[Nfbwv-talk] 2013 NFBWV Convention Memo

Smyth, Charlene R Charlene.R.Smyth at wv.gov
Fri May 3 20:34:09 UTC 2013


Please find attached and cut and pasted below the memo containing information regarding the 2013 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia.  Please share with your members and any other interested parties who do not have E-mail or who are not on our NFBWV-Talk list.

 

CONVENTION MEMORANDUM

 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

 

OF WEST VIRGINIA

 

September 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2013

 

Best Western Bridgeport Inn 

100 Lodgeville Road 

Bridgeport, WV  26330 

 

"VOICE OF WEST VIRGINIA'S BLIND"

 

President, NFB of West Virginia: Charlene Smyth 

220 Buena Vista Avenue 

Clarksburg, WV 26301 

Phone: (304) 841-1111 

E-Mail:  cs.nfbwv at frontier.com

 

 

          As this is the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia's sixtieth/diamond anniversary, the below information will contain a smattering of diamond related information.  If you are interested and have the time to read on, information about the ten most famous diamonds follows this memo.

 

          Come help us sparkle at the 60th - diamond -- annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia (NFBWV) on September 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2013 at the Best Western Bridgeport Inn located in Bridgeport, West Virginia.  

 

          The convention registration fee is ten dollars per person, and the banquet registration fee is twenty-five dollars per person no matter the person's age.  (Don't you think these are very reasonable fees, especially when compared to the cost of The Taylor-Burton Diamond.)  The banquet meal has yet to be determined.  Plans have been made for an NFBWV registration table to be set up near the lobby.  

 

          If you wish to pre-register for the convention and banquet, your check should be made payable to the NFBWV and mailed to Treasurer Marcus Soulsby at 5309 Venable Avenue; Charleston, WV  25304.  You can contact Marcus via phone at (304) 206-4044 or via E-mail at msoulsby at suddenlink.net.  

 

          The guest room rates will be $79 per night up to four people per room.  All rooms make the cut, just like a perfectly cut diamond, as they include A Mini-fridge, Microwave, Coffee pot, Flat screen Hi-definition 32-inch television, Premium cable service, Hair dryer, Iron & ironing board, and Free wireless and DSL internet service. 

 

          The relief area for dog guides is down a corridor to the same door that takes you to the pool area.  Please remember to clean up after your dog guide.  

 

          Tasty meals and flawless diamond service is available at the hotel's Simmering Pot Family Restaurant.  Restaurant hours will be posted later.  

 

          The cutoff date for guaranteeing your room and getting room rates at $79 per night is August 20, 2013.  When making reservations, be sure to let the hotel know you will be attending the convention of the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia so you can receive the reduced room rates.  Reservations must be made directly with the Best Western Bridgeport Inn located in Bridgeport by calling (304) 842-5411.  When you make your reservations and when you register at the hotel, you must guarantee your reservation by either submitting a credit card or one night's pre-paid room and tax as well as for the hotel to keep on hand for any incidentals that might be billed to your room such as phone calls, room service, etc.  

 

          If reservations are made by a chapter rather than by an individual, chapters can use their FEIN number that will exempt them from some taxes.  NOTE:  You must use something official to identify your chapter such as a chapter check in order to receive tax exemption.  

 

          Please be aware that the official check in time is not until 3:00 p.m.  If your room happens to be clean and ready before that time, the hotel may allow you to check into your room.  

 

          Check out time on Sunday, September 22, is at noon.  

 

          If you wish to cancel your room, you must cancel no later than 6:00 p.m. of your arrival date.  If you fail to cancel as required, you will be charged one night's lodging.  

 

          You do not have to worry about accidentally ordering a movie with the television remote control in your room as this service is not offered by this hotel.  

 

          There are no charges for local phone calls.  

 

          Unfortunately, this hotel does not have a locked closet for the storing of valuable gems such as The Great Star of Africa and other things such as door prizes and so forth.  The Door Prize Committee requests that door prizes not be wrapped, but that a brown paper bag accompanies each door prize.  Any door prizes as well as goodies or items for the Membership Auction can be submitted when you check in at the convention registration table at the hotel.  

 

          Speaking of Membership Auction, every member is requested to obtain at least one new item or homemade food item to be auctioned off the evening of Friday, September 20.  It is recommended that items be obtained that anyone would want to own, use, or have in their home.  Please be aware that if you are able to obtain nice but smaller items/diamonds, such as the 20 carat Hortensia, which might not be suitable for the auction, we will put them in a basket along with other items for which we will be selling raffle tickets throughout the convention.  When you have obtained an item, please make a list containing the name of the item, a description of the item, the approximate value of the item, and who donated it and then E-mail it to Sheri Koch, Membership Auction Chairperson, at slk5111 at hotmail.com.  It is felt that this is one fund-raiser everyone can assist our affiliate with to raise the funds necessary to keep our projects and initiatives going.  Also, everyone is helping to make it a success and taking some of the pressure off those normally involved in fund-raising.  

 

          Parking is available free of charge.  

 

          On Friday evening, the Harrison County Chapter of the NFBWV will host the reception.  They invite you to come join them for an exceptional/Orloff Diamond time, good fellowship, and an assortment of delicious refreshments.

