Headlines from the Summer 2014 WVARSE Newsletter

West Virginia Association
of Retired School Employees
Affiliated with AARP/NRTA
VOLUME 23 • NUMBER 2
Spring • 2014
Kelly Kenneally is a
communications consultant
with more than 20 years of
public affairs & communications experience. In recent years, much of her work
has revolved around establishing a national research
and education public policy
non-profit, the National
Institute on Retirement Security. For NIRS and other
clients like NRTA: AARP’s
Educator Community, NPR
and the Investor Responsibility Research Center
Institute, she has developed
and implemented strategic
communications programs
aligned with the organization’s overall objectives.
She specializes in public
policy issues and corporate
communications, and she
has led effective stakeholder outreach, message
development, and media
outreach campaigns. Kelly’s work has helped her
clients change the debate
on policy issues, educate
target audiences, and secure
national media coverage in
top outlets like The Wall
Street Journal, The New
York Times, USA Today,
The Washington Post, CNN,
NPR, FOX News, and CSPAN among others.
Prior to establishing a
consulting practice, Kelly
served in the White House
as deputy director of the
President’s Commission
on White House Fellowships, one of the nation’s
most prestigious programs
for leadership and public
service.
She has held public affairs positions at Micron
Electronics, MCI World-
Kelly Kenneally
Com, Edelman Public Relations, Environmental Issues
Management, Inc, and the
American Nuclear Energy
Council. She began her career as a legislative assistant
with the Maryland General
Assembly.
Kelly holds a B.A. in
Government & Politics from
the University of Maryland,
and has undertaken graduate
coursework at The George
Washington University in
the political management
program. She is a member of
the National Press Club and
the International Association
of Business Communicators.
Active in her local community, Kelly has served on
the board of St. Luke’s Day
School and on the Parent
Teacher Association of Hollin Meadows Elementary
School. She also is involved
with Decoding Dyslexia,
an organization dedicated
to addressing the limited
access to educational interventions for dyslexia within
the public education system.
She resides in Alexandria,
VA with her husband and
two sons.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
WVARSE bills once again die in committee
The Legislative session
for the year ended and
once again our bills died in
committee. Revenues were
down and money had to be
taken from the rainy day
fund to balance the budget.
Rita and I attended 19 days
of the sessions and committee meetings. A great
deal of the Legislators’ time
was devoted to the water
problems.
The CORPE meeting
was poorly attended due to
exceptionally bad weather
which makes it even more
important for us to continue
to contact our legislators
in order to maintain our
relationships with them. We
need to be aware of the coming election and make sure
we become acquainted with
any newly elected members
of the Legislature. It is important that we keep making
our presence known.
From Your
President
I don’t know
about the rest
of you, but I
am ready for
spring!! This
winter is much
like the winters
I remember as a
small boy—of
course it meant
“fun” at that
time of my
life!! We never
really worried
about how our
John Riddle
dad was going
WVARSE President
to get to work,
just where we
were going to sleigh ride for the day, since we
didn’t have school. We would build big fires
to warm ourselves and sleigh ride until we
were exhausted. You know now that I think of
it, I don’t think I saw a single sleigh go down
the hill we live on? Could it be that sledding
is another lost pastime for our children? This
winter weather also has many of our colleagues in a frenzy wondering what is going to
happen to the school calendar. Many schools
have been closed for a record number of days
related to weather, not withstanding other issues.
See Riddle, Page 2
WVARSE Newsletter
200 Elizabeth Street
Charleston, WV 25311
Kelly Kenneally to conduct workshop
at the Leadership Conference
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Morgantown Printing
and Binding
Page 2 — Spring 2014
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COLUMN
From the Executive Director
William G. ‘Bill’ Milam
Executive Director
Bills supporting our
annual goals were introduced again this year, but
due to the lack of money,
none of them were even
considered in committees.
