February 2017 Issue Texas District Team -------------------------------------2 District Director Corner -------------------------------3 Assistant DD Corner -----------------------------------4 Couple of the Year Article ----------------------------5 Rider Education Article --------------------------------6 Membership Enhancement ------------------------- 10 Leadership Training Article------------------------- 11 GWRRA President (Alkier) Article---------------- 13 GWRRA Director (Garris) Article------------------ 14 Region H Director s Corner (Berry) -------------- 16 Region H Team------------------------------------------ 17 Region H Motor Awareness (Stevenson) ------ 18 By the Book (Jack Wagner)------------------------- 19 2017 Texas District Rally Registration---------- 20 Wing Ding #39 (2017) --------------------------------- 25 Puzzle Page ---------------------------------------------- 30 GWRRA Event Dates ---------------------------------- 31 Region H Rally Form ---------------------------------- 21 Louisiana Rally Form --------------------------------- 22 Texas Chapter O Rally Form ----------------------- 23 Texas Chapter J Fools Run Rally Form -------- 24 Oklahoma Rally Form--------------------------------- 29 Motor Awareness Division ----------------------------9 GWRRA TEXAS DISTRICT PART OF REGION H (THE HOSPALITY REGION) F RIENDS F OR F UN , S AFETY , AND K NOWLEDGE Update on Wing Ding 39 There has been a lot of speculation about some of the cost for Wing Ding in Grapevine Texas this year. Roomer was there would be a resort fee and parking fee that would mount to a lot of money. Well I decided to go straight to the source and send an email to Anita Alkier (President of GWRRA). My question was what were the parking and or resort fees if you did not reserve a room in the Gaylord Texan Resort. Let me answer your first comment about the fees. There is no resort fee when you make your reservations with the Gaylord using the GWRRA code. There is a $10/day parking fee in addition to your room. Now if you stay with friends, what we have negotiated with the Gay- lord is that you can come in the first day and pur- chase from the Gaylord a parking pass for the 5 days. It will cost $50 and give you in and out privileges just like a guest staying at the re- sort. We did this because they do charge for parking, a higher amount, and if you aren't stay- ing at the resort then it has no in and out privi- leges so you pay each time. So the pass it a great savings. That would be the only cost if you did not stay on property. I hope this clears up some of the confusion about fees during Wing Ding. Even though Anita mentioned staying with friends, this basically ap- plies to not staying in the resort center. More news is coming about the Texas involvement in Wing Ding 39. Stay turned on and tuned in...
Transcript
February 2017 Issue
Texas District Team -------------------------------------2
District Director Corner -------------------------------3
Motor Awareness Division ----------------------------9
GWRRA TEXAS DISTRICT PART OF REGION H (THE HOSPALITY REGION)
F RIENDS F OR F UN , SAFETY , AND KNOWLEDGE
Update on Wing Ding 39 There has been a lot of speculation about some of the cost for Wing Ding in Grapevine Texas this year. Roomer was there would be a resort fee and parking fee that would mount to a lot of money. Well I decided to go straight to the source and send an email to Anita Alkier (President of GWRRA). My question was what were the parking and or resort fees if you did not reserve a room in the Gaylord Texan Resort. Let me answer your first comment about the fees. There is no resort fee when you make your reservations with the Gaylord using the GWRRA code. There is a $10/day parking fee in addition to your room. Now if you stay with friends, what we have negotiated with the Gay-lord is that you can come in the first day and pur-chase from the Gaylord a parking pass for the 5 days. It will cost $50 and give you in and out privileges just like a guest staying at the re-sort. We did this because they do charge for parking, a higher amount, and if you aren't stay-ing at the resort then it has no in and out privi-leges so you pay each time. So the pass it a great savings. That would be the only cost if you did not stay on property. I hope this clears up some of the confusion about fees during Wing Ding. Even though Anita mentioned staying with friends, this basically ap-plies to not staying in the resort center. More news is coming about the Texas involvement in Wing Ding 39. Stay turned on and tuned in...
