March 2014 Red Pencil

The Red Pencil    

The Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel

Vol.XVI, No.4, March 2014

Nanci Tolbert Nance, editor______________________            ___ntn1066@hotmail.com__          963-8892

 

 

March Meeting

 

Noon, Thursday, March 20, 2014

Deerfield Methodist Church

Cost per meal is $10, check payable to

Watauga Unit, NCRSP

 

 

Program:                                           

Darcy Grimes, 2012 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, member of faculty at Bethel Elementary School

 

At this meeting, we will be voting for delegates to the national NEA Convention in Denver CO in late June/early July.  We will have ballots for you.

 

We will also be voting on the slate of officers for our next biennium.  You will receive an email before the meeting about that vote.

 

Bring as much non-perishable food as you can manage for the Hunger Coalition.  Powdered milk, cans of soup, oatmeal and pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYTHING non-perishable, will be acceptable.  Remember those plastic bags, if you have a supply of them to spare.  And Box Tops for Education.  And individual servings of food such as crackers or fruit or mac and cheese for the backpacks our county’s hungry children take home over the weekends.

 

And lovely, noisy loose change for our scholarship fund.  AND, AND, AND some extra dollars for our raffle.  The generous folk at Belk are giving us a large basket filled with goodies worth far, far more than the money you’ll pay for tickets, which, as usual, are $1 each and 6 for $5, all to benefit the Scholarship Fund.

 

                                    Special Meeting Announcements:

 

Very important note:  If your caller has not phoned you by the 15^st of March, call your caller if you plan to attend.  If you change your mind at the last minute about attending, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 immediately and come ahead! 

 

 

AND remember:   After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5.  As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!  Let one of your officers know as quickly as you can at the meeting so that your meal will be ready for you to take home.

 

 

President’s Message

 

I don't know about the rest of you, but  for me, January and February of 2014 are suddenly  a memory and the arrival of March was almost a surprise - a welcome surprise, certainly, but one for which I was not entirely prepared.

You may have read in the PANORAMA that this year, the state convention of the NCRSP is being held in Hickory, March 18 through 19, in the Hickory Metro Convention Center. Even though that is only weeks away, I hope that many of you will choose to attend. I intend to drive down each day rather than stay overnight.

In addition to the normal business of the organization, several interesting special sessions will feature information on identity theft, grassroots organizing and updates on our retirement system and health plans.

We will be allowed to send up to 13 delegates. If you are interested, call or email either Dot Barker or me and we will make preparations to get you registered.

You may even want to arrange to attend some sessions of the NCAE Convention, which follows ours and  is March 20 through 22. For the first time, NCRSP members will have full voting privileges with NCAE.

Our March meeting will be filled with good information and good fellowship.  I’ll see you there!

                                                                                                Bill Winker

State NCRSP Convention Meets in our Own Backyard

 

We’re used to traveling to Raleigh or Durham or even Greensboro and Winston-Salem for our state convention, but this year, the meeting is barely an hour away – in Hickory.  The deadline for registration is past for the March 18-19 meeting, but we’ve been told that it has been extended just for us.  Our chapter will pay your $10 registration if you wish to attend both days or only one.  If you wish to attend, please notify Dot Barker at 264-3621 as quickly as possible.  The convention banquet, held on Tuesday evening, the 18^th, is $35 per person.

 

Margaret Sigmon Thanks Callers

 

A special note to our callers from Margaret Sigmon:   Please mark your calendars to begin phoning the names on your call list Monday, March10.  I need names by Saturday evening March 15 so that I can phone George early Monday morning.  He has to put in an order for food so that he will have possession of it by Wednesday.

 

You have been a great group of callers this year.  I appreciate your promptness in getting your lists to me so that I can let George know on schedule. 

 

264-2036

265- 7254 cell

Margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net

The Tax Man Cometh and Cometh and Cometh – or Maybe Not

 

In response to a change in state law, which eliminates many exemptions, deductions, and tax credits, the North Carolina Department of Revenue is requiring that retirees complete and submit a new Withholding Certificate for Pension form.  BUT, this tax law change does not affect retirees in the Bailey Class.  No action is required.  Quoting from the Bailey ruling, "all North Carolina State, Local Government and Federal retirees, having five or more years of creditable service toward retirement as of August 12, 1989," are in the Bailey Class.  If you have questions, Dot Barker will have answers for us all at the March meeting.

