2008 Branson Reunion
The Final Accounting
Terry Combs

December 18, 2008

Fellow Troopers,

After Mike Barber visited with the FBI agent and a detective in Cheyenne, WY concerning misappropriation of funds by Bill Tallerdy, the agent and detective went and interviewed Mr. Tallerdy. He admitted that he had taken the funds that were sent to him by 12th Cavalry members for the Branson reunion.  Tallerdy called Mike Barber to make arrangements for restitution upon the advise of the agents, who advised him that charges would be filed if this were not done. 

We decided to ask for full restitution rather than make payment arrangements in order to get the situation resolved as quickly as possible.  The agents did not have enough evidence for the prior 2 years funding as there was no clear records kept. Therefore, they are unable to assist with the recovery of any misused funds for those years.

Mr. Tallerdy sent Mike Barber checks totaling $6,457.00, which have cleared and been added to the bank account making a total in the 12th Cavalry reunion fund $10,039.45.  We will need to decide on what we should do with these funds as soon as possible.  We will be using a small portion of this for bill payment for next year's reunion and deposits for the shows.

If anyone would like a refund of their contributions that they made to help us meet our obligations, please get in touch with me.  We are very grateful for your support and donations, and could not have made it through without them.

Suggestions for using these funds include the Trooper Support Fund, Scholarship fund, or waiving banquet fees or some show costs for next year.  The reunion arrangements for next year will be sent out Mid-January. (After the bowl games...  Boomer Sooner!)

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to call.

 
Thanks
Terry Combs
918-458-1717  or 918-931-8352
 

September 30, 2008

Fellow Troopers,

I have been asked to give a “status report” on the reunion in Branson, Missouri that started on September 10th.  Many of you are already aware of the situation, but I will start at the beginning so that everyone has the same information and can offer any thoughts or concerns. 

On or about September 3rd, 2008 I received a phone call from Thomas Crabtree.  He related to me that he had just had a call from Bill Tallerdy.  Bill Tallerdy was the sole person collecting registrations and fees for the Branson reunion.  Thomas told me that Bill Tallerdy had told him that his credit card company had cut his credit limit and had taken money from his bank account where he had placed the money from registrations for the Branson reunion.  Our discussions of accounting at the previous reunions had made it clear that the money should be in a bank account for the 12th Cavalry reunion, not in a personal account.  Several of our members had sent in checks for registration, banquet and 3 outside activities (Showboat Branson Belle, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Show, and #1 Hits of the 60’s Show.)  I called committee member Mike Barber, and asked Thomas to call Frank Greenleaf and inform him.  Over the next several days, the four of us talked regularly about the situation.  Bill Tallerdy agreed to pay for the Showboat Branson Belle tickets and did so.  This is the only expense of the reunion that he met.  Thomas Crabtree said he would put the charges for the Dick Clark and Hits of the 60’s show on his credit card so that they would be covered, and he did so.  Thomas has gone above and beyond for us, and I greatly appreciate his help.   There are not enough words to express my gratitude to him.

I did not want word of the situation to get out at the reunion, because I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy each other’s company before we had to address such a heavy topic, but bad news travels fast.  On September 11th, there was a meeting of the committee in Branson.  I asked Jim Stokely and Joe Bingham to join us in the meeting, and we explained to them what had happened and what we were doing to remedy the situation.  Mike Barber had contacted the FBI office in Cheyenne, WY, which is where the checks were sent.  The misuse of the reunion funds is being investigated by the FBI, as it is possibly embezzlement and mail fraud (that will be for the FBI to determine.)  Mike is in contact with the agent in charge on a regular basis.  Anyone wishing to speak with the agent may contact Mike Barber for the name/phone number/address to get in touch with the agent.  If you have sent checks in for either the Branson reunion or donations to it and have made a notation on the check memo what it was for, the FBI has requested you forward them a copy of the cancelled check.  Please contact Mike Barber at 660.476.5492 for where to send the copy of the cancelled check.

The total amount that is under investigation for this year’s reunion is as follows:

We do plan to keep everyone updated on the progress of the investigation.  We will be posting updates on the website when we can.

Troopers began hearing of the problem we had, and started coming to the committee members to make contributions to help out.  All of the events went well, and everyone had a great time.  At the banquet, I announced to the full attendance exactly what I have related here.  At the start of the banquet, we were not sure how we were going to cover the cost, as that was one of the events that we had not been able to pay for before it started.  Cherie Chitwood with the Settle Inn knew of the problems we were dealing with, and agreed to cut the price, charging us only their cost for the food. They also made several other adjustments to prices and events in order to accommodate our budget.

As I began to tell the story, Troopers were encouraged to ask questions and make comments, because we wanted everything to be out in the open.  We were not planning to leave until everyone was satisfied that they knew the full gravity of what had happened.  In true Cav fashion, Troopers began writing out checks, making donations, and taking off their Stetsons to pass them around.  It was an amazing night, a true miracle moment.  We raised enough money to cover the cost of the banquet, the hotel charges and to repay Thomas Crabtree for the tickets he had covered on his credit card.  This spirit of brotherhood among our members speaks highly of each and every one that was in attendance.   Again, there are no words.

We managed to pay for everything we did in Branson, and after all accounts were settled, we have $3,662.45 in the bank.  I spoke with Roger King, who is the Treasurer for the 12th Cavalry Regiment Association.  He and Jim Stokely both advised that we hold these funds in an account for the Branson Reunion in order to allow for working capitol for next year.  We are making several changes to the way we handle accounting so that there will be no repeats of this incident.  You are reading one of those changes now.  At the end of each reunion, we will send an accounting to anyone who wants it (and maybe even some who don’t… just hit delete.)  We are also arranging next year through a military reunion planner, who will collect all registrations and ticket fees.  This will mean that the person who collects the money is insured, bonded and has experience.  It also means that no one on the committee will have access to the funding until the final check is mailed after everything has been paid.  Any profit that is made from the Branson reunion will go to the 12th Cavalry Regiment Association for the Trooper Support Fund.  The main goal of this reunion is not to make a profit, but rather to afford another opportunity for us all to get together and have a good time.  This we accomplished! 

One of the guys said that he had been told that there would not be a Branson reunion next year.  I would like to clear up this rumor as directly as I can.  At the memorial service on Sunday, we announced we will indeed return to LZ Branson in 2009.  Next year will be much more organized, due to the planner’s skills.  We will also have a brand new airport available in Branson, and busses to take us to the shows.  More information will be given as plans develop, or you can always contact any of the committee members.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mike for taking the lead in the investigation, Frank for all your hard work on the finances for the committee, Thomas for your contributions above and beyond the call of duty.  Jim Stokely for being there and helping us work through this.  Larry Joe, thanks for listening, being a sounding board, but mostly for putting on those boxers!  (We all love ya, man!)  Doug Warden who helped rally the troops.  Cherie Chitwood for a lot of hard work and understanding.  Thanks to everyone for their patience, contributions and trust during this difficulty. 

LZ Branson 2009!  Bring your pink t-shirt!  (If you weren’t there, you just weren’t there.)

Terry Combs
(918) 458-1717 or (918) 931-9511      

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