The Thai That Binds
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THE THAI THAT BINDS ISB Network News August 2017 IN THIS INFORMATION PACKED ISSUE Pg 3 - 2018 Reunion & Logo Pg 10 - Mini Reunion Pg 16 - ISBeings, Scholarship Pg 4 - The Road to BNA Pg 11 - Class of 67 Reunion Miss Thailand Universe Pg 8 - Volunteers Needed Pg 13- Good All Over Update Pg 17 - Spread the Word! Pg 9 - Why I attend Reunions Pg 14 - 65th Anniversary of ISB Pg 18 - Class Reps Pg 19 - Membership and Shack Dear Alumni, Becoming the president of the ISB Network has presented me with a learning curve, but I am hon- ored by the work that our board, committees, and members do to ensure we can all stay connect- ed through our experiences from our time at ISB. For me to do a good job as president, I rely on the expertise, advice, and suggestions from the Board of Directors and YOU, the alumni, the heart of this organization. I welcome your perspectives and look forward to building new relationships. Our beloved school celebrated its 65th birthday in May at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel, graduated its senior class, and awarded two scholarships that the ISB Foundation sponsors to worthy ISB students. The passing of the King of Thailand saddened each of us as we reflected on our time in Thailand, our experiences, and the love we felt and continue to feel for the people of Thailand, our King, our Queen, and their family. Even if we were only in Thailand for a year, we feel a deep connection to its culture and a loyalty to our school, ISB. It is that connection that lures us back together every other year to partake in the biennial reunion festivities. David Wilkerson, his reunion committee, and advisors have worked diligently to find the perfect place for our 2018 Reunion. Scouting locations, vetting venues, negotiating contracts, and yes…taking video footage of each location to share with the Board, the committee, and the advisors all attribute to our decision in se- lecting a reunion location. What are the requirements for selecting a reunion venue: LOCATION…LOCATION…LOCATION! Many of our alumni extend their time at the reunion to include opportunities to sight see and enjoy the area’s attractions. COST! Price is tantamount to choosing a location: Is the location easily accessible and affordable by plane? Is it acces- sible by car? Are we able to offer an affordable registration fee and hotel room rate? CONTINUED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 OPINIONS! Have we been mindful of the wants and wish- es of our ISB alumni who expressed their opinions in the survey that was circulated after the last reunion. POOL! We don’t want a guppy pool. We want a ISB Network pool large enough for us to relax, float, and play the Board of Directors ever-popular HOUSE GAMES. The volunteer Board has gone through a few POOL AREA! Surrounding the pool, we want a changes in 2017. We encourage you to reach out to them at any time! large area to gather for conversations, laughter, and share stories. President Kathie Boslet, 1973 BARBECUE! Shout Out to our young ISBers, the [email protected] 80s, 90s, etc… – they need space to barbecue and Vice President make their famous satay. Don Nibblett, 1970 [email protected] MUSIC! Many of us remember hanging out at Secretary the teen club and we want to have an area that al- Marla Stover, 1973 lows us to recreate that atmosphere and listen to [email protected] our fellow ISBers perform. Treasurer Nicole Petschulat, 1983 THE SHACK – our favorite mercantile in Thailand [email protected] needs its own space to spread out so we can sali- Director, Reunions vate over all the merchandise and make our pur- Dave Wilkerson, 1971 chases. [email protected] THE ARCHIVES – Johanna Ewing magnificently Director, Thailand – Open ISBN Ambassador to Thailand displays the artifacts and treasures that have been donated to the ISB Network. Director, Membership Kathy Beaird, 1976 BALLROOM – After all the fun of the Thai dinner [email protected] and other opening events, we want to gather to- Director, Communications gether on Saturday night to dine, table hop, cele- Chris Hunt, 1981 [email protected] brate the house game winner, and dance. Director, Technology The Board is thrilled at the location that was chosen for Peppy Doggett, 1968 our 2018 ISB Reunion. Congratulations to David Wilker- [email protected] son and his team who have found a wonderful venue for Director, Outreach (Interim) our next reunion. Don Nibblett, 1970 [email protected] Hope to see all of you in July of 2018! Director, Development – Open Kathie Boslet, Fundraising coordination with ISB President