The Story of Willis Ward

www.wcers.org

January 2017

Hidden History: The Story of Willis Ward

In Wayne County, The Honorable Judge The Grand Park Centre Building Willis Ward is known as the first African American 28 West Adams Suite 1900 Probate Judge in Wayne County. While his role as Detroit, MI 48226 Judge was very important, his true legacy began far before he earned that title. Judge Ward was an Phone: 313-224-5890 Fax: 313-224-1917 athlete and a champion. He competed in track and E-mail: field and played football at the prestigious Univer- [email protected] sity of Michigan between the years 1932-1934. There, he met his close friend and teammate, and

We’re on the Web! our former president, Gerald Ford. He was a very WCERS.org talented athlete and was later inducted into the University Of Michigan Athletic Hall Of Honor in 1981.

When Judge Ward attended University of Michigan, segregation was still greatly in effect. Ward would be only the second African American @WCERS Ward from the 1934 to play football for the University, the first being 40 Michiganensian Inside this issue: years earlier. Despite how well he played football, Ward is best known for the game in which he was not allowed to play, against Election Results 2 Georgia Tech in 1934. During this game, the Georgia Tech coach refused to Defined Benefit Plan 3 let his team take the field if Ward played. Ward was not allowed to play in Health (Continued on page 3) Retiree Stipends 4 A Letter from the Executive Director Fun Facts 5 Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday. As we welcome Direct Deposit Form 6 in the new year, let us take some time to reflect on what happened in the previous year. Last year, we saw an increase in the funded ratio of both the New Retirees 7 County Defined Benefit Plan and the Wayne County Airport Authority Plan. Obituaries 8 Both plans also experienced a significant decrease in unfunded liabilities. The county is headed in a positive direction and we are very proud of our achieve- Identity Theft 10 ments here at WCERS. There is more detailed information on the success of

(Continued on page 4) Content: Sharron Seaton Editor: Kelly Tapper

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2017 Office Closures for Holidays Check Dates January 2nd The following are the dates of your retirement January 16th checks for the 2017 year:

May 29th January 01/03/2017 July 4th February 02/01/2017 September 4th March 03/01/2017 October 9th April 03/31/2017 November 23rd May 05/01/2017 November 24th June 06/01/2017 December 22nd July 06/30/2017 December 25-29th August 08/01/2017 January 1st (2018) September 09/01/2017 October 09/29/2017 Health, Dental, Optical, and Life Insurance November 11/01/2017 December 12/01/2017 Health, optical, and life insurance questions should be directed to Cornerstone Municipal Ad- visory Group at: Deferred Compensation Plan Email: [email protected] (AXA, MassMutual, VOYA) Phone: (888) 989-8686

Dental Questions should be directed to TMR at: DON’T WAIT TOO LATE!!!

Phone: (313) 963-1135 If you will be 70 1/2 by the end of 2017 and you

Messenger Articles have not already begun to draw your required If you have any information you would like to in- minimum distribution, you MUST do so before clude in “The Messenger,” it must be submitted the end of the year as required by the IRS.

in writing and received in our office. All writings Unless, you are still working after age 70 1/2. In are limited to 300 characters and are subject to this case, you may still be able to begin drawing review and may be denied or edited for any rea- benefits after this time. son deemed necessary by WCERS editors.

THE RESULTS ARE IN As you may be aware, the Retirement System recently held an election for Retiree Commis- sioner, in which there were two candidates. Charles J. Bonza III, a recent retiree, ran against incum- bent Commissioner Elizabeth “Bettye” Misuraca. With a total of 1,351 votes out of 1,786, Bettye Misuraca won the election and has once again retained her seat on the Retirement Commission for another 4 year term. There was also an election for the Active Retirement Commission position. WCERS is pleased to report that Tina Turner has been re-elected. She was the only candidate to return petitions for the position of Active Commission member, and will return to her position for another 4 year term. Congratulations to both Bettye and Tina on their re-elections! All of the election details can be found on our website, www.wcers.org.

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Visit Us at WCERS.org

(Continued from page 1)

COUNTY OF that game but he received a lot of support from his teammates, including Gerald WAYNE Ford, and other U of M students in opposition of the decision. Although 1934 was a bad season for Michigan, they did win that game against Georgia Tech.

