A Bi/Monthly Newsletter for Texas Instruments’ Retirees

June/July 2009A Message from the President:

The excitement continues! Our attendance at our Luncheon Meetings continues to increase. Our roster has expanded to a record of approximately 150 paid members. We have 14 members who haven’t paid their dues. Several of our newer members have attended recently. In April and again in May we had excellent speakers. In April Curt Moore spoke on the state of TI and in May we had Sgt. Joe Lee speak on crime prevention and scams. Read about their talk later in this edition. In April we held our annual Spring Event (Pot Luck Dinner and Bingo) and we had a good crowd and a record number of players for our Special Bingo. See write-up later. In May our day trip was to Shiner, Texas. It was a great trip and the hi-lite of the trip, for some, was the brewery, others the church, the Museum, etc. Read and see some pictures from this trip also in this edition. I again want to welcome more new members to our club. Please get the fullest benefit of your club by joining us at our monthly business/luncheon meeting, our trips and our special events throughout the year. I want to encourage those of you who have access to the internet to visit our club web site (below) and review all that is available. The Photo Gallery tab has a great number of pictures on past trips and events and there is more to come! In this edition read about some of the things our members have been doing and where they have been going. Enjoy this newsletter! Here’s hoping to see you at our next meeting, trip or event. And remember, if you bring someone who qualifies to be a member and they join, you get a free meal voucher to be used at this Golden Corral. Tell the cashier you are there for TIRET meeting to get your discounted meal and drink for $5.75 +tax. Checkout our web site at www.tiretirees.org for more information.

Ralph Garcia

Have a Safe July 4th !!

Coming Events:

Mammograms begin on 6/18/09, 7/14/09 and then on 9/17/09 in Stafford.Call MD Anderson at 713-745-4000 to schedule an appointment, Mon-Fri. Call Cindy Metz, RN, for any questions at 281- 274-4880.

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June 17, 2009 Lunch at the Golden Corral – Wednesday 11:00 am. Good time forfellowship with friends. Door Prizes will be given.

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June 22, 2009, Monday – Painted Church’s Tour in Fayette County. Charles Slanina is the trip Chairman and can be reached at 281-923-7450 or 281-499-1404 forreservations. You can mail your checks to him at 923 Robinwood Dr., Stafford, Texas 77477. Cost of this trip is $20.00 pp. Review other details on enclosed flyer.

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July 15, 2009 Lunch at the Golden Corral, Wednesday 11:00 am. Come and enjoy good food and good company. Don’t forget door prizes will be given.

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August 1, 2009 Saturday – night trip to Dennis Ivey’s Texas Opry in Crockett, where we eat at a Chinese Buffet. Please review other details on enclosed flyer.

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September 17, 2009 Thursday – Tour Bellville’s Newman Castle along with a jail and downtown tour.

October 22-24 (tentative) - Leading Ladies comedy at Navasota’s new Dinner Theatre.xxxxxxxxx

The TI Retiree Club’s garage sale is planned for September 25-26. It is an event where everyone can participate. It will be held at the residence of Israel and Nora Morales at 11506 Dorrance Lane in the Meadows Place (close to the Golden Corral). This club event is being held solely for the TI Retirees Club to raise money for a new microphone/speaker or possibly a projector system. All members are invited to parti-cipate by donating items for the garage sale. So start setting aside the items that you want to donate. Your items will be accepted from August 1 through September 19. Please don’t procrastinate until the last day. You can call Israel at 281- 498-2219 to set up a delivery date. One major request is made: Please be sure that the item being donated is in working condition and one that someone would be willing to buy. And please price the donated item. Call Israel for any other information.

Note: flyers with more information will be available at the upcoming luncheons and posted on our website. Set aside given dates if you plan to attend or participate.

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Past News:April 15, 2009 Lunch at the Golden Corral was attended by “51” retirees and guests.We had Curt Moore, site manager for TI – Stafford, as our guest speaker.

