Greetings from Pat

Dear Branch Members,

Watching the weather report one evening, I was delighted to hear the following day would have temperatures reaching into the 40’s.  I made plans to have my car washed and to take my cabin-fevered dog for a walk.  The winter season will soon be over and we’ll be able to spend more time outdoors.

We had a volunteer from the Women’s Center, Robyn Young, speak to us in February about Domestic Violence.  Robyn, a recent AAUW scholarship recipient, gave us a thorough explanation of domestic violence.  It was comforting to learn of the Women’s Center’s safety plan.  They are in need of cell phones, so keep them in your thoughts when changing to a more up to date model.

Wendy Stiver, from The Express, spoke to us at our March meeting.  Her topic was Local Women of Note.  Wendy’s format was mesmerizing and she carried it off with a relaxed manner and included a bit of humorous incidents.  We’re also thankful for her excellent publicity which included Laura Long’s display of her son’s flag from Iraq.  We were all touched by Laura’s explanation of how Ted has been nominated for a Medal of Valor for rescuing a wounded soldier in combat.

We were delighted to present the Gateway to Equity Award to Kathy Yorks.  Kathy was chosen because she has made an impact on young girls in the Keystone Central School District.  She has inspired them to follow their love of science into their careers.  She is also well-known in the community as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society.  The Gateway to Equity Award is meant to honor a group or individual in the community that promotes AAUW’s mission.  I know we made the perfect choice by choosing Kathy.

I’d like to end with thoughts of two powerful women, both members of AAUW, who passed away early in the year.  The first is Coretta Scott King.  She was an inspiration to all women and she expressed gratitude that AAUW established a scholarship fund in her name.  Through this fund in the 1960’s, 45 black women were able to earn college degrees.  The other woman is Betty Friedman.  Her activism on behalf of women and equity helped in founding NOW, the National Organization of Women.  Ms. Friedman was instrumental in creating a legacy for women of today.

Our next meeting will be April 6, at 7:30, in the Great Island Presbyterian Church.  I hope to see a lot of you there. 

Sincerely,

         Pat

American Association of University Women, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania  Branch

Minutes of the Branch Meeting
of February 4, 2006

The American Association of University Women, Lock Haven Branch, met February 4, 2006 at the Ross Library with fourteen members and one guest present. President Pat Burd called the meeting to order at 10:00.  The business meeting followed an informative talk by Robyn Young of the Clinton County Women’s Shelter.

Reports of Officers

Secretary:  There were no additions or corrections to the January minutes as published in the February/March Lockletter.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer’s report was published in the Lockletter.  The balance on hand as of the January meeting was $3,392.78.

Program Vice President:  Andie Bennett announced that Wendy Stiver of the Lock Haven Express would be talking about Women of Note at the March 4 meeting.  The meeting has been changed to the Ross Library.

Membership:  Membership Vice-president Jayne Arnone announced that new membership materials were available.  She will send a letter to the Directors of Nursing at the Lock Haven and Jersey Shore Hospitals concerning the new membership requirements of AAUW.

Reports of Committees

Book Sale:  Sign-up sheets were passed out by Nell Carnein, Book Sale Co-chair.  She asked about the possibility of having a high-lighted ad on the Internet about the Book Sale and the history collection that will be for sale.  Everyone was in agreement.

Write-Read-Write:  Lisa May collected the books from everyone for the Write-Read-Write project and will be delivering them when all are received.

Louisiana Library Project:  Donations were taken for the Louisiana Library Project.

Educational Foundation:  EF Chair, Beth Brobst, read a letter from Pam Piette, a former member, who sends an annual donation to the scholarship fund.  Beth asked that members read the qualifications for the scholarships.

New Business

International Women’s Day:  At the March 4 meeting, the Branch will celebrate International Women’s Day and will present Kathy Yorks with the Gateway to Equity Award.

Pennsylvania Convention:  The AAUW Pennsylvania Convention will be March 31-April 1 in Johnstown.  The Agenda and Registration materials are in the latest Keystoner.  Several members expressed interest in attending.  They were also interested in the AAUW PA Branch Project Showcase.