We want to say thank you to everyone that showed up at MWRU in Wichita Falls last month. Just about every Chapter showed up for the business meeting. Everyone has turned in all of the end of year financials. We have 8 new Chapter Directors that volunteered, everyone will do a great job. We also want to give thanks to all the Chapter Directors that stayed in their position. Here is a list of all the Texas Chapter Directors: Chapter Area Chapter Director
A Amarillo Glen & Judy Tyler
E Wichita Falls Larry & Karen Brown
G Tomball Ray and Linda Willis
G2 Greenville Harry & Ione Whipple NEW
H San Antonio Carl & Angela Batts NEW
I Marshall Daryl & Kathy Dunham
J Beaumont Darla & Chris Kyle NEW
K2 Castroville Michael & Pat Pineda
L Lake Jackson Bill Garwood NEW
M Arlington/Mansfield Wayne & Kristee Orr NEW
M2 Spring Bart & Cheryl Harris
N2 Humble Randy & Sharon Rainwater
O Austin Lyle & Sheri Altes NEW
P Granbury Paul Lustenhouwer
R Dallas - Fort Worth Cliff & Gillian Allen
S2 League City Daniel/Veronica Matula NEW
T Killeen Jim & Alvalin Woodul
T2 Georgetown Scott & Judy Finnell NEW
U San Antonio Steve & Donna Van Gilder
W Katy Cindy & Lynn Harris
W2 Waxahachie Bryon & Norma Manthe
Z Pasadena Greg & Kris Johnstone
Thank you to all of you. We had several of new team members get sworn in and agreed to go by the Oath of Of-fice. Every time we read it, it means a lot to us. Have you really listened to it? As an Officer and Volunteer Leader of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, I will do my best: To serve the Association by providing for its Members, in accordance with the Officer Handbook; To serve the Members, for whom I
am responsible, in a manner befitting the Of-fice; To assist my Senior Officers in the exe-cution of their duties and responsibilities; To promote and support my Peers in a team at-mosphere, working together for the benefit of the whole Support all Programs of the Asso-ciation; To be positive in attitude and spirit; To lead by example while promoting an atmos-phere of fun, safety and knowledge; To pro-vide a succession of leadership for my office; I further pledge, during my term of office, to serve with pride and devotion, while upholding the highest traditions and core values of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. This is a great honor and you should be proud. I know we are. We know you have probably heard by now that we have decided to step aside and let new blood come in with new ideas and fun for you members. We have had so much fun and have met the most awesome people while being your Directors. We have come to a time in our life that we will be retiring soon and we need to get some things in order. We have a lot of “Honey Do” lists for each of us. You know, like remodeling the house. Getting new motorcy-cles, going on more rides. Things like that. Region Director-Jim Berry is excepting re-sumes now, up until the end of February. We would like the new Directors to come on board before the rally that way we can begin to pass things along. Not just drop everything in their lap. So, PUT YOUR RESUME IN TODAY!
Mike & Robin Thacker
Texas District Director
TEXAS DISTRICT DIRECTOR Mike and Robin Thacker
PAGE 4 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
February is upon us. I want to remind all you
husbands (and Wives) this means we should
be thinking about a box of chocolates and or
flowers for the sweet hearts in our lives. Again,
this is just a reminder and the lord knows I
need all the help I can get. The US Greeting
Card Association estimates approximately 190
million valentine cards are sent each year. If
you include the cards made as a activity of
school children the number climbs to over a bil-
lion. Electronic valentine cards have become
so popular that in 2010 it is estimated 15 million
were sent. Basically valentines day is now
considered by many to be a Hallmark Holiday
due to commercialization. In any event, do not
forget you sweet heart, or you will possibly live
to regret Feb 14.
Now for GWRRA things. The Mid Winter
Round Up in Wichita Falls was a great success.
There was a mass swearing in of new officers.
I counted about 20 new officers in the cere-
mony (I may be a few off). This means we had
20 people ready to step up to a new position
within GWRRA. I personally want to congratu-
late everyone that has made this most impor-
tant step. You now have people relying on you
in the chapter to lead them on to bigger and
better things. Being a leader in your local
chapter is a great honor as well as responsibil-
ity. The chapter is where it all happens for
GWRRA. Everyone in other leadership posi-
tions are there to support you and to make you
successful in your new position. Do not ever
forget we are here for you. If you need any
help or questions resolved that is what we do.
Personally I do no have all the answers but I
know where to go and get you an answer.
Again, congratulations to each and everyone of
you. GWRRA is all about having fun with fellow
bike riders and learning about how to keep your
self safe while enjoying the open road.
I looking forward to seeing everyone at the up and coming events through out the year.
Tom & Dawn Sprague
Texas Assistant District Directors Newsletter Editor - Web Master Senior University Trainer
=================================== Special Dates in History
February 1, 1960 - In Greensboro, North Caro-lina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's store. They were refused service, but did not leave. Instead, they waited all day. The scene was repeated over the next few days, with protests spreading to other southern states, resulting in the eventual arrest of over 1,600 persons for participating in sit-ins. February 1, 2003 - Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Co-lumbia broke apart in flight over west Texas, killing all seven crew members. The accident may have resulted from damage caused during liftoff when a piece of insulating foam from the external fuel tank broke off, piercing a hole in the shuttle's left wing that allowed hot gases to penetrate the wing upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. This was the second space shuttle lost in flight. In January 1986, Challenger exploded during liftoff.
TEXAS ASSISTANT DD / EDITOR / WEBMASTER Tom & Dawn Sprague
PAGE 5 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
TEXAS DISTRICT COUPLE OF THE YEAR
2016 / 2017 SCOTT & LINDA GRESAK
Texas COY Adventures
FUN IN FEBRUARY
Traditionally February does not always provide
the best riding weather that we all cherish, al-
though the Texan motto has always been, “If
you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes”. Not
being able to plan on the weather changing to
nice 75 degree day, the month of February can
still be a lot of fun with your chapter mates.
A Super Bowl Party is a great avenue in which
to share an afternoon/evening of excitement
with your extended family. With “the big game”
being one of the most watched television
broadcasts of any year, we know there is inter-
est. Additionally, who can resist the joy ob-
tained in watching the latest Super Bowl com-
mercials, in which companies peddle their
product using any emotion possible? Mix in
your guests bringing their favorite foods and
sodas, along with the game that provides the
entertainment and you have a successful party.
