July 2024 Meadowlark

2024 CONVENTION THEME:
INSPIRE
The purpose of the 2024 Convention
for KARSP was to Inspire. The
keynote speaker on Thursday morning
surely did that. District Magistrate
Judge Tommy Webb was born in
South Korea during the Korean
Conflict, lived in an orphanage,
was adopted by the Roy Webb family,
and was brought to Tulsa, Oklahoma. As he spoke, the
audience could feel the cold and hunger he felt, feel the
hug he received from a little
white-haired lady, and feel
joy when he had a family in
the United States and was
no longer hungry. There was
laughter and tears throughout
his speech. He was inspired
by that little white-haired
lady who cared enough to
hug him, and he was inspired by his adoptive parents
who took him as their own and gave him a chance. He
was inspired by his parents, who
were educators--even though
he might have “hid.” He gave
everyone at the convention a
book that tells of his stories and
his inspirations.
Kansas Association of
Retired School Personnel
Volume 59, Issue 7 The Meadowlark July 2024
In the afternoon, Jennifer Farr,
a fifth grade teacher at Lincoln
Elementary in Junction City
who was selected for the
Lowell Milken Award and was
a 2017 Kansas Teacher of the
Year, spoke of her experiences
as a current teacher. While she
inspires her students every
day and treats them as her family, she also inspired us
to realize that there are still excellent teachers out there
who are proud of our professions and who work hard
every single day.
Dr. Jackie Augustine of
Kansas Audobon also spoke
on Thursday afternoon. She
shared her passion and how
tirelessly she and others
worked to save and improve
the Cheyenne Bottoms so that
endangered species would have
a place to go on their journey
of migration. She showed that
hard work and dedication to a passion can make things
happen. This is an inspiration to all to keep on being
passionate for what is most important.
One might think that convention
attendees had been duly inspired
and they could go back home with
these thoughts, but there was more
on Friday morning. Dan Meers,
whose “real job” is KC Wolf,
shared his amazing story and how
he wishes to spend each day of his
life. He was in a terrible accident
with his job on November 23, 2013.
As one little fan wrote in a card
to him…”You could have died”. The audience again
laughed and cried. There was the picture of him in the
hospital bed…and then his definition of ICU! Dan told
us our life is like a coin; we need to spend it wisely. To
him the most important aspects of his life and his faith,
are family and friends. He inspired us to have
character, purpose and passion. He strives each day to
“Rise and Shine!” There were books to purchase and
all of the money he receives from the books goes to
Missions.
One complaint that was heard about the speakers was
that there should have been tissues on the tables…
1420 SW Arrowhead Rd, Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66604 785.232.8788 www.karsp.org

THE HEART OF
THE MATTER
Gil Bunning
KARSP President
“Precious memories – how they
linger –
How they ever flood my soul.”
The Meadowlark is an official publication of the
Kansas Association of Retired School Personnel.
Gil Bunning, President (785) 486-3304
Beccy Isom, Vice President (785) 476-3143
Dianne Sisk, Secretary (785) 749-4601
Mike Isom, Past President (785) 476-5583
Dee Schwinn, Editor (620) 412-3452
Jerry Henn, Executive Director (785) 232-8788
Perry McCabe, Membership (620) 200-0526
Rod Dietz, Treasurer (316) 641-3445
These words from the song that was sung at the
memorial service continue to run through my mind.
They encapsulate the moments of this convention –
seeing friends from years past, meeting new friends,
gaining new ideas, and hearing great moments
of inspiration – this was the 72nd KARSP State
Convention.
Moments of inspiration which reminded us of
the values we hold in common and those which
challenged us to make wise choices in our lives –
these were at the heart of our convention.
Speakers who gave their stories – from feeling
alone as an orphan, yet going on to become a very
influential magistrate judge -- to the Kansas Teacher
of the Year who is influencing her students to think
and to become creative, bright people who will be
the leaders of tomorrow -- to the person who gave
us insight into the way our natural resources can
be saved for generations to come -- to the spunky,
funny, yet very serious “K.C. Wolf” who gave us a
presentation which highlighted those things which
are most important in his life – his faith, his family,
his relationships, and his main goal in life, which is
to do good every day.
These were truly inspirational!
Fourteen $500 grants given to educators who are
making an impact on the lives of their students so
that these young people will positively influence
their communities today and their world tomorrow.
Hearing these recipients was inspiring!
Reports about the work of our organization were
given. They included the number of hours of
volunteerism we have given, the good financial
standing we have right now, the state of our
association, and the work we need to do on behalf
Kell Smalley, District Manager of Kansas, Kansas City
(913) 912-2157
Dependable Benefits. Trusted Partner.
611 S KANSAS AVENUE, SUITE 100
TOPEKA, KANSAS 66603
(785) 296-6166 OR (888) 275-5737
New memberships and renewals are $25.00 per year.
If you have a change of address, please contact us by mail,
phone, or email.
KARSP
1019 Darlow Dr., McPherson, KS 67460
(785) 232-7877
karsp@karsp.org or membership@karsp.org
or visit us at www.karsp.org
STRENGTH IN UNITY