Nominating Committee:  The following were nominated by Amy Carroll to serve on the Nominating Committee:  Diane Whitaker and Andie Bennett.  The motion was seconded and passed.

Book Discussion:  Nell Carnein will make copies of the questions about the book to be discussed at the April meeting.  They can be found on the internet.

Nell also mentioned that she had discussed with Matt Zerby the 10-week course he is taking to see if he is interested in pursuing college. 

Lois Day announced that a documentary on female slavery would be shown on PBS and to watch for it.

As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

Linda L. Frye, Acting Secretary

April Meeting

Thursday, April 6, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Great Island Presbyterian Church
Business Meeting:  Election of Officers
A Book Discussion

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

The reading guide questions have been provided for your use, if you wish--the discussion will be informal, and we will not necessarily use all (or any) of the questions.  Background material on the author will be provided.  Come join us and share your view and opinions of this book.  "From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling." Random House

The URL for the site is--http://www.readinggroupguides.com/index.asp

and the questions for Balzac are at--http://www.readinggroupguides.com/
guides3/balzac_and_the_seamstress1.asp

Well Wishes

Our best wishes are extended to our members who are dealing with health issues.
Please keep Mary Williams, who has had a long winter dealing with health concerns and Skip and Linda Frye in your thoughts after his stay in the hospital.

Thank-You Notes

In February, our Branch sent a $100 donation to the Louisiana Library Foundation to assist with their recovery from hurricane damage to a number of libraries.  The money came from member donations plus the proceeds from the sale of our tree in the Holiday Festival of Trees at the Ross Library in December.  Here are the “Thank You” notes that Amy received:

February 13, 2006

Dear Members:

Thank you so much for the donation from the Lock Haven Branch.  Thanks to our AAUW colleagues from around the country, over $15,000 has been donated through the AAUW La. Library Project to rebuild the libraries which were damaged by the storms.

We are truly grateful for your efforts.

Thank you.

Anne K. Taylor, PhD

La. State President, American Association of University Women

February 16, 2006

Dear AAUW Lock Haven Pennsylvania Branch:

I am writing on behalf of the Louisiana Library Foundation to thank you for your gift of $100 supporting the hurricane recovery efforts of Louisiana’s public libraries.

Sincerely Yours,

Rebecca Hamilton

State Librarian of Louisiana
 

Educational Foundation Report Beth Brobst, Chair

The applications for our AAUW Branch annual scholarships are now available at Ross Library.  Please ask at the main desk.  Members are asked to help spread the word.  If you can post one of our fliers, call or e-mail me, and I will send you one.  I will have some fliers at the Branch meeting in April.  The Branch guidelines for eligibility follow:

Both undergraduate and graduate scholarships are available to women who have been residents of Clinton County for at least four years.  The aim of the undergraduate scholarships is to help women whose education has been interrupted due to financial or family reasons and who clearly wish to follow a vocation for which a four-year college degree or even a higher degree will be required.  The undergraduate scholarship is named in honor of Pam Wagner Piette, formerly of Lock Haven, and a supporter of AAUW.  The graduate scholarship is named in honor of the late Marilyn Gardner, a past President of the Lock Haven AAUW Branch and past President of the Pennsylvania Division of AAUW.

• An applicant for an undergraduate scholarship must be at least three years beyond high school graduation, and accepted for the year 2006-2007 at an accredited college or university in a bachelor's degree program.  In addition, she will have been in college when her studies were interrupted, having earned at least a quarter of the credits required for her degree.

• An applicant for a graduate scholarship must have been accepted at an accredited college or university in a graduate degree program. 

Applications are to be submitted by June 1, 2006.  Please note that the deadline for submission is firm.  The scholarship committee's decision will be announced soon after July 15.  For further information, call Elizabeth S. Brobst at 769-6895.

A Reminder about our May Meeting

Next month's meeting is our annual installation of officers and end-of-the-year dinner.  We will be dining at Dutch Haven.  At the Book Sale there will be a sign-up sheet available with menu choices.  This dinner will be separate checks, but Andie will need a rough count a few days before the dinner.  Please look for more details in May’s Lockletter.