While Ward was among the best athletes of his time, even beating Jesse Sign Up Today! Owens in a few track and field events, he was never able to reach his full potential. Ward admits that the Georgia Tech game killed his morale and competitive drive. Wayne County Re- He took part in the Olympic trials in 1936, but he feared that his hard work may tirement encour- yet again be for nothing and that he would not be able to compete because of the ages the use of di- color of his skin. Because of that fear, he was unable to train to his fullest ability rect deposit to re- and he failed to make the US Olympic team.

ceive your monthly Despite his many adversities, Judge Ward still managed to become one of pension. It’s Fast, the University of Michigan’s most successful athletes in history, winning Big Ten it’s Safe and it’s titles 3 years in a row for track and field, and being a dominant force on the foot- Reliable. If you ball team. But he was not just an incredible athlete; he was a good student as well. wish to sign-up In 1933, Judge Ward was the first African American to ever be elected to Sphinx, please complete Michigan’s junior honor society. Judge Ward later attended Detroit College of the form on pg. 6 Law where he earned his law degree in 1939. He became a lawyer and was even- or at: tually elected Probate Judge in Wayne County MI. www.wcers.org and submit it to our We thank Judge Willis Ward for his outstanding achievements during his office. If you have lifetime and for his dedicated service to Wayne County. questions or would like a form mailed County and Airport Defined Benefit Plan Health to you, please contact our office at WCERS is pleased to report that the County Defined Benefit 313-224-5890. Plan has been very successful for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015. The funded ratio of the County Defined Benefit Plan as of Sep- tember 30, 2015 is 54%; this is an increase from 2014 when the ratio was 45%. The increase of 9% is a positive step towards securing the payment of pensions for the future. The County Defined Benefit Plan’s unfunded liabilities decreased from $818 million in 2014 to $636.5 million in 2015. This is the second year in a row the funding level in- creased. Did you know that The funded ratio of the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) WCERS is on Plan as of September 30, 2015 is 69%. This is the fourth year of in- Facebook AND creases for the WCAA Plan. In 2014 the WCAA Plan was 62% funded. Twitter? The WCAA Plan’s unfunded liability decreased from $52.4 million in Follow us: 2014 to $44.8 million in 2015. @WCERS The Retirement System continues to look for ways to be a better and more efficient system. For more detailed information on the health of the County Defined Benefit Plan and the Wayne County Airport Au- thority Plan, please see the Annual Financial Report, which can be found on our website at www.wcers.org under the reporting tab.

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Message from the Executive Director continued

(Continued from page 1) the retirement plans on page 3 and the full report can be found on the WCERS website at www.wcers.org. I also want to take some time to give special congratulations to Trudi Gizzi on her retirement. Trudi has been working at the County for 28 1/2 years and has been with WCERS for the last 11 of those years. Her retirement became effective as of 01/01/17. I have had the pleasure of working with her for several years and I wish her nothing but the best in retirement. From eve- ryone here at WCERS, you will truly be missed! —Robert J. Grden, Executive Director Retiree Stipends The Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System understands that there continues to be some confusion regarding healthcare stipends. There are two different retiree healthcare stipends issued under the County’s Retiree Stipend Program for those retirees and their spouses/dependents that qualify:*

For Pre-Medicare individuals, monthly stipend payments vary based on the retirees household in- come and the number of eligible members (spouse/dependents). Those eligible for other group health coverage are not eligible for a pre-Medicare stipend until such time as they are no longer eligible for other coverage. Verification of continued eligibility and stipend amount is required each year. Failure to respond to a request for verification will cause suspension of your stipend until such time as verification is provided. The payment of pre-Medicare stipends is based on the retirement ordinance (Section 141- 44) and are paid on your retirement check. For questions or information regarding pre-Medicare stipend payments, contact Cornerstone Municipal Advisory Group (Cornerstone) at 888-989-8686, the County’s benefit administration service provider.

For Medicare-eligible individuals, $130 ($135 for MacDonald, et al v. Wayne County Class Mem- bers) per month per qualified individual is deposited into a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) account administered by Genesis Employee Benefits (a division of TASC) for each individual. Funds in the account can be used to reimburse for Medicare insurance premiums or qualified medical expenses. For information on how to access the funds in your HRA, contact Genesis at 866-678-8322.

If you have a health care stipend issue that needs resolution please first call Cornerstone at 888-989-8686. Please note that when you call Cornerstone you may be required to leave a message. Cornerstone will typically respond within two business days. They log all the calls received by phone number and name when a message is left or a call is answered. This way if an issue remains they can go back through the log to see what happened. Below are some basic phone num- bers that you might find helpful: Stipend Eligibility / Amount Cornerstone 888-989-8686 HRA Accounts Genesis 866-678-8322 Voluntary Dental Plan Enrollment TMR 313-963-1135

*Not all retirees qualify for a stipend under the Retiree Stipend Program. Some collective bargaining agreements or benefit plans may not qualify an individual for the stipend program. Retirees that continue to be eligible for retiree group health coverage through Wayne County (commonly known as “Mirror Retirees”) are not qualified under this program.

