[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1717

[David Houck]

July 10, 2019

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1717                                     

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              When you receive this edition of the Positive Note, Shelley
and I will be in Las Vegas Nevada attending the 2019 NFB national
convention.  We arrived in Las Vegas Saturday evening, July 6, along with a
large number of federationists from South Carolina.  We attended the
National Seniors division seminar on Sunday, July 7, which dealt with the
role and importance of proper exercise and nutrition designed to assist
seniors in maintaining a productive and active life style.  On Monday, July
8, Shelley and I picked up our convention packets and spent the remainder of
the day in the Exhibit Hall.  Tuesday morning, July 9, we attended the NFB
National Board of Directors meeting.  One of the highlights of this National
Board meeting was the introduction of the 2019 national scholarship class.
Shelley and I were extremely proud when Derique Simon was introduced as one
of the thirty students who will be receiving scholarships Friday evening at
the banquet.  South Carolina is currently ranked number 10 in attendance
thus far with 84 registered delegates.  It was announced that the 2020 NFB
convention will be held in Houston, Texas.    Tuesday afternoon, Shelley and
I attended the business meeting of the National Seniors Division.  One of
the agenda items was a report from participants and staff on the National
Seniors retreat held this past October at Rocky Bottom.  The participants
spoke very highly of their training and their experiences at Rocky Bottom.
I will provide you with more details regarding the convention next week; so
stayed tuned!  

              There are only a few days remaining to make your hotel
reservations for the 2019 NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at
the Marriott Hotel in Columbia August 9-11.  Rates for this year's
convention are $112 per night for up to four in a room.  In addition to the
room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 14 percent.  There are
rooms still available for the $112 rate Thursday, August 8.  The deadline to
make reservations is July 15, 2019.  If you wait until after July 15, to
make your hotel reservation, the hotel may not have an available room for
you and you may be required to pay the standard room rate.  You can make
your room reservations by calling the Columbia Marriott reservation toll
free telephone number (800) 593-6465 or (803) 771-7000 and inform the
reservationist you are reserving a room for the National Federation of the
Blind of South Carolina state convention.  

              I would also encourage you to go ahead and pay your $80
preregistration fee for the state convention which will cover the very
special Friday evening reception, the Saturday luncheon and the Saturday
evening banquet as well as a continental breakfast Saturday and Sunday
morning.  Please send your $80 preregistration fee to the Federation Center
of the Blind, 119 S. Kilbourne Rd. Columbia, SC 29205.  We are offering 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 or younger will pay $20.  We are also offering a discounted rate to
college students in the amount of $50 during the preregistration period.
After August 2, the registration will increase to $100.  

              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.  

              We are dictating this section of the Positive Note on Monday,
July 8 and our thoughts continue with our South Carolina delegation to the
national convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In the late 1990's the NFB
convention was held in Anaheim, California which is located about 25 miles
from downtown Los Angeles.  Next door to the hotel was Disneyland and it
became a real attraction with convention goers who spent a lot of time at
Disneyland.  As you know, Disney World was later constructed in Orlando.
Incidentally, the California Angels major league baseball team is located in
Anaheim.   We had just organized the Fairfield County Chapter in Winnsboro
and the late Kenny Branham was elected President.  To assist Kenny who
wanted to go to the convention, we appeared before the Winnsboro City and
Fairfield County Councils to secure financial help.  A gift of $1,000 was
secured from these officials.  Also, our Marlboro County Chapter headed by
the late Billy Hendrix, who wanted to attend the Atlanta NFB convention,
made a presentation to local church which granted him $1,000 to attend that
convention.  Phoenix has hosted two NFB conventions.  The hotel did not have
large enough space to hold the convention sessions and the exhibits.  There
was a separate convention center which hosted the convention sessions and
exhibits.  On one occasion we were walking the short distance between the
hotel and convention center and I stated, "This is extremely hot weather,"
(which gets upwards of 115 degrees).  A nearby person asked where I was from
and then he replied, "We have no humidity," and I remarked, "They have a lot
more heat than we do."  One evening we had been up late and heard the radio
announcer state that the temperature had fallen to 100 degrees at Midnight.
A sandstorm had developed as we were traveling from the hotel facility to
the convention center before the banquet and all of us were a "mess."  At
the same time I suddenly realized that I didn't have my envelope with the
$1,000 Dr. Jernigan had given me to keep for the banquet door prize.  I
realized I had left the $1,000 in the envelope in my hotel room.  Almost in
a panic I raced back to the hotel, and to my relief, the envelope with the
$1,000 was still on the night stand where I had left it.  I recall telling
Dr. Jernigan about this and he replied that it would be all right if I
replaced the $1,000 with my personal funds - it wasn't funny then either.
In the mid 1960's when the convention was held in Washington DC at the
Mayflower Hotel, we honored Sen. Jennings Randolph who drafted the Randolph
Sheppard Act which required federal facilities to allow space for vending
facilities operated the blind. During his acceptance speech he recalled one
occasion when he and Mrs. Randolph were driving home after giving a speech
and he asked Mrs. Randolph how his speech went.  To which Mrs. Randolph
replied, "You missed several opportunities to sit down!"  I mustn't forget
to give my employer Colonial Life my appreciation for the $500 stereo radio
which was presented at the national convention in Columbia in 1969.  We hope
all of you in Las Vegas are having a wonderful time.

 

Final Thought:   This week Las Vegas, Nevada is experiencing something it
never has experienced before, the National Federation of the Blind
Convention!

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