Veteran Speakers Retreat
History

In the mid 1980's, the late Ira Hayes and Ty Boyd discussed the creation of an event in which veteran speakers could gather in an intimate retreat environment not available elsewhere. The original "Senior Speakers", a group of speakers who had each spoken professionally for over 25 years, met in Tyson's Corner, Virginia in June 1987. 

Among the original founders were Bill Gove, Alan Cimberg, Herb True, Charlie Tremendous Jones and Nick Carter. Suzy Sutton became the archivist, Bill McGrane became the hugger and Dave Yoho became the perennial chairman and host. 

The size of the group was limited to 40-50 participants in order to retain the intimate atmosphere. The participants attended, by invitation only, from all across the United States as well as from other locations around the world including Singapore, New Zealand, Korea, Canada.

The format of the Retreat is informal and includes facilitated large and small group discussions, casual socializing and fun entertainment. It begins on Thursday afternoon and ends on Sunday at noon with a special  Legends dinner on Saturday night.  The VSR is open to spouses who may attend any programs they choose and who are frequently leaders in the small group discussions.