The Acorn Adams County HCE Newsletter May/June 2016

Letter from the President Here it is two years later and I can still say that I have thoroughly enjoyed being your President. I have never worked with a greater group of ladies. Thank you for the experience. I will continue to enjoy seeing everyone at lessons and activities. A big THANK YOU for attending the Annual Dinner Meeting. It was so good to see so many of our members there. It was a fun evening and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I wish the new officers for 2016/2017 the best. I hope your experiences will be enjoyable and memorable. Your Board Members for next year are: Presidents- Heather Ator and Judy Milfs, 1st Vice President- Amy Looten, 2nd Vice Presidents- Camie Hempelman and Sharon Beetle, Secretary - Mary Ann Peter, Treasurer- Melba Funk, Cultural Enrichment – Susan Sprague, Ways and Means – Annie Jones and Donna Wilson, Public Relations – Leslie Geschwandner, Family Issues – Heather Ator and Leslie Geschwandner, Subject Matter – Judy Milfs, Acorn Editor – Linda Chezem. District Directors are: North – Mary Voorhis, South – Joyce Welsh, East – open, West – Pat Vaughn. The transition for the new ACHCE Board Members will take place during the May 10th Board Meeting at the Farm Bureau. Congratulations and have a wonderful year. Sandy McKelvie, President

Lessons for Living Survey Are you interested in learning more about “Female” health issues? Bird Watching? Fighting depression? Coffee? Maybe you’d like to take a field trip? Let us know what you want to learn more about next year. Please take a minute to complete a short two-question survey. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZB3XMWS. You can copy or type this link into your address bar. A clickable link is included in the email message for this newsletter. Just click the link and it will take you directly to the survey. When you are finished, click the done button. Then just close the window. You don’t have to do anything else.

Copies of the survey can also be picked up and completed at the Extension Office at 330 S. 36th Street.

2015-16 ACHCE Board Sandy McKelvie, President 217-936-2767 mckelvie@adams.net Amy Looten, 1st VP 217-228-0322 amy@quincychamber.org Linda Lavery, 2nd VP 217-242-8951 llavery65@yahoo.com Rhonda Fugate, Secretary 217-336-4034 numbers_crunched_82@yahoo.com Melba Funk, Treasurer 217-336-4191 jfunk@adams.net Heather Ator, Family Issues 217-224-1163 heatherator@hotmail.com Barb Higley, Cultural Arts 217-696-2320 dbhig@adams.net Linda Duncan, Co-Ways & Means 217-964-2257 dlduncan@adams.net Joyce Hoskins, Co-Ways & Means 217-224-6971 joyce_hoskins@yahoo.com Leslie Geschwandner, Public Relations 217-209-0108 leslie.geschwandner@gmail.com Judy Milfs, Subject Matter 217-224-7763 fortyford@comcast.net District Directors West—Pat Vaughn, 217-224-1355 sqdncr@comcast.net South—Joyce Welsh, 217-645-3257 pjw2008@att.net East—Joyce Dietrich, 217-593-7194 North—Mary Voorhis, 217-224-0084 mrv3129@adams.net Acorn Newsletter Editor—Linda Chezem, 217-430-7811 lsc5776@gmail.com

2015 Walk Around Adams County 13,224.75 miles were reported by 16 members in 2015. Ten members achieved Platinum Award levels for 501 plus miles. The top five walkers each totaled more than 1000 miles. Leslie Geschwandner Tumbleweeds 2,322.8 miles Jeanine Karlstrand Quinsippi 1,807 miles Connie Bealor Unity Nite 1,758 miles Doris Ann Dolan Quinsippi 1,728 miles Alice Rakers Gem 1,053 miles Keep up the impressive work ladies.

2016 Adams Co. HCE Scholarships senior at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio in the fall, majoring in geography. He plans to continue his education to earn a PhD. in vertebrate paleontology and pursue his lifelong interest in dinosaurs. Michael’s parents are Melvin and Susan Sprague. Susan is a member of the Plainville Afternoon unit. Through continued support of the annual basket raffle and our Applebee’s fundraisers, we hope to be able to offer $500 scholarships next year. This year our annual meeting basket raffle netted $653 to be applied towards 2017 scholarships.

We were proud to award $400 scholarships to three deserving students at our April 26 annual meeting. One winner is Abigail Cramsey, daughter of Bill and Debbie Cramsey of Quincy. Debbie is the President of the Quinsippi unit. Abigail will be a senior at SIU-Edwardsville in the fall, majoring in early childhood education. Our second scholarship award goes to Keaton Schuckman of Quincy, a senior at Quincy Notre Dame. Keaton plans to attend the University of Iowa next school year, majoring in engineering. Keaton’s mother is Jill Schuckman and his grandmother Marcia Schutte is a member of the Paloma unit. Michael Sprague of Plainville is our third award winner. Michael will be a

2015 HCE Volunteer 500 Plus Club

Twenty four Adams County HCE members received either certificates or seals for 500 or more cumulative volunteer hours at the annual meeting. Adams Co. won awards at the state conference for top volunteer efforts in District 4 in three categories. Our county hours totaled 19,226 hours for 2015. Mary Eustace returned to Pike Co. with the chicken! The top eleven volunteers were recognized at the annual meeting. The total hours for these eleven are 5,294 hours. Adams County thanks you for all the volunteer assistance given to our local groups and organizations. Many organizations could not survive without volunteers. As a reminder, HCE volunteer hours must be separated from community hours this year. Leslie Geschwandner will be taking over in June as Adams Co. Volunteer Coordinator as Heather Ator moves into the role of Co-President with Judy Milfs. Please support Leslie by keeping your volunteer records up to date monthly. Leslie will also be compiling the 2016 Walk Around Adams Co. hours at years end.

