John and Mary Stachnik in Hawaii attending the USTOA conference

The USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association) conference was just held on the Big Island of Hawaii at Hilton Waikoloa Village. Hawaii is God's Country. Fabulous weather with the trade winds constantly blowing!

As most of you know, my husband and I are the co-owners and founders of Mayflower Tours. We have been married 47 years and have worked together at Mayflower since its beginning in 1979. In May of 2010, our great friend Bob Whitley passed away suddenly. Bob had been President of USTOA for over 30 years. We had known Bob since the 70's and John and Bob were best friends. At the time of his death, John was Chairman (volunteer head) of USTOA for the second time. It was John's responsibility to handle the transition and what a job he did.

Flying to USTOA headquarters in New York City and working at Bob's desk, John was responsible for holding down the fort, acting as spokesperson and heading up the replacement of Bob's position. We both were very sad and still are about losing our great friend Bob. This was a very difficult situation. John accepted his role with his usual dedication to the tourism industry and the association. Long story short - on Thanksgiving of 2010, Terry Dale, formerly CLIA's President, accepted the position as President of USTOA. Terry has been our President for almost two years now and the association is in great shape.

Our conference was a huge success. At the conference, John was recognized for his work and given an honorary Life status in USTOA. This award has only been given to four previous recipients, Arthur Tauck (Tauck), Alex Harris (General Tours), Tyler Tanaka (Japan & Orient Tours) and Jimmy Murphy (formerly Brendan Vacations and now AMA Waterways).

Wow John, what an honor! Congratulations. Job well done.

John and I continue our adventure together. It's a good story and during the holidays, it's a time to share it. Bob, do you hear me? You are missed by all!