Just as many of our friends have rooting inter-
ests in one team or another for the Super Bowl;
another good opportunity for this type of com-
radery is “The Daytona 500”. “The Daytona
500” is considered the “Super Bowl of NAS-
CAR”. Unlike football which ends its season
with the big game, this race kicks off the NAS-
CAR Season and has many allegiances as well
from drivers to sponsors (car design) and make
of car (Chevy, Ford, Dodge or Toyota). Be-
cause of these many followings, this is addi-
tionally a good opportunity for a gathering on a
Sunday afternoon. If the Super Bowl or NAS-
CAR is just not your group's cup of tea, merely
try a game night instead, as we all enjoy some
healthy competition that can be found in domi-
noes, cards, board games or even Wii.
Valentine’s Dinners or Lunches (at a planned
restaurant) on these less than favorable days,
can be another way of alternate enjoyment. A
nice meal that enables us to socialize with our
friends while paying tribute to “our sweeties” is
always a rewarding experience. Throw in a
singing telegram, a barbershop quartet or an
entertainer, now you have one of the most
memorable chapter experiences of the year.
Other ways of fighting the elements can come
from some of our favorite indoor group activi-
ties. A bowling challenge at your local alley
can provide a lot of fun and laughter that ex-
tends itself when you invite your nearby chap-
ters to share the pleasure. Miniature golf is an-
other fine way to pass an afternoon sharing
more fun with your chapter mates realizing that
anyone can play and you can additionally bring
your family.
In closing, we all enjoy riding our bikes / trikes
with the wind in our face and the beautiful
sceneries as we are twisting through the back
roads, towards our destination, However, there
is the saying, “When life gives you lemons, you
make lemonade”. So while the month of Feb-
ruary doesn’t give us weather that we most
cherish, it still gives us the opportunity for loads
of F-U-N.
Scott & Linda Gresak Texas District Couple of the Year 2016-17
PAGE 6 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Texas Chapter Educators Recognized I am pleased to announce that we had three Chapter Rider Educators recognized at the re-cent Mid-Winter meeting. Chris Schoenthal
from Chapter M and Danny and Betty William-son from Chapter J were both awarded a certifi-cate as Texas Outstanding Educators. The 2016 Texas Educator of the Year award was presented to Ken Jordan from Chapter U.
Here are some of the comments from his Chap-ter Director, Steve VanGilder:
Ken Jordan accepted the challenge to be the Chapter U Educator in January, 2016. Over the last year, Ken has constantly strived to make this Chapter safer, educated, and bet-ter prepared for motorcycle emergencies that might occur. As a Senior Master Rider, he always exhibits proper and safe riding methods, both indi-vidually and for our group rides. As a long-time member of Chapter U, he is sought out for his experience and knowledge whenever folks have questions about riding and prepa-rations for safe journeys’. He has often asked Chapter participants to describe any accident that they may have been involved in and then discusses how the accident could have possibly been avoided. Our members always listen closely when these occur to try and add to the conversation or just soak in the information for future use. Ken is also an advocate for the Rider Educa-tion Levels Program. He always speaks to our new members about the benefits and ex-perience they will gain from becoming part of this program. His communication abilities has culminated in having all 6 of our new members become part of the program as Level 1 participants. He consistently up-dates folks on their Level status and what upcoming courses are needed to maintain or increase their current level. He ensures all patches are ordered and presented at our Chapter Gathering. Ken has scheduled numerous riding and safety seminars for Chapter U participants and always invited our other local Chapters to attend. He has planned, coordinated, and scheduled seminars on Night Riding, Riding with New/Inexperienced Riders, Dealing with
RIDER EDUCATOR Randy & Kathy Reese
Texas District Educators
PAGE 7 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Different Elements, Motorcycle Crash Scene Response, Hills & Curves, Co-Rider seminar, and Motorist Awareness. He also scheduled and coordinated instructors and facilities for a CPR/First Aid Class for Chapter U partici-pants. Chapter U has benefited greatly from Ken’s speaking topics at every Chapter Gathering. His monthly Newsletter articles, whether original or from others, are always on point and something that will benefit all of our rid-ers. He is a strong Chapter Team member that always completes his required monthly reports to the District Team. Ken attends and participates in all Chapter, District, and Region functions and rides whenever possi-ble. He suggests and leads Chapter rides, has set up and managed a Recruiting & Mo-torist Awareness table at our sponsor’s (Kent Powersports) “Hot Winter Nights” event. He speaks to numerous folks about these sub-jects and hands out flyers. Ken also has nu-merous links on chapter website for riding information and safety. As the Chapter Director, Ken’s knowledge and advice on keeping the Chapter safe and functioning is invaluable to myself, the Team Leaders, and this Chapter. In my opinion, these are qualities that every Chapter Team member should demonstrate and employ.
We are very proud of Ken and look forward to his continued leadership in Texas Rider Educa-tion.
