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NJ Unit Volunteer Newsletter
Editor: Mike Casserly Lunch of Champions!
"It was a nice to meet other volunteers from different time slots; you don't normally get to do that," remarked computer Reader Betty Scarlata afterwards. Her sentiments were echoed by many. The occasion was also highlighted by a program of speakers including Board member David Grant (who got us the meeting space through his affiliation with the church), Executive Director Stephanie Campbell, Board member/volunteer Sandy Shapiro, Educational Outreach Director Chris Ranaghan, Development Director Sandi Wilson and Production Director Jessie Falcone. Assistant Production Director Tony Gruenewald delivered a heartfelt appreciation of Irv Rabinowitz (a 40-year force of nature at the Unit) and presented Irv's wife, Sandie, with a plaque commemorating the dedication of a physics books now being read in Irv's honor (Sneaking a Look at God's Cards). Sandi Wilson presented members of last year's Record-A-Thon committee with beautiful homemade trophies adorned with life-sized rats!
Then Jessie presented the certificates to the volunteers who in the last fiscal year (July '04 to June '05) provided 100, 200, 300 and even 400 hours! In this last group were Phyllis Branin (495 hours!), Barbara Brown, Betsey Butler, Steve Montefusco and May Okhotnikoff. Jessie also presented certificates to the volunteers who had major anniversaries this year. Twenty-four people marked 20 or more years of service. Amongst them were 17 volunteers who hit or exceeded the 30-year mark: Julia Bernheim and Harriet Eubank (30 years), Amy Kerlin, Judith Pinch and Dick Williams (31 years), Phyllis Branin (32 years), Victor Bearg and Irwin Gordon (33 years), Bill Debuvitz, Peg Hastings, Ed Levin and Naomi Rose (34 years), Nancy Beck, and Harry Pinch (36 years), Phyllis Soffen (39 years), Nancy Amick (45 years) and Anne Sheldon (46 years.) That's a lotta years! Many thanks to all the staff who made this wonderful event happen!
Staff News
Two new staff members have joined the team – yay! They are Michelle Ioselevich and Pattie Lamb. Michelle joined the full-time studio staff August 29 as Assistant Production Director. She is a 2003 graduate of William Patterson College, with a degree in Audio Production. Most recently Michelle was an intern at Public Radio station WBJB (90.5) in Lincroft, NJ, and Administrative Assistant for the engineering firm of Hatch Mott MacDonald. At the studio she is learning many steps in the production process, including TOC tool and corrections. One thing that's impressed Michelle so far is the variety of people she meets here. "You can find experts in just about any field here, which is cool," she noted. Pattie Lamb was not exactly a stranger to RFB&D before filling the vacancy left by Karyn Grunwald. Pattie's son, Ryan, 17, a senior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, has been a member for three years. It was while searching the RFB&D website to place a book order that Pattie discovered the opening at the NJ Unit. (She also has a daughter, Megan, who is a freshman at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.) Previously Pattie worked at home, raising her children. The real mystery surrounding our newest staff person was her first name (Madeleine on her resume.) "When I moved to Chapel Hill, NC at the age of nine I lied and told everyone my name was Pattie, she confessed recently. "I just always wanted to be Pattie." (Hey, works for us!) One other new few face around here belongs to work/study intern Debra Musgrave, a third year student at Princeton Seminary. Debra will be assisting us several hours a week in various capacities, including giving voice levels and doing special projects.
