CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

It hardly seems as if another travel year is closing, but it’s time again for us to wish a Happy Holiday Season to all TCC members!

No doubt, many of you have experienced humorous or embarrassing situations during the year. It’s been awhile since any of these have been submitted for us to share with fellow members and we look forward to carrying some of these in the Centurian.

Special thanks to our London Coordinator Donna Marsh for arranging an excellent London International Meeting October 27, 2007. Also special thanks to the Board Members, Coordinators and members who joined our International members. Click here for a special report with photos.

Our meeting dates in 2008 will be the second Saturday of every three months: March 8, June 14, September 13 and December 13. We always welcome club members from all over the world to be at our events whenever their travels may bring them to our area.

Reminder: Many members write in when adding a few countries. You must send us an updated list when moving to another membership level. Keep the original and send us a dated copy, with your name and country count. You can download and print the latest list by clicking the Join the Club link on our Web site.

The Travelers’ Century Club has been mentioned
recently in several articles about TCC members.
“This Fil-Am lady has been in 162 countries” was
the subject of the front-page article in the Philippine News about Lourdes Odette Ricasa of San Clemente, CA.

Brian Hanks of Somerset, England, was featured
in the weekend magazine of the Financial Times.

TCC Chairman Klaus Billep was interviewed by
phone for a one-hour travel talk radio show in
Atlanta, called “Travel Talk Escapes.” The interview was entirely devoted to TCC.

Virginia Castagnola Hunter of Santa Barbara,
CA, was profiled in a three-page article in Astrolabe magazine. Jeanne Hoskins of Sumner, WA, pictured in the same issue.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Over the last few months I have been lobbying the board members to change the by-laws and anoint me “president for life,” like “Papa Doc” or Kim Il Sung. But, in their wisdom, they weren’t very receptive to that idea, so in a few weeks I will transfer the scepter and keys to the TCC kingdom to the more than capable stewardship of Vice President Chris Hudson.

For those members who don’t know Chris, he is a Briton, and will become the first non-American to hold the title of TCC President – another indication of just how global the organization has become. Our membership has continued to grow, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world. With the establishment of our London chapter, and with our second international meeting, also held in London the end of October, we are truly becoming a “club without borders.”

My two years as President have flown by – a sure sign that they were rewarding and pleasurable – and I hope to continue to do all I can to ensure that the club remains the viable, eclectic, distinguished and pleasant travel organization it has always been.

For the benefit of a few members who may have gotten the wrong idea of what the Travelers’ Century Club is really all about, during my tenure I have tried to stress the importance of spending enough time in places we visit to really “savor the experience” and come back from each trip a more knowledgeable and better-informed person. It’s one thing to count countries; it’s more fun and more important to count experiences.

Members who have been fortunate enough to have lived overseas have very interesting tales to tell because they have been able to actually immerse themselves in another culture, or cultures. The longer one stays in a place, the more insights and knowledge one acquires – one picks up many nuances that are not obvious to most of us.

Some of the greatest travelers in history never visited as many countries and territories as most TCC members, yet they accumulated such knowledge and experience, because of the time they spent in each place, and because they were such great observers of the human condition, that their names are known universally.

The other day I was thinking: If I could invite anyone in history to be my guest at a TCC meeting, whom would I choose?

Would I choose someone like Marco Polo or Captain James Cook? Or, perhaps, Shackleton, Scott or Amundson: Charles Darwin, perhaps? Or one of the great writers who traveled extensively, like Kipling, Melville, Hemingway or Stevenson? Would it be interesting to have a conversation with one of those legendary travelers? Or would it be more interesting to have a conversation with a “ticker,” as one club members likes to refer to them – a person who raced around the world, as fast as possible, just to “tick them off?”

Everyone will have to draw his or her own conclusion to that question, but from my perspective, the answer is obvious.

So, whether you are one of those members who is on some kind of “quest” to get to 300, or finish the list at any cost, like a stone skipping across waters that, in fact, run very deep, or just a thoughtful person who is trying to understand and enjoy the world, I will remind everyone once more: It’s not how many places you’ve visited, it’s the quality of the experience that really counts.”

Happy Holidays, good health and happy travels in the coming year and beyond.

TCC delegates from several countries met in London October 26-28 for the second International Meeting. The first was in October, 1999, in Monte Carlo. The meeting was held on October 27 at the exclusive and private Travellers Club, founded in 1819. Among its members are foreign ambassadors and high commissioners in London and about 100 present and former members of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service.

On arrival day, October 26, attendees were invited to an informal gathering at 6:00 p.m. at the Porter House on Maiden Lane.

TCC Chairman Klaus Billep gave the opening and closing remarks and the welcome address was by the U.K. Coordinator, Donna Marsh.

Subjects and speakers were as follows:

• North Korea by TCC President Kevin Hughes, Phoenix
• Cycling Around the World by Anne Mustoe, U.K.
• Water Dousing in the Sahara by John Barnett, Dublin
• Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Zanzibar by Lee Abbamonte, New York
• Cultural Projects in Benin by TCC Incoming President Christopher Hudson, New York
• Bouvet Island (Antarctica), Juan Fernandez Islands, Iwo Jima, Pitcairn and Tokelau by TCC Board Member Ronald Endeman, El Cajon, CA.

A cocktail reception and farewell dinner followed the all-day business session. Some of the delegates departed the next day for a three-day trip to Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man.

