Sensory Garden
In Winter
closed
circuit
February 2015
Vol. 33, Issue 2
T h e m o n t hly newslet t er for Aud io-R ead er vo l u n teers
CONTENTS
1: Studio
Etiquette
2: News and Notes
3: Five Questions
4: Mid-Winter
Update
5: New Faces
6: Frey’s Fun &
Frolic
7: February
Birthdays
8: Picture Perfect
STUDIO ETIQUETTE
By Jen Nigro
Coordinator of Volunteers
them to read their broadcast, their level of
If you use an Audio-Reader recordexperience and the nature of their reading
ing studio, I need your help. We have had
several complaints of late from readers who assignment. However, there are times when
my estimation is off or technical problems
come at their appointed studio time to find
delay a volunteer who is normally very
the person scheduled before them is still in
punctual. In these instances, I will continue
there. In some cases it is because that volto do my best to keep the studio schedule on
unteer is early, and they are happy to wait
track by moving volunteers to different stu(though I will move them to another studio
dios. That brings me to my next
if possible so they don’t
have to). Increasingly, how- If you arrive early point—everyone is subject to
studio reassignment. I know
ever, it is because the person
or late for your
several of you have favorite
before them arrived late or
scheduled
time
studios. I try my very hardest
spent part of their recording time talking—to staff, to on a regular basis to keep you there, but there
will be days when it is just not
fellow volunteers, or even on
possible. We may have had a
their phones—thereby taking it may be time to
technical glitch that threw the
more than their allotted time. look at adjusting
whole day off, or we may need
I want to be clear that we your time on the
to work a substitute reader into
want Audio-Reader to be a
the mix for an absent reader.
schedule.
social experience as much as
The only way to ensure evyou do. But, we ask that if
eryone
scheduled
gets a studio may be to
you want to chat, you either arrive early for
change
your
room
number.
your scheduled time or stay and chat after.
This can make a world of difference when it
comes to keeping our schedule on track.
closed circuit
Editor
Susan Tabor,
Assistant Coordinator
of Volunteers
Design/Layout
Sally Snell
If you arrive early or late for your
scheduled time on a regular basis it may be
time to look at adjusting your time on the
schedule. Please check the schedule board
in the volunteer area next time you come
to read; if the time listed doesn’t match the
time you generally arrive or the length of
time you are generally in the studio, please
let me know so I can change it.
I try to give everyone plenty of time in
the studio based on the average time it takes
Finally, when you leave your studio,
make sure it’s ready for the next person!
Double-check to make sure you have properly ejected your file from the recording
computer, leave the desk neat, take care of
any trash, recycle or return your materials
to the magazine rack and return pens to the
volunteer area.
If ever you have a complaint about your
studio—the scheduling, its condition or a
mechanical or technical problem that needs
to be addressed—please let me know so I
can take care of it. Thank you!
NEWS AND NOTES
By Susan Tabor, Assistant Coordinator of Volunteers, and Jen Nigro, Coordinator of Volunteers
CONDOLENCES
Audio-Reader extends its sincere condolences to
volunteer Carol Beth Whalen, whose husband, Bill
Crahan, died after we went to press in December. As
a matter of fact, Telephone Reader coordinator George
McCoy was one of Bill’s many guitar students. Bill
performed by himself and with many other musicians
in the community. To Carol Beth and the rest of Bill’s
family and friends, we hope that your many memories
of Bill will warm you during the cold of winter and
that you will receive comfort and support from those
memories and from all those people who are part of
your circle of support.
We also express our sympathies to Karen O’Keefe
following the death of her aunt, Edie Shrimplin, on
January 16 in Valley Falls, KS.
THANK YOU
Thank you to
Michelle Wickersheim
for responding to our
query and donating a
microwave to the Audio-Reader kitchen! If you
smell burned popcorn wafting through the building,
it’s because we’re getting used to our new gadget.
Thanks Michelle!
GRANDBABY UPDATE
Some of you may know that our former longtime
executive director, Janet Campbell, who retired in
September, became a grandmother for the fifth time
just before she retired. Well, here is a sweet picture
of Annie Jones! She is Janet’s first granddaughter
and she is having a great time with all of her grandchildren!