Directors At Large (1 & 2) General Advisors to the Board [email protected] [email protected] Both positions are open Page 2 ISB Network Reunion July 17-22, 2018 Sheraton City Music Hotel Nashville, TN Hotel Reservations can now be made for the reunion. Registration for the Reunion begins September 1! http://isbnetwork.com/reunions/ FREE with all reservations: wifi, waived resort fees, parking, airport transportation Reunion dates: July 19-21, 2018. Reunion block and rates good from July 17-23, 2018. Phone: 888-627-7060 Mention Room Block: “ISB Network Reunion” Online: Room Reservations Rates: $144.00/night single, double; $154.00/night triple, $164.00/night quad. The FAQ is in place at: http://isbnetwork.com/reunions/upcoming-reunion/reunion-faq/ Got Design? We're hosting a Logo Contest for our 2018 ISB Reunion. Submit your design ideas to David Wilkerson, [email protected] Theme: Submit in one of the following formats: 1.Vector Art (preferable as it maintains integrity of the design). 2.JPEG or PNG file (integrity may be altered when the file is converted by a graphic artist). Other theme suggestions are welcome. If you need additional information, please contact David Wilkerson. Page 3 The Road to BNA 2018 It Takes a Village David Wilkerson, Reunion Director Over the years I have been asked why and how we Who Reviews the Poll Results? choose a particular city and property for our reunions. The complete results of the poll are shared amongst I will admit the process has changed quite a bit over the board members, the reunion committee, and the the 25 years that I have been involved with our reun- advisers, which totaled 27 people for this reunion cy- ions but this is an accounting of the road to BNA. cle. The Central Region: The Culling: As most of you know, we rotate East-Central-West After we closed the poll we studied all of the data. In for our reunions. We are on the central cycle for the case of the 2018 site, Kansas City, Minneapolis 2018. and Chicago received a sum total of 11% of the vote, so that quickly narrowed the search to Albuquerque, We Hear You: Austin, Nashville, and New Orleans. We read the posts on FB, your emails, messages, and yes, we pay attention to what you have to say at our The Grind: reunions. After each reunion, the board, reunion Once we narrowed the search down, we contacted the committee and advisers discuss potential cities based four CVB’s (Convention & Visitors Bureau) with a on all of the above. We try to narrow it down to four RFP (request for proposal) that also included a long or five potential sites but for 2018 we started with list of our criteria. The information we send to the seven. CVB and ultimately the hotels is based on a snapshot of our group needs/desires and dates. What were the seven? Albuquerque, Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, Kan- We Are Still Listening: sas City, Minneapolis, Chicago. Through the long process of weeding through RFP’s from hotels, which often did not pay attention to our The Polling process: needs, we also listen to your suggestions. A classic We send out a poll via Constant Contact to both example of this was the Daytona 2016 property. We members of the ISB Network and non-member alum- were focused on several properties in North Carolina, ni who attended the previous reunion. For the 2018 Virginia, Maryland, and Florida for the 2016 reunion poll close to 600 people were sent the reunion poll. when one of you sent me a link suggesting the Hilton We asked questions about the previous reunion, the in Daytona. I contacted the Hilton for a RFP. They amount you are willing to spend on a room and regis- responded and were ultimately awarded our business. tration fees, what is important to you in a reunion lo- We did not have the Daytona Hilton, or Daytona for cation, and then list your order of preference for the that matter, on our radar until one of you suggested it. 2018 reunion city. Of course, we always get suggestions that are not al- ways practical; for example, I want the reunion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast because I can come to that Page 4 CONTINUED one, or let’s have the reunion where marijuana is legal, space could only seat a maximum of 425 with a stage. and other such nonsense! We have learned from history that we need to be able to comfortably seat 5-600, but we didn’t toss them out The Dates: and did negotiate with them. We requested either mid-June, the last three weekends in July, or the first weekend in August with the last two Albuquerque: $124.00 weekends in July being our best-case scenario. I contacted Kate Johnson as well as the CVB for Albu- querque.