Randy & Kathy Reese Texas District Educators [email protected] 512-744-3635 – Randy cell
512-848-3144 – Kathy cell All The Gear All The Time
===================================
Special Dates in Texas History
February 1st, 1882 building commissioners Nimrod Norton and Joseph Lee turned the first shovelful of dirt for the present Texas Capitol. Construction was financed by the sale of three million acres of public land in the Panhandle, under the auspices of the XIT Ranch. The main building material is red granite from Marble Mountain, west of Austin. The Renaissance Revival structure, for which the Capitol in Washington was the model, was dedicated in 1888. The total cost was $3.75 million. The cost of restoration in the 1990s was $200 mil-lion February 2nd, 1874 the Ursuline Sisters started their academy in Dallas. The Ursulines, founded in Italy in 1535, came to Quebec in 1639, New Orleans in 1727, Galveston in 1847, and San Antonio in 1851. Their academies wel-come girls of all denominations without regard for race, color, or national or ethnic origin. The original school in Dallas, in a four-room building on Bryan Street, opened with seven students. The academy, now located in Preston Hollow, is the oldest continuously operated Catholic school in Dallas February 3rd, 1896 the Galveston Brewing Company began operations. The impressive Galveston complex included a large ice plant, cold-storage rooms, several water wells, rail-road tracks, and a brewery that produced up to 75,000 barrels of beer annually. The facility survived the Galveston hurricane of 1900 with minor damage. During Prohibition, the com-pany produced Galvo, a “nonintoxicating cereal beverage.”
RIDER EDUCATOR Randy & Kathy Reese
Texas District Educators
Continued
PAGE 8 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Texas District
Rider Education Raffle
Each year, Rider Education holds a raffle to help offset some of our costs for sup-plies and help pay for our Level 4 meal at the State Rally. The drawing will be held at the State Rally in May. Tickets will be bound in booklets of 50 this year using a gummed edge instead of staples for easier distribution. As you remember, we had a very suc-cessful raffle for a YETI package last year that included a 50 qt. cooler, 2 tum-blers and 2 colsters. Since this went so well, we are offering YETI products again this year. This year, each ticket sold will be entered into 2 drawings for YETI packages. The first drawing will be a Tundra Roadie 20 Cooler (fits on a trailer tongue well) and two large YETI (32 oz) tumblers ($330 Value).
The second drawing will be for a Hopper soft-sided cooler, a Rambler Thermos, and a two lowball ramblers. ($350 Value)
We also will have a YETI incentive for whoever sells the winning tickets. If each educator could sell only 2 books of tickets, we could gross over $2500! If you (as a chapter Educator) did not re-ceive your Flyers, tickets, and informa-tion regarding this drawing at Mid Winter Round UP please contact Randy Reese.
RIDER EDUCATOR Randy & Kathy Reese
Texas District Educators
Rider Education Raffle
PAGE 9 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Let’s Play Spot a Motorcycle
As I write this article the biggest news in our local community paper is that an arrest has been made in the hit and run death of a 19 year old competitive cyclist. Motorcycles and bicy-cles are often involved in accidents with drivers who state that they just didn’t see us. Drivers can be distracted, impaired or just look right through us. It would really improve driving safety if every motorcyclist were readily seen. Last year Mike and Becky Stevenson, our Re-gion H Motorist Awareness Coordinators, au-thored an article in which they suggested that instead of playing “spot a bug (VW)” car game with our kids, we play spot a motorcycle. We used to call that “slug bug” and it gave you per-mission to hit your sibling if you were the first to see the VW. That got me to thinking about all the car games we used to play with our 3 girls on those long road trip vacations. In addition to slug bug there was also “I spy,” “state license plates” and the “one eyed car (one headlight was out)”. Games like these are especially helpful in “keeping your hands to yourself” and avoiding “are we there yet” questions for bored youngsters cooped up in a car. My kids are long grown and now raising chil-dren of their own. But all of my grandchildren have played on the 3 Gold Wings we have sit-ting in the garage. And it’s a special treat when MawMaw turns on the key and let’s the play with the buttons. The horn is their favorite. I hope that when my grandkids are drivers, they will be very aware of motorcyclist on the road. Adding a “spot a motorcycle” game to car trips is a simple idea that can create safer drivers in the future.
I’m going to give it a try. Will you join me?
Scott and Judy Finnell TX District, Motorist Awareness Coordinator. Assistant District Educators
TEXAS DISTRICT ASSITANT RIDER EDUCATOR
MOTOR AWARNESS COORDINATOR Scott & Judy Finnell
PAGE 10 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
TEXAS DISTRICT
MEMBERSHIP ENHNCEMENT COORDINATOR (MEC)
CHAPTER OF THE YEAR COORDINATOR (CHOY)
Lyle and Sheri Altes
It sure was great to see so many of you at MWRU this year. For us a chance to finally meet some of you and put faces with names. For those of you that did not make it to MWRU we look forward to meeting you at one of sev-eral rally’s this spring. Congratulations to all of the new Couples Of The Year that were pre-sented at MWRU you are a strong and fun looking group I know you will make your Chap-ters proud of their choice, remember this is an honor and your only job is to just get out there and have fun!! All of the CHOY binders should have been turned into us by now for judging and we want to thank all of the Chapters participating. For all of their hard work this past year to get to this point. For those Chapters that did not par-ticipate this year, we would like to encourage you join in for the 2017 year. You are already gathering most of the information that you need for this program the hardest part is get-ting that information organized and in one place. Try to find someone in your chapter who is good at organizing and keeping paper work together. Once it is set up it takes very little time each month to keep it up. We find the Chapters that participate in the CHOY pro-gram, have members that tend to get more in-volved, attend more functions while trying to get more points for their chapter and they defi-antly start having more fun so please get in-volved. In mid-January we sent out a message to the Chapter Directors informing them of a change to the Texas District Newsletter competition taking effect now for 2017. Beginning this year, the newsletter completion will run from January thru October. In mid-October we send a mes-
sage out requesting which of the competition months your Chapter would like us to judge for the year. We will need that information back to us by November 1, the newsletters will be judged electronically and the winners will be announced at the 2018 MWRU and not at the 2017 District Rally as in the past. We are now moving into a very busy rally sea-son with several Chapter, District and Region rallies, it can get very hectic especially during the months March thru May. While we all try to have as much fun as we can at these events it can put a strain on the chapter and its mem-bers trying to attend so many of these func-tions. So we need to find ways to make these less stressful such as group rides to and from rallies. Chapters that are into camping also try caravanning to the rallies. Try to all stay at same campgrounds when possible, plan chap-ter dinners on nights when organized rally events aren’t happening etc. Also don’t forget about our chapter members that can’t go some of these rallies we all know it is not always possible to go. Try and have some planned rides or other fun chapter things for them to do also. This can resolve some of the stress, strain and yes even hard feelings during this busy yet important season for our organization, and make it fun for all. Let’s get out there and Ride and have Fun!!
