Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
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Monday, March 15, 2010
March Red Pencil -- Next Meeting March 25th
The Red Pencil
The Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XII, No.4, March 2010
Nanci Tolbert Nance, editor,ntn1066@hotmail.com__963-8892
March Meeting
Noon, Thursday, March 25, 2010 [Please note that this date is not the one we planned at the beginning of the year. We have adjusted the date to make room for the NCRSP state convention.]
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, check payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Please be on time!
Program: Opportunities for Volunteers. Come to listen to your fellow members Dot Barker, Eula Mae Fox, Mary Moretz, Nanci Tolbert Nance, and Jan Watson about the causes that concern them. Future programs will feature other members and other causes. If you have an organization or a cause near to your heart and would be interested in sharing your passion with the group at a later meeting, please phone La Verne Franklin at 964-3337.
Also, we will be voting for NEA-R/NEA delegates to the NEA National Convention at the March meeting.
Please 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 empty medicine bottles, too; each one of them saves the Hunger Coalition at least a nickel. And plastic bags. And Box Tops for Education. And yourself, of course.
Very important note: If your caller has not phoned you by the 21st 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! As usual, Margaret thanks her team of callers who generously volunteer their time doing important work for our organization.
President’s Message
Our Lou Martin recently sent me a delightful article titled ”How Did we Ever Survive?” Probably, we have all been asking ourselves the same question after enduring a winter that began with the December 18th snowstorm that dumped over two feet of snow and doesn’t show signs of stopping. On the 18th, however, I was delighted because I could dust off my cross-country skis and make tracks in the new snow. Christmas Day, 2009, dawned with the crackling sound of tree branches and trunks snapping like toothpicks and taking down the power lines, leaving many of us without electricity for days. Our granddaughter, like all excited youngsters, woke to see what Santa Claus had left her. Even without light, she managed all the unwrapping, but the family Christmas dinner had to be postponed for weeks.
The snow and the wind kept pounding us until we wanted to yell, “Enough is enough!” We tried to escape once by going to Washington, DC to celebrate our daughter’s 40th birthday - only to be caught in the District’s record-breaking snowstorm. Traveling on snow-packed I-95, we were the third car in a seven-car pile-up. Fortunately, we were not injured, but car was damaged in the front and back to the tune of about $4,000. Life does come at us fast, doesn’t it? We have no doubt that this winter will be talked about in the same breath as the 1960, 1977, and 1993 snowstorms, providing many interesting stories for years to come.
Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” The line, of course, is one of hope, and I know that each of us is hoping that the beauty of the crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils will soon replace our images of the scars winter has left on our landscape.
March is a time of renewal for us as we come together after this difficult winter. It will be a time of joy as we greet each other and join our hands and hearts to accomplish our goals. I look forward to seeing you on the 25th.
Beth Carrin
In Memoriam
The Watauga Unit of NCRSP extends its sympathy to Ann Winkler on the death of her son Joseph, to the family of former member Ruth Brooks, and to the family of Andy Reese.
NCRSP Scholarship Fund in Need
Each May, our chapter of NCRSP awards a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior who plans to become a teacher. Our generosity to the scholarship winner depends entirely on each NCRSP’s generosity to the Scholarship Fund. As always at this time of year, we ask for your help.
First, PLEASE bring all your spare change for the little watering cans on your table and plan to make an enormous noise when you pour those nickels and dimes and quarters into the pots.
Second, if you haven’t made your annual gift to the Scholarship Fund, please do so at the March meeting or mail a check to Watauga County NCRSP Scholarship Fund to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone NC 28607.
Third, if you have already contributed to the fund, please consider doing it again, this time in memory or in honor of a deceased member of our chapter, a colleague, or a favorite teacher. Write the name of the honoree on your check and we’ll make a point of including it in the next Red Pencil.
BRAIN WORKS; DOING SOMETHING WONDERFUL FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY
The website is www.sporkle.com, and it’s a hoot. Skybest recommends it as a great way to give your brain a jumpstart every morning. It won’t take long to become involved and entertained. Try out one of the games (One-syllable Things, U.S. Capitals, Book Covers, and dozens more) by filling in as many of the blanks as you can in the time allotted. Once you get the hang of it, Skybest says, you may even want to create your own game. The site again? http://www.sporkle.com.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ways by which we communicate are changing. Don’t be left behind!
We hope you aren’t tiring of hearing this message, because we can’t tire of saying it: every member of our unit who receives The Red Pencil by email saves the unit nearly $1 per issue. If you do not currently receive the newsletter by email and would like to do so, please send an email to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com with your name and email address in the body of your message.
AND, Pam Deardorff is considering email delivery of Panorama, the newsletter of NCAE, and would like for us to be part of her pilot project. If you DO NOT wish to receive the Panorama by email, please send a message to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com; otherwise, your email address will be included in the list for Pam.
AND, AND, AND, the web address for our Watauga County NCRSP blog has CHANGED. The new address is http://wcrsp.blogspot.com. Put that address in your Favorites column and keep up with the activities of our unit, including a copy of The Red Pencil and photos from meetings, courtesy of our webmaster, Lee Stroupe.
Election of Officers Coming Up in March for Watauga Unit
One of our items of business in March is the election of officers for the 2010-2012 term. Your nominating committee presents this slate:
President: La Verne Franklin
Vice President/President-Elect: Billy Ralph Winkler
Secretary/Treasurer:Dot Barker
Reported Volunteer Hours Totals Exceed Previous Year, but …
News of Community Participation is both good and bad. Good news first: our donations of food and bottles for the Hunger Coalition in December were more than I could fit into my car! Mary Moretz helped to transport it all. Second, our totals of volunteer hours reported in ’09 exceeded the totals from the previous year. We reached 9,246 hours this year – a most impressive total considering that only 23 of our members turn in their volunteer hours forms. Imagine what we could have told the state if all of us had turned in our forms! We congratulate Margaret Sigmon, our unit member with the highest total.