Birthdays were celebrated by Mary Young, Bob Wolters and Nora Morales. Mary Lee and Howard Cameron celebrated their anniversary. Door prizes wentto Estella Garcia and Bill Young. Gail Wolters won the donated bottle of wine from Jeanette Castle.

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Our Pot Luck Dinner and Bingo Night on April 23, 2009 was again very successful. (Pictures attached.) Our overall attendance was 61 members and guests. Everyone appeared to have really enjoyed the evening and all got to win something in the White Elephant Bingo. The side dishes brought in by the members and guests were delicious. We had equal amounts of both Fried and Rotisserie chicken as our main entrée. Plus tasty sausage. Unfortunately, we ran a little short on the fried chicken. A show of hands at our previous meeting had indicated half the people wanting fried and half wanting rotisserie. Our overall expenditures were under the amount budgeted at our annual board meeting due to proceeds received from guests and the Special Bingo. That includedthe main entrée, miscellaneous cost and the Prizes bought by the club. It takes a lot to carry this out and it would not be possible without all the people who helped. My thanks go out to all who helped, especially my wife Estella and

Curt spoke on the state of TI. Curt sounded positive in the way TI has positioned itself going into the business climate we are in now. He felt a good cash position was maintained, through closely managed discretionary spending, non critical custom R & D cuts, selected plant shut-downs, worldwide RIFs, and by establishing a policy of aggressive inventory controls. He mentioned TI's current business strategy is to focus on high-growth markets, geographies, and major needs of customers. Analog catalog products are a thrust, right alongside system sell with general purpose (versus highly custom) processors. He also pointed out the opportunities for growth in Analog and Embedded Processing. Among the highlights in the quarter were the acquisition of CICLON semiconductor, a specialized supplier of analog chips for power management, and qualification of a new assembly/test factory. “Both improve our ability to serve customers." He was well-received and the members had more questions than there was time. He was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

others if I overlooked anyone. Thanks to Eugene & Opal Kuykendall, Charlene Chaney and especially board members and spouses for donating extra prizes for Special Bingo: Tony & Sue Leigh, Israel & Nora Morales, Daryl & Brenda Moss, Charles and Sylvia Slanina, Don & Lynn Stefan. We ended up giving away over 20 prizes. When you consider we had 46 players, it was great odds for winning. Donations were not requested, so I want to thank those who did for their unselfish contributions. We had 46 people stay and play Special Bingo, the most we've had in the last three years! Grand prize winner of the $50 gift card to HEB, and also the 12-cup coffee maker,was Gayle Steele. (The Pot Luck pictures include all the super-prize winners, attached.) Honorable mention goes to Don Stefan for again going unassisted throughout the night in calling and handling the order of the numbered balls for not only the Pot Luck Bingo but also the Special Bingo. Thanks to Lawson Cook & Israel Morales for taking pictures for the Vigor and website that helps to preserve the pictorial history of our club.

To all who attended, I hope you had an enjoyable evening. Ralph

To Ralph and Estella…..thanks to both of you for your continued work and dedication as sponsors of the annual Pot Luck and Bingo. (We attendees)

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May 20, 2009 Lunch at the Golden Corral was another well-attended luncheon with 50 present. Our guest speaker was Sgt. Joe Lee from the Crime Prevention Bureau of Fort Bend County Pct. 2 Constable’s Office.

Sgt. Joe Lee was the featured speaker at the TIRET business luncheon on May 20. He gave an informative and thought provoking presentation covering his background and the duties of the Constable's Office. Constables have responsibility for both criminal and civil offenses (summons, eviction, etc.) throughout the State of Texas. Ft. Bend has 4 precincts presently.

He told of several scams that are going around that target seniors. He gave lots of tips on how to avoid being caught in a scam. He passed out several informative brochures including an excellent 6-page handout from the Houston Police Department titled Personal Safety.

Sgt. Lee served 27 years with the Houston Police Department before retiring in 2005. But he chose to continue working instead of retiring. He has served as a trooper for the State of Texas. He has a B.S. in Education from Stephan F. Austin State Univ. He was a 2nd Lt. in the Army National Guard until 1976. His hometown is Newton, Texas. He now lives in Ft. Bend County.

