A Quarterly Newsletter for the United Way Retirees Association

UpdatesUpdatesInside This Issue

Page lCrisis Consultant RespondsPage 2President’s Corner

Page 3Doin’ What Comes (Un)Naturally

Page 4UWRA/Select Cities ReunionPage 5UWRA Leadership Givers

UWRA New MembersLet’s Travel

Page 6Remembering FriendsPage 7Who, What, When, Where

Where Are They Now?Page 8Have You Heard This One?

Page 11Health Notes

Page 12Household/Garden/Other Hints

Remember!!You need to renew your member-ship in order to receive a new pre-scription card and other benefitsfrom UWRA.

Announcement

UWRA Annual Board MeetingNovember 22 and 23, 2002

United Way of AmericaAlexandria, Virginia

UWRA CRISIS CONSULTANT TRAININGPAYS OFF FOR SMALL UNITED WAY

In the last issue of Updates we reported on the training of UWRA’s CrisisConsultants. Jim Settle, Madison Heights. VA was one of them. In Marchhe got the call for help and was sent to Middlesboro, KY to assistthe Cumberland TrailsUnited Way recover fromfloods that swept that area.

As you can see from thenewspaper clipping to theright, Jim got front pagecoverage for his work.That’s him on the phone.

Below the clipping is acopy of the letter written byPatricia Welch, ExecutiveDirector, expressing appre-ciation to UWRA for theirassistance. TheCumberland Trails UnitedWay is a Metro IX.

Jim’s report following theconsultation states: “I vis-ited the Cumberland TrailsUnited Way, and ExecutiveDirector Pat Welch, in or-der to assist with the UnitedWay’s role in relief to floodvictims. My efforts wereprimarily devoted to assist-ing Pat in visits to the di-saster sites, coordinating in-formation and referral re-

(Continued on Page 5)

Issue 2 • Spring 2002

Page 2 UPDATES Spring 2002

President’s Corner by Don Sanders

Questions About Membership?Concerns? Suggestions?

Stories to Share?

UWRA STAFF STANDS READYTO HELP YOU.

Call

Lyanne WassermannAnne Hunt

Tricia Smith

1-800-892-2757, Ext. 621 or 624

One of the most satisfying aspects ofbeing part of the Retiree Associationis being plugged in to the opportuni-ties to be of service to United Waysand individual professionals stillactive in community helping organi-zations.

Many of the programs of the Asso-ciation are aimed to promote thematching of individual volunteerretirees and communities andindividuals who might need help.This is true of our Mentoring andCrisis Consulting programs and otherproblem solving efforts availablethrough our Service Corps, as wellas our Planned Giving trainingoutreach. In these ways and otherswe find ways to offer our experiencesand skills to those that need adviceand counsel and the perspective ofthose who have “been there” before.Many have come forth and areactively involved in giving helpwhere needed.

Our newest effort is the Phone Bankconsulting program designed tomatch up professionals who are inneed of help with our volunteers. Inthe last UPDATES we included anitem urging you to become involved.The response has been disappointingto date. We believe this offers animportant way in which more of ourmembers can give significant service,rendered over the telephone and withno travel requirements. The areas inwhich you can help are spelled outin the enclosed return mail flyer inthis newsletter. Please join us in this

effort. Simply fill out the mailer andreturn it. You will be glad you did.Your Association Executive Commit-tee will meet in June to discussprogram progress, review and actupon budget issues for the year, in-cluding progress on our fundraisingefforts from individuals and UnitedWay organizations, and continue ourlook at the health of the organizationin general.

Your will find a list of officers andother members of the ExecutiveCommittee below. Write or call uswith your thoughts or concerns. ✠

UWRA Executive Committee

PresidentDonald Sanders527 Dillworth Mews Ct.Charlotte, NC 28203-5357(704) 338-5949Marydon-sanders@msn.com

President ElectDell Raudelunas971 Kensington AvePlainfield, NJ 07062(908) 757-8128raud@worldnet.att.net

SecretaryBobbie CrequeP O Box 73403Washington, DC 20056-3403(202) 234-0876bereque@aol.com

TreasurerWinifred Helton1513 Paddack CircleCharlotte, NC 28209(704) 525-0278wmhelton@aol.com

VP, Resource DevelopmentTom Laing3254 Angelus Drive

Waterford, MI 48329-2512(248) 674-2396frippster@aol.com

VP, Program DevelopmentBernard Hyman105 Wood Hollow Dr.Cary, NC 27513(919) 469-3870bjhyman@email.unc.edu

VP, Membership DevelopmentMyron Liner30942 Hunters Whip LnFarmington Hills, MI 48331(248) 661-2474mliner661@aol.com

Editor, UpdatesGeorge Wilkinson2319 Sierra Highlands DrReno, NV 89523-2617(775)747-8834georgew610@aol.com

Chair, Nominating CommitteeTom Vais17423 Zena AveMonte Sereno, CA 95030-1736(408) 395-8195Tvais@aol.com

Spring 2002 UPDATES Page 3

Doin’ What Comes(Un)Naturally

by Dick Aft

Most of us entered the 21st Centuryusing the leadership skills that hadbecome second nature. Why not?We’d worked hard to learn them andhad been successfulpracticing them. Now,however, our territoriesare morphing from geo-graphic to virtual, ouremployees are demon-strating that they knowmore about our busi-ness than we do, and our best cus-tomers are dropping the criterion ofloyalty from bid specs. Is it realisticto expect that tried and true leader-ship practices, those that feel so natu-ral and have worked so well in thepast, won’t need a major overhaul inthe 24/7 reality of post-9/11 organi-zations?

