[nfbwatlk] FW: [Wcb-l] History kicks 2 (replaces old #2)

[Mike Freeman]

-----Original Message-----
From: Wcb-l [mailto:wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org] On Behalf Of frank cuta
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 2:10 PM
To: wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
Subject: [Wcb-l] History kicks 2 (replaces old #2)

Note:  my previous history kicks 2 was a duplicate of history kicks 1,
therefore this replaces the old history kicks 2.
Frank


(from december 1961 issue of The Blind American)

Wes Osborne Heads Parliamentarians . Wes Osborne, well-known blind
federationist of Washington State, was the subject of a recent feature
article in the
TACOMA NEWS-TRIBUNE in recognition of his latest achievement.Excerpts from
the article follow:

"Wesley Osborne is totally blind. But he's not in the dark when it comes to
motions, amendments, amendments to the amendments, and parliamentary
procedure
in general. The 60-year-old Osborne took over the president's gavel, [last
summer] for Tacoma's Blanche Wilkinson Unit of the National Association of
Parliamentarians.


In fact, so far as he knows, he's the first president of a parliamentary
unit who is blind. Osborne doesn't think he'll have much trouble conducting
meetings.
'After all,' he said, 'the secretary can see, and she can recognize
everyone. It's the thinking, not the seeing, that mostly counts.' . . .

"Osborne, who wears green-tinted glasses, mastered Roberts Rules of Order in
Braille -- a job involving 500 double-sided pages in three volumes. . . . 

"Legally blind since 1937 and totally blind since 1957, Osborne started
studying parliamentary procedure in 1955 under A. L. Struthers, a Tacoma
registered
parliamentarian, Struthers conducted a class for 11 blind persons. . . 

"Osborne has been state chairman of legislation for the blind since 1957.
And he credits much of the success he's had as lobbyist to his knowledge of
parliamentary
procedure. 'It helps you understand what the legislature is doing . . . and
when to amend a bill you don't like if you can't stop it from getting out on
the floor.' 

"He credited the 1961 [state] legislature, by the way, with enacting all the
legislation the blind requested. Osborne made 52 trips to Olympia while the
last legislature was in session." 



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