Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday, April 28, 2014. I have been following Michele Lefler Scercy on Facebook. She has been sharing a lot of posts about being Jewish, a widow, a woman, and a student.

I met Michele first as an Alpha Phi alumnae. She helped with some “Wear Red for Women and Heart Health” campaigns sponsored by the local Alpha Phi Alumnae and the local YWCA. Sadly Michele became a widow at a very young age. Over the years Michele has kept me informed about the local Alpha Phi Alumnae chapter, but only by way of emails.

Since I retired I have reconnected with Michele on Facebook. I have learned so much more about her life. I feel like I am getting to know her better now because of Facebook than I ever did with our face to face encounters.

In person Michele seemed reserved, quiet, and shy. If asked a direct question, Michele would always be forth coming, but you had to ask the question first. On Facebook I get a sense that she has found her “voice.” Her Facebook persona comes across now as an extrovert, not an introvert.

On Facebook Michele even has a cartoon representation of herself that gives off a sense of power and being in control. I don't know if she created this character or if she found this depiction in a Facebook “cloud.” Her “avatar” like creation is forceful, in the know, and very expressive.

These “avatar” like cartoons present Michele in social and emotional quandaries which sometimes are humorous, self-deprecating, or questioning. Whatever it is or however she has accomplished it, it is definitely attention getting. I want to keep knowing and seeing more and more about her life.

Earlier I followed Michele through Passover. Recently her posts have been about the Holocaust and the upcoming Day of Remembrance. She has given me pause to think about my own knowledge of the Holocaust.

Since I was born in 1945, I am too young to remember WWII firsthand. I do, however, have some recollections related to WWII. My father, Otto Arthur Exner, Jr. grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He came from what was referred to as the “East End” which was populated by folks of German and Polish descent who were basically farmers.

My dad never had a lot to say about growing up in Fort Wayne. However, one day I was with my dad in our backyard when I was about 10-12 years old and heard some ladies standing near our back fence yelling “Junie!, Junie! I had no idea what they wanted, but they did seem to be waving at my dad. I remember poking my dad and saying “I think they are talking to you!?!” As it turns out he had been their paper boy and he was called June or Junie which was short for Junior. Strangely though the real revelation was that he was delivering their German newspaper, the “stadts abendzeitung,” not the local Journal Gazette or News Sentinel.” My dad would get his newspapers at the Pennsylvania Railroad Station because they came to town by rail. This daily German newspaper was delivered around the “East End” until 1939.

Once a year we would attend the Exner Family Reunion on the second Sunday in August which originated in 1925. Elsie Exner Linker came up with the idea of a reunion and held it at her farm. Attached is a picture from that first reunion which only my dad and grandfather attended because my grandmother and two aunts were under quarantine because of scarlet fever. (1) It is because of these reunions that I have connections to the Holocaust. Like many Germans living in the “East End” of Fort Wayne, our family had come from parts of Germany that at times came under Polish rule.

It was at these family reunions where I encountered a relative of a relative who had a number tattooed on his forearm. I was too young to be part of the discussion, but I was old enough to have noticed his arm and ask why he had it. He was from Poland and had been put in a concentration camp.

In 2007, after my father died, my sister joined my husband and myself on a trip to Germany. Our trip did include a visit to the concentration camp at Dachau. If I understood the German sign correctly, it was a memorial site preserved to remember the people who died there. When I walked around the grounds and read the inscriptions, I was reminded of that relative of a relative who had survived incarceration in a concentration camp in Poland during WWII.

(1) SOME UNUSUAL POEMS by Albert Exner, (Alex—the first two letters of my first and last names) Lutheran Home, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day

Tomorrow, April 24, 2014, will be the 21st observance of TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY. I have enjoyed an association with this program almost since its inception. Initially it only targeted girls, but boys were added in 2003. Every year on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of boys and girls experience activities and events in order to examine opportunities which will enable them to reach their fullest potential. I have been involved at almost every level of participation---parent taking a child to work, employer encouraging employees to bring their children to work, mentor to other children, and organizer to help promote the program in our community.