Lyle & Sheri Altes TX District MEC's &
Chapter Of The Year Coordinator
MEC's Make Fun Happen!!!
PAGE 11 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
TEXAS DISTRICT TRAINERS CLIFF & GILLIAN ALLEN
Mid Winter Round Up has finished and what a blast we had, seeing friends again. The weather was its usual standard but undeterred many people braved the cold and wet to make the event. It was good to see the District Staff again and all y’all who made the trip. There were 4 seminars presented during the event: • Chapter Education by Scott Finnell. • Staffing & Appointment
by Paul & Suzette Wood. • Chapter MEC by Jim and Alvalin Woodul. • Newsletter and Webmaster
by Tom Sprague. Overall there were 266 GWRRA members at-
tended the 4 seminars, absolutely awesome! Congratulations to Scott Finnell who received his Leadership Seminar Presenter certification. Chapter T is holding a training day in the near future please contact them if you want to at-tend. I came upon the below article a few days ago and I thought it epitomized Leadership so I want to share it with you. This is taken from Linked-In depicting Leadership pointers by the ICICI Bank. Sometimes when we first become chapter offi-cers we feel lost and perhaps think “what have
PAGE 12 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
TEXAS DISTRICT TRAINERS CLIFF & GILLIAN ALLEN
CONTINUED
I done” You are not alone we have all thought this after we stepped up. Read the chart and adhere to its principles. Being a chapter officer is not rocket science, it’s fun. At MWRU in closing I mentioned that GWRRA University is changing, I know we have been saying that for a while but it’s finally here. All details can now be found by directly typing into your browser www.GWRRAtraining.com, which will take you directly to the relevant page. The first batch of Region H ITCP training is tak-ing place on February 18th & 19th in Guthrie Oklahoma. There will be 24 people attending, if you have not been informed you are attending then please be patient there will be other courses during the year.
February 4th, 1829, the Mexican government issued a decree officially changing the name La Bahía to Villa de Goliad. The term La Bahía (“the bay”) historically referred to several enti-ties Coahuila and Texas state legislator Rafael Antonio Manchola proposed the change, argu-ing that the name of the settlement around the presidio was meaningless because neither the mission nor presidio were located on “the bay.” His suggestion of “Goliad” was actually an ana-gram for the name of Father Hidalgo, the priest who led the fight for Mexican independence. For a time during the 1830s settlers called the
town both La Bahía and Goliad. The commu-nity played a key role in the Texas Revolution and became the site of the signing of the first declaration of independence for Texas February 6th, 1879, the first issue of the Texan, the first Czech newspaper in Texas, appeared. Though the periodical, published by E. J. Glueckman, lasted little more than a decade, it reflected the rich influence of the Czech culture in Texas and was just the first of many publica-tions to come. Czech immigrants came to Texas in the early 1850s and were inspired by the glowing descriptions of countryman Josef Arnošt Bergmann. This pioneer, known as the “father” of Czech immigration to Texas, wrote of the freedom and fertile land available in the Lone Star State. Austin, Fayette, Lavaca, and Washington counties in Central Texas saw the growth of Czech settlements. The immigrants brought with them their family oriented farming way of life and many religious and social socie-ties. Immigration to Texas reached its zenith in the years before World War I, when foreign born Czechs numbered over 15,000 in the state. By the end of the twentieth century, more than thirty Czech newspapers and periodicals had been published, and a number of societies and festivals honored the Czech heritage in Texas.
February 9th, 1902, Juanita Shanks Craft was born in Round Rock, Texas. Her long record as a civil-rights activist began when she joined the Dallas branch of the NAACP in 1935. She was appointed Dallas NAACP membership chair-man in 1942 and in 1946 was promoted to Texas NAACP field organizer. In 1944 Mrs. Craft became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote. She died in Austin in 1985
PAGE 13 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
GWRRA President Article Anita & JR Alkier
From January 2017 Insight NL
Happy New Year Winger Officers and family!!!
