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HP/AGILENT ALUMNI CLUB NEWSLETTER HP/AGILENT ALUMNI CLUB MINUTES – 9/1/2009 The September 1, 2009 meeting of the HP/Agilent Alumni Club was called to order at 1:40 pm by President Joetta Hoewisch. The minutes for the last meeting, as published in the newsletter, were approved as written and filed. Secretary Lois Green apologized for misspelling Phyllis Davis-Haefner’s last name in last month’s newsletter. She will correct it in the archive copy. Laura Mattison gave her Treasurer’s Report: “Good Afternoon. It’s so great to see so many here today. Since I prepared this report ahead of time, I planned to say that I hope you are all enjoying the pizza, Marianne Mallon provided, but since there is no pizza, I’ll skip that part. “I promised I would report on the newsletter expenses and donations. In March, Agilent communicated they would no longer print or mail the newsletter. So Gerry and George printed the newsletter and we provided the postage to mail them. George Blinn has been providing all of the envelopes and he adds the address labels. Thank you, George! “In April, Joetta shopped around to find the best and cheapest printing place for us. A lot goes into this newsletter. Lois, Joetta, Mark and myself send information for the newsletter by email to Gerry, he in turn breaks it all down, puts it in good reading form, adds laughter and sends it by email back to the four of us to proofread. He finishes it up and sends the final to Joetta by email. He also sends out all of the email newsletters. Thank you, Gerry! Joetta emails it to the printer and how many copies needed. She then tries to track down George to get the envelopes, goes to the printer to pick up the newsletter and brings them to me. Thank you, Joetta. I and Freeland have been folding, stuffing and stamping. Finally a quick trip to the post office and they are off. Thank you, Honey. So a lot of time and people are involved in getting out your newsletter. Now for the breakdown. In March, we only paid $42.00 for the stamps. In April for 94 copies, $24.23 printing, I bought 400 Forever stamps for $0.42 and that was $168, but saved us $8.00, because postage went up. May: 94 copies $30.29 and $44.00 postage. June: 79 copies for $25.45, no additional postage. July: 85 copies $28.30 and no additional postage. August: 74 copies (2 sheets) $15.90, no additional postage costs. We have spent $378.17 for printing and postage, but had donations of $101.00, so only $277.17 were used from club funds. We have enough stamps for the September newsletter. Thanks to everyone who has donated $$ for this project. “An estimate for the rest of the year is about $22 per month for printing or $88 to year end and close to $100 for stamps. About $188 will see us through this year. It cost 74 cents for each newsletter we send out and times 12, that is $8.88 per person a year to receive a Newsletter by mail. This is just one example of why we need to raise the yearly dues. “We only spent a total of $55.32 for the picnic this year. We used up supplies we already had or were donated. The Great American Bake Sale Lois Green planned in July netted $188.24 in donations. That $$ was sent in to help end childhood hunger. Great job, Lois! Laura then gave the Treasurers Report. Thank You, Laura There were 60 attendees, including: Jan Allen, Mary Lou and Les Bailey, Marlys and George Blinn, Pat Bestgen, Jack Casey, Penny Cherry, Claudia and Roger Christiansen, Kathy Colyer, Nancy Craig, Lorrine Farmer, John Favinger, Harry Feldman, Pat Freeman, Lois Green, Juanita Hartman, Lela Havens, Joetta Hoewisch, Carol Kibel, Anna Kochis and her daughter Barbara Alger-Kochis, Peggy and Mark Lambuth, Laura and Freeland Mattison, Peggy McClellan, Wanda and Gerry McGonigle, Steve Meyer, Anne and Bob Miranda, Cheri and Doug Moloney, Kathy and Jerry Murphy, Ken Nichols, Barbara Parsons, John Powell, Cecil Ray, Mary Jane Reul, John Riggen, Gary Roberson, Betty Rodosevich, Pat Romero, Velma and Ernie Rossmanith, Betty Schade, Jack Sheets, Ruth and Greg Tarcza, Joe Tighe, Joe Trujillo, John Tulloch, Evelyn Wall, Randy Walters, Gerry White, Laura Winter, and Hal Wright.
