The
Journal
WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RETIREES’ ASSOCIATION
Affiliated with the National Retired Teachers’ Association (NRTA)–AARP’s Educator Community
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2014 • VOLUME 68, ISSUE NO. 1
Page 2
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA At Work For You
A message from the president
Accentuate The Positive
by Edie Moersch, president
A warm welcome to the active and
school retirees who have joined our
organization this past year and to
all our members. Our convention
in Vancouver was outstanding and
a big thank you to the Convention Committee and Southwest
Washington Unit and other units helping to make it successful.
My term as president-elect was the shortest in WSSRA history.
I was voted president-elect in the delegate assembly on Tuesday
morning and installed as president that evening. I thought it
would be interesting to include my president’s address for our
Journal readers ...
My theme is to “ACCENTUATE the POSITIVE.” First of all,
to Accentuate the Positive, I would like to thank all of you for
your support and the volunteer work you do for the Washington
State School Retirees’ Association.
Thank you Unit 27 for the song and decorations under the
leadership of Karen Chapman and Marianne Candiglos. Thank
you to Ed Gonion and Bob Slingland who encouraged me to
run for president-elect.
A big thank you to the WSSRA Board who invited me to attend
the board meetings and to become informed. Thank you, Ed
and the staff at Lacey for your ongoing knowledge and support.
I am indebted to Past President Richard Anderson for working
to fill the state committees, which was a giant time consumer.
A big huge thank you, Richard.
Thank you, Nick Shultz, for paving the way during your
presidency, “Building On a Solid Foundation,” and to the past
presidents of WSSRA.
I don’t want to forget to thank my husband, Ed, who is willing
to share my time with you and for his support. He is a big
encourager and has a spousal membership. Don’t forget that
we can increase our membership by having spouses join.
Accentuating the Positive: We have a retirees’ organization
which excels. Last March, my husband and I attended the
NRTA (National Retired Teacher’s Association) Regional
Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. While listening to leaders
from other states share at the meetings, by comparison, our
organization is very well managed. With 18,420 members, we
are one of the larger groups. We can be proud of our active,
forward-looking organization.
Even though WSSRA has 18,420 members, there are many
more to reach for membership! Our state has approximately,
119,500 active teachers and school employees, and 49,000 other
school retirees who have not yet joined WSSRA. This group
needs to know that WSSRA is working for both the joiners
and non-joiners alike, by representing them in Olympia. We
have their backs covered! They need to come along side and
support our efforts. Our legislative team has put in countless
hours lobbying to gain and protect our pensions and benefits
for all school employees and retirees.
President, continued on page 14
WSSRA Executive Board
Officers
* President Edie Moersch • 360-893-2506 • 15205 136th Ave E, Puyallup
WA 98374 • [email protected]
* President-Elect Bill Bergsma • 425-802-2965 • 29212 SE Issaquah-Fall
City Road, Fall City, WA 98024 • [email protected]
Immediate Past President Nick Schultz • 509-966-9341 • 4711 W Lincoln
Ave, Yakima WA 98908 • [email protected]
Secretary Eileen Wascisin • 360-733-4067 • 3815 Gala Loop, Bellingham
WA 98226 • [email protected]
Treasurer Jim Hall • 425-822-3227 • PO Box 2295, Kirkland WA 98083 •
[email protected]
District Representatives
* NW 1 Marianne Harvey • 425-348-4993 • 4926 Dover St, Everett WA
98203 • [email protected]
NW 2 Patricia Cygan • 425-486-3352 • 4126 212 St SE, Bothell WA
98021 • [email protected]
* SW 3 Curt Horne • 360-417-1117 • PO Box 2967, Port Angeles WA
98362 • [email protected]
SW 4 Joyce Gillie • 360-352-1355 • 2430 65th Ct SW, Olympia WA
98512
* E 5 Kathy Schultz • 509-966-9341 • 4711 W Lincoln Ave, Yakima WA
98908 • [email protected]
E 6 Nancy Valeson • 509-782-1563 • 5600 East Cashmere Rd, Cashmere WA 98815 • [email protected]
E 7 Joan Butler • 509-455-8698 • 241 E 9th Ave. Spokane WA
99202 • [email protected]
E 8 Rick Nebeker • 509-529-5632 • 1609 Greenbrier Dr, Walla Walla
WA 99362 • [email protected]
* WSSRA Executive Committee
• Historian Rita Requa • Parliamentarian Gene Forrester
• Journal Editor Kristin Murphy
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 3
WSSRA At Work For You
A message from the executive director
Pension Security - Help Us Help You
by Ed Gonion, executive director
Summer is here, and we all are enjoying
the good weather and some quality time
with our families and friends. However,
for our unit presidents, state committee
members, executive board members,
office staff and members, this is a busy and valuable time to
prepare for the coming challenges and the upcoming legislative
session:
•
WSSRA members are either meeting or preparing to meet
with legislative candidates for the August 5th primary
election and the November 4th general election;
The
Journal
Washington State School Retirees’ Association
4726 Pacific Avenue SE • Lacey WA 98503
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.wssra.org
WSSRA Office
WSSRA office: Ed Gonion, executive director • 800-544-5219 / 360-413-5496
• 4726 Pacific Avenue SE • Lacey WA 98503 • [email protected]
Address changes: [email protected] Message center: 800-221-1269
Journal Information
Published five times per year by the Washington State School Retirees’ Association, a non-profit since 1947.
The WSSRA Journal Policy Board, WSSRA President and WSSRA Executive
Board assume no responsibility for items appearing over the signature of any source.
While every effort is made to check the accuracy of items accepted, articles cannot be
reviewed for technical accuracy.
Material appearing in The Journal, in addition to records of action by the
board, councils, committees and units, is presented to promote the general welfare of
WSSRA members and otherwise to fulfill the purposes of this association, as defined
in Article II of the bylaws.
Journal articles to: Kristin Murphy, editor
• 360-701-5044 • [email protected]
•
Members are educating candidates about our retirement
security concerns, especially since the State is facing at
least a two-billion dollar deficit to deal with during the
2015 legislative session.
I receive weekly reports from the National Association of State
Retirement Administrators that details actions throughout the
nation regarding state pensions, including legislation, litigation,
studies, reports, and conflicts.
The future of public pensions in the United States is being
contested now. In the last three (3) years, forty five (45) states
have taken action to change their state retirement plans. Defined
Benefit Plans (Plan 1) have been eliminated for new employees
and replaced by 401(k)s, employee and retiree costs in state
health plans have been raised, and employer (state) payments
into their pension funds have been skipped – which causes
unfunded liabilities in pension funds. Recently, state pension
retirees in Detroit – including retired school personnel, had
their monthly pension checks cut 5% by a bankruptcy court!
If anyone thinks that your pension and/or future pension could
never be cut in Washington - think again! The promise of a
secure pension upon your retirement after a career of dedicated
service is not cast in stone. The security of our pensions
requires your active participation in the political process. Help
us help you. Read the legislative information in this Journal.
Attend candidate forums and ask each candidate where he/
she stands on preserving pensions and health benefits. Read
the article from the Washington State School Retiree Political
Action Committee and send them a contribution if you can.
Every dollar will help them give much needed financial help
to the candidates who value your public service and will fight
to preserve our hard earned pensions and health benefits. Act
today – don’t delay!
Upcoming Journal deadlines
• September 5 for Oct./Nov./Dec. 2014 issue
• December 5 for January/February 2015 issue
• February 5, 2015 for March/April 2015 issue
AARP Washington Office • 1-866-227-7457, 1-888-OUR-AARP • 9750
Third Ave NE, Ste. 450, Seattle WA 98115. John Barnett, state
president; Doug Shadel, Washington state director.
Senior Citizens’ Lobby • 360-754-0207, 1-800-562-6118 during legislative
sessions • 1501 Capitol Way, Olympia WA 98501.
WSSRA Liaison to the Senior Lobby: Gene Forrester
On The Cover
Immediate Past President Nick Schultz,
President Edie Moersch, and former
President Richard Anderson during the 2014
WSSRA Convention & Delegate Assembly.
Page 4
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
Legislative News
Election Season Is In Full Swing
by Peter Diedrick, legislative coordinator
For most school employees and WSSRA members, the summer
months are a time to slow down and enjoy the Northwest’s
beautiful summer weather. However, for those who have chosen
to run for elected office, summer means election season is in full
swing. Important work is currently happening in preparation
for the elections, and ultimately the 2015 Legislative Session.
Local WSSRA units are working to provide retirees with critical
information about their legislative candidates.
•
•
The entire state House of Representatives and half the Senate
will be up for election, 123 seats. Many districts have multiple
candidates running for the same seat. The primary election is
August 5th. The General Election will be held November 4th.
Keep an eye out for your ballot. They will be mailed to you
approximately three weeks before the elections.
