G.R.A.A.
Goddard
Retirees and Alumni Association
P.O. Box 163, Seabrook, MD 20703-0163
FEBRUARY 2006 http://graa.gsfc.nasa.gov 22nd Year of Publication
IMPORTANT DATES:
|
February
14 |
Mark
your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Dr.
Nicholas White, Goddard’s Director of the Exploration of the Universe
Division (Code 660), will speak on the topic: “Beyond Einstein, From
Big Bang to Black Holes.” Since it’s
Valentine’s Day, you may want to consider inviting your spouse or
significant other to accompany you to the luncheon.
Reservations are required, so please call Alberta Moran at
301-937-7762 no later than noon on February 10th. |
|
February
18 |
Alberta Moran has a few tickets available for
the MAD production of “Play On!” on February 18th at the
Barney and Bea Recreation Center. The play
is a farcical comedy that takes you behind the scenes of a community
theater’s efforts to put on “Murder Most Foul,” the
play-within-the-play. The tickets are
$16.50 each and include light hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks, wine and
beer, as well as the MAD Cabaret for your listening pleasure preceding
the play. Call Alberta to reserve a seat
or two. Tickets for other nights (February
17th - 19th and 24th - 26th,
and March 3rd and 4th) are also available at the
GEWA Exchange Store. |
|
March
14 |
Mark
your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. |
|
April
11 |
Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at
11:30 a.m. |
|
September
2 |
The
Alaskan Cruise/Land Tour is a go on Holland America’s SS Zuiderdam. There are four categories of staterooms
available, ranging from $2,986 to $3,446 per person.
This is an 11-day adventure of the Klondike Explorer and
Sawyer Glaciers, and participants will enjoy six days exploring the
Yukon Territory. Call Alberta Moran for
additional information or to reserve your stateroom. |
COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING,
GRAA PRESIDENT: Our January luncheon speakers
were attorneys representing Americans for Legal Reform, a national
consumer
advocacy organization also known as HALT.
Suzanne Blonder and Mary Thuell discussed living wills,
alternatives to
hiring a lawyer, avoiding probate, shopping for a lawyer, and the
group’s last
reform victories (including raising the monetary ceilings for small
claims
court suits and improving attorney discipline systems throughout the
country). “Today there is no excuse for
not knowing how to deal with the legal system,” explained HALT’s
Associate
Counsel Blonder, “but it’s up to you to become an informed consumer. We can provide a wealth of information to
help you take control of your own affairs.”
HALT is the oldest and largest public-interest group dedicated
to
expanding affordable consumer access to the legal system and to
increasing the
accountability of courts and attorneys in the civil justice system. For more information about HALT, including
self-help guidance, check out the web site at http://www.halt.org.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Bob Wigand
reports that donations were received from the
following members: Dorothy (Mrs. Leo)
Davis, George Hogan, Bill McGunigal, Ralph Mollerick, and Bob Ziemer. GRAA’s account balances as of January 1st
totaled $15,647.39.
FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES -
IT HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY:
-
Feb 3, 1965: Delta
launched the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) B-2 to study ultraviolet
rays,
X-rays, and gamma rays.
- Feb
3, 1966: Delta launched the Environmental Science Services
Administration (ESSA) I, a sun synchronous weather satellite, which was
the
first of the Television Infrared Observation Satellite System (TIROS)
operational satellites. ESSA was the
forerunner of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
-
Feb 28, 1966: Delta
launched ESSA II, which was then paired with ESSA I to form the initial
global
weather satellite system.
ENVELOPE STUFFERS FOR
NOVEMBER:
Marj Gallagher, Marge Gustafson, Barbara
Hamilton, Elaine Montgomery, Rose McChesney, Eloise Tarter, Ewald
Schmidt, and
Bob Wigand.
AUSTRIAN MUSEUM SEARCHING FOR
SATELLITE MODELS: Do you have a model of either
the TIROS or Nimbus satellite that you might consider donating to a
museum in
Austria? Based on a telephone call Dr.
