[Nfbsatx] Fw: [nfb-texas members] Difficult Times.

[Cindy Garcia]

--- On Tue, 10/6/09, Cokie Craig <ccraig323 at earthlink.net> wrote:

> From: Cokie Craig <ccraig323 at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [nfb-texas members] Difficult Times.
> To: members at nfb-texas.org, ATCNFB at yahoogroups.com
> Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 3:30 AM
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> Dearest Fellow Federationist, 
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> As one who has worked side by side
> with Tommy throughout the
> years this is indeed a very hard and difficult time for him
> and all of us. I
> know how much time and hard work has gone into building
> this affiliate first
> hand. Tommy has laughed after having to do a state
> convention with a hotel that
> filed bankruptcy one week before our convention was to
> happen, and we pulled it
> off, been angry at the way blind people were treated during
> the sunset
> hearings, cried when a blind child’s parents hugged
> and thanked him for
> helping them with their child’s  educational
> goals, set beside him in
> court when a child was going to be taken away from blind
> parents and because of
> Tommy’s testimony the parents took their child home
> that day. Walked the
> halls in Washington and at the state capital  year
> after year to promote
> blindness legislation. Knowing that Tommy wrote the Braille
> Bill, but did not
> get or seek credit for it, participated in numerous
> fundraisers, planned, set
> up and completed several state conventions. Helped plan,
> set up and supported a
> number of national conventions, encouraged blind students
> not to give up, but
> to keep trying to accomplish their educational goals, set
> up and took down the
> sound equipment at state conventions for many years, lots
> of travel to get
> great rates at hotels for our state conventions, and many
> hours, weeks, months,
> and years helping blind people throughout the state with
> blindness issues,
> helping to start, build and support new chapters, set up a
> state affiliate
> office, in which he is very proud of and has been planning
> to do for years. I
> could go on and on with all the things Tommy has done for
> this affiliate
> because he has dedicated his whole life to the National
> Federation of the
> Blind, and the Texas affiliate. I am very sure you can
> think of something Tommy
> has helped you with over the years. Tommy truly loves what
> he does or he would
> not have given so much of his time and energy. Tommy has
> admitted to making
> mistakes, so please consider how very saddened and
> heartbroken he is that he
> was asked to step aside as president and a life time of
> giving of himself to
> the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. Tommy truly
> cares what happens
> to Blind Texans and always will.  
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> To the members of the state board who
> chose to vote Tommy
> out, I hope and pray that you do not let Tommy’s hard
> work and dedication
> throughout the years be forgotten, and that you give as
> much of your time as he
> has. I also hope you will be forgiving and understand why
> Tommy made the choices
> he made because it was not out of selfishness or greed, but
> because he really
> wanted to put as much time and energy into helping the
> affiliate grow, and you
> have to admit he did that. He who throws the first
> stone… 
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> In Federation Love, 
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> Cokie Craig 
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