March 2007 - Friends of South County Regional Library

March 2007
Winner of Friends and Trustees 2nd Place newsletter award of the Florida Library Association
She’s testified in court 40 times; you can be in the jury March 22
Elizabeth Becka spent five years
I asked Elizabeth
working in a morgue. She liked it.
Becka if writing is
After ten years as a secretary, she
more rewarding than
earned a Bachelor’s degree in
analyzing blood and
Biology from Cleveland State
DNA?
University. As a forensic scientist
Hmm. Sometimes,
at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s
yes, because I have
Office, she analyzed gunshot
complete control
residue on hands and clothing,
over the writing. The
hairs, fibers, glass, blood and many
Which photo is of the
real Elizabeth Becka?
Find out March 22 at
the FOSCRL author
other forms of trace evidence, as
well as at crime scenes. She worked
and testified in homicide cases and
the Sam Sheppard exhumation.
luncheon in Estero.
She had her life sorted out just the
story always has an
ending and all the loose ends are
tied up.
Which gives you more satisfaction,
the forensic work or seeing your
words in print?
March 15 is the
way she liked it until her husband
deadline for
got fed up with Cleveland snow and
That's hard to answer. I'm satisfied
buying your
moved them to Florida. Not that
with both jobs, up to a point. I'm
she’s bitter or anything. Now she’s
comfortable with writing and at my
a latent print examiner for the
job. At the same time I'd like to be
Cape Coral police department,
better at both. I'd like to be more
working mostly with fingerprints
successful at the writing and I'd like
and at crime scenes.
to feel more that I'm making a
ticket.
difference at forensics.
Her novel, Trace Evidence, opens
with her character, Evelyn James,
You are a forensic specialist. On
parking “the county's battered
your website, you refer to that as
station wagon behind a knot of cars
being "a tad schizophrenic."
on the side of the road. She pulled
Trace Evidence will
her crime scene kit from the
be followed by a
passenger seat and stepped out
second crime novel,
into a puddle of slush, slamming a
Unknown Means, in
door with the words Medical
early 2008.
Examiner's Office stenciled on the
side. Flakes of snow fell at a
deliberate pace, the day's mood
darkening by the hour.”
ACT NOW before March 15 deadline.
I meant that only because I'm also a
writer, so I have two full-time
careers. I feel like my attention is
often split. It can get tiring. My
schedule helps, since I work 12 hour
shifts, so for two days I'm a forensic
specialist and for the next two days
I'm a writer.
Elizabeth Becka and Friends vice president Cas Obie
are cooking up a mystery for you to solve at the March 22 luncheon. See the yellow box on page 2
for how you can purchase a ticket now and get on the jury.
Join us at the 3rd Anniversary Member
Guess who’s coming to
Covered Dish Luncheon
luncheon?
Thursday, March 29,
2007 at 11:45 a.m.
at South County
Regional Library,
21100 Three Oaks
help
going novelist who brought the
house down at FOSCRL’s
December 15, 2005 author
luncheon. That’s when he gave us
the low down on A Dishonorable
Few, his fourth novel. He’s a naval
historian whose novels reveal the
Parkway, Estero.
Members:
It’s Robert Macomber, the sea-
Peter Wake mysteries.
Plan to bring a covered
January 9, 2008 he’ll likely talk
dish with 6 servings.
about his fifth novel, An Affair of
Honor and his latest novel that’s
Table service and
expected out in September, 2007.
beverages will be
celebrate 3
years of
Friends’
success
Keep that January 9 date open
provided.
and check our website at
www.friendsofscrl.org for
No Charge but a
information on when you can
Reservation is Required
purchase your luncheon ticket.
Email: foscrl@aol.com or
call Kay Howard at 4957781 through March 26.
Read the latest about Robert
Macomber and other authors
appearing at FOSCRL luncheons
in the November 2007 Friends to
Friends newsletter.
Day or night, 365 a year: Update yourself with what’s going
on at the Friends of South County Regional Library website
run by webmaster, Kim Dailey. Read the newsletter, look at
the photo gallery, use community links, go to “contacts” to
leave questions and comments. Buy luncheon tickets. Go to
www.friendsofscrl.org
March 15 is the tickets sales cut off date for the Elizabeth Becka luncheon.
FOSCRL author luncheons are at 11:30 at The Club at Grandezza, Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, Estero. Each ticket
is $28. That includes a $5 donation to Friends of South County Regional Library.