In order to balance the
budget, the legislature
proposed to transfer $147
million from the Rainy
Day fund. Through the
Governor’s Veto authority
this amount was greatly
reduced. From all projections, it looks as if the
budget will also be dif-
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President John A Riddle
(304) 372-3896 jriddle@casinternet.net
President-Elect Danny Gray
(304) 645-2529 dp135gray@hotmail.com
Secretary Libby Casto
(304) 651-5944 libcasto@frontier.com
Treasurer Joann Beer
(304) 924-6698 cjbeer@cebridge.net
Immediate Past President Garry Lynne Shearer
(304) 269-1923 GLShearer2@aol.com
Executive Director William G. Milam
(304) 610-0192 bmilam@suddenlink.net
Parliamentarian — Vacant
Scholarship C. David Miller
(301) 233-7284 Cdmillermart2@juno.com
Historian Wilda Lockhart
(304) 273-2924 Wignbernie@aol.com
Membership Clerk Rita Hammond
(304) 623-0929 billandritah@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor Darlene Milam
(304) 346-6079 bmilam@suddenlink.net
Region I Richard Ford
(304) 387-3595 richardford8@comscast.net
Region II Jean Grant
(304) 623-0055 dorothygrant@hotmail.com
Region III Pat Shillings
(304) 345-9003 purrfectpat@suddenlink.net
Region IV Vivian Atkinson
(304) 633-3083 vatkinson@marshall.edu
Region V Gail Ratliff
(304) 392-5142 sgrat@yahoo.com
Region VI Jo Ann Harman
(304) 749-7322 jsharman@frontiernet.net
Community Service Liz Bradford
(304) 269-4568 Bradfo546@aol.com
I&P Service Mary Ann Ferris
(304) 592-2061 maferris24@frontier.com
Legislative Bill Hammond
(304) 623-0929 billandritah@gmail.com
Membership — Vacant
Retirement Education Barbara Owens
(304) 927-1027
AARP-REA Liaison Mary Gill
(304) 522-8540 marygill2@comcast.net
AARP-WV President Rich Stonestreet
(304) 421-2148 rockpath@suddenlink.net
AMBA Insurance Alan Kearns
(317) 691-3175 alan.kearns@amba.info
ficult to balance in 2015.
We must continue to
make efforts to get better
benefits for our retirees.
As we go to our regional
meetings, it is important
that unit legislative chairs
work hard in discussing
and formulating legislative goals for 2015. When
the Legislative Committee meets to prepare goals
for next year, the ideas
from each region will be
used to make the goals.
It is a comfort knowing
that we are not being
threatened as some states
are of losing benefits.
When we attended the
NRTA Regional Meeting in Kansas City last
week, we learned that
retirees in several states
are under attack to change
pension’s plans from the
defined benefit to defined
contribution. As you all
know we went that route
in 1991 and recently
changed back into the DB
plan. At the meeting I was
asked to share with the
group our story. Several
persons came up to me
after the meeting asking
questions.
I encourage all presidents and Regional Chairs
to attend the Annual
Leadership Conference
April 30 & May 1, where
we will have Kelly Kenneally, Consultant for
NRTA conduct a high
energy workshop that
will provide successful strategies storylines
for communicating with
prospective members,
legislatures, etc. President
John Riddle will share
with the presidents some
successful strategies for
recruiting volunteers. We
hope to set some goals
for membership for the
coming year. It is the
responsibility of each
member to do his/her best
to enroll new members
and retain old members.
We sent an E-Newsletter
out in January. Since we
have reduced the number
of printed newsletters,
we will be sending at
least two E-Newsletters
each year. We had a difficult time sending the
newsletter out, since we
had a low number of
email addresses. I found
through the process that
my email vender limited
me to sending 50 emails
per hour. Thanks to many
of you who helped me in
the process by forwarding the newsletter to your
members. We hope to be
prepared by the time we
send out another newsletter. I am preparing an
email address list which
will be forwarded to a
vendor who will process
sending the newsletter
to members. Your sharing email addresses with
us would be most helpful. We prefer that you
share your address with
your unit and they will
in turn share it with me.
That way all concerned
will have access. Many
of my email addresses
are not valid. If you have
changed your email address, please send me an
email at bmilam@suddenlink.net so that I can
update my files.
or spoke with your representatives. I particularly
want to mention the handwritten cards and notes
that I hope were mailed
as well. These were good
bills and the goals are
attainable, if we continue
to contact our representatives in Charleston. We
must continue to mention
the community service
hours that we contribute to our communities,
family services, schools,
etc., saving thousands of
state and local dollars in
services provided. Contact
must happen throughout
the year, not just at the
CORPE breakfast, a single visit to Charleston but,
continuous dialog on why
retirees need/deserve the
passage of these goals as
presented in the WVARSE
Legislative agenda.
Finally, I want to
thank all of you who have
agreed to serve as an officer in your county units.
The largest single group
of retired public employees is WVARSE. Your
help is needed to increase
membership even further.
I wish for each county unit
and its officers a fun-filled
year and success with your
yearly plan of work.