If your local WSSRA unit has a legislative candidate forum,
please attend. Low attendance is a sign of weakness. A strong
showing will maximize the influence of the event. Also, please
use the forum as an opportunity to build relationships with
legislators. It is not the proper time to badger candidates with
unexpected questions or make them feel uncomfortable. A bad
experience at a local unit meeting will result in a diminished
ability to lobby during the legislative session.
Your local WSSRA unit can help you! Many local units gather
information about their legislative candidates. Also, many have
legislator candidate forums during the election season. These
forums are especially helpful for many reasons:
•
•
•
Candidates will share their views on retiree specific issues.
They provide a forum to connect with and befriend your
legislators.
They offer an opportunity to influence legislators.
They help legislators to become more familiar with WSSRA
and the concerns of retirees.
Forums assist WSSRA and the WSSR-PAC in identifying
legislators worthy of future support.
Thank you for your work on these issues. Efforts made this
summer and fall will pay important dividends during the
upcoming 2015 Legislative Session.
Thanks for the Opportunity by Nick Schultz, immediate past president
Now that my year as your state
president has ended, I would like to
take this opportunity to thank you
for everything you have done to
make WSSRA the great organization
that it is.
You, through hard work and many hours, have maintained
our membership above 18,000 even though we lose 300 to
500 members each year.
You continue to hold unit meetings with great programs,
super camaraderie and conduct local and state business.
You sent excellent representatives to your coordinating
councils who in turn coordinate state business with the units.
You elected well grounded, well educated, well prepared
representatives to serve on the state Board of Directors. The
board members represented you in a positive way and always
came prepared to discuss any and all WSSRA business.
You selected amazing legislative representatives. They spent
hours lobbying the legislature on your behalf preserving your
benefits and retirement. They represented themselves in a
most professional manner, sharing information and views
concerning WSSRA issues. Job well done!
You put together a new and well organized PAC that has
received more funds than ever in its history. Thanks to you
the PAC is now represented by all eight coordinating councils.
You made my year as state president one of the highlights of
my life and for that, I thank you.
You should be proud of your organization for everything that
has been accomplished. There are still things to be done but
with you as our future leaders, WSSRA will remain a force
to be reckoned with.
Again, I thank you for this great opportunity.
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 5
Legislative News
A Financial Picture of WSSR-PAC
by Gary J. Bloomfield, Ph.D., WSSR-PAC Treasurer
Contributions to your Washington State School Retirees –
Political Action Committee are dollars worth contributing to
support candidates willing to protect the pensions and health
benefits we earned during our working years. Your WSSR-PAC
Board knows that our pensions (as well as Social Security and
Medicare ) are not welfare or “entitlements”. They are benefits
we all earned and paid for over a lifetime of work.
Financial Update:
This year is a very important election and we need to be players
if we want to protect our retirement security. If we do not
help candidates who support us get elected, who will help us
next year in the legislature? The WSSR-PAC and the WSSRA
Legislative Committee work together. The main difference is
the WSSR-PAC endorses candidates when they run for election
while the WSSRA Legislative Committee deals with legislation
and the elected legislators when they are in session. Both groups
work for school retirees but in different ways.
A new website has brought visibility and identity to the PAC:
www.wssr-pac.org. Since the website came on line, a total of
564 searches have taken place from mid-March to June 14.
After each Journal publication there is a dramatic increase in
website visitors, as well as contributions.
Our goal, prior to the primary and general elections is to have
$18,000.00 in the bank. That is about a $1.00 contribution per
WSSRA member. All campaign contributions made to WSSRPAC are reported to the Washington State Public Disclosure
Commission (PDC). Contributions and expenditures can be
viewed by the public on the PDC website, www.pdc.wa.gov.
Contributions--two ways to contribute to WSSR-PAC:
1. Individual contribution payable to WSSR-PAC and mailed
to the PAC at 1928 Circle Loop, Lacey WA 98503. No
contribution is too small or too large. We have individuals
who have contributed once, twice and even every other month
since January 2014. Individual contributions have come in from
WSSRA members in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Virginia,
Idaho and California. Even family members have contributed
to the PAC at the encouragement of grandparents or parents.
Anyone can contribute to WSSR-PAC.
2. Contributions can be made through a low-cost fundraiser
during which cash is collected in exchange for goods, services,
food, beverage or entertainment. WSSR-PAC reports event
information to the PDC. Unlike individual contributions,
names are not reported to the PDC, unless the cash contribution
is $25.00 or more. Expenses for the event can be taken out of
the contributions. A report form is available from the PAC
treasurer or your district representative if necessary and must be
completed and sent in with the contribution in a check payable
to WSSR-PAC.
So, monetarily how are we doing? Will we reach the goal of
$18,000.00 by the August 5th Primary election? Will we reach
our goal before the General election on November 4th? Your
PAC Board of Directors is excited by the response to date.
Receiving personal notes complimenting the work of the PAC
is an extra bonus along with the contribution.
Since January 2014 the PAC has received contributions from
local units, committees and districts consisting of WSSRA
Board of Directors, WSSRA Legislative Committee, Yakima
County School Retirees Board, NW1, E-5/E-6 and SW4.
Collectively twenty-one Low Cost Fundraisers have raised a
total $2,109.00 so far.
Individual contributions to the PAC for the first 5 months of
this year have ranged from $5.00 to $600.00 per individual
contribution. The average contribution and the most frequent
contribution has been $25.00 per contributor. Unit 34 and Unit
28 have had the highest number of individual contributors up
to the convention. While Unit 16 had the highest total amount
with $1,224.00. Effective June 1, 2014 the PAC bank balance
for the first 5 months is $12,611.23 including expenses paid.
The first fifteen days of June, including the contributions from
the state convention in Vancouver, brought in a significant
number of dollars. Those at the convention contributed not only
with their wallets and pocket books but with their hearts as well.
The three day convention brought in $3,145.00. We have only
$2,244.00 to go to reach the goal of $18,000.00 by October 1,
2014. Divide that amount by 30 units and the amount is very
doable if each unit raises $75.00. August 5 is the primary. If
you have not contributed for 2014, now is the time to do so.
The general election coming up in November is too important
not to do anything.
WSSR-PAC
1928 Circle Loop, Lacey, WA 98503
website: www.wssr-pac.org
Page 6
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA Connections
Get Debt Under Control
By Jean C. Setzfand, Vice President of the Financial Security issues team, Education & Outreach, AARP
Whether it’s the mortgage, credit cards, or student loans for
the kids, consumer debt adds up to a big burden on millions
of people. When you carry a lot of debt, it makes saving for
retirement that much harder. Today, more Americans than ever
are carrying debt into their retirement years.
While you can take some comfort in knowing you’re not alone
when it comes to debt, you can also take action to tackle it.
Check out www.aarp.org/readyforretirement for tools and
information on designing a budget, cutting costs, and using
your savings to pay off debt. In the meantime, here are some
ways to get you started.
ADD IT UP
with the nonprofit National Foundation for Credit Counseling
(NFCC), at www.nfcc.org. Through NFCC, you can connect
with a counselor for help with credit card and other debt, as
well as help with budgeting.
If you are struggling with your mortgage, you may be eligible
for special help under the “Making Home Affordable” plan. Visit
www.makinghomeaffordable.gov for information on refinancing
and other types of assistance. The federal Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (www.cfpb.gov) is charged with going after
predatory lending practices. A new rule from the agency allows
you to get your credit score for free if
you’ve experienced a problem, like getting
turned down for a loan, because of it.
The first step is to make a list of what
you owe and how much you’re paying
out each month. Start with a blank
sheet of paper. Look at your statements,
and record your monthly payment and
the interest rate (sometimes called the
finance charge) for each debt.
Your sources of debt could include:
• Mortgage. Your interest rate may
be fixed, or you may have an
adjustable rate mortgage (ARM).
• Car loan. The finance charge is
usually a fixed interest rate.
• Home equity loan or line of credit. Your home equity
loan will have a fixed interest rate, but if you have a line
of credit, it may be adjustable.
• Student loans. If you took a loan out, record your
payments and interest rate. If you co-signed a loan for a
child or grandchild, make sure he or she is keeping up with
payments, so your credit rating isn’t negatively affected.
• Credit cards. Credit card rates can vary tremendously.
They may range from the special zero percent rate you
received when you applied for a new card, to 20 percent
or more.
REDUCE CREDIT CARD DEBT
•
•
•
•
•
•
Here are some ways to go after your credit
card debt:
•
Call your credit card companies
and ask for a lower interest rate. They may
be open to it, especially if it means you’ll
eventually pay your debt off.
•
Pay more than the minimum
required every month. See AARP’s credit
card payoff calculator to see the impact of
paying more than the minimum, at www.
aarp.org/money. Look for the credit card
payoff calculator on the left side of the page.
Avoid late fees and hiked interest rates by always paying
your bill on time.