The bad news you’re waiting for? The very idea that only 23 of us actually took the time to complete the form. This year, please make that piece of paper a priority.
Since I’ve discovered that a string around my finger is no good for reminding me of things I need to do or things I’ve done, I write on my calendar the things that I must do and circle them when I’ve completed them. Let me suggest that you create a method that works for you. Taking care of family members, although important, doesn’t count in the total of volunteer hours, you’ll remember, but participating in these activities does: educational and neighborhood projects; civic organizations; international charitable organizations such as Project Linus; volunteering at the hospital, a library, or church; working with NCRSP, social services, the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, or politics; and serving as a companion or providing transportation for a shut-in.
We volunteer in so many ways that forgetting to make notes or thinking that they don’t really matter is easy. Please stop for a moment each day to record the good that you do for others. Later in this newsletter you’ll find another copy of our record-keeping form.
Eula Mae Fox, chr., Community Service Comm.
What’s New that You Need to Know:
v The State NCRSP Convention is happening in Winston-Salem at the Marriott, March 17-18. Representing our unit will be Beth Carrin, Margaret Sigmon, Ben and Lois Strickland, La Verne Franklin, and Nanci Tolbert Nance.
v Our unit currently has 128 members. Every single member is important, yet we obviously need to grow. If you are aware of current members of the education community who are nearing retirement, please begin now to explain the value of their membership in NC Retired School Personnel.
v If you are newly retired, this is the first Red Pencil you have received because we have just learned of your retirement and we welcome you. We hope that you will come to our luncheon meeting on March 25 at 12:00 at Deerfield Methodist Church. If you can attend, please call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 by Monday, March 22.
NC State Health Plan makes significant change
You may already have received a packet from the North Carolina State Health Plan. First, you need to know that the state is sending TWO packets, one for Medicare recipients and one for employees and retirees who do not yet qualify for Medicare. If you are 65 or older and have Medicare, you do not need to do anything to retain your current level of benefits. If you are not eligible for Medicare yet, you MUST act to keep your current level of benefits. You must complete the green/white/pink enrollment form and attestation form included in your packet and return them to Raleigh.
Completing the forms may be done online. Go to www.shpnc.org and click on 2010 Annual Enrollment. Scroll down to the Attestation Form/Annual Enrollment Form and complete it.
Angie Miller, Office of Human Resources, ASU, will be conducting help sessions for anyone with a question. Those sessions will be from 1 to 5P on March 17, March 24, and March 31 and on April 7 in the Northwestern Room at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.
Again, you will receive the appropriate packet from the Health Plan. If you have Medicare, you do not need to do a single thing. If you are not yet eligible for Medicare, you must complete the forms and get them to Raleigh before the 9th of April.
PEOPLE NEWS
Eula Mae Fox has been off again – to Italy this time with fellow NCRSP members Lottie Downie, Nancy and Clayton Cooke, Leota and Keith Cloyd, and June Mann. We know they were thinking of us here in the snow as they travelled the Italian countryside!
Ann Winkler is recovering from back surgery.
Mary Mast has made the news again, this time by jumping out of an airplane. Skydiving, para-sailing, ziplining – the perfect way to relax and enjoy the golden years, right, Mary?
Margaret Sigmon has just returned from “the beach tour” – from Myrtle to Key West and back.
Kate Peterson celebrated her 100th birthday on March 12. If you’d like to send her a card, the past-due date won’t matter at all. Miss Kate Peterson, 2018 Sherwood Dr. #213, Johnson City TN 37601.
As always, please send news about our members to Nanci at ntn1066@hotmail.com or ntn@skybest.com.
The Steel Magnolias entertained at our December meeting, bringing us the merriest sounds of the season.]
Did You Know? Many people have wondered about the trailer parked on the K-Mart parking next to the Boone Post Office. According to our Margaret Sigmon, it’s a money-making project of The Watauga Chapter of Fire Fighters Burned Children's Fund and soon the Deep Gap Fire Department will have a second one all their own.
The trailer is for donating aluminum cans. The firemen sell the cans to raise funds that help with non-medical expenses of burn victims and their families. Because burned victims heal more quickly when surrounded by family members, this non-medical aid has included gas cards so family members can travel to visit the victim and phone cards for the victims to phone home. Another non-medical gift has been to provide different sizes of shoes to victims whose burned feet swell and contract as they heal.
The local chapter gave a Wii set with games to the Burn Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem to be used as therapy for recovering burn patients. Engaging in Wii physical activities stretches tight scar tissue and, in fact, helps patients to endure the pain of their therapy.
Locally, funds are raised by selling the collected aluminum cans and by sponsoring the Emergency Fest on ASU campus where the sponsors sell t-shirts and sweat shirts to support their project. This year the Fest will be held on Saturday, June 12.
The Fire Fighters’ Burned Children's Fund has fifteen chapters across North Carolina. At the 2009 annual retreat sponsored at Tweetsie by the Charlotte chapter, each participant received twenty Tweetsie dollars and dinner at the new Blowing Rock Fire Department.
Patient privacy laws make locating burn survivors difficult. If you know burn survivors who could benefit from participation in this program, please give their names and contact numbers to Margaret Sigmon and she will get this information to the NC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina Retired School Personnel
Individual Volunteer Hours Record for 2010
* Volunteer hours for the “Other” category would include the following activities. Please circle the ones in which you participated.
