Residence / Years With Westin
Ray Sylvester
Houston, TX
1965-1998
Silvio Berron
Juriquilla, QRO, Mexico
1979-1995
Bill Dougherty
Bristol, TN
1978-1998
Larry Dustin
Farmers Branch, TX
1969-1983
Michael Horrocks
Houston, TX
1971-1986
Andrew Jones
Hong Kong
1975-1988
Bill Moyer
Bethesda, MD
1972-1984
Jorg Neuenhaus
Mexico City, MX
1967-1993
Nancy Peel
Detroit, MI
1981-1998
Richard (Dick) Whaley
Issaquah, WA
1966-1977
History
Thanks to the foresight of C.R. "Bob" Lindquist and William H. "Bill" Ellis who thought it important to keep track of and stay in touch with those retiring or otherwise leaving Westin we have WAA. Early on Larry Dustin was enlisted to provide a typed list which he later expanded into a database. For many years Larry and wife Penny took responsibility for copying, collating and mailing copies of this database to fellow alums around the world.
Later an organization was formed in 1991, a board installed and officers elected to manage the business of the entity. Over those 28 years Larry has maintained the vital database and William D. "Bill" Ellis has managed the association's finances.
In 2005 Ray Sylvester launched the WAA website, and in 2015 the Westin Alumni Facebook page was published.
Ray Sylvester followed Larry Dustin as president in 2018, and Michael Horrocks became treasurer following Billl Ellis' 27 years with WAA.
At the Westin reunion in 2019 Penny and Larry Dustin were acknowledged for their 28 year leadership contributions, and for their continuous management of the member database.
Three Westin Alumni global reunions have been held:
Purpose
The Westin Alumni Association (WAA) was established in 1991, and is dedicated only to maintaining an accurate database of former Westin colleagues who meet a membership criteria as mentioned under "eligibility". There is no cost attendant with membership, however, goodwill contributions are welcome and help to defray costs for maintaining the web site and member database.
Privacy
The WAA database is confidential and is not for sale or distribution to outside sources.
Eligibility*
Those individuals employed by Westin (and its affiliated companies) for 5 or more years from 1930-1998 (1998 is selected as that was the year the Company ceased and Westin became a brand of Starwood)
Volunteer WAA Officers & Board
Current Officers
President: Ray Sylvester
Treasurer: Michael Horrocks
At Large Board Members
Larry Dustin: Immediate Past President
Bill Dougherty (U.S.)
Andrew Jones (Asia)
Bill Moyer (U.S.)
Jorg Neuenhaus (Mexico & Central America)
Nancy Peel (U.S.)
Dick Whaley (U.S.)
Past Board Members
Sue Brush
Pat Carey: Past President (FD) (D)
Charles D. Comstock: Past President (FD) (D)
William D. Ellis: Immediate Past Treasurer (FD)
Wm. H. (Bill) Ellis: Founding Director (Deceased)
Denis Forristal
Christine Gildow
Doug Hales
J. Wm. (Bill) Keithan: Past President (FD) (D)
C.R. (Bob) Lindquist: (FD) (D)
Dan McClaskey (FD)
Chris Marker
Russ Nickel: Past President
Cherie Ohlson
Ron Spellecy
(FD) Founding Director
(D) Deceased
The 100 club was formed in 2019 to allow WAA members an opportunity to conribute to the project of digitizing the collection of FRONT Magazines, ranging from the 1940 through the 1990s.
Join with the other 88 Westin alums in support of the project to digitize the collection of FRONT Magazines, making their content available on line for any interested party. Nothing captures the history of the company and its people better during its 68 year history.
Send your check in the amount of $100 or more, made out to WAA, to: 5130 Chevy Chase Drive Houston, TX 77056 or you can also make that contribution on line by clicking on the "donate" button upper right side of this homepage.
You'll have the satisfaction of contributing to the legacy of our outstanding Company.
"I am thrilled to be able to do something for our beloved Westin Alumni Association and make a donation to this great project" Susan Bray
"Great project! Congratulations to this idea".Ulrich Schwartz
Project Update: Tuesday September 1, 2020
All the Front magazines through 1963 have been scanned and with be uploaded “soon” with some other scanned material. There are a lot of librarian hands touching this project, so it will move slow. My guess it is librarians being librarians added to the mix that during Covid and budget cuts everyone wants to show what work they have contributed.. (Dr. Mark Young, Hospitality Industry Archives)
Project Update: Monday October 14, 2019
The library has completed from my understanding a test scan of the different Front formats. I am to go over later today or tomorrow to make sure I like their work. I am sure it is fine and better than I could do. They probably want to show me how the images in the Front come out in a scan depending on the gloss of paper, the paper quality, and the amount of text nearby.
I get the sense that they may be physically finished scanning by the time of the Las Vegas meeting. They will then add the Mehta data, re-scan any images that did not come out right, I will write a description of what Front is and its historical significance. Then they will up load it to the UH Digital Library. When that date will be I am truthfully not sure . I would think before Christmas, but this is the university and I would not bet money.
I told the digital library people I do want some images of the scanned Front’s to show in Las Vegas and I will get images to show the magazine in the process of getting scanned and all the other things they do to it to prepare the images for uploading to the Digital Library. (Dr. Mark Young)
90 Members as of November 28, 2019
A
Giovanni Angelini
B
Jon Ballard
Charlotte Behnke
Peter Blyth
Wayne Bodington
Susan Bray
Hans Bruland
Sue Brush
C
Eugene Carlson (son of Edward Carlson)
John Ceriale
Chuck Chambers
Kim Chappell
Tony Cherone
D
Michael David
Hanne Dittler
Bill Dougherty
Tom Dupar (The Dupar Foundation)
Larry Dustin
E
David Evan
Jerry Evans
F
Dick Ferris
John Finamore
Jeff Flowers
Denis Forristal
Jim France
G
Jack Gaines
Victor / Kathryn Gielisse
Christine Gildow
Thomas Gurtner
H
Doug Hales
Brian Handley
Bob Hawes
Richard Helfer
Tom Hosea
Phil Hughes
J
Greg Jacobson
Andrew Jones
K
Howard Kemball
Walt Ketterling
David King
L
Didier Le Calvez
Nancy Lebrecht
Ena-Marie Lemke
Terry Losh
Lorraine Luongo
M
Larry Magnan
George Markantonis
Chris Marker
Lou Martinelli
John Mavros
Dan McClaskey
Tony McDonald
Bruce McNish
Michael Miketti
Bill Moyer
Pat Mullin
Philllip Murelaga
N
Zahid Nana
Jorg Neuenhaus
Russ Nickel
O
Rod Odegaard
P
Nancy Peel
Jerry Pokocky
R
Birgit Radin
Christine Rankin
Paul Ross
Laurie Rounds
S
Steve Schnoor
Ulrich Schwartz
Peter Smith
Jean Spaulding
Tom Stanfield
Tim Steckbeck
Philip Stoy
Hart Sugarman
Ralph Swain
John Swaney
Linda Swearingen
Ray Sylvester
T
Sherrie Tossell (daughter of Severt Thurston)
Byron Trafton
Jim Treadway
U
Rick Ueno
W
Catherine Walker
Ulrich Wall
Jerry Wolsborn
Richard Whaley
Robert Wilhelm
Z