Back in my day, there were no special days set aside to explore the world of work. However I did have my own, personal job adviser, my mother. She did her best to make certain that I understood that I needed to be prepared for the workforce. My mother's three preferred jobs were teacher, nurse, and secretary. She had very strong feelings why these were the perfect choices for a woman and don't forget future mother. She believed that these were all jobs that had security, flexibility, and good money (all things important to a woman reared during the Great Depression).

My mother also encouraged me to join groups like 4-H and Girl Scouts. Through these organizations I had additional opportunities to explore many careers. Plus, as it turned out, my mother was my 4-H club adviser and my Girl Scout troop leader. She not only encouraged me as a parent in these organizations, but she guided me through and exposed me to many experiences during my years of participation with these groups. I remember her arranging a wide variety of guest speakers and field trips for my Girl Scout troop and 4-H club-----the Indiana State Legislature, a local dairy, the Indiana State Fair, a radio show (Don McNeill's Breakfast Club with “Aunt Fanny”), the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, etc.

I still am amazed that my mother, who did not have a lot of formal training, was able to provide me with endless opportunities to find my niche in life. She tolerated my bug and leaf collections in her dining room, supported my furniture refinishing projects, helped me with food preparation for 4-H competitions, allowed me to use her sewing machine (the lady across the road on Sandpoint actually taught me to sew), exposed me to travel and museums, survived my attempts at singing in a “girl group” accompanied by an accordion, and hauled me around to all the relatives (my mother had nine siblings living in Fort Wayne) so that I could sell my Girl Scout cookies.

As I look at pictures of my self during my middle school and early high school years, I see me exploring many different activities that could have led me down some very different and interesting paths in life-----entomology, interior design, politics, performing arts, forestry, or sales. All of these careers could have been pursued at Purdue University. Instead, I chose to stick to a career path found on my mother's approved list. After all, she was footing the bill and I only had a $75.00 “June is Dairy Month “ scholarship to get me started at Purdue (it only covered my first semester's tuition bill).

Sadly, the Wilmington area does not promote TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY much any more. Since local principals rejected the idea of a day away from classrooms (so close to end-of-year testing), the program has almost become nonexistent. It is unfortunate for the young folks in this community because there are scholarships available from the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY Foundation. Teachers and school counselors are asked to submit essays written by students about their on-the-job experiences. These essays are used for consideration when awarding the scholarships.

One bright spot is that as local schools and community organizations work to bring more attention to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, they are actually bringing attention to career exploration. Yesterday (4/22/14), there was a story in the STARNEWS about the STEM teacher at Dixon Elementary who had arranged for her students to “talk live” to an astronaut at the International Space Station. The teacher said “the space talk was a unique experience for everyone involved and may be the beginning of a new generation of space explorers and scientists.” Thus, we have a win-win for science education, job opportunities, and a brighter, stronger America for future generations.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Remembering Alex Newsome

As I was reading Pam Sander's tribute to Alex Newsome in today's STARNEWS (04/18/14), I could not help but think back a couple of weeks to an article by Tom Grady in his “Sports Notes (03/25/14).” His article, “Physics is an important part of the game in all sports,” addresses the need to understand the importance of properties like speed, trajectory, velocity, momentum, mass, projectiles, friction, etc. when playing games involving balls. Mr. Grady points out that everything about sports involves physics and that he uses soccer practice to teach physics lessons.

Sadly, my question then becomes “did all the boys understand that a ball, the size of a baseball and traveling at a certain speed, could have such velocity to kill a teammate?” I have a 13 year old grandson who plays baseball as a seventh grader in Indiana and his dad is a volunteer coach. If I called my grandson and asked him if he thought a baseball hit by one of his teammates could kill a fellow player, would he understand that it could happen? I would like to think that my son and the other coaches spend some time imparting information to the players on how powerful a baseball can be when struck by a bat. Unfortunately, I think that in Indiana, like here, it probably never occurs to them to actually point out the physics of the game.