 

 

 

 

In Memoriam

 

 

The Watauga Unit of NCRSP extends its sympathy to the families and friends of Anne Van Noppen Millsaps, Frank Randall, and Agnes Shipley.  In their memory, we have made contributions to the Watauga Unit Scholarship Fund. 

 

 

 

SOS (Save Our Scholarship) 

     Since we are halfway through the 2013-2014 year, we need to concentrate on our Scholarship Fund.  Many of us who pay our dues by Electronic Fund Transfer and therefore do not pay with cash sometimes forget to make a contribution to the Scholarship Fund.  Also, those of us who pay dues by mail sometimes forget this important fund.  The Scholarship Fund must come from donations only; we cannot use dues money.  We need to meet our goal of $1000 by May to be able to fund our scholarship given each year to a graduating senior at Watauga High School.  We appreciate the contributions that those of you who attend the meetings make in the little cans on the tables.  The unit also puts $25 in the Scholarship Fund in memory of each member who dies during the year.  Please consider making a donation to this fund, especially if you have not given this year.  If you will not be attending the March meeting, you may mail this donation to Dot Barker, Treasurer, 451 Poplar Hill Drive, Boone, NC  28607.

 

        

 

 

 

          

 

Keep up with those volunteer hours!

 

 

Post in a prominent spot and check regularly.  We recommend a calendar on which your record activities.  Circle them if they qualify as volunteer time.

NCRSP Community Participation  Volunteer Hours  2014

 

Name ______________________  Unit Watauga County  District 3

 

Category

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

Education

Other*

 

               Total Hours in All Categories ________

* Please note that activities for which you are paid (honoraria/stipends) and activities performed in caring for grandchildren, elderly parents, or other family members DO NOT COUNT toward your volunteer hours.

 

 

 

 

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Where’s My NCRSP Membership Card?

 

 

Ginger Sermons, district treasurer, wants us to know that our membership cards do not expire.  Only new members receive new cards.

 

 

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What’s New that You Need to Know:

 

v  The State NCRSP Convention is happening in Hickory, March 18 and 19.  Let Dot Barker know ASAP if you plan to attend.

 

v  We care about each other and want to show it.  If you know of an NCRSP member who is ill or needs a kind word – or someone who has a happy event to share,  please let LaVerne Franklin know at 264-8696 or franklin160954@bellsouth.net

Dr. Frank Randall,95, died January 10, 2104

Information from Frank and Lera’s son, Richard:

Dr. J. Frank Randall, 95, a long time member of the Boone, NC, community and retired Professor of Biology at Appalachian State University, died on January 10, 2014 at Watauga Medical Center.

Born in 1918 at the family farm on Big Pine Creek, Madison County, NC, Dr. Randall was the fifth child of John Wesley Randall, Jr., and Lou Ella Randall. Like so many in the Randall family, he pursued a career in teaching and education, receiving an A.A. from Brevard College, an A.B. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. from The University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Biology from The University of South Carolina. Before joining the faculty of what was Appalachian State Teachers College in 1957, Dr. Randall taught for two years at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, NY, for seven years in the public secondary schools of North Carolina, and for three years at the then newly-established Alpena (MI) Community College.

Dr. Randall’s enthusiasm for teaching was evident in his early morning ornithology classes. He readily shared his avid interest in birds and their environment and nurtured this same appreciation and love of nature in his students. He had a breadth of interest that led him to help develop a series of Biology Department classes ranging from ecology and biogeography to mammalogy, ichthyology, vertebrate zoology, evolution, and endangered species. He was a proponent of the idea that understanding the natural world around us is an important part of an education. In that vein he created a special biology course for home economics majors and constantly shared his love of field biology formally and informally with students, family, and friends. His two academic trips with students to Alaska (1974 and 1977, respectively) and three trips (1979, 1982, and 1985) to South America to the Galapagos Islands and portions of mainland Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, including Machu Picchu, were cherished experiences and robust learning exercises for the participants.

