Twitter hashtag: #MrPenny

Mr. Penny remains in critical condition at East Alabama Medical Center on Tuesday, a day after he was found at his home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EAMC public relations manager John Atkinson said Johnny Richmond, the Auburn City Schools employee and crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, remained in critical condition at the hospital a day after undergoing surgery for the injuries.

Auburn police, responding to a request from a concerned relative, found Richmond at his Boykin Street home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Monday morning.

On Monday, well-wishers began stopping at the corner of Samford Avenue and Dean Road to leave handmade signs, flowers, candles and pennies where Richmond spent his mornings and afternoons escorting children across the road.

Among the people leaving trinkets and messages for Richmond Tuesday morning were school system employees Jan Swiderski and Holly Beck, who walked to the corner from the nearby ACS main office to leave Auburn University shakers.

“He’s just a great guy — this is his corner. He puts a smile on your face no matter what,” Swiderski said.

Beck said children and adults would wave to Richmond as they passed the crossing.

“It’s just sad driving by this corner this morning and not seeing his hand go up — and maybe never again,” Beck said.

Original story
Last update: 11:23 p.m. Monday

Parents and school staff spent the Monday struggling to explain to students what happened to the beloved local crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, who remained on life support at East Alabama Medical Center late Monday night.

“ … And we can’t answer those kinds of things,” Auburn City Schools Superintendent Terry Jenkins said.

Johnny Richmond, a 37-year employee of Auburn City Schools known as Mr. Penny to generations of school children, was found at his Auburn residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to Auburn Police who responded at the request of a worried relative.

Jenkins said counselors will be available Tuesday for students and staff at Dean Road Elementary School, Auburn High School, and Drake Middle School.

“It was a real shock to all of us,” Jenkins said. “ … You just expect when you walk outside to see that smiling face.”

Jenkins said Richmond underwent surgery Monday afternoon for his injuries.

There were conflicting reports of Richmond’s death Monday on social media and local news outlets after EAMC prematurely reported his passing to Auburn City Schools. The hospital called the announcement an honest mistake.

Jenkins said the system was inundated with calls from parents, former students and others whose lives Richmond had touched seeking information on what had happened to the avid Auburn University fan known for leading students in cheers as they crossed the intersection of Samford Avenue and Dean Road under his supervision.

“I have been amazed today how many adults called us in tears,” Jenkins said. “Mr. Penny is a very active part of the lives of a lot of children.”

Jenkins said Richmond’s influence on young lives stretched beyond Dean Road and the nearby crossing.

Wanda Lewis, president of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, said Mr. Penny routinely volunteered to participate in programs that benefited the organization.

“Where Auburn City Schools were involved, he was always willing to be involved,” Lewis said. “My heart goes out to the children. This is sad for all of us, but my concern is for the children and how they will deal with this because they know him and love him.”

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said he received phone calls from his children, both Dean Road alumni, who wanted an update about the longtime crossing guard.

“They were particularly sad about that,” Jones said.

Jenkins said the system’s main office learned of the incident late Monday morning.

The only apparent sign that something was wrong Monday was Richmond’s absence from his post at the crosswalk and his custodial job at Dean Road Elementary School, Jenkins said.

Richmond is one of three crossing guards employed by the Auburn Public Safety Department, Auburn Police Division Chief Tommy Dawson said.

Jenkins called Richmond’s job performance with the system exemplary and said his unannounced absence Monday alarmed the staff at Dean Road.

“Everybody he works for would tell you he is always on time,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the Dean Road principal drove to Richmond’s home, where she found police investigators.

Mr. Penny was a fixture on the sidelines of Auburn city schools and AU athletic events, a perennial cheerleader for the teams he adored.

“Mr. Penny always gave the impression that he was one of the happiest people you could meet,” Jenkins said.

Staff writer Donathan Prater contributed to this report.

Original post:
UPDATE: No change in Mr. Penny's condition Tuesday

Twitter hashtag: #MrPenny

Mr. Penny remains in critical condition at East Alabama Medical Center on Tuesday, a day after he was found at his home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EAMC public relations manager John Atkinson said Johnny Richmond, the Auburn City Schools employee and crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, remained in critical condition at the hospital a day after undergoing surgery for the injuries.

Auburn police, responding to a request from a concerned relative, found Richmond at his Boykin Street home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Monday morning.

On Monday, well-wishers began stopping at the corner of Samford Avenue and Dean Road to leave handmade signs, flowers, candles and pennies where Richmond spent his mornings and afternoons escorting children across the road.

Among the people leaving trinkets and messages for Richmond Tuesday morning were school system employees Jan Swiderski and Holly Beck, who walked to the corner from the nearby ACS main office to leave Auburn University shakers.

“He’s just a great guy — this is his corner. He puts a smile on your face no matter what,” Swiderski said.

Beck said children and adults would wave to Richmond as they passed the crossing.

“It’s just sad driving by this corner this morning and not seeing his hand go up — and maybe never again,” Beck said.

Original story
Last update: 11:23 p.m. Monday

Parents and school staff spent the Monday struggling to explain to students what happened to the beloved local crossing guard known as Mr. Penny, who remained on life support at East Alabama Medical Center late Monday night.

