57866 ACRA Spring FTR 2005 - Alabama Court Reporters Association

FOR THE RECORD is published by the Alabama Court
Reporters Association on a regular basis four times a year.
Publication Schedule for 2005/2006
June 1, 2005
September 1, 2005
December 1, 2005
March 1, 2006
Deadline for articles and ads is 30 days immediately preceding
the above publication dates. Please submit articles, ads, etc., in
DIGITAL FORMAT attached to an email to:
Suzanne B. Frazier, [email protected]
Interested in Advertising with Us?
Full Page
$75.00 each issue OR $250.00 - 4 issues
Half Page
$50.00 each issue OR $150.00 - 4 issues
1/4 Page
$30.00 each issue OR $75.00 - 4 issues
Send camera ready advertisement and check to:
Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR
801 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard
Criminal Justice Center – Room 604
Birmingham, AL 35203
[email protected]
MOVING?
Mail or Email To:
Karen Brock Reagan, CSR
330 Green Chase Circle
Montgomery, AL 36117
[email protected]
www.alcra.org
THE RECORD NEVER FORGETS
FOR THE RECORD
A Publication of the Alabama Court Reporters Association
ACRA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2004-2005
PRESIDENT
Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR
801 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard
Criminal Justice Center - Room 604
Birmingham, AL 35203
Office: 205-307-7802 • Home: 205-631-2188
email: [email protected]
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Alan Peacock, CSR, RPR, RMR, CRR, CBC
1960 Old Government Street
Mobile, AL 36606
Office/Home: 251-476-6327
email: [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Randall E. Murphree, CSR
801 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard
Criminal Justice Center - Room 406
Birmingham, AL 35203
Office: 205-325-4867 • Home: 205-274-7249
email: [email protected]
TREASURER
Julia S. Isenhower, CSR, RPR
26626 Dean Court South
Daphne, AL 36526
Office/Home: 251-626-8062
email: [email protected]
SECRETARY
Diana L. Battles, CSR, RPR
25 West 11th Street, Suite 340
Anniston, AL 36201
Office: 256-231-1823 • Home: 256-782-0705
email: [email protected]
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
and MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
Karen Brock Reagan, CSR
330 Green Chase Circle
Montgomery, AL 36117
Office: 334-262-7556 • Home: 334-215-3114
email: [email protected]
DIRECTORS
DISTRICT 1
Kathryn L. Hicks, CSR, RPR
801 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard
Criminal Justice Center - Room 509
Birmingham, AL 35203
Office: 205-325-5935 • Home: 205-425-6798
email: [email protected]
DISTRICT 2
Angie L. Coleman, CSR, RPR
25 West 11th Street, Suite 326
Anniston, AL 36201
Office: 256-231-1796 • Home: 256-835-6803
email: [email protected]
DISTRICT 3
Sheree W. Cater, CSR
Post Office Box 805
Troy, AL 36081-0805
Office: 334-566-1307 • Home: 334-569-1825
email: [email protected]
DISTRICT 4
Kathryn W. Sharpe, CSR
Post Office Box 846
Andalusia, AL 36420
Office: 334-428-2504 • Home: 334-388-2521
email: [email protected]
President’s Point of View
by Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR
ACRA President
“The greatest use of
life is to spend it
doing something that
will outlast it.”
-William James
What an exciting time
this is for our court reportSuzanne Frazier
ing profession! As this
issue of For the Record goes to press, the
Certified Court Reporter Licensure Bill is
making good progress in the Senate as
SB62, and we have support in the House of
Representatives for the CCR Bill there as
well. The 2005 session of the Alabama
Legislature convened on Tuesday, 2/1/05.
Our bill (SB62) had its first reading; was
assigned to the Governmental Affairs
Committee; was passed through committee by the end of the day on Monday,
2/7/05; had its second reading on
Thursday, 2/10/05; and has been put on the
Senate calendar.
Folks, this is phenomenal! Pat yourselves on the back for your willingness to
roll up your sleeves and get busy for your
ACRA and your court reporting profession. The grassroots efforts that have been
generated to this point need to be ongoing
with no letup between now and the day we
receive the news that the CCR bill has
been positively affirmed in both branches
of the Alabama Legislature and minimum
standards certification for court reporters
has been enacted into law.
We all need to keep the mail system
hopping with support letters. Keep an
enthusiastic fire lit for this worthy cause
not only for yourself, but by all means
please continue encouraging everyone you
know (family, friends, business associates,
governmental associates, and contacts) to
keep the positive reinforcement for the
Senate and House bills pouring into the
State House. Those letters of support
translate to our elected officials as voting
Volume 21, No. 5 Spring 2005
constituents with a concern and common
interest in the court reporting profession,
its integrity, and accountability.
The Legislative Committee certainly
has been in the forefront of ACRA activity
over the last seven months. Be sure to read
Parian Holderfield’s article later in this
issue. Some of you may even see your
name or the name(s) of your good friend(s)
there. Be sure and check the ACRA website (www.alcra.org) on a regular basis for
current legislative information.
Your ACRA can be your means of
staying up to date on what is going on in
the court reporting profession within our
state and beyond. Inside this issue you
will find candid photos from the
Midwinter Conference. Shannon Ball covers more aspects of CSR status and provides you with forms for reporting professional continuing education credits as you
meet the requirements for maintenance of
your CSR status.
Several members are put in the spotlight in this issue. I know you will love
reading about acts of kindness that could
easily go unnoticed, a past president who
still holds ACRA dear to his heart, and will
be inspired by our member serving on
active duty in the U.S. Army.
Service opportunities abound. Take
advantage of them! You will feel good at
the end of the day knowing you have done
something to assist your ACRA and your
court reporting profession. Sign up to
offer your service to one of ACRA’s ongoing committees. Contact Pro Bono
Chairperson Tiffany Beasley to find out
how you can assist in the Veterans’ History
Project. Absolutely be sure you fire up
your Word program and get your letters off
to your legislators TODAY! When we
look back in future years, we all can be
proud of the service we gave to our professional association and be very proud of the
part we have played in making sure we
maintain our status of professionals who
accurately record the facts of the spoken
word, performing our duties with a
Continued on page 19
Address SERVICE Requested
THE RECORD N EVER FORGETS
Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR
801 North Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard
Criminal Justice Center – Room 605
Birmingham, AL 35203
Permit #590
Montgomery, AL
PAID
Presrt Std
U.S. Postage
Legislative Report
by Parian T. Holderfield, CSR, RPR, RMR
ACRA Legislative Chair
Thank you for making
the Alabama Judicial
Survey a success!
The cooperation of the
membership to distribute
the surveys and encourage
the judges’ participation
Parian T. Holderfield
was instrumental in that
success. The survey results were extremely favorable for our Alabama Certified
Court Reporters Licensure Law. Out of 41
judicial circuits in Alabama, 30 responded,
with 97 circuit judges and 45 district
judges participating for a total of 142. The
survey questions and results were as follows:
“Official Court Reporters should possess
the knowledge and ability to perform at a
minimum standards competency skill level
to hold the position of an official court
reporter.” 120 strongly agreed, 19 agreed,
1 disagreed, and 2 had no opinion. (139
agreed) The one disagreeing judge thought
standards should be more than minimum.