He took pride in, and his students benefited from, his multidisciplinary knowledge. He delighted and surprised many students from small communities with his detailed knowledge of their communities, some of which was acquired during his comprehensive survey of fish in the Catawba-Wateree river basin. Focused on more than just their academic success in a particular class, he conveyed to his students the importance of development of the whole person by challenging them to think deeply about ethics, politics, and human impact on the Earth.

He was keenly aware of his responsibilities as an educator and teacher and played a major role in establishing the Appalachian Faculty Senate, serving as its first chairman. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Dr. Randall was active in the Audubon Society, North Carolina Nature Conservancy, Bluff Mountain Stewardship Committee (where he conducted hiking tours), and the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee for North Carolina. He was active with Boy Scouts, serving as a Scoutmaster and as an Explorer Post Advisor.

His lifelong commitment to conservation and preservation was fostered by appreciation for plants, animals, and ecosystems that he absorbed from his father during childhood in the rural NC mountains and by the love of geography and education inspired by his mother. These characteristics were expanded and reinforced when, as a young man, he hitchhiked throughout much of the western US.

Dr. Randall was a kind, gentle, patient, and non-violent person and a conscientious objector during the second world war—an unpopular but genuine belief for which he had to mount legal challenges to state and federal agencies to defend. He served through the American Friends Service Committee and other organizations, performing conservation work in California and Oregon, as well as helping migrant workers and American citizens of Japanese heritage who were relocated to internment camps by the federal government. As part of his alternate civilian service, he volunteered to become a 'smoke jumper' for fighting forest fires in west; although, that program was canceled before he was deployed.

Since his retirement in 1990, Dr. Randall spent much of his time adding to, enjoying, and working on his Roaring Fork nature preserve in the Meat Camp section of Watauga County. He shared his love and enthusiasm for this favorite spot with friends, relatives, scouts, students, and beloved canines, Snowzey and Baxter.

Dr. Randall was one of a close family of eight children. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by all of his siblings and their spouses: brothers Herman, Paul (Evelyn), Robert (Elizabeth), Fred (Myrtle), and sisters Virginia Roberts (Gordon), Maye Hill (Jim), Nina Roberts (Sam), as well as niece Carolyn Roberts Woodrow and nephew Robert L. Randall, Jr.

Surviving Dr. Randall are his wife of 63 years, Lera Britt Randall, formerly of Chadbourn, NC, and son, Richard R. Randall, of Durham, NC. He is also survived by dozens of nieces and nephews and their children, whose friendship and love he cherished.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to The Nature Conservancy, American Friends Service Committee, Southern Environmental Law Center, National Audubon Society, institutions of higher education, UNC-TV, or other non-profit, charitable organizations of the donor's preference.

The family welcomes favorite recollections from students and friends wishing to share them at jfrankrandall@gmail.com. Visitation will be 3:00-5:00 p.m. Sunday, January 12, 2014, at Austin and Barnes Funeral Home (828.264.8888, www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com/) in Boone. A memorial service, to be scheduled, will be held in the Spring

December Red Pencil

Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel

 

Vol.XVI, No.3  December 2013__________________ntn1066@hotmail.com

December Meeting

Noon, Thursday, December 19, 2013

Deerfield Methodist Church

Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP

 

Program:  Music – lovely, seasonal music under the direction of Sondra Edwards

 

To make your reservation:  Just let your caller know that you will attend.  IF YOUR CALLER  HASN’T CALLED BY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, PLEASE PHONE MARGARET AT 264-2036.”  SHE MUST REPORT SHORTLY AFTER THAT SO THAT GEORGE CAN ORDER THE FOOD FOR US.

 

To bring:  as much non-perishable food as you can for the Hunger Coalition.  Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANY thing non-perishable will be acceptable. Did you know that more than 300 children receive food on Fridays to feed themselves during the weekend?  PLEASE help.

