Senior

Connection

Articles, News and Activities Calendar

For Senior Members at Netherwood Park Church of Christ

February 17, 2012 Volume 8 Issue 2 LaNell Wilkins, Co-Editor

SENIOR FELLOWSHIP THIS FRIDAY February 17, 2012

Senior Luncheon 11:30 — 1:30 Friday February 17, 2012

Charge is $7.00 per person

11:30 – 12:30 Catered Roast Beef Luncheon from Cracker Barrel w/ All the Fix’ins 12:25 – 12:35 Announcements: Don Osborn 12:35 – 12:50 Devotional Speaker: Joe Mosley 12:50 – 1:30 Entertainment: Quartet from the Enchanted Mesa Show Chorus

Luncheon Leader: Mary Sue Osborn Hosts: Billie Rice, Willie Mae Caddell, Glenda Gray

Decorations: Bea Carriaga, Anita Zdunek Luncheon Fee to: Betty Martinez, Wanda Colclough

Theme for 2012: “United in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

Philippians 2:2

“The apostle beseeches [the Corinthians], by various considerations, to live in unity and in the spirit of the gospel, loving each other; and each to prefer his brother to himself. He exhorts them to be like-minded with Christ, who, though in the form of God and equal with God, made himself of no reputation, and humbled himself to the death of the Cross for the salvation of man…” Adam Clark’s commentary on Philippians 2:2-4

OUR SYMPATHY

LOUISE BROWN

We extend our sympathy to the family of Louise Brown. For those who knew Louise, they quickly became aware of her love for her family and her Lord. She had a passion for life and a quick wit. She will be missed.

IRETA VINCENT

We also extend our sincere sympathy to Carol Vincent in the recent passing of her mother, Ireta Vincent. Ireta was a faithful Christian from childhood and was known for her ready smile and a welcoming personality. She recently moved to Netherwood Park Church and along with Carol, was active with the Sr. Citizens and card-writing ministry. We will miss her.

What’s Going On Reported by Sam Martin

We welcome our new senior members to the fellowship at Netherwood Park. Jim and Sheila Banks, 8400 La Ventura Ct. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120, phone 293-5248 John and Eileen Meeks, 12616 Piru Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123, phone 797-9779 Velma Meeks, 8911 Northeastern Blvd. NE. E-202, Albuquerque, NM 87112, phone 298-2516 Lloyd McIntosh, 8911 Northeastern NE E-202, Albuquerque, NM 87112, phone 298-2516. We are saddened by the loss of two more of our Senior Members. Louise Brown – January 28, 2012 Ireta Vincent – February 5, 2012 In addition, a number of our members have lost loved ones recently.

Happenings! Eighty-one seniors fellowshipped and enjoyed our January luncheon. Eighteen moviegoers enjoyed our senior cinema, “A Shot in the Dark” in February. Thank You! We thank Carol Vincent and her mother Ireta for their service of sending cards to persons outside our congregation. Ireta passed away on February 5. We also welcome and thank Carolyn Jacobs, who has volunteered to keep this ministry going. Anyone desiring that a card be sent to a friend or relative, please call Carolyn at 856-6626. Volunteers Needed! We know there are more wonderful personal stories which we all would like to hear. Please write your story and share it with us. David Wilkins is available to help you put your story on paper if you would like assistance. The deadline for March articles is March 5, 2012. February Happenings 2/15-22 6:30-9 PM Evangelism Seminar at Rio Rancho church of Christ Speaker : Ray Cox of the Scott City, Kansas church of Christ 2/17 11:30 AM Senior Potluck, catered by Cracker Barrell, $7.00 per person. 6:30 PM Family Game Night at Netherwood 2/20 OFFICE CLOSED FOR PRESIDENTS’ DAY 2/23-26 Men’s Higher Ground @ Mountain View Christian Camp in Alto, NM. If interested in attending, fill out the registration form and give to office so LuAnn can process. 2/24-26 Couples Retreat in Durango , Colorado 2/25 8-11:00 AM Pancake Breakfast at Albq Christian Children’s Home 6:00 PM “42” Game Night at the home of Nancy Clements

March Happenings 3/1-4 Women’s Higher Ground at Mountain View Christian Camp in Alto, NM. If interested in attending, fill out the registration form and give to office to process registration fee. 3/2 6:30 PM Book Club meets in library – Lost Mission, by Athol Dickson 3/11 ****DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS**** 3/14 5:30 PM Wednesday Night Dinner in gym 3/16 11:30 AM Sr. Connection Luncheon – Skip Cole will be our Guest Speaker.

