National Geographic Society

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It's hard to imagine an edition of National Geographic without its familiar yellow border, breathtaking color photography and intriguing story lines. But the October, 1888 maiden edition of the magazine was wrapped in a dull brown cover, and it included absolutely no photography. As for its most exciting story, that would have been "The Classification of Geographic Forms by Genesis."

That was barely 10 months after a group of 33 well-traveled geographers, geologists, explorers, teachers, meteorologists, cartographers, military officers and financiers met in Washington's Cosmos Club to found a society "for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge." They were adventurous, bold, energetic and curious -- and among their number were the first explorers of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

In its 110 years, National Geographic has come a long way, both literally and figuratively. Gilbert S. Grosvenor, its editor for 55 years, believed that the key to making the National Geographic Society thrive was transforming the magazine into "a vehicle for carrying the living, breathing, human-interest truth about this great world of ours."

And thrive it has. Membership increased to 74,000 by 1910, and 10 times that by 1920. The magazine's coverage of space exploration (in full color by the early 1960s) rocketed membership to more than six million by 1969. Today, National Geographic brings the world to 9 million adults and children every month.

The Society's research and exploration projects have featured such pioneers as Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and the Leakey family. It conducts a comprehensive campaign to improve the effectiveness of geography teaching in American schools. Its television specials, and its programs Explorer and Really Wild Animals, bring the wonders of the world into people's homes, both here and around the world. Maps, lectures, tours, Explorer's Hall - the Society's programs are as varied and vast as the world they chronicle.

And beyond. Through their Web site (http://www. nationalgeographic.com), the National Geographic Society has gone from the Cosmos Club ...to the Cosmos itself.

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The National Geographic Society is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of the National Capital Area's oldest client. While establishing the precise age of the partnership may not require an archeological dig or carbon-dating techniques, 60-plus years is a long time to maintain a customer's confidence and trust.

Carol Lang, the Society's assistant vice president, human resources, attributes the longevity of the relationship to Blue Cross and Blue Shield's readiness to change and adapt to the Society's changing needs. She cites this example: "In the 1980s, we wanted to be ready well in advance of a new accounting requirement that was going to require us to book the expense and related liability of our retirees' health care benefits. We were the first Blue Cross customer to ask for their help, and they worked with us until we were all sure we had what we needed," according to Lang.

"Our standards are incredibly high at National Geographic. We pride ourselves on accuracy, reliability and quality. We've had a fantastic relationship with Blue Cross and Blue Shield because they aspire to the same level of quality and service."