I especially want to thank Ellie for a great job, once again, and for Michael for holding down registration.
And a HUGE thanks to Fritz Holt for pinch hitting for me for the Kickapoo Cavern trips Sunday. I really wanted to be more active in the whole Convention weekend, but a rude wakeup call at 3 AM from a 6-7mm size kidney stone changed my plans. Instead, my lovely wife accompanied me to Val Verde Hospital in Del Rio where I spent most of Saturday in a morphine-induced haze until a stent was inserted. I came out of surgery around the time of the TSA Business Meeting and would have much rather been at the Convention than in recovery. All in all, it was a very interesting weekend and thanks to all who helped and, thank God, my wife, who never goes to caving events ordinarily, decided to come to this one! Great location, as well, and I hope we go there again! Mark From: ellie :) [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Texascavers] TSA Spring Convention-thanks! We had a great turn out for the 2011 TSA Spring Convention in Brackettville with over 100 in attendance. Thank you to all who attended and to all who helped to make the convention a success! I would like to give special thanks to the following: * Mallory Mayeux for enthusiastically recruiting speakers and for entertaining us during the TCMA fundraising auction. * Roger Moore for being dedicated to having a great line-up of speakers for the convention and for hauling 4 kegs of beer to and from the convention from Spoetzl Brewery. * Stefan Creaser for masterminding Saturday dinner and all the work involved with that. * Leslie Bell for slaving away in the kitchen all day for the Saturday dinner, and for the prep work done weekends before. * Vico for masterminding with Stefan to create a delicious BBQ dinner. Yum. * Chris Francke for slaving away in the kitchen all day for the Saturday dinner, and for transporting, setting-up, and running the AV system during talks and the evening show. * Michael Cicherski for doing registration and for taking care of all the money. * Mark Alman for finally getting out of my hair so I could be president for a day...and for all the help leading up to convention. * Marvin Miller for chairing the Map Salon and for soliciting lots of entries. * Don Arburn for chairing the Photo Salon and making sure the photos. * Fritz Holt for stepping up at the last minute to organize and lead the convoys of cavers through Kickapoo Caverns. * Rod Goke for willingly providing AV for the Convention. * Jim Kennedy for the TCMA auction. * Andrea Croskrey for displaying Texas spirit while assisting the TCMA fundraising auction. * Saj Zappitello for organizing the TCMA auction and soliciting for items, and for lending me that red dress. * Joe Ranzau for being at my beckncall. * Vendors for making sure we all know whats going on. * David Ochel and Becky Jones for putting on the Gear Adjustment Workshop. * Bill Steele for hooking cavers up with Shiner beer!!! * Diana Tomchick for Margarita Happy Hour. * Pete Strickland for making sure no caver camp goes without a campfire. * Bexar Grotto for lending an ear and a hand during and before the convention. * EVERYONE else who helped out...Im sure I have left someone out.
