Friday's activities focused on the mission and business of the NRHS.

BANQUET: Friday's gala event was the convention banquet, held in the Laclede ballroom of the Millennium. Dinner included a choice of steak, fish, or vegetarian entree with mixed vegetables, along with a salad, rolls, and Bavarian Black Forest Cake for desert.

After dinner the President of the NRHS, Mr. Greg Molloy, presented some remarks, including thanking the St. Louis Chapter for an outstanding convention and recognizing the NRHS Officers, Directors, and Service Directors in attendance. The President of the St. Louis Chapter, Mr. Al Weber, also recognized several guests and representatives of his Chapter who supported the convention planning and execution effort.

Then, Mr. Ed Ellis, a lifelong railroader, gave the highlight presentation of the evening. Mr. Ellis spoke about giving our children the gift of "The Thrilling Trains of Their Youth", in reference to creating the next generation of railfans and rail historians by exposing them to riding trains in their youth. Mr. Ellis relayed some of his personal experiences from his youth, including cab rides and cross-country train trips, and then went on to talk about his long career in railroading, which included working for Illinois Central Gulf, Chicago Northwestern, and Amtrak. According to Mr. Ellis, kids love to ride trains, eat in the diner, and sleep in the sleeper, among other things. Get them started young, do it as a family, and they may be hooked for life. That is the way that Mr. Ellis, who grew up in Paducah, KY, gained his love for trains.

Mr. Ed Ellis gives the keynote banquet address.

Also on display at the banquet was a proclamation by the Mayor of St. Louis making this "National Railway Historical Society" week in St. Louis.

Proclamation of Mayor of St. Louis