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EMERITUS STATUS IS THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE HONOR BESTOWED UPON A CERTIFIED HOTEL ADMINISTRATOR BY THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. THE CERTIFICATION COMMISSION AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES SELECT CANDIDATES ONLY AFTER A CAREER OF ACHIEVEMENTS HAS DISTINGUISHED THEM. THE RECIPIENT PERSONIFIES A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC PEERS AND HAS MADE A POSITIVE, LASTING IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY THROUGH LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION AND SERVICE.
 John F. Curry, CHA, has been a leader in the resort industry for more than 30 years. His visionary work has transformed local, state, national and international arenas. As co-founder and chairman of the Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau for 16 years, Curry has been the lightning rod for legislative action to promote tourism and for establishing the island's image as a premier vacation and meeting destination. The Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce recognized Curry's unprecedented efforts by creating the John Curry Tourism Award in his honor during National Tourism Week last May. South Carolina acknowledged his contributions to the state's tourism industry with the highest award possible for a private citizen, The Order of the Palmetto. He has been an active member of AH&LA's Resort Committee and the Lodging Industry Rating Advisory Committee for 20 years.
Curry's rise to the pinnacle of the resort industry began professionally at another peak many years ago when he put in 15 years of service with Yosemite National Park. In 1966, Walt Disney handpicked him as his very first hotel industry employee. Curry became the director of hotels for the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, FL, responsible for coordinating the design, development, and operations of the Polynesian and Contemporary hotels, the first
two benchmarks in Disney's Resort Division. He came to Hilton Head in 1973, to serve as the executive vice-president of the Sea Pines Resorts, where he became early pioneer
in vacation condominium development. Since 1976, he has been president of his own consulting firm, The Curry Company, whose clients currently include Choice Hotels International, Best
Western International, ABC Development in Japan, and the Paradise Island Beach Club, Bahamas.
For his strong, life-long advocacy for tourism and his unique contributions to the health of the resort and lodging industry through his inspired and unfailing support, the Educational
Institute is proud to name John F. Curry the 2001 CHA Emeritius Honoree.
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