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Did you know?

1. The person receiving a pension is the wife of a retiree. She is 106 years old.

2. There are 14 retirees over 100, and 497 retirees over 90!

3. The average is $25,877.18 annually

4. There are 5,257 retirees receiving monthly pensions and 480 retirees who are benefits only.

Retirees by location

Indiana 11 Ohio 21 Kansas 1 Oklahoma 4 Kentucky 11 Oregon 2 Louisiana 4 Pennsylvania 4 Massachusetts 3 Puerto Rico 1 Maryland 9 South Carolina 15 Out of the Country Arizona 70 Michigan 4937 South Dakota 1 Lebanon 1 California 41 Minnesota 6 Tennessee 56 Philippines 1 Colorado 13 Missouri 4 Texas 32 Turkey 1 Connecticut 2 Mississippi 7 Utah 4 Poland 1 District of Columbia 2 Montana 2 Virginia 11 Canada 6 Delaware 2 North Carolina 25 Vermont 1 Florida 267 Nebraska 1 Washington 6 In the United States Georgia 51 New Jersey 3 Wisconsin 2 Alabama 18 Hawaii 1 New Mexico 5 Wyoming 1 Arkansas 6 Iowa 2 Nevada 39 Illinois 19 New York 4

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28 West Adams, Suite 1900, Detroit MI 48226 Toll Free (888) 600.6033 Local (313) 224-5890 Fax (313) 224-1917

Direct Deposit Authorization

I authorize the Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System/Wayne County Treasurer and/or its paying agent to deposit my net pay, by direct deposit (electronic funds transfer) into the designated financial institution(s) and Account Number(s). I understand this authorization remains in effect until cancelled by: (a) me, (b) my death or legal incapacity, or (c) Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System. I authorize Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System/Wayne County Treasurer and/or its paying agent to recover money electronically deposited in my account(s) in error, by either adjusting or debiting the account(s), or withholding future payments. I consent to and agree to comply with the National Automated Clearing House Association Rules and Regulations, and the State of Michigan's rules about electronic funds transfers, as they exist on this date or as subsequently adopted, amended or repealed. Michigan law governs electronic funds transactions authorized by this agreement in all respects except as otherwise superseded by federal law.

PERSONAL INFORMATION (Please print clearly)

Name (last, first, middle) Retirement ID # (required) Social Security # (last 4 digits)

Email Address ( I understand I will receive all correspondence electronically in the future by including my email address above)

DISTRIBUTION 1

Select Option Account Information Distribution Type

Add Checking Savings Default

Change Financial Institution: ______Fixed Amount

Cancel Routing Number: ______$ ______

Account Number: ______

DISTRIBUTION 2

Select Option Account Information Distribution Type

Add Checking Savings Default

Change Financial Institution: ______Fixed Amount

Cancel Routing Number: ______$ ______

Account Number: ______

AUTHORIZATION (Signature Required):

Retiree Signature Date Home Phone # Cell Phone #

Second Signature Date Home Phone # Cell Phone #

If more than one signature is required to authorize withdrawals of funds, all must sign this form before you submit it.