 

Also to bring:  a new or gently read children’s book for distribution to the children in this county through the Santa’s Toy Box Program.  DO NOT bring books that have been marked in.  We’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Seuss and the Read Across America program he loved.  On that subject, if you would like to volunteer to read to kids, select an appropriate volume, put the first week of March on your calendar, and call your favorite elementary school – AND, AND, AND –

 

     all your loose change.  We want our scholarship program to continue, and for that to happen, we need all those lovely, noisy nickels and dimes and quarters.

 

DON’T FORGET:  After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5.  As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!

 

 

 

President’s Message

 

President’s Message

It may seem cliché to talk about thankfulness at this time of year, but I know many of you have heard me say how blessed I am to have been able to spend my career doing what I love and having the opportunity to share what I love with so many others.   I was in 11^th grade at Watauga High when I suddenly realized what I wanted to do with my life.  Watching Otis Strother as he attempted to guide us through the concepts of balance and phrasing, I said to myself, “That!  I want to do that!” 

Of course, I soon discovered that there was much more to being a teacher than just playing music.  The first few years were difficult, but as I tried to teach the kids, they also taught me.  Somewhere along the line, I realized that the plaques on the wall were not the most important part of my job.  After about a dozen years or so, I stopped always describing myself as a “Band Director” and very proudly called myself “Teacher”.  Funny thing was, we received even more plaques after that.

And now, as I am blessed to know and work with you.  You, my fellow teachers, love the kids too, and care enough about our profession to keep making a difference.  Please know that I not only thank you but also am thankful for you – and wish you the happiest holiday season ever.

                                                                                                         Bill Winkler

 

 

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Keeping in Touch, All about Us

A note arrived recently from J Lou Carpenter’s daughter Kim.  Because so many of us were/are students or friends or colleagues, the following information may be of interest to you.

 

J Lou and Bill moved to Taylor Glen Baptist Home in Concord about 10 years ago.  After Bill’s death, she moved into the health care wing of Taylor Glen, where Kim visits regularly.  She remembers her time in Boone and the friends she made here with great fondness.

 

If you would like to send her a card or a note, her address is 

J Lou Carpenter

3700 Taylor Glen Lane

Health Care

Concord, NC 28027

 

If you are in the area and would like to visit, Taylor Glen is about one mile from Lowe's Motor Speedway.

                                                                        -------

 

We’re also pleased to note that R.G. Shipley was honored at the recent North Carolina State Fair.  Don’t you just KNOW he has one enormous room in his home papered with the wonderful recognitions he and Agnes have received, every single one of them richly deserved.

 

 

 

 

            -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An Incredibly Easy Coconut Custard Pie

 

 

½ cp Bisquick

¾ cp sugar

4 eggs

2 cps milk

1 3 ½-oz can coconut

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp softened butter

 

 

1.      Butter a 9-inch pie pan.

2.      Combine all ingredients.

3.      Pour into pie pan and bake at 400 degrees 25-30 minutes.

4.      Ingredients will settle into crust, custard, and coconut topping.

 

 
  A Successful District Convention!!!
With much appreciation to Mary Linda Dooley and her 20+ volunteers, the Watauga Unit of NCRSP hosted a very successful District 3 convention in late October at the First Presbyterian Church of Boone.    Approximately seventy members of District 3 were in attendance, and to no one’s surprise, our unit won the award for the most members present. 
            Highlights of the meeting included an informative presentation on the new health care plans available to current and retired state employees presented by ASU Acting Director of Human Resources, Angie Miller.  Angie took the time to answer attendees’ questions.  Joe Shannon, accompanied by NCRSP member Beth Winkler, shared his musical talents on the accordian, dulcimer, and harmonica.   Special guest speaker Terry Mitchell, VP of the state NCRSP, reiterated the issues and problems of teachers today and let us know that our only course of action is to contact our legislators and vote in local, regional, and national elections.
            Next year we will be meeting in Mitchell County – and thanks again to Mary Linda, her team, and everyone in the Watauga Unit who made this event such a success.

 

 

(In Honor of Dr. Seuss)   Think left and think right

                                             And think low and think high.

                                             Oh the thinks you can think up

                                             If only you try!

 

 

 

                               URGENT RED CROSS APPEAL FOR TYPHOON HAIYAN VICTIMS

If you are on the unit’s email list, you have already received this notice and, we hope, have already planned to make your donation.  If this information is new to you, please read carefully.