Pictured above left are U.S. members who attended the TCC International Meeting in London, October 26-28, 2007. The photo on the right shows overseas delegates at the International TCC meeting, who came from England, Ireland, New Zealand, Czech Republic, and Germany. CLICK HERE FOR A SPECIAL REPORT AND MORE PHOTOS

Pictured at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach are: Ann DuPuy, Janet Johnson and Carol Hunter.

TCC President Kevin Hughes welcomes Katharine and Noel Jones, visiting from The Woodlands, TX.

David Barry joined the Board in 1996 and
served as President in 2002-04. He retired from the insurance business after having been an insurance broker for over 38 years.

Ken Ziegler became a TCC member in the
early 80s and joined the Board in September, 1989. He served as President in 1999-2001 and was honored in 2003 for having visited all 317 of the TCC destinations at that time.

Sanford Smith has served as TCC Secretary
since the 90s. He became a member of TCC in
1972 and joined the Board in September 1979. He
served as President in 1983-84. He has visited over 300 countries.

Bart M. Hackley, Jr., has been a TCC member since the mid 90s and is current TCC Treasurer. He is a retired CPA and was the former youngest partner in what is now the largest CPA firm in the world. He was a founder, officer and director of several banks. He is a Sr. Olympics Bronze Medalist Guinness World Record Holder (Triathlon).

New Travelers' Century Club Members:

Alexander, Mrs. Martha
Baldwin-Beamer, Ms.
Boisvert, Mr. Daniel
Clay, Mr. A. Kendall
Cramblit, Mr. Don
Curran, Ms. Donna
Davis, Ms. Mary Y.
Del Prete, Mr. Douglas
Dusek, Mr. Otto
Elbourne, Mrs. Mary Stephenson, “Poplars”
Faurot, Mr. Brooks
Fegen, Mr. Michael R. & Mrs. Judith L.
Grayson, Mr. David
Greene, Iverne Joan
Jackson, Mr. Ken
Jacobson, Mr. Charles & Mrs. Diane
Johnson, Mr. Max.
Kendall, Mr. Michael
King, Mr. Robert & Mrs. Lorry
Kuo, Wen-Hung “Saricie”
Lafer, M.D., Mr. Dennis J.
Leeds, Mr. Ben
Lynch, Mr. Ned
Maselis, Mr. Patrick
McGarrah, Ms. Dolly
Merkel, Mr. Louis Charles
Noble, Mr. J. Wayne & Mrs. Hilda
Padgett, Mr. Nick
Radock, Mr. William
Schellenberg, Mr. Franklin
Spindler, Mr. Skip
Stull, Ms. Sylvia J.
Wagner, Mr. Eric W.

#522 A Visit To The Russian Far East & Lena River, Bill Altaffer
#523 Palawan, A Philippine Island, Erika Fernbach
#524 Moldova & Trans Dniester, James A. Smith
#525 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Dorothy Thompson
#526 Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Kenya, June Barnett
#527 A Letter to Iwo Jima, Kevin Hughes
#528 Myanmar/Burma, With A Taste of Singapore, Dr. Kenyon B. De Greene
#529 The Czech Republic, Jean Williams

Note: The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not the Travelers’ Century Club.

A hearty thanks to all of you club members for sending in Info Files for our Centurian. They are enjoyed by all, so please send in your items of interest. Don't forget that these must be typewritten, single spaced and not to exceed two pages due to cost of postage. Those of you who have sent in your Info Files that have not yet been published, please be patient as they will be used in the future. Note: We do not edit or correct misspellings, since we cannot match your type. You can also send your info files to our e-mail address: tccclub3@gte.net.

Please note that when you request back issues of Info Files, there is a $1.00 cost per Info File. Click here for details.

The Centurian welcomes letters to the editor. Please mail to TCC. P.O. Box 7050, Santa Monica, CA 90406, or e-mail to tccclub3@gte.net. Submission of a letter to the editor constitutes permission to publish the letter in the Centurian and on our website.

Dan Walker’s classic 1957 Rolls-Royce is pictured in the evening at Red Square in Moscow.

TCC member Dan Walker and his wife, Marilyn, completed their Around the World journey in their 1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud in October in Shanghai, a total of 12,711 miles. The Rolls was then shipped to Vancouver/Victoria, Canada (after a typhoon caused a slight delay) while the couple continued to tour China.

Their sojourn took them across Canada, Europe and Asia. Dan kept a journal of his adventures on his website (www.talisphere.com/travel) and Marilyn was the photographer.

Dan – a Canadian TCC member who lives in Costa Rica –says, “It has been an incredible journey, a journey totally dependent upon the strength of ‘the Lady.’ We leave smiles behind us wherever we go.”

We have a new permanent name tags with the TCC Logo and your name engraved. Cost $7.50 including shipping. If you wish to order, send us your check and you will receive your tag in six weeks. Magnetic backing available, add $4.00.

Club Lapel Pin – $10
Silver 150 Countries – $8
Gold 200 Countries – $8
250 Countries – $8

All pins are available with pin or tie-tack.
backing. Available only to regular members of the Travelers' Century Club.

Travelers' Century Club
P.O. Box 7050
Santa Monica, CA 90406-7050
Tel: 310-458-3454
Fax: 310-395-9511
E-mail: tccclub3@gte.net

Officers
Klaus Billep, Chairman
Kevin Hughes, President
Christopher Hudson, Vice-President
Sanford K. Smith, Secretary
Bart M. Hackley, Jr., Treasurer

Executive Board Members
Floyd D. Baker, Pamela Barrus, David J. Barry, Ronald L. Endeman, Diane M. Jarrett, Kenneth Ziegler

TCC Editor: Klaus Billep
Contributing Editor: Lorelli Embry