Consider moving all of your credit card debt to your card
with the lowest interest rate. Note these warnings however:
Credit card companies typically charge for this service.
Make sure you understand the fee.
Ask what rate you will pay on the balances you move onto
the card, and how long the rate will last.
Find out what the rate for new purchases will be.
If you have multiple cards, consider chipping away at the
one with the lowest balance first. The satisfaction of paying
off a card can be a great motivator.
When you cancel a card, do so in writing and keep a record
of the cancellation.
Now that you have a clear sense of what you’re dealing with,
you can take steps to start reducing your debt.
•
GET THE RIGHT KIND OF HELP
PREVENT MORE DEBT FROM PILING ON
If you feel like you’re in over your head, help is available, but
beware of scams. Thousands of scam artists make their living
on debt reduction fraud, so be careful. A safe place to start is
You can prevent your debt from growing by eating out less,
turning off lights, turning down the heat when you’re not home,
and resisting buying things you “want” but don’t really “need.”
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 7
Member Benefits
If you depend heavily on plastic to pay daily expenses, the
best way to cut spending is to pay with cash. If you don’t have
enough cash for a purchase, don’t make it. For more ideas
on how to cut expenses, head over to www.aarp.org/money/
budgeting-saving.
If you can’t get ahead of your debt, consider taking on a parttime job and putting the extra pay toward your debt. And once
you’re out of debt, apply what you’ve been paying toward
saving.
For more tips on saving, cutting costs, managing debt and other
financial security topics, visit www.aarp.org/orderfinancialpubs.
Insurance BenefIts
n Long Term Care / Home Health Care Insurance
n Cancer Treatment Insurance
n Final Expense Whole Life
n Medicare Supplement Insurance
n Dental Insurance
n Vision Plan
Jean C. Setzfand is Vice President of the Financial Security
issues team in the Education and Outreach group at AARP. She
leads AARP’s educational and outreach efforts aimed at helping
Americans achieve financial ‘peace of mind’ in retirement. She
can be reached at [email protected].
n Tax Deferred Annuity
travel related BenefIts
n Medical Air Transportation Services
n Government Employee Travel Opportunities (GETO)
n AMBA TravelPERX
Sponsored Health Insurance
Plans after Retirement
n La Quinta Inn & Suites Discount
PEBB and Health Care Authority
800-200-1004
www.pebb.hca.wa.gov
addItIonal BenefIts
Social Security Benefits
800-325-0778
www.ssa.gov
Options, Take Home Pay, Etc.
Department of Retirement Systems
800-547-6657
www.drs.wa.gov
n Rental Car Discounts: Avis, Budget, & Advantage!
n American Hearing Benefits (AHB)
n Identity Theft Solutions
n Dell Computer Discount Program
n Apple Discount
n 1-800-FLOWERS
n CU Wireless – Discounted Phones & Plans
For information on benefits, visit:
www.myAMBAbenefits.info/wssra
Benefits made available by
State Insurance Commissioner/
Statewide Health Insurance
BenefitAdvisors (SHIBA)
800-562-6900
800.258.7041
Page 8
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
Robert J. Handy Memorial Scholarship (PEMCO)
NW-1 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
NW-2 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
Madison Young
Kamiak High School
undecided (UW, WSU, or UC San Diego)
Elementary Education
Melody Brown
Newport High School
Brigham Young University
Secondary Education - Health
Madison Pfeil
Marysville-Pilchuck High School
Central Washington University
Elementary Education
Caroline Kasman
Mercer Island High School
undecided
Education
NW-1 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Grace Douglas
Lynnwood High School
George Fox University
Math
Neil D. Prescott Scholarship (NW-1)
Benjamin Northrop
Marysville-Pilchuck Pathways of Choice
High School
Whitworth Univ. or Corban Univ.
Math, History, Secondary Education
SW-3 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
NW-2 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Gina Workman
Mount Rainier High School
undecided (UW, CWU or UIdaho)
Elementary/Special Education
SW-4 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Joel Martin
Toledo High School
Point Loma Nazarene University
Education
SW-4 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
Megan Miller
White River High School
Washington State University
Agricultural Education
Caitlyn Goodwin
North Thurston High School
Central Washington University
Education
Bo Dudley
White River High School
Pierce Community College
History
Hannah Ki Herzog
W.F. West High School
Western Washington University
Chemistry
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 9
and WSSR-Foundation Scholarship Recipients
E-5 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
E-6 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
Naomi Johnson
Naches Valley High School
Central Washington University
Elementary Education
Nathaniel Drew Carleton
Chelan High School
Gonzaga University
Secondary Education
Danielle McKeirnan
Prosser High School
Whitworth University
Special Education - sign language
Kyra Wonders
Eastmont High School
Washington State University
Elementary Education
E-5 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Malisa Barrier
Goldendale High School
Eastern Washington University
English
E-7 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Maxwell Mielke
Davenport High School
Washington State University
Agriculture
E-7 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
E-6 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Mariah Burchill
Almira Cooley Hartline High School
Wenatchee Valley College
Elementary Education
E-8 WSSR-Foundation Scholarship
Madeline Serrano
Pasco High School
Eastern Washington University
Mathematics
E-8 Robert J. Handy Memorial (PEMCO) Scholarships
Kayla Wilson
North Central High School
George Fox University
Elementary Education
Kaitlynn Kleinbach
Connell High School
Whitworth University
Elementary Education
Kailey Nicole Ralston
Newport High School
UW or Arizona State Univ.
Biology
Elizabeth Ruthven
DeSales High School
Whitworth University
English
Page 10
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA Convention 2014
WSSRA 67th Annual Convention and Delegate Assembly
June 9 - 11, 2014 at Vancouver Hilton
WSSRA delegates from across the state convened in Vancouver, Washington for the 67th Annual
Convention and Delegate Assembly held June 9-11, 2014 at the Hilton Hotel. Over 265 attendees
participated in three informative, productive and action-packed days.
On Monday, June 9th, activities included a legislative
workshop, WSSR-PAC general meeting, a bus tour of
Columbia River historical sites, pre-convention hearing,
and of course, several WSSR-Foundation drawings for the
famous gift baskets. The evening included WSSRA board
candidate speeches and an awards ceremony.
Pictured above (left to right): Ester Wilfong and Louie Osmonovich discuss legistlative and election topics. WSSRA Legislative Coordinator
Peter Diedrick outlines the upcoming legislative session.
Pictured below: Bill Bergsma delivers his fishing themed president-elect campaign speech. Fish handlers are Rob Fletcher & Robin Stroben.
WSSR-Foundation President Jim Hall announcing basket winners.
Members of Unit 30 - Southwest Washington: (from left): Betty Robinson (wheelchair), Don Rifenbery, Donna Quesnell, Donell Morley, Kathy
Lisignoli, Gerry Jarvis, Waneta Filbin, Linda Bannon, Despo Varkados, Margaret Snitzler, Fran Person. (not pictured: Marty Erickson)
PRESIDENT’S AWARD presented by Nick Schultz
Kathy Fletcher is the reason that Unit 34-Yakima is the largest in the state. She spends
countless hours arranging school visits enrolling new members. Her presentation is short,
direct and to the point. She always drives home the fact that we are the only organization that
lobbies Olympia on retirees’ behalf. Kathy, along with Barb Landrock, conducted several
breakout sessions at previous conventions training unit membership leaders on the art of
enrolling active members. From those efforts our state membership slowly started growing
to what it is today. Kathy lives and breathes membership. Without question, Kathy Fletcher
deserves the President’s Award and the gratitude of everyone in WSSRA.
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 11
WSSRA Convention 2014
An awards banquet was held on Monday, June 9, 2014 during the 2014 Convention.
Two members were honored with the association’s highest recognition.
Patrick T. Hoban Meritorious Award
Stan McNaughton Outreach Award
The Patrick T. Hoban Meritorious Award is presented to the
member of WSSRA who volunteered their time for fulfillment
of WSSRA goals, achieved beyond the norm in the performance
and charged responsibilities of their duties, and have inspired
and encouraged fellow constituents in their performance to
achieve WSSRA goals.
The Stan McNaughton Outreach Award is presented to a WSSRA
member who volunteers her time beyond the goals of WSSRA to
enhance the lives of community members and has improved the
quality of life in her community, and in doing so has improved
the image of WSSRA.
The 2014 recipient of the Patrick T. Hoban
Meritorious Award is Erma Snook (Unit 23
Sno-King). Erma joined WSSRA in 1996
while still an active teacher. Starting as unit
secretary, Erma has served her unit as president
for 2 years and also served as co-president and
has twice been Chair of NW-1 Coordinating Council. Erma
collected donations from businesses for the unit raffles, started
the annual Cookie Fest and Sing Along. She has served on the
Finance Committee, helped revise the unit Bylaws, and keeps
the unit directory up to date. For the community, Erma raised
money for the flood victims of Boistfort, raised money for the
82nd Airborne Combat Medic Unit, tutors for the school district,
and received the AARP/RTA Community Service Award.