· Political
· Governmental
· Neighborhood
· Civic organization
· Hospital
· Companion to shut-in
· Healthcare/Red Cross
· Church/religious work
· Schools
· Athletics
· Transportation
· Mentoring/tutoring
· NCRSP
· Libraries
· Social Services
· Habitat for Humanity
· NB: Activities for which you are paid (i.e., honoria or stipends) do not count for volunteer hours.
· While the NCRSP Executive Board considers time caring for grandchildren, elderly parents, or other family members as very important, it considers these activities to be family obligations and does NOT accept these hours as volunteer hours.
The Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XII, No.4, March 2010
Nanci Tolbert Nance, editor,ntn1066@hotmail.com__963-8892
March Meeting
Noon, Thursday, March 25, 2010 [Please note that this date is not the one we planned at the beginning of the year. We have adjusted the date to make room for the NCRSP state convention.]
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, check payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Please be on time!
Program: Opportunities for Volunteers. Come to listen to your fellow members Dot Barker, Eula Mae Fox, Mary Moretz, Nanci Tolbert Nance, and Jan Watson about the causes that concern them. Future programs will feature other members and other causes. If you have an organization or a cause near to your heart and would be interested in sharing your passion with the group at a later meeting, please phone La Verne Franklin at 964-3337.
Also, we will be voting for NEA-R/NEA delegates to the NEA National Convention at the March meeting.
Please 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 empty medicine bottles, too; each one of them saves the Hunger Coalition at least a nickel. And plastic bags. And Box Tops for Education. And yourself, of course.
Very important note: If your caller has not phoned you by the 21st 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! As usual, Margaret thanks her team of callers who generously volunteer their time doing important work for our organization.
President’s Message
Our Lou Martin recently sent me a delightful article titled ”How Did we Ever Survive?” Probably, we have all been asking ourselves the same question after enduring a winter that began with the December 18th snowstorm that dumped over two feet of snow and doesn’t show signs of stopping. On the 18th, however, I was delighted because I could dust off my cross-country skis and make tracks in the new snow. Christmas Day, 2009, dawned with the crackling sound of tree branches and trunks snapping like toothpicks and taking down the power lines, leaving many of us without electricity for days. Our granddaughter, like all excited youngsters, woke to see what Santa Claus had left her. Even without light, she managed all the unwrapping, but the family Christmas dinner had to be postponed for weeks.
The snow and the wind kept pounding us until we wanted to yell, “Enough is enough!” We tried to escape once by going to Washington, DC to celebrate our daughter’s 40th birthday - only to be caught in the District’s record-breaking snowstorm. Traveling on snow-packed I-95, we were the third car in a seven-car pile-up. Fortunately, we were not injured, but car was damaged in the front and back to the tune of about $4,000. Life does come at us fast, doesn’t it? We have no doubt that this winter will be talked about in the same breath as the 1960, 1977, and 1993 snowstorms, providing many interesting stories for years to come.
Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” The line, of course, is one of hope, and I know that each of us is hoping that the beauty of the crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils will soon replace our images of the scars winter has left on our landscape.
March is a time of renewal for us as we come together after this difficult winter. It will be a time of joy as we greet each other and join our hands and hearts to accomplish our goals. I look forward to seeing you on the 25th.
Beth Carrin
In Memoriam
The Watauga Unit of NCRSP extends its sympathy to Ann Winkler on the death of her son Joseph, to the family of former member Ruth Brooks, and to the family of Andy Reese.
NCRSP Scholarship Fund in Need
Each May, our chapter of NCRSP awards a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior who plans to become a teacher. Our generosity to the scholarship winner depends entirely on each NCRSP’s generosity to the Scholarship Fund. As always at this time of year, we ask for your help.
First, PLEASE bring all your spare change for the little watering cans on your table and plan to make an enormous noise when you pour those nickels and dimes and quarters into the pots.
Second, if you haven’t made your annual gift to the Scholarship Fund, please do so at the March meeting or mail a check to Watauga County NCRSP Scholarship Fund to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone NC 28607.
Third, if you have already contributed to the fund, please consider doing it again, this time in memory or in honor of a deceased member of our chapter, a colleague, or a favorite teacher. Write the name of the honoree on your check and we’ll make a point of including it in the next Red Pencil.
BRAIN WORKS; DOING SOMETHING WONDERFUL FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY
The website is www.sporkle.com, and it’s a hoot. Skybest recommends it as a great way to give your brain a jumpstart every morning. It won’t take long to become involved and entertained. Try out one of the games (One-syllable Things, U.S. Capitals, Book Covers, and dozens more) by filling in as many of the blanks as you can in the time allotted. Once you get the hang of it, Skybest says, you may even want to create your own game. The site again? http://www.sporkle.com.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ways by which we communicate are changing. Don’t be left behind!
We hope you aren’t tiring of hearing this message, because we can’t tire of saying it: every member of our unit who receives The Red Pencil by email saves the unit nearly $1 per issue. If you do not currently receive the newsletter by email and would like to do so, please send an email to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com with your name and email address in the body of your message.
AND, Pam Deardorff is considering email delivery of Panorama, the newsletter of NCAE, and would like for us to be part of her pilot project. If you DO NOT wish to receive the Panorama by email, please send a message to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com; otherwise, your email address will be included in the list for Pam.
AND, AND, AND, the web address for our Watauga County NCRSP blog has CHANGED. The new address is http://wcrsp.blogspot.com. Put that address in your Favorites column and keep up with the activities of our unit, including a copy of The Red Pencil and photos from meetings, courtesy of our webmaster, Lee Stroupe.