At the direction of the NCRSP Administrative Council, our state president, John Hoffman, has announced a 2014 NCRSP Outreach Project in connection with the next NCRSP state convention to be held in March in Hickory.  The project itself is a way to reach out to the victims of Super-Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in early November 2013, especially the children.

Our donations will help to provide shelter, food, medical attention, and more of the basic human needs of children and their parents.   To contribute, please make a check payable to the American Red Cross and mark Typhoon Haiyan Relief in the memo line.  Bring your check to our meeting in December or mail it to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone NC 28607.  Again, write “Typhoon Haiyan Relief” on the memo line.  

If you wish to donate after our December meeting, you may take your check to the local Red Cross Chapter or mail it to American Red Cross National Headquarters, 2025 E. St., NW, Washington DC 20006, but PLEASE let Dot know what you are sending.  She is responsible for keeping a record of our donations and making a report at the state convention.

 

Community Participation

Our plea once again is that you cast aside unnecessary modesty in the name of helping both the Watauga Unit of NCRSP and NCRSP itself.  Keeping up with the dozens of ways in which each of us volunteers in our community is not vanity; it is simple record-keeping, and it may well be the kind of record-keeping that convinces our legislators of just how valuable we are to the schools in North Carolina. 

Please, please, please compute the time you spend helping out in our area, record those hours in the enclosed form, and bring that form with you to the meeting.

 

Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31.

NCRSP Community Participation - Volunteer Hours  2013

 

Name _____________________________

 

Category

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

Education

Other

 

                        Total Hours in All Categories ________

 

 

 

Book Nook:   A friend in a winter book club recently recommended the Maisie Dobbs series.  Beginning in 1929 in London, the books center on Maisie Dobbs, proprietor of a investigation agency.  If you like books that are cleverly plotted, beautifully written, gentle and genteel, begin with Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.

 

 

 

                         It’s Always Something: craft projects for a long winter

 

If you have some skill, beginner-level absolutely acceptable, perhaps you would be interested in one of these crochet or knit projects to keep your hands busy and your lap warm this winter.

The Red Scarf Project, red scarves for foster kids

Size: approximately 60” long and 5” to 8” wide. Scarves should be long enough to be wrapped around the neck, with tails long enough to be tied in the front. 

Style: Think unisex collegiate. Fringes are optional. Your scarf should drape, tie easily, and be soft.

Color: Red! Burgundy, cherry, russet, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red are all acceptable.

Finished & tagged: Yarn ends should be securely sewn in. For a personal touch, attach a tag saying “Handmade for You” with your first name, city, and group affiliation, if any. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, and more.

Mail to: Foster Care to Success, Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive Suite 130 
Sterling, VA 20166

NOTE: Scarves are accepted between September 1 and December 15 annually.  As we have limited storage space, please send your scarves only during this time period.

The handmade red scarves in each of our Valentine’s Day care packages become treasured keepsakes that our students wear for years. The Red Scarf Project offers a unique opportunity to use your creativity to give a truly personal gift to one student as he or she moves forward to graduation and a brighter future.

Knit Your Bit, scarves for veterans in our VA hospitals

Knit Your Bit asks that the scarves be knit, crocheted, or sewn in male-friendly colors. May the veteran who receives it wear it in good health.

Send your scarf to: The National World War II Museum. Knit Your Bit Campaign, 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130.

 

 

This little piece ran in a Red Pencil two years ago, but it is just as pertinent today as it was then.  It’s a personal favorite of your humble editor, who always looks for requests from teachers right here in Watauga County and always finds them.

Looking for a unique and simple way to make a difference to education?  Go to www.donorschoose.org (that’s org, not com), a site where teachers across the nation can post the needs they have in their own classroom.  Donate a little or a lot.  Donate in honor or in memory of a colleague, your kids’ teachers, or even one of your own mentors in education.  Click through your choices, select one close to  heart, and remember how you felt when you provided your own books, pencils, bulletin board materials, videos, recordings, and on and on and on.

 

 

 

 

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.’

                                                                                                                                                                Maya Angelou