January 2024 Newsletter

Save the date! Our next meeting is on Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. at the Granite Reef Senior Center, featuring a special presentation by former Honeywell leader Ron Rich, a seasoned figure in the aerospace industry with 40 years of experience.

Ron spent 34 years at Honeywell in various executive roles, including Engineering Director of the APU product line. Now VP and General Manager at Intertech Engineering, Ron will share his insights into the aerospace world, covering his career at Honeywell and his latest role at Intertec. For a fascinating journey through aerospace history, join us at the Feb. 7 meeting and read more details in our January newsletter.

December 2023 Newsletter

President’s Report

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkiah, Happy New Year and Happy any other Holiday. This is my last President’s Report.

I mostly enjoyed the last 4 years being your President. There were many challenges and many achievements.

The biggest challenges was Covid 19. We had to cancel several monthly meetings. Members did not attend meetings and a few Board members resigned. The Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center went from free rooms and projectors to, $50 for the room for 2 hours and $25 for the projector. In addition, we are in a much smaller room.

The Club survived all that and currently has 400 members.

We revised our name from Garrett Retirees Club to Honeywell-Garrett Retirees Club. Honeywell from today’s Corporate name, Garrett from our founder Cliff Garrett. Our acronym is HGRC.

We made significant improvements to our Website such as showing many of our products, membership
application, scholarship application, and contact us links.

The biggest change for the Club is that we took over the scholarship program ourselves. Club went from an organization to a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

All donations and dues are tax deductible. In addition, all donations now go to our students. Honeywell Aerospace doubled their donation to our Scholarship program and our members increased their donations. HGRC members are very generous.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel this year’s Holiday Charity Luncheon due to insufficient participants. We still adopted two families like we have in the past. Five children will be receiving Christmas presents thanks to our generosity.

We will be having a Happy Hour on December 20. Dave Oman has the details.

Vice President’s Report (position vacant)

Coming up at the January 3, member meeting, Steve Hoza will present a PowerPoint of the history of all the airfields in Arizona that were used for military training during WWII. He will provide information on these bases and the training that went on there, along with artifacts to look at. Steve and his brother Mike spent four years flying across Arizona documenting these airfields.

November 2023 Newsletter

President’s Report

The end of the year big happening is coming up December 6. It’s our Holiday Charity Luncheon. Diane Bennett and daughter Cathy Bennett are working hard planning the event at The McCormick Hotel. This newsletter has a Luncheon flyer. RSVP to Diane Bennett by November 29.

Our November 1 meeting featured speaker was Matt Greenman, Program Director of the HTF 7000 growth engine programs family. Matt started with some history HGRC News 2 November 2023 on the TFE731, that was certified in 1972 before he was born. 13,000 of these engines have been produced. It was the first geared turbofan propulsion engine in spite of what Pratt Whitney says about their “GTF.”

Today’s business aircraft are growing in size and the HTF 7000 is for Super Mid-Size and Large Cabin
versions. The goal of the Large Cabin aircraft is a range of 4200 nautical miles, speed of Mach 0.9. Board member Dave Oman arranged this speaker. We had 28 attendees for this meeting.

All speakers get the opportunity of selecting a non-profit local charity for a $100 donation in their name and Matt chose St. Mary’s Food Bank.

October 2023 Newsletter

President’s Report

I hope everyone had a wonderful last 4 months. If you stayed in town it was certainly hot.

We started our 2023/2024 season with an excellent subject and speaker Steve Hoza. Steve presented the history of the World War II German POWs in Arizona. There were 10,000 POWS in Arizona. The largest POW Camp was in Florence. It was a self-contained town. There was also a Camp in Papago Park. There is more info in this newsletter. The Vice President’s Report has additional information. Thank you Al Stimac for arranging this presentation.

Our November meeting features Matt Greenman, HTF7000 engine family. I retired so many years ago that I don’t know that family of engines. Am looking forward to learn about it. Dave Oman gets the credit for obtaining Matt.

Our tradition Holiday Luncheon will be held December 6 at the Millennium McCormick Hotel, 7421
North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85253. Details are in the Events Report.

Last item is that I am resigning from Presidency on Jan 1, 2024. I served four years, double the time listed in our Bylaws. Some of many accomplishments are, got Honeywell in our name, I got our club to be to be registered with Arizona Corporation Commission and Internal Revenue Services as a nonprofit 501(C)(3) origination. All dues and scholarship donations are tax deductible. By the way, our members are very generous donators to the scholarship foundation. I was also Vice President prior to being President. I got presenters on the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix Theatre Company, Commemorative Air Force, Southwest Airline Pilot, Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, Guide Dogs of the Desert plus others.

Our November meeting features Matt Greenman, Manager of the HTF7000 engine family at the Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior center Room 8 doors open at 1:00 PM, Meeting starts at 1:30 PM.

September 2023 Newsletter

President’s Report

I hope everyone is well and had a good summer. If you wondered why you didn’t get an August Cliff Notes Newsletter, it is because your board decided since we don’t have summer meetings we don’t need July and August newsletters. Your Board revised the Bylaws accordingly. This September Newsletter starts the next season. 

Our upcoming October 4 meeting has an interesting speaker. Steve Hoza. Steve is a recognized authority on the history of World War II in Arizona. He will present a PowerPoint program of the history of the German’s internment in Arizona. He will also have artifacts on display. We thank Al Stimac for finding the speaker.

The November meeting will be November 1, Matt Greenman, manager of the HTF7000 engine family. Thanks Dave Oman for obtaining the speaker. 

Cathy Bennett has resigned from Events due to her job workload. Some of us still work. Diane Bennett will take over for Cathy but Cathy did arrange for our December Holiday Luncheon. It will be held at the Millennium McCormick resort in Scottsdale. The room has great views. The date is December 6. Please put that on your calendar and attend.

The Clubs Dues Notice letter will be issued in September. Our Treasurer recommended that our dues be $15 for the upcoming season and your Board approved.

Here is the Club meeting/event schedule for the 2023/2024 season

  • October 4, 2023 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center
  • November 1, 2023 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center 
  • December 6, 2023 Annual Holiday Charity Luncheon
  • January 3, 2024 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center 
  • February 7, 2024 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center
  • March 6, 2024 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center
  • April 3, 2024 Spring Picnic
  • May 3, 2024 Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center

Hope to see all of you at our October meeting.