SIR Bidwell Branch 110 Luncheon November 28, 2022
Mike Halldorson.
Mike was born in San Bernardino, California in 1943.
His family moved to Chico in 1950 where he attended local
schools, graduating from Chico Senior High School in 1961.
He joined the naval reserve in September
1961 the same year he started Chico State.
His college was interrupted in March of
1964 to serve in the Navy on active duty.
He entered the fleet as a seaman (E-3) and was stationed
aboard the United States destroyer USS Hopewell (DD-681),
a Fletcher class destroyer of WWII vintage.
Shortly thereafter the Gulf of Tonkin incident happened and
Hopewell deployed for his first “Westpac” (Western Pacific) cruise.
Mike was a gunner in mount 53, one of Hopewell’s 5-inch gun mounts,
when Hopewell performed naval gunfire support in the I corps,
and IV Corps areas of Vietnam in support of our ground forces.
Upon completion of his active duty he rejoined his reserve unit
and eventually attained the rank of yeoman first class (E-6).
He completed his degree in art and earned a secondary teaching credential.
He was working on his master’s degree when his mother asked him
to help with Halldorson Appliance Service in January of 1972.
He stayed with the business until it burned to the ground in June 2006.
Mike was a board member of the Janet Turner Print
Museum, the Chico High Foundation and is the chair
of the Chico High Class of 1961 reunion committee.
In 2016 he wrote a book titled “Navy Daze”
which is still available on line.
He is an honorary member of the Chico
Rotary Club and a Paul Harris fellow.
He has shown his fine art prints extensively in the past, but now
being Commander of VFW Post 1555 takes most of his time.
He is a volunteer employee of California State University in printmaking.
He volunteered for 5 years to teach art to 6th graders
at Citrus Elementary as a Bidwell Presbyterian Angel.
He is married to his beautiful wife Merry and lives in Chico.