Birthdays were celebrated by Daren Welch, Sandy Coughran, Hank Kuczynski, and Eva Witchard. Jewel and Daren Welch celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. Door prizes went to Mary Lee Cameron and Gwendolyn Dickey.

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On Wednesday, May 27th, seventeen TI Retirees and guests rode the Harris County bus to Shiner, Texas. See the day trip description integrated with the pictures, attached.

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Thomas and Jeanette Johnson attended the Texas State Charter School Conventionthat was held in San Antonio, TX. April 13-15 2009. It was interesting and educational.

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Daren and Jewel Welch flew to Las Vegas to visit their daughter, Mary Lynn Gentry. She lives in Henderson, NV. They all had a great time sightseeing and gambling. While there, they toured Red Rock Canyon, Liberace Museum, Atomic Energy Museum, and several casinos. This was a week of fun!

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Tony and Susan Leigh had the wedding of their oldest son on April 25th, 2009. Theyhad family coming in from England, Michigan, and Virginia. Editor’s Note: Susan and Tony had a busy month with the Pot Luck & Bingo, the wedding, out of town guests, and preparing for a cruise to Alaska! Get some rest, please, we need you!

xxxxxxxxx Gwendolyn and Eddie Dickey celebrated their “44th” wedding anniversary May 13, 2009. Congratulations!!

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Marcie Alston from Bakersfield, CA, came to Houston on business for only two days with her niece. Her birthday happened to be on May 13, and she turned “92” years. Being close friends with the Stefans, they provided a birthday cake in celebration. She wished she could have visited longer, but was unable. She did say to tell everyone “Hello!”

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Gayle Steele made a trip to Isla Mujeres for 4 days. She said it was beautiful, and they caught Sail fish. (a bigggg one) How big was it, Gayle?

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Glenda Winton took a camping trip to Lake Conroe with her two sisters and their husbands. They enjoyed walking, swimming, and riding their bikes. It was a verypretty place.

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Daren and Jewel Welch’s grandson, Kevin Welch, married Brittany on May 23, 2009. His bride just graduated from Sam Houston State, with a Master’s degree. They are both recent graduates.

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We have been missing Virgil and Doris Floyd lately, and received an e-mail from him giving us an update on his status with his health. He will be starting a series of ten radiation treatments in Richmond, Monday May 18th, 2009. He asked us to remember him in prayer. We certainly will, Virgil, and for Doris also!

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During the first week in May, Kay and Lawson Cook vacationed in their 5th wheel trailer at Caddo Lake State Park near Marshall. They enjoyed the cooler weather and unusual scenery of the only natural lake in Texas. On the way up, and back, they stopped in Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Rusk to see some of those historic towns.

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For those of you who have been with the TI Retirees for a long time, you will remember “Oma Niles” who was one of our board members. We are sorry to see her obituary in the Chronicle. She passed away April 9, 2009. She was an antique collector/dealer, and very active with the retiree’s club. We send our condolences to her family.

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We are also sorry to report Nora Morales’ sister passed away May 16th, 2009 in Corpus Christi. Nora and Israel Morales were unable to attend our last luncheon. Israel lost a brother recently, also. We send our sincere condolences to the Morales family.

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We have been missing Lydia Barker at our events lately. She has been unable to attend due to no one able in her family to drive her to any functions. Her daughter Beverley Cayton is still having a problem with the eye that had a detached retina. It has been operated on several times, but not healing correctly. If any of our retiree’s living in the Richmond area would be willing to give Lydia transportation at the nextluncheon until Beverley can drive, I’m sure Lydia would be grateful.

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The Leigh’s have just returned from a cruise to Alaska on the Carnival Cruise Lines. They did the Inland Passage from Vancouver, Canada, to Whittier in Alaska and terminating in Anchorage. They had a fantastic trip. The weather was perfect with no rain and blue skies. Even the Alaskans could not believe the weather. They had never seen it so good for so long. They saw Whales, Sea otters, Seals, Bears and Bald Eaglesand took plenty of photos. The mountains looked beautiful all covered in snow.