“Freelance Court Reporters should possess the knowledge and ability to perform
at a minimum standards competency skill
level to hold the position of a freelance
court reporter.” 109 strongly agreed, 30
agreed, and 3 had no opinion. (139 agreed)
“Court Reporters should be required to
participate in a Continuing Education
Program.” 91 strongly agreed, 44 agreed,
5 disagreed, 1 strongly disagreed, and 1
had no opinion. (135 agreed, 6 disagreed)
“A mandatory certification program to
specifically identify what knowledge and
skills an individual should possess in order
NCRA’S Opinion on
Reporting Nonverbal
Communication
(Public Advisory Opinion 31)
If a reporter is hired to report a deposition and is requested by either counsel to
(1) include the reporter’s personal observations of nonverbal interactions in the
record; (2) record times during the proceeding; and/or (3) inform or not inform
counsel appearing by telephone that certain people are entering or leaving the deposition room, NCRA Public Advisory
Opinion 31 offers a guideline to follow
under NCRA’s Code of Professional
2
to be minimally qualified as a court
reporter should be implemented in the
State of Alabama.” 94 strongly agreed, 42
agreed, 2 disagreed, and 2 strongly disagreed. (136 agreed, 4 disagreed)
This survey was instrumental in gaining
the support of the Alabama Legislative
Coordinating Council that was formed by
Chief Justice Drayton Nabers. Suzanne
Frazier, Ted Hicks, and I spoke to the
ALCC in January regarding the CCR Bill
and distributed copies of our survey. After
our presentation, the members of the
Alabama Legislative Coordinating Council
unanimously agreed to support the CCR
Bill.
This could not have been accomplished
without the efforts of several people
throughout the state. I would like to
express my heartfelt gratitude to Stephen
Bradley, 1st Judicial Circuit; Kelli Mills,
3rd Judicial Circuit; Ann Armstrong, 4th
Judicial Circuit; Frances Roark, 5th
Judicial Circuit; Mary Hicks, 6th Judicial
Circuit; Stacy Littleton, 7th Judicial
Circuit; Morris Anderson, 8th Judicial
Circuit; Cyndi Tumlin, 9th Judicial
Circuit; Melanie Pollard & Suzanne
Frazier, 10th Judicial Circuit; Vicki
Gamble, 11th Judicial Circuit; Dixie
Boutwell, 12th Judicial Circuit; Linda
McSwain, 13th Judicial Circuit; Sheryl
Hardy, 14th Judicial Circuit; Jan Goss,
15th Judicial Circuit; Gloria Inman, 16th
Judicial Circuit; Jill Sanders, 18th Judicial
Circuit; Chani Muller, 20th Judicial
Circuit; Denise Alverson, 21st Circuit;
Kathryn Sharpe, 22nd Judicial Circuit;
Shannon Ball, 23rd Judicial Circuit; Ted
Hicks, 24th Judicial Circuit; Rita Carr,
27th Judicial Circuit; Shelagh McClain,
28th Judicial Circuit; Jennifer Kissic, 29th
Judicial Circuit; Wendy Sizemore, 31st
Judicial Circuit; Cynthia Miller, 32nd
Judicial Circuit; De McGuire, 34th
Judicial Circuit; Elyse Throneberry, 36th
Judicial Circuit; Celeste Riddle, 38th
Judicial Circuit; and Paige Solley, 39th
Judicial Circuit.
Now that the Legislature is in session, it
is time for our membership to continue this
same level of participation in order for us
to be successful in our efforts. The CCR
Bill has been filed with the Alabama
Senate and is designated Senate Bill 62
(SB62). Senator Zeb Little (D), 4th
District, is our sponsor. The CCR Bill is
designated in the House of Representatives
as HR488. Senator Bill Clark (D), 98th
District (Mobile), is our sponsor in the
House. Information concerning the CCR
Bill in the House will be provided as soon
as that information is available. The contest guidelines appear on page 13 of this
issue of the FTR.
You have all been encouraged to write
your Legislators (senators and representatives) to encourage their support of our
CCR Bill. Please also encourage your relatives, friends, and key contacts to write
letters of support. It is our hope to inundate the Legislature with letters of support
from across the state. The Legislative
Committee has established the ACRA
Legislative Support Contest to encourage
participation.
The concerted effort of each and every
member of ACRA is required for our success. The Legislative Committee would
like to thank you in advance for all your
hard work. Please do all you can to make
the Alabama Certified Court Reporters
Licensure Law a reality.
President’s Point of View
Ethics.
According to NCRA Public Advisory
Opinion 31, the role of a court reporter in
reporting a proceeding is to preserve the
spoken word on the record and not to function as a factual witness for one party to the
proceeding. When a reporter is intentionally placed in the position of being a factual witness at the direction of counsel for
one party to the proceeding, that reporter
may be viewed as an advocate for one
party over the others. The reporter thus
loses the impartiality mandated by
Provision No. 1 of the Code, which
requires, in pertinent part, that the reporter
be fair and impartial to each participant in
all aspects of reported proceedings. Once
a reporter has lost his or her impartiality, it
creates a conflict of interest (Provision No.
2) and generates the appearance of impropriety. Thus it would be a violation of
NCRA’s Code of Ethics on Provisions 1, 2,
and 3 for a reporter to describe the nonverbal interaction between the witness and the
attorney.
Recording times during proceedings
and reporting the presence, arrival, or
departure of persons at a proceeding may
be done if it is consistent with state or local
law or local custom and usage. Otherwise,
according to Public Advisory 31, the
reporter should refrain from these practices
in order to safeguard the reporter’s role as
an impartial “officer of the court.”
“Ask yourself:
Have you been kind today?
Make kindness your daily
modus operandi and
change your world.”
Continued from Front Page
By Diane Duncan, CSR
devotion that never fails. In the words of
Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small
group of committed individuals can
change the world. Indeed, it’s the only
thing that ever has.”
THE RECORD
NEVER FORG
In Memoriam
ETS
From The Desk Of The
President-Elect
Continued from page 4
EduCaption, Atlanta, shared with us
important techniques and ideas for writing
better and preparing for realtime.
One of the highlights of the meeting was
the Opening Reception. If you missed this,
then you really missed a great show featuring some of our great “Alabama Idols”!