Election of Officers Coming Up in March for Watauga Unit
One of our items of business in March is the election of officers for the 2010-2012 term. Your nominating committee presents this slate:
President: La Verne Franklin
Vice President/President-Elect: Billy Ralph Winkler
Secretary/Treasurer:Dot Barker
Reported Volunteer Hours Totals Exceed Previous Year, but …
News of Community Participation is both good and bad. Good news first: our donations of food and bottles for the Hunger Coalition in December were more than I could fit into my car! Mary Moretz helped to transport it all. Second, our totals of volunteer hours reported in ’09 exceeded the totals from the previous year. We reached 9,246 hours this year – a most impressive total considering that only 23 of our members turn in their volunteer hours forms. Imagine what we could have told the state if all of us had turned in our forms! We congratulate Margaret Sigmon, our unit member with the highest total.
The bad news you’re waiting for? The very idea that only 23 of us actually took the time to complete the form. This year, please make that piece of paper a priority.
Since I’ve discovered that a string around my finger is no good for reminding me of things I need to do or things I’ve done, I write on my calendar the things that I must do and circle them when I’ve completed them. Let me suggest that you create a method that works for you. Taking care of family members, although important, doesn’t count in the total of volunteer hours, you’ll remember, but participating in these activities does: educational and neighborhood projects; civic organizations; international charitable organizations such as Project Linus; volunteering at the hospital, a library, or church; working with NCRSP, social services, the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, or politics; and serving as a companion or providing transportation for a shut-in.
We volunteer in so many ways that forgetting to make notes or thinking that they don’t really matter is easy. Please stop for a moment each day to record the good that you do for others. Later in this newsletter you’ll find another copy of our record-keeping form.
Eula Mae Fox, chr., Community Service Comm.
What’s New that You Need to Know:
v The State NCRSP Convention is happening in Winston-Salem at the Marriott, March 17-18. Representing our unit will be Beth Carrin, Margaret Sigmon, Ben and Lois Strickland, La Verne Franklin, and Nanci Tolbert Nance.
v Our unit currently has 128 members. Every single member is important, yet we obviously need to grow. If you are aware of current members of the education community who are nearing retirement, please begin now to explain the value of their membership in NC Retired School Personnel.
v If you are newly retired, this is the first Red Pencil you have received because we have just learned of your retirement and we welcome you. We hope that you will come to our luncheon meeting on March 25 at 12:00 at Deerfield Methodist Church. If you can attend, please call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 by Monday, March 22.
NC State Health Plan makes significant change
You may already have received a packet from the North Carolina State Health Plan. First, you need to know that the state is sending TWO packets, one for Medicare recipients and one for employees and retirees who do not yet qualify for Medicare. If you are 65 or older and have Medicare, you do not need to do anything to retain your current level of benefits. If you are not eligible for Medicare yet, you MUST act to keep your current level of benefits. You must complete the green/white/pink enrollment form and attestation form included in your packet and return them to Raleigh.
Completing the forms may be done online. Go to www.shpnc.org and click on 2010 Annual Enrollment. Scroll down to the Attestation Form/Annual Enrollment Form and complete it.
Angie Miller, Office of Human Resources, ASU, will be conducting help sessions for anyone with a question. Those sessions will be from 1 to 5P on March 17, March 24, and March 31 and on April 7 in the Northwestern Room at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.
Again, you will receive the appropriate packet from the Health Plan. If you have Medicare, you do not need to do a single thing. If you are not yet eligible for Medicare, you must complete the forms and get them to Raleigh before the 9th of April.
PEOPLE NEWS
Eula Mae Fox has been off again – to Italy this time with fellow NCRSP members Lottie Downie, Nancy and Clayton Cooke, Leota and Keith Cloyd, and June Mann. We know they were thinking of us here in the snow as they travelled the Italian countryside!
Ann Winkler is recovering from back surgery.
Mary Mast has made the news again, this time by jumping out of an airplane. Skydiving, para-sailing, ziplining – the perfect way to relax and enjoy the golden years, right, Mary?
Margaret Sigmon has just returned from “the beach tour” – from Myrtle to Key West and back.
Kate Peterson celebrated her 100th birthday on March 12. If you’d like to send her a card, the past-due date won’t matter at all. Miss Kate Peterson, 2018 Sherwood Dr. #213, Johnson City TN 37601.
As always, please send news about our members to Nanci at ntn1066@hotmail.com or ntn@skybest.com.
The Steel Magnolias entertained at our December meeting, bringing us the merriest sounds of the season.]
Did You Know? Many people have wondered about the trailer parked on the K-Mart parking next to the Boone Post Office. According to our Margaret Sigmon, it’s a money-making project of The Watauga Chapter of Fire Fighters Burned Children's Fund and soon the Deep Gap Fire Department will have a second one all their own.
The trailer is for donating aluminum cans. The firemen sell the cans to raise funds that help with non-medical expenses of burn victims and their families. Because burned victims heal more quickly when surrounded by family members, this non-medical aid has included gas cards so family members can travel to visit the victim and phone cards for the victims to phone home. Another non-medical gift has been to provide different sizes of shoes to victims whose burned feet swell and contract as they heal.
The local chapter gave a Wii set with games to the Burn Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem to be used as therapy for recovering burn patients. Engaging in Wii physical activities stretches tight scar tissue and, in fact, helps patients to endure the pain of their therapy.
Locally, funds are raised by selling the collected aluminum cans and by sponsoring the Emergency Fest on ASU campus where the sponsors sell t-shirts and sweat shirts to support their project. This year the Fest will be held on Saturday, June 12.
The Fire Fighters’ Burned Children's Fund has fifteen chapters across North Carolina. At the 2009 annual retreat sponsored at Tweetsie by the Charlotte chapter, each participant received twenty Tweetsie dollars and dinner at the new Blowing Rock Fire Department.
