The Braille Spectator Fall 1989

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

9736 Basket Ring Road Columbia, MD 21045

Fall, 1989

 

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage Paid Baltimore, MD Permit No. 7532

 

 

Address Correction Requested

 

THE BRAILLE SPECTATOR

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, Inc.

Fall, 1989

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, is a non-profit organization of blind people whose purpose is to promote equal opportunities for the blind. We provide advocacy services for the blind, special training programs for parents of blind children, job referrals and placements for the blind, public education programs, scholarships to blind students, and help the newly blinded to acquire special techniques for maintaining productive lives.

 

Please address inquiries to:

NFB of Maryland

9736 Basket Ring Road Columbia, MD 21045

phone (301)992-9608

 

Please send donations to:

NFB of Maryland 11909 Coronada Place

Kensington, MD 20895

 

The Braille Spectator is published quarterly for members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and others who share an interest in the work of this organization. The recorded edition, available on cassette, can be obtained from the editor upon request. Cassettes may be returned to the National Center for the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230.

Changes of address and additions to the circulation list should be sent to the editor. Address all news items, articles and letters to the editor.

Al Maneki, Editor

The Braille Spectator 9736 Basket Ring Road Columbia, MD 21045

 

Officers:

Sharon Manelci, President Columbia, Maryland

Althea Carter, First Vice President Baltimore, Maryland

Barry Hond, Second Vice President Baltimore, Maryland

Mary Ellen Reihing, Secretary Baltimore, Maryland

Judy Rasmussen, Treasurer Kensington, Maryland

Members of the Board of Directors:

Leroy Bagwell, Salisbury, Maryland

Pat Mayweather Lanham, Maryland

Al Carter, Annapolis, Maryland

Carleen McKenzie, Frostburg, Maryland

Pat Winebrenner, Frostburg, Maryland

Brenda Williams, Baltimore, Maryland

 

TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION

DUNES MANOR HOTEL

28th Street and the Ocean

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND

 

Friday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 5, 1989

 

LUXURIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS

Each room has two double beds, refrigerator, balcony and faces the beach.

 

GREAT LOCATION

On the beach near the boardwalk.

 

ATTRACTIVE ROOM RATES

Fifty dollars per night per room, tax included.

 

ARRIVE EARLY

Special room rate is available from Thursday, Nov. 2 to Sunday, Nov. 5.

 

RESERVE YOUR ROOM NOW

Send your completed reservation form and full payment for your room to Shirley Morris by October 16, 1989. Do not call the hotel for room reservations.                                                                                        •

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Call Sharon Maneki, President, NFB of Maryland, (301)992-9608.

 

CONVENTION PREVIEW

 

National Representative

Don Capps, Member, Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind; President, National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina.

 

Ways and Means - A Seminar for Newcomers and Veterans

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Friday

 

 

Afternoon Tea - Get Acquainted

4:00 PM Friday

 

 

NFB of Maryland Beach Party

Friday Night (After the Board Meeting).   Entertainment, dancing, snacks, cash bar.

 

 

Saturday Evening Banquet

Awards, scholarships, banquet address, auction.

 

 

General Sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

 

 

 

 

Door prizes given throughout the General Sessions and the Banquet.

Special events for blind vendors, blind students and parents of blind children.

Adjourn at Noon, Sunday.

 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF MARYLAND 1989 CONVENTION AND DONATION FORM

Please complete and return this form by October 16, 1989, even if you do not plan to attend the 1989 Convention or if someone else is reserving a room for you. Donations are appreciated.  This is the only opportunity that we have to ask for donations from most of you.

Mail completed forms and checks to Shirley Morris, 16547 Old Emmitsburg Road, Emmitsburg, MD 21727.  A pre-addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. Do not contact the Dunes Manor Hotel for reservations.  No reservation will be confirmed without the total payment of your room.

 

 

Name:                                                             

Address:                                                         

City/State/Zip:                                                                       Telephone:                (            )                                      

 

I would like to receive the Braille Spectator (quarterly publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland).  (I am not receiving it now.)

