2019 Annual Meeting April 24-27, West Point, NY
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Members and Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Association:
It is our pleasure to send along information for the 56th annual meeting of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. This year, due to popular request, we will be meeting an extra day, from Wednesday, April 24 to Saturday, April 27, 2019. We will be touring: the United States Military Academy, where we will participate in the dedication of the new Grant Statue; Grant’s Cottage, where its marvelous membership will host us; Grant’s Tomb in Manhattan, to participate in the annual memorial celebration of Grant’s birthday; and, thanks to Harold Holzer, the Roosevelt House in Manhattan, where he will provide a tour, pizza, and soft drinks!
I WANT TO STRESS THAT EVERYONE MUST HAVE PERSONALLY OBTAINED THE NECESSARY PAPER WORK FOR ADMISSION TO WEST POINT. WHITHOUT PROPER PAPERWORK YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES AT WEST POINT. EACH PERSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS/HER OWN PAPERWORK. GO ON LINE ON THE USMA WEBSITE, CLICK ON WEST POINT TOURS, AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS THERE. WE CAN NOT EMPHASIIZE ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS!!!!
Because of the extra meeting day and the additional expenses in the West Point area, we have had to make registration costs higher for this meeting. The cost for non-USGA members is $550 per person. Registration must be made to the USGA Executive Director no later than the times listed below:
USGA members Early bird (up to and including February 1) $475 per person
USGA Regular registration (February 2- March 30) $498 per person
All Late registration (April 1 to 10, 2019) $550 per person
There will be NO registration after April 10, 2019
Refunds will be available. A full refund will apply until March 31, 2018. From April 1-10, 2018, the refund will be one-half the appropriate registration fee. There will be no refunds after April 10, 2018.
If an individual wishes to attend only a part of the annual meeting, he/she should contact Eddie Rangel, assistant to the Executive Director, for the appropriate price.
HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS:
Each registrant to the meeting must arrange his/her own accommodations. USGA has reserved a block of rooms in Bear Mountain State Park. There are three locations: The Bear Mountain Inn, Overlook Lodge, and the Cottages. We also have a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express. When calling to reserve your room, be sure to mention the Ulysses S. Grant Association for the block charge.
BEAR MOUNTAIN INN was built in 1915 and hosted many historical dignitaries. The Inn is listed on the National and NY State Registers of Historic Places………..$159.00 PER night.
OVERLOOK LODGE is newer and has beautiful views of the Hudson River. There is not an elevator at this site…$119.00 per night.
STONE COTTAGES…there are two cottages. The common area connects six individual private guest rooms with private baths. The cottages give a more rustic mountain cabin experience with the shared living room, fireplace and front porches. This could lend itself to a great reunion of friends or family. If you would like to coordinate having a whole cottage, talk to the hotel regarding this possibility…$99.00 per room, per night.
FYI…the Overlook Lodge and the Cottages are three quarters of a mile from the Inn. Both the lodge and the cottages are separate from each other, as the hotel is situated in a beautiful park where people can take nice walks or hikes.
The Bear Mountain Inn, Overlook Lodge and the Cottages are located in Bear Mountain State Park. For more information and photos about the park and the accommodations, please see https://visitbearmountain.com/ Hotel Direct: 845.786.2731 For Reservations: 1.855.548.1184
The Bear Mountain Inn will be the primary site for some of the USGA events. This is where we will have meetings, gatherings, and meals.
The Association has also reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites. It is located about 10 minutes from the Bear Mtn Inn, and about five minutes from West Point Academy. The address and number for the Holiday Inn: 1106 Rt. 9W, P.O. Box # 620 Fort Montgomery, NY 10922 Ph: 845 446 4277.
The busses will be able to pick members up from this site. This will give guests a more conventional hotel stay……$159.00.
The best airport for registrants is the one at Newark. Or, you may drive your own car, or fly into other nearby airports. We will provide a bus to take people from the Newark airport (terminal C) to the hotels. For those arriving in other terminals, a monorail is available to take you to terminal C. A bus will also be provided to take registrants to the various events, including a Saturday drop-off to the Newark Airport.
We will not try to list all the wonderful events we have planned for the annual meeting. But we do want to be sure to tell everyone that the driving force in preparing the meeting has been Carole Bultema, along with the help of Eddie Rangel, and a big thank you to Frank Scaturro.
Registration will take place on Wednesday, April 24 at the Bear Mountain Inn from 2 PM to 3 PM, and from 6 PM to 7 PM during the reception. Dinner will be served at 7 PM, emceed by
President Frank Williams. The main speaker will be USGA Vice President Jim Bultema, who will discuss the rich lode of Grant photographs.
On Thursday, April 25, we will have a tour of parts of the West Point Military Academy. We will have lunch at the historical Thayer Hotel, and are honored to be present at the dedication of the new statue of Ulysses S. Grant at West Point.
On Friday April 26, we will take a bus ride with breakfast to Grant’s Cottage where the Grant’s Cottage Society will provide a speaker and tours. There will be dinner at the Thayer Hotel that night. The main speaker will be West Point English Professor Elizabeth Samet who will discuss her new Grant memoirs literary edition. She will also sign copies for those who which to purchase one. David Nolen, Louie Gallo, and John Marszalek will also be signing copies of their memoirs edition.
On Saturday April 27, the board of directors’ meeting will take place at 7 AM; the general meeting will take place at 8 AM. (Checkout from the hotels will also take place during these periods). The bus and private automobiles will leave for Grant’s Tomb at 9:15 AM; arrive there at 10:15 AM, at which time Board Member Frank Scaturro and president of the Grant Monument Association has arranged for a tour. The annual program will follow at noon. At 1:15 PM, registrants may either leave for the airport or be taken to the Roosevelt House, where we will be hosted by Board member Harold Holzer. The meeting ends at 3 PM. At this time a bus will go to the Newark airport.
Please register by check with the Executive Director as soon as you can. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Eddie Rangel at 662-325-4552.
John F. Marszalek Carole Bultema Frank Williams
Executive Director Eddie Rangel President
P.O. Box 5408
Mississippi State, MS 39759
Dear Grant Association Members:
We wanted to send out a short update on the details for the Ulysses S. Grant Association meeting. This update will address some of the common questions and concerns that we have received from members who wish to attend the meeting.
1. Some of our members have had difficulty reaching the Bear Mountain Inn and making reservations. The easiest number to call for reservations is the Hotel Direct line: 845-786-2731 and dial extension 1000. Ask for the front desk. There are still rooms available at the Cottages and the Lodge. Twelve rooms are available upstairs and twelve are available downstairs in the Lodge. If you are not uncomfortable using stairs, please book your room upstairs (number 200 rooms) and enjoy the great view of the Hudson River. There are still rooms available at the Holiday Inn, which offers a conventional hotel experience.
2. We also wanted clarify that on Wednesday April 24, a bus will be waiting at Newark airport in Terminal C to take members to the Bear Mountain Inn. The bus will depart Terminal C at 12:30pm. After landing, take an “airtrain” to Terminal C and then look for “Ground Transportation.” We are using West Point Tour buses.
3. Additionally, some of our members have had difficulty completing or going through the USMA visitor security clearance procedures. We are working on simplifying the security check and we will send out a specific update on this matter.
We understand that some of you might have questions about the meeting and some of the events as this continues to move forward, so please give me a call or send me an email, and I will be happy to assist you in any way I can. We look forward to seeing all of you in New York!