To have lunch with Elizabeth Becka March 22, mail a check (payable to Friends of South County Regional Library)
to 21100 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero, FL 33928 or use your major credit card at
www.friendsofscrl.org
where you will find map and directions to Grandezza. Tickets will be mailed to you.
Seating is first come, first served. Groups should book tickets together to assure seats together — seating will
be at tables of eight.
Friends to Friends
March 2007
Page 2
Meet our priest, entrepreneur, avid reader
many years earlier and wanted to
get remarried. With my newly-
Why did you decide to move to
issued license, I agreed to officiate
Florida?
at his client’s wedding.
When Gail and I retired to Florida
in 1998, we were like Abraham
and Sarah from the Book of
Genesis. We knew we were being
called here, but we didn’t know
what we were going to do. For a
while, Gail worked teaching
Cas Obie is a priceless
Hispanic mothers who were trying
promoter of the Friends and
to get their GED certificates. I
SCRL.
became the editor of our monthly
Country Creek Villager.
Then I agreed to become Vice
President of FOSCRL.
Later I was in the right place at
the wrong time and was tapped to
head up the Greater Estero
Cultural Arts Council. Busier
than we ever had been before,
Gail and I decided that God had a
sense of humor. He wanted us to
Fifty years ago, I
an ad in the paper promoting my
wedding ministry. A woman looked
my number up on the Rentapriest
website and called asking if I would
celebrate Mass for a couple people
every Sunday. The canon law of the
Roman Catholic Church says a
validly ordained priest (married or
not: once a priest, always a priest)
cannot refuse the sacraments to
anyone who asks. We still celebrate
the Eucharist in a very informal
setting. Gail and I marvel at how
the Holy Spirit works in and
through the people we serve. We
finally figured out what the Spirit
was calling us to do in Florida.
What other occupations have
you had?
work; he just didn’t want us to get
After being forced to leave my
paid!
parish because I fell in love and
What do books mean
to you?
Based on that experience I took out
married, I worked for Walgreens,
When did you return to priestly
writing news releases and
duties?
developing a speakers bureau of
started an index card
A couple years after we retired, I
list of books I read. I
sought re-licensing as a Roman
still keep the card file
Catholic priest through the
up-to-date. I read
International Council of
about 50-60 books a
Community Churches and got
year.
myself included in God’s Yellow
Pages and www.Rentapriest.com
website. (Don’t laugh! There is
such a site!)
pharmacists.
I worked for the Illinois Bankers
Association (IBA) as director of
marketing and public relations.
One time a couple people came into
my office and showed me what
looked like a typewriter with
earmuffs to which you attached a
telephone headset. We dialed up
In the summer of 2000, the phone
rang and I answered. “Father
Obie?” the voice on the other end
inquired. No one had called me
Father in 27 years. I said,
”Yessss…….?” He said he was an
attorney calling from Tampa.
Turns out he was fronting for a
client of his who was divorced
and all kinds of financial information printed out on a roll of paper. I
told them I could sell this to my
bankers if we, the association, could
become a minor partner in the
venture. I chartered an airplane,
and we flew around the state. Their
company was so impressed that
they hired me away from the IBA.
See “Cas Obie” on page 4
Friends to Friends
March 2007
Page 3
Get enough books to last you through the summer
The last FOSCRL Book Sale of the season is on the last day of
March, Saturday the 31st, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Books
CDs
DVDs
Videos
Puzzles
T-shirts
Book bags
Books
Please continue to donate
Books, puzzles, CDs, DVD’s
and audio cassettes. Please
leave them at the library’s
main desk during normal
hours. That’s also the place to
leave Readers Digest
Condensed Books. We continue
to raise money for SCRL by
The “Members
Only” book sale
Remember to thank the
selling them to a Florida firm
many FOSCRL members
that makes nostalgia items
is Friday,
who volunteer to make
from them.
March 30th
each book sale happen.
from 3-5 p.m.
FOSCRL directors elected at January 17 Annual Meeting
Dorothea Meldner was elected Secretary and Fred Calatayud, Director-atLarge, each for a three-year term. Fred was also appointed assistant
treasurer. For continuity in administration of FOSCRL, directors are elected
for staggered terms.
