When Sandra Henson first got involved in creative problem solving in 1984, it was as a teacher at the Hutchison School, an independent school for girls in Memphis. Her husband soon joined in, volunteering as an Appraiser from time to time but mostly just doing those unheralded tasks that keep the program running from year to year. “Travel is my passion,” says Sandra. “Destination ImagiNation has been the journey of a lifetime.”
It seemed like DI might have skipped a generation in the Henson family. Sandra’s grandson, Kohl Henson, started participating in the second grade. “I fondly remember the happy-go-lucky little boy running around the stage performing all sorts of technical elements. His father, Blair, eventually served as an Appraiser until the family moved to Florida. That was our first three-generation experience.”
The Henson’s oldest grandson, Lee, fell heads-over-heels for CPS, participating as a team member from grade three all the way through high school. His seventh grade team won first place at the state and placed seventh at the Finals at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, a memorable experience. Lee was the steady member who completed intricate tasks without missing a cue.
Finally, in 1993 Sandra’s daughter, Beth, and her new husband joined the fold. She had met Costi Tudan in his native Romania when she went as a Fulbright Fellow. Shortly after moving to Memphis, Costi, finding a novel way to get to his mother-in-law’s heart, volunteered as a Team Manager for third and fourth grade students who had been searching in vain for an adult leader. Beth helped, and the team surprised them by qualified for state.
Costi created and ran the Regional and Affiliate websites. He also took digital pictures at tournaments, creating presentations to entertain the troops before closing ceremonies. In order to recognize his dedication to the program he received the state’s first “Spirit of DI” award.
Meanwhile, Beth was busy Appraising and serving as Challenge Master on both regional and Affiliate levels. When their son, Paul, reached kindergarten, she organized a Rising Stars! team for him and his friends. What those children lacked in expertise they more than made up in exuberance.
“My 20 years with creative problem solving, first as team manager and later as school coordinator, Affiliate Director, Affiliate Director, regional and Affiliate Challenge Master, Global Finals Head Appraiser, VOMBO Board member, and mother and grandmother, have brought me in contact with people from around the globe,” says Sandra. “Personal milestones include establishing the first program in Tennessee, accompanying 33 teams from Hutchison to Global Finals, being responsible for the Global Finals coming to the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 1991, involving my family in a program that I hold in high esteem, and (drum roll, please) introducing Susan Beth Purifico to creative problem solving.” Those in the know will realize that Susan Beth Purifico and her husband, Destination ImagiNation President Bob Purifico, met through the program.
Beth Henson Tudan shares her mother’s fond memories of life, Destination ImagiNation style. “Our first son, Paul, was born in 1997,” said Beth. “Without realizing it, we were parenting as Team Managers. We provided lots of oatmeal boxes and lids along with the store-bought toys. When our son would become frustrated with something, we would direct him to work it out himself.” She says her child is a natural.
“In kindergarten, when the teacher asked the class to create a diorama of an animal habitat, Paul decided to create one of bats because he was scared of them,” remembers Beth. He asked to go to the library to find some books on bats and to research bats on the Internet. He did and then wrote some facts on cards. He got a shoe box and the craft materials we had at home and began to work. He decided his bat needed to swing from the top of the box, so he tried several different approaches. He was proud of his work when he took it to school. Yet when he came home, he had lots of comments.”
“First he said: ‘I think most of the other students’ parents did the work because they were just way too good. And one boy had plastic toys for his eagles… he hadn’t even made the animals!’”
When Paul began Destination Imagination, he felt the program had been designed for him. He enjoys the Instant Challenges, the skit creation, the prop building. He likes brain storming with his teammates and creating a story. Beth, Paul and Costi have now moved to Germany and hope to start the program there for Paul, their younger son, Alexander, and their classmates.
Paul Tudan, third generation Destination ImagiNation participant, loves it just as much as his parents and grandparents. “Instant Challenges are fun because you test your teamwork and cooperation with all your teammates in only two minutes and it is really hard because of you barely have any materials.”
