[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1604

Wed May 10 12:36:24 UTC 2017

May 10, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1604

Greetings Fellow Federationists: 

              There is only three weeks remaining to preregister online for the 2017 NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida.  If you preregister prior to May 31, registration for convention will cost $25 and a banquet ticket will cost $60.  After May 31, the cost for convention registration will increase to $30 and the cost of a banquet ticket will increase to $65.  Save $10 and also skip the need to stand in line for a long period of time at the convention by purchasing your convention registration and banquet ticket by the May 31 deadline.  

              If you have not done so already, please make your hotel reservations for the 2017 NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida.  The date of this year’s national convention will be July 10, to July 15, 2017 and will be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort.  The 2016 room rates are singles and doubles, $83; and triples and quads, $89. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 12.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed is requested. Please note that the hotel is a no-smoking facility.  For 2016 convention room reservations you can call the hotel at (866)996-6338.  You may also write directly to the Rosen Shingle Creek, 9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819-9357. The hotel will want a deposit of $95 for each room and will want a credit card number or a personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately, just as would be the case with a $95 check. If a reservation is cancelled before Thursday June, 1, 2017, half of the deposit will be returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.  

              Also, if you have not done so already, please make your hotel reservations for the 2017 NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenville, SC August 18-20.  Room rates are very affordable.  Rates for this year’s convention are $99 per night for up to four in a room.  In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 12 percent.  There will also be a limited number of rooms available for the $99 rate Thursday, August 17, for those individuals wanting to arrive at the hotel a day prior to the official start of the convention.  The deadline to make reservations will be July 27, 2017.  If you pay in advance, your reservation will be guaranteed; however, you will not have to pay as long as you arrive by 6:00 p.m.  Any amount you pay, of course, will be applied toward your bill.          

          You can make your room reservations by calling the Hyatt Regency reservation telephone number 402-592-6434 and inform the reservationist you are reserving a room for the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina state convention.  The Hyatt Regency hotel has also made available a dedicated website to book your hotel rooms online. Reservations can be made starting immediately at this web address: 

https://aws.passkey.com/go/natfedblind.

              We are now accepting your $80 preregistration fee for this year’s State Convention.  Please send your $80 preregistration fee to the Federation Center of the Blind, 119 S. Killbourne Rd. Columbia, SC 29205.  This year the NFB of SC board of directors voted to offer a discount for families with children regarding the preregistration fee.  Parents will pay the $80 preregistration fee and each child eight teen years of age and younger will pay $20.  All preregistration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.  As in past years, the $80 preregistration fee will cover the reception on Friday evening, continental breakfast Saturday morning, the luncheon, banquet, and a continental breakfast Sunday morning.  The deadline to accept your $80 preregistration fee is August 9.  If you wait until after the deadline of August 9, the registration will increase to $100.  Save $20 and preregister early!  

           I am sad to report the death of Tommy Ingle who passed away this past Friday May 5.  Tommy was a member for many years of the Columbia chapter and also a longtime member of the Greenville chapter.  Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.  

              The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day, we raise the 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.  

              It is with sincere regret that I report the death of longtime federationist, Tommy Ingle which took place on Friday, May 5.  Tommy was only five months older than I am as he celebrated his 89th birthday on March 31 this year.  I first met Tommy when we were both ten years old and students at SCSDB.  Since we were contemporaries, I especially regret the death of Tommy.  We spotlighted Tommy on May 26, 2010 in Positive Note 1241which was thoroughly researched and printed.  I’m taking the liberty of reprinting the May 26, 2010 Positive Note as it yields very thorough and interesting information on Tommy.  We extend sympathy to Tommy’s daughter Renee and his son Roy.

              “The spotlight this week shines on Tommy Ingle - one who has been in the federation for 40 years, joining the Columbia Chapter in 1970.  He served as President of the Columbia Chapter for one year.  He now serves as Assistant Secretary of the Greenville Chapter.  Born in Greenville on March 31, 1928, he and I are virtually the same age as I was born on August 30, 1928.  Tommy stated that he had been blind from birth and has never seen daylight.  It is believed by Tommy and his family that the wrong medications were accidentally used in both eyes, causing his blindness.  Incidentally, no one has better mobility skills than Tommy, especially without the use of a cane or guide dog.  I enrolled at SCSDB in 1939, some five years after Tommy and we've been good friends throughout the years.   Tommy's father drove a bread truck and would frequently visit Tommy at SCSDB, bringing cookies and other goodies which he gave to Tommy who was good enough to share some of his goodies with me.  Tommy learned piano tuning shortly after graduation with his first employer being Alexander's Piano Company in Spartanburg.  The Division for the Blind, which was a part of the Department of Public Welfare, bought Tommy his piano tools and he  received for his first employment $15 per week from the Division for the Blind and $15 per week from Alexander's Piano Company.  He also worked at Seigling in Charleston, and according to Tommy, was the first piano store in the U. S., established in 1918, Harmon Piano Service in Greenville and Case Brothers and Rice Piano Company.  Finally Tommy found permanent employment at Westinghouse in Columbia in 1970.  He worked for Westinghouse for 26 years (1970-1996), retiring at that time but he continued as a piano tuner as a part-time business.  Tommy has one daughter, Renee who has two daughters and her husband who is an attorney and one son, Roy, who has three boys.  Tommy has attended about 20 NFB of SC state conventions and about 12 national conventions.  When asked about Rocky Bottom, he stated, "Its great and I never pass up an opportunity to go there."  It wasn't difficult to guess Tommy's hobby - singing gospel songs.  Recognized by his associates as being quite religious, Tommy attends the Washington Avenue Church of God.  Finally, born in tough times, Tommy faced many challenges and worked at many different piano companies from the Upstate to the Low Country trying to make a living for himself.  Before landing the 1970 Westinghouse job, Tommy had already reached 42 years old but still managed to work faithfully for Westinghouse for more than a quarter of a century.  Since Tommy and I are contemporaries, I probably understand the efforts and diligence Tommy has faced for several decades.  This is the primary reason this week we are pleased to spotlight such a good person and a good federationist.”  On Monday, May 8, Tommy’s som, Roy phoned the Federation Center with some information indicating that there will be a Memorial Service for Tommy in Greenville next week, but the details are not complete.

Final Thought:  Raising Expectations:  Think about the thousands of years people looked at the Moon and wondered what it would be like to be there.  Since the 1960’s, we raised our expectations to make their thoughts reality.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170510/6d324f0d/attachment.html>