of our organization – all were positive and show
that we are growing and are active, retired Kansans.
Inspiration, for certain!
A quiet gathering of hearts and minds was Friday
morning at the Memorial Service. The inspiration
moment led by Ferrell Miller, and “Precious
Memories” sung by Max Jones, captured the
thoughts of our hearts. Honoring those educators
and school personnel who died this year was a
beautiful part of the convention – inspiring!
Thank you to Karen Pulaski and the planning
committee for doing a superb job, to all of the board
members and members at large who helped in any
way, and especially, to all of the members and guests
who joined us for this very special time in the life of
our organization. Our theme, “INSPIRE! It’s the
Heart of the Matter!” truly came to life at this year’s
convention.
If you were there, you know what I mean – if not,
then join us next year June 11 – 13 for another great
convention in Junction City.
How WE invest OUR lives will be our impact on the
world. We have our own choices to make – to be
inspiring to others!
today continue to do their best for the children in the
state of Kansas. It is indeed an honor to help them
in their endeavors. Several of the recipients were at
the luncheon to receive their checks in person. They
each told about their particular project that is being
funded. All winners will be listed in the Meadowlark
with their school’s name and their project title as
space permits.
INSPIRE! -- It really IS the Heart of the Matter.
FOUNDATION’S ACTIVITIES
The KARSP Foundation
activities are a major part of the
convention. Units can be actively
involved by preparing baskets for
the auction. Then there is the fun
of the auction..leave it to Gary
Carson, Foundation President
and auctioneer extraordinaire,
to put the fun in fundraising. After the auction and
monetary donations from individuals and units, the
proceeds were close to 7,000 dollars. This all took
place on Wednesday evening after our hamburger
feed.
Individuals or units can donate to the KARSP
Foundation at any time.
The next day there was the Foundation luncheon.
This year they were able to issue 14 grants to current
teachers to fund programs in their schools at $500.00
each. It is heartening to realize that the educators of

THE BUSINESS OF THE CONVENTION
The business of the convention began on Wednesday morning when the board started at 10:00a.m. The board
meets three times a year: October, January, and June. There are the reports from officers and committees as
well as from the District Directors. Gil Bunning, President, chairs those meetings, and he also chairs the
business meeting for the entire membership. The board met from 10:00a.m.-12:00 p.m., had lunch, and then
met from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Minutes from both of these meetings will appear in future Meadowlarks
These photos from the convention will inform you of our officers as they give of their time and energy for the
organization. The business part of the convention is always started with the presentation of the colors and that
was carried on by the Junction City High School Junior ROTC. Here are the KARSP officers in action.

INSPIRED TO HAVE FUN!
For those members who came to have a good time....there was fun! First, there was the hospitality room with
drinks and cookies. Thanks to Nancy Brock and Patsy Krokstrom for taking care of that. The Dodge City unit
sponsored game night. There were card games and then fierce Farkle competitions. Some tables had more fun
than others?!
It is also fun to win prizes. AMBA gave out two $40.00 Amazon gift cards. They were won by Betty Clark and
Phil Clark. KARSP handed out 20-dollar bills to Judy Gifford, Herschel Martin, Lois Carlson, Mary Lea
Anderson, Kathy Nichols, Judy Dietz, Denise Henn, Nancy Clarkson, and Mike Sewell. Congrats to all of
these winners.
Thursday evening the members were entertained by Brothers Blue. Our group is not as participatory as the
musicians would have liked, but some of the members--and one of the hotel staff--did get into the groove of
their soul music.
It may not be fun to stand in lines, but the result of that activity was a plate of food. Thanks to the hotel staff
who served us throughout the convention.

