NBS Presidents
The former national presidents whose contributions shaped the organization.
Ms. Bessie Gay has displayed a sincere dedication to the NBS. Her accomplishments were many, including: successful negotiation of sponsorship for the youth ski camp to Saas Fe Switzerland and ongoing sponsor relations development, establishing an alliance with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, and implementing email communications to decrease organization overhead costs. As the former Treasurer of the NBS, she contributed significantly to the planning, structure and the further development of the financial administration. In honor of her leadership and outstanding service, her local club proclaimed a scholarship in her name to be given to an underprivileged child.
Rose Pickrum: NBS President 1996-1998
Ms. Rose Pickrum had a wonderful time meeting and working with the different and diverse people who make up the NBS membership. Her favorite memory was riding in a convertible during the opening ceremonies of the '97 Summit. The ride itself was not the best part; the opportunity to have kids ride with her and to be a positive role model was the most rewarding. Rose has achieved many successes during her presidency As she says, "You can always do great things when you work with great people." Among her significant achievements are: the establishment of an Executive Committee, hiring an Executive Director, offering a training camp in conjunction with the US Ski Team, signing a three year agreement with our first "title" sponsor, and establishing a committee to hire a negotiator for the NBS conventions.
Naomi Bryson: NBS President 1994-1996
Dr. Naomi Bryson was the first woman President of the NBS and also the first to oversee a AM/CC Mini-Summit in another country, Innsbruck, Austria. Significant accomplishments were achieved during her two years as President, they include obtaining GMC as the first ever Platinum sponsor, establishing a home page on the web, mailing The Skiers Edge newsletter directly to members home addresses, and Thomas Jackson, NBS youth Olympic team member, was awarded a ski and educational scholarship by the Austrian Government and Austro-Ski Tours. An accomplishment which changed the direction of the NBS was developing, reaching consensus on, and beginning implementation of the NBS Strategic Plan. 1995 was particularly fun, due to new approaches to past activities such as: A Never Ever Ski and Safety Clinic for Women, a wedding of an NBS couple who met through skiing, volleyball competition at the Jamaican Picnic-on-the-Hill, the first Gospel Fest featuring Susan Taylor, Editor of Essence Magazine as speaker, and meeting Roy Roberts, President of Pontiac-GMC.
Harold Comfort: NBS President 1993-1994
Mr. Harold Comfort served as NBS President in 1993 and 1994. Mr. Comfort's favorite memory of the National Brotherhood of Skiers was the opportunity to work with dedicated individuals, Club Presidents, Board Members, and appointed officials, all of whom were committed to seeing a "dream come true". The greatest accomplishment achieved during his presidency was obtaining tax exemption for Lodging and Liquor sales from the State of Colorado which enabled the NBS to direct substantial dollars to the organization's 501(c)(3) Youth Scholarship Fund. The most fun Mr. Comfort had was negotiating a snowmobile around NBS Board members scattered along a mountain trail in Beaver Creek.
Sam Lawler: NBS President 1990-1993
To his credit, Sam Lawler over saw the largest Summit on record where attendance exceeded all previous Summits . The '93 Summit, the last in his three year presidency 1990-1993, was also the 20th Anniversary of the National Brotherhood of Skiers. The participants spent a reported ten million dollars in one week at Vail and rented all the cars available from a major car rental company in Denver causing a major grid lock at Stapleton International Airport. Raising funds for the NBS Olympic Scholarship Fund was the most enjoyable activity of Sam's presidency. The '91 Summit was Mr. Lawler's favorite. "It was the perfect combination of good weather and beautiful people coming together for a good cause while having fun."
Paul Ray: NBS President 1988 - 1990
Mr. Ray considers his greatest accomplishment to be the introduction of the OIS and BEST programs on a National level. Both programs were regional successes which Mr. Ray introduced on a National level during his terms. His favorite memory was the announcement of a $239 thousand profit made from the 1989 Summit which was the largest profit ever made from a Summit to that date. It is only fitting that his most enjoyable experience as president was the 1989 Summit at Steamboat Springs.
Joe Long: NBS President 1986 - 1988
Mr. Long's favorite memories and his greatest accomplishments are one and the same: "Increasing the number of sponsor participants contributing to NBS" and "Initiating the national cross country ski program." For Mr. Long, his most enjoyable memories of the NBS center around seeing the NBS attain its goal of increasing the number of minority people participating in the sport of skiing" and seeing the progress of young skiers and watching them grow into top caliber national competitors." He also expressed how much he has enjoyed watching the organization grow from a 500 person Summit in 1973 to a 6000 person Summit." A key milestone in Mr. Long's presidency was his taking the Summit to Lake Placid, NY in 1996, the year immediately following the International Ski Olympic. Though he served as NBS president from 1986 to 1988, Joe Long has served as a member of the NBS executive board in some capacity from 1977-1996.
Ben Finley: NBS President 1984-1988
Ben Finley is one of the co-founders of the Black Summit and served as NBS President from 1984 to 1988. His favorite Summit memory is of Summit '87 in Big Sky, Montana where the 1200-1500 NBS participants "owned the mountain". While Ben has been involved with the NBS since the outset, he is most proud of having kicked off the NBS youth racing program and introducing Bonnie St. John-Dean to the National Brotherhood of Skiers. Bonnie, a single amputee who had lost a leg as a result of a childhood birth defect, became the first African-American to compete on a U.S. Ski Team. Moreover she went on to win two bronze medals and a combined silver at the 1984 Handicapped Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria and subsequently became a Rhodes scholar.
Gus Pannell: NBS President 1977-1982
Mr. Gus Pannell was National Brotherhood of Skiers President from 1977-1982. Significant changes and milestones were achieved during those years. The year he was elected, the NBS was almost dissolved, the Summit had been canceled due to no snow, and the organization was deep in debt. The Western Region offered to fund the event and called it the "Black Ski Scene". One of Mr. Pannell's favorite memories was relocating the 1981 Summit from Steamboat to Snowmass in a matter of two weeks due to no snow! One of the accomplishments of Mr. Pannell is presidency was establishing a two week escape clause for the NBS Summit in the case of no snow. Thank goodness for the invention of snow machines! Other significant accomplishments were the creation of AM/CC to encourage an annual gathering during the years without a Summit and the creation of the NBS Olympic Fund. In the five years Mr. Pannell was president, the NBS gained stability as an organization, established by-laws, and became fiscally sound. Mr. Pannell is current a ski instructor in Vail and on the Board of Trustees at Winter Park Ski Resort.
Ray Mott: NBS President 1975-1977
Mr. Mott was the first president of the National Brotherhood of Skiers. As
one of the founding members of Black Ski, Ray is said to have had visions
of the way the NBS should develop, and he would make those visions happen.
A man with great organizational and leadership skills, Ray Mott is said to
have been elected the National Brotherhood of Skiers first president because
he had the ability to really motivate people. What Ray probably enjoyed most
was the progress the organization has made and his favorite pastime, the skiing.
