PSSOA name tag, 5 and 10 timer pins

There's a load of some of those pins laying somewhere around the RH Shipyard, but no 2-Timer pins. That's what I want--- being an old DELTA QUEEN two-timer, myself.

Sam, if you are truly serious, and not pulling my leg in jest, playing with words, about wanting a "two-timer", e-mail me, there's a stash of 'em somewhere in New York.

And if you are serious about PSSOA pins lying around the shipyard, I will tell you that 15 timer pins are next to impossible to find, and 25 and 50 timer pins ARE impossible to find...I have been looking for a pair of 25 timers for about a year, found one, but I need another for a wonderful river rat couple from New England, great friends, that threw down this gauntlet of a challenge to me to find them some...

Anybody have a PSSOA 25-timer sitting unused in a drawer somewhere? No kidding, seriously, if you do, e-mail me:

[email protected]

True story about the power of the PSSOA nametag...

I have this thing where I have decided to help out the staff a bit and replace the burned out bulbs, the little 7 1/2 watt nightlight size, in the Texas Bar. I know where they are stored at the bar and usually I just do my thing on the first night of the cruise. Well about a half dozen or so cruises ago the usual stash of bulbs was empty so I headed on down to engineering to ask for a fresh box. While I was asking, there were three ladies on an Engine Room tour, and I guess they overheard my request for light bulbs. I was given the bulbs, I did my thing in the Texas, and away we go...

Now to help the story make sense, you gotta realize I drink a lot, a lot of beer on the boat. Sam Adams in the Texas, umm-ummm, nothing better, anyways...

The last afternoon of the trip, Walt and the boys were doing their magic, and as is my mode of operendi, I'm enjoying a beer, actually several. One of the ladies that was taking the Engine Room tours previously 6 days before, was in the Texas and walks over to me:

"Excuse me, but the three of us gotta ask, I hope you don't think we're rude... Do you work on the boat, your nametag and all?...You Don't?...Thank goodness, the three of us saw you in the engine room asking for light bulbs and just assumed you were an employee. And we were wondering what kind of employee the company would hire that sits and drinks beer all day!

Still laugh about that one...

"Back in the Goddle Daze..."

"... what kind of employee the company would hire that sits and drinks beer all day..."

Those were lots of those kind of employees in the "goddle daze". There was a beer machine in the crew's mess that dispensed a can o' suds for a quarter! If we were working on the bow and had to send a hand to the engine room for a wrench, enviably he'd take the route through the lower deck and down a brew, or two, on the way aft and then another, or more, as he brought forth the wrench forward from the engineer's tool room. By the time the deckhand wobbled back on the bow, he had consumed at least two cans of beer.... and possibly several more.

That was a long time ago, and not the case these days, but we veterans of those GO days all have our tales that we only tell amongst ourselves.

Great story, by the way.

Thought I'd show people unaware what a full dressed PSSOA nametage looks like. Am I proud of this tag? You bet, in spades, and I can't wait for the day the 15 timers come off and Deb and I proudly install our 25 timers...

Old time repeaters seem to wear them all the time, I guess as a way of thumbing their nose at Majestic America Line...I walk on the boat with it on, wear mine everyday of the cruise and am always on Debbie to wear hers because I feel it's so important, keeping the faith and all. Supposedly Majestic didn't buy the rights to the trademark to "PSSOA" when they bought the boats, and that is the reason the pins/nametags went "poof". I've also been told the elimination was a cost saving measure...I have never believed either of those stories...What I do believe is that Majestic America Line always thought the "club" was just stupid and didn't jive with the bazillion thread count linen, the blue paint, the massage shower heads, Sarah Molden and the trumpeter swans...But as Dale says "what do I know?".

Cost saving measure, my butt...

I gotta admit, passengers come up to me on the boat, point to the nametag and say "So YOU'RE Bruno Krause". Never can tell what that may lead to...

David, you devil you! Somehow, I'm not the least surprised, for Linda?

I was never one to "advertise" my PSSOA membership or wear repeater pins or alike...I always went by my Grandfather Zahn's words of "don't be a tourist" ;+)

I sold a number of my DQ repeater pins on eBay a few years ago for a nice chunk of change, considering the climate today with the DQ I should have held on to them longer. One went unusually high as two bidders seemed to have had a bidding war with each other...prospective power repeaters I suppose!

I was given a PSSOA Name badge by a fellow FRN and treasure it--and wear it! I also have repeater pins obtained by, ah, that's just as well left alone; the guilty party(s) know I appreciate them. Probably won't ever be able to officially wear them but they are still part of what keeps me in touch with the brown water so far away. . .
And yes, the name badges are a great converstation starter during shore trips, and when worn "out west" at events. I'm not much of a "Club joiner" but the PSSOA is special!
S'
David D.
PS In case anyone wondered, yes, we are VERY close to the fires, but far enough away we haven't been evacuated, just smoked and ashed! But it's a long fire season ahead. . .

