Editor: Henny van Dijk www.uthro.org May, 2015 The Painted

Page
Editor: Henny van Dijk
www.uthro.org
The Painted Churches of Texas
On Fri. May 29 we plan to visit the painted churches, so
clear your calendar and get on the bus to Schulenburg—
it’s worth your time and another excellent adventure!
The Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce's popular
Painted Churches guided tour is $10 per person. It features four excellent churches at High Hill, Moravia,
Dubina and Ammannsville.
The local tour guide will “step on” our bus and accompany
us throughout. During the tour, your guide will point out
unusual, interesting, and historical sites of the area as
you travel through the countryside.
The highlights:
 Sts.Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Dubina
 St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville
 St.Mary’s Catholic Church in High Hill and
 Ascension of Our Lord in Moravia
We will depart from OCB at 8:30 AM sharp; breakfast
snacks will be available so if you don’t have time for
breakfast at home count on UTHRO to furnish them. The
usual tour visits two churches and then we are off to lunch
at City Market in Schulenburg, famous for its BBQ.
One reviewer wrote:
“If you find yourself in Schulenburg for some reason,
make sure to stop by City Market. It's worth it”
After lunch we will visit the other two churches. To make
life a bit easier for everyone, please bring cash ($10 pp).
Lunch will be on an individual basis. Please let Tena or
Linda know before May 15 if you plan to attend. Make
sure you paid your membership fee , because this is for
members and their guests only!
May, 2015
A Word from the Benefits Office
The Retiree’s Benefits Fair is scheduled for Tue,
July 21,2015 from 10 am – 11:30 am at OCB
Building, 1851 Crosspoint Ave., 2nd Floor- Room
2.200
Although this is obviously a bit early, marking your calendar will remind you when July rolls around. If the Fair is
done like previous years you will have a chance to talk to
several providers from BC&BS, Superior Vision, Long
Term Care and Employee Assistants. For the past two
years the benefits people also invited reps from the UT
System in Austin and we are given a chance to talk about
the advantages of becoming a UTHRO member.
Henny van Dijk
UTHRO likes to welcome
Our newest members
Sandra Fisbeck
Bernice Hall
Frances Angela Lopez
Donna Schneider
who retired from HCPC,
HSC General and SPH
RSVP by May 15
to Tena Lummus 832-288-3085
[email protected]
or Linda Gilbert 281-389-1067
[email protected]
Ever contemplated an overnight trip to Coushatta
Casinos in Kinder, LA.
Tue. June 23 & Wed. 24
is your chance.
In this Issue
Images from L t R:
Sts. Cyril & Methodius, St.John , St.Mary’s
known as the "Queen of the Painted
Churches" & Ascension Churches are the
four churches that are on the Schulenburg
tour.
Page 1 Painted Churches Tour — Benefits Fair News
Page 2 UTHealth News; Liberty Opry; In Memoriam
Page 3 Casino Coushatta Overnight; Travel Advice
Page 4 Keep Smiling
May, 2015
The Evergreen
In Memoriam Daisy Wilson
Daisy Pearl (Reynolds) Wilson
passed away January 17, 2015 in
Houston, TX at the age of 85.
Daisy was a longtime UTHRO
member and worked at the
School of Public Health where
she is remembered as a easy going colleague manning the front
desk. She retired in 1992 after a
decade long career at SPH,
where she worked as Senior Administrative Support in the Dean’s
office. Daisy used to attend most
UTHRO events till her health made it impossible to continue but she stayed in touch via the Evergreen and she
enjoyed reading about the colleagues or friends.
I got some help from former co-workers Victor Cavalos
and Sandy Fisbeck but especially Sema Spigner, who not
only gave me the picture Dottsie Nat shot of Daisy in
1992, but also her personal memories - “She was
greatly admired by students, staff and faculty for her
great sense of humor, unending enthusiasm and love
for people.” Victor told me : ”When I was hired at SPH in
January of 1992, Daisy Wilson was the receptionist; she
was a very nice person and respected by all who
knew her.” She is survived by her daughters, Linda Pudifin and Brenda Capers & husband Joe; grandchildren,
Sandy Dehart, Lisa Dehart, Christopher Grammer, Bryan
Ripkoski and Annette Cole; 8 great-grandchildren;
UTHRO extends her deepest condolences to the family of
Daisy.
Don’t miss Houston’s best brain
day! The UTHealth Stomp Out
Stroke Festival is just around the
corner on Saturday, May 2, at Discovery Green from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
It includes great vendors and a free
lunch for the first 500 people! It’s all
free, including the screening, but
you need to REGISTER at
www.strokefestival.org.
Mark Your Calendars...
Page 2
News from UTHealth...
A team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston. has developed a quick-acting vaccine that is
both safe and effective with a single dose against the
Ebola Zaire strain that killed thousands of people in West
Africa last year. During 2014, the outbreak of Ebola killed
nearly 10,000 and caused worldwide concern. With increasing population growth in West Africa, the frequency
of contact between humans and natural Ebola virus hosts
such as bats will likely rise, potentially leading to more
catastrophic outbreaks. Many vaccine approaches have
shown promise and one of those vaccines, has been undergoing testing in the Galveston National Laboratory, the
only fully operational Biosafety Level 4 laboratory on an
academic campus in the U.S. “These findings may pave
the way for the identification and manufacture of safer,
single dose, high efficiency vaccines to combat current
and future Ebola outbreaks,” said Thomas Geisbert,
UTMB professor of microbiology and immunology. “We
are excited at the possibility of helping develop a way to
stop this deadly disease. We have a lot of more work to
accomplish but it’s important to note that this is a big
step.” The research team developed a vaccine effective
against Ebola Zaire with a single dose in a nonhuman
primate model. This new vaccine employs a virus not
harmful to humans called vesicular stomatitis virus that
had a part of the Ebola virus inserted into it. This “Trojan
horse” vaccine safely triggered an immune response
against Ebola Zaire.