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT
Riddle
From Page 1
It seems that the
weather is always a good
subject to start with and
it definitely received
more attention than our
WVARSE bills. Again, I
had high hope this year,
for our (WVARSE’s)
legislative agenda, but
alas it is not to be! We
were able to get legislation
introduced, but not able to
get it out of committees. It
seems that each year there
are issues that complicate
substantive discussion of
our bills. This year was
no different: chemical
spill and subsequent water
contamination for over
three hundred thousand
citizens in Charleston and
surrounding communities. I guess we should
note that the last several
weeks involved discussion on how to balance the
budget with a 140 million
dollar short fall. Again,
the weather prevented
many of you from getting
to the CORPE Legislative
Breakfast and thus the
ability to speak personally
with legislators.
I want to thank all of
you who called, emailed
MASON COUNTY
March meeting featured presentation on travel opportunities
Mason County Association of Retired School employees held their March meeting on the 13th. The 35
members met in the newly built Church of God dining room. Guest speakers were Lily Holey and Ina Bell
Sibley who did a presentation on the Travel Opportunities with Gallia Senior Citizens.
CONTACT US
WVARSE, 200 Elizabeth St., Charleston, WV 25311
304-610-0192 — www.wvarse.org
Spring 2014 — Page 3
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
REMINDERS
West Virginia Retired Educators Deliver
Reprinted from NRTA
Newsletter
“West Virginia retired
educators have become
essential to our success.
Whether it’s delivering
Blizzard Boxes to residents
in need or delivering a message to lawmakers, we can
count on them to show up
and get the job done,” said
Gaylene Miller, AARP West
Virginia state director.
In West Virginia and
across the nation, it’s been
a cold, hard winter, creating increased pressures on
seniors and residents with
limited income or mobility.
For West Virginians already
living on the brink of survival, a tough winter can
force tough choices between
essentials like food and heat.
To help alleviate the burden, The West Virginia Association of Retired School
Employees (WVARSE)
collaborates with AARP to
deliver “Blizzard Boxes”
to those in need across
the state. The boxes not
only provide living essentials, they often provide
a personal touch to warm
recipients’ hearts.
“What happens is we
get the Blizzard Boxes
from AARP West Virginia.
Leveraging our units across
the state, our retired school
employees partner with a
Marion County Association of Retired School Employees with Blizzard Boxes.
local organization to fill
and deliver the boxes to
those most in need - perhaps Meals on Wheels, a
women’s center, a church
or even a school,” said Bill
Milam, WVARSE executive director.
“We work hard to fill the
boxes with survival basics
- things like two days of
food, reading materials, a
flashlight, hand lotion, or
socks. But what makes the
boxes even more appreciated is the handwritten
notes our encouragement
often included in the boxes,
“Milam said.
“One of my favorite
Blizzard Box stories is
the WVARSE partnership
with a local school. The
school faculty donated the
food, the students made
placemats, and retired educators delivered the boxes.
Certainly the food is truly
appreciated, but nothing
puts a smile on someone’s
face like a handmade gift
from a child. You just can-
not place a value on that,”
Miller said.
For this winter season,
WVARSE delivered Blizzard Boxes to nearly 600
residents.
“We value our partnership with WVARSE. We
will continue our long
and strong relationship
with retired educators to
improve the quality of
life for West Virginians
through Blizzard Boxes
and other policy advocacy
campaigns,” Miller said.
April 1
County Officer lists due to WVARSE Regional
Directors & Executive Director
April 29
Executive Board Meeting, 1:00 P.M., Flatwoods
April 30 & May 1
Leadership Training Conference, Flatwoods
(registration begins at 10:30 A.M.)
May 10
Deadline for sending Volunteer Hours to
Unit Chairs
May 15
Membership determination for Annual Council
delegates
May 25
Deadline for sending Volunteer Hours to
Regional Chairs
June 1
Deadline for sending Volunteer Hours to
State Chair
June 1
Deadline for sending list of deceased to
Regional I & P Chairs
REGIONAL MEETINGS
Region I — June 10
Mountaineer Resort, Chester, WV,
registration begins at 8 am - program will
begin at 9:00
Region II — June 11
Clarksburg First United Methodist Church
Pike & 2nd Streets, registration begins at
9:30 am - program will begin at 10:15
Region III — June 4
Cedar Lakes - Jackson Hall - registration begins
at 8 am - program will begin at 9:00
Region IV — June 3
Huntington (New Baptist Church 28th St)
registration begins at 8:30 am - program will
begin at 9:00
Region V — June 2
Mining Academy, Beckley - registration begins
at 8 am - program will begin at 9:00
Region VI — June 9
Romney Church of the Nazarene - registration
begins at 8 am - program will begin at 9:00
Riddle, Milam attend NRTA Regional Meeting
March 17 -20, President John Riddle and
Executive Director Bill
Milam attended the NRTA
Southeast & South Central Regional meeting in
Kansas City MO. Also attending the meeting were
representatives from 13
states. The agenda for the
meeting was created from
results of a survey conducted with the attendees
prior to the conference.
