Prickly Pear Postings Volume 27, No. 4 April 2016 Summer 2016

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1 Prickly Pear Postings Volume 27, No. 4 April 2016 Summer 2016 Inside this issue: Co-President s Message submitted by Marjorie Wright It looks like spring has sprung, and it s time to start tying up loose ends for our SEV AAUW year. First of all, Co-President Janet Cox and I would like to thank all our members who worked so hard to make the past year a success. You were a great team, and for that we are truly appreciative. At our Annual Meeting on March 21, 2016 in the Oakwood Dining Room, we had an opportunity to hear many of our members review their committee s activities of the past year. At that time we also elected the executive members of our branch, voted on the proposed branch bylaw changes and learned about our budget as approved by the Board. This was preceded by a presentation by Joan Koebler-Walker entitled Encouraging Girls in STEM. She described her work with teen girls promoting interest in science leading to confidence and excitement of pursuing careers in science. Ms. Koebler-Walker is CEO of The Arizona Bio- Industry Association (AZBio) which serves as the unified voice in the bioscience industry in Arizona striving to make Arizona a place where bioscience organizations can grow and succeed. March General Meeting Meet our Advertisers Evening Book Club Afternoon Book Club International Dinner and Local Scholarship Pictures Birthday Raffle Singles Lunch Bunch Afternoon Bridge Mah Johgg Pictures Manage Your Membership Community Action Great Decisions International Dinner Pictures Our members had a special opportunity this spring. All AAUW members in leadership positions, especially, were encouraged to attend the AAUW of Arizona Spring Conference in Tucson on April 2, The topic was Education Advocacy and Leadership Training. The incoming leadership members are looking forward to sharing ideas from the meeting discussion about how the AZ AAUW could be of greater assistance to the individual clubs. For more information on the Spring Conference, please look at our website. You will be pleasantly surprised and impressed if you take time to explore it. Our webmaster, Margaret Noser is to be commended. Here s wishing a great summer to all. Although the club does not meet formally during the summer, a number of interest groups will continue their activities. For further information, consult the website. AAUW Events April 4 Afternoon Bridge April 11 Afternoon Book Club April 12 May 10 Evening Book Club April 13 Board Meeting April 14 May 12 Singles April 16 Board Brunch April 18 General Meeting April 20 May 24 Lunch Bunch April 25 May 23 Mah Jongg April 27 Great Decisions

2 Page 2 Prickly Pear Postings April 18 GENERAL MEETING Ann Howard serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), a subdivision of Arizona State Parks, in Phoenix, AZ. Ms. Howard is a professional archaeologist and has worked in Arizona archaeology for over 39 years. She received her M.A. in Anthropology, with a specialization in Archaeology, from Arizona State University, and has been with the SHPO for almost 27 years. Within the SHPO, Ms. Howard supervises the archaeology staff and focuses on providing technical assistance and advice to state and federal agencies on their compliance with relevant historic preservation laws. She also oversees the annual, statewide celebration of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month and works with a large and diverse group of partners to host the highlight event of the month, the Arizona Archaeology Expo; the Expo a unique, outdoor educational Fair that focuses on making the public aware of the importance of protecting and conserving our heritage resources. Ms. Howard also coordinates the Governor s Archaeology Advisory Commission, a statutory board that advises the Governor on archaeology issues that are important to Arizona. Additionally, she serves as the SHPO liaison to the Arizona Archaeological Council, the statewide organization of professional archaeologists. Ms. Howard serves as the SHPO s technical advisor to the Arizona Site Steward Program, a nationally recognized volunteer program that has been responsible for helping to curtail looting and vandalism through the monitoring of archaeological sites within Arizona. In 2010, she received the Governor s Archaeology Advisory Commission s Award in Public Archaeology in the Government Service Category. Ann is an Honorary Regent of the Gila Butte Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Sun Lakes, and has been a member of the DAR for over 30 years. Ann has two sons, both in college, and her husband (also an archaeologist) is the Curator of Anthropology and Ethnography at the Arizona Museum of Natural History. She loves crafting with vintage buttons -- creating button flower arrangements, framed button art, and jewelry. When Ann is not spending time with her Mother who is 93 and also lives in Sun Lakes, she is up at her cabin in Prescott enjoying the cool pines at 7000 feet! Meet our Advertisers

