Robert Nicholson

March 3, 2015

Reading is Fundamental Presidents Day Event

Reading is Fundamental and Local Officials Honor Past Presidents

Reading is Fundamental and Barnes & Noble booksellers featured a Presidents Day event in Pensacola. During this event local officials, including Mayor Ashton Hayward, Assistant Superintendent of Escambia County Schools, Steve Marcanio, and the co-president of the Pensacola Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Mike Clapsadl, shared fun facts about past United States Presidents.

Students from local Middle Schools, dressed as their favorite U.S. Presidents, competed in a costume contest. The winners were rewarded with their choice of featured President books from Barnes & Noble.

In addition, retired Washington, D.C. police officer and U.S. Deputy Federal Marshall, Robert Nicholson discussed the protective detail for U.S. Presidents and included facts about legal currency, one of the original reasons for the creation of the Secret Service.

Bugler Scotty Mills, sounded "Attention to Colors" and a closing "Taps." — Bugler Scotty Mills, sounded “Attention to Colors” and closed the program with “Taps.”

Boy Scout Troop 628 and Bugler, Scotty Mills, added patriotic touches providing the presentation of colors and “Taps.”

Reading is Fundamental, Pensacola Chapter, is the longest functioning literacy chapter in the state of Florida. Their program is strongly endorsed by the Escambia County School system. “Putting a book in the hands of a child means transforming the life of that child and everyone around them,” said Escambia Co. Superintendent of Schools, Malcolm Thomas. Federal funding for this program, designed to provide free books to the economically disadvantaged, was eliminated during 2011 budget cuts. All funds for these programs are collected on a local basis. If you would like to donate to this program, contact: rifofPensacola@gmail.com.

February 12, 2015

Reading is Fundamental Presidents Day Event at Barnes & Noble

Program Celebrating Presidents Day

Pensacola, FL – Local officials including the Mayor of Pensacola, Ashton Hayward, and Escambia County Superintendent of Schools, Malcolm Thomas, will participate in a special Presidents Day read-along for children and adults at the annual Presidents Day Book Fair at Barnes & Noble in Pensacola on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Benefits Reading is Fundamental

The Free event, which benefits the Reading Is Fundamental literacy program for children by providing free books to children in impoverished areas, begins at 2:00 PM, at the Barnes & Noble store in Pensacola located at 1200 Airport Blvd.

Student readers chosen from Ferry Pass Middle School, Newpoint Pensacola Academy and Bellview Middle School will read story excerpts about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Special guests will include Secret Service Agent Jonathan Woolcock and former Washington, DC Police Officer and US Marshall Robert Nicholson.

Programs like Reading is Fundamental are Critical

“Programs like this one are so important to our community.” says Superintendent Thomas. “Putting a book in the hand of a child means transforming the life of that child and everyone around them.”

A talk about the American Presidency and the President’s job will be given by Mike Clapsadl, Co-President of the Pensacola Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Boy Scout Troop 628 Honor Guard will post colors at the program with bugle calls provided by Military Bugler, Scotty Mills.

James Loyd, Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble, says his staff are always excited about these events with Reading Is Fundamental. Free books and prizes will be provided for children who attend the event dressed as their favorite President.

Note: The opportunity to learn to read for every child in the United States has become a critical issue in the success of our education programs. Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest and most effective literacy program in the United States. Each year RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books together with literacy resources for impoverished children from birth to age 8 years. In addition to schools, RIF provides books to shelters, HEADSTART programs and rural areas. www.rif.org

Story Credit: Dianna Roberts

February 4, 2015

Pensacola Scout Troop Honors Pearl Harbor Survivors

Pensacola Pearl Harbor Survivors to honor Boy Scout Troops

Four local scouting groups: Troop 628, Venture Crew 628, Frontier Girls 324, and Cub Scout Pack 499 participated in the flag salute during a recent program honoring the survivors presented at the National Naval Aviation Museum. Hundreds of visitors turned out for that program saw the scouts “strut their stuff,” but with so many others vying for the survivors’ attention, the scouts didn’t have much time to interact with these amazing National Treasures.

At their request for some additional time, program organizer Dianna Roberts, CBTR, Inc. arranged an awards ceremony to present certificates of appreciation to the scouts and included some time for the Pearl Harbor Survivors, Cass Phillips, 94, Bill Braddock, 92, and Frank Emond, 96, to speak with them.

