The TOPS IN BLUE Priors' Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 4, September 1997

Reunion! TIB Celebrates its 45th Year! Andrews to Host "Homecoming" and WWTC; Reunion Committee Needed Mark your calendar! The long awaited Tops In Blue Reunion is scheduled for January 1998, during the Worldwide Talent Contest which will be held for the third year in a row at Andrews AFB, MD, January 9-17. The reunion marks the 45th Anniversary of Tops In Blue and will be a great opportunity for the TIB family to come together and commemorate this prestigious occasion. The last reunion was held in November 1993 at Tyndall AFB, FL. It recognized the 40th Anniversary of the program and also marked the last Worldwide Talent Contest in the old "command vs. command" format. As with the last reunion, there will be a special show, which will feature a variety of Tops In Blue priors. However unlike the last reunion show, this year's show is tentatively scheduled to take place on a separate night, rather than as part of the awards banquet. This will give the TIB priors an exclusive evening of their own. To facilitate the show and ensure the success of the reunion, Tom Edwards is looking to form a "Reunion Committee" that will handle the bulk of the responsibilities for the event. Tasks include logistics, administration, locating priors, and developing and producing the reunion show. As with the last reunion (in 1993), there will be a special show, which will feature a variety of Tops In Blue priors. Committee members should be available to come to Air Force Entertainment (AFE) Headquarters in San Antonio, Texas to assist with the program. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated and will ensure that the 45th Anniversary reunion will be an event to be remembered. If you're interested in being a part of the Reunion Committee, please contact AFE immediately. For those who may be unable to assist, but are planning to attend the reunion, please let AFE know, so that you may receive proper recognition during the event. If there are any priors you know of who have not heard about the reunion, spread the word. After all, this is a family affair! AF Entertainment is also in need of technicians and staff members for the Worldwide Talent Contest. Volunteers should contact AFE, (210) 652-6566 (DSN 487-6566), or by mail at AF Entertainment, 10100 Reunion Place, Suite #403, San Antonio, TX 78216. Wanted: TIB Talent Scouts! Local Assistance Sought to Locate and Motivate Talent Air Force Wide You've toured with Tops In Blue and you know what it takes to be a part of the Air Force's Premiere Entertainment Showcase. Now here's your chance to use your experience as a TIB prior to give something back to the program. Air Force Entertainment is looking for Tops In Blue "Talent Scouts" at local bases to seek out talented individuals, develop their interest in the program and motivate them to take advantage of the opportunity to be "the best of the best." All you need is the drive, vision and enthusiasm to locate and recruit budding talent at your base and work with them to hone their skills and develop the determination to move forward. Each year hundreds of truly talented individuals miss out on the chance to compete, either because they don't know enough about the program or they have no one to assist them in their efforts. You can help by "mining" those "diamonds in the rough" and sharing your experience with them. If you're interested in being a Tops In Blue "Talent Scout" contact Air Force Entertainment. Let Your Fingers Do the "Talking" with TIB's On-line Chat You've probably heard of on-line chat in the news lately. Well, thanks to the efforts of Aaron Sisemore and Bob Morrow, TIB priors can now gather and "talk" via typed messages on an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel (#topsinblue). The regular meeting time is Saturdays at 10 PM Eastern time. It should be noted that IRC is separate from the World Wide Web and requires a separate program. If you have any questions or need any additional information, contact Aaron Sisemore at xenon@sirius.com. This real time chat capability joins the newsletter and the web site in keeping the family together. (Go to the top of the next column.)

Of course, as Kahlil Walton wrote on the web, "...as a member of this family, no matter how far we travel from each other, we're never out of reach because we're all joined at the heart." TIB '97...Did You See it Yet? If Not, Here's Where You Can Here is the tour schedule for Tops In Blue 1997. Be sure to check with the base or with Air Force Entertainment for show locations and times. SPOTLIGHT: Where Are They Now?... Name Specialty Tour Larry K. Horton Saxophonist/ Vocalist Tops In Blue II '79 Present: A Roger winner in '79, Larry left the Air Force in 1980 and returned home to Baton Rouge, LA. For the past 10 years, he's served as a high school band director and as assistant director at Southern University. In addition, he's pursuing a degree in marketing at NE Louisiana University. Larry still finds time for his music, playing with Luchus "Big Daddy" Brown, The Magnolia Grand Brass Band, and his own group, "Blazz." He's been featured on three CD's "Roll The Dice One More Time," "Down Louisiana Way," and "Hot Blazz." Name Specialty Tour J.J. Johnson Vocalist Tops In Blue II '80 Present: Known as "Louisiana's Best Kept Secret," J.J. currently resides in Baton Rouge, LA and is still in the Air Force, serving as the Law Office Manager for the Louisiana Air National Guard in New Orleans. She's also very active in the entertainment world. Her performances include the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Baton Rouge Blue Festival, singing the National Anthem at Royal Stadium in Kansas City, and appearing in numerous shows with groups throughout the South and Southeast. Name Specialty Tour Timmy Lucky Vocalist Tops In Blue '86 (The Liberty Cruise) Present: In addition to touring with Tops In Blue in 1986, Timmy performed at the WWTC in 1985, 86 and 87. He departed from the Air Force in 1992 and now calls Yeardon, Pennsylvania home. Timmy's married and he and his wife have a beautiful 5-month old son. These days Timmy works as a consultant for Booz, Allen and Hamilton and he's also the Pastor of Sword of the Spirit, GLGI. Name Specialty Tour Aaron Sisemore Audio Director Tops In Blue '94 (Feel Like Singing) Present: Having left the Air Force, Aaron's putting his experience to good use. Residing in Santa Rosa, California, he works as the chief technician for Cinema West, Inc., an up and coming theater chain in Northern California. He's installed numerous sound systems and serviced the projection and sound equipment for all of the chain's theaters. He's also the projectionist at the Sebastopol Cinema 9 in Sebastopol, CA. Still, he still finds time for his "TIB family," having developed the TIB on-line chat (see previous story) Blue Notes Congratulations to MSgt select Jerry Kealler and all the new SSgts, including Manny Henning, Tobin Faciane, James Green, Tonya Anzjon and others. TIB 83's Terry Weeks is now singing with the world famous Temptations and was featured on Sinbad's HBO Summer Weekend Jam. According to several TIB'ers who've seen him, he's singing lead on quite a few songs and is "tearin' it up!" Rock on, Terry! TIB founder Col Al Reilly was among the 4,000 attendees at the TIB show at the AF Academy. He's feeling better these days and is in good spirits. Kahlil Walton is on a serious roll. He's still featured in the dinner show at Caesar's Palace and has just signed with Armatruda/Benson & Associates, one of Beverly Hills' largest talent agencies. Yours truly will be performing at Tyndall AFB on Oct 24 & 25th and I will have the privilege of opening for Patti LaBelle in Phoenix on Oct 29th. Next issue is Jan '98...Peace, T.A.