The 2014 recipient of the Stan McNaughton
Outreach Award is Sharon Hoseley, (Unit 1
Asotin County-Pomeroy). Sharon has kept
over 50 women who have been homeless,
abused, are foreign students or teenagers
needing a safe place for a while. She has written a book, “Hard
Places”, for use with women’s groups. She Skypes weekly with
a group of Chinese women so they can learn English. Sharon
has written and directed nine plays for elementary children
focusing on healthy habits. Anyone who tries out always gets
a part. She has taught literacy classes at the hospital for new
parents and sends a book for the new baby home with them.
Sharon has gone to four eastern countries, at her own expense,
to teach for periods of time. She is active in Family Promise.
She still finds time for Unit 1 and WSSRA.
Patrick T. Hoban Meritorious Award 2014 nominees
(pictured, l to r): Lorraine Wagness (Seattle), Karen
Keller (Thurston), Nancy Ely (Lewis), Recipient Erma
Snook (Sno-King), Marion Mann (Yakima), James Hall
(East King), Rick Nebeker (Walla Walla-Columbia).
Not pictured: Bill Marvin (Spokane).
Stan McNaughton Outreach Award 2014 nominees
(pictured, l to r): Reider Ytgard (Skagit,Island,San Juan),
Linda Sabin (Lewis), Joan Morgenstern (Renton-South
King), Wanda Harrison (Columbia Basin), Bill Bergsma
(East King), James T. Siscel (Sno-King).
Not pictured: Kay Bishop (Sno-Isle), Patti Cobb (Walla
Walla-Columbia), Roger Lake (Spokane), Denise Perkins
(Chelan-Douglas), Donald (Paul) Schafer (Yakima) and
recipient, Sharon Hoseley (Asotin/Pomeroy).
Page 12
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA Convention 2014
Tuesday, June 10th was kicked off by greetings from Tim Leavitt, Mayor of Vancouver and Dr. Steven Webb, Superintendent of
Vancouver Public Schools. The keynote speaker for the morning session was Pamelia Valentine. Ms. Valentine teaches Visual Arts
at Oakland Bay Junior High in Shelton, Washington and has received several teacher of the year honors. Ms. Valentine gave an
inspiring talk about overcoming life’s challenges and working with junior high students. She shared several successful programs
she has implemented at her school to help students become engaged and succeed.
Pictured: Air Force Junior ROTC, Prairie High
School, Master Sargent Martin, Comander;
Tim Leavitt, Mayor of Vancouver;
Dr. Steven Webb, Superintendent of Vancouver
Public Schools;
Keynote speaker Pamelia Valentine
Three sessions of the Delegate Assembly were conducted during Tuesday. President Nick Schultz presided over the proceedings
which included passing the 2014-2015 budget, adopting a by-laws amendment regarding vacancies in the office of president-elect,
electing Edie Moersch as 2013-2014 president-elect, and introducing candidates for 2014-2015 officer positions.
Tuesday also included a memorial service remembering WSSRA members who passed away this year, the Scholarship Awards
luncheon, a spirited presentation from Chelan-Douglas County Unit 2 inviting all to the 2015 convention in Wenatchee, and Jeanie
Coffey, AMBA Director of Association Relations spoke about “Building Membership.” WSSR-Foundation baskets were distributed
throughout the day.
Pictured:
2013-2014 President Nick Schultz
Delegate Assembly voting during general session
Gary Gleason, SW-3 District Rep. at the memorial service
Unit 2-Chelan Douglas inviting delegates to the 2015
Convention in Wenathcee
Official WSSRA ballot box
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 13
WSSRA Convention 2014
Tuesday evening began with a pre-dinner social followed by a banquet dinner with entertainment provided by the Misty Mamas.
Following dinner, Past President Richard Anderson installed the 2014-2015 state officers. President Edie Moersch delivered her
inaugural president’s address (see pages 2 & 14). The festive evening was capped with the President’s Dance with piano and vocals
provided by Jim Fischer.
Pictured (left)
Enjoying the pre-dinner social are JoAnn
Balmer, Shirley Elfbrandt, Gene Forrester,
Karen Keller, and Harriett Smith.
Dinner entertainment by The Misty Mamas.
Nick Schultz received the past president’s
mini-gavel.
(below)
Delegates singing “Accentuate The Positive”
during the Wednesday morning breakfast.
(right)
President Edie Moersch delivering her
inaugural speech (with the president’s gavel).
Delegates during a general assembly
session.
President Edie Moersch and past president
Richard Anderson enjoy a moment during
the officer installation.
Wednesday, June 11, everyone gathered for breakfast with Edie Moersch presiding. Following a group sing-along of, “Accentuate
The Positive,” attendees participated in a variety of breakout sessions. Looking forward to the 2015 Convention in Wenatchee!
2014-15 WSSRA Board
(back row) Don Kackman (on behlaf of E7); Gene Forrester, parlimentarian;
Pat Cygan, NW 2; Kathy Schultz, E 5; Rick Nebeker, E 8;
Jim Hall, treasurer; Rita Requa, historian; Curt Horne, SW 3;
Ed Gonion, executive director
(seated) Joyce Gillie, SW 4; Bill Bergsma, president-elect;
Edie Moersch, president; Nick Schultz, past president;
Nancy Valeson, E 6; Eileen Wascisin, secretary.
(not pictured) Marianne Harvey, NW 1; Joan Butler, E 7;
Kristin Murphy, Journal editor
Page 14
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
President, continued from page 2
We have an awesome legislative team, that volunteer an
extraordinary amount of time for all active and retirees. Ed
Gonion, Peter Diedrick, Ester Wilfong, Larry Scholl, and
units members have been working relentlessly to do their
part along with our lobbyists, Scott Nelson and Fred Yancey.
Let’s ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE of what they have
accomplished!
The Units are amazing with the positive activities they do for
the benefit of their areas. Some of their activities include:
• volunteering in their communities, classrooms, tutoring;
• collecting school supplies to donate to schools, adopting
schools;
• giving mini-grants to active school employees for special
projects; and
• helping those less fortunate.
Units all over our state
are making an impact and
collectively this sets our
WSSRA apart as a very
important volunteer and
charitable organization.
Scholarships from PEMCO/
WSSRA, the Foundation, and
other sources for students
going into education total
o v e r $ 7 0 , 0 0 0 p e r y e a r.
Additionally, individual units
give scholarships which
altogether are $60,000 plus.
Our scholarships for future
educators are another way we Accentuate the Positive.
Membership: Looking back to 2008, our total membership
was not quite 16,000. Today, we have 18,420 members and are
still gaining. Thank you Membership Committee for your hard
work and the incentives you offer. More than $6,000 will be
given in 2013-2014 to units attracting new members. Unit 34
has gone over the top enrolling 89 new members.
AMBA has been Accentuating the Positive by partnering with
us to enroll new members. AMBA has helped us gain 236
new members this year. This is not all! AMBA gives WSSRA
a dollar per member each year. Our partnership with AMBA
has strengthened our organization in membership. Thank you
AMBA!
Let’s not forget the Journal. We have a magazine which connects
all of our members. It is attractive, informative, keeps us up-todate with our legislative issues, reports from our WSSRA state
president, executive director, state committees, special features
history, travel, health, and best of all, no advertisements! What
a positive to accentuate!
WSSRA has challenges ahead. Can you believe from the year
2003 to 2014, we have not had a dues increase? Since 2003,
the total inflation rate for buying power is 29% according to
the Consumer Price Index. This means that our $5 monthly dues
are worth only $3.56 today. Think about food and gas, how they
have gone up in costs. We are increasingly borrowing money
from our investment funds to meet our obligations. It has been
eleven years since we have had a dues increase. There is a need
to seek new ways to increase
our revenues to keep a strong,
positive organization.
One more challenge is keeping
up with technology. I was able
to participate in a WSSRA
budget and a board meeting by
Skype while in California. This
was a first for WSSRA. At the
NRTA Conference, one of the
suggestions was to use Twitter,
Facebook, blogs and websites
to share our activities. It would
be great to use our WSSRA
website to have a place to hit
the share button and forward
activities via Facebook, Twitter
and blogs and unit sites. This is a fast and easy way to get
information out about WSSRA activities, and pictures from
different units. We can Accentuate the Positive by updating
our use of technology.
I am truly looking forward to working with our organization.
There is so much potential of what we can do as a team together.
One of our long time active members said, “The Sky is the
Limit!” She is right!
Together, we will keep our momentum moving forward by
Accentuating the Positive and de-emphasizing the negative.
Let’s keep positive! THANK YOU!
