Author: linda.quinn

What have our members been up to?

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The question is what I’ve been up to during Covid. 

As a 2019 Christmas gift, our daughter Dana signed me up with Storyworth.com, an online vanity publisher. Each week of 2020, Storyworth sent me a question about a particular life experience or moment, or something meaningful to me. I could choose which questions to answer and was invited to submit my own topics as well. Any photographs that illustrated my writings were encouraged in the JPEG format. All editing was to be done by me, the writer. My stories grew to 288 pages and featured everything from “Close Calls” to “Peace of Mind.”

After a year of submissions, my subscription to questions ended and a two-month editing period ensued. An email address of [email protected] proved quite helpful for technical and pricing questions I had.

The result of all this came in the mail this week:  three ordered copies of a hard-bound book I’d entitled “Glenn’s Stories … All True.” These hardbound books are 6” X 9” in size and feature a table of contents and selected photo for the cover. The first copy ordered comes with a $39 credit as part of the subscription, the price of each book with black and white photos. For color photos, the price is $79 per book plus our NYS state tax and shipping options.

I must say, Storyworth turned out to be one of the very best gifts in memory. Churning our narrative responses to their questions kept me off the streets, out of jail, and away from Covid-19. After editing tens of thousands of student essays in my teaching career, I got to challenge myself with each piece for the book. My thanks go to daughter Dana for this engaging experience, and to friend Linda Quinn and he newsletter staff for their question to our membership.

Glenn Baldwin, March 1, 2021
English Department, Northport High School

It’s not too late to send a submission to share with our membership. Send your anecdotes to [email protected], and be sure to include your name, school you retired from and subject taught – if applicable. Photos are welcome!

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Dear Members,
Hooray! We have survived so far, and it is spring. Let us be glad! It has been a difficult year and because of COVID concerns we had to cancel hosting the our 2020 Luncheons, the Annual Picnic and this year’s Spring Luncheon. However, we have used the money saved doing good in your name. We have made donations to the Interfaith Food Pantry in Northport and St. Vincent de Paul food bank in East Northport. Both organizations distribute food based only on need and not because of any religious membership. We made a donation, with assistance from the UTN, to a  Northport-East Northport district family in need. Finally, we gave a donation  in memory of Chris Pendergast to the  ALS Ride for Life to continue his work and legacy.

Due to the pandemic, elections of Executive Board officers were not held last year.The office of president is currently vacant due to the untimely death of Fran LaDuca. The current vice president, treasure, corresponding secretary and recording secretary have graciously offered to continue working in these positions. The Executive Board is also in need of volunteers who would be willing to serve on the committees that make our organization run. Please consider joining with former colleagues to do good  for others, and keep us all connected. We will be posting additional information about the requirements for the office of president, and once there is a slate of candidates it will be posted online and a vote held.

Also, consider making a donation to Vote Cope. Our voices need to be heard to support public educators past and present and the system which has educated so many children so well.  More information about Vote-Cope is posted on the NYSUT Vote-Cope information page.
Finally, enjoy colleagues’ post about what they have been doing during the pandemic. If you haven’t already done so, please share your experiences with us and let us know what you are most looking forward to enjoying in the future. Send short anecdotes to [email protected], and be sure to include your name, school you retired from and subject taught – if applicable. Photos are welcome!

We do not know if it will be possible to hold a picnic in September, but we will keep the membership posted as the pandemic plays out.

Be well, and stay safe, so we can all meet again.
The Executive Board

What have our members been up to?

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We asked our members to let us know how they survived the cloistered months of the pandemic, and beginning today we will be posting accounts of how our members fared during these trying times. Today post features reports from two of our members, Alan Drysdale and Howard Blue.

My wife Susan and I have donated our relief checks to several causes:  A local soup kitchen, Wounded Warriors, St. Jude, The Salvation Army, K-9 heroes, St. Joseph’s Indian School and  others.  We feel very fortunate to be able to do this, and encourage others who can, to do the same.

Alan Drysdale
Math teacher at Northport Jr. and Northport Middle for 33 years.

This winter I broke my record for catching the most mice in our basement – so as not to engender jealousy, I won’t say the exact number. One mouse got so impatient for a new trap that he came upstairs looking for me. 
I’ve also been carrying out my duties as Town Historian for Copake, NY. You can see some of my stories — about Liberace; Walt Whitman’s brother, Emile Griffith; murders; a one legged veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg; an alleged Nazi spy;  and the test flight of a plane for the Navy — all in little old in Copake. See the Copake History Facebook page to read more. Finally, I’m just about done with the writing of my book: The Man Who Sold Superman (Comic Books) to the World, and a publisher’s interested.

Howard Blue
Northport High School
Social Studies Department
                &
School 1129 Moscow
English Department

We are still looking for more submissions. Send your anecdotes to [email protected], and be sure to include your name, school you retired from and subject taught – if applicable. Photos are welcome!