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 1 2 3

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 1012 13 14 15 16 17 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 1719 20 21 22 23 24 25 18 19 20 21 22 23 2426 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

February March

February Birthdays

JoAnn Temple 02/17 Tommy Thompson 02/21 Joyce James 02/18 Larry Cochran 02/24 Alla Mae Wilson 02/19 Ragon Michael 02/27 Bill Lewis 02/20

March Birthdays Karen Talley 03/04 Wayne Rorie 03/17 Alice Hicks 03/08 Orval Talley 03/20 Ina Milton 03/08 Don Osborn 03/26 Patty Martin 03/13 Judy Wilson 03/29 Betty Monroe Martinez 03/16

February and March Anniversaries Wayne & Marge Rorie 02/01/1953 59 yrs Jimmie & Lorraine Lewis 02/06/1999 13 yrs Jack & Laura Riehl 02/08/1958 54 yrs Don & Mary Sue Osborn 03/26/1955 57 yrs

2012

Movie Review

"Temple Grandin”

"Temple Grandin" chronicles the life of the woman who overcame the physical and mental obstacles of autism to become an expert in the field of animal husbandry (in her case, the treatment of cattle going to the slaughterhouse).We first meet our heroine the summer after her high school graduation, while visiting her aunt's (Catherine O'Hara) Arizona cattle farm. As soon as Grandin (Clair Danes) arrives, we quickly see the breakneck speed of her mind: The simple act of opening the farm's entrance gate triggers a map of Grandin's highly evolved visual thinking, with a moving mechanical drawing of RPMs and acute angles that define the gate's operation. As a daily worker on the farm, Grandin soon tricks out the gate to close on its own ‐‐ and adds a makeshift sign telling visitors they have 47 seconds to drive through. If Grandin's bizarre brain visualizes a piece of wordplay, we see it, from the achy to the absurd. If Grandin recalls every pair of shoes she's ever encountered, we see it. This sounds like a gimmick, but it's more about the filmmakers demanding we gain a firm, albeit cinematic, understanding of Grandin's autism and immense mental skills. The idea of numbers and formulas floating around some genius's head has been done before, but it often just implies some internal order within a vague chaos. With Temple Grandin, the device has a clarity and weight that's missing in other films. Temple Grandin, the film, has its own nearly indefinable energy, just like Grandin the person, and nearly all the credit must go to Danes. She doesn't just build a quirky facade or impersonate a figure. She lives in Grandin's skin, acknowledging her self‐awareness, eliciting a unique emotional tug as she forces out her percussive language with an urgent desperation full of substance and honesty. Danes doesn't play Grandin like some misunderstood "rain man." Her characterization fully realizes Grandin's level of intellect, as does the script. Grandin's struggles as a student are intensely hers but not unlike many others' ‐‐ especially as a woman studying in the male‐dominated agricultural world. Grandin's breakthrough discovery occurs early in the story, and it's carried deftly through the film as a narrative note, improving not just cattle lives, but Grandin's as well. Learning of a "squeeze machine" that presses on a cow's sides to calm her during inoculation, Grandin tries it herself after an emotionally terrifying episode. It indeed calms her, she explains, replacing the comfort of a human hug, something she can never experience due to mental discomfort with the idea. Autism may never be understood, but every bit and piece of this mystery that is unraveled, gives us a better understanding of the world these people live in.

Submitted by Laura Riehl

On the Front Porch Well, here it is, the beginning of another year. 2012, the twelfth year of the twenty-first century. Did you ever wonder in your earlier years what you would be doing when we were in the new century? I can't say that I did. I was busy trying to get through the present time,

raising my kids, helping my husband and being with my extended family. At that time I never dreamed I would be living in New Mexico and loving it out here. Not many people I knew back in Alabama ever left there. It seemed to be a way of life to die where you were born. My son was stationed here in the Air Force and I started visiting and fell in love with the high desert. I love the mountains, especially with snow on them and the vastness of the space out here. Roy and I took a lot of trips around this state and Colorado just looking at the scenery and I never tired of it. I need to start doing that again because I enjoyed it so much. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday with your families, the good food, the good times just sitting around talking about Christmases past. Luckily I did not have to do a lot of shopping this year. But on two occasions I ran into very different scenarios that left a deep impression on me. In the first one, a customer was very upset about something at the checkout. She threw her item at the counter, it hit a rack and bounced up and hit the cashier in the forehead. I don't know why she was so upset but I thought to myself, "Why would someone do that?" It was probably not the cashiers fault but she got a bump in the head anyway. A few days later, I was in another store and as soon as I opened the door I was greeted by a man working the cash register. He said, "Hello, I'm so glad you came to our store today. If I can help just let me know." He was smiling and friendly and had something to say to everyone who came in. I watched for a while to see other people's reactions. I saw a lady come in looking tired with a frown on her face. When the man spoke to her and welcomed her, she turned and looked at him. When she saw his smiling face she started smiling also and thanked him. I watched her for a while and she kept a smile on her face and the stressed look went away. Isn't it amazing what a smile and a friendly greeting can do? No matter what the circumstances, your smile may make someone's day a little brighter and their burdens seem a little lighter. I know after I was greeted in such a friendly way, I wanted to keep it going. If it made me feel better, then maybe I could help others feel better. I remember reading somewhere that a smile takes fewer muscles to form than a frown. So, if you are going to have creases on your face anyway, why not make them smile creases?