It is commendable the efforts that are planned to remember the life of this young athlete. I congratulate the baseball teams across our district that could put aside school rivalries in order to celebrate Alex Newsome by wearing special shirts. I am impressed by the compassion that has been shown by the Hoggard baseball team for the the younger Roland-Grise players. I appreciate the efforts that are being made by the New Hanover County Schools to comfort parents, teachers, and students by providing grief counselors as they try to come to grips with their feelings and worries. I am impressed with the amount of media coverage that has been given this tragedy. The outpouring of this community is inspiring.

Also, I can not imagine the pain being felt by the young player who hit the ball or the coaches who were responsible for the players. As in all situations, there are always questions. Hopefully with review, better procedures can be found and implemented for the future. Unfortunately, the public has a short memory, events can be forgotten, shirts will be put away, and again the powerfulness of that struck baseball will not necessarily be understood.

So maybe a more lasting tribute to and remembrance of Alex Newsome would be to infuse physics lessons into the playing of sports. A campaign to bring physics to all young players in order for them to understand the forces at work during a game or a practice. For example, the rule about wearing a helmet while batting would not be followed because the coach said so, but because of understanding the speed and velocity of the ball coming at them.

Like in understanding the physics of the game, wearing special equipment will also have to start when the players are young. In the STARNEWS article (04/19/14), “Head gear for baseball players still evolving,” it is discussed that changes to equipment will only come after players have grown-up with the new protection.

In addition let's not depend just on the public schools to get this information out to all people. Local agencies like the New Hanover County Public Library, the Cape Fear Museum, YMCA, YWCA, etc. need to also join the campaign. Local organizations already work to get the public aware of the need for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Let's tie safety in sports to the understanding of scientific principles. It's a win-win for everyone.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

100 Years

On April 24, 2014 the YWCA Lower Cape Fear will celebrate its 100th birthday. Even though I am going to enjoy being part of this celebration here in Wilmington and have spent almost 35 years associated with this local YWCA in various capacities, it is actually my second YWCA 100th Birthday Party. Back in 1955 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I participated in the 100th Birthday of the YWCA USA (1855-1955). I was 10 years old.

The YWCA'S 100th Birthday bash in Fort Wayne was much different from the the local “black tie” affair that is planned here in Wilmington for Saturday evening May 3rd. According to my scrapbook enclosure, it was called “WET AND DRY SPOTS IN HISTORY.” Essentially the celebration was a gym and pool recital. We all sang “Happy Birthday” to the YWCA at the beginning and the end of the program. There were diving exhibitions, swimming demonstrations, a swim suit review from over the years (obvious a parade of changing bathing suit styles), dance routines (tap, ballet, slimnastics, social, and rhythmic). I performed in an intermediate tap number.

The Fort Wayne YWCA was founded in 1894.The YWCA building on West Wayne Street in downtown Fort Wayne was built in 1911. The pool was added in the basement in 1924. The old YWCA building was a fascination to me. It was a large building located next door to the downtown library. Besides the pool in the basement, it had a main floor gymnasium that was used for sports and dance. The main floor had a central, grand staircase that led to the 2nd floor meeting rooms. However, the most interesting area was where the residence space was located. It was considered a “safe place for working women.”

I tried many times to sneak a peek at the residence space, but I never made it. As my neighbors and I waited for our carpool home, we watched the young women check in at the front desk, pick up their mail, and get their room keys. Sometimes we tried to follow them, but they just laughed at us as they slipped behind the big door to the residence space.

A YWCA front desk is an interesting entity, and in my experience, has not really changed much regardless of time or location. Back in 1955 the lady at the Fort Wayne front desk kept an eye on us, checked us in for class, and sold us candy. In 1979 the lady at the front desk of the Wilmington YWCA, Shirley Avery, kept an eye on us, checked us in for class, and sold us candy! The only difference now in 2014 is that the lady at the front desk no longer sells candy!

Even though for many years I took dance classes and swim classes at the Fort Wayne YWCA, it was my time spent in Y-Teens that has been most beneficial to me as an adult. Y-Teens was a high school service club that teenage girls joined at their respective schools, but came together once a month at the central YWCA location. It presented opportunities for leadership, fellowship, community service, and a school “letter.”