Laura Fant and Angie Coleman warmed us
up with a few songs… and these girls can
really sing! Thank you to all of our ACRA
members who put their pride aside in an
effort to support our fund-raiser by participating in the karaoke party. Kudos to the
especially courageous members who stood
up to sing, including Julia Isenhower,
Randall “I’m too Sexy” Murphree, Stacey
Littleton, Diana Battles, Suzanne Frazier,
Angie Coleman, and Barbara Higgins. And
Mary Frances Lambert passed away
on January 28, 2005, in Birmingham,
Alabama. Mary’s first work experience in
the legal field was 1955 in Anniston with
the law firm of Lybrand, Sides, and
Hamner, where she worked as a legal secretary. Mary’s many years as an official
court reporter began in 1964. During the
years 1964 to 1983, she worked for Judge
Robert M. Parker, 7th Judicial Circuit. In
1984 she was employed by Judge Sullivan
in Talladega County. She worked as an
official for Judge Phelps from 1986 until
his retirement. After Judge Phelps’ retirement, she began working for Judge
who can forget Shelagh McClain’s rendition of “Harper Valley P.T.A.”? Thanks
again to everyone that contributed! We are
in the planning stages for our Summer
Convention. It is lining up to be a fantastic
schedule. Please mark your calendar for
July 28-31, 2005, for the ACRA Summer
Convention, Park Vista Hotel, Gatlinburg,
TN. We plan to have Alan Brock, NCRA
Speed Contest Finalist, give a special presentation on speedbuilding and ways to
improve your writing skills. We will also
have a Steno Swap, an open forum for
members to create and share their favorite
brief forms. There will also be a wine-tasting excursion for those members choosing
to participate. If you have any suggestions
for seminars, either for the Summer
Convention or in the future, please contact
me and let me know. We are always looking for new ideas! I hope to see you in
July!
— singer Annie Lenox
Greenhall in Montgomery County. Mary
retired in 1998 and moved to Birmingham
to spend more time with her grandchildren.
Mary was an excellent court reporter and
highly respected among the members of
the Bar with whom she worked and came
in contact, as well as others. She gladly
served as mentor to many beginning court
reporters through the years, taking new
reporters under her wing and skillfully
teaching them those necessary things that
are not taught in court reporting school.
Mary is survived by her four children,
sons Robert, David, and Gary, and daughter, Sheilah, nine grandchildren, and seven
great-grandchildren. Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family of Mary
Frances Lambert.
A Kindly Act
Continued from page 10
myself to accomplish at least three gratuitous servic es during this year that will
benefit others. I wonder out loud if these
kindly acts will multiply. The childhood
idiom “giving is receiving” comes to
mind, and I know that answers my own
question. Yes, kindly acts do multiply.
They multiply in the respect that when we
give, we also receive, oftentimes unexpectedly. A good example is Alan’s kindly act multiplying to a fantastic newspaper
article that has benefited all reporters.
This raises the excitement level, doesn’t it?
Pro bono publico means for the good of
the public. Suppose what the Latin equivalent would be for the good of the public
and also the giver? Maybe it’s just simply
called The Golden Rule. The importance
becomes universal.
Alan, thank you for your example. I
know if it were left up to you, you would
prefer that it not be broadcast all over the
state of Alabama. My apologies...well, sort
of. Many of us admire your dedication to
our profession and your charitable interest
in others. High-five to you, my friend.
REMINDER!!!
Send your letters of
support for
SB62 and HR488
to your
legislators
TODAY!!!
19
Welcome The Following
New Members
Randall Murphree, CSR
Vice President and Membership Chair
Welcome the following new members
to ACRA:
Kristy Bozeman
Ashley Dickey
Angela Fulmer
Talitha Lovin
Sherry Mack
Deborah Payton
Cheryl Smith
Tamie Story
Kathryn Wallace
Vila Wright
One of the benefits to
membership in our organization is the opportunity
to attend our Midwinter
and Summer Conferences
where continuing education points can be
Randall Murphree
obtained and where networking opportunities abound.
I hope you have found the Membership
Roster/Constitution & Bylaws helpful to
you in better understanding your association. I suggest you refer to it when you
have a question concerning membership.
Please let us know if you move or your
contact information changes so we will be
kept abreast of any changes. Mail all
applications or renewals to Karen Reagan,
CSR, Membership Retention, 330 Green
Chase Circle, Montgomery, Alabama
36117 or email her at [email protected].
In closing, I challenge you during 2005
to invite your fellow reporters who aren’t
members to consider applying for membership in ACRA. Remember, by sponsoring five new members, you earn a free oneyear membership for yourself!
Congratulations New RPR’s And CBC’s!
ACRA would like to extend a hearty congratulation to the ACRA members listed below, each of whom recently passed NCRA professional examinations. Their hard work and dedication to the court reporting profession has paid off. Your ACRA gives a welldeserved pat on the back and three cheers for passing their respective examinations to:
NEW RPR’S
Casey Atchison, CSR, RPR, Hoover, AL
Carol C. Cook, CSR, RPR, Daphne, AL
Ashley N. Dickey, CSR, RPR, Bessemer, AL
NEW CBC’S
Tammy Clark August, CSR, RPR, RMR, CRR, CCP, CBC, Florence, AL
Andrea Martin, CSR, RPR, RMR, CRR, CBC, Dothan, AL
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18
3
From the desk of the
President-Elect
Alan Peacock, CSR, RPR, RMR, CRR, CBC
President-Elect and Convention Chair
I hope that each one of
you enjoyed a wonderful
holiday season and feel
invigorated and ready to
approach 2005 with
enthusiasm. That is definitely the feeling with
Alan Peacock
your ACRA Board. We
have rolled up our sleeves and are working
very hard for you. We are asking each of
you to assist us in our legislative effort. For
more information, please read Suzanne’s
article in this issue of “For the Record.”
And please contact any member of the
Board if you would like to volunteer to
help with this effort. For your convenience, a form for committee involvement is
included in this issue.
Our Midwinter Conference was a
tremendous success! Thank you to each
and every one who attended. I hope you
found the seminars to be both worthwhile
and educational, as promised. I would like
to extend my personal appreciation to
everyone that worked on this project.
Without the help of our volunteers, we
would not be able to host conventions such
as this. So a heart-felt “thank you” goes out
to Callie T. Dietz and her staff at AOC for
their generous support and assistance.
Thank you to Tasha Scott, Sabrina Lewis,
and Kathy Hicks for your work on the
Door Prize Committee. You did a wonderful job! Thank you to the Education
Planning Committee, consisting of
Suzanne Frazier, Parian Holderfield,
Mary Hicks, and
Jeanna Boggs, for
the time and effort
in planning this
event. And a special
thank you to Suzanne
Franzier for holding my hand
and guiding me during the entire
six months leading up to the convention. You are an exemplary leader
and this association’s best asset!
For those of you who missed the conference, I would like to give you a synopsis of
the highlights. The conference was held on
January 14 and 15, 2005, at The Legends
of Capitol Hill Resort and Conference
Center in Prattville, Alabama. The first
session was “How a Bill Becomes a Law.”
The Honorable Dan Reeves and Honorable
Clarence Haynes gave us some
great suggestions on how we
can act now to ensure passage of our CCR bill. Dr.
Stephen Boudreau provided insight into what goes
on behind the scenes of a
criminal investigation
from a forensic point of
view. Then Dennis Hale
gave us some notable
tips on working with
interpreters in the
deposition
and
courtroom setting.
