[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1470

[David Houck]

October 14, 2014

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

From:  Parnell Diggs, President

Positive Note 1470

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

              I begin this Positive Note with a word about the Positive
Note.  Last week, there were some comments on the listserv expressing
varying views about last week's edition.  All comments are welcomed,
especially by members of the affiliate.  Your time is valuable, and it
should not be wasted.

I, for one, want the Positive Note to be exciting and informative.  It is
important to read the Positive Note because it is the mechanism we use to
get details out to the statewide membership.  Your feedback is a good thing.
That being said, we will try to make it short enough to keep it interesting.

Incidentally, President Riccobono now releases a weekly email entitled,
"President's Notebook", which is patterned after the Positive Note.  We are
proud of this excellent tradition established by Dr. Capps and the impact it
has made in the Federation.  The Positive Note has been released every week
without exception since August of 1986.  Now delivered online, it reaches
more readers than ever before.

I will be appointing statewide committees in the next few days, and I need
you to tell me if you want to serve in any capacity including as a committee
chair or member.  I can't promise that you will get one hundred percent of
what you want, but I will do my best.

It was a pleasure to join friends in Aiken for a meeting of our Aiken
Chapter on Saturday.  Valerie Bouler Johnson and I departed early in the
morning and made the nearly four-hour drive for the noontime meeting.  I
enjoyed seeing some of the longtime leaders including Grace Smith, the widow
of the late Rev. Jackie Smith, as well as Ms. Pearl Tucker, who has been a
member of the chapter for more than thirty years and is now 90 years of age.
Incidentally, Ms. Tucker is doing great.

We will be doing some additional work in Aiken in the months to come, and I
am looking forward to this prospect.  Congratulations to Steve Sheck on
being re-elected President of our Columbia Chapter at the meeting attended
by some one hundred persons.  I want to thank Dorothy Barksdale for
filling-in at the State Office while David Houck is on a church retreat
Tuesday through Friday of this week.

On Wednesday, October 15, 2014, we observe White Cane Safety Day, and annual
occasion when we recognize the progress the blind community have made in the
continuing effort to achieve first-class citizenship status in society.  I
am proud of all of the work our chapters are doing to publicize this
important observance.  I am also proud of our efforts during the entire
month of October, which is of course Meet the Blind Month, and (this year)
during our 75 Days of Action to celebrate the seventy-fifth Anniversary of
the National Federation of the Blind.

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic which defines you or your future.  Every day, we raise
expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams.  You can live the life you want:
blindness is not what holds you back.  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.

The annual election of Columbia Chapter officers and board members brought
out the largest attendance during 2014 with 100 persons in attendance.  The
members elected to the Board of Directors for 2015 are as follows:
President Steve Sheck, First Vice President Tiffany Mitchell, Second Vice
President Isaiah Nelson, Secretary Pat Wolthoff, Treasurer Phil Watridge and
the two At Large positions elected were Maggie Floyd and Patronda Anderson.
The election was entirely democratic in nature.  Therefore, I believe that
all chapter members should work together for the common good of everyone.
For some 60 years I have been involved in Columbia Chapter elections and
while the election did not always go to suit me, I never allowed that to
affect my participation and devotion to the chapter.  And then there's
always next year.  

I believe that a well-informed member is a better member.  In recent weeks
I've enjoyed informative articles in the Palmetto Blind, the Braille
Monitor, the weekly Positive Note and the Presidential Release.  I was
delighted that President Riccabono told the national organization about the
birth of Frank Coppel's second grandchild as it made the Presidential
Release.  In the current issue of the Palmetto Blind the presentation by
Marshall Tucker delivered at the 19064 NFB of SC state convention 50 years
ago was exceptional as it contained tremendous information about the need
for a separate autonomous agency for the blind.  I appreciate the tremendous
effort put forth by David Houck and Marshall Tucker in translating
Marshall's presentation 50 years ago word for word as a good bit of research
was needed to get this information together.  Not too many people are still
around that know about this tremendous effort in the organized blind
movement demonstrated 50 years ago, convincing the legislature that programs
for the blind are best served by a Commission or separate state agency.  The
NFB of SC and the Commission for the Blind have an excellent relationship
and work collaboratively in supporting programs to assist the blind.  It
certainly is better if you can attend NFB conventions, but those of us who
cannot, certainly enjoy and appreciate the Braille Monitor's excellent
coverage of the convention.  As always, the Presidential Report was
outstanding and Dr. Maurer's Banquet address was truly excellent.  I note
that Dorothy Barksdale and Isaiah Nelson's names were mentioned in the
Monitor Miniatures in the Braille Monitor as Dorothy is working to create a
Blind Cancer Survivor's Division.  Good luck Dorothy.  Also in the
publication of the NFB scholarships was the first Donald C. and Betty R.
Capps $7,000 scholarship which was presented to Katelyn McIntyre who is
pursuing a career in music.  Also, I noted Justin Williams of our Columbia
Chapter received an NFB scholarship.  The convention presenters were all
outstanding.  In referring to the October Braille Monitor there's an
excellent article by our own Chris Danielsen who got his early beginning as
a member of the Student Division of the NFB of SC.  Some of you may recall
that President Diggs and Chris practiced law together for a while in the
Myrtle Beach area.  We appreciate the tremendous effort by President Diggs
as he visits chapters and attends to other responsibilities in a caring and
effective manner.

 

Final Thought:  "You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you
set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck
with something below your true talent and potential." - Steve Garvey

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