Since I was not adept at sports, cheerleading, or music (instrumental or vocal), I had to use what gifts I had to get school letters and “facetime” in the school yearbook. Y-teens was girls only so that knocked off half of the competition. To this day it is generally the rule not to allow men on local YWCA Board of Directors. By my final year at Elmhurst High School (Class of “63), I was the president of our Y-Teen Chapter. I definitely have YWCA training to thank for helping me gain the skills to “lean-in” and “take my seat at the table”(1)


In 1979 when I moved to Wilmington as a “GE trailing spouse,” the YWCA was my gateway into my new community. Susan Manne, a neighbor and another “GE trailing spouse,” invited me to participate at the YWCA. Susan was instrumental in getting me to join the Wilmington YWCA Board of Directors and allowing me to meet Bessie Fay Hunt, a real visionary for the local community.

Bessie Fay Hunt is the person responsible for my many years of involvement with the YWCA (Lower Cape Fear as it is known today). She was a very strong and a very smart woman. To this day I admire her wisdom, foresight, and leadership. Because Bessie Fay Hunt had a problem in 1981 that needed solving, Gayle Busch, a neighbor, and I formed a partnership to create a half day preschool for the YWCA. Eventually Gayle Busch followed her husband to another assignment and I continued with ownership of the Tot Spot until it was sold to the YWCA in March of 2012.

Over the years it has been my pleasure to work in various ways with some very outstanding YWCA Executive Directors, but mostly it has been my privilege to have worked with and known the dedicated, devoted, and hardworking staff of the Tot Spot, LLC. I especially want to highlight the efforts of the team of Nancy Baden, Addie Arato, and Mollie Stanley who joined forces with me in the classrooms for almost 25 years to provide care and nurturing for the four year old preschoolers.

(1) LEAN IN Women Work & the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook


NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK / 2013
(LAST TOT SPOT ROSTER UNDER MY SUPERVISION)

ADDIE ARATO / 27 YEARS
EDEN AVERY / 7 YEARS
NANCY BADEN / 29 YEARS
PAT DENTON / 16 YEARS
TAMMY DENTON / 15 YEARS
CAROLINE ENDRESS / 5 YEARS
SANDRA HARRELL / 8 YEARS
VICKIE KONTALONIS / 19 YEARS
STEPHANIE RANKIN / 9 YEARS
JAN RICHARDSON / 17 YEARS
LISA RIVENBARK / 7 YEARS
MARIA SMITH / 4 YEARS
MOLLIE STANLEY / 24 YEARS
PAM TOMLINSON / 10 YEARS
CARRIE WATTS / 5 YEARS
BARBARA WHALEN / 17 YEARS


AND OTHERS TO REMEMBER FROM OVER THE YEARS

FRAN ENDRESS / 20 YEARS
HEATHER FASANO / 7 YEARS
JENNIFER STOGNER / 7 YEARS
JAIME WALTON / 22 YEARS
JENNIFER KNOWLES / 3 YEARS
CRYSTAL KARAFAS / 4 YEARS
COLLEEN TRANCHON / 3 YEARS
RAELYNE MICHEL / 4 YEARS
CYNDI BYRD / 10 YEARS
SUSAN FIELDSTEIN / 10 YEARS
CATHY KADEG / 12 YEARS
LINDA SMITH / 5 YEARS
DARLENE SIEDENTOP / 5 YEARS

AND EVEN OTHERS TO REMEMBER FROM OVER THE MANY YEARS

LAURIE CHRISTENSEN
JANE MAREK
SUSAN McDONALD
KARI BEDSOLE
BARBARA CAVENAUGH
JOYE DEANE
DEBORAH DOUCETT
TRISHA WATTS
KYLE HALL
KATHERINE ANDERSON
TERESA BATSON
SUSAN DUPUIS
REBECCA ROBERTSON
YVETTE TURNER
JACQUELINE EASON
CLAUDIA KEMP
KELLEY LEE
DONNA LEMERY
NORA MORGAN
(VERY FIRST EMPLOYEE HIRED)
PATSY WEBER
EDNA CANADY
KAREN JAMES
MARGARET WHITE
SUSAN STANLEY