Patient privacy laws make locating burn survivors difficult. If you know burn survivors who could benefit from participation in this program, please give their names and contact numbers to Margaret Sigmon and she will get this information to the NC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina Retired School Personnel
Individual Volunteer Hours Record for 2010
* Volunteer hours for the “Other” category would include the following activities. Please circle the ones in which you participated.
· Political
· Governmental
· Neighborhood
· Civic organization
· Hospital
· Companion to shut-in
· Healthcare/Red Cross
· Church/religious work
· Schools
· Athletics
· Transportation
· Mentoring/tutoring
· NCRSP
· Libraries
· Social Services
· Habitat for Humanity
· NB: Activities for which you are paid (i.e., honoria or stipends) do not count for volunteer hours.
· While the NCRSP Executive Board considers time caring for grandchildren, elderly parents, or other family members as very important, it considers these activities to be family obligations and does NOT accept these hours as volunteer hours.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Harlan Ledford - Educator & Retired Business Teacher from WHS, age 86 died March 10th.
Mr. Harlan Edward Ledford, age 86, of Chestnut Drive, Blowing Rock and a former resident of Boone, died Wednesday morning, March 10, 2010 at Blowing Rock Hospital. Born August 2, 1923 in Bakersville, NC, he was a son of the late Ransom and Esther Sparks Ledford. Mr. Ledford was a US Army Veteran having served during WWII. Harlan was a graduate of East Tennessee State University where he obtained a Masters of Education Degree. He taught business classes at Elizabethton High School and retired from Watauga High School where he taught business and typing for 35 years. Mr. Ledford was a member of Foscoe Christian Church where he taught Sunday School and was an Elder. Surviving are: one daughter, Lori Hill and husband Bob of Boone, one son; Gary Ledford and wife Jackie of Lincolnton; six grandchildren; Brian Ledford, Erin Whitworth, Luke and Matt Fowler, and Sierra and Dylan Hill, four great grandchildren; and one sister Margaret Hamm of Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Bernice Edwards Ledford, one sister; Helen Richardson and one brother Ransom Ledford, Jr. Funeral services for Mr. Harlan Edward Ledford will be conducted Friday evening at 7:30 at the Foscoe Christian Church. Officiating will be Minister Ken Caswell and Minister Dan Burke. The family will receive friends Friday evening prior to the service at the church from 6 o'clock until 7:30. Flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to the Foscoe Christian Church, 8834 NC Hwy 105 South, Boone, NC 28607. Graveside services and burial for Mr. Harlan Edward Ledford will be conducted Saturday morning at 10:30 at Happy Valley Memorial Park and Gardens in Elizabethton, Tennessee
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Glenn Asby "Andy Reece" died at the age of 75
Mr. Glenn Asby "Andy" Reece, age 75, of Dutch Treat Road, Banner Elk, died Tuesday night, December 8, 2009 at Carolina's Medical Center. Born January 7, 1934 in Watauga County, he was a son of the late Asa L. and Kate Swift Reese. Mr. Reese was a graduate of Appalachian Teacher College and received his Master's of Education from Duke University. He was a retired educator, having taught at Bethel Elementary School, Cove Creek School, Watauga High School, and Appalachian State University. Andy was a baseball coach at Watauga High School and Principal at Blowing Rock Elementary School. After retirement from the local school system, Andy worked for the North Carolina Association of Educators as the Uniserve Director. He served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict and was a member of Beaver Dam Baptist Church. Andy was also a former member of the Watauga County School Board, having served ten years, including a term as Chairman.
Surviving are: his wife; Brenda Reese, four children; Butch Reese and wife Debbie of Vilas, Debbie Reese and fiancé Ronnie Carter of Vilas, Tina Jameson Brown and husband Charles of Valle Crucis, and Scott Jameson and wife Jennifer of Elk Park, five grandchildren; Joshua Reese of Boone, James Ward and fiancé Liz Ammerman of Boone, Macie Brown of Valle Crucis, and Hunter and Dakota Jameson of Elk Park, three great grandchildren; Jessica, Jordan and Richard of Boone, his brothers and sisters; Norman Reese of Conover, Kathleen Reese of Vilas, Richard Reese and wife Lou of Boiling Springs, Gladys Shoun of Sylvania, Ohio, Betty Shoun of Vilas, Clint Reese and wife Maude of Fuquay-Varina, and Dorcas Hodges of Vilas, two sisters-in-law, Jody Dugger of Burnsville and Barbara Reese of Ringgold, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents; Asa L and Kate Swift Reese and two brothers; Asa L. Reese and Lance Reese.
A celebration of life for Mr. Andy Reese will be conducted Monday evening at 7 o'clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating will be Mr. Keith Reese and Mr. Mitchell Yates. The family will receive friends Monday evening prior to the service from 5 o'clock until 7 at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. Flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to the Watauga Education Foundation for the Kate Swift Reese Scholarship Fund, Post Office Box 2658, Boone, NC 28607. Online condolences may be sent to the Reese family at austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Reese family.
Surviving are: his wife; Brenda Reese, four children; Butch Reese and wife Debbie of Vilas, Debbie Reese and fiancé Ronnie Carter of Vilas, Tina Jameson Brown and husband Charles of Valle Crucis, and Scott Jameson and wife Jennifer of Elk Park, five grandchildren; Joshua Reese of Boone, James Ward and fiancé Liz Ammerman of Boone, Macie Brown of Valle Crucis, and Hunter and Dakota Jameson of Elk Park, three great grandchildren; Jessica, Jordan and Richard of Boone, his brothers and sisters; Norman Reese of Conover, Kathleen Reese of Vilas, Richard Reese and wife Lou of Boiling Springs, Gladys Shoun of Sylvania, Ohio, Betty Shoun of Vilas, Clint Reese and wife Maude of Fuquay-Varina, and Dorcas Hodges of Vilas, two sisters-in-law, Jody Dugger of Burnsville and Barbara Reese of Ringgold, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents; Asa L and Kate Swift Reese and two brothers; Asa L. Reese and Lance Reese.