Print                Cassette

 

I would like to receive the Braille Monitor (monthly publication of the National Federation of the Blind).                                                                 (I am not receiving it now.)

Braille                   Disk                 Cassette                               Print

 

 

I wish to make a donation of $                  .      to the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. My check is enclosed.                                (Make check payable to NFB of Maryland.)

 

 

I will                           I will not

attend the 1989 Convention to be held at the Dunes Manor Hotel, Friday, November 3 through Sunday, November 5, 1989.

 

Continued on Reverse Side

 

 

TRANSPORTATION AND ROOM RESERVATION

 

Bus transportation from Baltimore to Ocean City will be available on Friday, November 3, and returning on Sunday, November 5, departure times to be announced. Please check below if you or any members of your group need transportation.

 

 

                      I wish to reserve a room in my name at the Dunes Manor Hotel. Special room rate: $50.00 per night, tax included, available Thursday, November 2 through Sunday, November 5. Maximum four persons per room.

Arrival date:   Departure date: ------

Number of persons in room: -------

 

 

$-----         Payment in full for room reservation for

October 16).

 

nights (due by

 

 

List names of all people, including yourself and any children, who will occupy the room with you:

 

Name

Check if under 18

Needs Transportation?

 

 

Amount enclosed:

Donation                                                                      Room payment                                                                      

Total                                        

Make check payable to the NFB of Maryland.

9736 Basket Ring Road Columbia, Maryland 21045

(301) 992-9608

 

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

Sharon Maneki President

 

SHOPPING SPREE!!! SHOPPING SPREE!!!

Do your Christmas shopping early! Add to your wardrobe! Help_the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland!

Brand name quality women's apparel at discount prices!

 

WHEN: WHERE: HOW:

 

DONATION:

 

 

 

EXTRA PASSES:

Saturday, October 28, 1989.  9:00 AM to 12:00 noon.

Apparel Associates, 7111 Windsor Blvd., Baltimore, Maryland.

Percentage of sales will be donated to the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. The pass at the bottom of this page is required for admission to Apparel Associates.

$1.00 donation per pass used is requested. Send donations to NFB of Maryland at the above address. If you cannot join us at Apparel Associates, please help us with a contribution.

Each pass admits one. Extra passes may be obtained by calling Sharon Maneki: (301) 992-9608.

 

We thank you for your help.   We hope to see you at Apparel Associates.

 

 

By special arrangement, A.A. Wholesale, the largest wholesaler of women's fashions in the country, will open its doors to members and friends of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. A.A. Wholesale features over 300 name brands including Liz Claiborne, Calvin Klein, Evan Picone, Cos Cob, JH Collectibles, Leslie Faye, Bonnie & Bill, Breckenridge, Personal, Rafaella, Jones of New York and many more.

The inventory at A.A. Wholesale consists of suits, dresses, pants, jeans, blazers, skirts, blouses, sweaters, knits, coordinates, jackets, and raincoats made by the country's leading manufacturers. The sizes range from 3 to 15 in Junior fashions and 4 to 20 in Misses and Petite fashions. The merchandise is discounted by as much as 70% off the retail price. A.A. Wholesale carries only first quality merchandise that is currently being shown in major department stores.

Checks with proper I.D. are accepted.  MasterCard and VISA charge cards are honored.

DIRECTIONS: Turn off Baltimore Beltway (695) at Exit 17. (From Washington, follow signs to Belmont Avenue. From Pennsylvania, follow signs to Rolling Road.) Turn right at McDonald's (Belmont Avenue). proceed about 3/4 mile to Bill's Carpet (Rutherford Road) and turn right at the dead end (Windsor Blvd.). Tum right 100 yards to A.A. Wholesale.

Please contact Sharon Maneki at (301)992-9608 for additional shopping passes. NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT A PASS.

 

CASINO NIGHT

Support the Greater Baltimore Chapter, National Federation of the Blind, by attending

Maryland Style Casino Night.