In his comments at “The 2002 Orga-nization of the Future Conference,”Peter Drucker suggested that we rec-ognize that it’s time to transform ourcontrols from “ownership” to “stra-tegic purpose.” It’s time to replacethe autopilot of “doin’ what comesnaturally” with some unnatural newapproaches.

If we no longer energize enterprisewith the “ownership,” what’s thepoint? Dr. Drucker’s honed it andit’s sharp! He pointed out that ourbusiness values are often irrelevantto the customer. He observed that wearen’t profiting from customer invest-ment as much as customer satisfac-tion. And he cautioned against fo-cusing on the things we are good at,instead of the things we should begood at.

What worked better in the last decadethan cornering the market of prod-uct knowledge and skills? The for-mula for success was right where our

founders had put it, in the time cap-sule inside the cornerstone. Bring allup-to-the-minute technology into ourorganizations. Soak every pain inexecutive hot tub of experience andexpertise. Liberally splash nutrientsdown the flowcharts to our apprecia-tive subordinates. Were Dr. Druckerless a gentleman, he might say it’stime to stop drinking our bath water.Today, he pointed out, we in the headoffice no longer represent the knowl-edge base on which our future suc-cesses will rest; the most knowledge-able people “are within their fieldsof enterprise.” And unless our infor-mation capacities have tied us intoevery office from here toKiskunfelegyhaza, we’re going tomiss the minute-by-minute knowl-edge, skills and technologies that Dr.Drucker points out are “developingwithin themselves.” (Check the map.Kiskunfelegyhaza isn’t even close toSilicon Valley, let alone New YorkCity.)

It’s clear! Unless we can achieve ourlifelong quest to control our markets,we’d better listen carefully to PeterDrucker’s message.

• It’s time to face up to the major newdemands of “profound differences inthe ways we do business as we beginthe 21st Century.”

• It’s time to “move from control byownership to control by strategicpurpose.”

• It’s time to face up to “majornew demands for clear mission(Remember, “small enough to fit ona t-shirt”); to look are “how resultsare defined” (Stakeholders will con-tinue to expect them); and, to encour-age “team members to focus on theircontributions” (after all those years

of thinking that they were focused onus).

So where’s the beef/tofu? Dr.Drucker made necessarily compli-cated processes summarily simple.“Money. Knowledgeable people. In-formation capacity.” It is with thesecommodities that strategic purposeand results will henceforth be de-fined.

Money. That’s not new. But the cus-tomer is studying each dollar closelyenough to see that “In God We Trust”doesn’t extend trust to long-standingbusiness relationships that don’t sat-isfy needs.

Knowledgeable people. That used tobe “the guys in the head office.” Nomore. Today, it’s the women andmen whose megs and gigs give themworking knowledge of their parts ofbusiness so complex that facilitatorsscore higher than managers.

Information capacity. To satisfy ourcustomers, we need sufficient data toanticipate their needs, and we needto learn how to spell the names oftheir countries.

So Uncle Remus said to Br’er Rab-bit, “Just do what comes naturally.You lie in that briar patch until thecoast is clear and everything willwork out just fine. ” Sorry, Unc.“Doin’ what comes naturally” justwon’t cut it these days. It’s time toshelve your advice and listen to Pe-ter Drucker’s. For most of us, thatmeans doin’ what comes un-natu-rally!

Currently, Richard N. Aft, Ph.D. ispresident of Cincinnati-basedPhilanthropic Leadership, aconsulting practice committed toincreasing yield on charitableinvestment. ✠

Page 4 UPDATES Spring 2002

UWRA/SELECT CITIESREUNION

by Dan MacDonald

Put a dozen plus United Way execstogether with nearly a dozen retireesfor four days in perfect, sunnyweather, mountains all around and agoodly mix of business and socialevents and what do you have? The35th anniversary of Select Cities inTucson, AZ in mid-March this year.

Select Cities, one of the oldest groupsof its kind, is voluntary, non-incorporated. Currently, it consistsof CPOs from 13 organizationsthroughout the U.S. and two fromCanada, all of whom are elected tomembership on the basis ofleadership and their potential forsharing issues and ideas to enhanceUnited Way operations. Many, thiswriter among them, have top-ratedSelect Cities because agendas dealwith difficult, day-to-day concernswith members willing to help eachother throughout the year.

This year, retirees were invited to aprogram session to discuss real-life,personal planning. The 90 minuteagenda stretched for another hourwith intense questioning about suchsubjects as: when to know it’s timeto move on to another job (or stayuntil retirement), timing ofretirement, financial planning, howto deal with the change of pace andlife style, working after retirement,volunteer opportunities within andout of the field, the criticality ofmaintaining mental and physicalhealth and so on.

