In a called Board meeting in January, 1981 that lasted 4 and 1/2 hours, it was determined that minutes of general meetings should be mailed within 30 days of the meeting and that the newsletter should go out to all Teams at least 30 days prior to each general meeting. A State Council banner had been ordered at a cost of $35. An Antenna Specialists dealer and Chief's Engraving of Evant were invited to the March 7, 1981 at the Lamp Post Restaurant in Sweetwater. A proposed budget totaling $13,800 was recommended; $4,000 of that was for postage and printing. Curtis Bell was established as a source of supply for patches.

Ed Pessink, Jim Tanner and Richard and Keren Pratz attended the Area III reorganizational meeting at the Port Isabel Community Center on January 31, 1981 where Laguna REACT was presented the 1980 Team of the Year award and got temporary custody of the Trophy. Hal Roberts was elected Area III president and the council never met again, although the president did visit the Premont Waterhole C.B. Club and Brooks County REACT was reactivated. Richard and Keren Pratz were guests of Area VI on February 14, 1981 in Childress.

Team of the Month for January, 1981 was the largest Team in the state. Dallas County REACT offered Free Rides Home on New Year's Eve and got TV coverage of the program. Before Christmas, they made the rounds of hospitals and let children talk to Santa Claus on GMRS radio.

February's Team of the Month was a 38 member rural Team that served four counties, worked parades and rest stops and obtained and equipped a REACT emergency vehicle. Lake Palestine REACT had always been active in Area and State Councils, too.

Team members in Perryton and Amarillo were directly responsible for bringing lawbreakers to justice in two instances reported in Vol. 3 Letter 1 of BREAK-9. Teams were urged to ask their local police to review applications for REACT members to see if they could work with the individuals as REACTors.

Gerald Reese, Executive Director of REACT International, was the featured speaker at the March, 1981 meeting in Sweetwater. Texas REACTors learned a lot, but Jerry Reese went back to Chicago with many pages of notes and lots of ideas that could be adapted by others to fit their needs. Many teams reported that the "Send Help" cards were helping them get publicity. There were suggestions of ways they could be used by shut-ins and the elderly as well as by motorists with problems. Some even found sponsors to help get more "Send Help" cards printed. A $13,800 budget was adopted for the year by the Council. The Area V Travel Trophy was won by Guadalupe County REACT. Bobby Jones conducted a Chinese Auction and netted $55 for the Council.

Rising Star REACT got the Team of the Month award for March for their long-time operation of a volunteer ambulance service. By April 21st, all Area I and Area VI Teams had renewed. One Team in Area III, two each in Areas IV and V, three in Area II and five each in Areas VII and VIII had not renewed with International in 1981.

New, less restrictive guidelines for use of state highway rest areas for holiday coffee stops was released on May 12, 1981 in time for scheduling Memorial Day Rest Stops as a result of a visit with M. G. Goode and Byron C. Blasche by State Council officers: Ed Pessink, Richard Pratz, and Doris and Buddy Lindblad. Mr. Blasche accepted the Council's request to speak at the July meeting hosted by Brownwood.

Navarro County REACT was Team of the Month for April for their holiday rest stops, their work with the local orphanage, their scrapbook full of rave notices and their support of firemen when a poison gas well "blew out" in Henderson County.

Nolan County REACT received Charter # 4485 in June.

Sweetwater REACT won Team of the Month for May for sponsoring the new Team, for their newsletter and their CPR certifications.

Belton Area REACT won Team of the Month for June for their Public Awareness programs and the distribution of 3,000 pieces of REACT Literature and "Send Help" cards.

On July 25, 1981 the Council met at the Early Lion's Club Bldg. near Brownwood. Featured speaker was Byron C. Blaschke, Chief Engineer of Safety and Maintenance, State Department of Highways and Public Transportation.

July's Team of the Month Award went to Guadalupe County REACT for their community involvement: Labor Day Telethon, Guadalupe County Fair, and "Robbie's Rustlers" assistance, to name only a few qualifying activities.

In August, Montgomery County REACT and Spring Creek REACT were given permission by Area VIII to become part of Area IV, pending State Council approval. August's Team of the Month was Ector County REACT for their extraordinary membership growth.

September, 1981's Team of the Month was Ark-La-Tex REACT because of their innovative and dynamic leadership that helped get the State's Rest Stop rules relaxed, serving extraordinary numbers of people at each of their rest stops, and even sponsoring a very successful beauty pageant.

Another Team that regularly worked rest stops became Team of the Month for October. Premont REACT, a South Texas Team who had helped revitalize Brooks County REACT.

The big push during the fall of 1981 was to get the Council on a firm financial footing. The method of fund raising was not universally approved, but rather successful because 84% of the Teams in Texas participated. The net results were a nearly $1500 boost to the State Council treasury. Delegates to the November meeting in Texarkana were: Betty Fry and Lucky Thompson of Area II, Robert Beran and Allen Tyler of Area IV, Audrey Tanner and Vern Pederson of Area V, Frank Stamps and Ivan Knox of Area VI, Thelma Stevens and Fred Ryle of Area VII and Buddy Lindblad and Nell Pessink of Area VIII. Jim Tanner replaced Ed Pessink as BREAK-9 editor. The Council approved a Board proposal that a Team be set up for those who wanted to be REACTors even though their Team did not renew, providing REACT International approval was received.

The Council approved a Travel Trophy for the Area Council that traveled the most miles to attend State Council meetings, with the mileage per member figured from the location of the Area Council President's home. Each Area Council president was asked to appoint a member to serve on the Team of the Month and Year Committee. Ed Pessink would collect nominations and make copies for all members of the committee.

Bobby Jones reported that the state had been lucky in disasters this year. Three Teams: San Angelo, Sweetwater and Brownwood REACTs assisted the Red Cross in their disaster survey in Abilene, Buffalo Gap, Baird, Clyde, Potocy and Coleman after severe flooding. One Brownwood member went to Breckenridge to open a shelter there. The Texas National Guard conducted a mock drill in Corsicana in which Lake Palestine, Navarro County and Anderson County REACTs participated.

Deposits were taken from those who wanted to take a chartered bus to the International Convention in Las Vegas. There were 63 REACTors at the November State Council meeting.

Team of the month for November was Childress' XIT REACT for their consistency: constantly being aware of the need and purpose of REACT and serving their county so well.

Team of the Year for 1981 was Guadalupe County REACT with a plaque presented to Ark- La-Tex for the most Team support to the Texas State Council in 1981. The Council voted to order 36 Team of the Month banner patches and 10 Team of the Year patches.

Texas REACT lost two Team presidents in 1981. Both Jearl Dunbar of Bastrop County REACT and Gerald LaRue of Premont Waterhole C.B. REACT passed away.

Since the Team of the Year trophy was returned from Laguna REACT too late to award it at the November meeting, President Pratz attended Guadalupe County REACT's 5th anniversary dinner and made the trophy presentation there. In January the Council was notified that Guadalupe County REACT had won the Third Quarter Award of Achievement sponsored by American Antenna Co. and was in the running for International Team of the Year! The Post Office returned minutes of the November meeting which were addressed to Brownsville REACT and Waco REACT. The application of the proposed Lubbock County Team was denied because of lack of communication. Jim Tanner's try for a 20th Anniversary Commemorative REACT Stamp was two years too late.

December's Team of the Month was San Angelo REACT Ass'n again for the standards they set for diverse activities from working a disaster situation to operating a parking lot. They were constantly prepared and busy in community service.