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In Memory of Bob
By James Shillinglaw
Published on: May 17, 2010
If you knew Robert (Bob) E. Whitley, president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA), chances are that you that liked him -- and liked him a lot. You also respected him and knew just how important he was to the tour operator side of the business and to the travel industry as whole. That’s why the news came as a shock that Bob had died at age 66 late on Thursday night, May 13, even though many of us knew he had been fighting a severe but supposedly curable medical condition over the past few weeks.
Of course, we here at Performance Media Group (PMG), parent of TravelPulse.com, have had a special relationship with Bob ever since the company was founded, so news of his death hit very close to home. Kelly Brock, his daughter, is our dedicated design director for our two magazines, and Shaun Whitley, his son, is our advertising director. Scott Whitley, Bob’s oldest son, was one of PMG’s original founders, though he left last year to start a new venture.
I have known Bob for nearly 20 years, though that pales in comparison to how long many of his other friends in the industry have known him. Bob served as president of USTOA for 32 years (since 1978), which must be some kind of record for an association executive in any industry. Because of that he had many, many dear friends in travel, including some of the giants in the tour business -- people like Arthur Tauck and Alex Harris. He also was close to many of us in the travel media business, since part of his job was to promote the value of tours and get the word out about USTOA and its mission.
My first encounters with Bob were always professional and courteous. Indeed, he was the epitome of the southern gentleman. I remember when we would get a tip about a new tour operator being considered for membership in USTOA, we would call up Bob and he was adamant that he could not confirm the name of the company. His point was that the operator was undergoing financial scrutiny by USTOA, and if it was denied membership, it might hurt that company’s reputation. He was right, of course, but it also was our job to report what we knew, if we could confirm it elsewhere. The best part of those discussions with Bob is he understood it was our job. And he never held it against us, whatever we did.
Bob also was a pivotal player in the swift reaction to the failure of Far & Wide, the USTOA member company that went out of business in 2003. Bob worked tirelessly to get money back to consumers and travel agents who had booked trips with Far & Wide’s many brands. He also led the charge to get even more funds from Far & Wide’s officers, owners and other entities.
Of course, I got to know Bob much better at countless industry events over the years, including his own USTOA Conference and Marketplace. He presided over that event as a combination of host, master of ceremonies, cheerleader and camp counselor. Indeed, he was center stage for most of the conference. You could tell that while hosting it was a tiring task for him, he relished it. Indeed, he clearly had a lot of fun, from the more formal panels, lunches and dinners to the nightly games and activities for all participants.
I guess that’s what I’ll remember most of Bob: He had fun even while engaged in the serious promotion of tours and travel in general. Bob recognized that travel is, after all, a fun business and he enjoyed being a part of the industry very much. There were those who said he had the best job in the industry. He traveled the world promoting tours and travel, but he also loved meeting people and connecting with an ever-growing circle of friends and professional acquaintances.
Bob was very much the consummate networker: He connected tour operators with destinations worldwide; he connected government officials with members of the industry. He also was the master politician (and he must have been given his role overseeing an organization like USTOA composed of strong, independently minded entrepreneurs). Bob also knew the business: If you wanted to know what was really going on in the industry, a quick call to Bob would get you the latest scoop.
I’ll miss all of those things about Bob. But most of all I’ll miss his warm and welcoming nature. Whether you met him for a drink at a bar in a far off destination or a dinner after a long day at a travel industry conference, he always greeted you with a smile and some great anecdotes about the industry.
As you can read in the accompanying TravelPulse.com news story today, Bob is survived by his wife of 44 years, Carol; his three children Kelly, Scott and Shaun Whitley; and five grandchildren. I know the next days, weeks and months will be tough on them, given the shock of Bob’s death. But they should know that they are certainly not alone in their grief. But they also are not alone in celebrating Bob’s life and accomplishments.
A memorial service for Bob is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, 103 Main Street, Ridgefield, Ct. A reception celebrating his life will be held at 2:30 p.m. at The Inn at Longshore, 260 Compo Road South, Westport, Ct. Those planning to attend the memorial service and/or reception should email Judy McDaniel of USTOA at jmcdaniel@ustoa.com. lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in Bob Whitley's name to Tourism Cares (www.tourismcares.org), one of his favorite projects since it supports the preservation of tourism sites throughout the world.
With Bob’s death last Thursday, the tour business will never be the same. Indeed, the entire travel industry will not be the same.
James Shillinglaw is editor in chief of TravelPulse.com.
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