6 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org New Retirees

Last First Dept. Eff. Date Alcorn Karl H. SR CIT 10/1/2016 Lynch Charles ROADS 7/1/2016 Bailey George B. M&B 1/1/2017 Macdonald Kathleen CIR CT 12/31/2016 Barber John DPS 8/1/2016 Marshall Renee M. CO CLK 11/1/2016 Belch Robert WCS 8/1/2016 Martin Brian A. DPS 7/1/2016 Blackstone John DHVCW 11/1/2016 McGuire Valerie C. M&B 8/1/2016 Boyd, Jr. Joseph DHVCW 9/1/2016 Mitchell Terry WCS 10/1/2016 Braxton Margie R. CIR CT 12/31/2016 Moffett Randy WCAA 10/1/2016 Calhoun Queen WCAA 1/1/2017 Montgomery Perrin WCS 8/1/2016 Chenevert Gina M. CO CLK 12/1/2016 Naughton Thomas WCAA 10/1/2016 Conat Raymond DPS 9/1/2016 Neuberger Emily K. WCAA 7/1/2016 Davis Carolyn DHVCW 9/1/2016 Norwood Delores J. DHVCW 10/1/2016 DeBeau Mark WCAA 9/1/2016 Nuttall Leeroy DPS 9/1/2016 Devine Miriam DHVCW 8/1/2016 O'Connor Tency TREAS 10/1/2016 Edwards Steven WCS 10/7/2016 Oden Delphine CO CLK 12/31/2016 Ertman Dennis J. DPS 11/1/2016 Rawls David DPS 9/11/2016 Ewald, Jr. Peter K. M&B 9/24/2016 Renteria Conrado M&B 11/1/2016 Gibson Tina DPS 10/1/2016 Rice Roosevelt WCS 10/1/2016 Gizzi Trudi M. RET 1/1/2017 Robinson George DHVCW 9/1/2016 Goble Rose HHS 6/1/2016 Schmidt Cheryl WCAA 10/1/2016 Greenberg Bruce A. WCAA 10/1/2016 Seals Dwayne B. COMM 11/27/2016 Hammond Ulysses CIR CT 6/1/2016 Seegars Clifton WCS 11/1/2016 Hedler-Schmidt Yvonne WCS 6/1/2016 Smith Denise CO CLK 6/10/2016 Hill-Williams Lucille WCAA 10/1/2016 Smith Gloria CIR CT 12/1/2016 Holmon Rosa M. CO CLK 9/1/2016 Thomas Gerald A. WCS 7/1/2016 Jackson, Sr. Thornton CIR CT 8/1/2016 Tolin Lawrence WCS 9/1/2016 Jones Sheila L. ROD 7/1/2016 Tubbs Lawrence E. DPS 9/1/2016 Kassak Darryl HHS 8/1/2016 Tyrrell Jeffrey J. DPS 7/1/2016 Kost, II Bernard J. CIR CT 5/1/2016 Weatherly Jeremiah CIR CT 10/1/2016 Kowal Christine PROS ATTY 9/1/2016 Whitfield Freddie DHVCW 6/1/2016 Kucharczyk Sarah DPS 7/1/2016 Williams Rose CO CLK 9/1/2016

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Last Name First Name Dept. Fushianes Amelia WCRC Gaffney Edith DPS Aitken Mary DPS Galecki Henry WCRC Allen Lloyd WCGH Godley, III Chester WCSD Allgeyer William WCSD Goulet John WCRC Altomaro Frank DPS Grant Anne Mae WCS Anthony Sr. George WCAA Gribbs Roman Cir. Ct. Banfield Edith WCAA Grose Charles A. WCRC Banks Alfred RET. Harris Ernest WCSD Baydarian Varskin Pros.Atty Hebda Eleanor WCRC Bennett Richard LIBRARY Hilton Max R. WCRC Bickett Robert DPS Hiveley Charles WCRC Bilancetti Joseph DPS Inman Gloria WCRC Booker James DPW Jackson Mamie M & B Brainard Ruth PROS. ATTY. Jackson-Dockery Michelle Prob. Ct. Brennan Mary WCRC James Mary HHS Broner Donald DPS Jekot Eleanor CO. CLK Brown Faye Prob. Court Jones Zenobia DPS Brudzynski Edward J. WCGH Kanyo Virginia JUV CT. Butler Nathaniel WCSD Kelly Marilyn JUV CT. Calloway Joe P/HR Kendrick Marie G. JUV CT. Carloni Lea Aud. Bldg Kendrick Willie Mae WCGH Chandler Syble WCGH Kennedy Mary WCS Chism Ruth WCRC Kimble Freeman WCRC Clover Hershal DPS Krystyniak Joseph DPS Colbert Lena WCGH Kucharczyk David DPS Commire Gene WCYH Lee Sonja Circ. Crt Cornish Larry DPS/Airport Lewis-Gibson Selina PHR Crockett III George CIR. CT. Lockridge Harriet WCSD-Nurse Davis Doris WCS Lunsford, Jr. Campbell Foster WCS Davis Freida PROB. CT. Lush Frances DPS Davis Walter WCRC Mack Frances Pros Atty Davis Gill WCAA Marshall Dorothy WCGH Dawkins James WCGH Martin Dorothy WCRC Duell, Sr. Donald E. WCRC Mascaro Olive WCRC Epstein Philip WCRC Michael Jr. David J. WCGH Foster Thomas WCSD Miller Ronald CORP. COUN. Fulton Betty WCRC Mitchell Mattie WCRC 8 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org

Obituaries (Continued from page 6)