Patriotism As part of the patriotism and flag etiquette theme, Adams County HCE will be sponsoring the pre-flight breakfast for the September 22 Great River Honor Flight. The breakfast will be served at JWCC with the food provided by HyVee Catering. The average cost of a breakfast sponsorship is $550. Fund raising began April 26 at our annual banquet. $115 was raised at the banquet. Several units indicated that they plan to collect free will donations at upcoming meetings. Fund raising will continue until September 1. Donations can be sent to Treasurer Melba Funk. Checks should be made to Adams County HCE with Honor Flight Breakfast on the memo line. The Adams County HCE Quilt Group displayed the patriotic sampler quilt completed for the

Quilts of Valor program at the annual meeting. A second quilt is in the works. Thank you to Joyce Hoskins, President and the creative members of the quilt group for embracing the patriotic theme. And thank you to Marcia Schutte for connecting the group with the Missouri Quilts of Valor quilters. The quilt will be sent to Jan Copeland to present to a disabled veteran.

Quilt Club New members are always welcome. The Quilt Club meets on the second Wednesday of the month. In May, the Quilt Club will be distributing clothing protectors to the Veterans Home.

Patriotic and Fun Days of May May 1 is Law Day. In 2016 our nation marks the 50th anniversary of the well-known US Supreme Court case Miranda vs Arizona. In many communities high school or middle school government classes are invited into a courtroom to improve their understanding of the judicial system. Cinco de Mayo is May 5th, a day to celebrate the culture, achievements and experiences of people with a Mexican background, who live in the US. Why not treat your family to tacos and guacamole and chips or yourself to margaritas. The first Thursday in May, May5th this year, is the National Day of Prayer. This day was established by Congress and signed by President Truman in1952. It was then amended to designate the date by President Reagan in 1988. “On this date we are encouraged and extorted to pray for all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” May 8th (the second Sunday) is Mother’s Day. The first Mother’s Day is believed to have been celebrated May 10, 1908 in Philadelphia. Others claim it actually started in1907 in West Virginia by Ann Jarvis in honor of her mother who had worked to improve the health and cleanliness of the WV area where she lived. Then one year later it was financially supported by a Philadelphia clothing merchant. The commercial aspects of Mother’s Day did not begin with the greeting card manufacturers as often rumored. May 15th is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Many people in the US will pay tribute to officers who lost their lives or were injured in their jobs. Some police departments hold an annual law enforcement memorial ceremony on this date. President John F. Kennedy signed the bill establishing this date in Oct. 1962. The US flag should be displayed at half-staff on all government buildings on May 15th. Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of May, (May 21 this year). Armed Forces Day was first suggested by then Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson in 1949. All branches of the military were asked to celebrate together on this date as a sign of solidarity following the World Wars, rather than on their own days. President Harry Truman followed in Feb. 1950 by signing the day into law, as a day to expand public understanding of the type of job performed and the role of the military. Taps are usually played at celebrations of this day. On Memorial Day, a national holiday occurring on the last Monday of May, the American flag should be flown at half-staff from dawn to noon. Volunteers often place American flags on the graves of deceased veterans. Many local memorial activities occur to honor those who have died in military service. Most families also honor departed family members with visits to cemeteries on this long weekend. A drive past the Illinois Veteran’s Home cemetery when all the flags are flying is emotional experience.

Dates to Remember May 10 ACHCE Board of Directors Mtg. 9:30 AM Farm Bureau Basement 11 Quilt Club 9:00 AM Farm Bureau Basement 18 HCE Book Club 11:00 AM Daylight Donuts 48th & Broadway 19 Annual Salad Luncheon & Craft Project 11:30 AM Farm Bureau Basement Deadline for Newsletter Articles is May 15—To Linda Chezem, lsc5776@gmail.com, or left at the Extension Office.

HCE Book Club The last HCE Book Club discussion for this year will be “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls on May 18 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Daylight Donuts, 48th & Broadway. Rhonda Fugate is the discussion leader.

Description: Jeannette Walls, an MSNBC columnist, hid her roots. In The Glass Castle she tells the astonishing story of her peculiar but loyal family.

Thanks to our friends in Pike County HCE, we will feature a short biography of the wife of an American President in each issue of the Acorn newsletter this year. We appreciate District Director Mary Eustace and the authors of these articles for sharing their work.

