KEEPERS OF THE FLAME
The spirit and legacy of Earl Reum lives on...
The December 20, 1948 issue of Life Magazine was dedicated to "Teenage Fun" as it was in the years following the Second World War.
This issue holds special significane to NAWD members, as it contained a two page (pp.72-73) article entitled "Popular Guy" in which a young Earl Reum (17 at the time) was featured as the "idol of Denver boys and girls".
CLICK HERE to view this issue of Life Magazine on the Google Books website.
Unbeknownst to Bob Tryanski, he became the founder of the Keeper of the Flame Society in December of 2009. During his keynote presentation over lunch at the annual National Conference on Student Activities, Bob presented Connecticut Executive Director Sarah Jones with an original December 20, 1948 Life magazine, a coveted artifact of a life that has meant a great deal to many.
CLICK HERE to read Bob's thoughts looking back on the inspiration provided to him and others by Dr. Earl Reum, and how it launched the tradition now known as "Keepers of the Flame".
The following is an excerpt from a letter inserted into the magazine by Bob:
"The magazine documents the beginnings of a man who would go on to become an inspiration to many people across the country and in particular student activities directors, student council advisors and students. The Keeper of the Flame Society is the passing of this prized relic from person to person at the annual conference based solely on the inspiration felt by the person currently in possession of the magazine. It is my hope that this new tradition will keep Earl’s legacy alive regardless of whether the people involved ever had the dubious honor of meeting Earl themselves. All that needs to be known is that one person can inspire another and in the end...that is all that matters." - Bob Tryanski, 2009
One year later, at the 2010 National Conference on Student Activities, Sarah passed this same original December 20, 1948 Life magazine to Susan Fortin of Washington. An excerpt from the letter inserted into the magazine by Sarah:
"When Susan speaks, I move to the edge of my chair because I know whatever she says will be something I can think about for awhile after. I first knew she was my kind of leadership person when I went to her (and her husband’s) workshop on perspective in Phoenix. They had a series of photographs where they had zoomed in very close and you had to guess what the object was when they zoomed back. The activity was a cool brain-teaser that reminded me of when I was young and would do them with my mother when the GAMES magazine would arrive each month. Then they talked about how they used the activity to get students to think about their own perspective and how they saw things. I was hooked. This was not leadership in the jumping up and down, chanting, cheering, new pep rally games, new spirit week ideas, singing, dressing in newspaper, kind of thing I had been exposed to thus far. This was leadership to think about. I can get down with that! So, when Susan shares info such as Gallup Student Poll, evaluation techniques, trend analysis and strategic planning I am so inspired. I hope that Connecticut can be as professional as Washington someday." - Sarah Jones, 2010
The tradition continues...at the 2011 National Conference on Student Activities, Susan passed this same magazine - in a new handmade case - to Kelly Neiber of Iowa.
Keepers of the Flame
The following individuals are members of the Keeper of the Flame Society, having been in possession of this special Life magazine since this tradition was begun:
- 2009 - Bob Tryanski (KS) to Sarah Jones (CT)
- 2010 - Sarah Jones (CT) to Susan Fortin (WA)
- 2011 - Susan Fortin (WA) to Kelly Neiber (IA)
CLICK HERE 