Membership recruitment
and retention; successful
membership strategies
from other associations;
insights on understanding
and attracting volunteers
and strategies for attracting the young and newly
retired were among the
topics for discussion. A lot
of networking took place
as attendees participated in
activities designed to learn
new strategies for recruiting volunteers, and working on projects. A book
entitled Life Reimagined
was sent to each attendee
prior to the meeting. A
national presenter made a
presentation about taking
risks based upon the contents of this book. Another
book, The New Breed, was
given to each attendee on
site and was used to introduce the characteristics of
the 21st century volunteer
and strategies to attract
them. AARP State Direc-
tor (South Dakota) made
a presentation entitled
“Helping your members
combat financial fraud and
identity theft”. A new website has been launched for
this purpose. You can go
to AARP.org/fraudwatchnetwork and click on the
state of WV to get a list
of active scams in WV. It
will also view law enforcement alerts. Attendees
participated in an activity making a commercial
that improved strategies
to develop a target story
for recruitment or for approaching legislators. This
was a very informative
meeting and well worth
the time spent.
Executive Director Bill Milam and
President John Riddle
Leadership
Conference
The 2014 WVARSE
Leadership Conference will
be conducted at the Days
Hotel at Flatwoods April 30
and May 1, 2014. Leadership Conference begins at
12:30 on Wednesday, April
30th.
In addition to training
for presidents and regional
chairs, a special communications workshop will
be given by Kelly Ken, a
consultant for NRTA.
Our banquet speaker
Wednesday night will be
AARP West Virginia’s new
president, Rich Stonestreet.
The Conference will
end Thursday with regional
caucuses.
Page 4 — Spring 2014
MORGAN COUNTY
GILMER COUNTY
Several projects keep unit busy
The Morgan County Unit
of WVARSE has been busy
this past fall with exciting monthly meetings and
projects. In September, the
group met for a delicious
lunch at Cacapon State Park
followed by an informative
program presented by the
assistant superintendent of
Cacapon, David Pruitt. He
presented a video program
of the expansion of Cacapon Lodge which will be
complete with an indoor
pool and an entire wing of
more rooms. In October, the
group designed and built a
float for the annual Apple
Butter Festival with the
festival’s theme of “Happy
150th Birthday, West Virginia.” Inspiration for the
float came from member,
retired secretary, Beth Davisson who had an old black
and white picture of her Dad
back in the 1930s dressed
like a coal miner and another gentleman dressed as
a famer with a large rock in
between and the date of West
Virginia’s birth. The float
committee under the direction of retired art teacher and
Lester Weber on left and Virgil Ruppenthal on right.
member, Jerry Potter, built a
float that was a “living seal”
of the state of West Virginia.
Member and retired bus
driver, Lester Weber was
the farmer and Virgil Ruppenthal, member and retired
5th grade teacher was the
coal miner. A picture of the
float made the front page
of The Journal in Martinsburg the next morning! In
November the group had
a “potluck” luncheon with
a live auction conducted
by Tim Miller. Members
donated items. This has
become an annual event.
The treasury is able to give
two $500 scholarships, one
to an academic student and
one to a vocational student
due to the success of the auction. On a sub-zero morning,
the legislative committee
met to plan strategies and
write letters to state legislators. The group is looking
forward to their upcoming
spring events.
UPSHUR COUNTY
Upshur County commissioners sign
WVARSE/UCARSE Week proclamation
Front row: Commission Members Troy Brady, JC Raffety, and Donnie Tenney, President Back row: UCARSE
Members Charlotte Eskew, President; Delegate Bill Hamilton; Nancy Davidson, Secretary; Joann Beer,
WVARSE Treasurer; Penny Haymond; and Judy O’Donnell
Kim Jones with retirement advice
Gilmer County
launches year with
the theme ‘The West
Virginia Hills’
Gilmer County’s first meeting of the new
year welcomed new members with congratulations and The Joy of Being Retired. Using
the theme for the year, “The West Virginia
Hills,” the retirement committee of Maxine
Smith, Kim Jones, and Lu Ann Cunningham
informed and regaled new retirees by comparing a symbol of WV, the Golden Delicious Apple, to their life’s journey. The stem
represented their roots, the leaves - their early
years, the peeling - their years of training,
the meat - their years of working with young
people, the core - their retirement, and the
seeds - the lives they have touched. Tables
were decorated with red and white tableware
and apple decorations; apples were given
as favors, and a prettily decorated basket of
apples for the door prize. The group ended
the meeting by singing “The West Virginia
Hills.”