September Birthdays: September Anniversaries: Health Updates: Roger Scott is at home, still recovering from his motorcycle accident on May 31st. Chatting by phone, he talked of his ride in the mountains west of Cripple Creek with five others and how he was rounding a corner where he could see there was no oncoming traffic but couldn’t see the road surface and hit a patch of loose gravel that caused his bike to go out from under him. At first Roger got up and walked a bit before realizing he couldn’t breathe very well and didn’t feel too good. Turns out he had broken the small bone on the outside of his left leg, broken two bones in the collarbone area and seven ribs, including one that punctured his lung, and messed up his spleen that later had to be removed. Flight for Life took him to Penrose where he spent three weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, contracted pneumonia and was given only a 15% chance of survival before finally getting the third antibiotic that took hold. Another week at Penrose and then he transferred to the VA hospital in Denver for rehabilitation. Roger’s been at home since July 30th and says he still gets tired and has a way to go, but is doing pretty good. He welcomes contact by phone (594-9974) or mail (3655 Cragwood Drive, Colorado Springs CO 80907). Both Roger and his wife Cindy are longtime HP/Agilent employees and send their greetings to club members. Polly Tounzen is doing well after hernia surgery at Memorial North. She expects to be home (4002 Darby Circle West, Colorado Springs Co 80907-3912) soon and make a full recovery. Deaths: Barb Bailey lost her brother recently. Our thoughts are with Barb and her family. Wilma Nicolaisen lost her brother, Leon Mardesen, a Denver resident, on August 16. We send our sympathies to Wilma and her family. On August 28, Rolland Thomas Saponas passed away, father of Tom Saponas. We extend our sincere condolences to Tom and Charlotte, as well as Tom’s mother Marcy and the Saponas families. Program: Warm Hearts ~ Warm Babies by HP/Agilent Retiree Linda Waxler Linda Waxler, an HP/Agilent employee for 36 years talked about her favorite charity: “My heart belongs in Warm Hearts ~ Warm Babies. The reason I got started with this charity is because when I attended a retirement class at work, they said that husbands and wives need some outside activities from each other. This is my outside interest. “Here are some typical clothes our members make for the babies.” (Linda held up adorable little garments, from sleepers to sweaters and blankets.) “We started out as a chapter of Newborns in Need. In 2000 we decided instead of sending money out of state and getting back what they wanted to send us, we would service primarily the Front Range, Loveland to Canon City and keep all the donations in our state. “Last year we sent out 68,000 items, serving 3,000 families. We’re trying to keep growing so we can help more people. We provide items for babies to hospitals and individual families. We provide mostly for preemie and newborn babies but also collect and distribute used clothing up to four years old. Anytime we hear of someone in need, we try hard to help them. Please let us know if you know of anyone. “We put together a kit of diapers, clothing, blanket, and items such as shampoo, powder and things as some families have nothing to bring babies home in. “We sometimes hold craft fairs to raise money for supplies, but we don’t sell the items we make for the babies. Everything that is donated goes to the babies and families. We have no paid staff. Everyone is a volunteer. We have 400-500 members throughout Colorado. “I am the coordinator for this area. We hold work meetings once a month. There are 9-10 work groups within the state. Our group, which is small, with many people choosing to do their work at home, meets at the Rustic Hills Baptist Church. We have a potluck during the meeting that is held from 10 am until 2 pm on a Saturday. This month it is September 26th. You are welcome to join us. We always welcome new volunteers. “In Colorado Springs, we work with Memorial Hospital, and in Pueblo, St. Mary-Corwin Hospital, taking items there once a month. In Denver, we provide items to the Children’s Hospital, as well as numerous other hospitals in the state. “At Christmas time, we make items with a Christmas theme to brighten up the nursery and neonatal intensive care units (NICU). It helps the parents who can’t have their babies at home for the holiday. And for those babies who don’t survive, we make burial clothing, tiny blankets, and provide little items, such as a heart or cross or memory envelope for the grieving parents. It is a sad, but very necessary and needed service. We are always happy when the hospitals tell us they don’t need any of these at the moment.” Linda was asked to describe a layette. She said it was clothing and supplies parents can use when they bring their baby home from the hospital. She was also asked about Newborn Hope and said it is an agency that concentrates on raising money for equipment for NICUs. Linda was also asked about the hats knitted for babies at Memorial Hospital. She replied that her volunteers make some as do other people in the community. It was mentioned that Memorial Hospital provides the pattern and will provide yarn to any volunteers that want to make hats. Linda invited people to visit their website (http://www.warmheartswarmbabies.org/) to see their newsletter and learn more about the organization. When asked where all the items are kept that are donated, Linda admitted that she stores most everything at her house and said, “One of these days I’ll have to find another place to live because my husband won’t be able to stand it anymore. But he’s a good trooper!” Linda was applauded for her presentation and for answering questions. She stayed to chat after the meeting and to discuss the items she brought. She also provided a tax receipt to donors as the organization is a registered nonprofit. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Joetta would like to have someone help her sell some old Test and Measurement books on eBay that were going to be discarded by Agilent. Proceeds will go to our club treasury. Any eBay experts out there willing to help can call Joetta at 599-5292. In October, we will be asking for volunteers to serve as club officers for 2008. The vote for officers will occur at the November meeting. Anyone wishing to volunteer for one of the open offices is encouraged to contact the current officers: Joetta, Mark, Laura or Lois, for more information. Volunteers for the United Way Campaign are needed for the September 15th Farmer’s Market at Agilent Technologies. Your crafts, baked goods, and garden veggies are most welcome. All proceeds go to United Way. Volunteers to help that day are also needed. Interested volunteers can contact Susie Peterson at 590-2667. The next Red Hat Ladies club will include a trip to Penrose to pick apples, courtesy of Molly Gauss and her apple orchard. They will then have lunch in Florence. Call Molly 510-0432 for more information. People who wish to make a separate trip for apples can also contact Molly to arrange a convenient time. Let Us Entertain You – Annual Senior Center Appreciation Show – Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 1:30 pm at the Colorado Springs Senior Center. Joetta is still accepting talent acts for the show. You can reach her at 599-5292. Mark Lambuth will host the show and Mary Lou and Les Bailey will be among the performers. Club members are welcome to attend the show that we sponsor in appreciation of the free meeting room we use at the Senior Center each month. October 6, 2009 – Vice President Mark Smith is planning the program and hopes Helen Muterspaugh will be available to talk about Rock Ledge Ranch and volunteer opportunities there. November 3, 2009 – HP/Agilent Alumni Club business meeting to elect officers and set 2010 dues. December 1, 2009: HP/Agilent Alumni Club Annual Christmas Luncheon. Location and details will be available at a future meeting and published in the newsletter. Regular Monthly Meeting Events: Door Prizes: Joe Trujillo and Mark Lambuth won Lotto tickets. Winners of the September Ticket Drawings were Freeland Mattison and Bob Miranda. They each won $26.25. Joetta thanked Roger Christiansen for being the greeter in John Meredith’s absence and Laura Mattison for assisting with the 50/50 collection. Lois Green had baked two carrot cakes from Linda Waxler’s famous recipe that always brings top dollar at the Agilent United Way campaign. Linda graciously provided her recipe to anyone donating $2 to the Warm Hearts ~ Warm Babies nonprofit. If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like the recipe, contact Lois Green (LoisGreen3921@aol.com or 481-3921) or Laura Mattison (l_mattison@earthlink.net or 598-7728) to make arrangements to donate $2 to Warm Hearts ~ Warm Babies (PO Box 1266, Brighton CO 80601) and get a copy of the recipe by mail or email. The greeter for October will be Laura Winter. Anna Kochis has volunteered to provide the October refreshments, along with her daughter Barbara Alger-Kochis. So, here comes another famous goodie we’ve enjoyed in the past: the Kochis’ chocolate chip cookies. Joetta adjourned the meeting at 2:35 pm. RED APPLES FOR OUR RED HATTERS Our club's very own Red Hat Society group, the RED RESISTOR SISTERS, are still hoping that more ladies from our club will choose to join the group. They have met for a monthly luncheon for the past three months, and attendees have enjoyed the chance for a casual lunch along with chatting and socializing. The next gathering will be on Wednesday, September 16th. It will be a bit of a change of pace, as it will include a trip to Penrose to pick apples, courtesy of Molly Gauss and her apple orchard. The ladies will then have lunch at a local restaurant in nearby Florence. If you'd like to join in the fun, call Joetta Hoewisch at 599-5292 for details on where to meet for the trip to Penrose. GREETER & REFRESHMENT LIST
GREETER
REFRESHMENTS UNIVERSAL LAWS Law of Bio-Feedback: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to go to the bathroom. Law of Random Motion: Any item, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner. Law of Discovery: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act. Farber's Third Law: We're all going down the same road in different directions. Hellrung's Law: If you wait, it will go away. Shevelson's Extension: ... having done its damage. Grelb's Addition: ... if it was bad, it will be back. Law of Queues: If you change lines (or traffic lanes) the one you left will start to move faster than the one you are in now. Hart's Law: In a country as big as the United States, you can find fifty examples of anything. Law of Random Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. Law of Mechanical Resistance: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will. Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. First Law of Laboratory Work: Hot glass looks exactly the same as cold glass. Glyme's Formula for Success: The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made. Murphy's Law of Lockers : If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers. Law of Surface Attraction: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug. Law of Location: No matter where you go, you're there. Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly. Glaser's Law: If it says “one size fits all,” it doesn't fit anyone. Finnigan's Law: The farther away the future is, the better it looks. Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it Law of Ailment Duration: If you don't feel well, and make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick. Ducharm's Axiom: If you view your problem closely enough, you will recognize yourself as part of the problem. Gerrold's Law: A little ignorance can go a long way. Ehrlich's Rule: The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts.
