Readers were admonished not to miss the March 7, 1987 State Council meeting in Brownwood by the front page of Vol. 8, Letter 1 of BREAK-9. In it, President Jennison told of a new PR aid that REACT had. Jeanie C. Riley taped some TV "commercials" for REACT while she was in San Angelo on concert tour. The article citing people as REACT's most important resource brought in reader mail and was quoted in many other Council newsletters. 1987 Convention Placard Contest rules were reviewed in that BREAK-9. There was a listing of the state's 29 Life Members representing nine Teams. Each Team was set a goal of at least $125 worth of ads for the Convention program. These could be bought by members, Teams, local businesses or contributors who wish REACT well.

The Hazardous Materials Handling Seminar on Friday night before the March meeting in Brownwood reminded most of us that while we'd like to be able to identify such things from afar, we'd just as soon not get too well acquainted with them up close. Jim Tanner died of cancer on the very day of the meeting, so his REACT friends were together to console each other while they worked on final arrangements for the International Convention that would be dedicated to his memory. Many of his friends wrote short paragraphs for the next "BREAK-9" telling what Jim had meant to them. Ron Mayes displayed the new REACT road sign and then announced the charter numbers for three new Texas Teams: Kingsville REACT, Matagorda County REACT and Rockwall County REACT.

A Rainbo(w) exhorts us in Chinese print to have lunch at the Kettle during the State Council meeting break at the Comfort Inn in Jersey Village on June 13. Aubrey and Kathy King of Oklahoma, former members of the host Team - Houston Metro Emergency REACT, took the BREAK-9 invitation to heart. Plans were made for many Texas Teams to be in San Antonio to offer communications assistance during Pope John Paul's visit in September. Team of the Month winners were: January, Sweetwater REACT; February, Brazoria County REACT; March, Brownwood CB Emergency Unit; and April, San Angelo REACT Ass'n.

A picture of the Alamo graced the cover on the Council's WELCOME TO TEXAS issue of BREAK-9. All Texas Teams and Councils had been promised a page to brag about themselves to the visitors, and few used a whole page. What was so disappointing is that not even half of the Teams bothered to send in any information for publication. A welcoming letter from President Jennison began the newsletter. It contained three pages of information about the 1988 Convention to be hosted in Roanoke by the Commonwealth of Virginia REACT Council and ended with a Calendar of Events, and an editorial reminding the readers that the convention was dedicated to Jim Tanner, a list of the 32 Texas Life Members, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of four of the officers of each of the six active Area Councils in Texas, the names, addresses and president's name for each of the 38 Texas REACT Teams, subscription blanks for BREAK-9 and the usual lists of officers on the inside front cover and committee chairmen on the inside back cover. More work than usual went into that issue, and it paid off because the next one displayed a first place ribbon on the front cover. BREAK-9 was the best State Council newsletter entered in competition in 1987!

The First Place Winner's certificate was the first page of the August/September, 1987 newsletter. It was full of special thanks to those who had made the Silver Anniversary Convention such a success. The convention report was nearly good enough to use as minutes of the convention. Copies were made also of the Newsletter contest first place award for Bell County Actions and the second place award for the Dallas County REACT-O-Gram. F. E. and Mary Healer had won the best-dressed REACTor Contest and Kathy Turner's Anniversary cakes excited comment as did Dickie George's Syllabuses.

A simple border of pine trees decorated the first page of the October/November BREAK-9 telling REACTors about the State Council meeting in Longview on November 7, 1987. There were "Thank You" notes from several of the convention visitors, a news story on the Pope's visit and REACT's part in making it such a success on September 13, 1987, an introduction to Operation Lifesaver, and another plea to get the changes of address reported if you move in order to keep the expense of mailing the newsletter down.

New Year's Bells wished BREAK-9 readers a happy and prosperous new year on the front page of Vol. 8, Letter 6. Dickie George reported 154 paid registrations of which 44 were Texans at the Convention. There were 51 first timers and 57 Life Members in attendance in July. The Council voted to pay 1/2 of the convention losses or $170.20. Team of the Month winners were: May, Brownwood REACT; June, San Angelo REACT Ass'n; July, Kingsville REACT; and August, Rockwall REACT. Curtis Bell announced that San Angelo REACT Ass'n had won the International Third Quarter Award.

Rick George resigned as Sergeant at Arms and Allan Tyler was elected to finish the term. The Bylaws Committee presented proposed changes to the Council Bylaws.