July 2000
Really super sight, brings back many memories of my long years in Panama...most of my military career was at Albrook AFB, and Howard AFB with another 10 years as a civilian....My wife is from Taboga...we really like the pictures... and history.
Well Done!!!!!
Is there any way of gettin this on disk?
Have a great day!!
Herb Bumgarner
great site. wow what memories. just wish my computer could download the pictures faster. I will search through my collection to submit some photos too.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane....especially just coming back from the 2000 reunion and our 30th year BHS reunion. A lot of good work here on this site and so beneficial to so many Zonians. Keep up the good work, I love reading about Panama, the CZ and most of all, Zonians!
Thanks for all the time and effort you have devoted to this site and everything you do to keep the Canal Zone/Panama alive in our hearts. Being a 3rd generation Zonian I am proud I was born in Panama and raised in the Zone. I lived in Panama, Cocoli, Diablo, Curundu, Clayton, Quarry Hts and Gamboa. My dad was raised in Pedro Miguel and Mom on the Prado. Thanks so much for memories. BHS58
I really like your website, it is very informative, and has a variety of areas. It is also neat to be able to to hear about people I have known.
stationed ft clayton cz 10/4/71 thru 10/4/76 lived in cocoli. assigned 4/20th mech inf
Great site! I enjoyed looking a the photos even though it can get you in a melancholy mood thinking about the years gone by. It will never be the same down there.
I found your website as I was trying to locate the date of the official opening of The Canal. Although The Cristobal made the first transit, the credit for the first official crossing goes to the Ancon. In a later life, the Ancon was re-christened The Permanente and was put to an extraordinary use, carrying bulk cement.
The way this happened was that US tycoon and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser believed that it was possible to ship bulk cement. His competitors and other experts believed it was impossible and he would end up, after a humid voyage across the ocean, having used the inside of his ship as a mold for a giganting concret casting. However, If Kaiser was right, bulk handling would represent a tremendous savings over loading sacks on pallets and putting them on ships. He acquired The Ancon which he renamed The Permanente to try out his theory and it worked.
Tens of thousands of tons were sent out to Hawaii in the early '40s and happened to be standing by in undamaged silos right after Pearl Harbor so the cement that the Permanente carried West helped to rebuild the US naval installations following the attack. During the war, the Ancon continued shuttling between California and the islands of the Pacific carrying cement used to build harbors and airstrips as the US Marines advanced towards Japan.
Hopefully, you have the date of this first transit or know where I might be able to locate it. So far, using Google, I haven't been able to get an exact date. I want a date because I write a history column and would like to commemorate this date.
If you don't have any thoughts on this matter, that is all right too, but I do want to thank you for making this interesting resource available.
Steve Gilford
Bill, You did it again! The PRR Presentation was great. I "lost" another morning, studying all the old photos. Sue and I thoroughly enjoyed your recent visit as we hope you and your family did. We look forward to making that an annual event. Oh, yeah, we're still looking for the earrings;).
Keep on, keeping on (don't know where you find the time) Mike
What a fantastic job you've done. It's amazing. It will certainly bring back memories to EVERYONE. I couldn't believe all the "stuff" you had - what a wonderful site to have available to all us Zonies (and anyone else who wants to see the great photos, etc.)
THANK YOU!
Hi all. Alice was here the other day with Vernon and his Wife. They were on there way back down to Tucson. Your Mom gave me the web site address and i'm glad she did. It's very interesting. As you can tell I'm now living in Pheonix(Mesa). Life is good and all is well. Keep up the good work Meat. Pablo