[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1632

[David Houck]

November 21, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1632

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              It appears we will have a good turnout for the 2017 Christmas
Board Retreat which will be held at Rocky Bottom the weekend of December 1,
2, and 3.  On your arrival to Rocky Bottom Friday evening December 1, please
stop by the Resident Manager's apartment and Linda Bible will notify you of
your room assignment for the weekend.  We will do all we can to provide
comfortable sleeping accommodations for everyone, however, we are expecting
over forty individuals for the weekend and therefore, all of us need to be
understanding and demonstrate a spirit of good will during the brief time we
will be at Rocky Bottom.  Breakfast on Saturday morning, December 2, will be
served at 8:30, lunch at 1:00 p.m., and the Christmas dinner at 6:30 p.m.
On Sunday morning, December 3, breakfast will be served at 8:00.  Remember,
if you wish to participate in the Christmas gift exchange Saturday evening,
ladies will need to bring a ladies' gift and men will need to bring a men's
gift.  The cost of the Christmas gift should be a minimum of $10.  Also,
please remember to bring bake goods such as cakes and cookies so that we
have a large variety of Christmas desserts to sample during our Christmas
festivities Saturday evening.   

              We have an announcement from Steve Cook, President of the
Computer Science and Technology Division.  "The Computer Science and
Technology Division of the NFB of SC will hold a drawing at the Statewide
Seminar on January 6, 2018.  We are drawing for an Amazon Echo Dot.  This is
a personal assistant device that allows you to speak commands, and the Dot,
commonly called Alexa, will answer questions, set timers or alarms, can give
you requested information, play music, and much more.  Tickets are a
donation of only $2 each or 3 tickets for $5!  We will be selling between
now and the seminar.  You may contact Steve Cook, CSTD president at (803)
254-0222, or (803) 260-1292 for more information or to purchase your
tickets.  Good luck!"

              Finally, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your
family a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.  Let's take a few minutes
Thursday to reflect and give thanks for our families, our country, and to
our organization, the National Federation of the Blind, which is working
very hard to improve the quality of life of blind people.  

              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.  

              Happy Thanksgiving to all of you across the state.  The
Federation played a key role in my observance of different Thanksgivings.
The first Thanksgiving I actually remember attending was observed by me at
the School for the Blind in 1939.  This was good and bad for me.  In those
days the School closed down for the most part with only a few students
remaining who lived a distance from the School who were not able to go home.
A couple of my fellow students were nice enough to invite me to their home
during Thanksgiving - the late Tommy Ingle being one of them.  Tommy's
parents lived in Greenville and it was an easy drive for them to go to the
School and get Tommy and myself.  I lived in Mullins in the off season and
this was a long distance to the School, requiring me to stay with a handful
of students who were like myself.  I began attending Thanksgivings in the
late 1950's at the Columbia Chapter.  I recall the Columbia Chapter
sponsoring a Thanksgiving dinner at a Columbia restaurant on Two Notch Road.
The first Thanksgiving dinner was held at the Federation Center in 1961.
The Center had just been dedicated a month earlier on October 15.  The late
Connie Jumper and Rev. Ken Jumper were members of the Columbia Chapter.  For
more than a decade now, Rev. Ken Jumper and his church, "The Church of the
Harvest," has been sponsoring a Thanksgiving dinner at the Federation
Center.  The ladies of the church cooked the food and served it as well at
the Center.  Not too long after the Center was dedicated there was a program
enabling churches in the Columbia area to deliver food baskets to the blind
and Betty and I distributed these baskets for many years with the blind
being very appreciative.  I attended my first national board Thanksgiving
dinner in Berkley, California hosted by the NFB Founder, Dr. Jacobus
tenBroek in about 1960 with my having been elected to the national board in
July of 1959.  Thanksgiving would soon affect my responsibility to be
present for NFB board meetings.  By this time our two children, Craig and
Beth had been born, Craig in 1955 and Beth in 1958.  It was hard for us to
leave the children but we had been fortunate in securing two wonderful
retired ladies known as Aunt Lela and Aunt Mattie.  These wonderful ladies
lived in the Olympia section of Columbia with one living reasonably close to
the Center.  When we attended national board meetings we could always count
on Aunt Leia and Aunt Mattie as they were very good with the children.  When
Dr. tenBroek died in March of 1968, the 1968 convention was held in Des
Moines where Dr. Jernigan headed up the Iowa Commission for the Blind.
General meetings were hosted at the Iowa Commission for the Blind and NFB
board meetings were held at the NFB headquarters.  Overnight accommodations
were handled at hotels in the general area.  In 1978 Dr. Jernigan, after
serving the Iowa Commission for the Blind for 20 years, moved to Baltimore
where he established the National Center for the Blind.  I attended national
board meetings for some 35 years from 1978 to 2011.  By this time I was now
in my 70's and time for retirement from my board responsibilities for the
most part.  My Thanksgiving meetings were meaningful.  I am blessed to have
been able to participate in many federation functions.  I hope that your
Thanksgiving service this week is meaningful as well.

 

Final Thought:  People list things they do not discuss with family during
Thanksgiving.  Spend Thanksgiving counting your blessings and giving thanks
to God for his mercy and grace.

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