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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hey NFB Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you attended the Board Meeting yesterday, you learned the Membership Committee will be highlighting four NFB of Virginia members every Tuesday. Our plan is to introduce each member to all of the members in our Affiliate. Don’t be surprised to get a phone call soon, we want to learn about YOU!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This is our first submission and although I said we would be highlighting four members each week; this time we are highlighting only one member, John Halverson. Please read on and get to know John!!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Member to Member: John Halverson<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John Halverson, a member of the Potomac Chapter, has been with the NFB since 1973 and what a life he has led!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John has lived in many places but his beginnings were in the state of Washington. He went to public schools at a time when accessibility was a foreign word and had no real meaning in his life, there were no laws like there are now. The upside, John says, is being an active member of his community. When he went to school, he had a resource teacher come in once a day; he began to learn Braille in the 2<sup>nd</sup> grade. John and his family moved to California when he was in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade. At that time, there were only three schools for the blind; he didn’t live near any of the schools so he continued in public schools. John has a fabulous and positive attitude about it all. He says learning the way he did made him figure out how to do things on his own. John did say one of the downsides of all of this was he didn’t know or learn blindness skills early or well; he didn’t get his first white cane until he was in high school! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John really began to thrive when he went to the University of California where he studied economics. He said he had great teachers. In fact, one of his economics professors went on to win a Nobel Prize! John claimed he didn’t like math until one of his professors showed him the way LOL. John said he had a light bulb moment, he understood the concepts and everything fell into place; he’s loved math since then.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John was a part of Junior Senate. He had heard about the NFB but the Orange County Chapter met at the same time as his Senate group so he wasn’t able to attend NFB meetings. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John was in Michigan on St. Patrick’s Day when he heard Dr. Journagan was slated to speak. There was eighteen inches of snow that day which means the multitude of people who were expected to attend ended up being John and one other person. They had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Jernigan for six hours!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Guess who was there for the first Washington Seminar? If you said John, you hit the nail on the head. He was a member of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Leadership Class the NFB held. John has so many firsts in lifetime it would take a novel to list them all! Let me tell you a bit more about this wonderful man…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John learned many of his blindness skills while he was in California, He learned how to cook and other life skills, wood working (he made a huge set of stereo speakers), and did, as he says, weird mobility training. As part of that training, John walked across the Golden Gate Bridge; while he was walking, a traffic cop stopped him and asked what he was doing, John replied he’s walking across the bridge, the cop said okay and went on his merry way. Not so weird, John learned how to use public transportation, riding the bus.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John was back at the Washington Seminar the next year. Although he wasn’t living in California, so many people asked him about issues there, he spent most of the day talking about California. From that year, 1974, John has been involved with the data analysis connected with Washington Seminar!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At the 1984 National Convention, Marion Barry, the Mayor of DC at the time, was the speaker, everyone loved Marion. The next day, Dr. Jernigan said all members could do what they wanted to do by putting their minds to it. John said this was a very powerful speech. Marion wanted to give free bus passes to all blind people. John was in the group who opposed this. John did an editorial on TV the camera showed him from the chest up John was able to read the Braille he had placed at his waist and looked at the camera during the entire editorial. He said heard the editorial was shown during Saturday morning cartoons; John says he’s glad it was shown.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John has been Affiliate President for both Michigan and District of Columbia; he enjoyed this role in both Affiliates. John has been the President of the Blind Students as well as President of many chapters in many states. John is a true leader!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Fighting for civil rights has been a passion for John. For example, John fought to have a separate office for Services for the Blind instead of combining the Services for the Blind Office with the Welfare Office. John has never met a U.S. President but he knows several Cabinet Members. He has worked with Margaret Hetler (Secretary of Health), appointed by President Reagan, on disability issues each year. Working with the Surgeon General and others, John developed ways to combat disability issues.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>John would like to see more young people be involved with the NFB of Virginia. This is one of John’s passions as a member of the Membership Committee. John is also involved with our Silver Bells Program and he’s the Corresponding Secretary of the Board of the Potomac Chapter. John leads the Potomac Book club too.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Its not all work and no play for John! He loves to read especially thrillers and Military History books. He can be found behind his computer on many days doing research and writing and reading emails.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>One last little tidbit, last year at our National Convention, President Riccobono awarded John and his wife, Sandy, the Jacobus tenBroek award. This is the highest honor that can be given to a NFB Member! Tracy Soforenko, our Affiliate President, gave John the Saville Allen award, this is the highest honor the Affiliate can award. Much deserved I say and I’m sure you agree.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I hope you have learned more about this long standing NFB Member and friend. John, thank you for being you and for all you’ve done and continue to do to enrich the lives of blind people!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Peace,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jacki Bruce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Corresponding Secretary NFBV<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com">mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="tel:(757)291-1789">tel:(757)291-1789</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Membership Committee Chair<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Email: <a href="mailto:membership@nfbv.org">membership@nfbv.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: 757-354-4170<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Find us on Instragram @nfbofvirginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Subscribe to our Youtube: NFB Virginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbv.org">www.nfbv.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>STRONGER TOGETHER!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>