Poetess Amanda Berry (Tony's girlfriend) just published her first book, Second Sight, from which she'll be reading at the Barnes & Noble in Princeton Marketfair on Monday, October 10, 'round 8-ish. The book is available on the publisher's website: www.finishinglinepress.com. Outtasight! Volunteer News
We're a bit late in recognizing them, but we'd like to thank a group of talented volunteers who have recently gone off to begin their freshman year at colleges all over the country. They are: Manisha Bhattacharya, Le Chen, Apurva Dabholkar, Shreya Durvasula, Alexis Dzubak, Eric Kang, Jonathan Kugel, Divya Nadkarni, David Pakula, Anne Poulter, Kavita & Preeta Ragavan, Pranav Shanbhag, Brad Simpson, Anusha Sriram, Hema Sundaresan and Dmitri Zakharov. Many of you were regulars here for several years, some became Readers, and all of you did excellent work. Thank you! Production Notes
So, when asked for a password, hit CANCEL, then CANCEL again when you see the list of files. This will bring you back to the point where you choose which icon you want. Whichever icon you clicked on before is not the one you want now. (Got all that?! It sounds complicated, but it isn't – at least not if you read this enough times and practice this two hours a day. Good luck!) Introducing figures - when introducing and describing figures, Readers, please avoid using phases such as "We see", "As you can see", "I will describe". Remember that we are transcribers and therefore we should leave ourselves out of the description. Also, not all of our members can see the figure. Using the phrase "There is" is a much better practice. Thank you. Readers - A minor quibble: in a book's table of contents the marker may not put a "p." before each page listing, but "page" should still be said. Thanks! 8 A.M. Sessions – As of October 1st we no longer have 7:30 a.m. sessions. Tuesday through Thursday our first session now begins at 8 a.m., and goes until 9 a.m. Our Fan Club has grown to include all 12 booths. Enjoy! * * * * * * * Save the Date! (and the whales, of course): Sunday, November 27 Shop at Ten Thousand Villages that day and know that 15% of your sales will be donated back to the Unit! This unique gift store, located in Princeton Shopping Center, sells handmade fair trade items from around the globe. And Don't Forget! We'll be gift wrapping at Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Princeton Marketfair on December 2. There's still time to sign up! If you'd like to join the team please call Alison Hankinson at (609) 921-8733. And finally, please stop by Educational Outreach, admire the decorations put up by its Director, Chris Ranaghan, and enjoy some Halloween candy. – HAVE A GREAT MONTH! – Editor: Mike Casserly
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It's unanimous: our first ever Volunteer Recognition Luncheon was a huge success! About 130 people, including volunteers, Board members and staff, enjoyed food, talk and each other for several hours at Plainsboro's Queenship of Mary Church on Thursday, September 29.
Jessie presented special awards first to Steve Montefusco (that's right -- he's actually a volunteer!) and to Cliff Giddings, who got a special RFB&D apron, in appreciation for all the wonderful treats he provides the Unit so consistently. Jessie also had a special award and gift basket for Anne Sheldon, who has served for 46 glorious years. Unfortunately, Anne was not able to attend due to serious illness. Cards can be sent to: 107 Lassen Court, Princeton, NJ 08540.
We bid a fond farewell to Administrative Assistant Karyn Grunwald, who left us to work for a non-profit environmental consulting organization in New Brunswick recently. Fortunately for us, Karyn has been filling in when she could while we looked for her replacement (even while Karyn began working at her new job.) Thank you, Karyn!
Now dig it, hipsters! Word man Tony Gruenewald will be reading his stuff Fridae eve, 10/21, at the Book Shelf (72 High St.) in Mount Holly,'round 7. Be there or be square! For directions: http://www.quickanddirtypoets.com/bookshelfdirections.html.
Anne Young and husband Ken recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary during their two weeks in Scotland. Also on hand were their two children and three-month-old grandchild, Cameron. Another visiting grandmother was Raleigh Rigler, who preceded her visit to Chicago with a three-week tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Currently somewhere in the Alps is Dorothe McGowan, who is on a three week tour of Italy, Austria and Switzerland. Claudia Homoki enjoyed her 13-day Mediterranean cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Gisela Wintner spent 18 days visiting Prague and her native Germany. Janet Bickal just returned from safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Victory Chase and her husband took a cruise of the Adriatic from Dubrovnic to Venice, where they spent a few days. Arleen Barisa recently took her first Alaskan cruise and visited Vancouver as well. In August Ken Gooen took his first cruise – of four Hawaiian Islands no less - with wife, son and two grandchildren. Betsey Butler and son Brett spent a "delightful" two weeks touring New Zealand and visiting with Brett's sister (and fellow volunteer), Claire. Sandy Shapiro ended the summer with two weeks in New Hampshire, Montreal and Quebec. A "high point" of the trip was when she and her husband, Dan, climbed Mt. Washington. John Schivell visited family during his three weeks in Seattle. And Sheldon Halpern spent the latter half of September in Paris and Normandy.
Congratulations to our two volunteers who got married in September! First Leslie Jennings tied the knot with Clancy Rowley. After a honeymoon on Martha's Vineyard, the couple is back at work at Princeton University. A few weeks later Priscilla Cunza-Marin married Chris Bos. They spent their honeymoon in Mexico.
Hot Tip: If you try to open a file, but the computer asks you for a password it's because you tried to open the file with the wrong icon. (And you can fix this!) But first a review: the "wave" icon on the top left of your screen is for opening files that have no recording on them, i.e., new files. The icon to its right (it looks like an open folder) is for opening files that are at least partially recorded.
Happy Birthday to us! This issue marks the first anniversary of the "Newz." From our scandal sheet origins to our current status as the unit's leading monthly publication it's been a wonderful journey so far. True, the Pulitzer committee hasn't called even once (!), and there was that defamation lawsuit, but hey, it's all part of the learning experience. Ad revenue remains steady, and our circulation has reached double figures! Thanks, folks – we wouldn't exist without you. Truly, you are the wind beneath our exclamation points!!