William Penn Life, 1997 (32. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)

1997-11-01 / 11. szám

WILLIAM PENN LIFE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION, 709 BRIGHTON RD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15233 Volume 32, Number 11 Address Correction Requested r November 1997 r Caring & Most William Penn Members are blessed to be counted among the many who enjoy bounti­ful meals on not only holi­days but every day. Yet, true to their fraternal spirit, our members and branches are once again reaching out to their neighbors in need and sharing with them the blessings of the holidays. With the support of the Home Office, many WPA branches this holiday sea­son are again donating baskets filled with tur­keys, hams and other food items to families in need. The donations are part of the Holiday Basket pro­gram sponsored annually by the WPA. For each turkey or ham a branch purchases for a needy family, the Home Office will give the branch $25 to buy additional food for the basket. Each branch can be reimbursed for up to three baskets of food, or $75. Branch members further supplement the baskets by donating their own canned goods, non-perishable food items and other useful products. Sharing Last year, 109 families had a little more to be thankful for during the holidays because of the food baskets they re­ceived from William Penn branches. Forty branches participated, and the Home Office contributed $2,725 toward food for the baskets. Many branches will distribute their baskets during the Thanksgiving holiday, while others will present their baskets to needy families during the Christmas season. Some branches share their bless­ings during both holidays. Some branches are ex­tending the spirit of the Holiday Bas­ket program by also contributing to simi­lar projects sponsored by other charitable or­ganizations in their communities. Still other branches have adopted the idea of the Holi­day Basket program as an ongoing project, collecting canned goods as “admission” to branch activities, then giving the food to the needy. We commend those who have joined us in this worth­while program and have given hope to those in need. An inspiring performer Savant overcomes handicaps and preconceptions with astounding musical talent By Richard W. Toth, flmi,fic National Vice President-Secretary While attending the National Fra­ternal Congress of America’s an­nual meeting in Toronto this Sep­tember, I had the pleasure of doing a little sightseeing after the daily meetings concluded. I visited the CN Tower, which is the world’s tallest free-standing structure, and even took in a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game at the Sky dome. However, none of the above could compare to the enjoyment our WPA delegates-Chairman Michael J. Hrabar and his wife Ann, Na­tional Vice President-Treasurer Diane M. Torma, and I-received during the NFCA’s farewell dinner. The evening’s entertainment was provided by an astonishing performer named Leslie Lemke. The performance started at 9:30 p.m., and the majority of those in attendance stayed until its conclu­sion after midnight, offering a standing ovation and shedding many tears. Who is Leslie Lemke? How can he can affect people so deeply? The answers to those questions can best be answered by the performance’s program booklet, which we reprint (in edited form) for you here: An Inspirational Performance By Leslie Lemke By Dr. Dar old A. Treffert The story of Leslie Lemke be­gins in Milwaukee in 1952. His mother gave him up for adoption at birth. As a complication of his premature birth, Leslie developed retinal problems, then glaucoma, and his eyes had to be surgically removed in the first months of life. There was also brain damage, and Leslie was extremely ill. The county asked May Lemke, a nurse-governess who they knew and trusted, if she would take Leslie into her receiving home, ill as he was and carrying such a dire prog­nosis. That didn’t deter May. At age 52, and having raised five children of her own, May Lemke said she would. And she did. May taught Leslie how to swal­low so he could eat and how to make sounds so he could commu­nicate. When he was able, May lit­erally strapped his fragile body to hers to teach him how, a step at a time, to walk. She put his hands over hers as she played simple tunes on a piano she got for him. And she sang to him. Leslie was intrigued with music and rhythm as a child. Once he was found under the bed strumming the springs in a wondrous tune. He also had a remarkable memory and would often repeat verbatim, into­nations and all, a whole day’s con­versation he had overheard from whomever might be visiting. Leslie played and sang often, but mostly the simple tunes May sang or popu­lar songs from the radio. May wasn’t into classical music. But one evening when Leslie was about 14, Joe and May watched, and Leslie listened, to a television Sunday Night Movie. In the early morning hours May heard music. She thought Joe had left the television on. She went to turn it off and there was Leslie, playing flaw­lessly from beginning to end, hav­ing heard it but once, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which was the theme song for that movie. God’s miracle, May said, came into its full bloom that night. As a way of sharing God’s gift of Leslie’s music, May began hav- Continued on Page 2 Branches to hold elections PITTSBURGH — The coming of the holiday season should remind all WPA members of two impor­tant events held each year by their branch: the election of branch of­ficers and the family Christmas party. Your right as a member to par­ticipate in these events is a valuable fraternal benefit. The elections give you a voice in the operation of your branch, while the Christmas party provides an enjoyable time your whole family can share. The procedure for conducting branch elections is spelled out in the Association’s By-Laws. Under Ar­ticle VI, Section 606, the By-Laws state: “The elections of Branch Of­ficers shall be held at the annual meeting in December Each Adult Life Benefit Member shall have one (1) vote for each office. Elections shall be by a majority of those present at the annual meeting. Of­ficers elected at the annual meet­ing shall be installed immediately.” The By-Laws further state that “candidates for Branch office shall be nominated from the floor at the December meeting.” (Article VI, Section 605) Who can run for a branch office? According to Section 606 of the By- Laws: “Only an Adult Life Benefit Member who is not directly in­volved in litigation against the As­sociation, except for claims under a certificate/policy of insurance, is eligible to be a Branch Officer. No Full-Time Agent, General Agent, or anyone who is licensed to sell for another life insurance company, or a spouse of any of the above, is eli­gible to be a Branch Officer.” An adult life benefit member is defined as a person who has at­tained the age of 16 and “who is insured for life or endowment ben­efits (but not under an annuity plan) by the Association.” (Atticle XXVI, Section 2600) The By-Laws also state that each branch shall elect a president, one vice president, a recording secre­tary, a treasurer and either two or three auditors. “There shall not be any other Branch officers or boards appointed or elected,” however, the offices of recording secretary and treasurer may be held by the same person. (Article VI, Section 608) We urge all members to attend their branch’s election meeting and Continued on Page 2

Next

/
  • Layout
  • Zoom
  • Rotation
Thumbnails
Contents