“ … And we can’t answer those kinds of things,” Auburn City Schools Superintendent Terry Jenkins said.

Johnny Richmond, a 37-year employee of Auburn City Schools known as Mr. Penny to generations of school children, was found at his Auburn residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to Auburn Police who responded at the request of a worried relative.

Jenkins said counselors will be available Tuesday for students and staff at Dean Road Elementary School, Auburn High School, and Drake Middle School.

“It was a real shock to all of us,” Jenkins said. “ … You just expect when you walk outside to see that smiling face.”

Jenkins said Richmond underwent surgery Monday afternoon for his injuries.

There were conflicting reports of Richmond’s death Monday on social media and local news outlets after EAMC prematurely reported his passing to Auburn City Schools. The hospital called the announcement an honest mistake.

Jenkins said the system was inundated with calls from parents, former students and others whose lives Richmond had touched seeking information on what had happened to the avid Auburn University fan known for leading students in cheers as they crossed the intersection of Samford Avenue and Dean Road under his supervision.

“I have been amazed today how many adults called us in tears,” Jenkins said. “Mr. Penny is a very active part of the lives of a lot of children.”

Jenkins said Richmond’s influence on young lives stretched beyond Dean Road and the nearby crossing.

Wanda Lewis, president of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, said Mr. Penny routinely volunteered to participate in programs that benefited the organization.

“Where Auburn City Schools were involved, he was always willing to be involved,” Lewis said. “My heart goes out to the children. This is sad for all of us, but my concern is for the children and how they will deal with this because they know him and love him.”

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said he received phone calls from his children, both Dean Road alumni, who wanted an update about the longtime crossing guard.

“They were particularly sad about that,” Jones said.

Jenkins said the system’s main office learned of the incident late Monday morning.

The only apparent sign that something was wrong Monday was Richmond’s absence from his post at the crosswalk and his custodial job at Dean Road Elementary School, Jenkins said.

Richmond is one of three crossing guards employed by the Auburn Public Safety Department, Auburn Police Division Chief Tommy Dawson said.

Jenkins called Richmond’s job performance with the system exemplary and said his unannounced absence Monday alarmed the staff at Dean Road.

“Everybody he works for would tell you he is always on time,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the Dean Road principal drove to Richmond’s home, where she found police investigators.

Mr. Penny was a fixture on the sidelines of Auburn city schools and AU athletic events, a perennial cheerleader for the teams he adored.

“Mr. Penny always gave the impression that he was one of the happiest people you could meet,” Jenkins said.

Staff writer Donathan Prater contributed to this report.

Read more from the original source:
Mr. Penny in critical condiction

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ann M. Drake, CEO of DSC Logistics, has been selected by the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University to receive the 2012 Alumni Merit Award. The award is presented to a Kellogg graduate who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in a field of endeavor and whose accomplishments reflect credit on Northwestern University. Ms. Drake earned an MBA from Kellogg in 1984 and became CEO of DSC in 1994.

As DSC CEO, one of Drake's first initiatives was to transform the company, originally founded in 1960 as Dry Storage Corporation, from an extended family of 22 companies to a dynamic supply chain partner operating as one entity, under one name – DSC. She also introduced a strategy and structure known as sense-and-respond to enable greater flexibility, proactive problem-solving, and achievement of customers’ business goals, such as reducing costs, improving service, transforming business processes, and facilitating growth and change.

Since Drake became CEO, DSC has grown to be one of the nation’s leading supply chain management companies, with a nationwide network of integrated logistics and supply chain management operations. The core of DSC’s business is collaborative partnerships with major companies in a variety of industries, including grocery and consumer goods, health care and medical devices, electronics, paper, and others.

Among the honors she has received for her business leadership are being named “Industry Leader of the Year “ in 2009 by the Illinois institute of Technology; a logistics and supply chain management “Rainmaker” by DC Velocity magazine; and a “Pro to Know” for three years in a row by Supply & Demand Chain Executive. In addition to her DSC leadership, Drake serves on the board of directors of A.M. Castle & Company and the board of directors of the Committee of 200 (C200), an international organization of prominent business women. She also serves as vice president of the Business Advisory Council of Northwestern University's Transportation Center and has been involved for many years with the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Brookings Institution, including serving as part of a Brookings delegation that traveled to Germany to study transportation and governance.

Northwestern’s Alumni Merit Awards, presented to one alumnus from each of Northwestern’s 11 undergraduate and graduate schools, will be held Saturday, March 3, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago.

About DSC Logistics

DSC Logistics, a leading supply chain management company, focuses on designing, integrating, managing, and adapting supply chain solutions. DSC capabilities as a Lead Logistics Partner (LLP) and third-party provider (3PL) include supply chain analysis and design, network optimization and management, Logistics Center management, transportation management and consolidation, business process integration, supply chain visibility, and value-added services. In today’s environment, filled with rapid and unpredictable change, DSC helps customers achieve their goals by being ready for anything!

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50184363&lang=en

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Go here to see the original:
Ann Drake to Receive Alumni Merit Award

The University of Scranton's new Loyola Science Center helps make the school a good match for the Commonwealth Medical College as the institutions pursue plans for an affiliation.