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 15
Taking Care Of Ourselves
Health: Bereavement - A Common Life Experience
by Nancy Strain, Unit 22 Sno-Isle
I don’t know why I agreed to take on this difficult topic, but
in a weak moment, I did. A Merriam Webster definition of
bereavement is: a period of mourning after a loss, especially
after the death of a family member or friend. Put another way,
it is the process of letting go of a loved one who has died.
I like the word process from above. It says that getting over
the loss will take time. In her 1969 book, On Death and Dying,
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identifies the five stages of grieving emotional stages experienced upon the death of someone. The
five stages are not experienced in order and the duration of each
stage will vary. The stages of mourning and grief are universal
and are experienced by people from all walks of life. These
stages are like a guide in your bereavement. They help you
understand and relate to where you are in this process.
DENIAL AND ISOLATION
Denial and isolation is usually the first step. One denies the
reality of the situation. In fact, I recently received a call
informing me of the death of my mom’s first cousin. And I did
say, “I can’t believe it. She seemed to be getting better.” As a
family member who lived quite far away, I was not aware of
all the visits to the hospital. Thus, this death came as quite a
shock. This is a temporary response that takes us through the
first amount of pain. It is a defense mechanism that buffers
us from the immediate shock. And, I know that her husband,
children and many of her grandchildren, and great grandchildren
will each spend a different amount of times in this stage.
ANGER
Anger is another stage. Reality begins to return, but we are not
ready. An intense emotion surfaces and anger emerges. Why
did this happen? Why my wife, mom, grandmother, friend,
etc. Our anger is aimed at any number of sources: inanimate
objects, complete strangers, a family member, the hospital, the
doctor, etc.
When I was 18, my dad died suddenly of a heart attack. Thus,
I was angry with myself for not telling him I loved him, the
night before. My mom should have watched his diet more and
not used so much salt in her cooking. His doctor should have
recognized shortness of breath for angina. As you can see, this
state may take some time. Seek professional help if you need
it, or if a loved one needs it.
BARGAINING
Bargaining comes next. We feel vulnerable and want to regain
control. So here come the “what ifs”:
•
•
•
If only we had forced the doctor to take more tests...
If only we had gotten a second opinion from a more
qualified doctor. ..
If only we had been kinder and more understanding to
her…
DEPRESSION
Two types of depression are associated with grieving. One
looks at the practical implications related to the death. Sadness
and regret are the main feelings. One begins to worry about
the costs, the burial, and what to do about a service. The major
decision makers may not realize that they’ve neglected some
close family members, like children, a spouse, etc. This is a
good time for reassurance or praise.
The second type of depression is more subtle and often more
private. It is our quiet preparation to separate and tell our loved
one good bye. Sometimes all one needs is a big hug. It took me
quite a while to get over my dad’s death. I felt cheated out of
time to tell my dad good bye and that I loved him. My future
husband helped me complete this stage. I didn’t meet him for
1 ½ years, but he knew I was still hurting, and he helped me
get to the last stage of bereavement.
ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance is the final stage of mourning. When a loved one
dies suddenly, it could take longer to get to acceptance. One may
go into a time of withdrawal, which is different than depression.
It’s just not a time of happiness.
Coping with death is a very personal experience and no one
can truly understand what others are going through. We all will
eventually encounter the death of a loved one. Is one situation
worse than the other? I don’t think so. The best thing a person
can do is to allow themselves to feel grief as it comes over
them. Resisting it will prolong the natural process of healing.
The survivors will be dealing with the stages of grief in their
own way. The survivors will be readjusting to a world without
the loved one. New relationships need to be formed. The
emotional energy given to the deceased, can eventually be
directed to other people and activities.
Page 16
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
Supporting Future Educators
Foundation: Another Convention Fundraising Record
by Jim Hall, president, WSSR-Foundation
The final tally for the WSSR-Foundation’s basket drawings
and the silent auction once again set another record. A grand
total of $6,840 was collected over two days, that bested last
year’s record by $100. This is the major foundation fundraiser
and we appreciate our members generosity. We had 75 baskets
generously donated by our WSSRA units. The baskets contained
items ranging from products unique to the local unit, gift
certificates and products donated by businesses or individuals.
There were six tables of astounding silent auction items that
raised $1560.
The best part of the convention is meeting and greeting attendees
who bought tickets for the drawings and cheered when they won
a basket. It is obvious that our members love the foundation and
eagerly support this major fundraiser each year. From a humble
beginning of one basket put together by Marilyn Richards and
her husband many years ago, this has blossomed into a generous
and happy event.
supporting the board at our meetings and at the convention. I
have really enjoyed working with the foundation board members
each year. The foundation assets have grown about 18% in my 5
years as a board member. I hope this trend continues throughout
the years by donations. I would also encourage putting the
foundation in your wills and obtaining matching funds from
employers of spouses.
I am appreciative of the service of your other board members:
Despo Varkados, Allison Morris, Jerry Hendrickson, Rita
Figlenski and Mike Lanctot, this year’s new member. Thank
you all.
BASKETS!
My five-year term as the WSSR-Foundation Board has now
come to an end. The Lacey staff has been outstanding in
WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RETIREES’ FOUNDATION
4726 PACIFIC AVENUE SE LACEY, WA 98503-1216
Donor Name____________________________________ Address ___________________________________________
City _________________ State _________ Zip ________ Phone #____________________________________________
Donation $___________ In Honor $____________ In Memory $___________
Note: If you would like the person notified of this gift, you must include their full name and address below.
(√ box)
 In Honor  Memorial
$________
(√ box)
 In Honor  Memorial
$________
Name _________________________________________
Name _________________________________________
Person to be Notified _____________________________
Person to be Notified _____________________________
Address _______________________________________
Address _______________________________________
City ________________ State _______ Zip __________
City ________________ State _______ Zip __________
Please √ box if you would like to receive a receipt for your records.
The WSSR- Foundation is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible
within the limits of the law.
Check $ _________ # _________
Cash $ _________
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 17
The Outreach
Corner
Convention
Outreach
Project
Foundation Contributors
Frank Clement - in memory of Lois Cummins
Shirley Elfbrandt - in memory of Nancy Rudy and Rosalie
Rifenbery
Nancy Kleinschmidt - donation
David Kooken - in memory of Mac McConnell
Barbara Landrock - in memory of Stu Burt
Janice Miller - in memory of Connie Scott
Donald Rifenbery - in memory of Rosalie Rifenbery
Sharon Salley - in memory of Marje Stegeman
William & Nancy Tracey - in memory of Nancy Rudy
Chelan-Douglas SRA - in memory of Mildred Watt
East King SRA - donation
Lewis County SRA - in memory of James Hall and Salli Dahl
Renton/South King RSEA - in memory of Clement Quanrud
Southwest King SRA - in memory of Elsie Norman and
Maurine Willoughby
Southwest Washington SRA - in honor of Linda Sabin
Yakima County SRA - donation
by Donna Quesnell, Unit 30 Southwest Washington
Several eager WSSRA hikers rose early, on Tuesday, June
10, the first morning of their convention in Vancouver,
Washington to walk the Columbia River Renaissance
Trail. Though the sight was beautiful, dirt obstructed the
information on the landmark signs.
After a brief discussion of 'no money for maintenance'
problems, Gary Gleason had the solution! "Let's have
Project - Outreach tomorrow morning! We will bring
soap, water and other supplies, clean those signs and pick
up litter!"
Team 'Out-Reach' met in the Hilton lobby, Wednesday, at
6:45 a.m. Heather Gurley grabbed the supplies and we
headed up the trail to clean the signs and pick up litter
along the way!
"What a good feeling," we all agreed upon our return!
Apparently we had the approval of the convention
attendees, as we were applauded for our efforts at our
closing brunch!
A Few of the Many Basket Winners
Pictured (clockwise): Lora Brabant, Rob Fletcher,
Lloyd Olson, and Marge Leggett.
Project Out -Reach Hikers and Cleaners:
Gary Gleason (SW3), Heather Gurley (SW3), Laurel
Powell (Pierce), Jerry Finkbonner (Whatcom),
Jeanne & Gary Chadwick (Whatcom), Edith Ruby,
Mary Wallon, Donna Quesnell (Clark), Martha Glanz
(Lewis), Jean Barner (Lewis)
Page 18
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
Strength In Numbers
Membership: Continuing To Build
by Susan Webber, chair, membership committee
YEA!!! What a great year for membership. The goal of 18,500
members is less than 100 members from being achieved. Let’s
set a new goal of 19,000. I believe that with the enthusiasm I
observed at the Convention Membership Session it is attainable.
29 Benton/Franklin, Unit 31
Walla/Columbia, and Unit 33
Whitman County).
Jeanie Coffey, Director of Association Relations for AMBA was
our speaker for the Membership session at the Convention. She
shared membership ideas and information from associations
on what works and what doesn’t work. Jeanie’s presentation
included Best Practices, Member Participation and Top 10
Warning Signs for Local Units. These topics will be included in
membership articles during the year as WSSRA “Accentuates
the Positive.”