REMEMBERING OUR PEERS
The Friday morning breakfast and memorial service
is always a moving part of convention. The members
honor those who have passed away in the past year,
those of our peers who inspired us and others.
Thanks to Ferrel and Nita Miller for stepping in and
leading the service, to Max Jones for his beautiful
voice with “Precious Memories,” and to the District
Directors who read the names of those remembered.
As each white flower was added, those present could
remember with thanks those peers.
RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
In the final session of the day, Kay
Sewell, Community Service Chair,
recognized individuals and units
who had volunteered their time for
the good of their communities. She
stressed the importance of turning
in those hours to her so that the
organization has a more accurate
count of what we give back. The
value of the time spent this year is
$33.49 per hour.
The numbers: 243,690 hours at a value of
$8,161,178; Youth hours 40,151 for $1,344,657
Thanks to all of the KARSP volunteers!
The Meadowlark Award given to those with years
of service this year went to Sheryl Fjell of the
Manhattan Area, Dona Cochran of the Pratt Area,
and Katie Bacon of the Emporia Area.
The Sunflower award given to a member who serves
despite hardship went to Bill Bunyan, Manhattan
Area, Ruth Menzer,the Pratt Area, and Carol
Strickland, the Emporia Area.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON
CONVENTION
Thanks to all of those who attended the convention.
It was especially nice to see past presidents Mike
Isom, Pricilla Taggart, Lavern Lessor, Karen
Pulaski, and Virgil Funk along with past Executive
Director Leo Lake.
It was heartening to see first time attendees who
offered some thoughts on this, their first convention.
Jean Cross from the Chanute Area said that members

of her unit had been encouraging
her to come, and after the District
6 meeting, she decided to try it.
She was not disappointed. Cindy
Galemore from Olathe was
impressed with the quality of
the speakers and with the overall
organization of the convention.
Phyllis Loomis from Allen County was so glad
she received the voucher to come to convention.
Everything was so organized. She met lots of people
and the speakers were excellent and inspirational.
She plans to return next year. Sue Kill from Greater
Kansas was in attendance and always turns in her
volunteer hours.
Mark your calendars for
2025: June 11-13 at the
Courtyard by Marriot in
Junction City.
Thanks does not seem enough
for the work that the convention
committee did this year. Chair,
Karen Pulaski; Registrar, Jay
Brown; Treasurer, Dave Tinkler;
Tom Alstrom, Judy Branden, Russell
Branden, Ann Lessor, Lavern
Lessor, Ferrel and Nita Miller.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Ernie Claudel
KARSP Legislative Chair
EMAIL IDEAS
Jerry Henn, KARSP Executive Director, and I
attended an AARP/NRTA (National Retired Teacher
Association) conference virtually. One of the
presentations was on effective emails. I found it
personally very helpful. I am sharing it with you
because I believed it would be very helpful to you
as well, but also because the emphasis on brevity
may relieve some of your communication fear with
your representative in Topeka. This information is
very compatible with my comments, “Remember--
a dissertation is not necessary!”
THE SUBJECT LINE
1. A subject line should be limited to about 30
characters.
2. Make it time sensitive/urgent if possible.
3. “Will you please vote [or take some other action]
for _____________.”
• “Will you please voice your support for a
COLA now!”
• Hopefully, you will be able to use this
suggestion later! “Please vote for Bill
____________ which provides the KPERS
retired with a COLA.”
EMAIL BODY
1. Make the first sentence and certainly the first
paragraph a summary of the rest of the body of
the email.
2. Remainder of the email body:
• Second Level: In some more detail, 3 to
5 sentences explain in more detail (IF
NECESSARY).
• If possible, communicate to the recipient
what the problem is, the solution and the
action needed.
• Third Level: An option might be to enclose
a link to something you want them to look at
in greater detail. One example might be: List
our website, www.ksretirees.org and what
you want them to read on the site.
THREE CAUTIONS:
1. Do not try to prove your knowledge of the
vocabulary of the English language.
2. Keep the statistics to a minimum!
3. Be brief and concise!!
Prepared by Ernie Claudel, KARSP Legislative
Chair and KCPR and KARSP Lobbyist, and
members of the KARSP Executive Board and KCPR
Steering Committee.
FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR
If you do not know, or are not sure, who your Kansas
Senator and Representative are, go to
OpenStates.org. It will ask you what you are looking
for and enter "Legislators." It will next ask for your
address, and the names of your Senator and
Representative will pop up!

KARSP
Kansas Association of
Retired School Personnel
1420 SW Arrowhead, Suite 100
Topeka, Kansas 66604
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
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JULY 2024
HELPFUL INFORMATION
On Thursday afternoon, members gained helpful tips from Glenda DuBois, who was there representing
AARP. She talked about living where you want to live and how AARP can help. She can be contacted at
ksaarp@aarp.org.
Kell Smalley was there and spoke of the benefits of AMBA to our members and our organization. He
introduced two representatives who serve in the area. He also had a table throughout the convention
where members could talk one on one with him. There were also those free toothbrushes!