Pearl Harbor Survivors Receive Honorary Scout Memberships

Following the presentation, Scout leader, Rob Works, made a special presentation of Honorary Scout Memberships to the three Pearl Harbor Survivors. Troop 628 and Venture Crew 628 presented honorary membership certificates, troop pins and official hats.

“When I was a child, I wanted to join the Scouts,” recalled survivor, Cass Phillips, “but my parents couldn’t afford the costs for the uniform, so I never got to do it. This membership fulfills a life long dream for me.”

January 21, 2015

Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and It’s Heroes

Pearl Harbor Survivors Honored

Hundreds turned out at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida on Saturday morning, January 17, 2015, to pay an emotional tribute and farewell to the remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors from the Pensacola area. Local authors and Pearl Harbor historians, Billie and Robert Nicholson, who chronicled the survivors’ return to Pearl Harbor in 2011, were also honored.

As part of the Museum’s Discovery Saturday series, called Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and Its Heroes, the program opened with an Invocation offered by retired Navy pilot, Christopher Robinson, Pastor of Deliverance Tabernacle Church in Milton, Florida, followed by the singing of The National Anthem by gospel singer Richard Long, Pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Pensacola.

There was standing room only in the Museum’s Blue Angels atrium hanger as a rapt audience listened to tributes and presentations by Lt. Gen Duane D. Thiessen, USMC (Ret), President and CEO of the Museum’s Foundation, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward and Pensacola NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN.

Surrounded by the Museum’s vintage aircraft hanging overhead, the actual morning of the attack was described in vivid eyewitness accounts by remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors, William Braddock, 92, Cass Phillips, 94, Frank Emond, 96, and Jay Carraway, 92.

Survivor Cass Phillips said when he first noticed the “meatballs” painted on the side of the airplanes flying in, he thought it was just another Sunday morning exercise and commented about how realistic they were – until they started dropping bombs. Over two thousand four hundred Americans lost their lives in the attack.

WCOA 1370 Talk Radio Host Don Parker’s talk, Attack on Battleship Row, December 7^th, 1941, included original archival footage and a description of the Japanese high command.

Publicist and emcee Dianna Roberts read the national winning Pearl Harbor essay by 7^th grader, Jenny Anderson from Camano Island, WA entitled, Ingenuity, Sacrifice and Teamwork.

Pensacola Naval Air Station commanding officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN, spoke about NAS Pensacola during WW II just after the attack when Pensacola NAS mobilized to become the world’s foremost military aviation training center. Hoskins, a former lead solo pilot with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, called the men, “heroes”, and admitted he was “humbled to be on the same stage as them.”

Pearl Harbor Survivors Receive Proclamations from Mayor

Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward read a city proclamation honoring the men for their bravery and courage under fire and how they had all sacrificed and fought “so we can sleep well every night.” Recently deceased Pearl Harbor survivors Jim Landis and George Mills were honored posthumously with the sounding of Taps by veteran bugler, Scotty Mills.

Boy Scout Troop Read Survivors Stories

The highlight for the men was the reading of their stories from the Nicholson’s book, Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye, by Pensacola honor scouts from Boy Scout Troop 628 and Venture Crew 628 while standing on the stage next to the survivors. “We should remember the motto of these Boy Scouts – ‘Be Prepared’, said survivor Cass Phillips. “We were not prepared for what happened that day. People need to hear these stories and remember our history and learn from it.”

Story Credit: Dianna Roberts

January 14, 2015

Naval Aviation Museum to Honor Pearl Harbor Survivors at Discovery Event

Pensacola, FL – Pensacola’s Pearl Harbor Survivors and local authors Billie and Robert Nicholson will be honored by the National Naval Aviation Museum and the City of Pensacola with a special program to be held at the Museum next Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 10:00 am.

Pearl Harbor Survivor Tributes

The program will include tributes and presentations by Lt Gen Duane D. Thiessen, USMC (Ret), President and CEO of the Museum, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN, and WCOA 1340 Talk Radio Host Don Parker.

As part of the Museum’s Discovery Saturday series, this much anticipated event, Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and Its Heroes, will feature the stories and eyewitness accounts of the actual morning of the attack by Pensacola’s remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors, William Braddock, Cass Phillips, Frank Emond and Jay Carraway. Recently deceased Pearl Harbor Survivors Jim Landis and George Mills will be honored posthumously.

