By Carolyn Brown Treadon
Early in my Auxiliary days, I had the honor and privilege to meet Sherrie Alverson. She wore many hats as an auxiliarist, but the one that connected us was the column in the paper.
Sherrie wrote her first article for The Wakulla News in June of 1974. In her words, “It was about four inches long, announcing the June 2, 1974 opening of Flotilla 13’s Communications Center at Shell Point.”
Except for the times when Sherrie was Flotilla Commander, she was responsible for reporting local Coast Guard Auxiliary news. In 2005, she asked me for help to contribute news from Flotilla 12 and I wrote my first report. We became collaborators, sharing news from Flotilla 12 and Flotilla 13. I have been writing since.
Toward the end of 2010, Sherrie’s health began to require more of her attention and in December of 2011, she officially signed off in her final column. At the same time, Flotilla 13 was disbanded, not enough membership to remain active. Flotilla 12 assumed responsibility for the AOR (area of responsibility) once covered by Flotilla 13. Sherrie continued to be an avid supporter for the Auxiliary until her passing on March 23, 2017.
The time has now arrived for me to also pass the torch onto another auxiliarist. Just as charted paths can take turns, so has my path. After 23 years, I have chosen to retire from the Auxiliary to pursue other interests. It has been an honor to have been a part of this column all these years, thank you for all being a part of this journey.
I know you will be in good hands with Emory Smith, who is taking over writing this column. As we enter 2026, I wish you all fair winds and following seas.
Thanks to Sherrie, we will always remember safe boating is no accident
If you would like to learn more about vessel safety checks, please contact Steve Hults, Staff Officer for Vessel Examinations at steve.hults@uscgaux.net.
Please contact us for more information about our safe boating classes or learning more about getting involved in the Auxiliary, check out our website at www.uscgaux.net follow us on FaceBook @ Apalachee Bay Flotilla 12 or contact our Flotilla Commander Phil Hill at pnkkhill2000@yahoo.com.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.