-- East Coast Edition –
-- Printed in Loving Memory of Wanda J.
Jackson 1934 - 2011 –
Read old/current issues and send news
or comments online at:
http://www.234enterprises.com/RooseveltNews/newscenter.htm
Editors:
E-mail: mmay@234enterprises.com
Carolyn Niebruegge May Michael L. May 
Vol. 3, Is. 2 July
26, 2013
From the
Editor
How in the world did we do it?
Here I sit at 5:45 a.m.
already cleaned up for the day and trying to put this week’s editorial behind
me before we leave to go to Karen and Mark’s to be there before Mark leaves for
work so we can get Paige up, around, and ready to go to ice skating camp. She has to be there by 9:00 a.m. and being
that they are putting a “slurry” coating on our roads, we need to be out of
here and gone until afternoon at the earliest.
This is just another typical
day in the summer for Nana or Grammy who carry the summer load taking care of
Paige and her cousin Gianna by transporting them to activities and providing
daycare on the days that Karen is not home.
Grammy and Nana both live about 4 miles from Karen and Mark--one east
and the other west. Grammy has the
really “heavy load” with her handling of Gianna’s
gymnastics schedule. She has about 4
hours a day, 5 days a week and most of that “shuttling” falls on Grammy’s
shoulders. The girls spend more than her
share of nights at her house, but as Nana will testify to, it’s better to have
both of them rather than one. They
really aren’t much trouble and keep each other occupied. Paige is in an ice skating camp for the week
and Nana is “up to bat” with her for a couple of days. During the school year Nana and Grammy take
turns getting Paige ready for the bus 3 days a week. Actually it’s pretty hectic having that
responsibility on both of their plates.
They both enjoy it, but it most certainly keeps both of them adjusting
their schedules. I do hope that the kids
understand how fortunate they are to have such a service.
Now, roll back the clock
some 38 years and look at how the “old folks” did it. The closest Grandparent was 1435 miles away
and was only able to come out 1 to 3 times a year. Carolyn’s parents always came more often and
did provide some help in the summers after harvest was over with. Other than that, it was just us. How we did it, I’ll never know, but we did. Yes, it was a different place in time and our
two were “latch key kids.” From the time
that Karen was 11 and Kevin 9, they were home before and after school by
themselves. Obviously, one would never
do that today because it’s against the law and most certainly not safe. Carolyn was able to go to work as early as
6:00 a.m. and could get home in time for carpooling for most after school
activities which she shared with neighbors.
Both kids were heavily involved with school sports and local travel
volleyball and soccer teams so it wasn’t that we didn’t have outside
activities--our plate too was full.
Whatever the case, we did it. Two
people couldn’t have been happier than Carolyn and me when Karen was able to
drive so she could help chauffer Kevin around.
As we look back, we don’t see that it was that big of a deal. Somehow it just “magically” happened.
Karen often comments that
she doesn’t know how Mom and Dad managed without any help to take care of
them. What amazes her even more is that
we had a very large garden in our back yard and Mom froze and canned vegetables
all summer long and yet never missed a day’s work. That means Mom had to do it after getting
home about 5:00 p.m. and before going to bed to be up by 4:30 a.m. the next
morning for another trip to
We have friends with
teenagers totally committed to dance--4 hours a day, 6 days a week. The father’s job with DoD was moved to
As I rethink those past
years again, I start to realize that forgetfulness in old age may not be a bad
thing after all.
mlm
Editor’s Note:
After reading my draft, Carolyn asked, “What about the garden?” That was an excellent and very important point. So, the “garden section” is compliments of
her--the “Real” editor. -- mlm
Content
Contributors for the Week
Steve
Clark, Class of 1969
All
those who sent messages to the Email “Bag”
Thank
you all!
Remembering…
General Motors Billboards in
These were actual billboards
put up in
http://beartales.me/2012/05/28/general-motors-billboards-in-detroit-love-this/
Thoughts from
the Squirrel Lair
The Folded Napkin ... A Truckers Story
I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he
would be a ...good, reliable busboy. But
I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted
one. I wasn't sure how my customers
would react to Stevie. He was short, a
little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs
Syndrome.
I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't
generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the
pies are homemade. The four-wheeler
drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to
school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their
napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs
of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop
waitress wants to be flirted with. I
knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him
for the first few weeks.
I shouldn't have worried. After the
first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and
within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop
mascot. After that, I really didn't care
what the rest of the customers thought of him.
He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and
eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in
its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done
with the table.
Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the
customers were finished. He would hover
in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the
dining room until a table was empty.
Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and
glasses onto cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish
of his rag. If he thought a customer was
watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right,
and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled
after repeated surgeries for cancer.
They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles
from the truck stop. Their social
worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen
between the cracks. Money was tight, and
what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live
together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the
first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.
