[il-talk] My thoughts on Carmen

[AZNOR99 at aol.com]

Dear Federation Family,
 
Because I was unable to fly home to Chicago this weekend and attend  
Carmen's services, I thought I'd take a minute to share some of my thoughts  about 
Carmen and her legacy.
 
It's no secret that Carmen and I stood on opposing sides of debates,  
discussions, and ideas pretty often.  However, I could always count on her  to 
tell me exactly what she thought and why.  Frequently, she convinced me  that 
her position was the best course, and less often, I convinced her that mine  
was.  But no matter what we ended up deciding, we had a spirited, and  
usually a fun, discussion.  And we shared a mutual respect for one another  
because of our belief in the Movement.  
 
You could always count on Carmen to do what needed to be done.  Her  work 
on the Membership Committee ensured that new Federationists joined the  
Movement with regularity and spirit.  Her commitment was unparalleled;  I
can't remember her missing a single Board or Committee meeting in any of  
the time I've been a member.  She was the person we asked to print our  
agendas
and resolutions, both in Braille and in print.  She was the  person we 
called to get fundraising ideas, and she was the person who did what  needed to 
be done.  
 
Many in our Federation Family think of Carmen as a surrogate mother.   I 
was priveleged to have had a long conversation with her shortly before her  
death, and she spoke with such love and pride of her "chicks," as she called  
them.  
 
But I think what sticks out most in my mind, what I'll miss the most about  
Carmen, is her unwavering spirit - we, the blind of this nation, remain in 
the  midst of a battel for civil rights, and we will prevail one student, 
one senior,  one family, one professional at a time; but we will prevail.  It 
is this  spirit that is her legacy, because she instilled it in everyone she 
 encountered.
 
Rest in peace, Carmen.  You will be missed but never forgotten.