The WSSRA board voted to continue the Membership Incentive
Program through June 30, 2015. This is a great opportunity for the
local units to increase their numbers and enhance their treasury.
To date, thirty units have received checks totaling $6,110.00.
Of these, Sno-Isle, Sno-King, Chelan/Douglas, Columbia Basin,
Asotin/Pomeroy, Yakima County Walla Walla/Columbia and
Benton/Franklin received the $100 bonus for twenty-five new
members. During the Convention Awards Banquet, recognition
went to twenty-three units for increasing active members and
nine units with consecutive all-time high membership (Unit 1
Asotin/Pomeroy, Unit 2 Chelan/Douglas, Unit 8 Kitsap, Unit 9
Kittitas, Unit 21 Skagit/Isle/San Juan, Unit 23 Sno-King, Unit
1. Cut out this form
2. Give it to a retiree
Remember that Michele Hunter has enrollment forms and other
membership information including the Membership Handbook
on thumb drive. Michele can be contacted at 1-800-544-5219
or [email protected].
3. Have her/him complete the form
4. Mail it to WSSRA
DUES DEDUCTON AUTHORIZATION FORM
WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RETIREES’ ASSOCIATION
4726 PACIFIC AVE SE, LACEY WA 98503-1216
Please print
Name ____________________________________________________________________ Phone (______) _________________________________
(LAST)
(FIRST)
(MIDDLE)
Mailing Address ________________________________________________________ ____________________________ __________+___________
CITY
ZIP
+4
SS Number ________-______- ________ Home/Personal Email Address _____________________________________________________________
Retirement Plan (CIRCLE) TRS1 TRS2 TRS3 PERS1 PERS2 SERS2 SERS3
Name of WSSRA Unit ________________________________________________________________________Leg Dist. _______Cong Dist. _______
I authorize the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems to deduct the following dues and any future increases as voted by the
membership, from my monthly retirement allowance and to pay such deduction to the Washington State School Retirees’ Association.
Should I wish to cancel ensuing deductions I will send a written notification of cancellation to Washington State Department of Retirement Systems
and WSSRA.
DUES: State $4 + Local $1 = Total of $5 per month
Date__________________________________ Signature _________________________________________________________________________
White Copy – WSSRA
01–Asotin-Pomeroy
02–Chelan/Douglas
03–Clallam County
04–Columbia Basin
05–Grays Harbor Pacific
06–Southwest King
07–Jefferson County
Yellow Copy – Unit
08–Kitsap County
09–Kittitas County
11–Lewis County
12–Lower Columbia
13–Lower Yakima Valley
14–Mason County
15–Okanogan County
16–East King
Pink Copy – Retained by member
18–Pend Oreille
19–Renton-South King
20–Seattle
21–Skagit/Island/San Juan
22–Sno-Isle
23–Sno-King
25–Spokane
27–Pierce County
28–Thurston County
29–Benton-Franklin
30–Southwest Washington
31–Walla Walla-Columbia
32–Whatcom County
33–Whitman County
34–Yakima County
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 19
History: Past WSSRA Presidents
Paul Nicholas, WSSRA President 2006-2007
by Rita Requa, historian
Paul Nicholas was born into a large
family of three brothers and four sisters
in Miller, Missouri. After graduating
from Mt. Vernon High School in
Missouri, he attended Southwest Baptist
Junior College in Bolivar, Missouri. He
was granted a provisional certificate
and began his teaching career in a small
elementary school in Cooter, Missouri.
After two years in the US Army, Paul continued his studies at
Southwest Missouri State and received his Bachelor’s Degree.
He taught speech and drama in Florida and Whitewater,
Wisconsin. After obtaining his Master’s degree from the
University of Iowa, he moved to Seattle and began teaching at
Franklin High School. He taught speech and drama for 15 years
and was Department Chair for Language Arts and Humanities
at Franklin for another 14 years. Was it any wonder that Paul
loved theatre?
After retirement, Paul became an active member of Seattle
School Retirees Association where he edited the newsletter
and became a Trustee of the Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund.
Paul was an avid traveler, touring Europe, the United States
and Hawaii.
WSSRA beckoned and Paul became a member of the Retirement
Planning Committee and Communications Committee
before being elected President of WSSRA. Paul’s theme
was “Communicate, Congregate, Celebrate” as that was the
year of the 60th anniversary of WSSRA. The forming of the
new Outreach Committee required input from the Board,
Committees, and Coordinating Councils. Paul handled these
with ease.
The WSSRA office was busy with the hiring of Don Carlson as
lobbyist and Paula Lowe as Journal editor. The WSSRA web
page was established. Mailings to non-members continued,
resulting in 630 new members for 2007.
Legislative activity was intense as the Legislature was
determined to end gain sharing, even though the state revenue
forecast showed an extra $1.9 billion. WSSRA's position
was “that we retain gain sharing in statute as is unless there is
significant replacement benefit. That doesn’t mean 24 cents on
the dollar.” Local units were asked to initiate their telephone
trees with messages regarding HB 2391 and the protection of
gain sharing. In March, NW1 Coordinating Council held an
Emergency Pension Forum with 154 people attending along with
three legislators. At the end of the meeting State Representative
Maralyn Chase came forth willing to sponsor an amendment to
offer $.46 increase. The issue was eventually settled for a $.40
increase per month of service For Plan 1 retirees with 30 years
experience, that was $12 per month. The Medicare subsidy
increased to $164 in 2008 and $182.89 in 2009. Additionally
the Age 66 COLA bill was passed. SBN 5175 provided that
all TRS/PERS 1 retirees would begin receiving their Uniform
COLA in July of the calendar year they turned 66.
The Convention was held in Wenatchee. Attendees to the
President’s Reception were given a memorial wine glass noting
the 60th anniversary of WSSRA. The keynote speaker was
Lily Lui, AARP Communications Manager. Eight Bylaws
Amendments were on the agenda dealing with term limits and
house-keeping amendments regarding committee changes;
all passed. WSSRA units participated in “Washington, the
Healthiest State,” and reported the number of miles walked by
their members. Certificates were awarded to the “best” walkers
at the convention. The Veteran’s Day Project stories were
donated to the Washington State Historical Society Museum.
After his term of office, Paul volunteered at Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Paul
died January 16, 2009. We remember him as a true gentleman,
known for his eloquent speeches and articles in the Journal.
Please submit
ADDRESS CHANGES
to WSSRA Headquarters
4726 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey WA 98503
Phone: 360-413-5496 Toll Free: 1-800-544-5219
Office Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday-Friday
Page 20
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA Around The State
From the districts
What’s happening in...
NORTHWEST-1
Unit 21 Skagit/Island/San
Juan: Our May 12 luncheon,
at Max Dale’s Restaurant in
Mount Vernon, honored local
superintendents. Dr. Mark
Wenzel (Anacortes), Philip
Brockman (Sedro Woolley),
Pam Estvold (Conway), and
Dr. Carl Brunner (Mount
Vernon) all attended. We
gained valuable insights and
useful information.
On May 13, Barbara Robinson, Joyce Moon, Joanne
Jones, and Diane Visten
traveled to Bellingham for
Whatcom’s mini-grant celebration. We enjoyed the visit
and were happy to share in
their success.
On May 23, Alice Fitzgerald hosted a work-party for
assembling gift bags for our
forty-six active members.
The bags included special
items, such as candy kisses
(to remind them that someone
cares about them), band-aids
(to remind them of healing),
cookies (for extra pep), note-
cards, etc. We invited each
of the active members to attend our August wine social.
Following the work party,
members delivered the gift
bags and had a wonderful time
visiting with active members
in our area schools.
Eight members attended convention in Vancouver via
train. We were proud to nominate Reidar Ytgard, for
the WSSRA State Outreach
Award this year. He has been
our Outreach Committee chair
for a number of years. He is
the welcoming face of our unit
when we support our community food banks and shelters.
A Wine Social at Tulip Valley
Winery is planned for August,
a Political Forum in October
at the Burlington Library and
our annual Holiday Brunch
at the Skagit Valley Golf and
Country Club in December.
We look forward to adding
new members.
Unit 22 Sno-Isle:
In May, Sno-Isle Unit 22 invited Sno-King, Unit 23 to our
annual joint luncheon. This
year it was Sno-Isle’s turn to
host the event. Our event took
place at Le Bistro, a restaurant
sponsored by the culinary
students at Sno-Isle Skills
Center in Everett. As always,
the food was delicious, steak
or salmon with red velvet
cake for dessert. The students
were the planners, chefs,
servers, and cleaners. The
entertainment was provided
by Liz and Don Healy, a photographer and former teacher,
who recently returned from an
adventure to Antarctica. They
showed photos of beautiful
scenery, animals and unique
birds and described their once
in a lifetime experience. The
program made us all wish we
had been there too. June 9-11
saw eight of our members
travel to Vancouver, WA for
the Convention. Our delegation was smaller than usual
due to unexpected illnesses
and other obligations. We are
hoping for better attendance
next year in Wenatchee. Unit
22 wishes all WSSRA members a great summer!