 

When: Where:

Why: How:

Friday, September 15, 1989, 8 PM - 12 midnight.

Tall Cedars of Lebanon Hall, 2501 Putty Hill Road, Baltimore, MD 21234.

Good food New Orleans style, refreshments, games, entertainment, and fun!            Music from the Mardi Gras!

Tickets $10.00 each.  For more information, call (301) 659-9314.

 

THE ANNUAL CONVENTION

by Al Maneki

There is something exciting about the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. In spite of the arduous convention schedule, I always return from the convention refreshed and renewed. Blind persons attending the convention experience firsthand the potential for growth and achievement beyond the limitations placed upon us. For eight days, we live, work and play in a stimulating environment based on the premise that blindness is not synonymous with disability. As is the case with all programs offering the challenge of personal growth, there are many stories told of the reluctance and fear of attending one's first convention, the surprise upon realizing the personal value of these conventions, and of the commitment to attend future conventions.

The convention attracts blind people from the entire spectrum of society--the young, the elderly, those in between, men, women, persons of numerous ethnic and religious backgrounds, professionals, laborers, and so many still under employed and unemployed. Of course, one chooses to take part in as much or as little of the convention as one wishes. But at any gathering of conventiorieers--convention session, committee meeting, party, or group waiting in line--the discussion always comes back to the central issue: improving the quality of life for me as a blind person. Problems are discussed earnestly with shared experiences and ideas. Problems are not swept away by platitudes and generalities. As is true of hard problems, discussions must sometimes end with problems not altogether resolved. Nevertheless, there is the pervasive atmosphere of challenge and determination.

There are many personal reasons for attending the convention. I especially look forward to meeting with blind colleagues and students in the scientific community (there is unfortunately a scarcity of mathematicians in this lot) and with parents who want to encourage their blind children in the sciences. The high point for me at this year's convention in Denver was making the acquaintance of Kim Bosshart, the NFB's Distinguished Educator of Blind Children. It is both refreshing and encouraging to listen to her views on the education of blind children. Throughout the nation, there are a few teachers committed to teaching the alternative techniques to all of their blind students regardless of residual vision, and who challenge their students to perform beyond their expectations.

 

We are already looking forward to next year's fiftieth annual convention in Dallas, Texas.

 

CONNIE MCCRAW DIES

Connie McCraw was an active member of our organization. Despite failing health over the past years, she continued to record the cassette edition of "The Braille Spectator," and to represent blind consumers on the Board of Trustees, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. She was our friend. We will miss her immensely. In her memory, we are reprinting her obituary, taken from the program notes for her funeral service. To acquaint newer Braille Spectator readers with her late husband John, we are also reprinting his obituary.

 

OBITUARY - Constance Louise McCraw

 

Constance Louise McCraw, wife of the late John McCraw, mother of Franklin and Paul McCraw, sister of Franklin Worthington Taylor, was received by her Maker on June 1, 1989. She was born in Baltimore to the late George and Marnie Taylor on December 3, 1928. She was educated in the schools of Baltimore and Carver High was the school of her choice.

Connie's (only a few people called her Constance) life stream crossed that of John McCraw, gifted Pianist and long time President of the Maryland Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. They became permanently entwined on May 3, 1953, when they married. Two sons were born out of this union, Franklin and Paul.

Connie held several jobs during her life span but she enjoyed most those jobs .in which she worked with the handicapped or the visually impaired. She was Chauffeur, Bus Driver, Aide, Confidant, and Friend. She enjoyed attending the State and National Conventions of the Federation of the Blind. She was an active member and talented soloist in the Sanctuary Choir of the Cherry Hill United Presbyterian Church many years ago and is still carried in inactive member status.

Connie's health began to fail several years ago but her will and determination did not. When she could not work five days, she worked four; when she could not work four days, she worked three days. She worked the desk in her apartment building as long as she could. When Connie no longer could come downstairs, she had work sent up to her room. She rarely complained about her lot in life and looked on the bright side of most things.  Even in the hospital when asked, "How are you doing?" her answer was "I'm doing alright."