Inaugurated in 1967 by co-leadersRol Hoffman and Hank Russell,Select Cities has been sustained byonly 64 members in its history.Hoffman and the late Bob Mabiehold the attendance record at 21 yearseach. Young Joe Haggerty, a current

member and a recent first-time father,has not missed a Select Citiesmeeting in 18 years. Gene Berres(17), Dick Fusco (17) and MerrittJohnson (17) – all three present thisyear – follow up the longevity record.

This year, Viney Chandler of FortWorth was Site Chair and MikeMcLarney of Omaha served asProgram Chair. One six year veteranhas been lost to Select Cities in onerespect – Brian Gallagher – recentlyof Columbus is the new nationalexecutive of United Way of America.Commitments made since Brian’srecent appointment prevented himfrom being in the Tucson meeting.

Invited to join in festivities for the35th, nine retirees and their spousesattended (at their own expense, ofcourse). They included: Gene andLois Berres (Lake Wylie, SC), Dickand Kay Fusco (Alexandria, VA),Dale and Cindy Gray (Tucson),Merritt and Jeanne Johnson (Coronadel Mar, CA), Dan and HannaMacDonald (Tucson), Henry andMary Ellen Monaco (Milwaukee,WI), Ted and Karen Moore (Cary,NC), Bill and Anne Schwanekamp(Phoenix, AZ) and Tom and Beverly

Vais (Monte Sereno, CA). Ed Parker,President of Tucson’s United Way, aformer member of Select Cities andhis wife Judy, joined us for mostevents. Another retiree, DellRaudelunas and husband Frank(Elizabeth, NJ) had made plans toattend until unforeseen events causedthem to cancel their trip.

There was no dearth of socialactivities. Besides dinners out, theyoung and old were feted oneevening in a reception at theMacDonalds, at a brunch at the Graysand finally, taken on an after-darkJeep ride through the desert endingin pitch black visibility excepting thestars. All arrived at a tent outlinedwith tiny lights, were seated atformally outfitted tables, providedwith an elegant meal and entertainedby a violinist and a singing cowboy.Viney Chandler was thanked byretirees for inviting them andpresented with a memento, anauthentic painted Indian drum.Ceremonies were capped withretirees serenading her somewhat outof tune with “Too Marvelous forWords,” everyone knowing that“marvelous” is Viney’s trademarkand favorite word. ✠

The M&MGang. Memory Makers or Medicare Mob is what they calledthemselves. Shown above before a jeep tour into the mountains and a fabu-lous outdoor dinner, left to right: Gene Berres, Bev Vais, Lois Berres, CynthiaGray, Karen Moore, Dale Gray, Ted Moore, Tom Vais, Hanna MacDonaldand Dan MacDonald. See additional photos on page 9.

Spring 2002 UPDATES Page 5

SPECIAL NOTE FORUWRA MEMBERS

IT’S MEMBERSHIP RENEWALTIME!

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES ALLOUR PROGRAMS POSSIBLE

TODAY

Remem-ber!Writecheckto UWRA

LEADERSHIP GIVERS

NEW MEMBERS

Crisis Consulting...(Continued from Page 1)

He concludes his report: “My initialconclusion, communicated with Pat,is that this United Way has very posi-tive potential for expanded serviceand fund raising. Its principalchallenges are currently due to adeclining economic base in a widegeographical area served (five coun-ties in Kentucky, one in Tennessee,one in Virginia). The organizationhas, however, extremely hard-work-ing, well-connected leadership(professional and volunteer), and Ihave offered Pat further assistance asneeded in follow-up and planning.”

This story once again illustrates thevalue of UWRA Service Corps, par-ticularly to smaller United Ways. Soif you haven’t volunteered and are soinclined, please do. ✠

AS OF MAY 17, 2002

$100-$249

Salvatore Barbuto Bill McQueenWarren Burt Edmund NaglesCy Cochran Tom NunanArt Emig Richard O’BrienRichard Flores Rita RobertsonMary Fogarty Barbara StankusJohn Hall Norman TaylorBette Hoffman Dirk Van Den BoschElizabeth Knowles

$250-$499John GarberFrancis GradyHenry Monaco

$500 and overCalvin Green

AS OF MAY 17, 2002

Chris Allen Greenville, SCSherill Anderson Seattle, WASally Baldus San Diego, CAJacquelynne Bates Douglasville, GADoris Clark Louisville, KYBonnie Cole Marietta, GAEva Dillard Chattanooga, TNBonnie Grant Rochester, NYDerleith Hamby Greenville, SCEllen Jane Harrelson Chambersburg, PAJohn Hathcock Statesboro, GABette Hoffman Del Mar, CAJohn Huling Stockbridge, GABeverly Listeman Flint MICynthia McCommon Soddy Daisy, TNDorothy McCoy North Canton, OHWeldon Mikulik Taylors, SCJannet Morgan Warsaw, KYJo Nelson Greenville, SCBarbara Pacheco St. Petersburg, FLCheryl Papa Elkhart, INAlzora Pitts Decatur, GAJerry Powell Crown Point, INRobert Price Elkhart, INFrancis Carolyn Rix Durand, MIAlbert Rosenberger Gibsonia, PAKay Sherrard Louisville, KYLynda Smith Oxford, GAGail Strayer Rochester, NYTheresa Wilkinson* Las Vegas, NVFrances Williamson Somerset, NJ

*Associate Member

SIGN UP NOW FOR AFUN TRIP TO LAS VEGAS

It’s not too late! There is still roombut it is suggested that you reserve

now to be included. Date: August 24-27, 2002

Accommodations:Tropicana Resort & Casino

Cost: $303.50 plus tax for twoNote: Cost includes double room and

full buffet breakfast for two peopleeach day. Cost does not include

transportation.