Other WV symbols chosen by committees
to use for upcoming meeting were the black
bear, sugar maple tree, cardinal, Monarch
butterfly, and the rhododendron. Attempts are
being made to locate WV songs to sing at the
close of each meeting.
Spring 2014 — Page 5
SUMMERS COUNTY
RALEIGH COUNTY
SCARSE makes donation to local aging council
Douglas Wayne Harvey
(right) President of the
Summers County Association of Retired School
Employees (SCARSE)
presenting a check to
Lin Goins, Director of the
Summers County Council
on Aging. Mr. Goins presented valuable information on programs available for retired persons
at the March meeting
of SCARSE. The group
voted to donate $100 to
said council.
Unit takes third place
in Christmas parade
NICHOLAS COUNTY
RCARSE won 3rd place in the Organization
Division at the Christmas Parade in Beckley. It
was really cold but they enjoyed every minute.
Great work gals, but most of all, they want to
thank their driver and helper, Scott Jarrell of
Dry Creek and Roger Rynn of Glen Daniel for
the loan of his trailer.
BERKELEY COUNTY
NARSE members welcomed Gail Ratliff, Region V
Director, to their October meeting. From left, Barbara
Mullens, Gail, Janet Singleton, and Dorotha Curry.
Alva Casto, NARSE vice president, on the left, Bill
and Darlene Milam, Libby Casto, President, on the
right at the November meeting at The Ranch House
restaurant in Craigsville.
WEBSTER COUNTY
More than a meeting...
A beautiful day in early
fall, an idyllic location, an
opportunity to see and learn
something new, lunch, and a
group walk in the park. Does
that sound like a WVARSE
meeting? Read on, Dear
Reader!
Webster County’s Association holds most of
its meetings in centrally
located Webster Springs;
however one meeting each
year is held in the northern
and southern ends of the
county, to facilitate attendance for some and to
promote county unity.
On Wednesday, October
2, WCARSE members gathered at noon at Holly River
State Park near the northern
Webster County community
of Hacker Valley. Rich golds
and reds were overtaking the
summer’s green leaves, and
the sky was dry and sunny,
a picture-perfect day for a
drive in the country and a
walk in the park. The park’s
newest facility, the Activities Building, provided the
setting for lunch and the
regular business meeting, led
by President Linda Alsop.
What followed was a
new experience for most
of the approximately 20
members in attendance.
Local artisan glass etchers
Dave and Vickie Bowen set
up a display and portable
etching station where they
demonstrated their skill at
cutting designs and lettering
into glass. With a combined
experience of over 60 years,
they showcased their skills,
gave a brief history of the
glass industry in West Virginia, patiently answered
questions, and even took
orders for custom items.
Following the informa-
tive presentation and before
heading homeward, members were invited to take a
relaxing amble along Holly
River’s Laurel Fork Trail, an
award-winning handicapaccessible paved pathway
through the park’s original
picnic area. The brief legstretcher gave walkers a
chance to view the cleanup
still underway from Super
Storm Sandy, as well as
provide an opportunity for
learning a little park history and for sharing in the
fellowship of an afternoon
stroll together.
Who is this little guy?
Can you
identify this
cute little guy?
He is a former
county and
state leader.
Now he is one
of our leading
senior citizens.
This is
one of many
baby pictures
collected
for the Baby
Photo Contest held in
March by the
Berkeley Co
Association of
Retired School
Employees. Members brought items for a lively
auction, conducted by Bruce De Haven.
See Page 6 to learn the identity of the baby
photo.
Page 6 — Spring 2014
MEMBERSHIP
WOW… We can make it!
Review the membership
report in this issue and you
will see that we are only 82
behind last year’s total and
we still have three months
to go to the end of our year,
June 30, 2014.
Congratulations to Region
I, III and IV who have shown
growth.
At the present time 32
counties have increased
membership or remained
the same.