“Cas Obie” from page 3
This company, called InnerLine,
“Cas, we’re out of business, and in
five days you will have no job.”
is best described now as a
predecessor to AOL. We gave
I called all my clients and told them
bankers instant information on
our screens were going dark at
rates and a newfangled side
week’s end. My contact at the Fed
feature called e-mail. By this
panicked: “Omigod! What’s Mr.
time the machine had developed
Volker going to do?” The chairman of
into a personal computer with a
the Fed? I didn’t know who at the
screen! My marketing niche was
Fed was using the financial
big financial clients from bankers
information I was supplying them on
associations to the Federal
InnerLine, but apparently the
Reserve Board in Washington. I
Republic survived after our demise.
pitched the idea that they could
Seems InnerLine was a bit ahead of
communicate with their members
its time. Couple years later this thing
with electronic newsletters.
called AOL started up. You know
how you can tell a pioneer? He’s the
One December Sunday I got a
call from my boss in Chicago.
Friends to Friends
March 2007
one with the arrows in his back.
Page 4
8th Annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival
Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Harborside Event Center & Centennial Park
Fort Myers River District
You can meet more than 25 authors at the festival
David Baldacci appears from 2:30
Elizabeth Becka appears from 10
to 3:15 p.m. in Room A-1 at
to 10:45 a.m. in Room A-2 at
Harborside. He has authored seven
Harborside. Read about her March
original screenplays and his works
22 FOSCRL luncheon on page 1.
have been in worldwide magazines,
David Baldacci newspapers and journals. Nearly
Jeff Lindsay is author of Dearly
50 million copies of his books are in
Devoted Dexter and Darkly
print and have been national and
Dreaming Dexter on which the
international bestsellers. His books
Showtime series Dexter is based.
have been translated into over 38
Jeff taught writing and literature
languages in 80 countries.
at Florida Gulf Coast University,
leading several classes to Cuba to
F. Paul Wilson, New York Times
study Ernest Hemingway. He co-
best seller, has written 35 books,
wrote Hunting with Hemingway
including The Keep and The Tomb.
with his wife, Hilary Hemingway.
For more information on this free festival, call 479-4636
Reading Festival
or visit the library website: www.lee-county.com/library.
FREE admission,
Book signings,
Workshops,
Special programs
for Adults, Teens
& Kids.
You’ll see South County
Regional Library staff
Keeping connected
through friendly emails
involved in March 17
Reading Festival
“Friends of South County Regional
Library Broadcast Messages” have
Sally Bissell and Jessica Girlando
been flowing into members’ email
serve on the committee to choose
boxes since January. Coming
authors that speak at the festival;
events and breaking news is
Tina Preston runs the ‘Zines for
highlighted once or twice a month.
Teens booth, giving free magazines
to teens; Kathy Mayo is promoting
If you’re not now receiving this,
outreach services; Kathy Pypsky is
send an email message to
helping Betsy Colvin at the e-
foscrl@aol.com to be added to the
library booth in the park; Beth
distribution list.
Nitch is serving refreshments to
library staff and volunteers; Candy
We never give out members’ email
Bucher is running the Dance
addresses to any group for any
Revolution booth; Marge Marino is
reason, if this is a concern!
a hostess in the author area.
Friends to Friends
March 2007
Page 5
Between newsletters, stay connected at our website: www.friendsofscrl.org
Friends to Friends
Published three times a year
November, January, March
South County Regional Library
21100 Three Oaks Parkway
Estero, Florida 33928
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
the
prints Friends to Friends at a discount.
print
A good place to take
your printing jobs
Shop
Friends of South County Regional Library, Inc. 21100 Three Oaks Parkway Estero, Florida 33928 (239) 390­3200 TTY (239) 498­6425 Email: FOSCRL@aol.com Website: www.friendsofscrl.org Board of Directors Claire Hauenstein, President Charles (Cas) Obie, Vice­president Dorothea Meldner, Secretary Gretchen Schmidt, Treasurer Carolyn Piscitello, Director at large Fred Calatayud, Asst. Treasurer, Director at large Beth Nitch, SCRL Regional Manager Ann Clark, SCRL Head of Reference Attorney Lee Carney, Legal Advisor Kim Dailey, Webmaster Dave Hauenstein, Newsletter Editor Errol L. Clark III, CPA, PA, Financial Advisor 3351 Marinatown Ln., Suite 300
North Fort Myers, FL 33903
Call Anne Edwards at 997-7010
Members of the Public Are
Welcome to Meetings and Events
Lee County Reading Festival Saturday, March 17 Details on page 5 Author Luncheon: Elizabeth Becka * Thursday, March 22 Details on front page 3rd Anniversary Member Covered Dish Luncheon Thursday, March 29 Details on page 2 Final Seasonal Book Sale Friday & Saturday, March 30 and 31 Details on page 4 * For ticket information, see bottom of page 2