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WE THANK AND
ASK YOU TO SUPPORT
OUR HONORED SPONSORS
(click logo to access)

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THE FAIRMONT
SAN FRANCISCO

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HOTEL WHITCOMB
SAN FRANCISCO

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THE PALACE HOTEL
SAN FRANCISCO

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BASQUE CULTURAL CENTER
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO

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THE OLYMPIC CLUB
SAN FRANCISCO

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THE MARINES MEMORIAL CLUB

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HORNBLOWER CRUISES
SAN FRANCISCO

SERVINO RISTORANTE
TIBURON, CA

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To have your company added to this list, please contact us about sponsoring a dinner.

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THE CLUB NEWS

Updated: March 3, 2010

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NEXT SKAL DINNER
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
EAST PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
(TRANSPORTATION FROM SAN FRANCISCO
WILL BE PROVIDED)

THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
2050 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
EAST PALO ALTO, CA 94303
(ON THE WEST SIDE OF 101)
PHONE: (650) 566-1200

We make our first visit to this magnificent new Four Seasons hotel as the guests of San Francisco Skalleague GM Tracy Mercer. Situated half way between San Francisco and San Jose, we invite San Jose Skalleagues to join us, and we will provide transportation from Union Square for those coming down from The City. Guests are especially invited to this dinner to experience the amicale hospitality of Skal. Prospective new members and visiting Skalleagues are most welcome.

INVITED GUESTS AND VISITING SKALLEAGUES
ARE MOST WELCOME

RSVP: To RSVP send an E-Mail reply to: koenigandassoc@sbcglobal.net, Or call (415) 726-3712. Please include your name. Then, Life and Retired Members (not prepaid), members' guests and Visiting Skalleagues should mail their checks for $55.00 p.p. to:

NOTE NEW MAILING ADDRESS
Homer Laird
P.O. Box 302
South San Francisco, CA 94083

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THE PRESIDENT'S UPDATE

MARCH 2010
STATE OF THE CLUB

Sk�l International is a lot like Quantum Physics: protons which are connected, energy they produce or not, polarity or reverse polarity. What we learn from these protons is that long before we discovered them, they were there and energized. Long before you were a member in Sk�l International San Francisco, we knew you and about you. But you probably did not know about Sk�l.

One year ago I stood here and asked for your assistance to help us grow and to share Sk�l amical . Thank you for doing so. The B2B agenda each meeting has introduced various members and businesses of each category.

This past year it has been an honor to serve as president for the San Francisco Club. As you heard from our distinguished Treasurer, Homer Laird and Auditor, Karen Myers Skieczius, we are a stable organization as we have been for 62 years.

Our fun fund raiser on the Hornblower, Mastered by Spud Hilton and Ric Ewing, earned $1,386.00 and our Club donated $1000 to the Florimond Volckaert Fund.

In November, Jim Main and I proudly represented you at the World Congress in Budapest and in October 2010 Christian Spirandelli and I will represent the Club in Sydney to Twin with Budapest, the beautiful city of Bridges.

Sadly, last year, we lost three valued Sk�lleagues, Ken Anderson, Marvin Hand, and Warren Titus. Marvin Hand, was a Sk�lleague for 52 years, past president of NSCUSA (now SIUSA) as well as president for San Francisco Sk�l Club and Warren Titus was a member of this Club for 50 years and the spine of the cruise industry.

Most importantly this year, we inducted seven new members. Our Membership Chair, Jade Chapman, helped establish an award for bringing in the most new members. Hands down the prized gold cuff links went to David Iwamoto and Ralph Lee for bringing in the most new members.

Christian Spirandelli, Executive Director, has added Incorporation to our title that protects our members and allows for additional tax deductions for the Club.

Just as this magnificent Sk�l Board of 2009/10 demonstrated care for each one of you, the new Board 2010/11 will support the Club with friendship and professionalism. Just as we share with each other, we have eighty-seven countries participating in your Sk�l circle of friends. Like those protons bouncing around, we will multiply and be energized by new connections.

As a Sk�lleague for the past seventeen years, I unequivocally say that the list is endless of value and appreciation. The long arms of support reach around you from San Francisco to Bangkok to Dubai to Singapore to Nairobi to New York to LA.

Peace through Friendship and Tourism is with you no matter whose hand you shake around the world. We are friends regardless of race, creed, religion, or language. Peace, as fragile as it is, can happen between two people whether on the desert sands of Saudi Arabia or the ice castles of the Arctic.

As your outgoing president, I thank you for your sense of community and celebrate each valued member here. Our Sk�l membership may be the best asset we need in today's travel climate.

Thank you.