‐‐God Bless, Leta Bassham

“Be the change you want to see in the world" "We read to know that we are not alone." ~C.S. Lewis~ "The trick is to keep breathing." "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." ~Oscar Wilde~

THIS IS MY STORY

ADVENTURES WITH UNCLE JIM

by Lee Davis

My Uncle Jim, who is married to my wonderful and exciting Aunt Mary, is my mentor

and life example. Let me tell you about the trip of a lifetime he carried me on – A REAL ADVENTURE!

Uncle Jim had a Piper Cherokee 190 airplane. To the best of my memory it was a model PA 28 with four seats, low wings, and a single engine. It was white with red and blue stripes lovingly taken care of and maintained to a T.

Sometimes Uncle Jim would fly to Bessemer (near Birmingham, Alabama), and we would go to town and pick him up at the airport. We lived in a fishing camp down on the Black Warrior River. While he was here, he would always spend a day to take us flying. Trust me – he does not need a reason. He will fly anytime. He would fly us over our house and up and down the river. I felt like a millionaire in a Lear jet. It was wonderful experiences going to the airport. Uncle Jim always made you feel welcome and involved you in every aspect of the flight including preflight, fueling, down to the smallest of details, even tying the plane down with the proper knots and then school you on flying after takeoff.

In his trips to our house and my grandmother’s house, Uncle Jim taught me many important values in life including faith in God, good business, family love, patience, character and even taught me some photography. The most important program he taught me to live by is included in all of the above. It is of utmost importance, and it is the way I try to operate in everything I do in my life. It is called the 5 P’s. If you don’t know what it is, you need to ask him. It really is important.

Enough of history – here goes our adventure of a lifetime. It was 1977, and my parents had just bought a new Ford. We were going to Albuquerque to visit. My family drove out, but I got to fly with Uncle Jim. Who wants to drive when you can fly?!?!?

The night before we left, Uncle Jim laid out his charts in the floor and got down on his hands and knees to plot the course from Bessemer to Huntsville where his brother lives. From there he plotted a course from Huntsville to Little Rock, Arkansas to Denton, Texas and then to home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The next day we flew to Huntsville and Uncle Jim’s brother who is a wonderful, caring person, took the afternoon off. He carried me and my cousin, David water skiing on the Tennessee River. That night he grilled us hamburgers and hot dogs. After supper, he gladly opened up his huge home to us. To me it was like staying at the Waldorf Astoria.

After a great night’s sleep, we were up early and headed to the airport. During this time, gas rationing was common and we could not get fuel. It was hard to get, even for planes. Uncle Jim called ahead and was assured there was fuel at Little Rock. After another thorough preflight, which he always let you participate in, we took off on the second leg of our adventure. We taxied down to the end of the runway and permission was granted for takeoff. We stopped and toed the brakes, then brought the engine up to strong power. The last check before takeoff is brakes, because it is the first thing you will need when you land.

Permission was granted at the first twinkling of light and down the runway we went. At the age of 14, my imagination kicks into overdrive: I am sitting in the copilot seat beside Uncle Jim. As we lift off, headed for the colored early morning clouds, I feel as though I am an Army Air Corp pilot of a B17 Flying Fortress taking off in England headed for Germany. Proud of my position

and fearing for my ten other crewmen aboard, with a full load of fuel and bombs, knowing we might not make it back, but it was our job and duty. I would think this was close to how those pilots in their suits and jackets must have felt as they roared down the runway, knowing they had hours of freezing temperatures ahead of them before taking fire from the ground forces and the banging of the 50 caliber machine guns combined with the roaring of the huge radial engines. I would imagine they were praying to get their job done and have enough luck and fuel to make it back. By now, we are at altitude and I came back to my position by Uncle Jim as he sets the trim with flaps, fuel mixture, checking horizon, altitude, and all the other instruments on the dash.