Have you ever wondered?
By Jen Nigro
Coordinator of Volunteers
Page 2
Have you ever wondered about the painting that
hangs above the Dictionary upstairs in the recording area that features a man sitting in an armchair
reading a newspaper? Well, I was digging through
old issues of Closed Circuit and discovered it was
painted in appreciation of a $10,000 donation given
to Audio-Reader by Jan and Tom Dean in 1995 in
memory of Jan’s father, Jake Irvine. Jake was never
a volunteer, staff member or listener, but from 19901994 he regularly accompanied Jan when she came
to read. He quickly became a favorite of everyone
here, including Baehr Cat, who lived here during
that time, and whose portrait hangs upstairs by Art’s
office.
Closed Circuit, the Audio-Reader Network volunteer newsletter
Save the Date!
Audio-Reader Golf
Tournament coming soon!
By Feloniz Lovato-Winston
Development Director
Audio-Reader’s 6th annual golf tournament will
be held on May 18, 2015 at
the Alvamar Country Club
in Lawrence (members
course). This year, we are
thrilled to announce that
KU Women’s Golf Coach
Erin O’Neil is chairing the tournament. You
can help support Audio-Reader by sponsoring the tournament or signing up to play. Hole
sponsorships are $250, and cost to play is $125
per golfer. This is a great opportunity to support Audio-Reader and KU Women’s Golf. Call
(785) 864-5336 or email [email protected] for
more information.
KU Women’s Golf Coach Erin O’Neil
Five Questions:
Name: Jane Blocher
Current reading
assignment: University
Daily Kansan (Mondays
for Telephone Reader)
Years of service:
6 years, 6 months
Q: Where did you grow
up?
A: Born in Salina but
raised in Chanute, KS.
Q: What is your favorite
book?
A: I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. It
was the best reading experience of my entire life.
No book I’ve read since has topped it.
Q: How or why did you get involved with
Audio-Reader?
A: Peg Sampson did a presentation at my Rotary
club about Audio-Reader and I decided to take the
plunge. I love to read and liked the flexibility of
scheduling my volunteer time. Also, as director
of a non-profit organization who relies heavily on
volunteers, I knew I couldn’t expect volunteers to
assist with our mission if I wasn’t willing to do the
same for others.
Q: What is your favorite or most unusual reading assignment?
A: I enjoy reading the University Daily Kansan.
It gives me an up-close perspective of student/
university life and how much it has changed since
I was in college. Additionally, it provides a bird’s
eye view into the issues and challenges facing
that generation.
Q: What is your favorite thing about volunteering for Audio-Reader?
Visiting with George McCoy every Monday
morning. Great way to start my week! Also, the
service we provide as volunteers. I know that one
day I may be visually-impaired so I’m paying it
forward in advance!
Closed Circuit, the Audio-Reader Network volunteer newsletter
Page 3
RECIPE CORNER
By Susan Tabor
Assistant Coordinator of Volunteers
If you are looking for a sweet little treat to make for your Valentine, this just may be the ticket!!
Maraschino Cherry Plus
Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
• 3 c. flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 ½ c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used almond)
• 1/3 c. maraschino cherry juice
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 ½ c. chopped maraschino cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cupcake pan. Place
cupcake liners in pan and lightly grease, if desired.
In bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Use a
whisk to stir. Set aside.
Pour milk and cherry juice into a bowl and add seeds from
vanilla beans. Mix well to incorporate vanilla bean. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat very
well, until light and smooth. Add eggs and egg whites, one at
a time, beating well between each addition. Next, add a little
bit of the flour mixture, mix and then add a little bit of the milk
mixture. I added ½ cup each at a time and mixed between
each addition. Repeat until all ingredients are combined.
Gently stir in chopped maraschino cherries.
Scoop batter into muffin liners. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until
a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Buttercream Icing Ingredients:
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 6 T. maraschino cherry juice
• 2 T. milk
Add butter and sugar to a bowl. Mix with a handheld or stand
mixer until well combined, soft and light. Add cherry juice
and milk, slowly until you reach a consistency and sweetness
that you like. I used 6 Tbsp. cherry juice and 2 Tbsp. milk
total, but adjust according to your taste.
