Texas REACT State Council History 1985

Compiled by Keren Pratz, Council Historian




REACT IN TEXAS WAS ALIVE AND WELL IN '85

Volume 5, Letter 5 of BREAK-9 was a 4-page Christmas Card from the new State Council Board of Directors. It started with a "remember when" letter from Richard Pratz, the outgoing president, as he looked back over the four years of support from Texas Teams and the great strides they had made in getting recognition from the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation and their local law enforcement officials. He gave some advance notice of the scheduled March 2, 1985 Council meeting to be held at the Holiday Inn in Brownwood, set the due dates for news items and articles for the next six issues of BREAK-9, and introduced the newly elected officers of the Council. He went on to thank all the Teams and individuals who had extended hospitality to his family, and Charlie the poodle, during his years as Council President. As the newsletter editor, Richard was pleasantly surprised when an entire Team, Navarro County REACT, subscribed to the BREAK-9. Since only five issues were printed in 1984, all subscriptions were extended by one issue. This was the last issue of BREAK-9 restricted in size to five pages of paper because it was the last issue to be mailed by first class mail.

The February - March, 1985 issue of BREAK-9 was the first to be mailed bulk mail and the first to be printed in magazine style with reduced print and 4 pages of copy on each sheet of paper xeroxed. For the first time, the names and addresses of the Council officers were listed on the inside of the front cover of the newsletter. New graphics capabilities allowed the first page to have an "outer space" theme and until October 1989 a different graphic theme was used for every issue of the newsletter. Most of the BREAK-9's that appeared during his term have started out with a letter or article by President Jerry Jennison. Many of them also had messages from other officers. Cartoons and one - two line quotes or jokes were popular "attention-getters." The Spotlight article for this issue was on the new president. Each officer and committee chairman was asked to send a Spotlight article during the two-year term. Forty-two Teams were listed with their addresses, and their president's name and telephone number in the Team directory that filled pages 14-16 of this issue. Two pages were devoted to a calendar of events for the year. An insert in this newsletter was a reproducible Texas Sales Tax Exemption Certificate for Team use, along with telephone # 1-800-252-5555 for confirmation that REACT International appeared on p. 277 of the comptroller's book of exempt organizations. This information was provided by Charles Thompson of Dallas County REACT.

At Brownwood on March 2, 1985, President Jerry Jennison presented a "Silver Spur" tie tac and a past president's pin to Richard Pratz. Keren Pratz was surprised with a Trivial Pursuit game. There were beautiful plaques for Richard from the State Council, Area VI, and Area VIII and a Certificate of Appreciation from Area V. Area VI had added a new Team, Donley County REACT #4622 in Clarendon. President Jennison reported on his week of training at the FEMA Training Center-Integrated Emergency Management Training Course. Bobby Jones asked for assistant disaster coordinators. Ivan Knox was approved for the Panhandle position and Allan Tyler for the Coastal Region. The Council approved the Cookbook #2 project and Kathy King said that this new version would also sell for $4 each. Area VII presented a proposal that would give Teams a direct vote at the State Council meetings. Dickie George asked for and got Council support for Guadalupe County REACT's bid to host the 1987 REACT International Convention in San Antonio. Team of the Month for January, 1985 was Wheatheart REACT, Perryton February, 1985 it was CBA/Potter County REACT, Amarillo.

Area officers in 1985 were:

AREA II -


AREA IV -


AREA V -


AREA VI -


AREA VII

-

AREA VIII -

The front page of the April-May '85 BREAK-9 showed a pair of appealing pups and the caption "Doggone, We'd like to see you in Longview, July 13th!" This issue welcomed back P.A.C.T. REACT in Electra and Brazos County REACT in Bryan/College Station. Both had renewed their charters after a lapse. The Spotlight was on Executive VP Ronald T. Speer. One article worth re-reading was "The Speaker's Bureau."

About this time we began to lose a lot of good REACTors through death: Friday Settles, Wheatheart REACT, November 5, 1984; Wilma Jones, Travis County REACT, March 18, 1985; Johnnie F. Shoemaker, Houston Metro Emergency REACT, June 20, 1985; and Martha Wann, Spring Creek REACT, September 24, 1985.

The June - July, 1985 issue of BREAK-9 sported an antique car theme and invited us to "chug on over to Longview" for the July 13th meeting. President Jennison encouraged Teams to have a Round Robin net every week on the same day at the same time, A listing appeared of twelve Teams that had not yet renewed with REACT International. Texas Sesquicentennial logos in a few places helped us get into the festival spirit. The Spotlight article was on Sgt.-at-Arms Rick George. The "Little Known Facts", a history column, made its first appearance in this newsletter. The list of Texas REACT Teams was reprinted with corrections and updated officer information, often listing a work telephone number as well as the home number. For the first time, the State Council committee chairmen's names addresses and telephone numbers appeared on the inside back cover of the newsletter. The Teams and members who could attend the REACT International Convention in Chicago were urged to do so.

After a welcome by the Longview Area REACT President, Terry Reasoner, Gregg County Sheriff Bobby Weaver welcomed REACTors to Longview and the meeting at the Stroh Hospitality Room. Kay Heinson of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers asked REACTors to use their radios to get drunk drivers off the roads. Kathy King reported that one of the VOAID objectives is to obtain identification cards or badges to admit members to a disaster site.