Region I: Hancock, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia,
Ohio, W Liberty, Wetzel
Region II: Barbour, Glenville, Lewis, Tucker
Region III: Calhoun, Clay,
Jackson, Roane, Wirt, WVS
Region IV: MU, Putnam,
Wayne
Region V: Bluefield, Concord, Nicholas, Pocahontas,
WVIT
Region VI: Berkeley,
Deaf & Blind, Grant, Jefferson, Pendleton, Potomac,
Shepherd
At this time, we have 159
New Life members. At the
end of last year that total was
197. Remember, counties
receive $5.00 for each New
Life that will be presented at
Annual Council.
Names of deceased members should be sent to Rita
Hammond, Membership
Clerk, throughout the year
so that she can remove them
from her mailing list (this will
not affect your total number).
SCHOLARSHIP
2013-14 scholarship winner
Sarah Lewis, a 21-year
old native of Upshur Co,
graduate of BuckhannonUpshur High School, always wanted to be a teacher.
Her earlier “classroom” was
full of stuffed animals and
dolls. Now she has nearly
completed her BS in Early
Childhood Education with
the intent of continuing to
pursue a Master’s degree
in Early Childhood Special
Education.
Sarah is described as a very
strong student as evidenced
by her overall 3.86 GPA, her
induction into Kappa Delta Pi
and her consistently earned
honors on both the President’s
Honors List and the Provost’s
Honor List.
When Sarah finishes her
degree at Glenville State
College, according to her
professor, “She will make
an excellent teacher.”
Sarah Lewis
WVARSE membership
cheerleader passes away
Our dear friend
and
colleague, Loretta
Thompson, passed
away on March
11, 2014 after
several months
of treatment for
cancer. She is
remembered as an
enthusiastic and
devoted advocate
for education
and educational
employees. Loretta
retired from Ohio
Loretta Thompson
County Schools
and immediately
became active in OCARSE and WVARSE where
she held many offices. She remained on the
WVARSE executive board as membership chair
at the time of her death. In addition, she was the
WVARSE cruise organizer for several years much
to the pleasure of our members. Loretta was noted
for seeking and finding the good in everything
and everyone. Loretta graduated from WVU
where she was a member of the marching band.
She was an avid WVU fan and any Pittsburgh
sport. She was a very special lady to all WVARSE
members and will be greatly missed.
AMBA
Changes in benefits offered by AMBA
Wirefly, who provided
discounted Verizon, Sprint,
and T-Mobile cell phones
and plans, has ceased business operations as of this
month. Members can still
take advantage of CU Wireless that offers low cost
phones and no commitment
plans. If members have
questions on their current
discount from Wirefly, they
should speak directly with
their cell phone carrier.
AMBA is continuing to look
for other national cell phone
discounts, since we know
that members are looking
for this type discount. .
At the AMBA Round Up,
2 new AMBA benefits were
discussed that can be added
to the menu of benefits.
myAMBAdining.com
Powered by restaurants.
com, www.myAMBAdining.com offers members
discounts at over 18,000
restaurants nationwide as
well as select online retailers. When members use this
discount they get the best
deal for every meal!
Road Scholar
The not-for-profit world
leader in educational travel
offers 5,500 educational
tours in all 50 states and
150 countries. AMBA association members, first time
Road Scholar participants,
are eligible for either a $200
gift certificate good toward
any international adventure,
or a $75 gift certificate good
for any North American
Adventure. When you sign
up for a Road Scholar catalog, a gift certificate will be
credited to your household
for future use. To learn more
visit www.roadscholar.org/
AMBA
These two new benefits
are being added to the list
of benefits on the website.
OHIO COUNTY
Unit meets with legislators and more
Barbara Trytko, VicePresident of OCARSE,
arranged a variety of informative and entertaining
programs for the members
this year. The year got
off to a great start with
member-auctioneer, Carl
Bowman, encouraging
attendees to “bid up” and
raise $263.00 for their
scholarship fund at the
annual picnic. Sharon McCutcheon informed members about services of Right
at Home should they need
assistance, while AMBA’s
Alan Kearns explained the
many benefits available to
members. Senator Rocky
Fitzsimmons and Delegate
Ryan Ferns listened to the
concerns of members and
were given cards with
WVARSE goals for the
legislative session. Mary
Velez from OPALS (Older
People with Active Lifestyles) showed ways to
really enjoy retirement.