An exciting year is ahead of us and I can’t wait to get going! Some of you are just be-coming Officers and your year feels a bit rocky right now but remember there is loads of help out there all you have to do is ask. For those returning Officers, as well as the new, please remember that it is your responsibility to guide your Chapter / Dis-trict / Region for the year 2017. Your vision, objec-tive or goals must come through with passion and conviction but also must be steeped in wisdom. GWRRA is a fantastic organization with so much to offer it Mem-bers. Our Members are each so different and have different wants, needs, desires and we need to offer a variety of activities, rides and adventures to speak to each in some way. One of the best ways is to solicit help! This is not a solo job and you need your advisors. Look around, they are your Team, they are past Officers and they are enthusiastic Mem-bers. If someone suggests and idea, and it doesn’t matter what you might think but what do the Members think, have them lead a task force to explore the possibilities. Then bring the findings back to you and your Team and discuss its merits. Then, if possible, give it a try. We need to engage our flexibility and a bit of a thick skin to weather some of what lead-
ership has to offer and at other time we bask in the fun! Have a fun year and we’ll talk more about new ideas next writing.
40th Anniversary Disco Ball, Throw Back to the Desert Disco Ball
Wing Ding 39 I invite each and every one of our Of-
ficers and Members to join in the cele-bration at Wing Ding 39 in Grape-vine, TX for the last planned GWRRA Anniversary get to-gether in 2017. Don’t miss out, we are planning a very spe-cial evening on Thursday that will include, to attendees of the dinner only, a special commemora-
tive 40th Anniversary gift! Come and make memories with all of us and say thanks to Paul and Shirley for their dream, vision and great organization! I know they’ll appreciate hearing from you!
A NEW APPROACH TO AN OLD ISSUE “The Chapter Director has completed their tenure. No one wants to step up to be the CD. The Chapter might close if no one is willing to help out.” Have we ever heard these words from a Chapter? That is exactly what was said in Chapter T a few years ago. Not only was the CD ready to step down but the Assistant Chapter Director position was also vacant. In the fall of that year, a staff meeting was held to discuss this serious situation. “Joey”, a staff member suggested the following: “What if our CD would stay in position “on paper”, and the staff would help “share the lead” for the next year? The sup-port from the staff was unanimous. And so it began: Each month a different staff member took charge of the Gathering. They came equipped with a detailed Agenda which was also emailed to the Members as a “Gathering Reminder”. Joey and Glen did a great job of preparing these Agendas. The response was great and attendance started to increase at the gatherings and other Chapter events. The Members became more engaged, the morale went up and the Gather-ings turned out to be more interesting and FUN. Soon, even non-staff Chapter Members were asking for a turn “at the helm” for their monthly Gatherings. When you only have the responsibility once a year and not once every month it’s really not work, just Fun! The ideas, planning, preparation and production of the Gathering all improved immediately.
There were instant rewards for both that month’s leader and the Chapter as well. Even after the Chapter found a new CD and Assistant CD, they continued to utilize their “share the load” ideas. Everyone has truly en-joyed their opportunity to serve and atten-dance at the Gatherings has increased as much as 30-50%. Having a rotating Chapter Gathering Leader was just the beginning of the changes that helped turn this Chapter around. The Chapter likes to ride; so “Glen” steps up as Ride Coor-dinator and plans out a Ride Calendar for the entire year. Chapter Member input is utilized to appeal to as many Members as possible. Ride Reminders are sent out with an opportu-nity for a participant to be a Lead or Tail for that ride. Next they added other events and again used the same plan with Event Reminders and had similar successes. What effect has all of this had on their Chapter in the last few years? Let’s start with Joey Goff who became News-letter Editor and Event Coordinator. Then her husband, Glen was appointed Assistant Chapter Director in and is now the new Chap-ter Director. Together they were the Chapter Couple of the Year and now the District Cou-ple of the Year. This Chapter also had the awesome opportunity of hosting the District Rally in their area this year. They were very instrumental in making the Rally a great suc-cess. So we now see a very strong Chapter in GWRRA that is helping to provide our Mem-bers with a rich, rewarding and FUN experi-
PAGE 15 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
GWRRA Director’s Article Ray & Sandi Garris
From January 2017 Insight NL (Continued)
ence for all. Please join Sandi and me as we salute and congratulate Chapter T in Nampa, Idaho and their 2017 Chapter Directors, Glen and Joey Goff for deciding to “think outside of the box” If you think that this kind of approach might help a Chapter in GWRRA, please let us know. Remember “Ray’s Rule”: If you live more than 5 miles away from this Chapter you can steal this or any other good idea. In fact, Chapter T will help you by forwarding copies of their “Monthly Gathering Agendas” for your information and use. If you have a great idea in your Chapter that you would like to share with the rest of your “extended family” in GWRRA, please let me know and we will help your Chapter, and help other Chapters, by publishing your “Out of the Box Thinking!” Thank you, now let’s go for a ride, weather permitting!
