[Nfbofsc] FW: Positive Note 1460

[David Houck]

August 5, 2014

Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others

From:  Parnell Diggs, President

Positive Note 1460

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

              Convention week is finally here!  Everything is set, and NFB
of SC enthusiasts are prepared to arrive in Columbia within days for the
2014 event.  Don't forget door prizes (we need lots of prizes).  Get in
touch with Lenora Robertson if you would like to donate door prizes of at
least $5 in value.

             Here is an announcement from Steve Cook.  "The Computer Science
& Technology Division (CSTD) will have a drawing for an Apple TV at the NFB
of SC 2014 State Convention the weekend of August 8 - 10!  Drop by and see
us in the exhibit hall Friday afternoon for a demo of the Apple TV, and you
will be able to ask questions as well.  Tickets are extremely affordable for
this wonderful device!  You must be present to win and the winning ticket
will be drawn during our division report.

If you currently own an iPhone, iPod or iPad this will be another great tool
to have in your hands!  Be sure to come by and purchase plenty of tickets,
which will be on sale all weekend up until the drawing!  You can purchase
tickets from Steve and Shannon Cook, Thom and Tracey Spittle, Parnell Diggs,
Larry and Valerie Warrington, David Bundy, Marty McKenzie, or Charles Black,
for $2 each or 3 for $5."

You may want to dress up for 50's-60's night at the Friday Reception.  I
plan to do this myself and enjoy the dancing, food, and fellowship with
Federationists from across the state.  Remember, we will be having breakfast
in the meeting hall this year, not the Presidential Suite.  Coffee will be
available as well as various continental items to choose from.

At the Saturday evening Banquet, we will be conducting our annual
fundraiser.  Please pray about it and think about what you can do, in any
amount to support the programs of the NFB of SC.  Some chapters and
individuals have already pledged to make donations.  Everyone can give
something.  Kim and I always do, as I would not ask others to do what I am
not willing to do myself.

I end my portion of the Positive Note with an important word about the
December Board Retreat.  The Rocky Bottom Board Retreat will occur during
the weekend of December 12 through 14.  Please mark your calendar and note
this change accordingly.  See you Friday!  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.

Having been blessed to serve 30 years as President of the NFB of SC, I know
something about planning and participating in annual conventions.  President
Diggs has now served 14 years as President of the NFB of SC and he has
become one of the best state Presidents in the NFB.  I'm confident this will
be an excellent convention and historical in as much as the NFB of SC is
celebrating its 70th anniversary.  Since it seems appropriate to do so, I
have taken a look at our very first state convention held on April 27 and
28, 1957.  I see only one who participated on the first agenda other than
myself who is still alive which is Lois Boltin Tucker.  Although my wife
Betty was certainly there participating, others who attended and
participated in the very first convention included Marshall Tucker and Ruth
Weeks who are still active in the federation today.  The following is a
narrative of what happened at our first state convention.

              The first annual convention of the South Carolina Aurora Club
of the Blind (NFB of SC) occurred on April 27 and 28, 1957 in Charleston at
the Fort Sumter Hotel.  At that time there were only 43 state affiliates of
the National Federation of the Blind and only 120 members of the Aurora Club
in South Carolina.  This convention made history and it was fitting that it
happened in such an historical city as Charleston.  Hotel rates were $5 for
singles, $8 for doubles and $9 for three in a room.  The local YMCA and YWCA
were also used at about half the hotel rates.  The Columbia Chapter used a
bus to get to the convention which was entitled the "Aurora Express."
Scouts were used as sighted guides during the convention.  Congressman
Mendel Rivers was a featured speaker.  The convention agenda also featured
Fred Workman from the Lions International, J. M. Cherny, from the Division
of Blind Services, Dr. Laurens Walker, Superintendent of the SC School for
the Deaf and the Blind and Dr. Josiah Smith a Charleston Ophthalmologist.
Saturday afternoon included a luncheon followed by a bus tour of Charleston.
The Saturday evening Banquet featured among other items a Legislative Report
by Dr. Samuel Lawton (Aurora Founder), reports from Chapters around the
state, a White Cane Committee Report by John Cooley, a Resolutions Committee
Report by Archie Nunnery, a Publicity Committee Report by Coleman Moore and
a Nominating Committee Report by Lois Boltin.  The keynote Banquet address
was made by myself as state President.  As you can see, state conventions
have grown in size, in exhibits, divisional meetings, and agenda items over
the years but early on the NFB of SC was well on its way to shaping future
goals for blind South Carolinians to better their independence, productivity
and status in a sighted world.  This week's convention also celebrates our
70th anniversary, being founded in 1944 under an apple tree in Spartanburg
by Dr. Samuel Miller Lawton.

              I agree with President Diggs that everyone in the NFB of SC is
able to contribute something so that we can better support the funding of
the organization.  Betty and I will be making a contribution.

 

Final Thought:  "Tough times don't last but tough people do." - Trace Adkins

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