秀色直播 Annual Meeting 1984 as recalled by Allan Eddy, Local Arrangements Chair for the meeting:
The annual 秀色直播 meeting 1984 was held in Denver, CO, at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Denver. The local arrangements committee (LAC) consisted of RMACRAO (Rocky Mountain 秀色直播) members from Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico--most members were from Colorado due to the very long commute distances others had, though they did help at the meeting.
The LAC worked with the 秀色直播 office staff and the Executive Committee to plan, contract, manage, and implement the entire 1984 meeting--including collecting all fees from member registrations and vendors, contracting with the hotel for all facets of the meeting, arranging the special event in Colorado Springs, bus transportation, and most other events. This was a two year 鈥渁dventure鈥 for the LAC.
The theme of the 1984 meeting was 鈥淎 Rocky Mountain High鈥 which was inspired by a song by John Denver (not the Rocky Mountain High that is associated with Colorado in 2014). The artwork was created by one of the LAC members. The Executive Committee President Elect was Jim Thomas from Colorado State University. His proximity to Denver greatly helped the LAC.
At the start of the meeting it was somewhat typical for people to arrive in business casual dress of the day (sport coats, dresses, some ties). However it did not take long for the group to understand that Denver and the RMACRAO group operated in a much more casual mode. As more people decided to come to the special event (Chuckwagon Dinner and entertainment as the Flying 鈥淲鈥 ranch in Colorado Springs) the nearby stores did a great business selling cowboy hats, shirts, and boots. (Sad to say but the Flying 鈥淲鈥 was destroyed by a forest fire in 2012 - it is being rebuilt.)
The tone of the meeting was casual but the networking and learning was intense. The special event was a success: Buses took the group to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for a tour of the chapel and other buildings. This is still an inspring area both from the beautiy of the Academy to the surrounding mountains.
After the Academy we headed for the Flying 鈥淲鈥 for a meal and entertainment. As with many chuckwagon events, part of the entertainment was instructions on how to hold your tin plate when you went through the food lines. The possibility of a burnt hand was possible if you did not hold onto the plate where cold applesauce had been placed.
After the meal the entertainment started. After some great music by the Flying 鈥淲鈥 singers, we returned to Denver in a long line of buses. At the end of the meeting we all breathed a collective sigh of release that we had not had a Spring snow storm. WIth all of our planning we knew that we were taking a chance for outdoor events in Colorado at this time of year. We were all so tired that moving was a problem but we felt we had done a good job and hoped everyone had gained in knowledge and fellowship. We definitely were sure that we did not want to do another event of this size again, at least in the next 20 years!
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In fact, it's taken 30 years for the to return to Denver--and it's a special occasion! The 100th 秀色直播 Annual Meeting--"Education on the Verge: The Precipice of Change"--will be held in the Mile High City from March 30 to Apr. 2, 2014. Click to register now.