[Nfbwv-talk] {Spam?} SOME CONVENTION REFLECTIONS

[Ed McDonald]

Dear Fellow Federationists,

It has been a busy week of catching up since last weekend's NFBWV state 
convention; however, it has also been a great week of savoring the 
completely unexpected Hall of Honor recognition which you all extended to 
me. Most of us do what we do in the NFB because we believe in the 
organization and what it stands for--not for praise and glory. Therefore, 
this will always be one of the most memorable events of my life, and I will 
simply say thanks to everyone who had a hand in it. I suspect that our 
president, second vice-president, and secretary may have violated federal 
privacy laws in their effort to uncover information about my Federation 
history, but I promise not to report them to the authorities or to press 
charges!

Elsewhere, I don't believe I have seen anything on this list concerning 
Keryl Rustin's much-deserved award as the 2013 Federationist of the Year. 
Her efforts to create and build the Eastern Panhandle Chapter are certainly 
worthy of recognition.

It was also a good year for first-timers. Charles Powell, DeAnna McIntyre, 
and their daughter Sarah were very much involved in virtually all convention 
activities. We were also pleased to welcome Joyce Scholes from our Eastern 
Panhandle Chapter and Richard Campbell from the Kanawha Valley Chapter. 
Richard is hardly a newcomer to many of us who have known him for a long 
time, but I understand that it was indeed his first NFBWV convention. We are 
honored that he and Ruth chose to share the weekend with us.

We were also honored that the Saunders girls (that's how I know them)--Laura 
and Teri--were with us for the banquet and the memorial service. I am sure 
many of us felt Buck's spirit in our midst throughout the convention, and I 
appreciate all of those who took part in the memorial service. Special 
thanks go to Mary Ann for her Scripture reading and to Roger and Debbi 
Williamson for sharing their music.

Brad Hodges is to be commended for his "lunch and learn" event. This was a 
fresh idea for our convention, and I hope it sets the stage for an ongoing 
effort to share information about new technologies. I would be remiss if I 
did not also give a nod to the "lovely and talented" Karen McDonald for 
putting together another service and technology exposition. This event has 
great potential--not only as an educational experience for all of us, but 
also as a way to attract new members to the movement. I hope it will 
continue to grow in future years.

Furthermore, Brad and the rest of the Huntington Area Chapter set a new 
standard of flair and efficiency in the door prize department.

Money is the fuel that makes possible virtually everything we do. Thus, what 
can we say but "thanks" to Sheri, Ricky, Jack, Marcus, and the rest of the 
auction crew for another successful evening and to Mary Grogg for tirelessly 
selling those 50/50 tickets.

I do not believe we could have asked for a more appropriate national 
representative than Cathy Jackson. Cathy has been a friend of mine for 25 
years, and she really is like a member of the family. Her banquet remarks 
concerning "low-vision" members of the NFB offered all of us some vital food 
for thought.

Our many reports and presentations were probably too numerous to mention 
individually, but they all contributed to the success of the weekend. I 
must, however, say "great job" to our president for pulling it all together.

I hasten to add that these musings are not intended to be a comprehensive 
summary of the convention. It is inevitable that I have left out some 
important activities and the people who made them possible--like Bre Brown's 
brilliant orchestration of a surprise birthday gathering for President 
Smyth. Perhaps others will have additional thoughts, especially for the 
benefit of those who were unable to attend. In any event, it was a great 
weekend and one to be remembered and savored for a long time to come.

Ed