Our company lost two dear friends this summer. One you likely know; the other, you have probably never heard of.
If you have been involved in group travel for a while, and especially if you attended any of the industry’s primary conferences and marketplaces, there’s a good chance you met Sandy Haines. Sandy grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and became one of the city’s quintessential tourism ambassadors. She spent much of her career working for the local chamber of commerce and its sister organization, the convention and visitors bureau, where she became the director of group tour sales.
I met Sandy about 15 years ago when I was in town covering the opening of a theme park. We met for lunch before I attended the park’s opening ceremony. That visit turned out to be my only time at the park, but the lunch was one of dozens of meals I would share with Sandy over the years.
Sandy and the Myrtle Beach CVB were wonderful supporters of the group travel industry and major advertisers in our magazine. But more than that, Sandy became a friend. She hosted me, along with many of our readers, on more familiarization trips than I can count. She joined our team for dinners at industry conferences and events. She loved to give me a hard time, and I loved being the butt of her jokes. That’s how you knew Sandy liked you.
Sandy died unexpectedly of a heart attack on June 1. She was 61. I had just been with her in Myrtle Beach about six weeks earlier. I still can’t believe she’s gone.
Later this summer, we said goodbye to another soul we loved. Rena Baer had worked with us as a copy editor and proofreader for longer than I can remember. A veteran journalist, Rena was a skilled and dedicated editor, and she made every story she worked on better. If you have enjoyed articles in this magazine, you have enjoyed the fruits of Rena’s work.
Rena wasn’t just a colleague. Over the years, she became a real friend. I would often stop by her house on the way home from the office to deliver magazine layouts for proofreading, and during those visits she would ask not only about our work, but also about my life. She loved hearing stories of my young kids and telling me about her son, Matthew, who was quickly growing into a successful young man. We laughed, commiserated about the difficulties of our shared profession and spoke often of how blessed we were to work together.
Rena was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023. She fought valiantly and gracefully, giving thanks for every day she had until the end. She died July 30 at the age of 60. We all deeply miss her.
Of course, life will go on. But for those of us in the tourism industry who knew Sandy — and those of us here at The Group Travel Leader who knew Rena — it will never be quite the same.
