This month Signature Travel Network will hold its annual conference in Las Vegas, just a few months after its CEO Michelle Morgan passed away following a long battle with breast cancer. Last month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we all saw a lot of pink to remind us that we must continue to fight this dreaded disease. Our sister publication Travel Agent magazine featured Michelle a few years ago on the cover of its annual Pink Issue and donated money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in her honor. So this season of pink has been one of sadness for me. Every time I saw pink I thought of Michelle, her long battle and how it can take down the strongest of people. For those of you who never met Michelle, let me describe her personality and attributes as I saw them. She was a very quiet but strong woman; she had a shyness about her. She didn’t seek the limelight, but it found her because she was a visionary and created a network from which all member advisors could prosper—both as individuals and as a group. All the time with class and heart. When we asked her to be on the cover of Travel Agent, it was a difficult decision as she knew her battle wasn’t over. But she did know that telling her story would mean more to the people around her and help inspire them to work through tough times, no matter what confronts them. That’s what Michelle was about, and Signature Travel Network prospered from that leadership and vision. She was an advocate for all travel advisors and helped bring our entire industry through uncertain times. So when you see pink, think about a classy lady named Michelle Morgan who helped all of us be better people.
Thank you Michelle; you are a special person, and you will be missed.