LAS VEGAS IS A MAGICALTOWN. SEE IT

WITH UWRA FRIENDS ANDMAKE NEW ONES!

See the Follies Bergere Show at theTropicana, and other fabulous shows

at Las Vegas Hotels.

* Contact Marianne Holland at VTSTravel Direct - 1-800-229-5250.Travel arrangements can also be

made by Marianne.

* Deposit of $150 (by credit card) isrequired at the time of reservation.

NOTE: Refund available if cancelledby August 20, 2002 by notifying VTS Travel Direct at 1-800-229-5250.

Travel Ideas for UWRA Membersare needed.

We’re looking into several options forlater in the year and early next year,i.e., cruises, trip to New Orleans and visitold Southern Plantations.

Please send me your suggestions byemail at dixon@kreative.net, or sendthem to the UWRA office, or call me at703-549-7428. Thanks, Joan Dixon ✠

Page 6 UPDATES Spring 2002

RememberingFriends

ED K. OTA

Ed K. Ota, 81, passed away on April22, 2002 at John Dempsey Hospi-tal, Farmington, CT.

Ed was born in Seattle, WA on April2, 1921, son of Masashige andMitsue Ota. During World War IIhis parents were interned.

He had lived in South Windsor, CTfor the last 42 years. Before retiringin 1984, he was the Associate Ex-ecutive Director for United Way ofthe Capitol Area (Hartford) for 35years. Dale Gray, former ExecutiveDirector, said that “Ed gave great andloyal service to his community.”

He was a member of the First Con-gregational Church, UCC of SouthWindsor, where he was a past dea-con. He was a past director of theExchange Club of South Windsor

and a past member and deacon ofWapping Community Church.

He is survived by a longtime dearfriend, Grace Danzi of Newington; adaughter, Jeanne R. Ota of SouthWindsor, two sons and daughters-in-law, Ed K. Jr. and Paula Ota ofBerwyn, PA and Barry J. and MelindaOta of Mount Laurel, NJ; a sister andsix grandchildren.

Michael J. Farrell

Michael J. Farrell of Peachtree City,GA died on April 9, 2002. He was aveteran of WWII having served in theU.S. Army. Michael retired as Ex-ecutive Director, United Way of Char-lotte County, Port Charlotte, FL in1990. He served for 31 years in theUnited Way system, primarily inMichigan.

Previously he was a Salvation ArmyOfficer for 10 years and was a Ex-ecutive Director of the American RedCross in Michigan.

He was a member of the MeridianSun Masonic Lodge 26 F&AM andalso the Peachtree City Kiwanis Club.He also belonged to the National So-ciety of Fund Raising Executives,

Academy of Certified Social Work-ers, and National Association of So-cial Workers.

Michael is survived by his wife of57 years, Imogene Farrell, two sons,seven grandchildren and twogreatgrand children.

Imogene’s address is: 102 BraelinnCreek Path, Prestwick Subdivision,Peachtree City, GA 30269

Maurice P. Beck

Maurice P. Beck, a lifelong advocatefor human services, died on March11, 2002 at the age of 84. He waswell known for his leadership at theMichigan League for Human Ser-vices, serving as Executive Directorand Vice President from 1960 to 1985.

He was born on September 2, 1917in Providence, RI, the son of HarryS. Beck and Elizabeth Temkin, whowere immigrants from Russia in theearly 1900s. Maury graduated fromHope Street High School and re-ceived his BA degree from BrownUniversity. He earned a MA in psy-chology at Case Western ReserveUniversity. After WWII, he studiedat the University of Pittsburgh and

(Continued on Page 9)

Spring 2002 UPDATES Page 7

Where are They Now and What are They Doing?

Yezdyar Kaoosji, La Crescenta, CA:Just a quick note to let you know thatI am leaving the Friends of the In-dian School of Business job I tookon 18 months ago, and am going tojoin Santa Barbara County’s UnitedWay to lead the fund raising opera-tions there. I start my new positionon July 1. I’ll send you my new ad-dress shortly. Irene and I will be busyduring June putting the house up forsale etc.

New State/Area Chairs

Merritt Johnson

Merritt at his computer where he spent untold hours working down a fourhour rough video of UWRA’s Crisis Training (session 1) into a 30 minutetraining tape. He said he learned much from the effort, especially how touse his new iMac.

Merritt Johnson began his United Way career in 1963 after a brief foray intotelevision and FM radio in the Los Angeles area.. A Stanford graduate(Speech and Drama ’56) where all career preference testing indicated socialwork was where he should be. He finally connected with United Way dur-ing it’s transition from Community Chest. He was a campaign associate inthe San Fernando Valley with Jerry Haven; set up the first Combined Fed-eral Campaign in Southern California with Bob Smith and Jack Shinker;was an assistant to Phil Schneiderman in the Foothill Region; managed theBurbank-Glendale Region; and was Director of Government and Educationunder Frank McNamara.