Thank you, Ray & Sandi Garris
Your Directors of GWRRA
=================================== Special Dates in Texas History
February 11th, 1842, the first and only mutiny in the Texas Navy began. The schooner San Anto-nio was anchored in the Mississippi River at New Orleans. Although the high ranking officers were ashore, the sailors and marines were con-fined aboard because of fear of desertion. But they evidently got drunk on smuggled liquor and, under marine sergeant Seymour Oswalt, began a mutiny in which Lt. Charles Fuller was killed. Eventually, Commodore Edwin Moore brought some of the mutineers to trial. Three were sentenced to flogging, and four were hanged from the yardarm of the Austin on April
6, 1843. Oswalt himself es-caped from jail in New Orleans and was never brought to jus-tice February 12th, 1888, James Field Smathers was born near Valley Spring, Texas. In 1908 he became a typist, accountant, and credit man-ager for a firm in Kansas City, Missouri. He soon realized the need for some means to in-crease the speed and decrease the fatigue of typing, and the use of electric power seemed to him the obvious solution. By 1912 he had com-pleted a working model and applied for a patent, which was issued the next year. In 1914 he built an electric typewriter that performed perfectly. In 1923 the Northeast Electric Company of Roch-ester, New York, entered into a royalty contract with Smathers for the production of electric typewriters. However, private industrial accep-tance of the electric typewriter did not come until 1930, when a subsidiary of Northeast Electric put the Electromatic model on the market. This company was purchased by the International Business Machines Corporation in 1933, a step which marked the beginning of the IBM Office Products Division. In 1938 Smathers joined the Rochester staff of IBM as a consultant and worked in development engineering at Pough-keepsie until his retirement in 1953. He died in 1967. Smathers was one of a number of Texas inventors whose ideas spread far beyond the borders of the state February 13th, 1913 On this day in 1913, Igna-cio E. Lozano founded La Prensa, a Spanish language daily newspaper published in San An-tonio to address the needs of Mexicans residing temporarily in the United States who wished to follow events in Mexico, which was engulfed in the Mexican Revolution. .The last issue of La Prensa, by now a bilingual tabloid, was published on January 31, 1963, just two weeks short of the paper's fiftieth anniversary
PAGE 16 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Region H News
Directors Corner
JIM & REBA BERRY FROM REGION H NOVEMBER NL
The holidays are behind and a new year is upon us. Now is the time to start making memories. We have friends who have named their three gold wings Memory Maker 1, 2 and 3. How appropriate! We look back over 2015 and have such fond memories of rallies, din-ners, silly game shows, farkle, dominoes, tal-ent shows, drill teams, old friends, new friends, day rides, group rides and rides of a lifetime. I know several who had those rides of a lifetime on the way to Wing Ding in Billings. If you would like to share some photos of these rides with me, I would like to make a slide presentation for the Region Rally. Reba and I were not able to ride the Gold Wing to Billings this past summer because of the “work” thing. But, I am retiring at the end of January so we had committed to make the next one on the bike. But, Wing Ding played a dirty trick on me. They picked Grapevine, Texas, just 5 hours down I-20. Now the Gay-lord is a wonderful facility and Region H is honored to welcome all our GWRRA family to the Great State of Texas. It is going to be a hoot. It’s the 40th anniversary celebration and no doubt will be a first class event. Not to be short changed on our time to ride, we have some sneaky plans underway. Come to the Region Rally and we will plan a ride to Wing Ding that includes mountains. Remember the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But who says we have to ride in a straight line? Another new addition to the Region Rally will be morning exercise classes. Now, we’re not going to be pumping iron or running 3 miles but we will be working on stretching ex-
ercises we can all do that will loosen up our bodies and preparing it for hours in the sad-dle. We hope everyone has a great time at their business / mid-winter meetings. Check out our new web site at www.gwrra-h.org. Thanks Sam! Jim & Reba Berry Region H Director
===================================
Special Dates in Texas History
February 14th, 1882, the town of Valentine, Texas, was founded and named when a Southern Pacific Railroad crew building east from El Paso reached the site. Valentine, in Jeff Davis County, is thirty-six miles west of Fort Davis. The trains started running in 1883, and Valentine got a post office in 1886. The town became a shipping point for local cattle ranchers, and by 1914 it had an estimated population of 500, five cattle breeders, a news company, a real estate office, a grocery store, a restaurant, and the Valentine Business Club. By the late 1990s, however, the esti-mated population had dropped to 267. February 17th, 1929, the League of United Latin American Citizens, originally called the United Latin American Citizens, was founded in Corpus Christi, Texas. LULAC is the oldest and largest continually active Latino political association in the United States and was the first nationwide Mexican-American civil-rights organization.
is sprouting its own, well, Wings. It’s true, Motor-
ist Awareness will no longer be part of Rider
Education. I am patiently waiting on word from
the home office for further news on how things
will happen. This shows how much emphasis
there is on Motorist Awareness from the leader-
ship of GWRRA! They gave us our own pro-
gram!! To make this work, all areas of GWRRA
are needed! We can’t go out and have an MA
day without the MECs to make it fun! We can’t
have an MA day without Rider Education to pro-
mote safe riding!
Last year, our group has grown in reporting
chapters and reporting accuracy. If you have not
thanked your district MA person, please do!!!
Remember the district MA’s are your support for
your activities!!!