On the way to Little Rock, we approached a large thunderstorm and had to vector around it. This used up even more of our fuel. If you have never seen a thunderstorm from 5,000 feet, believe me it looks VERY intimidating. Going around this storm and getting close to Little Rock, we are now very low on fuel. Here is where Mr. 5 P’s produces from thin air: two stopwatches, pencils and paper. He has me watch out one side, and my cousin out the other. Every time we passed over a place capable of landing, we were instructed to

restart our stopwatch and write it down, just in case we had to do a 180 degree turn. Uncle Jim would know how long it had been and could quickly calculate altitude and glide path to ensure a safe emergency landing. There again the 5 P’s. Flying in springtime with a 15-20 mph, head wind in and out of puffy clouds is a surprisingly bumpy ride. While you are in the clouds, it is like heaven, and poof all of a sudden you come out into the clear blue. It is a sense of freedom you cannot explain. I was a little worried about the storm, but Uncle Jim thought I was very scared. I was scared and worried, but not about the storm. Hey man, no fuel – no adventure! Uncle Jim and I both love a good adventure!

We were granted permission to land on the assigned runway and after fuel, food and a short rest while the storm passed, it was up and away again headed to Denton, Texas. I am sure Denton, Texas is a town, but the airstrip is in the middle of nowhere. I was amazed at the bare ground, sparse trees and everything – trees, fence poles, buildings – were all leaning the same way. The wind blows the same direction all the time. The attendant told me it never stops but sometimes it gets worse. Another restroom trip and some fuel and a bottle of pop and we were off again to Albuquerque. Not having Avionics at the time, we talked to the towers on the radio set courses, with a counter on the dash and flew beacon to beacon. You really have to pay attention to detail. You don’t normally consider this, but when the tower calls you, and you are crossing oncoming traffic, you really start looking out the window. Who wants to come face to face with another pilot? Also, helicopters look funny from above when you are looking down on them. They really look like a whirlybird.

After a couple hours of flying, we started climbing higher and higher. We went so high Uncle Jim got out a small oxygen tank. We all had to put on an oxygen tube to our nose because we had to get over the mountain. As we crested the mountain and cut back on the power, we started a smooth descent into the Albuquerque Airport. The evening sun on

the mountainside was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed. While I was there in a totally different climate, terrain and altitude, I had yet another unforgettable experience I had only read about in books.

DUST STORM – Man I just had to go outside to see this! Don’t forget I am 13-14 years old, used to playing alone, reading books at school, fishing and boating alone, and tinkering with mechanics alone, so my mind triggers easily for amusement. I walk out on Uncle Jim’s front porch and all of a sudden I am John Wayne standing on the wood front porch of a cowboy town western store, and I as look about, a tumble weed as big as a barrel rolls right down the street until it rolls right out of sight. Talk about a change of pace from Alabama!

While I was there we went motorcycle riding out on the mesa. For all I know, it felt like it was the Sahara Desert. I had never been so hot and not sweated before. It was a wonderful week. Albuquerque is a beautiful and bustling town. We also spent a day in Old Town, and again, way different than Alabama. As I think back, I believe flying experiences with my Uncle Jim were priceless. I really believe flying with Uncle Jim, and feeling the wind, helped me learn to feel the movement of the plane. Reading the wind by feel had a big impact on my being able to race lightweight outboard boats competitively, which is basically flying.

I always look forward to another adventure, especially down on the river where I live. Come to Alabama and I will take you on an adventure down the river in my houseboat. I always look forward to having another adventure with Uncle Jim, right there with me, smiling as usual. I will tell you about our fishing adventure in a future story! And, in case you haven’t discovered by now, Jim Guthrie is my “Uncle Jim”.

CAR RADIO, AN INTERESTING TRUE QUINCY, ILLINOIS STORY

CAR TUNES -- Radios are so much a part of the driving experience, it seems like cars have always had them. But they didn’t. Here’s the story.

SUNDOWN -- One evening in 1929 two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point high above the

Mississippi River town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night to be sure, but one of the women observed that it would be even nicer if they could listen to music in the car.

Lear and Wavering liked the idea. Both men had tinkered with radios – Lear had served as a radio operator in the U. S. Navy during World War I – and it wasn’t long before they were taking apart a home radio and trying to get it to work in a car. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds: automobiles have ignition switches, generators, spark plugs, and other electrical equipment that generate noisy static interference, making it nearly impossible to listen to the radio when the engine was running.