Mid-Winter Telephone
Reader Update
By George McCoy
Telephone Reader Supervisor
We have a few new content offerings on Telephone
Reader, but before I get to those, I’d like to share a
quick update on our new-ish Weekend Reading Coordinator, Emma McElhaney. We hired Emma in July and
she’s worked hard to learn the ropes and bring some
sanity to our weekend Telephone Reader processes. In
addition to being a model trainee, Emma has worked on
a listener contact initiative to find out why some of our
subscribed listeners no longer call, and has volunteered
to weed and re-organize the TR file cabinet, where
one might find anything from ten-year old internship
applications to Jim Boyd’s dry cleaning receipts from
2003. She’s what we call a go-getter, and we’re so glad
to have her! Emma works from 7 to 12:30 Saturdays and
Sundays, and if you wind up in the building, please stop
by and say hello if you have a minute.
Starting in mid-January, we will have a few new
offerings on Telephone Reader: Rolling Stone magazine,
the New Yorker, American History magazine, and
Smithsonian magazine. We’ll be downloading these as
pre-recorded, one-hour programs from the IAAIS Program Share, so we will not need readers for them and
the readings will not necessarily include the complete
contents of each issue. The New Yorker is a weekly;
Rolling Stone is published bi-weekly; Smithsonian is
monthly; and American History is bi-monthly.
We will also be adding two additional features for
listeners, including an irregular, informational feature
called “Manager’s Special,” which will give listeners the lowdown on volunteer assignment changes,
publication additions and deletions, system issues, and
whatever else seems germane. Manager’s Special will
be found in our Listener Resources folder. Also, each
day of the week, Emma and I will be adding a single,
skippable system message that “teases” a selected feature on Telephone Reader. So, if you are a home reader
and you bump into the teaser message, never fear –
you do not have to listen to the whole message. Just
start entering your numbers, and you’ll go right past it
and on to the normal set of prompts.
As always, thanks for all you do bringing the printed
word to those who cannot read it themselves, and stay
warm out there.
Once cupcakes are completely cool, top with buttercream and
enjoy!
.
Page 4
Closed Circuit, the Audio-Reader Network volunteer newsletter
Cans for the Community
Donates $1,000 to
Audio-Reader
By Feloniz Lovato-Winston
Development Director
Representatives from local non-profit Cans
for the Community stopped by Audio-Reader on
Monday, December 29 with a $1,000 check for
Audio-Reader. This recent gift brings Cans for the
Community’s total community giving (they support
a number of Lawrence non-profits) to $150,000!
Cans for the Community collects aluminum cans
and donates the proceeds to local charities. There
are several Cans for the Community collection sites
across Lawrence – including one at Audio-Reader.
Cans for the Community has seen a large drop in the
amount of aluminum cans taken to their collection
sites in recent months. You can help them out by
bringing your aluminum cans to Audio-Reader, or to
any of their other collection sites (locations available at www.cansforthecommunity.org).
Cans for the Community representatives Linda Lang,
Will Lunn, Linda Klinker and Wendell McGaugh present Audio-Reader Development Director Feloniz LovatoWinston with a check to Audio-Reader for $1,000.
NEW FACES
By Jen Nigro
Coordinator of Volunteers
Please give a warm welcome to the following
new volunteers!
• Dan Karasek is an English/language arts teacher at
West Middle School here in Lawrence. He enjoys
playing golf, doing yard work and writing. Dan will
begin as a substitute reader.
• Kim Kubel is an operations manager in the Kansas City
area. She heard about Audio-Reader from an article in 913
Magazine written by volunteer Lori Allen, and decided
to get involved! Kim will begin by reading the Thriftway
and Country Mart ads for Telephone Reader.
• Clark LaFever is a graphic artist who likes to walk
and meditate in his spare time. He is also a Meals on
Wheels volunteer. Clark begins by reading the world,
nation and local sections of the Kansas City Star for
Telephone Reader on Tuesdays.
• Melissa Warren is a retired firefighter who works as
a piano technician. She enjoys music, woodworking,
sculpture and home remodeling, and is a frequent
volunteer for the KPR fund drive. Melissa begins by
reading the National Enquirer.