A celebration of life for Mr. Andy Reese will be conducted Monday evening at 7 o'clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating will be Mr. Keith Reese and Mr. Mitchell Yates. The family will receive friends Monday evening prior to the service from 5 o'clock until 7 at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. Flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to the Watauga Education Foundation for the Kate Swift Reese Scholarship Fund, Post Office Box 2658, Boone, NC 28607. Online condolences may be sent to the Reese family at austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Reese family.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Next Meeting December 17
The Red Pencil
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XII, No.3 December 2009_ntn1066@hotmail.com
December Meeting
Noon, Thursday, December 17, 2009
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Our holiday meeting will be considerably brighter for the sight of YOUR shining face and for the presence of The Steel Magnolias, a very special musical group from Ashe County. You certainly won’t want to miss their performance.
As we do each year in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday in early March and the Read Across America program which honors him, we ask that you bring a new or gently-read children’s book to the December meeting for distribution to Watauga County children through the Santa’s Toy Box Program. Do NOT bring books that have been marked in. On the subject of Read Across America, 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.
Please, please, please bring as much non-perishable food as you can to the meeting for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Don’t forget those medicine bottles, either, and this month, please include all those annoying little plastic bags from the grocery store and Wal-Mart and every other shop in town. We can recycle them!
If your caller has not reached you by Sunday, December 14, call Margaret Sigmon, 264-2036, immediately to make your reservation.
RAFFLE! The raffle for Steve Breitenstein’s incredible apple pie brought nearly $100 to our scholarship fund – a new and very impressive record. In December, we have a handmade wooden bowl filled with seasonal goodies you’ll love. As usual, each ticket is $1 or six for $5. Raffle money always goes into the scholarship fund. By the way, if you have mailed your dues and not made a donation to the scholarship fund, you can always do that – and donations to the scholarship fund are tax-deductible if you itemize.
President’s Message
At this time of the year, Christmas memories come cascading into my thoughts. Most of them are filled with joy, some with sadness, and others are bittersweet. Memories of my beloved mother seem especially poignant as I think of the stories that she would tell to us, to her students, and to worshippers at our church. One of her favorites was The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke. It was written in 1896 and tells of Artaban, the fourth Magi. In preparation of his journey to seek the Messiah, he sells his possessions and buys three precious gems, a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl, to present to the Christ Child. However, as he hastens to join the other three wise men, he is delayed when he stops to minister to a dying man reaches Bethlehem too late to give his gifts to the Christ Child. Hearing that the family has fled to Egypt, he chooses to sell his sapphire to buy camels and provisions to cross the desert. As Artaban continues his quest, he takes time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to heal the sick. He uses the ruby to save the life of a child and all he has left is the pearl. For thirty-three years searches fruitlessly for the Promised One. Hearing that He might be there, Artaban climbs a hill to Golgotha, but along the way he encounters a young woman being tormented by soldiers. He trades the luminous pearl for her life. Many years later, as Artaban lies dying, he hears a sweet voice saying, “Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it to me,” and he understands that he has at last found the Messiah he has sought for so long.
As I am retelling this story, I see each of you like the “Other Wise Man,” giving your time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to heal the sick. You give so freely of your time, your resources, your energy and your enthusiasm. The smiles, laughter, friendship, and contributions to our organization and community bring light to the darkness and bless each other and all of us.
May the blessings of this season be yours as you have blessed me,
Beth
Among Us Cats – Did you get the answers to our October quiz?
floating off the coast of California, Santa Catalina; sang “Morning Has Broken,” Cat Stevens; lives in a library, catalogue; causes change, catalyst; crawls on the ground, caterpillar
And Exactly How Old Are You?
The State NCRSP Office is doing a survey to determine how many of our members are over 80 years old. Even if you provided this information to Dot at the October meeting, please do it again. Call her at 264-3621 and give her your name and birthdate. You can leave the information on her answering machine or even send her an email at dot24@bellsouth.net.
Wintertime Instant Russian Tea Mix
4 cps sugar + 3 cps Tang + 2 cps instant tea, plain + ½ large pkg Kool-Aid or Country Time lemonade powder mix (approx. 1/3cp) + 2 tsp cinnamon + 2 tsp ground cloves
Mix together and store in airtight jar. To use mix 2 large tablespoons with hot water in cup. Makes a LOT. Perfect for small gifts and to warm your insides on a wintry day.
Computer Talk
ü Our fabulous and informative Watauga County NCRSP blogspot is http://wataugacountyretiredpersonnel.blogspot.com/. Lee Stroupe updates this site often with new photographs and copies of The Red Pencil and other goodies you’ll want to read.
ü For NCRSP, the website address is www.ncrsp.org. If you are trying to reach Pam or Dave Deardorff, their numbers in Raleigh are 800-662-7924, extension 244 for Pam and 242 for Dave.
ü Dot Barker has calculated the savings to our unit when we send The Red Pencil to you via email. Each copy we don’t have to mail saves us approximately $1, and that mounts up. Currently we have seventy-one names on our email list, including our state officers and district president, and that means we don’t spend $71 per issue on printing and mailing. If you would like to receive your newsletter by email, please send a note to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com. Thanks so much!
Remember that our state insurance will pay for an eye exam before January 1, 2010!