In 1970 Merritt moved to Orange County as the Director of the Harbor AreaUnited Fund (Newport Beach and Costa Mesa) and participated in the mergerof sixteen separate Community Chests and United Funds by 1984. At onepoint he was Co-Director with Brian Bowden of the Southern Orange CountyUnited Way before Brian went on to fame with United Way of America. Inthe late 1980’s Orange County was noted as one of the fastest growingUnited Ways in the Country with campaign achievement exceeding 22 mil-lion. A member of the National Professional Advisory Committee and Se-lect Cities, Merritt retired in 1996.

For several years he taught fundraising and board development at the Uni-

(Continued on Page 10)

Henry Monaco, Wisconsin StateChair

Henry retired in 1999 from his posi-tion as President, United Way ofGreater Milwaukee, aposition he had heldsince 1986. He had pre-viously served in UnitedWay organizations inFlint, MI, Peoria, IL,Williamsport, PA. Hestarted his UW career in the latter cityin 1970.

Henry currently heads up his ownfirm, Henry J. Monaco, LLC special-izing in business development andinterim executive consulting service.

Henry Smith, New York State Chair

Henry serves as co-chair with Will-(Continued on Page 10)

Page 8 UPDATES Spring 2002

HAVE YOUHEARD THIS

ONE?

• A little girl is at school in down-town New York City last Friday whenthe teacher begins talking to the classabout the baseball playoffs. She saysthat she is a Yankees fan, and says,“Everyone else who is a Yankees fan,raise your hand.” All of the childrenin the class raise their hands exceptfor the little girl.

The teacher says, “Aren’t you a Yan-kees fan?”

The little girl says, “No, ma’am. I’ma Mariners fan.”

The teacher, aghast, says, “WHY areyou a Mariners fan?”

The little girl says, “My mommy isa Mariners fan, my daddy is a Mari-ners fan.. and so I’m a Mariners fan,too!”

The teacher says, “Well.. you don’tHAVE to be like your parents in ev-erything.. or like everything that theylike. What if your mommy was amoron and your daddy was a moron..then what would you be?”

The little girl says, “We’d be Yankeesfans.”

• (From Ray Unk) Mr. Wilson wasthe chairman of the United Way,which had never received a donationfrom the most successful lawyer intown. He called on the attorney inan attempt to persuade him to mendhis ways. “Our research shows thatyou made a profit of over $600,000last year, and yet you have not given

a dime to the community charities!What do you have to say for your-self?”

The lawyer replied, “Did your re-search also show that my mother isdying after a long illness, and hasmedical bills that are several times herannual income? Do you know aboutmy brother, the disabled veteran, whois blind and in a wheelchair? Do youknow about my sister, whose husbanddied in a traffic accident, leaving herpenniless with three children?”

Sheepishly, the charity solicitor ad-mitted that he had no knowledge ofany of this.

“Well, since I don’t give any moneyto them, why should I give any toyou?”

Quod nimis probat, nihil probat.

• (From Dale Gray) A golfer set uphis ball on the first tee, took a mightyswing and hit his ball into a clump oftrees. He found his ball and saw anopening between two trees he thoughthe could hit through. Taking out hiswood, he took another mighty swing.The ball hit a tree , bounced back, hithim in the forehead and killed him.

As he approached the gates ofHeaven, St. Peter saw him comingand asked, “Are you a good golfer?”,to which the man replied, “Got herein two, didn’t I?”

• Newspaper Ad: SINGLE BLACKFEMALE...Seeks male companion-ship, ethnicity unimportant. I’m asvelte good looking girl who LOVESto play. I love long walks in thewoods, riding in your pickup truck,hunting, camping, and fishing trips,cozy winter nights lying by the fire.Candlelight dinners will have me eat-ing out of your hand. I’ll be at thefrontdoor when you get home from

work, wearing only what nature gaveme. Kiss me and I’m yours. Callxxx-xxxx and ask for Daisy.

Callers found themselves talking tothe local Humane Society about aneight-week-old black Lab.

• There were 11 people hanging ontoa rope that came down from a heli-copter.

Ten were men and one woman. Theyall decided that one person shouldget off because if they didn’t the ropewould break and everyone woulddie.

No one could decide who should goso finally the woman gave a realtouching speech saying how shewould give up her life to save theothers, because women were used togiving up things for their husbandsand children, giving in to men, andnot receiving anything in return.

When she finished speaking, all themen clapped. Never underestimatethe power of a woman.

• One Saturday morning, he gets upearly, dresses quietly, gets his clubsout of the closet, and goes out to hiscar to drive to the course. It is rain-ing cats and dogs! There is snowmixed with the rain and the wind isblowing at 50 mph. So...

He comes back into the house andturns the TV to the Weather Chan-nel. There he finds it’s going to bebad weather all day long. He putshis clubs back into the closet, qui-etly undresses and slips back intobed where he cuddles up to his wife’sback, and whispers, “The weatherout there is terrible.”