They were entertained by
Warwood Middle School
Chorus and look forward
to storytelling by Judy
Tarowsky and then Ann
Rattini will take them back
in time to the Great Western Schoolhouse. Richard
Ford will visit in May for
the Installation of Officers.
BERKELEY COUNTY TRIVIA ANSWER: The cute baby is Jim Smith, former Superintendent
of Berkeley Co. Schools and Assistant State Superintendent.
Mary Abbott passed away
on Christmas Day 2013
Mary Catherine
Abbott of Beckley
died on Wednesday, December 25,
2013 following a
short illness. Mary
graduated from
Woodrow Wilson
High School and
received bachelor degrees from
St. Mary of the
Springs College
in Columbus,
Mary Abbott
OH and Concord
College in Athens,
WV. She received a Masters Degree in Elementary
Education from West Virginia University and did
advanced studies at the University. Mary taught at
Rhodell, Stoco and Hollywood Elementary Schools
in Raleigh County. She served as curriculum supervisor for Raleigh County Schools for 28 years and
served on numerous committees on the county, state
and national levels. Mary retired from the Raleigh
County School system in 1988 and became active in
the West Virginia and Raleigh County Associations of
Retired School Employees, was a West Virginia State
volunteer for AARP serving as the West Virginia
Retired Educators Liaison. Her tenure as a volunteer
for AARP spanned more than 20 years and she served
WVARSE about 20 years as Region V Director and
as Liaison with AARP/NRTA. She was a very special
lady to all WVARSE members and will be greatly
missed.
Spring 2014 — Page 7
~ In Memoriam ~
BERKELEY
John Fletcher
Verne Colleen Miller
BOONE
Ella Bias Ball
Betty Jane Dixon Banks
Raymond R. Dolin
Margaret Vickers Halstead
Mary W. Tamplin
Margaret Cook Waterman
BRAXTON
Carma M. Riffle Perrine
BROOKE
Rose Sanders
Ellen Stern
Mary Gentry Eye
FAYETTE
Carlos Ray Arther, Sr.
GILMER
Betty White
HARRISON
Mary Louise Brunetti
Zola Devericks
James R. Ferguson
Sandra Gaston
Gay Markley
Mary Orr
Olga Marie Burns Powell
Margaret Riffee
Pauline Sandora
Wilma Lou Short
Marguerite P. Smith
Ona Martin Stout
Alta Studley
Marjorie F. Swisher
Joseph B. Talbott
Sarah P. Thomey Trupo
JEFFERSON
Carol Cook
Charles W. Osbourn
KANAWHA
Joyce L Carnes
Pauline D Matson
Frenk J Scagnelli
Order enrollment forms
and record cards today
Please order your enrollment membership forms or
record cards for next year
now. Use any forms you now
have on hand.
Take an inventory and
request the number for the
2014-2015 year by phoning
Rita Hammond, Membership
Clerk, at 304-623-0929 or
email: billandritah@gmail.
com. To save postage these
will be distributed at the
Leadership Conference on
April 30 & May 1, 2014 at
Flatwoods.
Important! Please include
a zip+4 on all membership
applications when they are
sent to Rita. Your zips can
be found under “Find your
zip codes” on line. This will
also show you their new address when they have been
changed.
The 2013-2014 year is not
over until June 30, 2014. This
means we have 3 months to
Membership Year
July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014
Hazel Wooster
MARION
Catherine “Katie” Clagett
Connie Darlene Kuhn
Simon Paul Matthews, Jr.
Jean Taylor
Helen Louise Watkins
MCDOWELL
Sidney “Red “Cure
Patricia Lee Reinhardt
MERCER
Rebecca Echols
MINGO
Eva Joan Perry
MONONGALIA
Dora Williamson
MORGAN
Donna Tuttle
OHIO
Loretta Thompson
POCAHONTAS
Ina Montgomery
PUTNAM
Karen Painter
RALEIGH
Mary Abbott
Frances A. Sturgill
RITCHIE
Earl E. Flesher
Clare Snyder
SUMMERS
Julian M. Richmond
Betty Francis Ward
TYLER
Ruth A. Dillaman
UPSHUR
Allen Beer
Clifford Crites Sr.
Edwin Nestor
WOOD
William Larry Edwards
Richard C. Gates
Judy McKinley
try to increase our membership for this year. Please
make every effort by calling
individuals who have not
joined to get them “on board.”
If you are an active, annual state member,
you can convert to a state life membership for
only $90. Your membership must be received by
the WVARSE Membership Clerk by June 15.
PLUS, your local unit will get a $5 rebate.