Did You Know…
that your volunteer hours are valued by the State of North Carolina at approximately $20 per hour, or approximately ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR? When you report your hours, you aren’t patting yourself on the back or asking to be congratulated and admired (although you certainly are admired and to be congratulated!); you’re telling our legislators just exactly how much we retired school personnel continue to be of value to the quality of life in our state. You are helping our lobbyists to safeguard our retirement benefits every time you report those hours. Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31. You’ll find ANOTHER copy of the form at the end of this newsletter.
Membership Matters!
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. At present, we have 114 members in our unit, 80 of whom are on payroll deduction and 36 of whom pay their dues by check, and 8 new members this year.
In a change in policy, NEW members only, not present or past members, may join NCRSP on a pro-rated basis if they are on payroll deduction. If you have colleagues who have been thinking of joining us but did not come to the August or October meetings, please let them know that they can join now or at any time during our year by paying the pro-rated sum. Call Dot Barker, 254-3621, for specific details.
On the subject of membership, we were delighted to welcome three retired teachers from Avery County at our October meeting and hope that Lola Young and Johnny and Carolyn Canupp will return to be with us and will bring their colleagues from our neighboring county!
Spreading the good word of the activities of our unit at the District III convention were Beth Carrin, Eula Mae Fox, Dot Barker, Sue Aldridge, June Mann, and Roland Moy. Our membership was well represented!
A Christmas True or False Quiz
___1. Poinsettias are quite poisonous if eaten and should be kept out of reach of children and pets.
___ 2. According to tradition, the first historical personage to decorate a fir tree with lights (actually candles, in those days) to celebrate Christmas was Martin Luther.
___ 3. The character "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was originally created as a holiday promotional gimmick for the Montgomery Ward department store chain.
___ 4. "Xmas" is an abbreviation for Christmas because in Greek, the language of the New Testament, Christ begins with Chi, written as an X.
_ 5. The shape and color scheme of candy canes were originally intended to symbolize the purity of Jesus Christ and the blood he shed on the cross.
___ 6. Known to us today as "Santa Claus," the third-century monk St. Nicholas originally came to be associated with Christmas because he died in the month of December.
___ 7. The earliest commercially-made Christmas card was sold in 1843.
___ 8. The tradition of "decking the halls" with boughs of holly and other greenery originated from the need in bygone days to preserve plant life from harsh weather by keeping it indoors during freezing temperatures. the supernatural belief that bringing greenery in the house in midwinter would ensure its return in the spring.
___ 9. The tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney for Christmas was inspired by the legend of St. Nicholas, who is said to have provided dowries for three poverty-stricken sisters by dropping gold coins down their chimney and into the stockings they had left out to dry.
___10. Modern depictions of Santa Claus as a jolly, fat elf clothed in red and white with rosy cheeks and a twinkle in his eye owe their inspiration largely to Coca-Cola advertisements of the 1930s.
Christmas Quiz answers: 1. False 2. True 3. True 4. True 5. False 6. False. He was actually famous for his kindness to children and generosity to the poor. 7. True 8. False. Actually it was the supernatural belief that bringing greenery in the house in midwinter would ensure its return in the spring. 9. True 10. True. The other influences on our image of Santa Claus are the 19th-century cartoonist Thomas Nast and the Clement Moore description in his “Night Before Christmas.”
NCRSP Community Participation - Volunteer Hours 2009
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XII, No.3 December 2009_ntn1066@hotmail.com
December Meeting
Noon, Thursday, December 17, 2009
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Our holiday meeting will be considerably brighter for the sight of YOUR shining face and for the presence of The Steel Magnolias, a very special musical group from Ashe County. You certainly won’t want to miss their performance.
As we do each year in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday in early March and the Read Across America program which honors him, we ask that you bring a new or gently-read children’s book to the December meeting for distribution to Watauga County children through the Santa’s Toy Box Program. Do NOT bring books that have been marked in. On the subject of Read Across America, 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.
Please, please, please bring as much non-perishable food as you can to the meeting for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Don’t forget those medicine bottles, either, and this month, please include all those annoying little plastic bags from the grocery store and Wal-Mart and every other shop in town. We can recycle them!
If your caller has not reached you by Sunday, December 14, call Margaret Sigmon, 264-2036, immediately to make your reservation.
RAFFLE! The raffle for Steve Breitenstein’s incredible apple pie brought nearly $100 to our scholarship fund – a new and very impressive record. In December, we have a handmade wooden bowl filled with seasonal goodies you’ll love. As usual, each ticket is $1 or six for $5. Raffle money always goes into the scholarship fund. By the way, if you have mailed your dues and not made a donation to the scholarship fund, you can always do that – and donations to the scholarship fund are tax-deductible if you itemize.
President’s Message
At this time of the year, Christmas memories come cascading into my thoughts. Most of them are filled with joy, some with sadness, and others are bittersweet. Memories of my beloved mother seem especially poignant as I think of the stories that she would tell to us, to her students, and to worshippers at our church. One of her favorites was The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke. It was written in 1896 and tells of Artaban, the fourth Magi. In preparation of his journey to seek the Messiah, he sells his possessions and buys three precious gems, a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl, to present to the Christ Child. However, as he hastens to join the other three wise men, he is delayed when he stops to minister to a dying man reaches Bethlehem too late to give his gifts to the Christ Child. Hearing that the family has fled to Egypt, he chooses to sell his sapphire to buy camels and provisions to cross the desert. As Artaban continues his quest, he takes time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to heal the sick. He uses the ruby to save the life of a child and all he has left is the pearl. For thirty-three years searches fruitlessly for the Promised One. Hearing that He might be there, Artaban climbs a hill to Golgotha, but along the way he encounters a young woman being tormented by soldiers. He trades the luminous pearl for her life. Many years later, as Artaban lies dying, he hears a sweet voice saying, “Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it to me,” and he understands that he has at last found the Messiah he has sought for so long.
