter, on May 19, 1970. To properly honour past members, we are trying to compile a "council history album" from archives-but these are sparse in many areas. We invite all members and friends of our Navy League Council to come forward with any information you may have about the Barcelona Council and Navy League in Spain, to actively participate in this task of documenting our history. It“s a way of thanking our past members. Please come forward and share with us your stories and memories of the council, of its people, and of its activities in the past. Perhaps you have at home copies of old membership directories, newsletters, photographs, events or outings that were organised -- all these are useful sources of information for the history album. You may scan these and send them in electronic format, or send originals to us and we“ll do it inhouse. We guarantee that all original photos and material received will be handled safely and returned to owner once we scan or copy them. Please send information via email to: navyleaguebarcelona@yahoo.es or call any board member.

Benvingut! To The Newest Member of the NLUS Barcelona Council

On April 7, we visited our newest Community Affiliate, the American School of Barcelona, at their campus in Esplugues de Llobregat. We presented them with their Community Affiliate Member decal and plaque. We were given a tour of the campus as we were told about the ASB“s activities and goals. Following Director Ettie Zilber“s advice, we grabbed our trays between two waves of hungry students, and enjoyed a tasty lunch with her principals and staff. During lunch, we had a think-tank-like discussion of ways whereby the NLUS and the ASB could develop a education-orientated program to involve students, teachers and staff, parents, and our local community in a wide array of activities, such as volunteerism, community service, and sports. It was agreed that we would follow up on this initiative. In an effort to promote each organization, we have already established mutual links.

And don“t forget to visit the American School of Barcelona campus on Friday, April 22nd, for their annual book fair. New and used books in English are available. For further information, call (34) 93 371 40 16.

Visiting the American School of Barcelona

We give a hearty WELCOME! to the newest member of the Barcelona Council, Salvador Molist Fondevilla. Salvador is a native of Barcelona. He graduated as a Computer Systems Programmer from ETB and did postgraduate studies in L.A.N. Telecommunciations and High Speed Communications at the UNED. He currently works as a technical systems specialist at Yamaha Motor Spain. Salvador is a Yatch Captain and teaches sport maritime training. He is a member of the Spanish Navy League and is currently enrolled in courses to become certified as a Maritime Traffic Controller. Salvador and his wife Maria Angeles live in Barcelona. Welcome, Salvador.

Upcoming Events

With the celebration of Catalunya“s most beloved hero -- Sant Jordi -- already finished for the year, we“ve started to fill our social calendar with events for our members and friends. The following NLUS Barcelona Council-sponsored events were held:

Mid-April - Visit aboard the vessels. After completing their exercises in the Mediterranean, vessels from the standing naval NATO forces, including vessels from Spain, Greece, Germany, and the U.S., made a port call during the week of April 18th - 25th. The Barcelona Council fulfilled its Port Hospitality mandate by sponsoring a welcome event.

May 25 - Annual Port Tour. This year, we arranged for a tour of the port aboard the Latin sailboat, a traditional vessel. The tour offered a historical overview of the port, its functions, and its transformation to meet the growing needs of maritime commerce.

Other events being considered include:
..... a trip to the Maritime Museum,
..... a visit to the planetarium,
..... a tour of the Roda base,
..... and a traditional fish auction here in Barcelona.
Keep tuned, as we inform you of the details in future communiques.

Photos of the Board's visit to the American School of Barcelona to present the Affiliate Community Member plaque to ASB Director.

Ship Visits to Spain

We have been honored to provide Port Hospitality to the U.S. Navy upon their visits to our hometown port of Barcelona and neighboring port of Tarragona. In October, we received the USS La Salle. November saw the arrival of the USS Spruance and the USS John F. Kennedy. In February, the O'Bannon came to Barcelona, and in April the USS Monterey to Tarragona. Visit our special page of Ship Visits to Spain for complete details and photos.

We bid a fond farewell to our Board Member, Sandra Lund. Sandra and her family went to Brazil, and tells us the biggest challenge she faces these days is getting James and the kids to stop switching their Portuguese conversation to Catalan and narrowing down the selection of fruit to accompany dinner. We have also heard from our friend Bill Francisco, former U.S. Vice Consul at the Barcelona Consulate, who is on special tour in Baghdad. Bill“s convoy was ambushed, but he is ok, which is more than what we can say about Bill“s luggage.

Notes From Our Friends

BENVINGUT to our newest Community Affiliate Member

The Barcelona Council welcomes its newest Community Affiliate, BROSA ABOGADOS Y ECONOMISTAS. Brosa has been providing legal counsel to the business community in Spain since 1964, offering a team of lawyers and accountants who approach business problems with a global and preventive vision from a multidisciplinary perspective. Their team of specialists offer dynamic and experienced services in the legal, tax, economic, financial, auditing and consulting fields. Brosa Abogados y Economistas are specialists in Contracts, Company Law, Takeovers, Competition, Advertising and Consumer Protection, Financial Markets, Real estate, Building and Engineering, and Family Business. Based in Barcelona, Brosa Abogados y Economistas has offices in Bilbao, Madrid, and Sevilla, as well as Lisbon, Portugal. Brosa has positioned itself to provide expert counsel to multinational enterprises, both in Spain and abroad.

Avenida Diagonal 598, 08021, Barcelona, Spain
Phone: 93 240 41 51 * Email: info.bcn@brosa.es