Volume 16, Issue 3 July
12, 2010
|
| Tom Mack spoke in May 2010. |
Our member, Don Bright, has made the Toledo Blade. A feature article in the Peach
section, June 1, 2010, interviewed Don. In this article, Don tells us how much he enjoys cooking for large groups. He shares
recipes, portions and other interesting insights. Look up the article on the internet.
Halloween parade judges needed
The Napoleon Lions Club (who helps us with the Dictionary
Project) and the Napoleon Rotary co-sponsor the annual Napoleon Halloween Parade each year. They could use our help!!!
It is always a difficult task to come up with enough judges to evaluate the costumes of the many youngsters and to
pick winners in each age group. Would you be able to assist in this community service opportunity? Gene Grime will
be taking your names and can answer almost any question you have about the fun project.
Richard Eppstein to Speak in September Richard Eppstein, president of the Better
Business Bureau of Northwest Ohio, will be our guest speaker at our September meeting. Dick has
been involved in BBB work for over 38 years. He is well known as a guest of WTOL-TV (Channel 11) each week, and is also a
regular radio personality on several area stations.
.
Tom Mack of United Way Speaks in May
HCRTA
members learned about the Early Childhood Learning Initiative portion of United Way. Mr. Tom Mack explained that 85% of a
toddler's brain develops by age 5 and 90% by third grade. Henry County United Way has provided 43,000 books since the
inception of the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Imagination Library.
High School Basketball Early Days Dick Baldwin has already assembled a history
book about Henry County Basketball. But did you know that Gene Grime is partnering in a similar project on the history of
Archbold basketball? Archbold has just completed their 100th year of the roundball sport and Gene did the research
of the early years (1911-1941), years where yearbooks were seldom printed and the area newspapers had little or no sports
pages. His eyes were still able to peruse the many pages of newspaper on microfilm, research which took him to Fayette, Bryan,
Wauseon and even Bowling Green in quest of information. Gene has discovered that scheduling in the very early days had
a lot to do with transportation. It was no easy task to find one's way from Archbold to various Henry County schools.
th year of the roundball sport and Gene did the research of the early years (1911-1941), years where yearbooks
were seldom printed and the area newspapers had little or no sports pages. His eyes were still able to peruse the many pages
of newspaper on microfilm, research which took him to Fayette, Bryan, Wauseon and even Bowling Green in quest of information.
Gene has discovered that scheduling in the very early days had a lot to do with transportation. It was no easy task to
find one's way from Archbold to various Henry County schools.
A Look Back - Faith Hurst
40 years ago: President
Lorena Drewes gave highlights of the Findlay Leadership Workshop. One of our duties as retired teachers is to sell good will
to the community. 30 years ago: For the July HCRTA
meeting forty members and guests enjoyed a carry-in luncheon at the Home Sav-ings and Loan. President Christine Riswold led
the business meeting, and a collection of $32 was taken for the Little Red School House. After the meeting, mem-bers shared
their hobbies. Also at this time, the village of Malinta was holding its centennial celebration. 20 years ago: Mary Jane Myrice and Jane Alspaugh were two newly retired teachers
introduced at the HCRTA meeting at Sauder‘s Café. Speakers were Genevieve Eicher and her daughter Lee Kruse.
Dressed in Indian clothes, they talked mainly about the Shawnee Indians. 10 years ago: The HCRTA met at the Napoleon American Legion. The Margaret Sherman
Book Grant winner, Melanie Wilson, was present, but Jeanine Arnold, the Griffith Book Grant winner, was unable to attend.
Allen Sundermeier, Henry County Extension Agent, was the speaker. 5 years ago:
Thirty-six HCRTA members and guests enjoyed a pot-luck picnic at Oberhaus Park. Book grant recipients,
Sara Stobbe and Eric Roth, joined us and extended their appreciation. 1
year ago: Approximately 60 members and guests met at the Henry County Hospital. Wellness
coordinator Gina Hill led exercises and taught about the Wellness Wheel. Lindsey Rohrs was presented the Sherman Book Grant
and Shannon Meyer received the Lois Griffith Book Grant. New members Konnie Meyer and Janice Schlade were introduced.