3 Page 3 Prickly Pear Postings The Evening Book Club for April EVENING BOOK CLUB The book selection for April 12 is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. "From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II."(Goodreads) Nancy Andrews will be our discussion leader and we will meet at 7:00 p.m. at Carmen Otero s. She is in Oakwood at S. Lakeway Circle S.E. Please R.S.V.P. to Carmen or hco2@aol.com We extend a welcome to new members. The Evening Book Club for May The book selection for May 10 is A Spool of Blue Thread, by Ann Tyler. It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon... This is how Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July The Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate togetherness: an indefinable, enviable kind of specialness. But they are also like all families, in that the stories they tell themselves reveal only part of the picture. Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets. From Red s father and mother, newly arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to Abby and Red s grandchildren carrying the family legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, here are four generations of Whitshanks, their lives unfolding in and around the sprawling, lovingly worn Baltimore house that has always been their anchor." (Goodreads) Carmen Otero will be our discussion leader for our May selection. Lois Fitzsimmons will host the 7:00 meeting at her Palo Verde home, S. Spring Creek Rd. Please R.S.V.P. to Lois or lofitz1@aol.com. We welcome new members. Interest leaders: Barb St. Peter and Carmen Otero AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB LIST For Apr.11 Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger Leader:Betty Raveret Hostess Diane Larson Assisted by Susan Meer AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB The April 11 book club will meet at 2:00 at the home pf our hostess Diane Larson E Champagne Dr. IW. Susan Meer will assist. Our book is.ordinary Grace by WK.Krueger. Betty Raveret will lead tje discussion. " I still spend alot of time thinking about the events of that summer.about the terrible price of wisdom, the awful grace of God". So begins Frank Drum forty years after that tragic summer. rsvp Diane at co chair jane wagner Jane Wagner

4 Page 4 International Dinner and LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP Fundraiser A very colorful and festive International Dinner was held February 15 at the Oakwood Country Club. Nearly 80 members and non-members were introduced to HOLI, the Spring Festival of Color in India. Decorations included colorful table settings of silk saree squares topped with hand drawn rangoli by AAUW member Hema Chary. A number of branch members surprised and delighted guests by greeting them while dressed in beautiful sarees. The evening began with guests busily buying raffle tickets for a chance to win one of over 18 beautiful raffle baskets prepared by the International Dinner/Scholarship Committee and several members who donated baskets of their own. The Raffle was a great success adding over $700 to our local scholarship fund. The formal program included a short video entitled Women off the Map which depicted women of India taking advantage of resources available through United Way to make their lives better. In addition, guests were entertained with two classical India dances performed by students of the art and their experienced dance teachers, Shyla Ganesan and Rachna Nath. The dancers were spectacular and did a wonderful job. Emely Hernandez, the 2015 AAUW Scholarship winner attended the event and spoke about her appreciation of the award and how much it meant to her and her family. The evening concluded with the drawing of the winners of each basket as well as two door prizes donated by Bay Leaf Cafe, an Indian Restaurant on Chandler Heights in Chandler. A special thank you to Gail Jones who organized the event with flair and finesse and Hema Chary who contributed her many artistic talents and knowledge of HOLI. Thank you to all those who contributed to the raffle baskets or supplied complete baskets: Gail Jones, Hema Chary, Carollynn Hanson, Ellen Peck, Sharon Gale, and Jennie Maze. And a special thank you to Ellen Peck who shouldered the entire responsibility of the scholarship raffle while Carollynn was recovering from surgery.