He was at the Mayo Clinic in
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came
that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, the head
waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard
the good news. Bell Ringer, one of our
regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother
of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed,
smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.
He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all
about?" he asked.
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be
okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I
had a new joke to tell him. What was the
surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Bell Ringer and the other two
drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then
sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going
to be OK," she said. "But I
don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by
as it is." Belle Ringer nodded
thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the
rest of her tables.
Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really
didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day
until we decided what to do. After the
morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand
and a funny look on her face.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I didn't get that table where Bell Ringer and his friends were sitting
cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there
when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and tucked under a
coffee cup."
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I
opened it. On the outside, in big, bold
letters, was printed "Something For Stevie.
Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him
about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony
looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another paper napkin that had
"Something For Stevie" scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds.
Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her
head and said simply: "truckers."
That was three months ago. Today is
Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he's been counting
the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that
it was a holiday. He called 10 times in
the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten
him or that his job was in jeopardy.
I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and
invited them both to celebrate his day back.
Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed
through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart
were waiting.
"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for
you and your mother is on me!"
I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff
following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after
booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups,
saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded
paper napkins.
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I
said. I tried to sound stern. Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother,
then pulled out one of the napkins. It
had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto
the table.
Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the
tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother.
"There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on table, all from truckers
and trucking companies that heard about your problems. "Happy
Thanksgiving."
Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting,
and there were a few tears, as well. But
you know what's funny? While everybody
else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big
smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the
table. Best worker I ever hired.
Plant a seed and watch it grow. At this
point, you can bury this inspirational message or forward it fulfilling the
need! If you shed a tear, hug yourself,
because you are a compassionate person.
Well. Don't just sit there! Share this
story!
Hello Alumni:
With just two months to go
before our 2013 Roosevelt Alumni Reunion, you should have Friday, September
27th & Saturday, the 28th marked on your calendars as the weekend for
visiting with old friends and classmates. Please fill out the registration form and mail
to the address shown on the form. Also, I would like to ask everyone who
receives this notice via email (Roosevelt News East Coast Edition) to help get
the word out to all our classmates and friends who do not have an email
address.
Look forward to seeing you
all at the 2013 reunion.
Dan Hayslip
********
2013 ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
Friday,
September 27, 2013
·
6:30-9:00pm: Mixer at the
Saturday, September 28, 2013 -
·
8:30-12pm: Registration,
Refreshments
·
11:30-1:30: Concession lunch available
·
1:00-1:30: Alumni Business Meeting
1. Financial Review
·
2. Election of President
·
2:00-4:00: Fund-Raising Auction
5:00-6:30:
Evening Meal, Catered by Klein’s Catering Service (BBQ) $15.00 per person in advance/$20.00 at
the door (if available).
·
7:00-10:00: Entertainment
We ask that you make every attempt to make your
reservations in advance in order to help the committee plan this event. Reservation form and payment must be received
by September 10, 2013 to guarantee meal tickets will be available at
registration.
Motels
and Bed & Breakfasts Available in
Detach and return with payment to:
2013
Alumni Name Class
of
Spouse, Friend, or Relative’s Name, also attending
Address City State ___ Zip
Email
address
Phone
number
Number
to attend Friday Mixer **Donations
accepted**
Number to attend Saturday night meal @ $15.00 each =
TOTAL
*********
2011 NEWSFLASH
The 2011 Roosevelt High
School Class Reunion was held on September 30 and October 1, 2011, in
If anyone need more
information or has questions about the reunion, please call Dan Hayslip at
972-938-3703 or 214-796-3131 or email him at danhayslip@sbcgloal.net
Alumni Website
We have renewed the account that Wanda
Jackson had set up at the photo sharing website, picturetrail.com for the
Roosevelt Alumni: http://www.picturetrail.com/rooseveltalumni. She had posted many pictures from past
reunions, class panels, and old schools buildings along with write ups about
them. We thought you might find these
interesting if you haven’t visited this site in the past.
Cooperton Valley Picture Trail
The “
Interesting
Tidbits
Hand and Foot Physiology
How smart is your right
foot?
You have to try it. It is absolutely true. It is from an orthopedic surgeon. This will confuse your mind and you will keep
trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you
can’t. It is pre-programmed in your brain!!
- While sitting at your desk in front of your
computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
- Now, while doing this, draw the number ‘6’ in
the air with your right hand. Your
foot will change direction.
I told you so! And there’s nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how funny it is, but
before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you’ve not already
done so.
News
The
Roosevelt Senior Citizens center is closed for the summer. They will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for
lunch.