CENTER FOR LIFELONG LEARNING SEMINARS - From Louisa Strock
Lifelong Learning knows
no season, unlike the mandated schedule of acquiring and sharing new and used wisdom that Retired Teachers followed unquestioningly
from the September day we first entered the big building called School. Now we know that Learning happens anytime, anywhere,
through channels once undreamed of. That‘s why on this early July day, your Center for
Lifelong Learning at Northwest State Community College wants to publicize two great opportunities coming up in September and
October: The Magic of Mackinac and Back Behind Bars, Seminar Forty-Four.. To be floating on the
Magic Carpet which will transport Lifelong Learners across centuries to historic Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, September
20 and 21, travelers will need to register before August 1. For learning more about the Magic blending of living history with
new pages in a journal of happy memories, call Louisa at 533-2361, or Cecily at 267-5502, or Email louisastrock@embarqmail.com
. Like all NSCC non-profit travel-study experiences, The Magic of Mackinac is custom designed
for the group, never a commercial pre-package. The $275 per person fee is all-inclusive. Back
Behind Bars, in mid-October, follows up the popular CSI: Right Here offered last spring, and will again invite the insight
of experts from Northwest Ohio who deal daily with the consequences of the high rate of repeat offenders. Name Change Practice Turns Useless Just when Lifelong
Learners were getting the hang of saying ExPLORitas instead of Elderhostel, the word has come that copyright laws are forcing
yet another change! Again, there‘s no change indicated for the Elder-hostel Institute Network,
the international group which includes your CLL. But the rest of the worldwide program will henceforth be called Road Scholar.
Stay alert to be current!
Area Music and Drama Events,
Summer 2010
Tom Jenny
Wednesday July 7,14,21,28 Bryan City Band Concert on the square in Bryan 8:00 pm Sunday,
July 25 Sweetstreet Jazz Band, Napoleon Bloomfield House ice cream social and car show, 11-2:00 Wednesday
August 4 Defiance Rube Band at Concert on the square in Bryan 8:00 Thursday August 5 Defiance
Rube Band at Senior Center UAW Park Defiance 6:00 Sunday, August 15 Napoleon Community Band Gazebo
at the Henry County Fair, 5:00 Monday, August 16 Napoleon Community Band South tent at the Henry County
Fair, Veterans Bean Dinner, 5:00
Hello From a Hostaholic!
Bonnie Eddy
Yes, you read correctly. I admit to being addicted to loving and
growing hostas. It all started when we moved to Napoleon and Fred Arps gave me several. I still have them in our gardens.
At the time, I only had Hosta
plantaginea‘ from my mother who called it the August lily (guess when it blooms). H. ‘plantaginea‘
has a very fragrant bloom and was the first hosta brought into our country in 1790. All hostas with fragrant blooms are connected
to H. plantaginea.‘
It also is the only hosta to bloom at night with flowers that are an enormous 6+ inches long and pure white. Yes,
you read correctly. I admit to being addicted to loving and growing hostas. It all started when we moved to Napoleon and Fred
Arps gave me several. I still have them in our gardens. At the time, I only had Hosta plantaginea‘ from my mother
who called it the August lily (guess when it blooms). H. ‘plantaginea‘ has a very fragrant bloom and was the first
hosta brought into our country in 1790. All hostas with fragrant blooms are connected to H. plantaginea.‘ It also is the only
hosta to bloom at night with flowers that are an enormous 6+ inches long and pure white. Some bits of hosta history: 1812
– generic name hosta
chosen 1862 – first major shipment of hostas to America from Japan 1965 –
H. Royal Standard‘ introduced and is first patented hosta 1968 – American Hosta Society (AHS) formed
with Alex Summers as first president late 1970‘s – Mark Zillis and Walters Gardens develop first hosta tissue
culture lab. 1982 – first catalogue mailed by Shady Oaks Hostas are the #1 perennial in the U.S. Some
are more sun tolerant than others. Most blues require more shade than others. Many changes have taken place, including hybridizers
introducing hostas with red stems. Other changes include leaf colors, texture, and size. There are five size classifications
of hostas; giant,
large, medium, small, and miniature. Size is determined by the mature leaf‘s
square inches. There are eight color classes: green, blue, yellow, white margined (with yellow, white or chartreuse
center and green to blue center), yellow margined (with yellow, white or chartreuse center and green to blue center), green or blue margined (with
yellow, white or chartreuse center and green to blue center), streaked or mot-tled, and others. One of the biggest changes is the advent of tissue culturing. Before that, hostas became
available by way of dividing large clumps, hybridizing, and sports that grew on an established hosta. With tissue culturing,
hundreds of new plants can be cultured from one leaf/stem. I recently learned that there are now over 7,000 registered hostas.
This means there are hundreds more hostas that are unregistered. The American Hosta Growers Association‘s
members specialize in the growing and sale of hostas. In 1996, it began selecting hostas of the year. If you want to purchase
good hostas, this is the place to start. Their website is www.hostagrowers.org. Each year is listed below. John and I have belonged to the AHS and Black Swamp Hosta and Daylily Society for several years now. We recently
returned from the 2010 AHS convention held in Bloomington, Minn. Being a certified judge, I get to help with the hosta shows.
One of the highlights of the convention is visiting private gardens. Another special feature is the auction of hostas that
are donated by members. These auction hostas have brought as much as $1,000, which proves that I‘m not the only Hostaholic.
To view pictures of thousands of hostas, go to www.hostalibrary.org. I can‘t answer your
question as to how many hostas we have because I‘ve lost track. I keep saying I‘m not going to get any more, but
they hide in my car. What can I do? Plant them of course. I can‘t answer your question as to a favorite because I love
them all. You are welcome to visit our gardens anytime. One of the biggest changes
is the advent of tissue culturing. Before that, hostas became available by way of dividing large clumps, hybridizing, and
sports that grew on an established hosta. With tissue culturing, hundreds of new plants can be cultured from one leaf/stem.