.. Melita Wade Thorpe, March 9, 2009

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WE BID A FOND FAREWELL TO
MARVIN HAND
"Happy Landings, Marv"

March 3, 2010

Dear Fellow Skalleagues:

I'm sorry to inform you that former Skal member Marvin Kingman Hand passed away on Friday, February 19, 2010 in Santa Rosa. "Marv" was a Past President of Skal San Francisco and a Past President of Skal USA.

Please join with me in extending sincere condolences to his wife Grethe and family.

At the present time we do not know if there will be a memorial or service but I will keep you informed when we receive that information.

Sincerely,

Melita Wade Thorpe
President

Marvin Kingman Hand
1922 - 2010

On February 19, 2010, Marvin Kingman Hand passed away peacefully in Santa Rosa surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Grethe, and his four children, Cicely, Leslie, Geoffrey and Carter.

Born in the family home in San Francisco in 1922, Marvin was the youngest of three boys. He attended Grant School, Lowell High and UC Berkeley.

During the war, Marvin was a civilian pilot instructor and trained military pilots in Minden, Nevada. After several years in the shipping and airline industries, he started Siemer & Hand Travel in 1959 and enjoyed a successful career in the travel and tourism industry for over 30 years. He was a member of the Skal Club, an international association of travel and tourism professionals, and served as president of both the San Francisco Chapter and the National Committee.

Marvin joined the Bohemian Club in the 1970s, and appreciated participating in the many activities the club had to offer. He especially enjoyed the annual encampment at the Bohemian Grove.

Travel and flying were Marvin's passions. He owned and restored several airplanes, including a World War I biplane, the Hanriot HD-1. He was invited to show the plane at the 1973 Paris Air Show, and, years later, donated it to the Royal Air Force Museum in London, where it resides to this day.

Marvin spent many years traveling the world and always had a good story to share. His favorite place to come back to, though, was the Russian River. He spent his summers at Summer Home Park and loved having his family up for visits, sharing his love of the river and canoeing with his children and grandchildren.

Marvin was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle and will be missed by all his family and friends.

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ALAN READER, READER TRAVEL GRP,
INDUCTED AT NOVEMBER DINNER

Introduced to Skal by fellow East Bay travel agents, Terry Regan and May Ling, Alan Reader, President, Reader Travel Group, flagshipped by his Orinda Travel, was inducted into Skal during the November dinner at the venerable Olympic Club of San Fancisco. We welcome Alan into the club and invite him to become active by joining one of our many committees.

Alan Reader

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3 NEW FACES JOIN THE SK�L SCENE
NEW MEMBER JESS CRUZ, HOTEL NIKKO
ANNIE RIVERA & CHARLES LEGIER
TRANSFER IN

Introduced by fellow hotelier David Iwamoto, Jess Cruz, Director, Hotel Nikko San Francisco, was inducted into Sk�l during the September dinner at the beautiful Tiburon restaurant Servino's. Well known among his piers and having attended two prior Sk�l dinners, Jess looks forward to getting to know all of his new Sk�l club members. He is shown here being inducted by President Melita Thorpe ably assisted by Executive Director Chris Spirandelli.

Annie Rivera , hotelier, from Siam Reap, Cambodia

Charles Legier, travel agent, in from Sacramento

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MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
~MARCH UPDATE~

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SKAL BUDAPEST TO BECOME
SAN FRANCISCO'S SECOND
TWINNING PARTNER

Cities of Bridges, Bridging the Cultures

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ALWAYS REMEMBER
SAN FRANCISCO & VANCOUVER
ARE TWINNED SK�L CLUBS

Brian Veitch with Sheila Hyman

Twinning Announcement

In a historic event, Sheila B. Hyman, CTC, and Brian Veitch, presidents of Skal International San Francisco and Vancouver, respectively, signed and announced the twinning of their two clubs during San Francisco's 60th Anniversary Dinner. There is a mutual desire for each club to learn more about the other and to become closer in friendship and in business involvement. The many similarities between the two include the beauty of the two cities, the importance of each as a major port on the Westcoast of North America, and the similarity of the two clubs as leaders in the Skal movement. Each club should be congratulated for this innovative move, being the 24th worldwide twinning and only the fourth club within the USA to twin.

To view pictures of the 60th Anniversary Dinner
Click the icon below:

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THE VANCOUVER CORNER
[NEWS FROM OUR TWIN CLUB]

Gordon Chatry

Gordon Chatry, Owner and General Manager of Inntimate Inns, Ltd. has been elected President of Skal International Vancouver and will be installed this winter for the year 2009.
We in San Francisco Skal congratulate him on his election and look forward to getting together for a joint meeting later this year.

San Francisco Skalleagues are encouraged to coincide your trips to Vancouver with the second Wednesday of the month so that you can visit the Vancouver Skal Club and attend one of their dinners. If you are able to do so, please contact their president, Gordon Chatry at gord@inntimateinns.com or their Executive Director, Ivano Corazza at ivanoc@shaw.ca.

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