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Melbourne fishing tournament provides fun, relaxation

More than 90 employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., along with their families and friends, recently participated in the annual Rockwell Collins Fishing Tournament. Pictured are (from left): Kari Grader, Mary Burmeister, Pete Clark and Fred Boyer.
Photo by Karen Strasko

More than 90 employees from Rockwell Collins in Melbourne, Fla., along with their families and friends, converged on the Indian and Banana rivers recently for the 2007 Rockwell Collins Fishing Tournament.

Held twice annually since 1991, the salt water trout tournament was originally organized as a fun, co-worker engagement activity by Avionics Technician Johnny Moore and Fred Boyer, now an on-site contactor for Commercial Systems Technical Support. A former full-time employee, Boyer has been involved as a judge in each of the tournaments for the past 15 years.

Not only do participants venture out via boat into the Indian and Banana rivers, some also head to the Sebastian Inlet – which pours into the Atlantic Ocean – in an effort to catch the heaviest trout.

Melbourne Operations Assembler Andrew Miller was the only employee who managed to make it into this year's winner's category. Miller finished second with a 3-pound, 6-ounce trout. The winning trout weighed in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces, and the third place trout tipped the scale at 3 pounds, 1 ounce.

"We have had our weigh-ins in various locations over the years," said Boyer, adding that this year's weigh-in was held in Ballard Park in Melbourne. "We also introduced a digital scale a few years ago for more accurate judging. Since 1991, competition has increased and the analog scales used previously were no longer efficient."

Also a recent addition to the tournament was a junk fish category, which weighs fish other than trout. Stingrays were allowed in this category until Boyer was stung during the weigh-in.

Following the tournament, more than 70 people joined in the festivities at Ballard Park, which included lunch, entertainment and prizes provided by Rockwell Collins.

"This tournament is a continuously popular tradition in Melbourne," said the event's current organizer Peter Clark, a Facilities Maintenance Technician with Rockwell Collins. "It provides our employees with a great opportunity for socialization and some friendly competition."

Melbourne employees raise money for Easter Seals

Rockwell Collins employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., raised $250 for the local Easter Seals organization by participating in the annual "Walk With Me" event. Team members included (from left): Hernan Rojas, Karen Strasko, Jackie Petitti and Hyla Harris-Plummer.
Photo courtesy of Karen Strasko

A team of eight Rockwell Collins employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., recently raised $250 for their local Easter Seals organization by participating in the third annual "Walk With Me" event in Melbourne. A $250 matching donation contributed by our company brought the team's total fund-raising effort to $500.

"Fund-raisers like this are a lot of fun because you get to see people you don't normally get to talk with at work," said Linda McWhorter, an inventory planner in Melbourne who participated in the event. "An event like this benefits the person walking from a health standpoint, and also benefits a worthy organization."

Team members included Cookie Cobb, Gene Grieshaber, Linda McWhorter, Jackie Petitti, Hyla Harris-Plummer, Hernan Rojas, Karen Strasko and Carol Waldt. This was the first time our employees participated in this event. Joined by a few family members, our team completed both the 2-mile run and the 1-mile walk that followed.

Proceeds from the run/walk benefit the Easter Seals program, which supports community members with disabilities and provides them with the opportunity to live with equality, dignity and independence.

Easter Seals assists with a range of tasks from learning to walk and talk to finding fulfilling jobs or taking part in recreational programs. Participants in the "Walk With Me" also have the unique opportunity to walk alongside Honorary Easter Seals Ambassadors who directly benefit from the program's services.

Overall, the Melbourne community raised $13,000 for the Easter Seals program through the "Walk With Me" event.

Volume 12 Issue 3 > Across our company > Melbourne
Volume 12 Issue 3 Deeply rooted in our heritage Delivering on our brand promise Feeding our economic engine One big, happy family Committed to customer support From Clay Jones Executive Profile - Kelly Ortberg Our heritage Letters to the editor Contributors in this issue Across our company Bellevue Binghamton Canada Carlsbad Cedar Rapids Decorah Enterprise-wide Manchester Melbourne Service anniversaries Retirees In memoriam Facility spotlight		Across our company Melbourne fishing tournament provides fun, relaxation More than 90 employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., along with their families and friends, recently participated in the annual Rockwell Collins Fishing Tournament. Pictured are (from left): Kari Grader, Mary Burmeister, Pete Clark and Fred Boyer. Photo by Karen Strasko More than 90 employees from Rockwell Collins in Melbourne, Fla., along with their families and friends, converged on the Indian and Banana rivers recently for the 2007 Rockwell Collins Fishing Tournament. Held twice annually since 1991, the salt water trout tournament was originally organized as a fun, co-worker engagement activity by Avionics Technician Johnny Moore and Fred Boyer, now an on-site contactor for Commercial Systems Technical Support. A former full-time employee, Boyer has been involved as a judge in each of the tournaments for the past 15 years. Not only do participants venture out via boat into the Indian and Banana rivers, some also head to the Sebastian Inlet – which pours into the Atlantic Ocean – in an effort to catch the heaviest trout. Melbourne Operations Assembler Andrew Miller was the only employee who managed to make it into this year's winner's category. Miller finished second with a 3-pound, 6-ounce trout. The winning trout weighed in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces, and the third place trout tipped the scale at 3 pounds, 1 ounce. "We have had our weigh-ins in various locations over the years," said Boyer, adding that this year's weigh-in was held in Ballard Park in Melbourne. "We also introduced a digital scale a few years ago for more accurate judging. Since 1991, competition has increased and the analog scales used previously were no longer efficient." Also a recent addition to the tournament was a junk fish category, which weighs fish other than trout. Stingrays were allowed in this category until Boyer was stung during the weigh-in. Following the tournament, more than 70 people joined in the festivities at Ballard Park, which included lunch, entertainment and prizes provided by Rockwell Collins. "This tournament is a continuously popular tradition in Melbourne," said the event's current organizer Peter Clark, a Facilities Maintenance Technician with Rockwell Collins. "It provides our employees with a great opportunity for socialization and some friendly competition." Melbourne employees raise money for Easter Seals Rockwell Collins employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., raised $250 for the local Easter Seals organization by participating in the annual "Walk With Me" event. Team members included (from left): Hernan Rojas, Karen Strasko, Jackie Petitti and Hyla Harris-Plummer. Photo courtesy of Karen Strasko A team of eight Rockwell Collins employees from our facility in Melbourne, Fla., recently raised $250 for their local Easter Seals organization by participating in the third annual "Walk With Me" event in Melbourne. A $250 matching donation contributed by our company brought the team's total fund-raising effort to $500. "Fund-raisers like this are a lot of fun because you get to see people you don't normally get to talk with at work," said Linda McWhorter, an inventory planner in Melbourne who participated in the event. "An event like this benefits the person walking from a health standpoint, and also benefits a worthy organization." Team members included Cookie Cobb, Gene Grieshaber, Linda McWhorter, Jackie Petitti, Hyla Harris-Plummer, Hernan Rojas, Karen Strasko and Carol Waldt. This was the first time our employees participated in this event. Joined by a few family members, our team completed both the 2-mile run and the 1-mile walk that followed. Proceeds from the run/walk benefit the Easter Seals program, which supports community members with disabilities and provides them with the opportunity to live with equality, dignity and independence. Easter Seals assists with a range of tasks from learning to walk and talk to finding fulfilling jobs or taking part in recreational programs. Participants in the "Walk With Me" also have the unique opportunity to walk alongside Honorary Easter Seals Ambassadors who directly benefit from the program's services. Overall, the Melbourne community raised $13,000 for the Easter Seals program through the "Walk With Me" event.