William (Bill) Nordberg’s wife received from a museum in Fehring,
Austria
(Bill’s birthplace), it seems the museum is being expanded and its
curators are
seeking items for a wing that will honor Dr. Nordberg’s achievements in
earth
science. Donation of a model, or other
TIROS and/or Nimbus mementoes, would be most appreciated.
If you have items to offer, contact Alberta
Moran at 301-937-7762.
E-MAIL ADDRESS UPDATES: Richard and
Elizabeth Austin (raustin345@aol.com); James
Barrowman (jbarrowman@comcast.net); Herb and Lois Chapman
(lchapman@dmv.com);
John Firman (jackfirmin@aol.com); Anthony Flanick
(jnflanick@peoplepc.com); Joseph
Gillin (joegillin@verizon.net); Donald Grant (dongrant2@comcast.net);
Eddie
Jones (eamjones@worldnet.att.net); Maureen Locke
(mkclocke@verizon.net); Walter
Maksimovich (walter@maksimovich.com); Henry Miller
(hmiller10@verison.net);
Terrance O’Neill (tpzero@verizon.net); John Pandelides
(jpandelides@hotmail.com); John Purcell (Jpurcell920@aol.com); Ralph
Ryder
(rlrivers@aol.com); Joseph Sperty (jsperty@bellsouth.net); and Eloise
Tarter
(etarter@peoplepc.com).
THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT: What is the
biggest advantage of going back to school as a
retiree?
Answer: If you
cut classes, no one calls your
parents!
REMEMBERING OUR FORMER
COLLEAGUES:
- William
A. Leavy, of Burgess, VA, passed away on
December 26, 2005. After his government
service, he continued to work on many space-related projects at Swales
Engineering in Beltsville, MD.
- Abraham
Leventhal, of Pompano Beach, FL, passed away
from congestive heart failure on December 31, 2005.
He was assistant project manager for the Orbiting Geophysical
Observatory, a series of six orbiting scientific observatories launched
between
1964 and 1969.
-
Minda White, of Bowie, MD, passed away on November 13,
2005.
RECENT RETIREES: Michael D.
Allison, Thomas W. Brakke, Wilbur S. Brandenburg, H.
Wayne Brittingham, Sandra A. Buffalano, James R. Byrd, David C.
Cissell, David
C. Clark, E. Kent Cockerham, Gary W. Cooper, Wanda G. David, David L.
Davis, Michael
D. Desch, James L. Duda, Charles M. Duignan, Alphonso M. Eaton, Willie
N.
Fuller, Gloria J. Goodman, Charles A. Greene III, Henry Hartley, Donald
E.
Jamison, Cheryl A. Jones, Owen C. Kardatzke, Han-Shou Liu, Paul J.
McCeney,
Richard A. McClanahan, James J.
McGuigan, Joseph R. Merryman, Nathan J. Miller, Fred W. Moore, Robert
W.
Nelsen, Hasso B. Niemann, Joseph Novello, Vinodbhai B. Patel, Water A.
Payne,
Jr., Vicki C. Pendergrass, Cynthia A. Peslen, Edward L. Petitt, Carl A.
Reber, Ralph D. Ryder, John L.
Scheifele, Diane
B. Scherer, George C. Schoppet, Dale F. Schulz, Geary K. Schwemmer,
Linda D.
Soresi, Walter Squillari, Marvin
Swartz, Linda A. Tall, C. Michael Tasevoli, Ralph L. Tompkins, John M.
Vranish,
Thomas M. White, and Marietta J. Young.
GRAA NEWSLETTER MAILINGS: If you no
longer wish to receive GRAA mailings, please forward a
note to our Seabrook address or an e-mail to Dave Moulton at
davidlmoulton@comcast.net. If you have
moved or want to correct the
mailing address we have for you, please write to our Seabrook address
or send
an e-mail to Strat Laios at stratlaios@comcast.net.
***The GRAA Membership
Directory is just about ready to go to press and February 15th
has
been established as the cut-off date for any changes to be submitted. If your telephone number and/or e-mail
address is incorrect or not listed in the current directory and you
want either
or both items included in it, please send the information via e-mail to
Strat
Laios at stratlaios@comcast.net or drop him a note at our Seabrook
address so
as to arrive by the February 15th cut-off date.
