BRIEFINGS January, 2013 Upcoming Meeting 2012-2013 OFFICERS WHEN: Thursday, January 3 PRESIDENT .....................ELAINE TERENZI 11:55 a.m. PRESIDENT-ELECT .........AMELIA CAMPBELL VP/MEMBERSHIP ............ASHLEY MOODY WHERE: Centre Club VP/PROGRAMS ................RENEE VAUGHN Westshore at Kennedy SECRETARY ......................EDNA BROYLES TREASURER.......................BONNIE CARR PROGRAM: The State of Higher Education in Florida: IMM.PAST PRESIDENT.....RACHELLE BEDKE View from the Presidency BOARD SPEAKER: Mary Jane Saunders, President BETH BERNITT Florida Atlantic University KIM DEBOSIER CYNTHIA GANDEE LORRAINE LUTTON MENU: Chicken Piccata JEANNE TATE (veg plate available on request when reserving) BELINDA WILSON COST: Guests - $25 MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE RSVP: By January 1 – Register online or email [email protected]. BARBARA BACHMAN ROBIN DELAVERGNE DENISE JORDAN MICHELLE SCHOFNER OPEN MEETING – GUESTS WELCOME MIMI STAMPS LORNA TAYLOR Mary Jane Saunders, former Athena member, began serving as ALTERNATE:AMANDA SANSONE President of Florida Atlantic University on June 7, 2010. She is the sixth in the half-century history of FAU, a comprehensive public university with sites located throughout its six-county ADMINISTRATOR/EDITOR service region in Southeast Florida. ELEANOR HUBBARD 813/251-9172 As chief executive officer, Dr. Saunders oversees an institution [email protected] that is currently serving 30,000 students at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels. With more than ATHENA SOCIETY 3,000 employees, including 1,200 faculty members, and an P. O . B OX 10813 annual operating budget in excess of $600 million, FAU ranks TAMPA,FLORIDA 33679 as one of the largest employers in South Florida. The University has an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion. President’s Message New Beginnings Tech toys filled many homes this holiday and while these were often the gift most requested by children and adolescents, others were given to family and friends on the other side of the great technology divide. While businesses look to technology to reduce costs and improve efficiency, that is not what drove these diverse tech gems into their glittered wrappings. For my mom, who suffers from macular degeneration, the gift technology this year was a platform that lights from three sides and magnifies anything put on its surface on to a TV screen. She had set January 1 as the day she would give up her NY Times subscription which has been a 60 or 70 year addiction. The print is simply too small to read efficiently and the papers pile up as she struggles to go through them (she would never consider tossing an unread paper). And it is the paper - the actual paper, in its familiar format that she loves. Although her beloved NY Times will be in its familiar format, it will be projected on an electronic screen to enable her to view it. I hope this accommodation will cajole her into using the Internet for more than just shopping and email. Not because it is more efficient or saves on newspapers, but because it will allow for broader exploration. I have great hopes for this gift, given with anticipation that this piece of technology will open doors, not just frustrations, to information, entertainment, amusements, hobbies and ideas. It is the multi dimensional aspect that on-line exploration brings that is most appealing to me. That I can jump from one idea to another, reverse course, and follow a tangent to an unexpected, previously unexplored, concept or connection – pure joy! This year the Athena newsletter will in some ways track my mother’s experience with the NY Times. Rather than sending out an email with the newsletter as an attachment, Eleanor will send out a link to the Athena website and the newsletter. While the newsletter will still be there in its familiar format, our hope is that once there, you will explore the site and all the content that we cannot possibly put in a newsletter. And then take it one step further and begin adding content to the website so that it reflects the richness of our membership. My hope is not that the website will make us more efficient, but that it will help us to be more connected and provide links to committees, ideas, articles, events and information that will bring us joy. Speaking of of joy, the holiday season was thoroughly celebrated on Sunday at the home of Linda Saul-Sena and husband Mark. Their beautiful home, so rich in art and history, opened to lush gardens, relaxing music and spectacular weather. The hospitality committee, led by Yvonne Fry and Jeanette Fenton, coordinated the eclectic menu and event details so seamlessly that the result was a warm and intimate gathering of about 120 Athena friends. Thank you! Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous, and joyful new year. www.athena-society.com Membership Nominations Members planning to nominate candidates are asked to attend a brief “workshop” following the January 3 luncheon. Membership VP Ashley Moody and committee members will review the process and answer questions. Regarding candidate qualifications, nominees should be accomplished persons in the community who have demonstrated a commitment to providing opportunities for women. They should understand Athena’s position statements, the financial commitment and be interested in actively contributing to Athena. February 11 is the deadline for submitting nominations. News About Members Diane Egner is celebrating the birth of her second grandchild, Hazel Genevieve, born on October 12. Hazel is welcomed by her big brother, Cash Harrison, age 2. Cash and Hazel are the children of Diane’s younger daughter, Lindsay Harvath and her husband Paul of St. Louis, MO. Kathleen Heide’s fourth book, Understanding Parricide: When Sons and Daughters Kill Parents, has just been published by Oxford University Press. Reviewers have described it as “the definitive work on parricide” and as a fascinating, although disturbing, read. It is available on line from the publisher, Amazon and other book stores. Program Notes Our March 7 program will focus on a topic given high news priority in recent months: human and sex trafficking. Did you know that Florida is one of the highest destination states for women and children trafficked into the United States? And, multiple cases of human trafficking have been identified in the Tampa Bay area. Consider inviting a guest to this program - an excellent opportunity to inform others about local concerns and to support the Hillsborough County Commission on Status of Women’s initiative to raise awareness on this issue. Athena Housekeeping The food at our holiday party last Sunday was fabulous and we thank those who provided it. We have the serving dishes and utensils that some of those wonderful folks left behind. If you’re one of those, please contact Eleanor Hubbard. January Birthdays Birthday wishes to the following members who celebrate in January: Jean Amuso Melinda Chavez Miriam Mason RoseAnne Bowers Cynthia Gandee Barbara Reeves Patti Breckenridge Judy Genshaft Lisa Robbins Noni Brill Linda Gibbs Michelle Schofner Susan Casper Laura Kolkman Elizabeth Walters Bonus Activities In an effort to encourage and assist those who are not yet comfortable with our website, we’ve sched- uled another “tech teaching” Bonus. Set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 24, it will be held at the office of Jean McNally, 2802 No. Howard Avenue, in a newly restored charming old cigar factory. Elaine Terenzi and Technology Chair Carolyn Reed will be the teaching wizards. Please register online or by emailing Eleanor Hubbard prior to January 21. And remember the February 1 Bonus - Opening night for MOMologues 2 at the Stageworks Theatre. Details on our website. Calendar January 24 – Bonus – Tech Training February 1 – Bonus - MOMologues February 7 – Luncheon meeting March 7 – Luncheon meeting March 14 – Bonus – USF Library April 4 – Luncheon meeting May 2 – Luncheon meeting June 6 – Dinner meeting Happy Holidays! BRIEFINGS February, 2013 Upcoming Meeting 2012-2013 OFFICERS WHEN: Thursday, February 7 11:55 a.m. PRESIDENT .....................ELAINE TERENZI WHERE: Centre Club PRESIDENT-ELECT .........AMELIA CAMPBELL Westshore at Kennedy VP/MEMBERSHIP ............ASHLEY MOODY PROGRAM: Lessons Learned from Tough Times VP/PROGRAMS ................RENEE VAUGHN SECRETARY ......................EDNA BROYLES SPEAKERS: Doretha Edgecomb Pat Frank TREASURER.......................BONNIE CARR IMM.PAST PRESIDENT.....RACHELLE BEDKE MENU: Top sirloin w/mushroom marsala sauce (veg plate available on request when reserving) BOARD COST: Guests - $25 BETH BERNITT RSVP: By February 4 – Register online or email [email protected]. KIM DEBOSIER CYNTHIA GANDEE LORRAINE LUTTON OPEN MEETING – GUESTS WELCOME JEANNE TATE Two of our esteemed members, Doretha Edgecomb and BELINDA WILSON Pat Frank, will share the personal and professional hurdles, hardships and challenges they have overcome on the path to success today. MEMBERSHIP Doretha Edgecomb has been a Hillsborough County School Board COMMITTEE member since 2004, most recently serving as board chairwoman. She represents the School Board on numerous other boards including the BARBARA BACHMAN Hillsborough County Children’s Board, the Florida School Boards ROBIN DELAVERGNE Association (FSBA), ChairScholars, the Florida Center for Survivors of DENISE JORDAN Torture and Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful. Doretha was MICHELLE SCHOFNER named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the Tampa Bay Professional MIMI STAMPS Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society of LORNA TAYLOR educators and received the Hillsborough Association of School Administrators’ Dr. Earl J. Lennard Leadership Award in 2012. ALTERNATE:AMANDA SANSONE Pat Collier Frank has had a distinguished career in public ADMINISTRATOR/EDITOR service and elective office, commencing with her election to the Hillsborough County School Board in 1972. Four years later she ELEANOR HUBBARD was elected to the Florida House of Representatives and in 1978 813/251-9172 to the Florida Senate where she served until 1988. Pat has also [email protected] been a member of the Tampa Hospital Authority, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and ATHENA SOCIETY numerous other boards and agencies.