II. RENO, Nevada. United States 1990
II. RENO, Nevada. United States
May 25 – 28, 1990
The TFI Reunion in Reno, which was held at the Bally Hotel, had 16 Committee members, including Steve Kristedja and Lim Tek Hian who acted as Advisors. Chairman Thé Tjing Bie was supported by Vice Chairman Ko Tik Lok and twelve team members, who were responsible for administration, finance, accommodation, publication, documentation, hospitality and entertainment.
The TFI Reunion in Reno, which was held at the Bally Hotel, had 16 Committee members, including Steve Kristedja and Lim Tek Hian who acted as Advisors. Chairman Thé Tjing Bie was supported by Vice Chairman Ko Tik Lok and twelve team members, who were responsible for administration, finance, accommodation, publication, documentation, hospitality and entertainment.
In his welcome message Tjing Bie addressed participants to this three-day fun-filled reunion to renew old friendships and to make new ones, to reminisce about the good old days and dream about the future. He emphasized that, although our lifestyles are varied, — we’ve all managed to do well for ourselves — we still are one big family, bound together by similar backgrounds and, especially, by our alma mater.
The program included an all-day Virginia City/Lake Tahoe tour. Historic Virginia City, Nevada, is the site of a world-famous gold and silver mining boom that transformed people from poor to prosperous overnight. It is considered one of America’s 12 most distinctive destinations. x Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America that straddles California and Nevada.
In addition to the Virginia City tour, reunion participants were treated to a Dinner Cruise/Dance on the Tahoe Queen, an authentic Mississippi paddlewheeler and Lake Tahoe icon. A dinner show featuring Tony Orlando and Dawn, a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, as well as a Ponderosa Ranch tour, were also on the program.
Based on information in the reunion booklet, 144 participants from Aruba (1), Australia (1), Canada (10), Indonesia (9), the Netherlands (4) and the United States of America (119) attended the reunion in Reno. This did not include the three couples who joined the reunion after the booklet was printed and, possibly, a number of other late-comers.
Alumni who generously donated funds to the reunion in Reno included Yvonne Djajapranata, Goei Ing Liat, Khoe Jan Tjiang, Ko Tik Lok, Ko Tik Wie, Dick Liem Sien Tjwan, Stanley Lyman, Loretta A. Maswita Mamesah, Paul Nio Tjoe Djiet, John B. Quan, B.A. Suriadjaya, Johnny Tan Sing Oen, Thé Tjing Bie and Paul Tjandrasuwita.
Based on the positive response of a questionnaire that was distributed by Tik Lok during the reunion, Tjing Bie made a commitment to keep TFI reunions alive. He said that almost 100% of the Reno participants wanted to have another reunion, regardless of where it would be held. He was deeply moved when he observed tears in many participants’ eyes when they sang Auld Lang Syne and Auf Wiedersehen during the farewell party before saying goodbye.
Another reason why Tjing Bie was committed to the continuation of TFI Reunions was Everdine Wowor Jansen’s enthusiasm when she and husband Jason, both from the Netherlands, agreed to organize the next reunion in the Netherlands.
Since 1990, when the term TFI Reunion was coined, subsequent reunions were called TFI Reunion, with the exception of the following reunion which was held in Veldhoven, a Dutch village outside Eindhoven.