SIGNING ON -- One by one, Lear and Wavering identified and eliminated each source of electrical interference. When they finally got their radio to work, they took it to a radio convention in Chicago . There they met Paul Galvin, owner of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. He made a product called a “battery eliminator” a device that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household AC current. But as more homes were wired for electricity, more radio manufacturers made AC-powered radios. Galvin needed a new product to manufacture. When he met Lear and Wavering at the radio convention, he found it. He believed that mass-produced, affordable car radios had the potential to become a huge business.

Lear and Wavering set up shop in Galvin’s factory, and when they perfected their first radio, they installed it in his Studebaker. Then Galvin went to a local banker to apply for a loan. Thinking it might sweeten the deal, he had his men install a radio in the banker’s Packard. Good idea, but it didn’t work – half an hour after the installation, the banker’s Packard caught on fire. (They didn’t get the loan.) Galvin didn’t give up. He drove his Studebaker nearly 800 miles to

Atlantic City to show off the radio at the 1930 Radio Manufacturers Association convention. Too broke to afford a booth, he parked the car outside the convention hall and cranked up the radio so that passing conventioneers could hear it. That idea worked – he got enough orders to put the radio into production.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? -- That first production model was called the 5T71. Galvin decided he needed to come up with something a little catchier. In those days many companies in the phonograph and radio businesses used the suffix “ola” for their names – Radiola, Columbiola, and Victrola were three of the biggest. Galvin decided

to do the same thing, and since his radio was intended for use in a motor vehice, he decided to call it the Motorola.

But even with the name change, the radio still had problems: When Motorola went on sale in 1930, it cost about $110 uninstalled, at a time when you could buy a brand-new car for $650, and the country was sliding into the Great Depression. (By that measure, a radio for a new car would cost about $3,000 today.) In 1930 it took two men several days to put in a car radio – the dashboard had to be taken apart so that the receiver and a single speaker could be installed, and the ceiling had to be cut open to install the antenna. These early radios ran on their own

batteries, not on the car battery, so holes had to be cut into the floorboard to accommodate them. The installation manual had eight complete diagrams and 28 pages of instructions.

HIT THE ROAD -- Selling complicated car radios that cost 20 percent of the price of a brand-new car wouldn’t have been easy in the best of times, let alone during the Great Depression – Galvin lost money in 1930 and struggled for a couple of years after that. But, things picked up in 1933 when Ford began offering Motorola's pre-installed at the factory. In 1934, they got another boost when Galvin struck a deal with B. F. Goodrich Tire Company to sell and install them in its chain of tire stores. By then the price of the radio, installation included, had dropped to $55. The Motorola car radio was off and running. (The name of the company would be officially changed from Galvin Manufacturing to “Motorola” in 1947.) In the meantime, Galvin continued to develop new uses for car radios. In 1936, the same year that it introduced push-button tuning; it also introduced the Motorola Police Cruiser, a standard car radio that was factory preset to a single frequency to pick up police broadcasts. In 1940 he developed with the first handheld two-way radio – the Handie-Talkie – for the U. S. Army.

Many of the communications technologies that we take for granted today were born in Motorola labs in the years that followed World War II. In 1947 they came out with the first television to sell under $200. In 1956 the company introduced the world’s first pager; in 1969 it supplied the radio and television equipment that was used to televise Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon. In 1973 it invented the world’s first handheld cellular phone. Today Motorola is one of the second-largest cell phone manufacturer in the world. And it all started with the car radio.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO -- The two men who installed the first radio in Paul Galvin’s car, Elmer Wavering and William Lear, ended up taking very different paths in life. Wavering stayed with Motorola. In the 1950’s he helped change the automobile experience again when he developed the first automotive alternator, replacing inefficient and unreliable generators. The invention lead to such luxuries as power windows, power seats, and, eventually, air-conditioning.

Lear also continued inventing. He holds more than 150 patents. Remember eight-track tape players? Lear invented that. But what he’s really famous for are his contributions to the field of aviation. He invented radio direction finders for planes, aided in the invention of the autopilot, designed the first fully automatic aircraft landing

system, and in 1963 introduced his most famous invention of all, the Lear Jet, the world’s first mass-produced, affordable business jet. (Not bad for a guy who dropped out of school after the eighth grade.) Some of us have been fortunate to have met both of these gentlemen and they were – gentlemen. It is time for everyone to accept responsibility for their own actions and stop waiting for someone else to take the blame and come to your rescue! -- Contributed by Leta Bassham

Senior Potluck Luncheon

February 17, 2012

This Friday At 11:30 AM

Articles for the March “Connection”

Are due March 6, 2012

Netherwood Park Church of Christ

5101 Indian School Road NE

(I-40 at San Mateo exit south)

Albuquerque, NM 87110

February 2012

SENIOR CONNECTION