 

Grief is the penalty paid for loving. Connie leaves to mourn her passing two sons, Franklin and Paul; one brother, Franklin Worthington Taylor, one uncle, Carlton Simmons; one aunt Elizabeth Taylor; and five grandchildren: Terronne, Franklin, Corey, Jocelyn, and Jason; and host of cousins and friends.

 

OBITUARY - John T. McCraw

John T. McCraw departed from this life on Friday, September 1, 1978 between. 3:30 and 4:00 P.M., after a massive heart attack, surrounded by the people with whom he had worked for so long and loved so well.

 

      John was born November 4, 1921 in Norfolk, Virginia to Jesse and Katie McCraw. He moved with his parents to Baltimore in 1925. Seven years later, at the age of 10, John lost his sight and was enrolled in the Maryland School for the Blind. He graduated from Morgan State College in Baltimore, with a B.S. in education. All during this time, though, John had devoted much of his energy to music and learning to play the piano.  Since 1944 he had been employed as a professional musician. He had also, at various times, taught travel training, worked as a medical transcriber, and taught in the public school system as a substitute teacher.

When John McCraw was elected to a position on the National Federation of the Blind Executive Committee in July 1977, there was no question in anyone's mind that he should have the job. He had long been a favorite with those in the movement who knew him, and he was the president of one of the most rapidly growing affiliates in the Federation, the NFB of Maryland.

John McCraw worked during the day as a recreationist for the City of Baltimore. A few years ago an article about John appeared in a recreation journal. Part of the article read: "John T. McCraw is unique to recreation; he is blind.  He is also a professional musician and a dedicated and gifted professional recreation leader.

"He is the only blind recreationist working in Baltimore City. Hundreds of children know "Mr. John" as the "big man" who plays the piano, conducts physical exercise, teaches games, and accompanies them on trips. Handicapped adults look forward to talk sessions...with John; retarded teens and adults look to him for fun and counsel and sing and dance to his music. Handicapped senior citizens relate to his dignity, gentleness, and humor."

To show John's versatility, the article later goes on: "At 9:30 each night, McCraw changes hats and enters the world of show business. He is musical director for a well-known after-dark club and leads the John McCraw combo. He has been widely acclaimed as a leading exponent of jazz and a top-flight pianist."

As a recreation director and musician, John McCraw had two careers. But the Federation was as much a career as either of these. As the State NFB affiliate and as an Executive Committee member, John was chairman of the Board of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland; Chairman of the Board of Constant Care Community Health Center; Member of the Board of Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; and Member of the Board of the Mayor's Media for the Handicapped. John McCraw along with Ralph Sanders, worked with the blind of the NFB of Maryland in making Maryland, like Iowa, a good state which to be blind.

 

"SNACK TYMES" CORRECTION

In the Spring/Summer, 1989 issue, we incorrectly reported that "SNACK TYMES" is a publication of the Maryland Committee of Blind Vendors. "SNACK TYMES" is published independently by George Fear.                                                                                             '

 

 

A LETTER AND A PHONE CALL

by Barbara Cheadle

Sometime in May I received a telephone call from Sharon Zervitz, supervisor of the Baltimore City Schools Program for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Braille Spectator readers will recall that Mrs. Zervitz was one of our guest speakers at last year's NFBMD convention in Towson. Over the past two years or so, the NFB of Maryland and Sharon Zervitz have built up a friendly relationship of respect. The NFBMD and the Baltimore City Schools programs for blind children have cooperated successfully on several projects which have greatly benefitted the blind students of Baltimore.

Anyway, Sharon Zervitz had called because I had asked her to call the NFB if any significant changes occurred in the Baltimore City Schools program for blind and visually impaired students. The city had installed a new school superintendent and many changes were being made. Sharon informed me that she had just been notified that her position (Educational Assistant) was being eliminated.  No one seemed to know what would happen to the program. Would it be decentralized and supervised by persons with no knowledge or experience in blindness? Would a new supervisory position and title be created? If so, why wasn't it announced?