Pete Sisak;11450 wrote: I was never one to "advertise" my PSSOA membership or wear repeater pins or alike...I always went by my Grandfather Zahn's words of "don't be a tourist" ;+)

I sold a number of my DQ repeater pins on eBay a few years ago for a nice chunk of change, considering the climate today with the DQ I should have held on to them longer. One went unusually high as two bidders seemed to have had a bidding war with each other...prospective power repeaters I suppose!

Your grandfather was a wise man it sounds, I have heard about him & wish I could have met the man.

I wonder why you didn't give me one of your extra pins before I took my trip?

When I was a military officer I had to wear my name on EVERYTHING I wore, so the idea of wearing a nametag would turn me sour.

When I took my trip there were some repeat passengers onboard, they wore all these matching shirts if I recall? I didn't care for how some strut around like they were royality of some kind or fashion.

I noticed a lot of them had these things they'd hang from their doors, one of which was next door to my room. It all reminded me of the times I'd visit my one auntie at the home in her advanced years.

JC, matching shirts? No that's not us, nor have I ever seen it except for one couple. Strut around like we were royality? Geez, I hope we're not like that, some crewmembers may disagree, I hope not, I'm thinking we're pretty humble people, me and Deb..."these things" that they hung from the door? Bingo, and we're not gonna apologize for that one bit, we love our door plaque, given with sincerety, love and sweat from a wonderful friend of ours, a fellow "PSSOA" made with his hands! The comments from fellow passengers about the plaque have been tremendous and again have started conversations that have been marvelous.

And to Pete, no disrespect to your grandfather... Deb and I aren't 'sposed to act like tourists? How are we 'sposed to act? Advertise? I look at the PSSOA nametags as a calling card not advertising, not bragging. The nametag becomes an invitation to meet and get to know new people. From the positive e-mails and private messages that I've gotten and the shear number of people viewing this thread, I think I'm right...I also look at those stupid pieces of plastic with the silly "title" as a way, a small way to tell the crew we really love what they have done for us..."look how many times you have made us happy, and you know, we can't wait to come back!"...

And you know, those nametags have saved a few crewmembers that had a mental block on what our names were... 🙂

JC my good friend....grandfather was a great-great man, and to my knowledge he never carried any "label" from the crew, or even other passengers (those that knew him personally) unlike his children & grandchildren!!!! You would have gotten along with him famously...
It's been 15 years since his passing now, it's hard to believe he had to stop riding the DQ 20 years ago now....he would be mortified to see what has transpired since.
We too have seen some repeaters "hold court" then get all ****y & question us to the validity of our "alleged status" when they'd find out I'd win a prize at the PSSOA event for having cruised the earliest (it happened 3 times to me) and my mother would win for having the most trips...I always hoped that a WW2 vet was on...one who rode the DQ or DK and historically there were many times we'd have a passenger on board that rode the boats in California.

As for you Bruno...well we can argue the ramifications back & forth until the rivers flow backwards again...you've spoken it already I suppose....my family & I never wore a nametag, we didn't feel the need to...my father maybe had loads of pins on his Delta King hat...however that being the exception...as I came to find out the hard way since we stopped cruising, we were quite unforgetable!!!

I once used to wear a bit of DQ apparel...tees or polos, when onboard the DQ as well...and upon being referred to negatively by a crewmember because of such, I never wore such an article of clothing again, donating most of it to my local St. Vincent dePaul Society thrift store...the rest I'm saving for eBay at the right time.

It happens...such is life.

Pete, my heart goes out to you...

I wear DQ apparell because I look for every opportunity to advertise her plight. I'm happy other wear name badges, as I'm terrible at names!! As to the door things, well, my cabin is 'home,' and I like to find it easily--I'm also bad at numbers too! I think it makes the boat more "homey"--if I want to find the Krause's I just look for their name, don't have to worry about knocking on the wrong door at 6 am!!
Life is too short to not have fun--and if anyone thinks I'm being stuck up--tell me! I do forget faces (actually, I seldom remember them--it's called "face blindness") and if I'm going somewhere, or trying to remember something, I really don't see things around me!
BTW, the crew calls us FRNs--and some of us are proud of the designation! (yeah, we're warped!) 🙂
S'
David D.

Bruno and Deb, I like the photo of you two. Did you have this taken on your recent DQ trip.? It looks like they have been feeding you to well in the Orleans Room or maybe it is the all the hot dogs now that they are back in the Texas Lounge.

Lance, look closely...can't be me. My camera is silver...