To which she replies, “Can youbelieve my stupid husband is outgolfing?” ✠

Spring 2002 UPDATES Page 9

(Continued from Page 6)Remembering

Friends

earned a Masters in Social Work,specializing in Community Organiza-tion.

He began his career within the UnitedWay system in Pittsburgh in 1947where he worked as a Field Secretaryof the Bureau of Community Coun-cils, Health and Welfare Associationuntil 1949. He then moved on in 1949to the United Community Services ofMetropolitan Detroit. In 1954 until1959 he worked at the United Way ofMichigan as Admissions and BudgetDirector. In 1960 he moved to theMichigan League for Human Serviceuntil his retirement.

He was active in many voluntaryorganizations over the years. He wasfounding president of the PTA atWardcliff Elementary School in theOkemos School District, a chartermember and past president of theLansing Torch Club and an activemember of the Kiwanis Club. He alsoserved as president of the MichiganSociety of Gerontology.

He is survived by his wife, Eunice, 2daughters, 3 grandchildren and abrother. The family address is: 2405Emerald Lake Drive, East Lansing,MI 48823. ✠

The American system of ours, call it Ameri-canism, call it Capitalism, call it what youlike, gives each and every one of us a greatopportunity if we only seize it with bothhands and make the most of it. -Al Capone

REGISTER FOR UNITED WAYONLINE

Go to http://online.unitedway.organd complete the application.

Once your membership in UWRA isconfirmed, you will receive a call

from United Way Online authorizingyour new account.

*Associate Members not eligible

NOTICE TO UWRAMEMBERS*

Interested in the latest news from UWAand a Daily Breakfast E-Mail?

REMEMBERSend any changes of mailingaddress, phone and fax numbers ore-mail address to:

Anne HuntUWRA701 N. Fairfax StreetAlexandria, VA 22314

Enjoying themselves at Select Cities: Gathering at Dale Gray’s homefor a Mexican brunch were (left photo) Ted Moore, Viney Chandler andEd Parker. In the other photo Ed Parker, Cynthia Gray, Jeanne and MerrittJohnson.

Southeast ConferenceOnce Again at

Little Switzerland, NC

Mack Hixon, Program Gofer, writesthat the Blumenthal Foundation hasapproved the use of their beautifulretreat facility tucked in the BlueRidge Mountains near Little Switzer-land, NC. The Wildacreas Retreatwill be held Sept. 30 through Oct. 3,2002.

Highlights will include four days,three nights in one of the most pic-turesque and unspoiled areas of ourgreat country. The beginning of thefall leaf season will be in full swing,and the weather should still be pleas-ant. Returning as part of our enter-tainment will be the highly acclaimedvocal and instrumental group, Philand Gaye. They blew everybodyaway last year, and we understandwhy have appeared several times onGarrison Keeler’s Praire Home Com-panion, the Kennedy Center, andmany college campuses. With bluegrass music more popular than ever,we hope to give you a good varietyof its roots and background. In addi-tion to some educational presenta-tions on the local flora and fauna his-tory, tennis is available, and we willsponsor a golf tournament. There willbe plenty of free time to visit some

of the best artisans in the country,potters, glass blowers, and othernative craftspeople in the area. Itwill also be apple picking and ci-der time. We will have UWA rep-resentatives and have an informed“family” discussion.

The cost will be $110 each (doubleoccupancy in most cases), plus asmall registration fee of $10.Registration deadline is July 31.Contact Anne Hunt at UWRA(1-800-892-2757, ext. 621) if you’reinterested in attending. ✠

Page 10 UPDATES Spring 2002

Merritt Johnson...(Continued from page 7)

(Continued from page 7)

iam McFarland and will focus on theNew York City area.Henry had a 38 year ca-reer with United Way ofAmerica and its prede-cessor organizationsCommunity Chests andCouncils and UCFCA. He is wellremembered as the main man inUWA’s Information Center.

Henry recently was once againrecognized as a singer with a cer-tificate of award to honor his 40thanniversary as an accomplishedconcert singer at the Rendall Me-morial Presbyterian Church inNew York City. It was awarded byThe African American Black His-tory Association.

Brian Bowden, Southern Califor-nia State/Area Chair, writes aboutseveral UWRA members that he re-cently contacted:

David Friesen. Talked to his wifeJoyce. Dave underwent alargectomy last May. Docs recon-structed his throat, closing off throatpassage, so he breathes through ahole in his throat. He had a roughtime with radiation and his esopha-gus is almost closed off. Has to takefood through a tube. Joyce said hecan’t talk, but his ability to swallowseems to be improving. He gave upvolunteer activity (Red Cross andExecutive Service Corps) and at-tends a support group called Voiceof the Valley with other laryngec-tomy patients. He is active aroundthe house and seems to be in prettygood spirits considering the healthproblems.

Notes from State/Area Chairs

Gertrude Stone. Gerry is a terrific95 year-old, still active in the LaborCommunity Services group withUnited Way that she founded. Firstjoined UW in 1948 and retired in1992. She serves on the Labor Com-munity Services board and said theyraised $27,000 to help workers laidoff because of 911. She has an awardnamed after her that is given to theoutstanding LCS volunteer. Wecaught up little on LA folks, includ-ing Frank McNamara, Dave Sanders,Jim Greene and others. She also staysin touch with Joe Haggerty. MerrittJohnson gave her an award at her re-tirement.