Do you remember a time when... Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "Do Over!"? Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening? It wasn't odd to have two or three " Best Friends"? The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was "cooties"? Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot? A foot of snow was a dream-come-true? Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action figures? "Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense? Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles? The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team? War was a card game? Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle? Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin? Water balloons were the ultimate weapon?
How many of these do you remember? Candy cigarettes Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles Coffee shops with tableside jukeboxes Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers Newsreels before the movie P.F. Fliers Telephone numbers with a word prefix...(HEmstead 7-1538). Party lines Peashooters Howdy Doody 45 RPM records Green Stamps Hi-Fi's Metal ice cubes trays with levers Mimeograph paper Beanie and Cecil Roller-skate keys Cork pop guns Drive ins Studebakers Washtub wringers The Fuller Brush Man Reel-To-Reel tape recorders Tinkertoys Erector Sets The Fort Apache Play Set Lincoln Logs 15 cent McDonald hamburgers 5 cent packs of baseball cards - with that awful pink slab of bubble gum Penny candy 35 cent a gallon gasoline Jiffy Pop popcorn If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived!!!!!!! JUST FOR LAUGHS The Corvette A senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he floored it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left. "Amazing," he thought as he flew down I-85, pushing the pedal even more. Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a state trooper behind him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for this," and pulled over to await the trooper's arrival. Pulling in behind him, the trooper walked up to the Corvette, looked at his watch and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a reason for speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go." The old gentleman paused. Then said, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a state trooper. I thought you were bringing her back." The trooper replied, "Have a good day, sir." AMUSING ANECDOTES We loved traveling with our three young sons, but we seldom went to motels or restaurants. Instead, we camped and ate out around the camp stove. However, we did travel to Minnesota one summer to visit grandparents and actually entered a restaurant for lunch. We had barely sat down when 8-year-old Bobby asked to go to the restroom. He left, and the waitress came to take our order (grilled cheese sandwiches all around). Soon our food came, but not Bobby. We waited and waited, until finally he appeared and scooted into our booth with a big sigh. "We were worried about you, Bobby," my husband said. "Is anything wrong?" After another big sigh, Bobby said, "There's a sign in that restroom that says 'Help Keep This Place Clean' - and boy, was it dirty!" -------------- My 5-year-old granddaughter spent the night with me. Early the next morning, she saw my false teeth soaking in a glass. "The Tooth Fairy is not going to believe this," she said. -------------- One night a little boy lost one of his teeth, and put it underneath his pillow. The next morning he received one dollar. Showing it to his mom, he asked her, "Mom, does the Tooth Fairy bring back our teeth when we get old and paste them together like grandpa's?" -------------- My Mom. at 103, still loved to go riding and shopping, so we often drove over Parkdale Hill on our way to town. The hill is steep and long, and Mom loved to ride fast going uphill. Going home, though, was another matter, so I tried to drive carefully going downhill. This day, Mom said, "Aren't we going awfully fast?" I assured her that we were not and thought that was the end of it. Then this little voice next to me said quietly to herself, "Well, my side is sure going fast." -------------- My two little nieces were busy helping stack wood for the winter. Noticing them lagging, their mother said, "Everyone just get three more loads, and then we'll go in for lunch." After carrying three more loads, suddenly there was a competition to see which girl could keep getting one more load than the other. "This is my fourth load!" 7-year-old Susanna crowed. Determined to beat her sister despite the odds, 4-year-old Charity hurried to grab another log. She panted, "This is my fifth!" She then muttered under her breath, "I'll get my fourth later!" -------------- As a child, I often heard people tell me that I looked exactly like my dad, Harry. I remember my dad taking his summer fishing trips with his friend, Cy. As time went by and I grew into a man, my dad and Cy went their separate ways. One day, as I entered a diner, I noticed a man who looked like Cy, only a little older. Wanting to know for sure, I asked him, "Is your name Cy?" Looking bewildered, he answered, "Yes, but how did you know?" Knowing that he probably remembered my dad but not me, I began to introduce myself by mentioning my dad first. "Do you remember going fishing with Harry?" Astounded, he quickly replied, "Why Harry, you haven't aged a bit!" -------------- While visiting in Colorado, I made friends with a native who told me about a great home his neighbor had for sale. My wife and I looked at the home and the view. We really liked it, and so we bought it that day. As we were moving in the next month, the friendly native came over. "You sure got a good buy," he said, "even if the roof leaks, there are some electrical problems and some pipes froze and burst last winter." "Why didn't you tell us all of this before we bought it?" I asked. He replied, "We weren't neighbors then." -------------- SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH AT 1:30 PM |