Thirsters ended a chapter in its long and winding way yesterday, with a final announced meetup at the E Broadway McMenamins. The group got started in a different McMenamins across the river, when Bob Textor and his friends would get together and yak it up, about world affairs, about politics, about trending topics and the talk about town.
Our emails would usually come with the following verbiage:Thirsters: Originally organized by Robert B. Textor (Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Stanford) as a worldwide network in about 1997, Thirsters is an informal gathering of Peace Corps graduates, academics, public servants, business leaders, and other questioning individuals who discuss issues of peace, freedom, creativity, development, ethics, fairness, sustainability and respect for cultural differences. Most often examining topics through a social science lens, Thirster meetings have been described as "a learned salon that comes together for camaraderie, beer, and to discuss issues of common interest." "Intercultural understanding" has often been identified as a primary concern of Thirsters.I've been phasing all alcoholic drinks out of my intake, starting with beer a couple years ago. I'm assured by the example of others that I won't be disqualified from joining Thirsters in its next chapter, simply on that basis. We're switching to a private home to reboot and continue talking.
We reminisced about some of the high points in our gatherings. I've been attending Thirsters meetings for a long time and could match my memories to much of what was said. Several of us mentioned that Pashtun Khan guy who helped educate us about Afghanistan, a meetup I blogged about.