Joyce Campbell. Joyce was 78 yearsold earlier this month. She served onthe El Paso staff from 1969, retiringfrom UW in 1976. She now lives withher children in Long Beach. Seemsto be in pretty good health. ✠

versity of California at Irvine and wasa consultant to the non profit commu-nity in Orange and Los Angelescounties. He has been married toJeanne for 42 years and they have twochildren: Chris who is a senior vicepresident with Nestle International inVevey Switzerland, and Carolyn whois a news anchor and reporter for ABCtelevision in San Francisco. Jeanneand Merritt have three granddaugh-ters, two in Switzerland and one inSan Francisco.

Merritt’s interest in video editing be-gan in 1989 when editing deviceswere hard to come by. Their first tripon safari to Africa was that year. Heshot six hours of video in Kenya andTanzania and that led to four otherSafari’s to Botswansa, Zimbabwe, andNamibia. By this time the hours of

tape exceeded 50, and assembleediting was laborious. Also othertravels to Norway, France, England,Italy, China, and Japan were addingto the video file problem nowapproaching 100 hours, not to men-tion the most important video workwas to come with videos of thegrandchildren. Then, in 1999, Appledeveloped i-Movie on their power-ful i-Mac machines, and Sony devel-oped digital 8 technology so he couldfeed his old hi 8 and new digital tapesdirectly into the computer for quick,quality editing. Merritt has volun-teered his time to edit a Crisis Plan-ning video for the Retirees Associa-tion and currently has a project withthe Los Angeles County Museum ofNatural History. In retirement,Merritt has gone back to his televi-sion roots and created a whole newcareer. Merritt’s e-mail addres is:merrittparrott@cox.net ✠

E-MAIL - GREAT WAY TOCOMMUNICATE WITH UWRA

If you have access to e-mail, make sureyou include uwra@unitedway.org onyour address list. It is the easiest andspeediest way to communicate! Sendus your news and updates or changes inyour address, phone and fax numbersand e-mail address.

Membership in UWRA is open toindividuals who have retired fromthe United Way or any of its predecessor organizations, to individu-als over age 50 and with 10 years ofservice with the United Way system,to individuals who have had a sig-nificant career experience withUnited Way or to those willing toassist UWRA in accomplishing itsmission (Associate membership).Widows and widowers of deceasedUWRA members shall be eligiblefor a free UWRA membership.

MEMBERSHIP IN UWRA

Spring 2002 UPDATES Page 11

HEALTHNOTES

(The following is from the HealtheReport from Stephen Sinatra, MD)

We’re now approaching the lazy daysof summer, and you’re probablyplanning to grill out on your deck orin your backyard -- if you haven’talready started. Grilling is okay, butdon’t make a daily habit of it. Here’swhy.

When animal fat drips onto a flameor hot coals -- charcoal or wood, itdoesn’t matter -- the fat becomesoverly oxidized, forming a carcino-gen that attaches to the food throughsmoke or flare-ups. The worst meatfor creating this effect is chicken withthe skin on. The heat of the barbe-cue combines with the fat and dena-tures the meat, increasing its carci-nogenic potential 20-fold.

When I learned this through my read-ing, I stopped barbecuing chicken; Ihaven’t had barbecued chicken inyears. (Let me tell you, it’s toughbeing a doctor on the leading edgeof nutrition and health.)

I’ve also given up red meat becauseof the toxins, petrochemicals, hor-mones, and saturated fats found inmost of it. And let’s face it, red meatis a risk factor for prostate cancer inmen. A red meat-heavy diet has alsobeen implicated in breast cancer inwomen.

Grill Like a Sicilian

All that being said, don’t depriveyourself of a summertime tradition.When it’s really hot, my wife throwsme outside with some fish and a pair

of tongs. I dress the fish with lemonjuice, olive oil, and garlic, then grillit on aluminum foil pierced with afew small holes. That way, the fishdoesn’t come in contact with the ris-ing smoke. And though it hasn’t beenproved, there’s some evidence thatvitamin C (in the lemons) acts likean antioxidant to the poisonous com-pounds created by smoke and flames.In addition, olive oil containssqualene, which is a powerful can-cer fighter.

Sometimes I add rosemary, becausethe carnasol in it is a potent antioxi-dant. Carnasol, a phytochemical,also helps prevent skin cancer -- anadded dividend.

So if you must have your chickenbarbecued, make it Sicilian style --with rosemary, lemon, garlic, andolive oil. My grandmother taught methat when I was about five years old.Either leave the skin on while cook-ing and then remove it before eating,or cook skinless chicken bony sidedown for the majority of the grilltime. The bone will help protect themeat.

But don’t get me wrong -- my grand-father also taught me manners. Ifsomeone invites me over for tradi-tional barbecued chicken, I’m goingto eat it, love it, and enjoy myself. Iwon’t deprive myself of special oc-casions, and I hope you don’t either.Summer is not a season for depriva-tion. Just don’t go overboard on thegrilled meats. Vegetables and fruitsover hot coals are fine. But withmeat, less is more.