********
Class of ’73
40th
The
Roosevelt Class of '73 is having a 40th class reunion August 17-18 at
Birthdays and
Anniversaries
We
have compiled all of the birthday and anniversary information we could from
Wanda’s files. We are sure we are
missing some. Please send us the
birthdays and anniversaries for your family and friends so that we can have as
complete as list as possible. We are
going to start with what we have from Wanda’s files so if we miss you, please
send us the information so we have it for the news next year. In addition, should any of the birthdays we
list be wrong, also please let us know.
Happy Birthday
To:
July 26 – Robert Glen Harmon
July 28 – Chris Pena
July 28 – LaDonna Turner
July 28 – Gilbert Alonzo, Class of 1975
July 30 – Chase Brannon Jackson
July 30 – Samantha Reeves
July 31 – Polly (Swanson) Bredy
July 31 – Stacey (Miller) Bartel
July 31 – Betty L. (Mrs. Allen)
August 1 – Leah (Bynum)
Bobrovicz, Class of 1967
August 1 – Jill (Bynum)
Smith, Class of 1973
August 1 – Chanan Davis
Happy Anniversary To:
July 26 – Jim & Karen (Johnson)
Mason
July 28 – Will & Christel Funkhouser
July 28 – Bruce & Dianne (
Humor
Answered
Prayer
She hurried to the pharmacy to get medication, got back to her car
and found that she had locked her keys inside the car. The woman found an old rusty coat hanger left
on the ground. She looked at it and
said, “I don’t know how to use this.”
She bowed her head and asked God to send her some HELP.
Within 5 minutes a beat-up old motorcycle pulled up, driven by a
bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag. He got off of his cycle and asked if he could
help. She said: “Yes, my daughter is sick. I’ve locked my keys in my car. I must get home. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my
car?”
He said, “Sure.” He walked
over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was open.
She hugged the man and through tears said, “Thank you SO Much! You are a very nice man.”
The man replied, “Lacy, I
am NOT a nice man. I just got out of
Prison yesterday. I was in prison for
car theft.”
The woman hugged the man
again sobbing, “Oh, thank you, God! You
even sent me a professional!”
Is God Great or What?
From the Email
“Bag”
July
18, 2013
We received
the following from Jack Gilham, husband of Jimmie
(Watson) Gilham, Class of 1968. The link to the obituary was in last week’s
edition. The eulogy is printed below his
note.
My wife Jimmie Gilham, formerly of
Thank you.
Jack
Gilham
I know that my Redeemer
lives! These words are in the Bible,
spoken by Job when he was at the lowest point in his life. He was hopeful even when everything looked
hopeless. He stubbornly hung on to his
belief that God was in control of things even if he did not completely
understand what God was doing. Jimmie
believed like that as well. She knew,
and always said that God was in control of everything.
Later on, when God’s people
came out of Egyptian slavery and went through the Wilderness Journey, Joshua
their leader reaffirmed the Law that God had given to them, and he gave the
people a choice. He said, “I call heaven and earth to record
this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing: therefore choose life, so that both you and your children may live:
That you may love the LORD your God,
and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cleave unto him: for he is
your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in the land which
the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them.”
Jimmie knew that God’s word
is true, and there was never any question about that. She wasn’t perfect; who among us is? But it isn’t always about getting everything
right every time. It is about whom you
know and the direction in which you go. Jimmie
chose life, and to follow Jesus. She
knew that He was her friend, and that He would never leave or forsake her. She knew that He was in charge, and that even
if she didn’t understand everything, she knew that He did, and that whatever
happened would happen in the way that He planned. She had the hope of Heaven in her heart and
the promise of Heaven in God’s Word.
She didn’t receive a
supernatural miracle from God, and medical science was not able to help her,
but the Words of God are true nonetheless, and we can rely on them. Jimmie
knows that our Redeemer lives and I know that Jimmie lives, and I know that we
will see her again, with Him, in Glory!
Food for
Thought
Food Stamp
Recipients Shipping Welfare Provided Food to Relative in
This
certainly makes on wonder!!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/it_on_y22owkLpsldSAjDVC9isjM
Obituaries
Useful
Links:
Becker
Funeral Home of Snyder, OK
http://www.beckerfuneral.com/?page=snyder
Peoples
Cooperative Funeral
http://www.peoplescooperativefuneralhome.com/who-we-are/history
Ray
and Martha’s Funeral Home of Hobart,
http://www.234enterprises.com/Roosevelt%20Cemetery%20Layout.htm
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/listing/user/rooseveltcemetery
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2176228
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?=cr&CRid=99577&CScn=Springhill+Cemetery&CScntry=4&CSst=38&
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=98525
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99399&CScn=Hobart+Rose&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2246374&CScn=Resurrection&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99042&CScn=Mountain+Park&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99397&CScn=roosevelt&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99439
_
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