Selected excerpts from the Nicholson’s book, Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye, will be read by Pensacola Honor Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 628 and Venture Crew 628 together with the Pearl Harbor Survivors. “Since most of the survivors are now in their mid ’90’s, events like this one where our young people can actually meet these famous World War II heroes in person is a piece of history just by itself.”, says author Billie Nicholson.

Pearl Harbor Survivor Memorabilia

Immediately following the program, Museum Curator Dina Linn will give a tour of the Pearl Harbor memorabilia, and both the Pearl Harbor Survivors and the authors will be available to sign books. Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye by Billie and Robert Nicholson may be purchased the day of the event in the Flight Deck Store located in the Museum. The Cubi Bar Café, also located in the Museum, will be open for lunch following the program. “Taps” will be played by Scotty Mills.

Families are welcome to attend the FREE event which begins at 10:00 am at the National Naval Aviation Museum located at 1750 Radford Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32506 at NAS Pensacola. For directions www.navalaviationmuseum.org

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January 8, 2015

Pearl Harbor Survivors: “Thank You for Your Service”

Pearl Harbor Honor Flight

When 90-year-old George Mills met Holly Shelton at a Yoga class she was teaching at the Haven assisted living, they became fast friends. In time George revealed his participation in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the frustration he felt as he helplessly watched the attack. He expressed a desire to make one last trip to Pearl to pay his respects to all his brothers in arms that had made the ultimate sacrifice that day and throughout the war – to say one last goodbye.

Holly was determined to make this happen for George and the more she thought about it, she began wondering if there were others that might appreciate making this trip. That’s when George told her about the Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Association, Chapter 138, in Pensacola. She put out the word about her idea whenever she spoke to people and soon a group of interested folks began to gather. Bill Phillips, USAF, (Ret.) signed on as co-organizer, since he had connections in Hawaii from his recent assignments there.

Our friend Charlie Crumpton, then president of the Wide Angle Photo Club telephoned us and told us about the project, “She needs ya’ll ‘s help,” he said. When Holly arranged a meeting with the Survivors we went, too. They enthusiastically embraced the idea and the project began.

Pearl Harbor Honor Flight — Photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

The plan was to engage the community in support of the trip. We began gathering information to share with them. Our first task was to create a website with videos of our National Heroes, information about the trip and set up a way to receive donations on line. Http://PearlHarborHonorFlight.com has become a record of not only the living survivor’s stories but also those recorded by some of the other members of the original 80 plus chapter members, and a storyline of all the fund raising events and the trip that followed.

To make a long story short, we made connections with Gary Sinese, the spokes-person for American Airlines’ Air Compassion for Veterans, who made flight arrangements for the survivors, caregivers, and a documentary team. The Escambia and Santa Rosa communities came together making contributions to cover the remaining expenses for the trip. Everyone on the team was a volunteer. They all wanted to be able to say “Thank You” to our Pearl Harbor Survivors for their service and sacrifices and to be a part of helping an elderly veteran say “One Last Goodbye” to his comrades who died that day so long ago.

The book, “Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye,” is a compilation of this fund raising project and subsequent trip. We are honored to have given our time, talents and support to this project. Since it’s publication, our efforts have been focused on getting the word out. Not so much for our benefit, but rather to share the stories of our local Pearl Harbor Survivors, our National Treasures, and to stir an interest in the history of the Pearl Harbor and World War II era among young and old. Many of us don’t know what we don’t know about this time and we should – if for no other reason, to avoid repeating it.

Pearl Harbor Day Book Fair

To help build and refresh memories about the Pearl Harbor attack, a presentation at the Pensacola Barnes & Noble store at the Pearl Harbor Day Book Fair was held on December 6^th, 2014. Three local Pearl Harbor Survivors: Bill Braddock, Cass Phillips, and Frank Emond along with authors Billie and Robert Nicholson shared stories from the book, “Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye.” Students from Tate High School, Newpoint Pensacola Academy and Boy Scout Troops 603 and 438 participated.

