American Whitewater’s staff and board wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
We are looking forward to working and playing with you on our nation’s rivers in 2002.
This has been an exciting year for us.
We have bid a sad farewell to three long-time staff. Rich Bowers, Jayne Abbott, and Nancy Galloway moved on to greener pastures. We have also witnessed the end of an era with the equally sad departure from our American Whitewater’s board of Chris Koll, Bob Glanville, Mark White, Paul Tefft, and Ken Kyler. Each of these wonderful board and staff members have made us stronger over the years.
We are richer for having known and worked with them. Their conservation and access successes from the 90’s will be a fitting legacy, but we hope that this is only part of their remarkable story. I have a sneaky feeling that we’ll continue seeing them working on new dam relicensings and river access sites for a very long time.
We have also had the marvelous good fortune to welcome several new faces to our staff. Risa Shimoda, Michael Phelan, Kevin Colburn, and David Knox have each embraced American Whitewater in the past year and brought their own unique personalities, expertise, and humor into the fold. This Class of 2001 has brought a new vitality to our programs, and promises to serve you better than ever.
Finally, thanks to the hundreds of new members who have joined, the thousands of renewing members, and all of our donors. Your gifts, kind words, volunteer hours, funding, and passion for the sport have been a pillar of strength for us for nearly 50 years. With your help, we will continue to build on the successes of 2001 and will make 2002 our best year ever for protecting America’s whitewater rivers!
Happy holidays!
Celestial photo by Chuck Kennedy, used with permission. Paddler Paige Hull, an instructor demonstrating a roll during a Potomac Paddlesports pool session in 2001.