REACT History
1985
The REACT International Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois. The "C" in REACT was changed from Citizens to Communications to reflect the expanding role of REACT. The senior citizen discounts for Life Membership were introduced and the minimum age for Life Members was set at 13. REACT Forum Task Groups were moved into the Board and Forum offices were discontinued.
1986
The REACT International Convention was held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This was the first Convention ever held outside of the USA and was sponsored by the City of Calgary REACT. Gerald Reese resigned his position and Ron Mayes was hired as General Manager and REACT headquarters was moved to Wichita, Kansas. The REACTer changed from a newspaper form to magazine form. Some 34 teams and 500 members of the REACT United Kingdom Management Committee affiliated directly with REACT International. 1986 marked the first year since 1978 that REACT was in the "black" financially. REACT Australia was started. Dues were $10.00.
1987
REACT's 25th Anniversary International Convention was held in San Antonio, Texas. Team Topics newsletter was introduced to keep teams more informed. New major programs and developments such as the International symbol, Monitor CB 9 Road Sign, and "Getting Help by CB Radio" pamphlet were started.
1988
The REACT International Convention was held in Roanoke, Virginia, and hosted the largest attendance since 1984. A survey revealed that 99% of REACT teams remain active in monitoring channel 9, 29% of the teams and GMRS and 18% had amateur operators. The REACT Early Bird Renewal became the REACT Renewal Lottery to give more teams more chances to win prizes. Bobby Sherman, actor and singer, created the first-ever television Public Service Announcement for REACT.
1989
The REACT International Convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin. The Team Directory was published and distributed. Team bonding increased from $2,500 to $5,000. Sweden joined the REACT family with three teams and over 200 members. New programs introduced were: REACT Affinity Credit Club, REACT Amateur Radio club, and the REACT Affiliate Program. The first European REACT Convention was held and hosted by Ipswich REACT #5009, Suffolk, UK. In attendance was Chris White, President and Chairman of the Board for REACT International. REACT Month was changed from November to May and the REACTer was made available to subscribers of Recording for the Blind."
1990
The REACT International Convention was held in Spokane, Washington. The election saw the first 3-way tie for two open Field Director positions. Winners were determined by a cut of the cards. Ron Mayes, General Manager, resigned his position and Deanne Earwood was hired as Office Manager to oversee the daily operations of REACT International Headquarters. Dues were $17.00.
1991
The REACT International Convention was held in Melbourne, Florida. Plans were made to bring the membership database "in-house" for economy and better control. Color photos were now available for the front page of the REACTer. The Training and Development Committee announced two new modules in training members on proper procedures of CB Monitoring and GMRS 40 new teams were recognized in 1991, the largest annual increase in several years.
1992
The 30th Anniversary REACT International Convention was held in Anderson, Indiana, and hosted by the Indiana REACT Council. The second publication of the Team Directory was issued with updated information in a smaller book.
1993
The REACT International Convention was hosted by Southwestem REACT and held in San Diego, California.
1994
The REACT International Convention was hosted by the New Jersey REACT Council and was held in Somerset, New Jersey. Dues were $21.
1995
The REACT International Convention is being hosted by Nebraska REACT and held in Omaha, Nebraska. REACT International expanded the "C" in our name to mean communications on the Internet also with a new address "react@wichita.fn.net". Teams started creating their own WEB pages and establishing their own presence on the Internet. Rose City (Windsor) REACT of Canada was the first Team to build and publish their own Home Web Page on the Internet. During the convention, a special event station was held on the Internet during that week. The first Internet Seminar for REACT was given with the help of a local Internet Provider and Amateur Radio Operator, Dale Botkins, President of Probe Technology. Electronic QSL cards were e-mailed to those who contacted REACT International at the convention during that week. Cobra Radio became an "Official Sponsor" of REACT, and Norm Goldberg from Cobra was appointed as Director at Large. Dues were $20.
1996
The REACT International Convention were held in Silverdale, Washington. Dues were be $20 for Regular members, $18 for Family/Junior members.
1998
The REACT International Convention (July 20-23) was in Janesville, WI. The Opening Session started with the Flags being brought in by the Green Berets. A special thanks to the speakers, the Wisconsin Council of REACT teams, Greenhills Consulting, and all of the volunteers that made this event possible. This year, the RI Board of Directors moved our HQ offices to a new location in Suitland, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
1999
The new office in Suitland, MD is unpacked and fully open for business. Grand Island, NE was the host site of this year's REACT International Convention. RI published a brand new web site under the direction of the Web Development Team.
2000, the convention was held at Kissimee, FL. This was the first year that competition was held for websites, team brochures, and scrapbooks. Several Team members from the Trinidad/Tobago were able to attend.