For Some Great (and Fun) Reading
Bout Time is about connecting our past
to our present. In more than 20 essays
Bryant Boutwell writes a column on
some of the interesting people that have
shaped the history and growth of the
Texas Medical Center. He is the author
of two books on the history of Houston
and the Texas Medical Center and writes
the stories of our past—stories that define who we are and how we got here in an easy, almost
breezy style. https://www.uth.edu/blog/bout-time
May, 2015
The Evergreen
Some Traveling Music...
Page 3
Overnight Casino Trip
I ran this article by UTHRO member Clyde Hooper in 2010 and
though Clyde is no longer with us, I still find it so relevant for the
upcoming Summer traveling season that I publish it again.
The Editor
Here are some suggestions you
might keep in mind especially while
traveling abroad.
1. Choose a reputable travel agent
– some agencies do not have the
experience to deal with problems in
Italy or Brazil
2. Make sure your agent is a member of the travel reinsurance group
3. Make sure the agency offers an insurance plan to
cover you in case of illness while abroad or cancelled hotel reservations, lost luggage and other misfortunes
4. Pay for your trip with a credit card; this gives you another choice in case of disputes. It also allows you to
schedule payment of your journey at your choice
5. Buy travel insurance. It will add 5-7% to the total bill,
but may and can save you thousands
6. If you are 65 or covered under Medicare, be aware
that this is not valid outside the US, and its territories,
however
7. Your UT Select/ BCBS has in-network physicians and
hospitals all over the world, just go to their website https://
www.bluecardworldwide.com, tell them where you want to
travel and it will show which facilities are in the network,
but even if there is none, pay your bill and send it in to
BCBS for reimbursement. Keep those receipts even if
they are in Euros. If UTSelect doesn’t cover the expenses, it is a valid tax write-off.
Several years ago a travel agent cited an event in which
the wife of one of our members passed away while on a
cruise. When the travel agent was notified he was able to
assist with the arrangements to return the deceased and
her husband quickly by air at no or little cost because of
that trip insurance.
Here are some additional tips:
Is your passport valid? You have to have proof of citizenship for reentry in the US
Are your vaccinations up to date? Check with the Center
for Disease Control if you travel to remote areas such as
going on an African safari.
Take enough of your daily medications and in case of
pain medicine make sure you carry your prescription
Do you need a Visa (not the card)?
Coming from steamy Houston, keep in mind that many
countries have a lot cooler climate and dress accordingly
– even Italy cools off dramatically in the evenings.
And finally, the dollar is pretty low these days and conversions (both ways) can eat your lunch. However travel is
fun and in a sense you earned those trips by working for a
long time.
Happy Trails to You !
Clyde Hooper
Casino Coushatta is a 2800 slot, 70 table entertainment
center with excellent dining and hotel accommodations.
The room charge is $55 per room. Each room will accommodate up to 4 people in two beds. There is also a $2 pp
charge for luggage and the porters will take the luggage
from the bus to your room.
This is a Pre-Paid trip—$55 plus $2 pp porter fee!
To give you some idea how good a deal this is—when two
people occupy one room for $55 (plus $4 porter fees) and
the casino hands each of them a $23 voucher (a $46
value) for however they want to use that voucher, the
overnight cost has just dropped to $13.00
Furthermore Tuesdays are Senior Day with a special
$5.50 buffet and a Free Senior Slot Tournament.
We must have at least 40 paid reservations by June 10
in order to get our $400 bus deposit returned.
We travel by a very comfortable private bus with video
entertainment for the three hour trip to Kinder, LA and we
leave OCB at 10:00 AM. We depart from Coushatta the
next day at 11:00 AM to be in Houston before the traffic
crazies start.
This trip is for UTHRO members and their guests only so
make sure your dues are paid.
TELL LINDA OR TENA YOU’RE GOING!
LindaGilbert—[email protected]—281-389-1067
Tena Lummus - [email protected] — 832-288-3085
And send your check to
Barbara Kelly,15714 Barbarossa, Houston, TX 77083
We’re counting on You...
For those who have not yet renewed their UTHRO membership
please do it now!
It’s just $10, but priceless to stay in
touch.
Mail your check to Barbara Kelly,
15714 Barbarossa, Houston, TX
77083
UTHRO
The University of Texas Houston Retiree Organization
1851 Crosspoint, Suite 1.204
Houston, TX 77054
To update your address or phone number
please contact us at 281-933-3634
Keep Smiling Ya Hear …!
Signs of the Time
Wouldn't it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes; come
out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller!
I don't trip over things, I do random gravity
checks!
I don't have gray hair. I have "wisdom highlights". I'm just very wise.
Heard in passing...
“ growing old is not for sissies”
My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
Lib Rogers
UTHRO OFFICERS 2014
President
Peggy O’Neill
Vice-Pres
Tena Lummus
Secretary
Ted Jones
Treasurer
Barbara Kelly
Web Administrator Sherri Orioli
3107 Wroxton Road, Houston, TX 77005
1209 Modena Dr., Pearland, TX 77581
9219 Brahms Lane, Houston, TX 77040
15714 Barbarossa, Houston, TX 77083
713-666-1075 [email protected]
832-288-3085 [email protected]
281.217.3076 [email protected]
281-933-3634 [email protected]