Organized and directed by Dianna Roberts of CBTR, Inc., this program benefited the Reading is Fundamental Program. RIF, by the way, is a literacy group, whose federal support was eliminated in 2011. Their mandate is to share new books with school age children to encourage reading as well as instill a reverence for books and their value. The Pensacola Chapter of Reading is Fundamental, directed by retired school teachers, Beverly Barberi and Elaine Sites, is the most active chapter in the state of Florida. They distributed over $8,000 worth of books to under-priveleged schools in Escambia County last year. Additional book fairs are scheduled at Barnes & Noble throughout the year.

Does your family have military veterans? Begin a conversation with them with a thank you. Maybe they’ll tell you the rest of the story …

December 24, 2014

Rotary Tree of Remembrance

Pensacola Cordova Rotary, Rotary E-Club of the Southeast USA & Caribbean, and Combined Rotary Clubs of Greater Pensacola are sponsoring a Rotary Tree of Remembrance at Cordova Mall. Beneficiaries include Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Simon Youth Foundation, ARC Gateway, Rotary’s Camp Florida and Covenant Hospice.

A big hit with holiday shoppers and out of town visitors alike, this annual community giving project invites shoppers to make a donation and place yellow ribbons on the Tree in honor or remembrance of a loved one. The popular tree is on display at the Dillard’s entrance of Cordova Mall, located at 5100 N. 9th Avenue in Pensacola, FL. Nearly $6,000 has been collected at this posting.

Tree of Remembrance Opening Ceremony December 7, 2014

This year, the Rotary Tree of Remembrance project kicked off on Sunday, December 7, 2014, with a special program held in the Cordova Mall in conjunction with Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Special guests included Bill Braddock, Cass Phillips and Frank Edmond, all local World War II Pearl Harbor Survivors of our Greatest Generation.

Other guests included Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola Cordova Rotary President, Dr. Carl Backman, and local Pearl Harbor historians, Billie and Robert Nicholson, authors of Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye. Escambia County’s Fire Rescue Color Guard trooped the colors and holiday music was provided by the Sacred Heart Singers

Tree of Remembrance Closing Ceremony December 28, 2014

To conclude this year’s 2^nd Annual Rotary Tree of Remembrance project, a non-denominational service was held on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Tree. This year the final figure for donations was $7,001.00. Following the service, checks were presented to the charities.

Rotary members will then gather the ribbons and, during the flag retirement ceremonies on Flag Day, local Boy Scouts will place them on a bed of embers.

As part of the closing ceremony, Dianna Roberts of CBTR, Inc. and Billie and Robert Nicholson of Rusty Buggy Enterprises received Vocational Service Awards for assistance promoting this event.

Rotary Clubs of Pensacola Thank the Community for their Support of the Charities Represented by the 2014 Tree of Remembrance.

[Updated: 1/08/15]

May 3, 2014

Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye

Pensacola Launches Pearl Harbor Survivors Book Tour

Pensacola, FL – On Thursday, May 8, 2014, master photographers Billie and Robert Nicholson’s new book, Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye, will go on the shelves for the first time in Pensacola bookstores.

Kicking off a four-month book tour for this heartwarming photo documentary, also on May 8, the authors will be hosted by April Stokes, owner of Turn the Page Books at a premiere book launch reception and book signing at her bookstore located at 9105 Gulf Beach Hwy in Pensacola. The reception begins at 5:30 pm with a presentation by the authors at 6:30 pm.

The 80-page premium color first edition book tells the touching story of a community coming together to make an elderly veteran’s dream come true to return to Pearl Harbor and say “one last goodbye” to his friends and comrades who were with him that day so long ago on December 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye

Filled with photos by the Nicholsons of the Pearl Harbor survivors recent return to Pearl Harbor and brilliantly interspersed with historic pictures and eyewitness accounts of the attack, the book pays homage to these military veterans of the Greatest Generation for their extraordinary courage and personal sacrifice. Says author Robert Nicholson, “the book was designed as a keepsake case bound hardcover book and lets the reader visually experience the enduring triumph of the human spirit that made our country great.”

Author Billie Nicholson calls Stokes’ bookstore “just perfect for the launch of a historic event book of this kind with a ‘Little Shop Around the Corner’ feeling of nostalgia, a real bookstore of the time”.

Several of the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors who are now in their 90’s still live in the Pensacola area and are slated to attend the reception and book signing on May 8. For those lucky enough to live in the Pensacola area, don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of a piece of history.

Proceeds from all book sales of Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye go to benefit the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

March 17, 2014

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