The education of blind children was too important for us to sit around and hope that the right decision would be made. We went into action. Mr. Marc Maurer, NFB president, personally handed letters to Dr. Richard Hunter, Superintendent of Public Instruction in the city, and to Mayor Schmoke.  The Parents Division of the NFB of Maryland generated phone calls from parents into Dr. Hunter's office.

When we got back from the national convention in July, we had an answer. Both Dr. Hunter's and the Mayor's offices responded to our letters, letting us know that we had been heard. A new supervisory position (Facilitator) had been created for the blind and visually impaired program. We later learned that the staff of the program had tried unsuccessfully for a number of years to get the supervisory position upgraded to this status. Now, thanks in great part to the NFB of Maryland, we had it.

The NFBMD has worked hard to gain respect and recognition from the community.

When you have that, a letter and a phone call can go a long way.

 

ART OF LIVING

By Tom Keyser

 

Reprinted from the Evening Sun, August 8, 1989

Shirley Trexler and Arthur Segal met as youngsters at a school for the blind 50 years

ago.

She had been born with glaucoma, an eye disease that eventually took her sight. He went blind after being shot in the eye with an arrow while playing cowboys and Indians.

 

     Blindness has not prevented Shirley and Arthur from living a full life in Baltimore. Their canes have led them through the crowds at Artscape and Summerfest and performances of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Longtime friends, they got married this spring after living together 15 years.  She is 57. He is 61.

They Jive in an apartment at Horizon House at 1101 N. Calvert St. There are paintings on the walls.

Shirley laughed.

"It always takes people a while," she said, "but they end up saying, 'Gee, we didn't know what to expect.  We didn't even know whether you'd have anything on the wall.'"

Modern art hangs above the sofa, and a painting of birds adorns the kitchen.  A peace sign hangs in the living room, and a sculpture squats next to the record player, and plants thrive in baskets by the windows.

Most of the artwork are gifts.

"It means something to us to have things around," Shirley said, "just like it means something to most people."

She could see colors and large objects until she was in her 30's. But she never saw well enough to rely on her sight.

Arthur could see until he was 8 years old, when an arrow made out of an umbrella spoke pierced his right eye. Doctors couldn't save the eye, and in a couple of weeks he lost his sight in his other eye.

It was a phenomenon known as "sympathetic ophthalmia." Doctors learned later on the battlefields of World War II that if they didn't remove the badly injured eye, an inflammation could form in the other eye and cause blindness.

Arthur had both eyes removed, and now lives in darkness - at least that is what a person who can see would think.

"Dark is something you see," Shirley said.   "To a blind person it's not anything.

"Picture trying to see out of your ears. Is it dark? Is it light? It's kind of nondescript."

 

Arthur said, "The image in my brain is an image of light.  I know it's afternoon, and I know the light's coming through the windows over there.  At least I think it is.

"And tonight at 11, I'll know it's dark outside. And it would be dark in here except that Shirley will turn on the lights.  She likes to have the lights on at night."

She can distinguish light from dark, and anyway, she said, "It's appropriate to tum lights on at night."

 

She said she used to be able to see the small colored lights on their Christmas tree_ "We'll get more flickering lights this year," Arthur said.

They listen to the radio and stereo - the news, jazz, show tunes - and to books and magazines on tape. They are considering buying a small television because their building has been wired for cable.

"You can hear a movie plot," Shirley said.

They seldom go out to the movies, because they generally don't like what's playing. The last movie Arthur went to was "Love Story" in the 1970's. But they don't miss much else that goes on around the city.

They recently went to Artscape, the city's annual arts fair. A friend gave them a ride, and at the information booth a worker provided them with a guide.

Most people at Artscape watched people. Shirley and Arthur listened to the bands. They ate soft-shell crab sandwiches and gyros. They soaked up "the general atmosphere," as Shirley put it. "The sounds, the smells.  We like being around people."