Mike & Becky Stevenson Motor Awareness Coordinator Region H
====================================
Special Dates in Texas History
February 18th, 1910, a Frenchman, Louis Paul-han, made the first recorded airplane flight in Texas. The alleged flight of Jacob F. Brodbeck in 1865 has become a Texas legend. After the Wright brothers' controlled airplane flights in 1903, aeronautical progress generally was slow until 1909-10, when European aviation made rapid strides and the United States government acquired its first aircraft. Aerial demonstrations proliferated at sites across America, including Houston, where Paulhan made his flight. More than a hundred years later, Texas continues to be a leader in civil and military aviation February 20th, 1871, martial law was declared in Walker County. Lawlessness was widespread during Reconstruction, and Republican efforts often seemed to exacerbate the problem. The so-called Walker County Rebellion, which led to the declaration of martial law, followed the murder of a freedman and the attempted trial of four white suspects. February 21st, 1896 On this day in 1896, colorful lawman Roy Bean staged a heavyweight champi-onship fight on a sandbar just below Langtry, on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Bean, known as the "Law West of the Pecos," was ap-pointed justice of the peace for Pecos County in 1882. He reached his peak of notoriety with his staging of the match between Peter Maher of Ire-land and Bob Fitzsimmons of Australia. The fight was opposed by civic and religious leaders, and both the Mexican and the U.S. governments had prohibited it. The spectators arrived aboard a chartered train. Among the spectators was an-other somewhat disreputable lawman and boxing promoter, Bartholomew "Bat" Masterson.
PAGE 19 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
By the Book By: Jack Wagner - Region H Trainer / Deputy Director “By the Book” articles are intended to help familiarize GWRRA Volunteer Leaders and Members with the policies, procedures, and information contained in the GWRRA Of-ficer’s Handbook (OHB). A copy of the Officer’s Handbook can be found at the fol-lowing Internet website: www.gwrra.org/oconnect/officerhandbook.html
Spreading the News!
Newsletters inform Members and Officers of what’s going on. No matter how plain or fancy, the main purpose is to communicate with the Members. There are a few 'rules' for newslet-ters. Chapter participants cannot be charged to re-ceive a newsletter. Members should not be asked for a contribution to receive a newsletter. Newsletter costs should be charged off as an operating expense to the Chapter and paid for from the Chapter operating funds. It should be available to all GWRRA Members shown on your ARL. The format you choose is up to you, but the “heading” of the newsletter must have the Chapter name and the GWRRA logo on it to indicate that it is a GWRRA newsletter. Your Region and District designation should also be visible, along with the month and year. Newsletters provide you an opportunity to “talk” with the Members on a one-to-one basis and is never to be used as a platform for personal ti-rades or “politicking” for, or against, a particular cause. Information from Home Office, Region and District should be included to assist them in understanding the concept, goals and work-ings of GWRRA. Other contributions should come from folks like your Rider Educator with items on safety. Members may submit interest-ing items about trips, experiences, anniversa-ries, etc. All Chapters within a District are en-couraged to exchange newsletters. Copies should also be sent to your District, Region and Deputy Director. Newsletters should be distributed at least monthly to all Chapter participants. Some-times, Chapters “piggy-back” their information
with a “sister-Chapter” or par-ticipate in a District publication for more efficient use of resources. This is ac-ceptable. We know many distribute newsletters through email or on your web sites; but we must re-member there are those who do not have ac-cess to the Internet. Therefore, hard copies of newsletters should be mailed to those Mem-bers. You should also have copies available at your Chapter gatherings for any visitors or guests. Newsletter editors are the heroes of our Asso-ciation. Please thank them for their efforts and help them out by providing articles or pictures.
The more you Know,. The better it gets!
Jack Wagner Region H Trainer
====================================
Special Dates in Texas History
February 22nd, 1935 On this day in 1935, the Connally Hot Oil Act became law. The act came about as a result of the federal govern-ment's attempts to deal with the problem of "hot" oil--petroleum produced in violation of state and federal quotas and regulations. In the early 1930s the overproduction of oil was ad-versely affecting the oil market. The law en-acted in 1935 was intended to protect foreign and interstate commerce against "contraband oil" and encourage the conservation of domes-tic crude-oil deposits. It prohibited the shipment of hot oil. The law also called for the establish-ment of boards to issue certificates. Though the legislation was intended to expire on June 16, 1937, it was maintained afterwards as a perma-nent law.
PAGE 20 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
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Note from Anita Ackre. There is no resort fee when you make your reservations with the Gaylord using the GWRRA code. There is a $10/day parking fee in addition to your room. Now if you stay with friends (or a different Hotel), what we have negotiated with the Gaylord is that you can come in the first day and pur-chase from the Gaylord a parking pass for the 5 days. It will cost $50 and give you in and out privi-leges just like a guest staying at the resort. We did this because they do charge for parking, a higher amount, and if you aren't staying at the resort then it has no in and out privileges so you pay each time. So the pass it a great savings. That would be the only cost if you did not stay on prop-erty.
PAGE 26 TEXAS DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
Gaylord Texan Resort
& Convention Center 1501 Gaylord Trail Grapevine, TX 76051 Phone: 1-877-491-5138 Group Code: GWR Rates:
$159 single/double; $179 triple; $199 quad*
Reservations accepted beginning August 31, 2016 * Single, Double, Triple & Quad refer to the number of occupants in a room, not bed type Arrive on Tuesday 29 August to see the Couple of The Year Selection Starting at 1:00 ending 5:00 Grapevine welcome party 6:00 to 9:00
Courtyard by Marriott OR
TownePlace Suites by Marriott (TWO HOTELS UNDER ONE ROOF)
2200 Bass Pro Court Grapevine, TX 76051 Phone: 1-888-236-2427 Group Code: GWA
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