By Linda Oestreich | Fellow
My first conference was in Seattle in 1984 and I gave my first presentation that year—it was a case study of a 40-hour class I helped develop and give to the scientists and engineers at our government research lab. The rules from my boss were, if you had a paper accepted, you could go to the conference. My presentation was evaluated by Lola Zook, one of the grand dames of STC at that time, and she gave me a great review and valuable feedback on how to improve my presentation skills.
Something must have clicked, because that was 30 years ago and I haven’t missed an annual conference since—and I’ve been on the program in one way or another every year that I’ve attended. It’s difficult to remember specifics about all 30 conferences, but here are some of my favorite memories.
1984: Seattle. First foray into this grand adventure! I stayed at the Four Seasons—not the conference hotel, but it was pretty classy for a young woman who had never stayed in any hotel classier than a Ho-Jo.
1985: Houston. Those Texans really put on quite a show that year! Little did I know that five years later I’d move there.
1990: Santa Clara. I was on the program committee as Deputy Special Events Manager and it was the first year that I presented the First Timers’ Session—quite by accident! We had about 100 people in a room with no speaker, so I grabbed Liz Babcock and the two of us “winged it.” Somehow, that impromptu presentation turned into an annual job for me for about 10 years. I loved it!
1991: My first time back to New York since I was a child (I was born in Brooklyn), so it was a big deal for me.
1995: I was Program Manager for the Washington, DC conference. Edwin Newman (the famous ABC news commentator) was our keynote speaker and meeting him was one of the most rewarding things that has ever happened to me. We had around 2,000 (yes!) attendees that year. The numbers were far larger than we thought they’d be when the hotel was booked several years earlier, and folks lined up outside the small meeting rooms hours before the presentations.
1996: Seattle, and the year I became an STC Fellow. I almost left before the Honors Banquet due to a family emergency, but decided to leave immediately after. Becoming a Fellow is a lifetime achievement and I’m glad I stayed. The support and love I got from my STC colleagues during those last 24 hours at the conference are things I’ll always hold dear.
2000: Orlando, and I was the manager of the Honorary Fellows committee. That year, we selected Stephen J. Gould as our Honorary Fellow. Chatting with this incredibly intelligent Renaissance man is another of my most treasured memories of STC annual conferences. Being in Disney World took a back seat to meeting Dr. Gould!
2006: Las Vegas! For some unknown reason, there was an extra comp suite that year and even though I was only First VP, I was assigned a grand suite at Bally’s. It was my first time staying in such an elaborate hotel room, and I think that young, wide-eyed girl who first stayed at the Four Seasons in 1984 showed up again!
2007: Minneapolis, the year I became STC President. So much was happening that beyond knowing the year and place, I remember little else. The conferences were getting smaller and the office and the meeting event organizers did all the hard work. Things moved along quite nicely from my perspective.
2009: Atlanta, when I rolled off the Board. I had served as a voting member on the STC Board of Directors in some manner from 2002–2009, with several years of volunteering prior to that. I experienced a bit of a letdown the first couple of years, but I soon found my voice and embraced the mentor/emeritus role that past presidents and STC Fellows can have if they choose.
I still attend the conferences, and although this year I present a two-day certificate program in Technical Editing Fundamentals with Michelle Corbin, the time and effort to prepare and present that is a drop in the bucket compared to the many years of STC Board involvement.
Along the way, the people have been the real reason I keep returning to the conference. I only see STC folks once a year and the Summit is the way to do that. I don’t know how much longer I’ll continue, but I hope it’s for many years to come.
