Montana: Here We Come Again!

Tidbits of AUBER’s history as recalled by the board’s recently appointed historian, Lorena Akioka.

The upcoming fall conference in Montana marks 25 years since AUBER last met in the Big Sky state. Once again, the University of Montana will be our host, as it was for the 1980 conference, which was held at the Big Sky Resort, a perfect setting for three days of informative sessions, good food, and interesting side trips.

Topics discussed during that conference still resonate today. We talked about the use of federal statistics for decision making at the local level, innovations in data research, research opportunities gleaned from the [1980] Census, graphic design, readership surveys, publication promotion, and tactics for bureau survival.

A quarter-century ago, the now-famous AUBER field trip was a fairly new addition to the program, and the 1980 excursion by tour bus to Yellowstone National Park was a big hit. It was the first visit to Yellowstone for many AUBERites, and the natural wonders lived up to their reputations. Among the highlights: watching Old Faithful’s spectacular geyser at dusk, enjoying dinner at the Old Faithful Lodge, and seeing a family of bears ambling along the road as we left the park that night.

Another interesting note: the tradition of presenting the outgoing president with a gift of appreciation began at the 1980 Montana conference. President Dennis Leyden (West Virginia) wanted a cowboy hat as a memento of the trip, so the host bureau complied, and thus Dennis received a black Resistol hat on the last day of the conference. Twenty-five years later, the tradition continues, so if you want to see AUBER’s thank-you gift to President Janet Speyrer, you’ll have to be in Missoula this coming October.

Lorena Akioka
University of Georgia

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