 

          Come show your Centenary/true and top-color Federationism as we gather after the banquet on Saturday evening to discover what the Eastern Panhandle Chapter has in store for us.  

 

          The Kanawha Valley Chapter would very much appreciate all chapter presidents and/or board members forwarding to them the names of those who will be attending the convention so the name tags can be completed in advance.  Also, indicate whether the individuals are voting or nonvoting members and whether the individual reads regular print, large print, or Braille.  This information should be submitted to Sheri Koch at slk5111 at hotmail.com or via phone at (304) 993-5103.  

 

          For those attending the NAPUB Meeting, President Karen McDonald will be in communication with you regarding this.  

 

          If you have anything that needs to be considered by the Resolutions Committee, please submit it to Chairperson Ed McDonald at 151 South Mineral Street; Keyser, WV  26726; PHONE:  (304) 788-0129; E-MAIL:  ed at eioproductions.com.  Submissions should be sent to Ed no later than August 19, 2013.  Anything submitted after this date will not be considered until next year's convention.  The Resolutions Committee will write and complete all resolutions by September 10, 2013 with a copy submitted to the NFBWV president at that time.  

 

          If you have nominations for The Regent/Federationist of the Year, please submit them in print to Sheri Koch via E-mail at slk5111 at hotmail.com or by mail at 5111 Staunton Avenue SE; Charleston, WV  25304.  Submissions should be sent to Sheri no later than August 19, 2013.  Names received after this date will not be considered.  Sheri will share all nominations with the members of her committee, Marcus Soulsby and Bre Brown.  

 

          If you have any nominations for other awards and honors, please submit them to the chairperson of the Awards and Honors Committee, Sheri Koch, at 5111 Staunton Avenue SE; Charleston, WV  25304; PHONE:  (304) 993-5103; E-MAIL:  slk5111 at hotmail.com.  Nominations should be submitted to Sheri no later than August 19, 2013.  Nominations received after this date will not be considered.  

 

          If you or anyone you know would like an NFBWV scholarship application or additional information, please contact the chairperson of the Scholarship Committee, Mary Ann Saunders at 1664 13th Avenue; Huntington, WV  25701; PHONE:  304-697-1434; CELL:  304-634-0607; or E-MAIL:  saunders at wvdsl.net.  You can also download the instructions and application by going to our website at www.nfbwv.org.  Here is where diamonds in the rough can be discovered and with Federation craftsmanship, can be cut and polished to show off all facets.  

 

          If you have any questions or need to forward information, please do so by contacting me using the contact information provided at the beginning of this memo.

 

          We hope that all of you are able to attend this year's convention to let your Koh-i-Noor/Mountain of Light shine.  We look forward to meeting and visiting with you. 

 

The Great Star of Africa

 

530.20 Carats - the Cullinan I or Star Africa diamond is the largest cut diamond in the world. Pear shaped, with 74 facets, it is set in the Royal Scepter (kept with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London). It was cut from the 3,106-carat Cullian, the largest diamond crystal ever found. The Cullian was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in l095 on an inspection tour of the Premier Mine. The Cullian was cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, who examined the enormous crystal for around six months before determining how to divide it. It eventually yielded nine major, and 96 smaller brilliant cut stones. When the Cullian was first discovered, certain signs suggested that it may have been part of a much larger crystal. But no discovery of the "missing half" has ever been authenticated.  

 

 

The Orloff

 

300 Carats when found, color: slightly bluish green, clarity: exceptionally pure, cut: Mogul-cut rose, source: India.  This gem may be found in the Diamond Treasury of Russia in Moscow.  There are so many historical episodes involving the Orloff. First, it may have been set at one time as the diamond eye of Vishnu's idol (one of the Hindu Gods) in the innermost sanctuary temple in Sriangam, before being stolen in the 1700s by a French deserter. However, the deserter just dug one eye from its socket, because he was terror-stricken at the thought of retribution, so he couldn't take the other. He went to Madras, and sold the stone quickly to an English sea-captain for 2,000 pounds.  The time passed, the stone arrived at Amsterdam where the Russian count Grigori Orloff, an ex-lover of Empress Catherine the Great was residing. He heard about rumors of the stone, and he bought the diamond for 90,000 pounds and took it back to Russia for Catherine's favor. The stone has been called the Orloff since then. Catherine received his gift and had it mounted in the Imperial Scepter. She gave a marble palace to Grigori in exchange for the Orloff. However, Grigori couldn't get Catherine's love. Grigori Orloff passed away at the nadir of disappointment in 1783.  In 1812 the Russians, fearing that Napoleon with his Grand Army was about to enter Moscow, hid the Orloff in a priest's tomb. Napoleon supposedly discovered the Orloff's location and went to claim it.  However, as a solider of the Army was about to touch the Orloff, a priest's ghost appeared and pronounced a terrible curse upon the Army. The Emperor, Napoleon scampered away without the Orloff.  