😉

This message board thread forced me to look at my Delta Queen picture album.

Pete, they wore vests!

When Becky and I travel on the riverboats, we like to have fun. Each person has his or her own interpretation of what "fun" is. Also it depends on what your definition of "is" is. Where have we heard this before? In any case, we have always had "fun" on the boats. We are pleased to have our 15 Timer pin attached to our PSSOA badge. We have tried to go on all the rivers the boats travel. Unfortunately we have not been able to go on Illinois Riiver, but have made all the others since 2001 Great Steamboat Race New Orleans -St. Louis. Most of the trips have been on the Delta Queen.

Lance Larsen;11480 wrote: When Becky and I travel on the riverboats, we like to have fun. Each person has his or her own interpretation of what "fun" is. Also it depends on what your definition of "is" is. Where have we heard this before? In any case, we have always had "fun" on the boats. We are pleased to have our 15 Timer pin attached to our PSSOA badge. We have tried to go on all the rivers the boats travel. Unfortunately we have not been able to go on Illinois Riiver, but have made all the others since 2001 Great Steamboat Race New Orleans -St. Louis. Most of the trips have been on the Delta Queen.

Lance, this was the point I was trying to make with my good friend the venerable Mr. Sisak. Just because some act like they are the King of Sweden, go and do your thing and try to ignore the nonsense!

Some may have seen Deb's and my picture on my profile page, with both of us wearing identical vests, white shirts and black ties. We, as do about 6 others, wear those vests typically for the last dinner on the DQ or AQ. Those vests are genuine, no longer worn, no longer allowed Delta Queen Steamboat Company wait staff vests, complete with the DQSC oval logo arranged in sorta a paisley pattern woven in the fabric. We wear them as a sign of respect to the previous company, what it stood for and to the wait staff that have become our friends over the years, and from what we gather the crew approves.

See below, on the AQ, all dot.orgers...Notice the oval gold PSSOA nametags worn by some in the picture, with engraved, black lettering!

Hi Pete, I remember Mr Zahn from one time we rode together on the DQ. I think he was on #7 of 8 back to back cruises in the 80's. A true steamboater, he was never a "FRR", a real gentleman. He never wore a badge or a table cloth vest or strutted about. He always had time for a chat. One could find him sitting on the cabin bow or in the pilot house where he'd spend hours, many times way past midnight, on the liar's bench as a invited guest of Capt.s Ware, Foley, Hillman and others of that era. He was always invited to the Captains table but often declined so a new passinger who saved for years to ride could sit at the Captains table in his place. I was told he would take those six or eight back to back cruises every year. He was admired and loved by all who rode with him, especially the crew. We often wished he'd visit us in Montana but he never made it. He was a "STEAMBOATER". Val

What a nice tribute Val! I'm sure Mr. Sisak will be glad to read that nice report on his grandfather! I know he always talks about him.

As for the vests, those people wore plaid vests, not all matching. More like old fashioned tablecloths. I guess those folks all were having fun with themselves, more power to them. It just isn't my decanter of cognac.

Thanks JC, I tell 'um like I see 'um........... as far as those vests.......well, jus gimmie a boilermaker .....I'll shut my eyes!!!! Val

Val,

I'm glad to hear from someone who rode the DQ when my family & I rode a lot. It's likely you might have met my parents, my siblings, my cousins or myself!!!!!!! Grandfather was a great man in his own way, he never put on airs towards others, as you stated. He was always invited to the captain's table...he would accept if not alone but lamented as he had to put on a dress shirt & sport coat. His thinking was that he was on vacation, he shouldn't have to "fancy dress"!!!!!! He was what we his family always referred to as "profound", hence my original quote of him which has caused now this storm on the water!!!!

Thanks for the comments though Val, as it was good to hear something positive here.

J.C and Pete...you're both slamming two wonderful cruisers that make vests by their own hands, to be given to their steamboatin' friends, VESTS THAT ARE ONLY WORN DURING THE PICNIC. I know this couple, they are wonderful, talented people that truly love the boats, the crew and their fellow steamboatin' friends. Do Deb and I own one of their covetted vests, no, as we had just got to know them recently, AQ Dec 2007. The vests are their way of showing love to their fellow steamboatin' friends and having fun at the same time. We too, have noticed the "TABLECLOTH" vests for many cruises, but we were never upset by not having one. What's the harm in some personally made gingham vests with ants on them?

This thread was about PSSOA, not about not being part of a group, looking at that group from the outside. This was never my intent...this thread was supposed to be about people buying Delta Queen memorabilia. I will say that other dot.orgers did buy the pins and nametag on eBay, so I guess my job is complete here.

The VEST makers are wonderful people, and Deb and I are the better for having met them, and they don't deserve this...