The Director's Chair,
By Glen E. Keller, Jr.
(from the Spring/Summer 1999 issue of Boots and Saddles)
Summer is about 1/3 gone. Already we have had a great Interclub, a terrific White Division Show, Red Team has been to Sun Valley, Idaho to perform for the Republican Governor's Forum, Crimson Rangers to Fountain Valley and Idaho Springs, Royal Rangers to Idaho Springs and Precisionettes to Evergreen Rodeo for two days. Summer schedule is in full swing and, with the warm weather, the horses do much better in the evening air than in the heat of the day. So, too, do riders and families. I think that some of the best times are when everyone gathers around for an hour's practice and conversation with other families and friends.

I have been struck by how much closer the Red Team seems to be this year and I am trying to observe whether that is true throughout the organization. I think the tragedy at Columbine may have contributed to us all feeling better about each other. I hope it is as true for you as it is for me. Certainly, one of the lessons we have learned is to be more inclusive and not isolate individuals quite in the way that has occurred in the past. Perhaps we are all a little more forgiving of our failures than we have been in the past.

Please take the time to read Gavin Ehringer's article, which appears in a recent Paint Horse Journal. It is reprinted in this Boots and Saddles under the title "Here's what's Right with America". Gavin is a writer who lives in Colorado Springs and is working on an article for another national magazine on Westernaire's 50th Anniversary. It is clear to me that he wrote from the heart and knows Westernaires very well.

August 1 will be our 50th Anniversary Celebration and a picture will be taken of all the Westernaires together on that day. We will be having many alumni join us that day, too. You will hear more about our plans in July, but be sure to mark the day on your calendar. For the rest of your life, you will be part of a very special day with a very special group of people. It just happens to be Colorado Day too - not a bad way to celebrate!

Another special event in August will be the annual outing for the entire Red Division to Estes Park. Those families not yet in Red Division should mark down the 14th and 15th of August, when we will be presenting a great show in one of the world's most beautiful settings. You all could come up, have a little family outing and join us. It would make it just that much more fun for all.

The summer of 1999 is not just the Westernaire's 50th Anniversary … it will mark the end of an era of Westernaire history nearly as long. Mary Moore has decided to retire from her regular responsibility in the Westernaire office. Scarcely a person can remember when Mary did not greet visitors to Westernaires, keep attendance records, collect rental money and do thousands of other things to keep Westernaires functioning. She can safely say that she trained two Directors since the stories are legendary about how she and Mr. Wyland used to go 'round and 'round about how things should be done. I can personally attest to many lessons from Mary. We will all miss Mary in the office starting this fall and wish her well in her final summer as the ultimate Westernaire volunteer.

Finally, all of Westernaires extends to Ashley Tomlin and her family our sympathy on the loss of her brother in the Columbine tragedy. We also send good wishes to Mele Hall and her family as her brother recovers from the injuries suffered at Columbine. Our words seem so insignificant in the enormity of the situation, yet Westernaires, true to tradition, have rallied around in so many ways to help. Perhaps the best we can do is … Never Forget!