AND EVEN MORE TO REMEMBER

JEANNE RIEMAN
ANNALISE MARTIN
BARBARA HALL
BILLIE J. ROSS
ROSE GEMBORYS
ROBIN EBERHART
MICHELE KIGER
JANE CAPPADONA
SHEILA IRRERA
NANCY MAGRUDER
BRENNA WOOLHISER
KATHLEEN WALKER
CATHERINE MERIAM
BARBARA McNEIL
PAMELA HERSEY
MELISSA MOLININI
JENNIFER TILLERY
ALLISON WALKER
JENNIFER JORDAN
DEBORAH HEWITT
MICHELLE MESKERS
JANE BRUNT
MARY JO DONNER
TERI RAKSNIS
REGINA DEGUIDA
VALERIE LAZZARI
KERRIE SMITH
EMMIE EATON
SUZANNE MOORE
MELISSA BERRY
MARJORIE HUGHES
JENNIE GASKELL
JAN TABOR
URSULA BROWN
TAMMY COVIL
CARLA HERRING
KELLY REGAN
TANYA BEECHER
DEBORAH WARNER
SUSAN WAYT
TERRI DEARIE
AMY SCHRIDER
PATRICIA WILLIAMS
TERESA LOKEN
ELIZABETH CORRIGAN
JANA ALBRITTON
NANCY DUFINETZ
NANCY HAUSER
SHIRLEY PEAY

AND THE OTHER 48 SUMMER INTERNS, SUBS, AND MAINTENANCE STAFF EMPLOYED BY THE TOT SPOT LLC SINCE JANUARY, 1981!!!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

ELMO'S WORLD!?!

I don't want to be seen as the old scullery maid, Patmore, in DOWNTON ABBEY who can not master the new “mixer-beater.” (1) Like Patmore I have issues with new technology. It scares me. I once was deluded into thinking that I could sew. I bought the latest sewing machine with programmable features for buttonholes, fancy stitches, etc. It did not take long for me to destroy the new machine and to realize that it was more than I could handle. It actually frightened me.

I still don't own a cellphone. I know that is shocking. I appreciate cellphones. Cellphones are some times lifesavers in emergencies. There are even occasions when I use cellphones. I love OnStar in my car. Plus, my oldest granddaughter tells me there is an app for cellphones to convert my voice messages into text messages----great for old folks with arthritis in their fingers!!!

So why don't I like cellphones? I believe that cellphones have helped foster some very bad habits, poor manners, and hardships. There have been times when cellphones have been the bane of my existence. For example, since it was my responsibility to make payroll at school every month, I always felt like telling the parent who was delinquent with their child's tuition that “blue-tooth” was not a necessity.

I think that cellphones can bring out some of our worst qualities. My feelings against cellphones initially started as an employer. I employed people to care for and supervise children, not to talk or to text on their cellphones. No matter how many rules were written into the personnel policy about cellphone usage, there was always someone breaking the rules. Unapproved or unauthorized cellphone usage during working hours is like stealing from your employer. It may seem like paperclips in the workplace, but when your job is to supervise children then it can be costly and dangerous!

People are selfish with cellphones. Last week I was in a club meeting that was featuring a guest speaker. During the presentation, the cellphone of the woman in front of me rang (apparently she didn't get the memo about turning off cellphones during meetings). The woman answered her cellphone and proceeded to have a conversation (apparently she didn't get the memo about excusing herself and leaving the room either).

As a teacher, I have seen parenting practices change because of cellphones. Clearly it is easier to contact parents when children get sick at school. However, it is harder to get the attention of parents before or after school. Parents now come to drop off or to pick up their children while engaging in conversations on their cellphones.

And because of cellphones we are all living in ELMO'S WORLD. What part of “selfie” (declared 2013 “word of the year” by OED) does not indicate narcissism. (It was suggested on Fo' Drizzle.com back in 2012 that the Sesame Street puppet, Elmo, optimized Narcissistic Personality Disorder.) Now everyone with cameras in their cellphones can mimic Elmo by taking pictures of themselves and posting the photos on the internet. Like Elmo, these folks believe that the world is all about them.