Lou Henry Hoover First Lady 1929-1933

Lou Henry Hoover (March 20, 1874-Jan. 7, 1944) was the wife of President Herbert Hoover. She was born in Waterloo, Iowa, to banker Charles Delano Henry and Florence Weed. Lou grew up something of a tomboy in waterloo, as well as Whittler and Monterey, CA. Charles Henry took his daughter on camping trips in the hills—her greatest pleasurers in her early teens. Lou became a fine horsewoman; she hunted and preserved specimens with the skill of a taxidermist; she developed an enthusiasm for rocks, minerals and mining.

She attended San Jose Normal School, now San Jose State University. In 1894, she enrolled as the school’s only geology major at Stanford University, where she met Herbert Hoover, who was then a senior. When Herbert Hoover graduated from Stanford in June 1895, they decided to delay wedding plans while she continued her education and he pursued his engineering career in Australia. In 1989, the year she graduated, Hoover cabled a marriage proposal, which she promptly accepted by return wire.

Both Herbert and Lou were 24 years old when they married on Feb. 10, 1899, at the home of the bride’s parents in Monterey, CA. Although raised an Episcopalian, Miss Henry decided to become a Quaker and, because there was no Quaker Meeting in Monterey, they married in a civil ceremony performed by a roman Catholic

priest of the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo. The day after their marriage, the Hoovers

sailed from San

Francisco for Shanghai, China, where they spent four days in the Astor House Hotel. The newlyweds soon settled into their first home, a large house in Tianjin. Hoover’s job required extensive travel throughout remote and dangerous areas, which they did together. Mrs. Hoover was present with her husband during the Boxer Rebellion.

Possessed of a natural ear for languages, she became proficient in Chinese. In the White House, at times, the Hoovers would converse in Chinse to foil eavesdroppers. To date, she is the only First Lady to speak an Asian language. Mrs. Hoover was also well versed in Latin; she collaborated with her husband in translating a 16th century encyclopedia of mining and metallurgy. The Hoover translation was published in 1912 and remains in print today as the standard English translation. During World War I, she assisted her husband in providing

relief for Belgian refugees. For her work, she was decorated in 1919 by King Albert I of Belgium.

Mrs. Hoover distinguished herself by becoming the First Lady to broadcast on a regular basis. Although she did not have her own radio program, she participated as a guest speaker on a number of occasions between 1929 and 1933.

The Hoovers had two sons: Herbert Clark Hoover Jr. (1903-1969) and Allan Henry Hoover (1907-1993).

Lou died of a heart attack in New York City on Jan. 7, 1944. She preceded her husband by 20 years and was originally buried in Palo Alto, CA. Following her husband’s death in 1964, she was reinterred next to the president at West Branch, IA.

The President and First Lady Hoover, believing that good things come in big packages, set the record for expansive and expensive entertaining in Washington. Energetic and ever hospitable, First Lady Lou would often conduct two teas during the same afternoon, one after another, or even at the same time in different rooms, moving from one tea to the other to greet her guests. Three secretaries arranged the guest lists for First Lady Lou, often sending out three or four thousand handwritten invitations for a single reception. And, the Hoover’s penchant for culinary extravagance didn’t end at teas. Even when dining alone, President and First Lady ate seven-course meals. At her 4:00 teas, First Lady Lou served Lace Wafers, whether company came or not. These are simple cone-shaped cookies, perfect for an afternoon tea.

Lace Wafers ½ cup sifted flour 3 TBS sugar ½ tsp. baking powder 3 TBS light molasses Dash of salt 3 TBS butter ½ tsp. cinnamon 4 tsp water ½ cup finely-chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan, combine sugar, molasses, butter and water. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat and stir until butter is melted. Add dry ingredients to molasses mixture. Stir until well blended. Stir in pecans. Bake only 2-3 cookies at a time. Put 1 TBS of the batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread as thin as possible. Bake 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 30 seconds. Roll each cookie into a cone. Cool. Makes 1 dozen.

Some Basket Winners

ACHCE ANNUAL DINNER MEETING Tuesday, April 26, 2016

(Left) Betty Golden and (right) Jeanette Futhey– Chatton Unit. Jeanette is a 71-year member.

Doris Newman and Nancy Kleiboeker,Tumbleweeds Unit. Debbie Cramsey, Quinsippi Unit

Entertainment - Elizabeth "Liz" Dietrich. She did sign language to a selection of mostly country music hits.

Some of the Baskets to be raffled at the Annual Meeting to support the Scolarship Fund.

Linda Duncan, Unity Nite won the Patriotic Basket donated by the Quinsippi Unit.

The Award Table -- annual book - 4th Place 2015 County of the Year to Adams County; 3 certificates - Certified Volunteer Award to Adams County for: county with highest # of members

participating in District 4

county with highest percentage (79%) of members participating in District 4

county with highest # of hours (19,226) reported in District 4

Honorable Mention to Adams County for Outstanding Program in the Category of Public Relations for Utilized the Media Throughout the Year and an open page of the Adams County Scrapbook.

Collecting donations for the September Honor Flight breakfast.

2016-2017 Adams County HCE Board Members.

Walk Around Adams County Award winners.

Mary Eustace, the IAHCE District 4 & 5 Director.