Unit 23 Sno-King:
Each April, Sno-King has its
annual Scholarship luncheon.
We had many wonderful salads, were entertained by a
musical group from Mountlake Terrace High School, and
gave out four $1,200 scholarships to qualifying graduating
seniors from the three school
districts represented by our
group (Edmonds, Shoreline,
Northshore). These recipients can apply for a renewal
of $1,500 for the next three
years provided certain criteria are met. Thank you to
Linda Fitzgerald and Keith
Lindaas for leading the scholarship committee.
In May, we joined with SnoIsle Unit 22 for a luncheon
and program at the Sno-Isle
Skill Center in Everett. Good
food and a wonderful program
with beautiful pictures of a
couple’s trip to Antarctica
were enjoyed by all.
Eleven members from SnoKing attended the annual
convention in Vancouver.
Unit 32 Whatcom Co:
Unit 32 held a successful
mini-grant fundraiser on May
13th at Bellingham Golf and
Country Club. Over 50 attendees enjoyed hearing from
WA State Teacher of the Year,
Katie Brown, Bellingham
SD ELL educator. Bellingham High School Showstoppers led by Linda Short,
entertained the group. Janae
Hodge, Regional Vice-Principal of the Year at Shuksan
Middle School introduced
Katie. The event was held
from 4-6 PM so mini-grant
recipients and other active
school employees could attend. Over $500 was raised
during the enjoyable appetizer
event. Rep. Kristine Lytton
from Anacortes attended and
was thanked for her efforts
to fund public education.
We honored Gil Thurston,
past WSSRA President and
Bill Jennings, former member of WSSRA Legislative
Committee. Both men are
eligible for honorary WSSRA
membership since they have
achieved 90 years of age.
Noemi Bann was recognized
for her outstanding speaking
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 21
WSSRA Around The State
engagements and her book,
Sharing is Healing, which she
wrote as a Holocaust survivor
for middle school students.
Noemi has led groups back to
Hungary and a documentary
about her life was made by a
Western Washington University professor.
Our annual picnic will be
on July 8 at Pioneer Park
in Ferndale. We would love
to see visitors at this picnic
which will begin at 11:30
AM. Please contact Jeanne
Chadwick at jegchadwick@
gmail.com or 360-354-9919
for more information.
NORTHWEST-2
Unit 16 East King:
East-King Unit 16 delegates
thoroughly enjoyed their time
at the Convention in Vancouver! Among the top activities
for us were: interacting with
other members from around
the state, listening to inspiring speakers, delighting in the
slides showing high school
seniors who received scholarships for college from the
Foundation and Pemco and
winning baskets benefiting
the Foundation.
East-King’s summer board
meeting had three goals: discussing ideas from the convention, solidifying plans for
the coming year’s programs
and finalizing preparations for
our annual summer picnic on
August 1st.
Unit 19 Renton-South King:
Renton-South King members
had their summer luncheon
and meeting at the Renton
Retirement Community Center on June 3. The 2014-2015
officers were installed by Pat
Cygan, NW2 Rep. They are:
Rachel Almeleh and Sue
Perez (co-presidents), Naomi
Mathisen (vice-president),
Karen Jones and Tina Underdahl (co-secretaries) and
Robin Stroben (treasurer).
Nine delegates attended
the Vancouver Convention:
Rachel Ameleh, Naomi
Mathisen, Joan Morgenstern, Sue Perez, Eleanor
Raschkow, Marty Roper,
Susan Scholtes, Robin Stroben and Tina Underdahl.
smoothly and efficiently preparing the room for the official
unit recognition of Edie and
her new office. Table decorations were of a musical theme
illuminating Edie’s theme:
Accentuate the Positive. Edie
capped off the Wednesday
morning by asking the entire
convention to stand and sing,
“Accentuate the Positive.”
Ester Wilfong, State Legislative Committee chair spoke
as part of Monday evening’s
legislative session. Two first
time conventioneers from
Unit 16 were new members.
In August, our annual board
meeting will be at Rachel
Ameleh’s home. In the fall,
a mini-grant fund-raiser will
be held at a local mansion, the
public will be invited.
SOUTHWEST-4
Unit 20 Seattle:
The May luncheon featured
speaker Jean Mathisen, Call
Center Director for AARP’s
Washington Fraud Fighter
division. She gave timely
advice on how seniors can
avoid being taken advantage
of. Also during the May
luncheon, special recognition
was given to all members 85
and “better.” They were given
a free lunch and a special gift.
Luncheon gatherings will
begin again next September.
SOUTHWEST-3
Unit 27 Pierce Co.:
Unit 27’s number one, super
important convention highlight was the installation of
Edie Moersch as WSSRA
president for 2014-2015. The
16 member delegation worked
Unit 5 Grays Harbor/Pacific:
The May meeting of Grays
Harbor-Pacific was held at
the Shoalwater Tribal Center.
Charlene Nelson, the tribal
chair, gave a lot of insight
to her job, the history of the
Shoalwater Tribe, and the
progress the tribe has made.
They have a new medical
center, library, and a community center with a large dining
room where lunch is served
every day. Unit 5 continues
to support the Weekend Lunch
Bunch. The proceeds from
the quilt raffle went to the
scholarship fund. The unit is
organizing a gathering for the
actives in late August in order
to show appreciation for them
and to get to know them better.
Unit 11 Lewis County:
In May, Lewis County had
the pleasure of meeting Edie
Moersch, candidate for president-elect 2013-2014, and
her husband Ed. They presented an excellent program
about their missions to Nepal
and shared photos and other
items. Following the program
was the annual memorial
tribute to those members who
have passed away in the past
year. The meeting included
the installation of officers for
2014-2015. The unit sent 11
delegates and one alternate to
WSSRA Convention 2014.
Unit 12 Lower Columbia:
When Lower Columbia met
in June, the Convention
delegates shared what they
learned. Noel McRae presented a slide show of the
entertainment, the speakers,
and odds and ends of the
convention. Since many
members go on vacation in
July and August, our meetings
will resume in September.
Unit 28 Thurston County:
May was the final luncheon
meeting for the year for Thurston County, Unit 28. Joyce
Gillie, Board Representative
SW-4, introduced Margit
Stakkistad to present the
Robert Hardy Scholarship
to Caitlyn Goodwin, North
Thurston High School. Jay
Wood, Tumwater School
Board President, announced
that East Olympia Elementary
School was given an award
as one of the three most improved schools in the U.S.
Edie Moersch, presidentelect candidate for 2013-2014,
was a special guest speaker
and installed the newly elected officers. The unit sent 15
delegates and two state board
committee members to the
convention in Vancouver. The
group traveled by train.
Page 22
The Journal
July, August, September 2014
WSSRA Around The State
Unit 30 Southwest Washington: Southwest Washington,
is taking a short breather after
a successful state convention
before organizing for its July
picnic.
EAST-5
Unit 34 Yakima Co.:
Whew! Time to take a break!
The Convention was a busy
one for Unit 34. We worked
at the President’s reception on
Sunday, prepared baskets for
WSSR-Foundation raffle, and
donated silent auction items.
We decorated for Tuesday
night’s banquet after two
work-party afternoons cutting and gluing decorations.
The unit felt honored when
we took the grand prize of
a Washington State flag for
the greatest amount donated
by a unit to the PAC. Kathy
Schultz was elected E-5 representative. Kathy Fletcher
was presented the President’s
Award. Unit 34 had a lot
to celebrate. We will take a
few weeks now to “catch our
breath” and start again with
a BBQ at Nick and Kathy
Schultz’s in August. Nick
says it is a thank you to the
board for all their work…but
we know it is much more.
It will be time to start planning for 2014-2015 while
being served a delicious meal!
Kathy Fletcher will direct
the unit next year. We look
forward to the upcoming year.
EAST-6
Unit 2 Chelan Douglas:
Chelan Douglas SRA had
an exciting spring. We meet
at a new place and had good
programs which helped bring
more members to our meet-
ings. In April, the Apple
Blossom Royalty were our
guests and entertainment.
During School Retirees Appreciation Week, nine of our
members received certificates
at a school board meeting.
Our state committee members attended the meeting
in Yakima and eight local
members attended the E-5/E-6
Coordinating Council meeting
in Ellensburg. Mary Perkins
was awarded a Governor’s
Volunteer Service award in
Olympia. Harriet Fox, a
teacher at Rock Island Academy nominated her. A very
deserving recipient! Many of
our members were honored at
several schools for their volunteering. They were invited
to lunch and were thanked by
the teachers and principals. At
our May meeting, we heard
from Rohn Rutledge about
the AMBA benefits. He explained how MASA Insurance
can secure our well being in
and out of the country. Sharon Salley and Jo Ann Lewis,
our membership co-chairs,
reported 78 new members so
far this year. We are enjoying
the checks we receive from
WSSRA! Our June picnic
wrapped up the year for us.