Teens, in particular, are susceptible to the lure of cellphones. Like previous generations, teens want to keep in touch with their friends. However, teens, as they struggle to establish their feelings about themselves, are taking “selfies” to a new level. It has been suggested that teens use “selfies” as a form of “dress-up.”(2) Teens can download apps so that they can perform “selfie surgery!?!”

Now as if “selfie” wasn't bad enough, we have “healthie” to look forward to. According to the the April, 2014 edition of SELF Magazine “healthie” is a healthy “selfie.” People will be posting pictures of themselves as they workout. I hope they don't create an app which lets us smell a “healthie!?!”

  1. Downtonomics: Troubles echo in the modern world “ by Steven Mufson of The Washington Post, STARNEWS, Sunday, February 9, 2014
  2. Common Sense about Selfies” by Carolyn Jabs, www.growing-up-online.com, WILMINGTON PARENT, March, 2014






Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Real MARCH MADNESS!?!

This week in our local newspaper I saw a political cartoon featuring the earth depicted as a basketball. In a nearby spaceship circling the earth, one alien tells another alien that “it happens to earth every March.” For those of you not familiar with basketball, the comment refers to MARCH MADNESS!?! I know that you all in North Carolina feel that March Madness originated along Tobacco Road, but that is simply not true.

Only if you grew up experiencing HOOSIER HYSTERIA, can you truly know the roots of MARCH MADNESS. According to Wikipedia, HOOSIER HYSTERIA is the state of excitement surrounding basketball in Indiana or more specifically the Indiana high school basketball tournament. Originally HOOSIER HYSTERIA was structured upon the premise that any school of any size, any where in the state could play its way to the high school state basketball championship.

The NCAA basketball tournament that distracts so many folks this time of year was not initiated until 1939. As far back as 1925 HOOSIER HYSTERIA was observed and commented on by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Dr. Naismith visited an Indiana basketball state finals game which was played in front of 15,000 screaming fans. Dr. Naismith wrote that “while it was invented in Massachusetts, basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport.”

Some of my fondest high school memories have always been of basketball. It would start with the sectionals. My high school was located just outside the city limits of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Initially, we were a county school and played our sectional games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. Since the weather in Indiana can be pretty unpredictable in March, it was always iffy as to whether you were driving in snow to get to the games. By my Junior year in high school after annexation, we were a city school. Going into the sectional tournament our team had a lackluster record. However, as can sometimes happen, our team turned it around. Our team won their first three games in the sectional tournament and set a school scoring record. One team member received a scholarship to play basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. During my Freshman year at Purdue University, I contemplated skipping a mandatory, Monday-night sorority pledge class meeting to see him play against Purdue.

If you want to get a feel for HOOSIER HYSTERIA, watch HOOSIERS. It is a 1986 film based on the true story of the 1954 Milan High School basketball team. Milan High School had a student body of 161 as compared to Muncie Central High School that had a student body of 1,600. Angelo Pizzo, the movies' screen writer and a Hoosier, took a lot of literary liberties with his depiction of the story. Angelo Pizzo once said that he had to fictionalize a lot of the story “because their lives were not dramatic enough, the guys were too nice, and the team had no real conflict.” In addition, the director of HOOSIERS, Dan Anspaugh, was Pizzo's college roommate and also a Hoosier. Pizzo and Anspaugh did do a good job though of getting across that whole “David and Goliath” appeal of Indiana high school basketball.

While growing up I did not realize how sexist HOOSIER HYSTERIA was though until I attended a high school basketball game in North Carolina back in the mid '80's. High schools actually played a girl's basketball game before the boy's basketball game. I was thunderstruck to imagine what would have happened if a school in Indiana played a girl's game before every boy's game back in the early '60's. Of course I was in high school before the enactment of Title IX which was a portion of the EDUCATION AMENDMENTS of 1972. Title IX has a tie to Indiana since Indiana Senator Birch Bayh helped write and sponsor this landmark legislation. Wow, Hoosiers helped get the ball rolling for Dr. Naismith's invention and a Hoosier also helped make it accessible to females.