• Annette Tucker is semi-retired, working as director/
reporter for KLKC Radio in Parsons. Annette enjoys
crafts, quilting, hiking, cooking and photography.
She will read regional newspapers from our satellite
operation at KRPS in Pittsburg.
• Mark Zapien joins our Kansas City reading crew
at Alphapointe! Mark, a purchasing agent, enjoys
literature and writing in his spare time. We look
forward to hearing him on the Kansas City newspaper
broadcast!
This Month in Audio-Reader History
2010: Feloniz Lovato-Winston joined our staff as Development Assistant.
2000: Audio-Reader expanded coverage to Concordia, KS, through the
installation of a 12-foot satellite dish there.
1995: The Kansas Lions Sight Foundation awarded Audio-Reader a grant to
purchase a backup power generator and backup transceiver for the satellite,
as well as digital recording equipment.
Pulitzer Prize winner and syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman served as
a guest reader, reading her column during the Breakfast Table Times.
Closed Circuit, the Audio-Reader Network volunteer newsletter
Page 5
FREY’S fun
AND frolic
DON FREY
By Don Frey
A-R Volunteer
17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough
sense to be lazy.
18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off
now.
19 - I intend to live forever...So far, so good.
20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy
her friends?
If you’re not familiar with the work of Steven Wright,
he’s the famous Erudite comic who once said: “I woke
up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen and
replaced by exact duplicates.” His mind sees things differently than most of us do. Here are some of his gems.
21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into
jet engines.
22 - What happens if you get scared half to death
twice?
23 - My mechanic told me, “I couldn’t repair your
brakes, so I made your horn louder.”
1 - I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name.
2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don’t expect
it back.
25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence
that you tried.
3 - Half the people you know are below average.
26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of
thinking.
4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts
feel so good.
7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad
memory.
8 - If you want the rainbow, you have got to put up with
the rain.
9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my
hand.
10 - The early bird may get the worm, but the second
mouse gets the cheese.
11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend...But she left me
before we met.
12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark?
27 - Experience is something you don’t get until just
after you need it.
28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the
softness of the bread.
29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to
steal from many is research.
30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no
lifeguard.
31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll
have to catch up.
32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body
is required to be on it.
33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just
don't have film.
13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for
you.
14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have
obviously overlooked something.
And the all-time favorite:
15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would
your headlights work.
16 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the
wrong lane.
Page 6
Closed Circuit, the Audio-Reader Network volunteer newsletter
PICTURE PERFECT
closed circuit
The University of Kansas
Audio-Reader Network
1120 West 11th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 864-4600
(800) 772-8898
READER.KU.EDU
STAFF
Steve Kincaid
Interim Director/
Chief Engineer, ext. 4691
Nicci Banman
Business Manager,
ext. 2252
Eight Cub Scouts and nine parents from Pack 3064 in Eudora (Dens five and six) visited
Audio-Reader on January 20 to learn about our services and vision loss. They got some
hands-on experience with Braille, toured the building, saw simulations of different conditions that affect vision and even got to do some recording! Thanks, guys, for visiting
Audio-Reader! (As a side note, one of the boys, Gabe Campbell, is the eldest grandson of
Emeritus Director Janet Campbell! He’s pictured second from the right in the blue shirt.)
Art Hadley
Producer/Announcer,
ext. 4624
Meredith Johanning
Development Assistant,
ext. 4634
Lori Kesinger
Program Manager,
ext. 4625
Feloniz Lovato-Winston
Development Director,
ext. 5336
George McCoy
Telephone Reader
Coordinator, ext. 4612
Emma McElhaney
Weekend Telephone
Reader Supervisor,
ext. 4612
Bruce Mensie
Engineer, ext. 4638
Jennifer Nigro
Volunteer Coordinator,
ext. 4604
Peg Sampson
Outreach Coordinator/
Listener Liaison, ext. 2686
Susan Tabor
Assistant Volunteer
Coordinator, ext. 2685
Lisa Werner
Administrative Associate,
ext. 2201
The University of Kansas
Audio-Reader Network
1120 West 11th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044