Aloha to 2011/2012 AAUW Fremont Branch Elected Officers!
By Shirley Gilbert, Member of the AAUW Fremont Branch Administrative Team
Enjoy an album of pictures taken at the 2011 Installation Dinner by Mary Lynn Pelican.
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Hula Dancers: Fremont branch member JoAnn Houk and her friend Gloria Reed
If you didn’t know that Fremont’s Paseo Padre Parkway was close by, you would have imagined you were in Hawaii at this year’s Installation celebration on June 14th, 2011.
The leis, the hula dancers, the groaning table resplendent with pupus (appetizers), the island decorations, the exotic drinks with those little umbrellas, the alohas from reception greeters and presenters all conspired to put you in a Hawaiian state of mind.
The fifty members who attended the get-together really enjoyed the Surprise! game that greeted them when they were no sooner in the door of the Quail Room Clubhouse on the grounds of branch members Steve and Amy Cho’s housing development.
The object of the game was to match up surprising experiences or facts about attendees collected beforehand. Then they had to network like crazy to gather as many names as possible. The facts went from “I am wearing black lingerie” to “I tripped over an iguana in the Galapagos.”
Installation program committee member Linette Young catered the affair and put together an amazing array of hors d’ oevres and Hawaiian drinks – one with plenty of rum.
Sandy Cashmark was the MC for the evening and introduced the two hula dancers, Fremont Branch member JoAnn Hauk and her friend Gloria Reed, who gracefully swayed to three Hawaiian numbers.
President for the month of June, Jo Szeto, reminded us that this is the last AAUW branch General Meeting and asked RoseMarie Everett to sum up the time she and Mary Lynn Pelican spent at this year’s state convention in Anaheim on April 8 to 10.
Carolyn Hedgecock, head of the branch’s Educational Opportunities fund gave certificates to members who had contributed the most for AAUW’s educational causes. Receivers of the certificates were Kathy Garfinkle, Mary Lynn Pelican, Genevieve Angelides, Jeanne Delp, Liz Poe and Lily Mae.
The Named Gift Honorees were then announced. These traditional awards, in the form of a certificate and a donation in their names to Educational Opportunities fund, are given to the members who contributed most impressively to the branch throughout the year.
The three honorees are: Jack Keller, who gave above-and-beyond time to make our website very special; Jeanne Delp, head of calendar and parliamentarian, who made certain we met all our deadlines and did so much work to pass on a list of responsibilities for future presidents; and Shirley Gilbert, VP Communication, who worked hard as content manager to keep the website up-to-date and reading well.
To the tune of the Hawaiian Wedding Song, MC Sandy gave leis to the six outgoing presidents: Jeanne Delp, RoseMarie Everett, Shirley Gilbert, Carolyn Hedgecock, Sara Hinkel and Jo Szeto. “We are playing the Wedding Song because these volunteers probably think being president is like being married to the branch. But I think of it more like being a mistress to the branch – and outgoing presidents do get jewelry.” The “jewelry” was presidential pins given to the three newest presidents, Shirley, Sara and Jo.
Again Hawaiian music heralded the annual ceremony of installing the newly-elected officers. Before she adorned them with leis, Sandy talked about the history of the lei in Hawaii. “The custom,” said Sandy, “was introduced by the early Polynesians who came to Hawaii from Tahiti. When they landed they made leis of flowers, leaves, even bones and teeth of animals. Today you’ll be happy to hear we’re only giving out flowers.”
Two new presidents, Jo Szeto and Helen Yu, will lead AAUW Fremont.
Sandy reminded the audience that a roster of elected members was sent out and there were no objections. “So it’s my pleasure,” she beamed, “to introduce them to you here.”
The new Board Presidents – we have two – are Jo Szeto and new member Helen Yu. Sandy emphasized that two more presidents are needed. She then took some time out to ask members to step up to the plate. She called this an NPR-like pledge break. “Year after year,” Sandy said, “the same people take on the big jobs and bring great programs to our branch. Now it’s time for others to bring their talents to the table. Think seriously of signing up and contributing to AAUW Fremont.”
Ta dum! The entire team of Fremont Branch officials for 2011/2012 pose for a group shot.
The Program Leadership Team: it was tough finding one person to take on head of programs so a team was formed to bring you some great activities for next year. The team is made up of: Sara Hinkel, Miriam Keller, Mary Lynn Pelican, Suzanne Shenfil, RoseMarie Everett, Kathy Garfinkle, Linette Young, Liz Poe and Janice Longo. Vice Presidents Marylouise Bailey and Steve Cho are also included in the picture.
The newly installed Vice Presidents are:
- Facilities VP is RoseMarie Everett.
- Membership VP is Mary Lynn Pelican.
- Educational Opportunity VP is Carolyn Hedgecock.
- Legal Advocacy Fund VP is not filled as yet.
- Secretary is Marylouise Bailey.
- Treasurer is Steve Cho.
At the end of the evening members scurried around to get as many names as possible associated with Surprise! facts. Winner of macadamia nuts was RoseMarie Everett who came up with over 20 names. Sara Hinkel won Kona coffee for collecting a slew of names as well.
Kathy Garfinkle, program manager for this affair and so many others over the years, then thanked the team that brought the AAUW Hawaiian celebration to Fremont. “It takes so much work to bring an evening like this to you. Special thanks to Linette Young who created this Hawaiian feast and to our whole committee who worked tirelessly to make certain we all had a wonderful time.”
As the twang of Hawaiian music filled the clubhouse, members took leftover food home and said goodbye as feelingly as if they were leaving Hawaii after a great vacation.
Enjoy an album of pictures taken at the Installation Dinner by Mary Lynn Pelican.