 

 

The Centenary Diamond 

 

273.85 Carats, discovered at the Premier Mine, in July 1986. The 'Centenary' diamond weighed 599.10 carats in the rough. Together with a small select team, master-cutter Gabi Tolkowsky took almost three years to complete its transformation into the world's largest, most modern-cut, top-color, flawless diamond.  Possessing 247 facets - 164 on the stone and 83 on its girdle - the aptly-named 'Centenary' diamond weighs 273.85 carats, and is only surpassed in size by the 530.20 carat 'Great Star of Africa' and the 317.40 carat 'Lesser Star of Africa', both of which are set into the British Crown Jewels.  The 'Centenary' diamond was unveiled, appropriately at the Tower of London in May, 1991.  

 

 

The Regent

 

140.50 Carats, although it is now surpassed in weight by other famous diamonds, the exceptional limpidity and perfect cut of the Regent give it an uncontestable reputation as the most beautiful diamond in the world. Discovered in India in 1698, it was acquired by Thomas Pitt, Governor of Madras, who sent it to England where it was cut. In 1717 the Regent purchased it from Pitt for the French Crown. It first adorned the band of Louis XV's silver gilt crown (in the Louvre) at his coronation in 1722, going then to Louis XVI's crown in 1775. Later in 1801 it figured on the hilt of the First Consul's sword (Fontainebleau, Musée Napoléon 1st), and then on the Emperor's two-edged sword in 1812. In 1825 it was worn on the crown at the coronation of Charles x, and during the Second Empire it embellished the "Grecian diadem" of the Empress Eugenie. It can be seen today at the Louvre in Paris. 

 

 

Koh-i-Noor (Mountain of Light)

 

105.60 Carats, an oval cut gem, now part of the British Crown Jewels. The name of this diamond means "Mountain of Light" and its history, dating back to1304, is the longest of all famous diamonds. It was captured by the Rajahs of Malwa in the sixteenth century by the Mogul, Sultan Babur and remained in the possession of later Mogul emperors. It may have been set in the famous Peacock Throne made for Shah Jehan. After the break-up of the Persian Empire the diamond found its way to India. It may have traveled to Afghanistan with a bodyguard of Nadir Shah, who fled with the stone when the Shah was murdered, to be later offered to Ranjit Singh of the Punjab in exchange for military help (which was never delivered). After fighting broke out between the Sikhs and the British, The East India Company claimed the diamond as a partial indemnity, and then presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850. When the stone came from India, it weighed l986 carats; it was later recut to l08.93 carats. It was first worn by the Queen in a brooch. It was later set in the State Crown, worn by Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, and 1937 was worn for by Queen Elizabeth for her coronation. It is kept in the Tower of London, with the other Crown Jewels.  

 

 

The Idol's Eye

 

70.20 Carats, a flattened pear-shaped stone the size of a bantam's egg. Another famous diamond that was once set in the eye of an idol before it was stolen. Legend also has it that it was given as ransom for Princess Rasheetah by the Sheik of Kashmir to the Sultan of Turkey who had abducted her.  

 

 

The Taylor-Burton

 

69.42 Carats, color: F-G, clarity: IF, cut: Pear-shape, source: Premier Mine, Transvaal, South Africa.  It was founded in 1966 in the Premier Mine in South Africa. The rough, which weighted 240.80 carats, was cut into a 69.42 pear shape diamond. As you might guess from the name, Richard Burton bought and named this stone as a gift for Elizabeth Taylor. Yes, Richard Burton bought it $1,100,000. He also named this stone as an engagement. After Burton's death in 1979, Liz Taylor sold the stone for charity and reportedly received $2.8 million. She donated in his memory to a hospital in Biafra.  It was last seen in Saudi Arabia. 

 

 

The Sancy

 

55 Carats, it was cut in a pear shape and was first owned by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who lost it in battle in 1477. The stone is in fact named after a later owner, Seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador to Turkey in the late 16th century.  He loaned it to the French king, Henry III who wore it in the cap with which he concealed his baldness.  Henry IV of France also borrowed the stone from Sancy, but it was sold in 1664 to James I of England.  In 1688, James II, last of the Stuart kings of England, fled with it to Paris.  It disappeared during the French revolution. 

 

 

The Blue Hope

 

45.52 Carats, the ironically named Hope diamond (named for its purchaser, Henry Thomas Hope) may have had a long and illustrious history before it became associated with a run of bad luck for its owners. It is thought to be a part of the famous Blue Tavernier Diamond, brought to Europe from India in l642. The Blue was purchased by King Louis XIV who had it cut to 67.50 carats from 112 carats to bring out its brilliance. The diamond was stolen during the French Revolution, and a smaller diamond of similar color was sold in 1830 to Hope, an English banker. After inheriting the diamond, Hope's son lost his fortune. It was eventually acquired by an American widow, Mrs. Edward McLean, whose family then suffered a series of catastrophes: her only child was accidentally killed, the family broke up, Mrs. McLean lost her money, and then committed suicide. When Harry Winston, the New York diamond merchant, bought the stone in 1949, many clients refused to touch the stone. It is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. 

 

 

Hortensia

 

20 Carats, a peach colored stone, named after the Queen of Holland, the step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, this gem is part of the French Crown Jewels and may be viewed at the Louvre in Paris. 
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