(The following is from the HealthSciences Institute e-Alert)

Most people think an “old wives’tale” is synonymous with silly, su-

perstitious, useless information. Butthe fact is that women’s oral tradi-tion has passed on a lot of usefulknowledge over the years.

In fact, many of today’s accepted al-ternative health practices were oncethought of as old wives’ tales. Takecod liver oil, for instance. I remem-ber my grandmother swearing by itfor arthritis pain. Maybe yours did,too.

Now scientists at Cardiff Universityin Wales are studying the effects ofcod liver oil on the joints and carti-lage. And you know what? They’vefound that grandma knew what shewas talking about all along.

For several years now, scientists atCardiff have been researching codliver oil. Previously, they found thatthe omega-3 fatty acids in cod liveroil can reduce collagen degradationand inflammation. Just recently, theirlaboratory tests revealed that codliver oil can actual “switch off” orreverse the action of the enzymes thatdegrade collagen and break downcartilage. The researchers suggestthat taking cod liver oil can preventthe development of arthritis, and canreduce symptoms in those alreadyafflicted with this painful disease.

There is little risk in trying cod liveroil for your arthritis pain. The oil isa good source of vitamins A and D,and is one of the richest sources ofomega-e essential fatty acids.

Take it straight from the bottle or insoftgel capsules. Both are availableat health food stores.

However, if you’re a diabetic or tak-ing blood-thinning medication likewarfin, you shouldn’t take cod liveroil. ✠

Page 12 UPDATES Spring 2002

Household,Garden andOther Hints

Around the House• Pest proofing the home from ants:To keep ants away, wipe down yourcountertops, cabinets, and floors witha solution of one part vinegar to onepart water.

• Control roaches by scattering amixture of equal parts baking sodaand powdered sugar in the infectedarea. (The sugar attracts them; thesoda kills them.) Or repel thesecreepy critters by cutting hedgeapples (Osage orange) in half andplacing them in the cabinets, in thebasement, or under the house.

You can also try putting saucers ofred wine under the cabinets. (Usethe cheapest you can find. No needto use the good stuff.) Roaches crawlin, drink it, get tipsy, and drown.

• Care for kitchenware. Try thishome formula to make copper potsor pots with copper bottoms lookbeautiful. It’s cheaper and faster thancommercial copper cleaners. Mixthree tablespoons of salt with fourcups of vinegar. Spray it on the cop-per. Let stand for a few minutes andthen rub clean. If you don’t have anyvinegar on hand, you can use liquidsthat have salt and vinegar in them -like Worcestershire sauce, ketchup,or sauerkraut juice. You can use thesecleaners on tarnished brass as well.

• Protect your iron skillets and potsfrom rusting by rubbing wax paperinside and outside the pan. The waxpaper leaves a thin coat of wax onthe pan and prevents air frominteracting with the metal and anymoisture.

Around the Garden(Hints from Jerry Baker’s On the GardenLine newsletter)

• If your dogs have spent the winterdoing their business in your yard,apply this doggie damage repairtonic. Start by overspraying the turfwith 1 cup of baby shampoo per 20gallons of water, then apply gypsumat the recommended rate. One weeklater, mix 1 can of beer, 1 cup ofammonia, and 1 can of regular cola(not diet) in a 20 gallon hose-endsprayer, and overspray the turfevery other week until its normalcolor returns.

• To keep your flowers bloomin’ theirbest, give ‘em a dose of this flowerfeast once every three week--in themorning--throughout the entiregrowing season:

1 can of beer,1/2 cup of liquid dish soap,1/2 cup of liquid lawn food,1 cup of ammonia, and1/2 cup of molasses or corn syrup.

Mix all of the ingredients together ina large bucket. Pour into a 20 gallonhose-end sprayer to apply.

• Putting your flowers in a vase thatis too big? No problem. Just insertthe flower stems into straws and cutto whatever length you need.

• When you’re done pruning thosestems and branches, seal the endswith Elmer’s Glue-All to protectagainst insects and excessive mois-ture loss.

• Don’t throw out those coffeegrounds. Use them to fertilize yourgarden by working them into the top-soil.

Golf(From bettergolf.net)

Relax, Then Think “Smooooth”by David Leadbetter

The start of your swing is the key toyour overall tempo. As the clubmoves away from the ball, the bodyshould begin to turn in unison. Inother words, your hands and armsmust move in synchronization withthe rotation of your trunk.

In order to achieve this youmust be relaxed as youprepare to make youswing. Take a few deepbreaths, and exhale fully asyou waggle the club a fewtimes.

Also, to get your swingflowing from the start, it is helpfulto get yourself a swing trigger. Watchthe pro’s on TV, and pickup on their pre-swing hab-its. One that I particularlylike involves nothing morecomplicated than kickingthe right knee in slightlyimmediately prior to mov-ing the club back; a simpletrigger, but it helps to getthe whole motion started.

Then think ‘smooooth’as you move every-thing away from theball.

Here’s another ideathat will help you workon your overall tempo: address a ball,then raise the clubhead off the groundslightly, move it forward to a posi-tion about two feet into the follow-through, and start your swing fromthere. Glide the clubhead back overthe ball, complete your backswingand swing through hitting the ball inone continuous movement. ✠