As I am retelling this story, I see each of you like the “Other Wise Man,” giving your time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to heal the sick. You give so freely of your time, your resources, your energy and your enthusiasm. The smiles, laughter, friendship, and contributions to our organization and community bring light to the darkness and bless each other and all of us.
May the blessings of this season be yours as you have blessed me,
Beth
Among Us Cats – Did you get the answers to our October quiz?
floating off the coast of California, Santa Catalina; sang “Morning Has Broken,” Cat Stevens; lives in a library, catalogue; causes change, catalyst; crawls on the ground, caterpillar
And Exactly How Old Are You?
The State NCRSP Office is doing a survey to determine how many of our members are over 80 years old. Even if you provided this information to Dot at the October meeting, please do it again. Call her at 264-3621 and give her your name and birthdate. You can leave the information on her answering machine or even send her an email at dot24@bellsouth.net.
Wintertime Instant Russian Tea Mix
4 cps sugar + 3 cps Tang + 2 cps instant tea, plain + ½ large pkg Kool-Aid or Country Time lemonade powder mix (approx. 1/3cp) + 2 tsp cinnamon + 2 tsp ground cloves
Mix together and store in airtight jar. To use mix 2 large tablespoons with hot water in cup. Makes a LOT. Perfect for small gifts and to warm your insides on a wintry day.
Computer Talk
ü Our fabulous and informative Watauga County NCRSP blogspot is http://wataugacountyretiredpersonnel.blogspot.com/. Lee Stroupe updates this site often with new photographs and copies of The Red Pencil and other goodies you’ll want to read.
ü For NCRSP, the website address is www.ncrsp.org. If you are trying to reach Pam or Dave Deardorff, their numbers in Raleigh are 800-662-7924, extension 244 for Pam and 242 for Dave.
ü Dot Barker has calculated the savings to our unit when we send The Red Pencil to you via email. Each copy we don’t have to mail saves us approximately $1, and that mounts up. Currently we have seventy-one names on our email list, including our state officers and district president, and that means we don’t spend $71 per issue on printing and mailing. If you would like to receive your newsletter by email, please send a note to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com. Thanks so much!
Remember that our state insurance will pay for an eye exam before January 1, 2010!
Did You Know…
that your volunteer hours are valued by the State of North Carolina at approximately $20 per hour, or approximately ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR? When you report your hours, you aren’t patting yourself on the back or asking to be congratulated and admired (although you certainly are admired and to be congratulated!); you’re telling our legislators just exactly how much we retired school personnel continue to be of value to the quality of life in our state. You are helping our lobbyists to safeguard our retirement benefits every time you report those hours. Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31. You’ll find ANOTHER copy of the form at the end of this newsletter.
Membership Matters!
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. At present, we have 114 members in our unit, 80 of whom are on payroll deduction and 36 of whom pay their dues by check, and 8 new members this year.
In a change in policy, NEW members only, not present or past members, may join NCRSP on a pro-rated basis if they are on payroll deduction. If you have colleagues who have been thinking of joining us but did not come to the August or October meetings, please let them know that they can join now or at any time during our year by paying the pro-rated sum. Call Dot Barker, 254-3621, for specific details.
On the subject of membership, we were delighted to welcome three retired teachers from Avery County at our October meeting and hope that Lola Young and Johnny and Carolyn Canupp will return to be with us and will bring their colleagues from our neighboring county!
Spreading the good word of the activities of our unit at the District III convention were Beth Carrin, Eula Mae Fox, Dot Barker, Sue Aldridge, June Mann, and Roland Moy. Our membership was well represented!
A Christmas True or False Quiz
___1. Poinsettias are quite poisonous if eaten and should be kept out of reach of children and pets.
___ 2. According to tradition, the first historical personage to decorate a fir tree with lights (actually candles, in those days) to celebrate Christmas was Martin Luther.
___ 3. The character "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was originally created as a holiday promotional gimmick for the Montgomery Ward department store chain.
___ 4. "Xmas" is an abbreviation for Christmas because in Greek, the language of the New Testament, Christ begins with Chi, written as an X.
_ 5. The shape and color scheme of candy canes were originally intended to symbolize the purity of Jesus Christ and the blood he shed on the cross.
___ 6. Known to us today as "Santa Claus," the third-century monk St. Nicholas originally came to be associated with Christmas because he died in the month of December.
___ 7. The earliest commercially-made Christmas card was sold in 1843.
___ 8. The tradition of "decking the halls" with boughs of holly and other greenery originated from the need in bygone days to preserve plant life from harsh weather by keeping it indoors during freezing temperatures. the supernatural belief that bringing greenery in the house in midwinter would ensure its return in the spring.
___ 9. The tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney for Christmas was inspired by the legend of St. Nicholas, who is said to have provided dowries for three poverty-stricken sisters by dropping gold coins down their chimney and into the stockings they had left out to dry.
___10. Modern depictions of Santa Claus as a jolly, fat elf clothed in red and white with rosy cheeks and a twinkle in his eye owe their inspiration largely to Coca-Cola advertisements of the 1930s.
Christmas Quiz answers: 1. False 2. True 3. True 4. True 5. False 6. False. He was actually famous for his kindness to children and generosity to the poor. 7. True 8. False. Actually it was the supernatural belief that bringing greenery in the house in midwinter would ensure its return in the spring. 9. True 10. True. The other influences on our image of Santa Claus are the 19th-century cartoonist Thomas Nast and the Clement Moore description in his “Night Before Christmas.”
NCRSP Community Participation - Volunteer Hours 2009
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