Last Name First Name Dept. Taylor Rebecca WCGGH Thomas Sylvia DPS Mitchell Geraldine Commission Tree Herbert WCSD Moon Paul WCGH Tybor Alice HCS Mugarditchian Mitchell Reg. of Deed Uren Thomas WCRC Murphy Thelma WCYH Vangieson Val HCS Murphy, Sr. Benjamin WCSD VanWulfen Anna I. WCSD Neada Rita DPS Vendittelli Donna WCDC Nezdropa Francis WCJC Ward Walter HHS Nicolai Jr. Ralph DPS Warner James WCGH Noiseau Dorothy WCGH Warring Ruth AUD/BLD Norman Robert WCAA Watson Walter WCS Nowland Gerald DPS Whitcher William WCAA Osborne William E. WCS White Derrick DPS Penix Jamil CFS/JDF Whiter Marie DPS Petitpren Vincent P/HR Williams Geno WCAA Pickens Marsha CIR. CT. Williams Mattie CO. CLK. Pillar Marguerite WCGH Wilson Florida WCS Pitts Burrell WCSD Wilson Drucilla WCYH Pitts Hazel WCRC Wilson Goldie E. WCGH Pokropowicz Judith DPS Wolock David WC Prosec Powell, Jr. Earl PROB CT. Zelenak George WCRC Rice Walter WCRC Zyburski Margaret WCRC Rice Michael DPS Richardson Anita WCRC Rosiek Gertrude WCGH Rouse Laura Co. Clk Sandifer E.Marie Prob Ct. Sarris Alberta WCRC Saunders Opal WCRC Schroder Jean WCRC Schulkins Patricia WCRC Sempliner Elaine DEFERRED Shivers Marylou M&B Sinuk June HHS Smith Lloyd WCRC Soviak Ted WCS Sterling Morton WCHD Sterling Elsie HHS Stock Rosamond WCHD Stubbs Lucille WCGH Suggs Cleola PROB. CT. Talbot Anthony DOE

9 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org Protect Yourself: Identity Theft and how you can prevent it Identity theft is when a person steals your personal information to commit fraud. Seniors and Retir- ees are often a target of identity theft scams because they often have money, good credit, and a lot of time on their hands. Whether it’s accessing personal information online, or accessing your personal information by stealing your mail or going through your trash, we want you to be prepared to minimize your risk of identity theft by taking precautions while managing your personal information. Here we give you 5 ways to minimize the risk of identity theft.

SHRED IT If you don’t have one already, you SECURE IT 1 may want to invest in a shredder. Anytime you Make sure your dispose of sensitive documents, especially financial statements, it is best that you shred them. computer is secure by installing a firewall and anti- 5 Ways COLLECT IT Don’t virus software. By 5 leave your mail just sitting doing this, you to prevent 2 there in your mailbox. will greatly dimin- Identity When you let your mail ish access to your Theft pile up, you are making it computer by any more likely that you will become a target of some- hackers trying to one stealing your mail. get in. 4 3

DON’T OVERDO IT Try to keep as few KEEP IT SECRET Don’t give out per- credit cards as possible, and keep organized sonal information over the phone, by mail, records of every card you have. If identity or on the internet – Unless you are certain theft does occur, you will know right away. you know who you are dealing with. Also, don’t carry your social security card with you. OK… So now I know how to minimize my risk of identity theft. But what if it happens anyway? What do I do? — CRANK it up a notch!

Contact financial Report Identity Assign new pass- Notify your contacts Keep your soft- institutions and theft to local, state, words to all web- that any strange ware up to date order new credit and federal law en- sites and online emails or online and install anti- and debit cards. forcement. accounts you use. messages should be virus on your deleted. computers.

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Retiree Clubs Wayne County Retiree Sub-Chapter 38 meets the second Tuesday of each month starting at 1:00pm at UAW Local 182, 35603 Plymouth Road, Livonia, MI Web address: www.wcsubchapter38.com

Wayne County Retirees Association is accepting new members. Email [email protected] for more information or visit the following website: Web address: www.waynecountyretireesassociation.com

Wayne County Employees Retirement Club meets the third Thursday of each month (excluding July and Au- gust) at the Public Service Credit Union, 7665 Merriman Road, Romulus MI.

Friends of Eloise More information on this club can be found on Facebook @Friends of Eloise

Photos from the Retiree Luncheon with some of our previous directors.

Left to Right: Ronald Yee, Richard Noelke, Joseph Magda, Robert J. Grden, Gerard Grysko

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. - C. S. Lewis 11 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org

Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System First Class Mail 28 W. Adams, Suite 1900 U.S. Postage PAID Detroit, Michigan 48226 Detroit, Michigan Permit No. 1024

Office Directory

General Information Main (313) 224-5890 Fax Number (313) 224-1917 Email: [email protected]

Payroll Lost Check (313) 224-2774 Direct Deposit (313) 224-2774 Taxes (313) 224-2774 Garnishments (313) 224-2821

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