By Michael Sholer, Past President and Board Member
The Travelers’ Century Club is honored to salute one of our most dedicated volunteers, Charles Merkel, as he begins his tenth year of service as our St. Louis Chapter Coordinator and third year as producer of our Virtual Explorations (VE) monthly travel program.
Charles revitalized the St. Louis Chapter in November 2013 and, having attended most of the other regional chapters around the country, volunteered to help reinvigorate other chapters in transition; he has served as interim coordinator of the Atlanta and Chicago Chapters, assisting in the process of developing new leadership there.
Charles was the creative force behind the concept of Zoom video travel programs when 70 members from around the world tuned in November 2020 to watch Michelle Buttigieg from the Malta Tourism Authority, a preview to our international conference eighteen months later. Since then, with Charles as producer and an assembled team of actively involved committee members, the Virtual Explorations series has featured travel writers, chefs, adventurers, authors and numerous TCC members, all sharing their experiences and expertise.
For his leadership, the TCC board of directors extends its gratitude and appreciation to Charles.