They didn't hesitate to ask questions: "What booth is this? What's going on at this table?" And they got answers.

They think they got as much, if not more, out of Artscape than most people.

If you followed a sighted person through the arts and crafts booths at Artscape, and then asked them what they had seen, Arthur said, "They'd be able to tell you very little. They don't observe things at all.  I think you'd find out how little their vision is telling them."

 

Shirley added, "They don't really take it in. Sighted people really know very little about their environment. They use their vision very poorly. It's almost visceral what they do."

"They sure don't give good directions,” Arthur said, laughing. "I'd rather have a blind person tell me how many blocks it is from point A to point B than a sighted person."

Arthur works for the city, making sure its programs and facilities are accessible to handicapped people. Before he and Shirley moved to Baltimore, he operated food businesses in Philadelphia for 24 years. For 13 of those years he operated a snack  bar at the Philadelphia City Hall.

He also worked as a rehabilitation counselor in Pennsylvania and taught Braille and grooming and other living skills to blind people. After graduating from the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in special education from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Shirley also earned her degree: a bachelor's in social welfare from Temple University. Now she works as the mid-Atlantic sales director for AIDS (Alternative Independent Devices d Services) Unlimited, selling products for blind and disabled people.

She and Arthur parted ways after school, but met again in Philadelphia at a meeting of the Liberty Alliance of the Blind, an advocacy group for blind people, which Shirley had formed. They eventually shared an apartment together, and six years ago they moved to Baltimore.

She is a deacon at Brown Memorial Park Avenue United Presbyterian Church. They both are active in the National Federation of the Blind. They usually travel by cab.

"You can have as full a life as anybody. You can have as many pleasures," Shirley said.  "I don't dwell on what I don't see anymore.  I'm used to being a blind person."

"It's really a nuisance more than anything," Arthur said.

When they buy clothes they pin on Braille labels. A label on one of Arthur's ties says "yellow with design of blue, gray and black."  A label on a suit says "charcoal gray."

He gets his shirts custom-made, partly out of vanity, he said, and partly out of necessity. Depending on its color, each shirt is monogrammed in different lettering or in a different place. He finds the monogram with his fingers and discovers the color.

Two people visit regularly to read Shirley and Arthur's mail, to pay their bills, to write their checks, to order from clothing catalogs.  A friend takes Arthur to the supermarket every few weeks, mainly to help select food in cans and boxes that Arthur can't identify by touch.

The friend picks out the food, and Arthur slips on a plastic label with, for instance, "Brussel sprouts" or "onion crackers" written in Braille. He has magnetic Braille labels for cans.

They both cook, maneuvering patiently around the kitchen.

Once a week, usually Friday or Saturday, Arthur shops for fresh foods at Cross Street Market in South Baltimore. He usually takes a cab to the Light Street entrance and enters through the glass doors, pulling his shopping cart.

He's been shopping there six years, so he knows his way around. At Fenwick's Meats, Larry Reisinger said of Arthur: "It's amazing. He always, always stops at the exact same place every time, dead center at the counter."

Arthur bought chicken and ground turkey at Bill's Poultry, and June Geisler said, "That'll be $8.40, hon"

He occasionally bumped into someone or ran his cart over their bags. But generally, with his cane, he moved from stall to stall effortlessly.

"I try not to kill anyone," he said.    "It's not good for the reputation."

 

At Cross Street Seafood, Arthur ordered two catfish fillets. Then John Anderson Arthur's hands and let him feel the soft-shell crabs.

"Got any bigger ones?" Arthur asked.

He finally declined the crabs, but ordered shark fillets and seafood cakes. Anderson added the prices of each item out loud and slowly, but Arthur already knew the total; he had added the prices in his head.

 

When Anderson said, "$22.35," Arthur hesitated , and Anderson knew he had made a mistake. He added again and got $22.33.