Unit 4 Columbia Basin:
Our unit has continued to meet
at Pillar Rock Grill in Moses
Lake the last Tuesday of the
month 11:30a-1:00p.
In April, Tim Cloye from
Serve Moses Lake was our
speaker. He talked about how
the group serves the needs
of our local community. We
are considering making this a
future outreach project.
In May, Freya Liggett from
the MAC museum spoke
about the museum’s monthly
family activities and the benefits of becoming a member
of the MAC. Through her
presentation, a number of
our members are enrolling
as members of the MAC and
look forward to taking part in
the family activities.
Wanda Harrison was nominated for the 2014 Stan McNaughton Outreach Award.
She has received several local
and national awards for establishing a tutoring program
for elementary students. Her
program is easily duplicated
and has been established at
several schools in Moses
Lake. She is also active in
Kiwanis as an advisor for
K-Kids, a Kiwanis club for
elementary students, and the
advisor for Aktion club which
is a Kiwanis club for disabled
adults.
Attending the convention
were Bev Gilliland, Susan
Hickok, and Wanda Harrison.
Unit 15 Okanogan:
April’s meeting featured historical aspects of the last
80 years of the Okanogan/
Okanogan County business
arena: Jack and Jo Hamilton
and son Greg told of some of
the changes which occurred
in/to Hamilton Farm Equipment. Four generations of
the Hamiltons have seen their
Okanogan-based, familyowned business transition
from a 1934 machine shop
to farm equipment in 1949 to
the ultimate end of 78 years of
family ownership when Hamilton Farm Equipment merged
their business with three other
area John Deere dealers.
The group elected 2014 –
2015 officers: President Rita
Figlenski; Vice President
Jennie Hedington; Secretary
Lou Lantrip; Treasurer Penny Garrison. Jayne Haun
was re-elected to a three-year
term on the OCSRA Board of
Scholarship Trustees.
May’s meeting included a tour
of Okanogan High School’s
student art displays. The tour
was led by active member and
art teacher, Dan Brown.
Carol Payne and Connie
Palmer finalized the OCSRA
basket for State Convention.
Unit Convention delegates
were Marcelle LaGrou,
Penny Garrison, and Rita
Figlenski.
EAST-7
Unit 25 Spokane Area:
Spokane ended the year with
outstanding programs and
business updates. The board
saw some changes due to
health issues. President Bill
Marvin resigned and Karen Mahan is now the unit
president. Fred Cronkhite
replaces Rick Mullen as
treasurer. Sally Pfiefer replaces Marilyn Richards as
secretary. We were fortunate
to have members willing to
step into these roles.
The SAREA board has had
well attended meetings and
included reports from each
committee. WSSRA and legislation issues are shared by
Joan Butler, E7 representative. The state convention in
Vancouver was well represented by this area.
The final luncheon of the year
was held at the Mukagawa
campus where a good crowd
had an excellent meal and
honored the scholarship recipients and their families.
July, August, September 2014
The Journal
Page 23
WSSRA Around The State
Marilyn Shaw, scholarship
chairman, introduced the
winners and along with Don
Kackman, E7 Coordinating
Council chairman.
A September potluck board
meeting will be held at the
Mahan residence. The 2014
Christmas luncheon will be
at the Spokane Country Club.
Unit 33 Whitman Co.:
In April, Carin Rutledge of
AMBA met at Alice Davis’s
home and gave us an update
on benefits offered to us as
members of WSSRA. On
May 21, we met at Kathy
and Daryl Storment’s home
which is set among the green
rolling wheat hills near Endicott, Washington within the
Palouse. We elected officers
for the coming year and discussed where to have future
meetings. Our guest was
Joan Butler, E7 Rep. Don
Kackman gave us a report
on latest E7 meetings. He attended the State Convention
in Vancouver.
EAST-8
Unit 1 Asotin Co-Pomeroy:
The Unit had a good year. We
reached our highest member
count ever and now have more
active members than retirees.
We appreciate the actives
confidence in us! Also, some
“younger” members have
stepped up and accepted offices and committee chairs.
We “older” ones are happy
about that!
The unit has committed itself to a pilot project to use
scholarship money to aid high
school juniors and seniors
take advanced placement
classes toward college cred-
its for an associate degree.
Funds will also be used to
prepare students who, upon
graduation, will receive their
CNA license. Counselors will
choose students who have the
aptitude and desire but not
the finances to do this. After
graduation, these students will
be able to find work immediately. It is our hope that other
units will consider sponsoring
students for the same or similar purposes.
We are excited to have the
WSSRA Stan MacNaughton
Award winner chosen from
our unit. Sharon Hoseley is
most deserving of this award
and we are extremely proud
of her. With all her activities
she still has found time to
serve as our Vice President
and Program Chairman.
Unit 29 Benton/Franklin:
As the 2013-2014 year comes
to a close, awarding scholarships, installing officers and
remembering past members
were the activities of the day.
Shirley Frare and Alice Allison, Scholarship Committee co-chairs with the assistance of Don Parks, proudly
awarded 4 local scholarships,
an increase from the usual 3
and two E-8 scholarships at
the April luncheon.
New officers Tom Callahan,
Dottie Stevens, Marlys Mayer and Lew Edming were
installed at the May luncheon.
Out-going president, Jim
Bumgarner, passed the gavel
after serving as president for
two years.
Tom Callahan and Leona
Hassing organized the Memorial Ceremony where eight
were remembered for their
dedication to the teaching
profession.
In early May, the E-8 meeting hosted by Benton Franklin, Unit 29 was convened
by President, Leona Hassing. Issues were discussed in
preparation for Convention in
June. Rick Nebeker is our
board representative to the
state board.
Ten members attended Convention in Vancouver. A
few chose to attend via AMTRAK, others car pooled or
drove themselves.
Enjoy the summer and remember, the August meeting
will be an “Indoor Picnic” at
the Country Gentleman, Kennewick.
Current/future program information and news can be
found on the webpage http://
bfsraunit29.blogspot.com/
and in the monthly newsletter.
Unit 31 Walla Walla Columbia: Mark Brown was the
keynote speaker for the April
luncheon. Mr. Brown is a
counselor with the “Friends of
the Children of Walla Walla”
organization. He outlined
various programs within the
organization including several
mentoring options available to
our members. Nanci Kessler
shared a presentation profiling each of the mini-grant
recipient teachers and the
mini-grant funded projects.
The 2014-2015 officers were
elected: Niels Peterson, president; Walt Gobel, presidentelect; Bob Fox, treasurer; and
Mary Jo Fontenot, secretary.
Congratulations to these individuals.
On April 22, several members
toured the new SEA-Tech
facility scheduled to open
this fall on the Walla Walla
Community College campus.
The facility is owned by Walla
Walla Public Schools on land
leased from the community
college. Students from Waitsburg, Dayton, Prescott and
College Place may also attend.
The new building includes a
community room that will be
the site of our luncheons next
year. Since we increased our
membership to an all-time
high of 624 members, we
needed somewhere to accommodate our increasing
numbers.
Our final luncheon of the
year was on May 12. Our
scholarship winners were
announced and new officers
were installed. We also had
a touching memorial service
for those members who are no
longer with us. A few weeks
later, several members met
to fill goodie bags that went
to all active teachers who are
already WSSRA members.
Twelve members went to the
state convention in Vancouver
in early June. Our delegation
was short one member who
hasn’t missed a convention
in many years. Irene Gleason
had some health issues and
was unable to attend. Several
members won baskets as well
as hospitality room gifts. It is
now time for summer break.
We will resume our activities
during the first week of August when we have our first
board meeting.
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Washington State School Retirees’ Association
Dedicated to preserving, protecting and improving
the benefits of educational retirees.
Vision
WSSRA will provide leadership
and promote action relevant
to all retired and active school personnel.
The mission of WSSRA is to...
• develop, propose and implement action that will benefit all
school retirees.
• propose legislation and legislative action that will enhance
school retirees’ lives.
• provide the support necessary to strengthen local units of
WSSRA.
• foster involvement by school retirees in educational and community activities and organizations.
• communicate to local units the activities and priorities of
NRTA, AARP and other entities that affect retired school
personnel.
• represent all present and future Washington state school
retirees, both classified and certificated.
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You’ll find inside...
AARP..........................................6
AMBA.........................................7
Convention................................10
Executive Director’s message.....3
Foundation................................16
Health........................................15
History......................................19
Legislative News.........................4
Membership .............................18
Outreach....................................17
President’s message....................2
Retiree contact information.........7
Scholarships................................8
WSSR-PAC.................................5
WSSRA around the state...........20