5 Page 5 Scholarship Birthday Raffle Please bring a gift (about $10 value) to the General Meeting during your birthday month. If you miss your month you can bring your gift any other month. October: Aug. Sept. and Oct. birthdays November: Nov. and Dec. birthdays January: the J months - Jan., June and July March: Feb. and Mar., birthdays April: April and May birthdays LUNCH BUNCH Lunch Bunch will go to Cornish Pasty Company in Mesa on Wednesday, April 20. The Cornish Pasty Company is located at the southeast corner of Dobson and Guadalupe, facing Dobson. We will meet there at 11:30 A.M. as usual. Reservations are required. Please Diane Beatty at beattybooks@yahoo.com or call her at (480) if you are coming. If you wish to carpool let her know. Carpoolers will meet in the parking lot in front of the Education Center at Riggs R. and Alma School at 11:00 A.M. Our May destination will be Postino East Wine Cafe in downtown Gilbert on Tuesday, May 24. Postino East is located at 302 N. Gilbert Rd. at the northwest corner of N. Gilbert Rd. and W. Page Ave. Reservations are required. Let Diane Beatty know if you are coming and if you want to carpool. In June we will go to Paul Martin's American Grill in Scottsdale. Our previous attempt was thwarted when we could not get a reservation. This time we should succeed. If you want to join the Lunch Bunch over the summer, make sure Diane Beatty has your name and address so you can be notified of destinations and dates. SINGLES The 2016 AAUW Singles calendar is filled for the year for the second (2nd)Thursday of each month. We meet at 5:30 p.m. for good food and even better conversation. If you are a single AAUW member, please plan to join us April 14th,May 12th, June 9th, July 14th, August 11th and September 8th. Each month the hostess plans the location and an is sent to with the information. If you would like to join us, please contact me at Karen Shaffer AFTERNOON AAUW BRIDGE Our AAUW Afternoon Bridge will meet on April 4 at 1:00 P. M. in the Saguaro Room at the Cottonwood Clubhouse. Everyone on my list will be ed a week in advance asking for your reservation to play. Each time we play we contribute $3 to the AAUW Funds as well as $.50 for prize money. New members are welcome. Please call if you have questions. Margaret Horn, Bridge Chair MAH JONGG Mah Jongg for April 25 and May 23 (The fourth Monday of the Month) We will Meet at 11:45 in the Palo Verde Bar for lunch and play Mah Jongg at 1:00 in the restaurant. A reminder will be sent before the dates and you can respond to lunch or just come for the game at one o clock. Madeleine Lutz will be in charge of Mah Jongg from May through September. We will continue with a beginner's table as long as it is needed. Interest leaders: Barb St. Peter and Madeleine Lutz

6 Page 6 Prickly Pear Postings MANAGE YOUR AAUW PERSONAL MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION ONLINE. ***Note: Step 6 added*** You can now MANAGE and EDIT your own AAUW membership information with powerful online tools and resources!! Be in Control! UPDATE your PERSONAL INFORMATION ( i.e. Residential address, address, Phone number, etc etc etc), make donations, renew and pay membership dues, and much much more!!! 5 Simple Steps 1-Go to: 2-Click on: AAUW.org 3-Scroll all the way to bottom and click on: Membership (at top of page) Member Tools 4-LOGIN using your AAUW membership ID and Password 5- Half way down the page, it will read: Click on: Manage your AAUW membership online Member Service Database Voila!!! -->> YOUR PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION PAGE-->>where you can make ANY CHANGES to your contact information!! STEP 6- any changes you make to Mary Ann Habib atarizonahabib@gmail.com, or dhaugland.aauw@gmail.comso we can reflect the changes in our local Southeast Valley directory, website and membership database. Mary Ann Habib & Donna Haugland CO - Membership VPs

7 Page 7 COMMUNITY ACTION The breeze, the trees, the honey bees- All Volunteers! Our volunteer service for the year will be coming to an end at the end of April. The Community Action Committee would like to thank all of our members who have given their time and talent to several volunteer projects this year. Our volunteers have continued to successfully support the 6-Minute Reading, Art Masterpiece and Junior Achievement programs at three Chandler elementary schools as well as many other community volunteer projects. The Committee would like to give a special thanks to the following volunteers for their continued support: Sharon Gale, Margaret Noser, Jennie Maze, Mary Ann Habib and Sheila Petriello. During the summer the Community Action Committee will continue to explore possible opportunities for our branch to participate in a new, or existing, STEM/STEAM program for girls. Have a wonderful, safe summer and we hope you ll consider joining our efforts when we return in October. Sandy Shepoiser, shepmilk@aol.com or Luann Hulbert, luannhulbert@gmail.com or GREAT DECISIONS The Great Decisions Program is sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), a private, non-profit and nonpartisan educational association. The FPA promotes awareness and informed opinions on U.S. foreign policy and global issues. Each month the group selects one of the current year's topics for discussion. Members of the group take turns facilitating the discussion and/or hosting the meeting. No special knowledge is necessary, just an interest in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. We welcome all points of view. The annual cost of the materials is about $25 which covers the cost of each member's briefing book and the DVD that provides additional discussion on the topic. All Meetings are Wednesdays from 3-5PM Wednesday April 27, 2016 Topic: The Koreas If you are thinking about joining our group, or would like additional information, please contact Cynthia Cantor at: azcancyn@yahoo.com.

8 Page 8 Prickly Pear Postings AAUW National Website AAUW Arizona State Website Donna Haugland and Karen Shaffer Co-Editors