The Honorable John
Wilkerson and Honorable Lane
Mann presented us with an informative update of e-filing transcripts
and also recognized official reporters for
their service. On Saturday, Heidi Thomas,
Continued on page 19
Barlow &
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Court Reporting & Videoconferencing
3217 Executive Park Circle
Mobile, Alabama 36606
(251) 476-0685
(251) 471-2266 (fax)
Congratulations to
PATRICIA L. “PAT” HILL
President of Prince Institute of Professional Studies in Montgomery.
The NATIONAL REGISTER’S WHO’S WHO
wishes to extend its congratulations to
Patricia L. Hill
President, Prince Institute of Professional Studies, Inc.
7735 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36117
The intent of
THE NATIONAL REGISTER’S WHO’S WHO IN
EXECUTIVES & PROFESSIONALS
is to notify all who read this announcement that
this individual has reached a level of recognizable success in their respective field.
This year’s edition (containing Pat’s recognition) will be registered
at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
www.barlowreporting.com
[email protected]
Experienced Court Reporters Offering:
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4
Who’s Who
Attention Court Reporting
Students
Announcing the 2005
ACRA Student Scholarship
Guidelines
Members of
ACRA and NCRA
The ACRA Scholarship Committee
wishes to remind you of the guidelines for
applying for the $1,000 scholarship awarded annually. Here is an easy way to help
provide for your financial needs. This is a
brief synopsis of the rules. Details are
available in the back of the 2004-2005
ACRA Membership Roster on page 60 or
by contacting the Scholarship Committee
Chairperson.
Eligible applicants are students who
have been actively engaged in the study of
court reporting in the state of Alabama for
one year at an NCRA-approved school.
Nominations may be made by a teacher,
instructor, school, any ACRA member in
good standing, or any student attending an
NCRA-approved school.
Applications are to be in letter/resume
format. Accompanying support documentation may be submitted at the applicant’s
discretion. Each applicant must submit a
300-word essay entitled, “Why I have
Chosen to be a Court Reporter.”
Applicants will include a separate letter
detailing any extraordinary financial
needs. This information will only be considered in the event of a tie.
If selected, the Scholarship Committee
will notify you no later than June 30, 2005.
The $1,000 will be paid to your educational institution on your behalf. You will
additionally receive complimentary registration for the 2005 ACRA Summer
Convention and one night’s lodging at the
Park Vista Resort and Conference Center
in Gatlinburg, TN, the location of the 2005
annual convention.
The deadline for submitting applications for consideration is May 1, 2005.
Applications should be mailed to:
Joyce A. Sasser, CSR
Chairperson
ACRA Scholarship Committee
3854 Latigo Road
Mobile, AL 36695
17
Brief Forms
Check these forms out with your current
dictionary entries. If you are not creating
conflicts AND they make sense to you, you
might want to start utilizing them in your
work. Happy writing!
KROTS
SKWRAEUT
SKWRAEUTD
SKWRAEUGS
SKWROERT
PHEFDZ
HRAOF
HRAOFT
HRAOFGS
TPHAF
WAT
AEFL
AEB
AEBD
AED
PROEPT
PROPG
PROPGS
SKERD
T-BG
T*BG
PWRORD
PWOPT
KHOPT
PWARLD
PWAERLD
across the street
adjudicate
adjudicated
adjudication
adjudicatory
admissible evidence
a lot of
a lot of the
a lot of things
and a half
and one-half
anti-inflammatory
antibiotic
antibody
antidepressant
appropriate
appropriating
appropriation
asked and answered
attorney client
attorney-client
back on the record
Baptist Hospital
Children’s Hospital
based upon a reasonable
degree of
beyond a reasonable
degree of
PWHRARL
PWHRAERL
bilateral
bilaterally
PWHRAD
Bin Laden
PWHRAOT
PWHRAOG
PWHRAOP
PWHRAOS
PWHRAOZ
16
blood clot
blood gas
blood pressure
blood sugar
blood test
PWHRAOFL
PWHRAOFLS
PWHRAOEPL
PWHRAOUP
blood vessel
blood vessels
bloodstream
board of directors
board of education
board of trustees
PWOEUF
boyfriend
calculate
calculated
calculates
calculating
calculation
calculations
calculator
K-FS
K-FS/HR-BG
calls for
calls for a legal
conclusion
KFS/SPHRAEUGS calls for speculation
KAUPGS
calls for speculation
KAEURPLT
K*M
KROPB/HR-L
KROPB
KREU
KHRAEURBGS
chondromalacia
chronological
chronology
clarification
KOEUBG
KPHAEUGS
cocaine
contamination
KWAOEUD
K-FD
K-FL
KEUF
KR*EU/KR*EU
K-FLT
KR
KR-R
KR-G
KR*BGS
crack cocaine
KRAUBG
crosswalk
TKPOEPBT
TK-PT
TK-PGS
TKPOEGS
deponent
deposit
deposition
deposition
TK*S
TI*Z
deputy sheriff
deputy sheriffs
TKPWAOEUTS
TKPWEUBG
TKUPT
TKUPGS
TKAERTS
diabetes
diabetic
duplicate
duplication
duties and responsibilities
TKWEU
DUI
TPEUFL
first of all
JOIN A 2005 COMMITTEE TODAY
with the
ALABAMA COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION
H-BG
H-BGS
handcuff
handcuffs
PHOPT
metropolitan
TPH-DZ
nondisclosure
P-DZ
P-G
passenger side
pregnant
collateral
collaterally
concealed weapon
confide
confident
confidential
confidential informant
confidential informant
confidentiality
contract
contractor
contracting
contraction
Ask not what your ACRA can do for you! Ask yourself what YOU can do for your ACRA and
your court reporting profession! Indicate below which committee(s) you would love to assist with,
and join your fellow reporters in accomplishing rewarding tasks for your future as a court reporter.
You will be amazed at the satisfaction you can and will receive from sharing your time and talents
in furtherance of the purposes of the Alabama Court Reporters Association.
COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
CERTIFICATION
PUBLICATION
WAYS AND MEANS
2005 CONVENTIONS
CONVENTION PLANNING
NOMINATIONS
CI
clinic
clinical
clinically
KWEP
KROEUBG
care and treatment
KHR-PBG
KHR-PBL
KHREUPBL
KHRARL
KHRAERL
correctional officer
due diligence
blueprint
PW-DZ
PWOEDZ
PWOT
KHRAEUT
KHRAEUTD
KHRAEUTS
KHRAEUGT
KHRAEUGS
KHRAEUGSZ
KHRAEURT
KROEUFR
TK-D
S*D
SPRA
STRABG
SURL
sheriff’s department
standard practice
strike that
surveillance
LEGISLATION
DISTINGUISHED
SERVICE AWARD
PRO BONO
CONSTITUTION
AND BYLAWS
SCHOLARSHIP
AUDITING
PUBLIC RELATIONS
WEBSITE
STUDENT MENTORING
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
CHAIRPERSON
YES, I’M
INTERESTED
Randall Murphee
[email protected]
Karen Reagan
[email protected]
Shannon Ball
[email protected]
Suzanne Frazier
[email protected]
Sheree Cater
[email protected]
Alan Peacock
[email protected]
Deanna Johnson
[email protected]
Parian Holderfield
[email protected]
Parian Holderfield
[email protected]
Suzanne Frazier
[email protected]
Tiffany Beasley
[email protected]
Debby Garrett
[email protected]
Joyce Sasser
[email protected]
Celeste Riddle
[email protected]
Margaret Turner
[email protected]
Alan Peacock
[email protected]
Ashley Young
[email protected]
Debby Garrett
[email protected]
Please contact the chairperson of the committee you choose to serve at their email address or mail
your completed form to: Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR, 801 N. Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd.,
Criminal Justice Center, Room 604, Birmingham, AL 35203
5
CSR Enlightenment
by Shannon R. Ball, CSR, RPR, RMR
CSR Chairperson
Shannon R. Ball
CSR’s in Cycle A will
expire September 1, 2005.
You must have 15 hours
of Continuing Education
by September 1, 2005,
and must maintain your
ACRA membership in
order to retain your CSR
status.
Seminars are, of course, the best way to
earn those hours. If you attend an ACRAsponsored seminar, you will receive credit
for the hours in attendance. If you are
attending a seminar in another state, it
must be approved by NCRA in order to
receive credit. Alabama’s bordering states
of Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and
Georgia all offer conferences throughout
the year that are approved by NCRA.
You will need to contact the ACRA
CSR Committee and receive a punch card
before attending the out-of-state conference. You will need to have the card
punched at the conference and return the
punch card along with a conference agenda to the CSR Committee. It is important
that you contact the CSR Committee at
least ten (10) days before the out-of-state
conference in order to receive the punch
card before the conference.
Most ACRA-sponsored conferences
will have at least 10 hours of Continuing
Education available at each conference.
ACRA sponsors two conferences each
year. NCRA national conferences usually
offer well over 20 hours of continuing edu-
cation at their conferences.
NCRA also sponsors various conferences throughout the year for specialized
classes of reporters (CART providers,
Captioners, Leadership, Boot Camp, Firm
Owners, etc.) in which Continuing
Education hours are granted, and NCRA
sponsors two conferences during the year
for all classes of reporters.
There are several other ways that CSR’s
may earn Continuing Education hours:
• College Courses
(Submit college transcript upon
completion to CSR Committee for
appropriate CEU calculation.)
• Hosting Student Interns
(1 credit hour per day)
• ACRA Committee Work
(1 credit hour per year)
• School Presentation
(2 credit hours per presentation)
• Pro Bono Work
(1 credit hour per half day)
• Newsletter Articles
(2 credits per article)
• CPR & First Aid Courses
(1 credit hour per hour of
instruction. Must complete the
entire course in certification.)
As you can see, there are many ways in
which you can earn Continuing Education
hours. The CSR Committee would like to
take this opportunity to point out that 15
hours of Continuing Education is a bare
minimum. We would like to encourage
you to take advantage of all of the educational opportunities available to you. It is
not a coincidence that the leaders of the
court reporting profession in our state also
happen to be the reporters that have the
most Continuing Education hours.
The CSR Committee is always available to answer any questions that you may
have regarding your CSR status. Please
direct your inquiries to:
Shannon Ball, CSR, RMR
CSR Committee Chair
100 North Side Square
Huntsville, Alabama 35801
[email protected]
256-532-3436
Remember to cherish your CSR! The
CSR initials behind your name imply that
you have attained a level of success and
are continuing to learn and grow in your
profession.
If you wish to obtain Continuing
Education hours in the various ways listed
above, forms have been included in this
issue for your convenience. Fill these
forms out and simply return them to the
CSR Committee. It is your responsibility
to make sure that you get these forms filled
out and turned in. You will not be able to
receive credit otherwise.
†Karaoke Night†
Stacy Littleton & Parian
Holderfield Karaoke Night
Shelagh McClain’s
“Harper Valley PTA”
Get Your Groove On
Mary Hicks, Suzanne Frazier
& Diana Battles
“Winning honor nearly always means
leaving mediocre expectations and
comfortable assumptions behind.”
Randall Murphree
Break Dancing
Randall Murphree
“Im too Sexy”
Barbara Higgins
“I Fall To Pieces”
Luncheon
— Bruce Wilkinson
6
15
2005 ACRA MIDWINTER CONFERENCE
CONTINUING EDUCATION INFORMATION SHEET FOR CPR & FIRST AID
Where can I find a course in my area? The best source is your local hospital. Most hospitals offer courses throughout the year.
The local Red Cross or American Heart Association (for CPR) would be able to tell you about all classes being offered in your area.
Classes are also offered by fire stations, YMCA’s, community centers, and civic organizations.
How can I apply for credit once I take the class? Bring the form below to class with you and have the instructor fill out the bottom half. Photocopy the certification card you receive at the end of the class and send it to the CSR Committee Chair, along with the
completed form.
How many credits will I get? All First Aid and CPR classes are awarded one credit per hour of instruction.
Anything else I should know? Only certified classes from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association will be eligible for credit. You may receive credit for First Aid and CPR once each three-year term.
Please fill out this portion (please print)
Name:______________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
Please have the instructor fill out this portion
REALTIME SEMINAR
I, ______________________________________, certify that the person named above completed the entire course for certification in:
Print name
_______CPR
# of hours ___________
_______First Aid
# of hours ___________
Signature of instructor_________________________________________________________________________________________
CSR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REPORTING FORM
Date ___________________________________
Name _______________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________
Phone (Office) ________________________________________ (Home) ______________________________________________
Committee Work
Committee Name _____________________________________
(Signature, Committee Chair) _____________________________
Student Interns
Student _____________________________________________
TAKING A BREAK FROM THE ACTION
School _______________________________________________
(Signature, School Official)_____________________________________________________________________________________
School Presentations
School ______________________________________________ (Signature, School Official)_______________________________
Pro Bono Work
Description of work done ______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Signature, Pro Bono Chair) ____________________________________________________________________________________
Newsletter Articles
Article Title__________________________________________
Publication Volume_____________________________________
(Signature, Editor)____________________________________________________________________________________________
Parian Holderfied & Barbara Higgins
in Boogie Shoes
14
Mobile Court Reporter Contingency
Tasha Scott, distributing door prizes
Submit To: Shannon R. Ball, CSR, RMR • CSR Committee Chair • 100 North Side Square • Huntsville, Alabama 35801
fax 256-575-0414 • [email protected].
*RPR’s: Attach a copy of Continuing Education Update from NCRA
7
Greetings From District 4
by Kathryn W. Sharpe, CSR
District 4 Director
I’ll start off by saying
that it is an honor for me
to serve as District 4
Director, and I would like
to take this opportunity to
thank the reporters in
District 4 for allowing me
Kathryn W. Sharp to represent them on the
Board of Directors. I’ve been a member of
ACRA for most of my court reporting
career, and this is the first time I have
served in the Association in any capacity. I
have had many opportunities to join a
committee; I just chose not to.