Life membership — $100
Life members — Remember to
update your address and pay county membership dues
Membership Chair
AARP West Virginia selects new state president
Charleston resident Rich Stonestreet to represent nearly 300,000 Mountain State AARP members
CHARLESTON — AARP West Virginia has
selected a new State President. Rich Stonestreet
of Charleston will serve as the organization’s
new state volunteer leader, representing nearly
300,000 Mountain State members. He began his
service in the state leadership position on March 1.
As an AARP and AARP Foundation volunteer for nearly a decade, Stonestreet has
provided extensive volunteer support to AARP
state programs and initiatives. He has served as
a member of the State Executive Council, an
all-volunteer panel that advises and helps set
strategic direction for the AARP West Virginia
office, and State Capitol Advocacy Team.
In 2013, Stonestreet was the state recipient
of the organization’s highest volunteer recognition: the Andrus Award for Community Service,
which honors those individuals who are sharing
their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the
lives of their community members.
A retired educator and labor relations professional, he is a graduate of West Liberty University and the University of Tennessee, and
completed doctoral coursework at The Ohio
State University.
Stonestreet is an active civic volunteer,
participating as a Read Aloud West Virginia
volunteer in Kanawha Valley elementary schools
and serving on the Board of Directors of the
West Virginia Institute for Spirtuality and Advisory Council of the Western Region of Catholic
Charities WV. He is a member of Saint Anthony
Catholic Church.
As AARP West Virginia President, Stonestreet will articulate the positions and views of
AARP in the Mountain State; provide leadership; and foster creativity and enthusiasm in
AARP’s volunteers, members, and staff. Additionally, he will represent AARP West Virginia and its members at key state and national
meetings and events. He will serve as Chair of
the State Executive Council, as well as partner
with AARP State Director Gaylene Miller, staff
and volunteers to help achieve AARP’s vision,
mission and strategic priorities within West
Virginia.
A unique volunteer idea
Larry “Mad Max” Maxwell retired
from Parkersburg South HS after 37
years. For the last 15 years he spent his
extra time in writing letters, to not only
his students, but to all the students of
PSHS.
“I started writing athletes first and at
the end of school one year….two little
girls came up and one said that she had
received four letters, she was an athlete,
and the other said she did not receive
any,” Maxwell said. “That’s when I
decided that every kid deserves some recognition and that from then on I decided
to write every kid in school.
Maxwell has averaged about 6,000
letters per year, writing every student
multiple times. When asked about inspiration for the project, Maxwell said “I
had a scoutmaster who would write us
and it was great to get a letter from him.”
Letter writing is a long-lasting passion
of Maxwell’s,” I am also an Air Force
veteran and, before computers, I remember how great mail call was when I was
stationed in Vietnam. I would write and
receive about 10-12 letters a day.”
Because of his volunteering, Maxwell
was given the Cornerstone of Our Community award. Maxwell also volunteers
with his church, Lions Club, Habitat for
Humanity, New Era one Room Schoolhouse Project and Wirt Co. Schools
Newsletter deadline: July 15
Rich Stonestreet
You make a
difference
There have been two concerns that have affronted seniors
and retirees during the past year.
1. The chained CPI which would have greatly reduced the
potential increases in Social Security checks over the next several years. Thanks to the pressure asserted by concerned retirees
and seniors, the President withdrew the plan from his budget.
This does not mean the fight is over, so keep alert and stay
tuned to advice from AARP.
2. Proposed cuts in funding of Medicare Advantage Plans.
This would adversely affect all public and retired school
employees. More than 15 million seniors, or approximately
29 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries, have chosen to enroll
in Medicare Advantage for the better benefits, lower out-ofpocket costs, and higher quality care these plans provide. Tom
Susman conducted some informational meetings in Charleston
and Wheeling. During these meetings seniors and retirees were
encouraged to contact Senator Manchin’s office and ask him
to stop the cuts. Senator Manchin contacted CMS on behalf
of seniors along with 40 other US Senators. However there
is still much that needs to be done so that CMS rolls back the
cuts. Additional meetings were held March 25 and 26. We must
continue to tell Senator Manchin that the proposed changes in
Medicare Advantage funding will be detrimental to our retirees.
Please contact Senator Manchin’s office Toll-Free Phone:
855-275-5737 (For residents with a 304 or 681 area code) and
thank him for his support but ask that he keep the pressure up
on CMS.
Newsletter Editor: Darlene Milam — bmilam@suddenlink.net