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PDK International Conference
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The Arch!I was surprised to find it so beautiful, from any direction or distance. I very much enjoyed visiting the Jefferson National Monument, which includes the Arch, the Riverfront Park, and the pre-Civil War St. Louis Courthouse which is framed by the arch when standing at the river edge. The Courthouse has been converted into a museum. At the base of the Arch in the photo at left is a group of school children on a field trip. They were having a raucous good time, and I was delighted to share my visit to the Arch with them, but was very glad not to be the "teacher-in-charge" this day! |
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This is a sculpture in relief depicting the architect and some of the other persons responsible for the design and construction of the Arch. It is truly a fascinating story and amazing engineering accomplishment. I identify with the project when I think about the challenges we have faced, building our Cyberspace chapter of PDK—imagining and then building something extraordinary, where nothing of the kind existed before. It's a long process that takes the continued dedication and hard work of a core of committed individuals. | ||
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I'd always guessed the arch was cement—not so, it is sheathed in stainless steel which gleams and flashes. The size of the structure seems to change as you move around it and view it against different backgrounds. |
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On Thursday, Andre and I attended the entire day of the International Board meeting, during which our chapter was approved for permanent charter status, and we were asked to briefly address the Board. We were both interested to learn more about how the board handled business, and to get to see a bit of the personalities of the organization's leadership. On Friday night I attended a District 7 meeting led by District 7 Representative, Christian Cherau, while Andre split his time between District 9, which encompasses his Tokyo chapter, and District 7. The new design of districts (now called regions) was discussed. This was one of the many organizational changes caused by the new constitution, and some folks were quite disturbed to find that their chapter is now located in another region. |
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At left is a view of the inside of the Union Station, in which the Hyatt Hotel and Conference Center is located, along with dozens of trendy shops and eateries.
I do not have good photos of the indoor events, and all the people who made the conference come alive. (My flash seemed to be working but wasn't, so I have to join Andre in pleading "technical difficulties" on most of my photos of the conference events which were all indoors. |
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One especially nice part of the conference was the musical performances at each of the meals in the grand ballroom. Four different groups of high school musicians performed, and each group was special. At right can be seen two of the members of the "Strolling Strings".
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Andre and I took a ride on a Mississippi riverboat on Friday afternoon. The weather was absolutely delightful. We almost missed our ride! While we waited for the departure time we got so engrossed in conversation about ideas for the chapter that we missed the captain's call to board, and had to hail him to lower the gangplank again for us. |
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At left is a view up into the frescoed dome of the pre-Civil War St. Louis Courthouse which has been converted into a museum and offices for the National Monument. The Courthouse is most famous for being the location where Dred Scott filed his unsuccessful petition to be released from slavery. At right is a view down onto a Christmas tree that is 25 feet high in the center of the round hall of the courthous. That gives some sense of scale to the pictures. |
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I am so sorry not to have gotten a better photo of this group. This folks were being honored as new "Reavis Associates" for their contributions to the PDK Educational Foundation. At far riight is our own Andre Elliott. In the center front is JoAnn Fujioka, International President-Elect. In the back, next to Andre, is Christian Cherau, District 7 Representative.
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One evening at a restaurant I asked the waitperson if they served any locally brewed beer. Her answer? "We have Budweiser." (Not exactly what I was hoping for!) But St. Louis, I learned, is famous for more than being the home of Budweiser— who knew that it's the home of Switzer's licorice?
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More arch views! 
