by Christopher Gray
Something ACB presidents do quite a bit is travel. Thus far during the fall of 2001, I have found myself in Albuquerque, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and a small town in eastern Washington called Wenatchee.
Traveling is both a blessing and a curse. The blessings come from the comradeships and the partnerships that are forged through the course of traveling. The cursing comes (only from others of course) while waiting in long lines with cumbersome and heavy luggage, dealing with canceled flights, squeezing travel either too early or too late in a day, and all the other little annoyances we have all experienced while on the road. On balance, it’s worth the problems and I’d like to share a few small experiences with you in this article and share other information as we go.
Seattle marked the site of the World Blind Union North America-Caribbean regional meeting held in early October and hosted by National Industries for the Blind. Brian Charlson and Paul Edwards, who represent ACB at the WBU, asked me to attend to become better acquainted with a variety of international issues and concerns. Of particular interest is a strengthening of the ties between the blind consumers of the United States and those of Canada. In addition, outreach to our Caribbean neighbors was discussed, and it is my fervent hope that ACB can play a meaningful role in assisting a population of blind people who truly want to organize but need some help in doing so. Recognizing cultural differences, expectation levels, and a belief in what is possible are key ingredients in such outreach efforts. Those present in Seattle discussed these things and let us hope much will come from that preliminary conversation.
On the second day of our meetings, National Industries for the Blind organized a very informative tour of the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind. Everybody in attendance was both fascinated and impressed by the progressive attitudes and work being done by employees at this model facility. Of particular note is the work being done in employing scores of deaf-blind individuals and the strong relationship between the Seattle Lighthouse and the Boeing aircraft company. We witnessed totally blind people performing significant jobs with significant salaries. Employees on manufacturing floors expressed their good will and a sense of personal accomplishment as members of this organization.
A wonderful side benefit of a meeting in Seattle was that my family lives in and around the city. So, the weekend was spent getting together and doing family sorts of things. Brian’s family lives only a few hours away, near Portland, Ore., and he had the wonderful good fortune to attend a gathering of his entire family who were all together at the same time for the first time in 20 years! Paul got to deal with the cursed end of the stick on this trip. He took an all-nighter flight back to Florida in order to run a three-hour meeting. Thank you, Paul!
Next came Las Vegas in mid-October and the convention of the Nevada Council of the Blind. Marvelena came with me to enjoy the Las Vegas fun and fanfare. With two conventions to go and a heavier than usual working schedule, what a great opportunity to mix business with pleasure.
The Nevada Council of the Blind may be one of ACB’s smaller organizations, but they sure know how to make a person feel welcome and how to put on a top-notch convention. As with many states, Nevada has geographical problems that make organizing chapters very hard. Desert areas, mountainous terrain, and huge unpopulated spaces create special problems for this affiliate. Nevertheless, they are thriving and reaching out into their community. Several speakers touched on programs of benefit to blind people, seniors, and the disabled in general. Their outgoing president, Ed Newell, is an excellent presider and shepherded the meetings positively. By the way, did you know that Ed Newell landed on the beaches of Normandy? Add this small fact to the richness of our ACB culture. I realized with certainty that the Nevada Council of the Blind will have future years of growth and success during their elections. Two members of NCB who ran for board seats were well under 40 years of age. Nevada is finding and exciting younger members, and that is a very notable achievement for any affiliate.
Las Vegas is a great place to spend time, and it can also be a great place to spend money if you’re not careful. How frustrating it was to discover that Marvelena had the Midas touch while I seemed only to have the lead finger when it came to making a new fortune from those one-armed bandits.
For every $5 she might daintily slide into a machine, $50 came rolling blithely back, or so it seemed. Meanwhile, for every $50 I threw out, $5 might come clunking into the change basket. To add insult to injury, if Marvelena so much as touched a machine I had left, it would immediately pay handsome rewards to her.
Another fun thing that we did was to go to the MGM Grand Hotel where they are forever wishing people to “have a grand day” or “have a grand meal.” I was eager to leave the machines behind and Marvelena thought it would be fun to visit and pet the lions they have in the hotel. After all, what is MGM without lions roaring and roaming the premises?
Have you ever petted a lion? Well, these are young lions, cubs really, but even so, they are pretty awesome specimens. The lion we met was neither huge nor ferocious. For the most part, it was playful and had nice soft fur to touch. This was its state, at least for the first picture that a willing photographer was stationed to take upon your request. But this picture was deemed unsuitable, and so we waited for another. In the meantime, the lion’s back paw moved to one side into examination range. Bigger than the palm of my hand and with a texture not unlike a baseball mitt, this was impressive! And then our young friend seemed to be getting a bit anxious, even restless; perhaps too much time with the same two visitors. The back haunches began to wriggle and buck; a very long, strong tail began to swish and snap against my legs. Just at this moment, there was the merciful click of the camera and a quick retreat back into civilization and all those noisy Las Vegas machines.
The California and Washington Council conventions were both exciting, large affairs. Both of these organizations have extremely active memberships, good cash flow, and know how to make things happen and make people feel welcome. As a member of each of these affiliates, I felt particularly at home and had wonderful opportunities to catch up with old friends. The Washington Council is particularly proud of having approximately 27 new members! Way to go Berl and company!
Coming home from Wenatchee, Wash. brought me to one of those lesser traveling experiences one hopes always to avoid. Somewhere between the Cascade mountains and heading into Seattle, we learned of a problem with the landing gear on our small Dash 8 aircraft. It would not release and had to be cranked down by hand. We were warned that several fire trucks and emergency vehicles, including a tow truck, would be at our landing area, a special greeting party just for us. The captain mentioned that he might jump out of the plane to place securing pins into the landing gear after we landed but wanted to assure us he wasn’t abandoning ship and would return to the cockpit.
Everybody got serious when the flight attendant came through the cabin to show us how to assume the “crash position.” This was only a safety precaution, but it certainly got people’s attention. The descent was very slow as the appropriate people and equipment gathered on the ground. Finally, we were all instructed to assume the “crash position” with head in arms, crouched over against the seat ahead. The flight attendant’s voice on the microphone was oddly muffled as she did the same. Almost like an aerobics instructor, she commanded us to “hold the position” as the plane descended and experimentally touched wheels to the ground. After a second, then a third tentative bump, the pilot let the aircraft settle down onto the runway. All seemed normal. Our heads raised up to a level of greater comfort and to take in the situation around us. An almost palpable sense of relief was felt in the cabin as we came toward the arrival gate.
It is a real treat, just three days after this attention-getting experience, to share these building, fun, and defining moments. We are just now entering the holiday season. Regardless of what you celebrate or how you celebrate it, this is one time in which we all stop to ponder, at least for a brief time, families, friends, even those we don’t know. We do so in the spirit of love and acceptance that isn’t so completely felt during some other times of year. It is our defining moments that stick out most as we think about this year, nearly past. September 11 is certainly a defining moment for each of us and for our nation. My ultimately safe airplane landing in Seattle is another one for me, showing how tenuous and thus how precious is each day of our existence and the potential held within each one of us to truly make a difference in the world. It doesn’t matter that the difference is small: many small things make a big thing, and we can do that together.
I wish you the best possible holiday season and encourage you to ponder your defining moments for 2001. Let us then meet the future of the new year together: strengthened by our past, sustained by our present, strong in the belief of the world’s tomorrow.