After having been on the Board for
only a short time, I have to say that I am
regretful for having never bothered to get
involved before now. I can see that I have
missed years of fun by not participating in
our Association. There is a lot more to
ACRA than paying dues, attending seminars, and acquiring CEU’s.
As busy court reporters, we probably
have a tendency to take our membership in
ACRA for granted. I would like to encourage you to become involved in your
Association. The numerous ACRA committees can always use another volunteer.
There really is something for everyone in
ACRA, and it’s a great way to give something back to your Association.
I also have to mention how great the
Midwinter Conference was and compliment Alan on a job well done. A great big
“thank you” goes out to Alan Peacock for
planning and giving us a memorable conference. It was a weekend packed full of
speakers and activities that were interest-
ing, educational, challenging, and fun.
Everyone had a great time in spite of
the wind and rain. The atmosphere was so
relaxing, you never realized the weather
was horrible outside. Karaoke Night was
one of the highlights of the conference, and
it was definitely a night to remember. Who
knew reporters could sing and move like
that? It was certainly one of those events
where you had to be there to appreciate it.
If you missed it, look for photos on the
website and in this issue of the FTR.
ACRA’s 2005 Summer Convention
will be in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, July 2831. It’s a wonderful place to take the family. I hope everyone will make plans to be
there. Attending a conference is a great
way to acquire your CEU’s, but you also
get to see old friends and make new
acquaintances. Hope to see you in
Gatlinburg!
“You did what you knew how to do, and
when you knew better, you did better.
– Maya Angelou
BIRMINGHAM, AL
MONTGOMERY, AL
David Miller
Yvonne Pope
Tim Lovelady
Terry Crutchfield
Melinda Thornbury
Paige Scott
Mike Jarvis
Krista Price
Cheryl Brown
Debbie Townsend
Stephanie Burton
Melanie Petix
Sherry Tudor
Jodi DuBose
Tara Seay
Pamela Groover
Susan Alston McLane
Bridget McClain
Diana Williams
Mary Claire Whitten
Doreen Case
Jessica Bell
Michelle Callahan
Melissa Lee
Wendy Timbie
Selah Dryer
Tasha Scott
April Bendinger
MOBILE, AL
Office Manager
Kathy Carpenter
Deborah Payton
Sue Anne Casey
NORTH ALABAMA
Lori Sizemore
Suzanne Spiers
WEST ALABAMA
Margo Nettles Bryan
DOTHAN, AL
Misty Whitworth
Video Specialist
Christi Maze, CLVS
Your Locally Owned Statewide Firm
★Locally Owned
★Computer-aided transcripts
★Transcript conversions
★All-word indexing
★Electronic Transcript Delivery
(confidentially screened)
★Document Imaging
★Interactive Real Time
★Real Time Internet Service
★Daily Copy
★Expedited Copy
★Video Conferencing
★Video Transcript Synchronization
★Digital Videography
★Prompt delivery
★On-site conference rooms
Director of Marketing
Susie Nobles
Administrative Assistant
Katie Bates
Director of Technology
Shannon Whitt
Visit Our Web Site at
www.americancourtreporting.com
P. O. Box 12765 • Birmingham, Alabama 35202 • (205) 320-1050 • Fax (205) 320-0023 • (877) 320-1050
8
Where Are They Now?
by Suzanne B. Frazier, CSR, RPR
President and Editor
Have you ever
wondered about
the people who
have faithfully
served ACRA in
the past but who
have since retired
and moved into
other chapters of
their lives?
One such servant of ACRA we have not
had the pleasure of seeing in several years
is Paul D. Smith, CSR, RPR, CSR(TX).
Paul served as president of ACRA for
two terms, from 1976-1978. Paul, an official court reporter in Tuscaloosa for many
ACRA Legislative Support
Contest
Your chance to win free registration
to the 2005 ACRA Summer
Convention!
CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
All ACRA Members are being asked to
submit letters of support for the CCR bill
(Senate Bill 62 — SB62; House of
Representatives Bill 488 – HR488) that is
being introduced in the 2005 session of the
Alabama Legislature. For your convenience, the letters are already in draft form
and only require the name and address of
the legislative member addressed and the
name, address, and phone number of the
person signing the letter of support. Draft
letters for the Alabama Senate and House
of Representatives are available on the
website at www.alcra.org or from any
member of the Legislative Committee.
[Note: Senate Bill 62 (SB62). Senator Zeb
Little (D), 4th District (Cullman,
Lawrence, Winston), is our sponsor.
House of Representatives Bill 488
(HR488). Representative William Clark
(D), 98th District, (Mobile), is our sponsor.
Copies of all letters should be sent to the
Legislative
Chairperson:
Parian
Holderfield, 25 West 11th Street, Suite
210, Anniston, AL 36201-4584, or fax
256-231-1833.
To encourage your participation, ACRA
will be awarding one lucky ACRA member
free registration for the ACRA 2005
Summer Convention (i.e., convention registration fee and two nights lodging,
including tax, at the Park Vista Hotel,
Gatlinburg, Tennessee). The 2005 Summer
years, worked very hard for ACRA during
a time when the association as a whole
needed a boost of energy. Much was
accomplished during Paul’s tenure. During
the time that Senator Howell Heflin was
Chief Justice of Alabama, he (Chief Justice
Heflin) asked Paul to prepare a bench manual for court reporters. Under Paul’s guidance a committee was assembled to create
the bench manual. Paul enlisted the assistance of state and national court reporters
and staff members of NCRA to complete
this project. Up until at least a few years
ago, the bench manual still contained
information that was prepared under the
guidance of Paul Smith.
Paul and his wife, Beverly, have three
children. His two daughters followed him
into the court reporting profession. Elise
Smith Evans is a federal official in the
Superior Court of the federal court system
in Atlanta, Georgia. Cynthia Smith Boyd
has a freelance firm in Raleigh, North
Carolina. Paul and Beverly’s son Doug is
an attorney in Tuscaloosa.
Paul, who resides in a nursing home in
Tuscaloosa, still enjoys reading the FTR
when it arrives in the mail and takes pleasure in keeping up with the current happenings going on in his profession and his
association.
You may contact Paul by writing to him
at: 516 Main Avenue, #C-8, Northport, AL
35476.
Thank you, Paul D. Smith, for your time
and energy given in service to your ACRA!
Convention will be held July 28-31, 2005.
Additionally, the contest-winning member
will be recognized at the ACRA Annual
Business Meeting as ACRA “Member of
the Year.”
Your ACRA would like to encourage
your assistance in passage of the CCR Bill.