I recently learned that there are now over 7,000 registered hostas. This means there are hundreds more hostas that are unregistered.
The American Hosta Growers Association‘s members specialize in the growing and sale of
hostas. In 1996, it began selecting hostas of the year. If you want to purchase good hostas, this is the place to start. Their
website is www.hostagrowers.org. Each year is listed below. John and I have belonged to the AHS
and Black Swamp Hosta and Daylily Society for several years now. We recently returned from the 2010 AHS convention held in
Bloomington, Minn. Being a certified judge, I get to help with the hosta shows. One of the highlights of the convention is
visiting private gardens. Another special feature is the auction of hostas that are donated by members. These auction hostas
have brought as much as $1,000, which proves that I‘m not the only Hostaholic. To view
pictures of thousands of hostas, go to www.hostalibrary.org. I can‘t answer your question as to how many hostas we have
because I‘ve lost track. I keep saying I‘m not going to get any more, but they hide in my car. What can I do?
Plant them of course. I can‘t answer your question as to a favorite because I love them all. You are welcome to visit
our gardens anytime. One of the biggest changes is the advent of tissue culturing. Before that,
hostas became available by way of dividing large clumps, hybridizing, and sports that grew on an established hosta. With tissue
culturing, hundreds of new plants can be cultured from one leaf/stem. I recently learned that there are now over 7,000 registered
hostas. This means there are hundreds more hostas that are unregistered. The American Hosta Growers
Association‘s members specialize in the growing and sale of hostas. In 1996, it began selecting hostas of the year.
If you want to purchase good hostas, this is the place to start. Their website is www.hostagrowers.org. Each year is listed
below. John and I have belonged to the AHS and Black Swamp Hosta and Daylily Society for several
years now. We recently returned from the 2010 AHS convention held in Bloomington, Minn. Being a certified judge, I get to
help with the hosta shows. One of the highlights of the convention is visiting private gardens. Another special feature is
the auction of hostas that are donated by members. These auction hostas have brought as much as $1,000, which proves that
I‘m not the only Hostaholic. To view pictures of thousands of hostas, go to www.hostalibrary.org.
I can‘t answer your question as to how many hostas we have because I‘ve lost track. I keep saying I‘m not
going to get any more, but they hide in my car. What can I do? Plant them of course. I can‘t answer your question as
to a favorite because I love them all. You are welcome to visit our gardens anytime.
BP Dollars
EclarL@strsoh.org
To: mollyjanczyk@hotmail.com Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 10:06:25 -0400 Subject: Information Regarding BP Holdings
I am responding to your recent e-mail about the decline in the value
of STRS Ohio‘s holdings in BP stock. In your e-mail you referred to a chart that appeared in the Dayton Daily News.
Unfortunately, due to an error in the chart, it is difficult to interpret. As
you look at the two columns labeled BP shares April 19 and BP shares June 28, you will see the number of shares each system
held at each of these points in time. However, when constructing the chart, the Dayton Daily News mistakenly
inserted dollar signs on these columns. So, for example, on April 19, STRS Ohio held 14.6 million shares, not 14.6 million
dollars in stock, while OPERS held 7.4 million shares and not 7.4 million dollars of stock. Then, on June 28, STRS Ohio held
10.1 million shares versus 9.39 million shares held by OPERS. In short, OPERS bought shares during this period; STRS Ohio
has been a net seller. On the chart, it is also difficult to see the footnote, which explains
that the loss in value shown in the third column re-flects both fewer shares and the drop in the share price for OP&F
and STRS Ohio, who were both net sellers during this period. So, even if the price of the shares had not changed, STRS Ohio
would show a decline in value because we have 4.5 million less shares on June 28 than we held on April 19. Conversely, the
loss in value shown for three other entities listed on the chart (OPERS, SERS and Highway Patrol Retirement System) is tempered
by the fact that they have increased their holdings since the oil spill. We appreciate that the chart was confusing; I hope
this information provides some clarification. You also asked what percentage of the entire portfolio
did the BP investment represent. The market value of STRS Ohio‘s BP stock holdings on June 28 represents approximately
0.08% of the market value of the total investment fund. If I may, I‘d like to note one
additional item. You will undoubtedly read different numbers regarding the Ohio pension systems‘ holdings and market
values in various news outlets and other reports. This is because they often ask for different time periods. For example,
a report being submitted to the ORSC by the five systems will cover the period from March 31, 2010, through June 30, 2010.
During that period, the decline in market value for STRS Ohio BP stock holdings is approximately $64.3 million —again
reflecting both less shares and the decline in share price. I hope this information is useful
to you. Thank you. Laura Ecklar, Director, Communication Services, STRS
|
