Alumni Will Celebrate 50th Anniversary of European Chapter at Annual EMEA Meeting

The Cornell Hotel Society Europe/Middle East/Africa region is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European chapter with a trip to New York City and Ithaca. The celebration will take place May 4-8, 2011, and a number of activities are planned for participants. Milestones like this don’t come around often; don’t miss it!

On February 4, 1961, the inaugural meeting of the European chapter of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen took place at the Hotel Frankfurter Hof in Frankfurt, Germany. More than 60 alumni took part in the festive occasion. Domenico Demetz ’59 was elected president, Ruedi Schelbert ’55, vice president, and Lee Sterling ’59, secretary-treasurer. In addition, John Wevle, ’49 (dec.) and Dr. O. Michel ’32 (dec.) were elected members of the board of directors. Dean and Professor Howard B. Meek was in attendance and was honored at the inaugural reception and dinner.

The European chapter was the third chapter formed outside the United States. Its primary goal was to further the exchange of ideas and information between the hotelmen of Europe and the United States and to promote contact between students of European hotel schools and the School of Hotel Administration.

Since that first meeting, the chapter (now expanded to the Europe/Middle East/Africa region) has made four trips to Ithaca to commemorate various anniversaries. At this year’s golden celebration, alumni from Europe and the United States will gather to recall fond memories of past EMEA meetings, reminisce about days in Statler, and see the ways Cornell’s beautiful campus continues to evolve.

For more information, click here.