You are being asked to generate and submit as many letters supporting the CCR
Bill as possible and copy Parian
Holderfield on each copy. (Be sure to read
the contest guidelines prior to submittal of
any letters.) The more letters generated,
the more support will be demonstrated to
the legislators who will be considering the
bill. You are encouraged to enlist the assistance of family, friends, and business associates in this letter-writing campaign.
someone about submitting letters
of support to the legislature and
that person has already written
letters of support to their legislators
at the request of another ACRA
member, you may not use that
person’s letters in your contest
total.) If the Legislative Committee
notes duplications, those letters
bearing the earliest submittal dates
will be accepted for contest
purposes.
CONTEST GUIDELINES:
• To be considered for contest
eligibility, copies of at least 50
letters of support that have been
mailed in support of the CCR Bill
must be submitted to the
Legislative Committee. Those 50
letters must be from at least 25
sources. (Example: Individuals
sending two letters each — one to
their senator and one to their
representative.)
• The letters must be from unique
sources. (Example: If 50 letters
are submitted, at least 25
individuals submitting letters should
be represented.)
• Duplicates of letters from the same
person will not be accepted.
(Example: If you approach
• The member submitting the most
support letters above the threshold
number of 50 will be deemed the
contest winner.
• In the event of a tie, the monetary
amount of the prize will be divided
and credit given to the number of
members submitting the highest
number of letters of support. The
contest award will only be given as
credit toward the registration fee
and hotel and NOT as a cash prize
in lieu of attending the convention.
• Anyone can submit letters to their
legislators in support of the CCR
Bill. Enlist the assistance of family,
friends, neighbors, and business
associates.
• For contest consideration, photo
copies of all letters MUST be
mailed or faxed to Parian
Holderfield at the address printed
above.
13
ACRA’s Member Serving on
Active Duty
by Captain John F. Kilpatrick
D A T E S
T O
R E M E M B E R
March 18-20
Certified Legal Video Specialist Seminar
and Forum
San Diego, CA
April 9
ACRA Board Meeting - 10:00a.m.
Dunn, King & Associates
Montgomery, AL
April 1-3
NCRA Midyear Conference
Philadelphia, PA
July 28-31
ACRA Summer Convention
Park Vista Hotel, Gatlinburg, TN
I just returned to Ft.
Lewis, WA, after getting
home for Christmas leave.
While at home, I received
a copy of the ACRA
newsletter and really
appreciate you printing
Captian John F.
my letter. It has been a
Kilpatrick
tough time for me having
to leave my wonderful wife and two baby
boys. My wife, Laurie, certainly has the
Vetran’s History Project
by Tiffany Beasley, CSR
Pro Bono Committee Chair
To access the new database, point and click your browser to www.alcra.org.
Under “Quicklinks,” on the right-hand side of the page, select “Roster.” You will be taken to a new page.
Once there, click on the green button that says, “Continue to the ACRA Database.” A new page will appear in your browser that says
“Alphabetical Listing.” Select the letter of your last name. You will see a list of all ACRA members that share the initial of your last
name.
Find your name and click on it. You will then be taken to the Reporter Information Page of the database. From there you can review
and edit your contact information only.
To change your contact information, simply erase the
data in the field and type in your new information. Then at
the bottom of the page there are two boxes.
One says: “Enter Your Password and Click to Update Your
Information.” The other says: “Enter Your Password and
Click to Change your Password.”
Enter your password (your last name) and click on the
“Update” button and your information will be automatically
saved to the online database.
If you would like to change your password, simply
enter your current password. The default password is your
last name, and it is case sensitive so be sure to capitalize the
first letter of your name. You will then be taken to a new
page to enter your new password. Enter it in the box and
click on the “Update” button.
That’s it! Please take a few minutes and check your
record online.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PLEASE CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD TO A
UNIQUE PASSWORD THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER.
Also please make sure that the “County” field is filled
in appropriately on your record.
If you have any questions, you can email the
Webmaster at: [email protected].
12
“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us
have to stand on the curb and clap
as they go by.”
- Will Rogers
“We owe our wartime veterans a profound appreciation for their sacrifice and
service to our nation and its future. We also
owe all our citizens an opportunity to
appreciate and honor those men and
women who have protected our nation in
the gravest of times. Together, with the
help of all Americans, we can honor our
war veterans and create a lasting body of
documentary materials that will inform
and educate our citizens in the decades
ahead.” This message from James H.
Billington, Librarian of Congress, reminds
us that it is up to each of us to do our part
to preserve the history of our veterans. If
you are interested in learning more information regarding the Veterans History
Project, please e-mail me at [email protected]. CEU credits are
available. Tiffany Beasley, CSR Pro Bono
Committee Chair
tougher job of maintaining the home and
kids by herself. She’s incredible and we
have a wonderful support network of family and friends to help in that regard.
Fortunately, my business is doing great —
thanks to my partner, Skip Warren.
I will be leaving Ft. Lewis shortly for
a few weeks in Germany and should be in
Kosovo by the end of the month. The work
is hard, the hours are long, and the food is
bad, but as we say in the Army: At least
the pay stinks.
Kidding aside, we have a tough job
ahead and have been training hard to meet
our mission requirements. And we are
Captioning: The Next Step ...
Spotlight on Price Institute
of Professional Studies.
Prince Institute has long been known
for training qualified professionals for
the demanding field of judicial
reporting, and now Prince is
preparing to take the next logical
step ... laterally into captioning.
This addition to its curriculum will expand
Prince’s offerings and provide well-trained
professionals to address the broadcast captioning
need
created
by
the
Telecommunications Act (1996) and the
educational captioning opportunities created by the Americans with Disabilities Act
(1990).
Prince’s captioning preparation
includes faculty and staff training, legislative efforts, and fundraising activities.
Prince’s faculty and staff have been getting
ready by attending NCRA seminars on
captioning and CART, and workshops on
the specifics of curriculum development.
The administration has been working with
Stenograph University on tailoring its educational materials to fit into Prince’s existing curricula.
Legislative efforts include four years
of letter writing and attendance at two
“Legislative Boot Camps.” While these
efforts haven’t yielded monetary appropriations yet, they have resulted in an invitation for Tasha Scott, a Prince graduate and
successful reporter, to return to
Washington, D.C. - at NCRA’s expense - to
educate legislators on captioning, specifically CART. The lack of federal funds
hasn’t dampened Prince’s plans to move
ahead with the captioning lab, though.
About a year ago, American Court
Reporting kicked off the fundraising with a
ready. Please continue to stay in touch, and
I’ll keep you updated as often as possible.
Please also continue your prayers for all of
our service men and women who willingly
put themselves in harm’s way to protect
our freedom and for their families. God
bless and take care.
John
(Editor’s Note: When not serving on
active duty with the U.S. Army, Captain
John Kilpatrick is chairperson of ACRA’s
CLVS Committee.)
generous donation. In addition to this gift,
Prince has been focusing on several small,
yet creative, fundraising events. Tickets
for Montgomery Biscuits baseball games
were donated and raffled. Several faculty
and staff bought Boston butts at another
organization’s fundraiser and donated
“their butts” for a school-wide BBQ sandwich sale. The spring picnic, which
included families and friends of students,
yielded profits for the lab as well. We raffled a case of steno paper - a prize for any
reporting student - and put its proceeds into
the lab fund. Finally, Prince’s president
Patricia L. Hill and her husband, Bob,
worked a station at Parisian’s educational
sale last year.
