Skal International Long Island celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a lavish dinner dance at the famed Garden City Hotel, the premier hotel on Long Island, honoring three Charter Members of the Club as well as inaugurating a new president for 2008.

Roland C. Mracek, vice president Region 1, Skal International USA, presented 25th Anniversary pins and certificates to three Charter Members, Dan Tagger, Carl Gnirke and Paul Oele, who are all still active and served as president of the Long Island Club.

At the same time, Mracek officiated in the inauguration of Richard S. Kahn as the new Long Island Skal Club president.

“It is an honor to be present here and to officiate in both honoring three distinguished Skal members who have built this successful club on Long Island and to inaugurate its new president who is on track to expand the club over the next year,” said Roland Mracek in presenting the pins and certificates.

Members from other Skal clubs including New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut and New Jersey were present to help the Long Island Club celebrate its 25th Anniversary.

“We were very pleased at the diverse attendance at the celebration and I was personally honored to have been installed by Roland Mracek, the Region 1 vice president,” said Richard S. Kahn, who takes the helm of Skal Long Island at a time when the club needs an injection of new members, a task which he vowed to pursue.

Kahn brings 40 years of travel industry relationships to his new volunteer position including five years as an editor with Aviation Week Magazine and 15 years as the Editor-in-Chief of Travel Agent Magazine. He has been operating his own public relations and marketing company, KTCpr, for the past 18 years with a staff of 10 based in Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY.

Sponsors of the Skal International Long Island 25th Anniversary Celebration included The Garden City Hotel, Travel Impressions and Victoria Cruises.

Skal International is a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism, networking, business to business opportunities and friendships lasting a lifetime. It was founded in Paris, France in 1932.

Skal is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Members meet at local, regional, national and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest. Skal International has approximately 23,000 members in 500 Clubs throughout 87 nations. Skal International USA (SIUSA) has 72 Clubs within the United States with approximately 3,200 members.

Skal is non-political and encourages advancement and evolution through affiliation with other international industry organizations such as the World Tourism Organization. Skal supports charitable causes. Through contributions from Clubs around the world, the Florimond Volckaert Fund assists any Skal member in times of financial need or crisis. Skal members are welcome at all meetings around the world.