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Marian and Bob Gruber have had their fill for a while of "one-armed bandits". In the past four months they have taken two Group Multi-Overnight trips to the Paragon Casino Resort in north central Louisiana plus a four day one to the Las Vegas downtown area (Golden Nugget Hotel). They were fun groups to be with but it was just a little too much of the same gambling thing in one period of time! As always, 'there is no place like home'! However they did manage to get in trips to their Lake Livingston place for some R&R plus took a trip to East Texas where their son has a spread. This was very relaxing --- even if the fish were not biting. They are planning a similar encore trip in late June.

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The Sunshine Committee

Please contact the Sunshine Committee if you hear of any of our retirees with serious illnesses, surgeries, or deaths so we can let families know we care by sending cards from the Retirees. Call Lynn Stefan 713-777-2805.

Vigor Staff

Editor and Reporter ---- Lynn StefanGraphics ------------------ Donald E. StefanDistribution --------------- B. J. Townsend, Lynn and Don StefanTechnical Assistance --- Daryl Moss

Gem of the Day

There’s something in a simple hug thatalways warms the heart and

makes it easier to depart!

Editor’s Note: Important:

To our TI Retiree’s Family and Friends, on a sad note, this is the last Vigor we will be writing. Due to health reasons, our two sons are adamant for us to sell our house and move closer to them. As of this writing we do not have our future address and phone number, but will send it to Pres. Ralph Garcia to pass along to you. I feel sad to leave, as I have been happy to be a part of the club the past 15-20 years!

Please continue your support for the Retirees and board members! God Bless You All!!! The Stefan’s

Welcome!Greetings from presidentRalph Garcia (L).

Please register with TonyLeigh & John Gallis (fore-front, R) then pick up a name badge and complementary Vigor (newsletter).

Sign up for upcoming daytrips with Charles & Sylvia Slanina (center rear). The serving lines (L, R) wrap around: fried and rotisserie chicken, veggies, salads, desserts, drinks.

The TI auditorium is packed with tables: White Elephant and Special Bingo gifts; sign in, serving, dining and Bingo play.

President Ralph Garcia (L) explains the Bingo rules.

“Official” Bingo caller Don Stefan (above) verifies winning numbers.

Intense concentration (and luck) will give you a ‘winning’ card…hopefully!And, the Super Prize winners are……… Over $120

of Super Bingo Gift Cards

Gayle Steele (L), double winner, with Susan Leigh. Others (L to R): Pete Ramirez, Gayle Steele, H-B coffee maker (above) AND $50 gift certificate to HEB (R). Helen Colwell, Eva Witchard

SPOETZL BREWERY (SHINER, TEXAS) DAY TRIP – May 27, 2009On Wednesday, May 27th, 17 TI Retirees and guests rode the Harris County bus to Shiner, Texas.First stop was Saint Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, which was absolutely beautiful.

Next stop was The Edwin Wolters Museum where we saw displays including guns, furniture,

utensils, natural history and memorabilia of early Shiner history - even a jail.

Then it was time for lunch, which was a home-cooked buffet at the Country Corner Cafe. Everyone seemed to get plenty to eat. Afterwards, our tour guide rode us through Shiner's 60-acre City park, which had a creek running through it and kids fishing. It was a real nice place for families to have a picnic. Finally we finished up with a tour of the Spoetzl Brewery. Everyone enjoyed the samples of Shiner Beer. Our tour of the brewery was a little crowded with all those young college kids touring, but it was manageable. Seeing the process and the huge copper tanks was interesting to all. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed. Our last stop on the way home was at Janak's Meat Market where we sampled dry sausage, home made jelly and crackers. Some bought goodies to take home. We had a drawing on the way home. Nora and Tony won Spoetzl koozies and Mary Lee won the Key-to-the-Brewery key chain. Everyone got "100 Years" commemorative coasters from the Shiner Brewery.

We hope that you will join us soon on another great Day Trip.

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