“We expect the [captioning] program
and lab to be up and running by summer,”
says Mrs. Hill. “The addition of this program is an important move in preparing our
students for the opportunities that await
them in the growing fields of broadcast and
educational captioning.”
With the captioning expansion, Prince
will be a stronger player in the reporting
and captioning fields by continuing to train
technologically-savvy professionals who
are qualified, prepared, and ready to step
into the challenges of an ever-changing
world. Prince is on the move ... step by
step.
9
A Kindly Act
Karen B. Reagan, CSR
Immediate Past President
Have you ever said to
yourself, I wish I were
more this or a little
more that?
Or said, Gosh, I wish I
could be more like Soand-So...someone
you
Karen B. Reagan
know who has accomplished a feat you admire? I have. As a
matter of fact, many times. The most
recent occasion happened for me right
after Hurricane Ivan wreaked havoc on our
Gulf Coast late last year. During a conversation with a fellow board member, I’d
learned that while I was preparing for the
storm, buying bottled water and backup
flashlights to my backups, our PresidentElect, Alan Peacock, was hunkered down
at Mobile’s WPMI-TV station providing
captioning for a community of citizens that
couldn’t possibly have known what was
headed their way were it not for the closed
captions flowing across the bottom of their
television screens. To further emphasize
his kindly act, Alan worked at the TV station providing captions for 18 hours
straight at no cost. (Yes, that is correct: 18
hours straight at no cost is not a typo.)
When I asked Alan about his benevolent
service, in his typical fashion, he downplayed it as “no big deal.” He said that
while his hands were tired at the end of the
night, station personnel took care of him
bringing coffee and food to keep him
going. You know, I’ll do many things for
food, but pro bono writing for 18 straight
hours isn’t on the list.
Although Alan didn’t
want to call attention to
his kindly act, fortunately
for us, there are others
around him that wanted it
noticed. K.A. Turner of
the Mobile Register wrote
Alan Peacock
a glowing article that ran
in the Sunday Business Edition of the
Mobile Register on November 14, 2004,
entitled “Captioners See Demand
Growing.” While the article didn’t necessarily focus on Alan’s 18-hour ordeal at the
TV station, in a broader sense it focused on
captioning as a career and its many benefits. For our reporting community, it was a
successful marketing maneuver, as it
demonstrated to the consuming public that
court reporters are doing so much more
these days.
If you ask him about his job, Alan will
personally tell you that one has to be selfmotivated and responsible to be in captioning, but that it’s absolutely worth it for
him. He says that captioning is the career
world’s best-kept secret. Well, the cat’s
out of the bag now, because the secret was
let out in K.A.’s wonderful article.
Instantly all of us became the beneficiaries
of Alan’s one kindly act.
Pondering all of this begs one to ask
himself (or herself, because I asked myself
this question), Could I do that? On purpose? While we may not want to run out
and write 18 hours straight with no pay,
there are so many other areas where we are
called upon to give of our time. Sure, we
could do that. It may not be captioning at
the local TV station, but it might be at
church, our children’s school, helping a
neighbor, maybe helping out at work, or
some other non-profit organization.
There are many venues that are begging for us to come in and push up our
sleeves and assist.
Alan’s kindly act
makes me ask, What have I done lately?
Each time, I come up empty-handed. Now
that we’ve entered into a brand new year, I
find myself wanting to make a pact with
Continued on page 19
Alabama CSR
Examination Application
CSR Examination Date: April 2, 2005
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Locations: Gadsden, Montgomery, Mobile
Name: ______________________________________________
I currently hold the following NCRA certifications:
Address: ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Select your Testing Site:
Please select your desired testing site (circle one):
Phone Number: ______________________________________
Email: ______________________________________________
ACRA Member (circle):
No
Testing History:
The Alabama CSR skills examination may be passed in legs, as
long as the CSR candidate retains their current membership status.
Proof of passing the NCRA Written Knowledge Test is required
before a candidate can be awarded CSR status.
I have previously taken and passed the RPR Written Knowledge
Examination: Yes No
I have previously taken and passed the following legs of the
Alabama CSR (circle all that apply):
180 Literary
DUNN, KING & ASSOCIATES, L.L.C.
Yes
200 Jury Charge
225 Testimony
Gadsden
Montgomery
Mobile
Registration and Payment
Please print and return this completed form along with your testing fee to the address below.
Note: All testing candidates must register prior to the examination
day. There will be no on-site registration.
Fees: ACRA Members: $65
Nonmembers: $90
Please send your testing fees to the following address:
Alan Peacock, President-Elect
ACRA
1960 Old Government Street
Mobile, AL 36606
You can also apply online at www.alca.org.
Click on CSR Testing Information under “Quicklinks.”
D I S T I N G U I S H E D S E R V I C E AWA R D N O M I N AT I O N S
REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL REPORTERS
Pat Higgins, CSR, RPR, Firm Owner
Jenny Dunn, CSR, RDR, CRR, CBC, Founder
Dee Johnson, RPR
Greta Duckett, CSR, RPR
Dawn Ashcraft, Graduate of Prince Institute
Wendy Lewis, Graduate of Prince Institute
Sherry Mack, Graduate of Prince Institute
Carla Henderson, Graduate of Prince Institute
COURT REPORTERS OFFERING:
Quick turnaround • Daily copy • Realtime • Certified Videographer
Online transcript repository • ASCII disks
Compressed, duplexed and timestamped transcripts
E-transcripts printable in condensed format and viewable with hyperlinked word index
Case file management • Detailed exhibit handling & cross-referenced indexing
Schedule proceedings online at www.dunnking.com
431 South Court Street • Montgomery, Alabama 36104
(800) 359-8001 or (334) 263-0261• Fax: (334) 263-1243
email: [email protected]
MEETING AND EXCEEDING STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE SINCE 1982
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Distinguished Service Award Nominations are currently being accepted by the DSA
Committee. The purpose of the DSA is to encourage and recognize work amounting to distinguished service by individual members
in good standing of ACRA for the benefit
of the profession. That may include
work as a member, committee member,
director, or officer of the Association,
for the ACRA newsletter, or in the
field of public affairs or
public relations. No officer, director,
or member of the DSA
Committee is eligible to receive the
award while serving in
such capacity. Nominations of candidates may be submitted
by an ACRA member in good
standing to the DSA
committee, together with supporting information. The
DSA Committee is comprised of
Kathy Haynes, 2004 DSA
Recipient; Suzanne Frazier, ACRA
President; and Karen Reagan,
ACRA Immediate Past President.
Nominations should be submitted
to Suzanne Frazier no later than
March 15, 2005, at [email protected], or by mailing to 801 N. Richard Arrington Jr.
Blvd., Criminal Justice Center, Room 604, Birmingham, AL 35203.
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