A special guest for the Council meeting in Longview was VP Jackson Kling of the REACT Forum. He noted updates on "How To" manuals that the Forum was finally getting into print for use by the Teams. He noted that 155 people were already registered for the convention in Chicago. He invited everyone to the Nebraska Fall REACT Conference which was held in Grand Island on 11-13 October.

Dave Williams from Allan C. Hill Entertainment Corp. told the Council about the magic shows and circuses that Teams could make $500 or more from. Many Teams from the smaller cities were interested.

F.E. and Mary Healer were celebrating their 44th Wedding Anniversary. Team of the Month Winners were: March - Piney Woods REACT, April - Guadalupe County REACT, May - XIT REACT, and June - Brazoria County REACT.

Some 1985 Convention attendees took advantage of the opportunity to drop by the REACT International office and pick up some supplies without having to pay shipping costs.

Navarro County REACT's booth at the International Convention was well-stocked with Texas Hospitality in the form of Corsicana fruit cake slices. Wolf Brand Chili for everyone in the hospitality room on the first night of Convention probably helped Texas get the bid to host the 1987 25th anniversary convention in Texas; Texas had been the third choice behind Kentucky and Oklahoma. Dickie George of Guadalupe County REACT was very convincing in her bid presentation, especially since it was backed by eight regular International Convention attendees: Jerry and Barbara Jennison, Chuck and Judy Thompson, Curtis and Judy Bell and Dick and Keren Pratz. Low-key advertising with 800 samples of fruitcake from Corsicana, jalapeno suckers from San Angelo and 300 embroidered yellow roses from the Tyler Chamber of Commerce didn't hurt at all! There were 165 people in attendance representing 30 Councils and 76 Teams. There were Forum meetings, but they were somewhat subdued, since everyone was told at the opening meeting that the REACT Board of Directors had abolished the Executive Board of the REACT Forum and would assume those duties. This cut out one level of administration and cut expenses. The Life Membership Task Group voted to reduce Life Membership Dues for those over age 60, prorated down to 50% for those over age 65. They re-elected Richard Pratz as Chairman of the newly named Task Group. At the closing banquet, President Jerry Jennison accepted the Second Quarter Individual Award for Yvonne Speer of Ector County REACT.

The Vol. 6, Letter 4 edition of BREAK-9 invited REACTors to grab their boots and come on out to Odessa on the first Saturday in November. This was a 32-page newsletter full of something for everyone, especially those learning that the 1987 REACT International Convention would be in San Antonio!

If boots weren't the best vehicle, the next BREAK-9 suggested with a page-full of hot air balloons, that REACTors float on out to Odessa for the November 2 Council meeting. In addition to a map for finding the Parkway Holiday Inn, there was a copy of the Council's new GMRS license, news from the Longview meeting, an item on the eleven Texas Teams that did not renew their REACT membership in 1985, and Dickie George's "First-Timer's" report on the Chicago Convention. A new Team was chartered in Wichita Falls called North Central Texas REACT.

Texans learned in Odessa that only ten REACT Teams had booked shows with Allen C. Hill so the tour might be canceled. President Jennison had some other contacts that were interested in working with REACTors on fund-raising shows. Ed Pessink wanted to go ahead with the three color brochure project that had been pending since 1980. The work of finding advertisers threatened to kill the project until Richard Pratz proposed to print it in only two colors, black on orange paper. He estimated that 20,000 copies printed on the equipment used for the BREAK-9 would cost under $700. The delegates approved this alternate proposal.

Guadalupe County invited REACTors to attend the November 16, 1985 meeting of the Area V Council and the Guadalupe County REACT Anniversary Dinner that evening. Jerry Reese planned to attend both while he was in San Antonio to check out the Tropicana Hotel.

Since there were only 8 State Council Patches left, Ector County REACT volunteered to underwrite the purchase of a new supply. They also assisted the Council by donating their profits for the day from doorprizes and the 50/50 pot: $370!

The last newsletter of the year brought Season's greetings from the Board of Directors of the Council and the news that the 1987 Convention site had been changed to the Gunter Hotel as a result of Jerry Reese's fact-finding inspection trip. There was a report from Paul Howe on the Nebraska Fall Conference in Grand Island on October 11-13, 1985. Field Director Ron Mayes from Wichita pointed out that CB sales were up. Rebecca Willman, the FCC Field Rep, distributed hand-outs and answered questions. After the business meeting there was a three-hour Windshield Survey and Damage Assessment class. Barbara Beyer had "How To" booklets on Disaster Drills and gave a moulage demonstration that made the "victims" look like badly mangled accident victims. Mike Myers gave tours of the Grand Island Team's Emergency Communications Unit, a converted 60-passenger school bus. The Saturday night banquet featured author Shirley Leuth as entertainment. Dick Pratz sold several subscriptions to "BREAK-9" at the Sunday morning Fund-Raising conference. He was also able to interest some people in Life Memberships.


Created October 9, 1995 by Lee W. Besing .
Last update: October 9, 1995