 

Arthur took bills out of his pockets - different bills in each pocket - and paid for the fish. Anderson slowly counted the change, identifying each bill and placing it in Arthur's hands.

Arthur folded the bills into his pockets and placed the package into his cart. He tapped his cane on the floor and began moving toward the produce.

"See you next week," he said to Anderson. "See you next week, sir," Anderson replied.

 

GOODBYE MARY ELLEN AND PAUL

Best wishes to Mary Ellen and Paul Gabias, who are moving to Canada. Paul will be accepting a position in the psychology department at St. Thomas University in Frederickton, New Brunswick.

Mary Ellen Gabias was an active member of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland for 7 years. She served both as president of the Greater Baltimore Chapter and secretary of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. She served capably on the NFB of Maryland's Library Committee and the Maryland Library for the Blind's Advisory Council.

On July 27, 1989, Maurice Travillian, Assistant State Superintendent for Libraries, wrote to Mary Ellen: "It was with mixed emotions that I learned of your intention to move to Canada. It is a cause of joy that your husband has been appointed to an important position at the University but it is a cause of sadness that your wisdom, experience and dedication will be no longer available to us in Maryland. You have been a strong and assertive leader in this state for better services and greater equity for the blind. Although it was sometimes my bureaucratic cage that you were rattling, I always admired your ability to rattle it and learned to have great respect for your competence, knowledge and integrity."

Mary Ellen and Paul's new address: 820 Windsor St., Frederickton NB, Canada E3B4G5; telephone: (506) 457-0916.

 

We will miss their enthusiasm and dedication to Federationism. Best wishes Mary Ellen and Paul, in your new endeavors.

 

COMMITMENT

Reprinted from "The Associate Raiser", a publication of the National Federation of the Blind, July-September 1989.

 

Are you an active member? The kind that would be missed, or are you content that your name is on the list? Do you attend meetings and mingle with the flock, or do you stay at home to criticize and knock? Do you take an active part to help the work along, or are you satisfied to be the kind that just belongs? Do you ever go to visit a member who is sick, or leave the work to just a few and talk about the clique? Think this over. You know right from wrong.  Are you an active member, or do you just belong?

 

SPECKS

We are saddened to report the death of Mr. Robert Cross of Salisbury. Mr. Cross served as treasurer of the NFB Eastern Shore Chapter for many years up to the time of his death. He also provided transportation for BISM employees and gave freely of his time to help with local chapter activities. He was committed to equal rights for blind persons. May he rest in peace.

Congratulations to Sandy Kelly and John Halverson who were married on Saturday, August 5, 1989 in Baltimore. The Halversons will make their home in Missouri. Best wishes to the newlyweds.

During the entire month of July, Baltimore City held a round-the-clock read-a-thon at City Hall. President Marc Maurer, Paul Flynn, and Shirley Trexler participated by reading from some of their favorite Braille books. Bernice and Rachael Louder read a twin vision book together. We are especially proud of two of our blind children, Ellen Nichols and Kamyar Habibelahian, who read twin vision books with Mayor Kurt Schmoke. It was most appropriate for us to participate in this literacy campaign.

Congratulations to the participants in the 1989 Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest: Sora Mindy Cook (grade K-1, 74 pages); Synthia Greenwell (grade 2-4, 301-pages); Kamyar Habibelahian (grade 2-4, 192 pages), Christina Shorten (grade 2-4, 279 pages); Tomeka White

(grade 2-4, 3,685 pages); Charles Cheadle (grade 5-8, 202 pages); Jennifer Baker (grade 5-8, 7,176 pages). Jennifer Baker was awarded first prize for grades 5-8 Braille readers in the nation-wide contest. Awards were presented to these students at their school assemblies. Every child who enters this contest is a winner.

The headquarters of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has moved from the Department of Education Building at 200 W. Baltimore Street to the Maryland Rehabilitation Center Building, 2301 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218. If you need to get in touch with Gene Spurrier or Assistant Superintendent James Jeffers, you should now call them at 554-3276.