LETTERS,
WE GET LETTERS:
- Dorothy
(Mrs. Leo) Davis wrote, “Thanks for all you do
to maintain the association and for getting the newsletter to us these
many
years.”
- George
Hogan wrote, “Keep those newsletters coming. I
look forward to each month’s mailing and
always look to see whom the mail stuffers were. I’ve
been fully retired for more than a year and am just getting
used to it. There are plenty of things
to do in the Heritage Village retirement community [Southbury, CT], so
I can’t
complain about getting bored. Maybe
I’ll coordinate a trip [to visit my son] with one of your meetings.”
LIFE CHANGES AFTER RETIREMENT: Joseph W.
(Bill) Pohl, who retired in 1980 from Procurement,
moved to the warm climes of Florida and started publishing books that
all
retirees should consider reading. The
books deal with protecting your assets and provide easy to understand
guidance
on how to leave those assets to your loved ones without a lot of
expense or
hassle, but with the objective of avoiding probate.
Two titles are “A Will Is Not Enough” and “Guiding Those Left
Behind,” both of which are state-specific (with most states available)
and are
co-authored by Bill’s attorney wife, Amelia E. Pohl, Esq., and a noted
attorney
from each featured state. Another
informative title is “How To Defend Yourself Against Your Lawyer,”
which Amelia
wrote on her own and explains what you need to know before hiring a
lawyer for
just about any reason, to include settling an estate, preparing a will
or
trust, and filing a lawsuit. More
information about these books can be found at
http://www.eaglepublishing.com,
where you can just click on your state to see what titles are available. GRAA members may purchase the books at a 30%
discount and no shipping charge.
Instead of ordering from the web site, call Bill at 800-824-0823
to
order or send a request and check to him at Eagle Publishing at the
address on
the web site.
ROAD CLEANUP: On December 30,
2005, a team comprised of Elaine Bobbitt, Toni
Durantine, Kathy Jarva, Ewald Schmidt and
Bob Wigand gave the portion of Good Luck Road along Goddard’s
eastern
boundary a holiday sprucing.
GEWA EXCHANGE STORE: GEWA is sponsoring several trips throughout the year that you may want to consider joining. There is a trip to New York City from March 31st through April 2nd, a second trip to New York City for the Broadway show “The Color Purple” on August 12th, and a trip billed as “Holiday Elegance at the Greenbrier” to the fabulous Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia from December 6th through 8th. Stop by the exchange store and see Doris Watkins or call her at 301-286-8498 to make reservations for any of these exciting adventures.
Are you looking for a sweatshirt with the “wave” under the word NASA? Look no more because GEWA now has so many in stock you’ll think you’re at the beach. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. If you prefer the official NASA logo instead, GEWA has plenty of T-shirts, golf shirts (for men and women) sweatshirts, and yes, even sweatpants with the “Meatball” logo embroidered on them. If you want to show your muscles while you’re working out at the gym or at home, the exchange store even has tank tops with the embroidered NASA logo. Get in the spirit of exercising (and perhaps fulfilling your New Year’s resolution) by picking up some new duds.
If you’re looking for snacks, the exchange store is the place to go. You will find Plocky’s chips (3 Grain, Black Bean and Rice, Red Bean and Rice, or the Sun-dried Tomato and Basil). If you prefer potato chips instead of corn chips, you will find a wide selection of the Route 11 brand (Salt and Vinegar, Lightly Salted, Bar-B-Q, and Herb & Garlic, to name just a few). They all taste great because they have that crisp kettle-cooked crunch. If you get thirsty while snacking, you can quench that thirst with Sprecher’s soda (Cream Soda, Root Beer, Orange Dream, Ginger Ale and Ravin’ Red, which is a cranberry and cherry combination). Once you’ve tried Sprecher’s you’ll want more, because they’re sweetened with honey and vanilla and have a unique taste all their own.