President’s Corner – May 2025

Thank You: Three Years Serving our Club

As LaVerne and I approach the conclusion of our three-year tenure as International President and First Lady of Airstream Club International, we are filled with immense gratitude and pride.

Serving this community has been a privilege, allowing us to forge lasting friendships and create cherished memories. As many of you know, our travels across the United States and Canada have been extraordinary, offering us the chance to meet, converse and learn from our diverse membership.

Each encounter has deepened our appreciation for the unique spirit and camaraderie that define our Club. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for making these years unforgettable.

On the “business side”, working alongside the International Board of Trustees has been both productive and enjoyable, and we are grateful for their unwavering partnership and dedication. As we pass the torch to the incoming Executive Council and Region Presidents, we are confident in their leadership.

We know most of the next leadership team and anticipate their vision, innovation and decisions will continue guiding our Club along a future of stability and growth, even as we celebrate 70 years of continuous operation. Because of that, we are assured that our Club will thrive and evolve, maintaining cherished traditions while embracing new opportunities.

As members, we are excited for the journey ahead and the bright future that awaits our beloved Club.

From LaVerne McHenry (International First Lady and Past Region 12 President):

As we wrap up our three years of service with this incredible club, I just want to say thank you — truly. Being part of this community has been an honor, and we’re deeply grateful for all the support, collaboration, and shared memories we’ve built together.

Though it’s time for us to move on from leadership, we will carry the experiences — and the friendships — with us always. Thank you for the trust, the challenges, the fun, and the sense of belonging. We leave proud of what we’ve accomplished and excited to see where the club heads next.

With heartfelt appreciation,

LaVerne McHenry (BRN #253)

In this President’s Corner:

• Camping Forecast for 2025 (KOA Research)
• Our Airstream “Happy Door”
• Looking back to July 2022: Installation Speech

Camping Forecast for 2025 (KOA Research)

Given the current period of uncertainty, I often get asked about the impact on our Club. While I don’t have a concrete answer, I find the recent KOA 2025 Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report encouraging (https://koa.com/north-american-camping-report/).

Take a look, paying attention to the shift towards ‘cabins/glamping,’ continued percentage of those who work while camping (36%), shifts in RV purchasing/use, motivation of RV owners (“Nearly 80% of RV owners are planning to camp in 2025, continuing to be some of the most motivated and loyal campers“), generational preferences, etc.

The market in which we participate looks strong, both in the near and the long term.

Example: Generational Preferences (2025 KOA Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report)

Our Airstream “Happy Door”

As with most things Airstream, we grabbed the idea of a “Happy Door” from fellow Club members.  As our leadership of your Club comes to an end, it seemed fitting to share our door memories.  Like a lot of things, it’s not about the pins or stickers but the memories, most with you, that they represent.

Each pin and sticker brings a smile for LaVerne and me, as we think of specific friends and experiences over the last few years. Next Step: Get the Canada map on the door (British Columbia) and get back out to the eastern seaboard.

There’s a longer, but valid explanation on how we earned the Hawaii sticker – smile.

Looking back to July 2022: Presidential Installation Speech

As I wrote this final article for the Blue Beret Magazine and reflected on the past three years, I reviewed my first speech as your President at the 2022 International Rally in Fryeburg, Maine. I was pleased to see my message remains both relevant and complete three years later.

Therefore, I am sharing it again, as it still resonates with what I believe you should expect from future leadership, what you experience as a member in our Club, and the vision of our founder Wally Byam and the organizer of our Club, his cousin Helen Byam Schwamborn.

Installation Speech | Eric McHenry | International President | June 29, 2022, at Fryeburg, Maine

 I was sitting outside our trailer the other day trying to figure out how to start my thoughts; you know, figuring out where to start (and what direction to go) is often the hardest part (!!). 

I considered starting with “Thanks to all of you for this opportunity to serve you,” then shifted to talking about how “My time in WBCCI / ACI has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences in my life…”. 

Then I realized I should thank my beautiful wife (and best friend) LaVerne for walking this path with me for the 44 years we have been together and the 15 years within this Club.

I suppose I could start with the future and how I hope to help this Club solidify its place as the premier social group in the RV industry. It’s a daunting responsibility to stand up here among my friends, predecessors, peers, and the 16,000 ACI members we have worldwide. 

Our Club has seen record membership growth over the last few years, but not just that – I stand here in front of a membership that has never been more vibrant, inclusive, forward-looking, and frankly full of joy and optimism.  I know for many of you, this Club was a bedrock of community and hope during the pandemic. Through our Airstreams, we had cocoons of safety that enabled us to escape into the outdoors and cautiously travel the country.

But you all know all of that, so I decided to start at the beginning with words some of you may remember – it is called “Wally’s Creed,” and here are some excerpts:

• “In the heart of these words is an entire life’s dream. To those of you who find in the promise of these words your promise, I bequeath this creed…my dream belongs to you.”
• “To place the great wide world at your doorstep for you who yearn to travel with all the comforts of home.”
• “To keep alive and make real an enduring promise of high adventure and faraway lands…of rediscovering old places and new interests.”
• “To encourage clubs and rallies that provide an endless source of friendships, travel fun, and personal expressions.”

 It’s this last one I want you to remember, and I want you to look to your left and your right at the person sitting next to you; the absolute magic of our Club is what you’ll see.

• In front of me, I see Cecelia Stansbury, who stood next to LaVerne and me 15 years ago. As Santa Clara Unit President, she installed us into our WBCCI membership and started this journey of ours.
• How many of you have had the same experience of wandering around a campground or rally and bumping into somebody like Cecelia and Bob? I’ve sat in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, and countless other states, and each time made lifetime friends.
• I hope all of you have had that same experience here at this incredible rally led by my predecessor, Tye Mott. This is the magic of our Club – partying with VAC, joining in the singing of the Canadian National Anthem with the Quebecois, sharing the evening with our “family” from the Arkansas Razorbacks, and now here with you.

I guess that’s it – it’s simple in some ways. I’m honored to have been selected by you to be your President for the next year. You’ll get my energy, attention, and dedication to working with the International Board of Trustees to keep this Club the way you should expect from us.

Looking forward to seeing you all down the road!

Eric McHenry

International President / BRN 153 // Amateur Radio callsign AA6EM

emchenry@airstreamclub.org