When the group that founded the Commonwealth Medical College first announced the project in 2005, one of the major questions in the community was why it was not affiliated with a university, especially the University of Scranton.

Independent medical schools are relatively rare. For financial, academic and practical reasons, most are tied to universities and many of those include "teaching hospitals."

Many people saw the University of Scranton as a natural partner for the medical school because of its strong pre-med program.

TCMC pressed on independently, pioneering a community-based, rather than university-based model as it built its spectacular headquarters on Pine Street, at the edge of downtown Scranton.

Disadvantages of that independence soon became obvious, however. The school had no parent organization and no alumni. After the state government, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and a core of generous private donors funded the initial development, TCMC was placed on probation by its accrediting body because of financial uncertainty - a period it has been able to navigate largely because of an ongoing commitment from Blue Cross.

Now it appears that the affiliation that seemed a natural from the outset finally might happen. The medical school and the university formally agreed recently to examine an affiliation that might make even better sense now than it would have back in 2005.

In the interim, the University of Scranton has established a joint graduate major with the medical school and it has constructed an $80 million science center. It also brings to the table its academic reputation, which would be enhanced through a medical school, a national alumni association and significant fund raising capability.

An affiliation would be a tremendous development for the two institutions and the region. TCMC already has begun to play a role in improving the region's health care quality and access, and it is a key to creating a larger knowledge-based component to the region's economy.

The university long has been a major player in the regional economy. That will increase with its growing emphasis on research, which would grow further through a medical school affiliation. Because of the extraordinary work by the medical school's developers, the university would not have to build the institution from scratch.

Meanwhile, two major hospital groups that have relationships with TCMC have become the biggest players in regional health care delivery. Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., has purchased the former Mercy Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital and their related institutions, and Geisinger Health System has expanded its presence with its acquisition of the former Community Medical Center. Both groups have vowed to invest scores of millions of dollars in the region.

All of those developments hold the potential to make health care, medical education and research-based related developments new drivers of the region's economy.

A TCMC/University of Scranton affiliation is a complex undertaking. The region will benefit enormously if they can pull it off.

Continue reading here:
Health for med school and regional economy

TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE The University of Scranton's new Loyola Science Center helps make the school a good match for the Commonwealth Medical College as the institutions pursue plans for an affiliation.

When the group that founded the Commonwealth Medical College first announced the project in 2005, one of the major questions in the community was why it was not affiliated with a university, especially the University of Scranton.

Independent medical schools are relatively rare. For financial, academic and practical reasons, most are tied to universities and many of those include "teaching hospitals."

Many people saw the University of Scranton as a natural partner for the medical school because of its strong pre-med program.

TCMC pressed on independently, pioneering a community-based, rather than university-based model as it built its spectacular headquarters on Pine Street, at the edge of downtown Scranton.

Disadvantages of that independence soon became obvious, however. The school had no parent organization and no alumni. After the state government, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and a core of generous private donors funded the initial development, TCMC was placed on probation by its accrediting body because of financial uncertainty - a period it has been able to navigate largely because of an ongoing commitment from Blue Cross.

Now it appears that the affiliation that seemed a natural from the outset finally might happen. The medical school and the university formally agreed recently to examine an affiliation that might make even better sense now than it would have back in 2005.

In the interim, the University of Scranton has established a joint graduate major with the medical school and it has constructed an $80 million science center. It also brings to the table its academic reputation, which would be enhanced through a medical school, a national alumni association and significant fund raising capability.

An affiliation would be a tremendous development for the two institutions and the region. TCMC already has begun to play a role in improving the region's health care quality and access, and it is a key to creating a larger knowledge-based component to the region's economy.

The university long has been a major player in the regional economy. That will increase with its growing emphasis on research, which would grow further through a medical school affiliation. Because of the extraordinary work by the medical school's developers, the university would not have to build the institution from scratch.

Meanwhile, two major hospital groups that have relationships with TCMC have become the biggest players in regional health care delivery. Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., has purchased the former Mercy Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital and their related institutions, and Geisinger Health System has expanded its presence with its acquisition of the former Community Medical Center. Both groups have vowed to invest scores of millions of dollars in the region.

All of those developments hold the potential to make health care, medical education and research-based related developments new drivers of the region's economy.

A TCMC/University of Scranton affiliation is a complex undertaking. The region will benefit enormously if they can pull it off.

Originally posted here:
Health for med school and economy

Posted: Feb. 26, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.

It falls to many college deans to go before off-campus groups and seek support, especially when budgets are tight.

But Dr. Karen West may be the only one who has gone before the Turnaround Management Association, which focuses on reviving struggling businesses.

Upon becoming dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine in 2007, she walked into both trouble and an academic department that shares many traits with for-profit entities.

When she moved into her office across the street from University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, she was the fifth permanent or interim dean in the school's five-year existence. Numerous people had opposed the school's creation, and they renewed their fight against it after the initial promises that it would be financially self-sufficient proved overblown. Several students received diplomas despite being involved in a cheating scandal, provoking further outrage. An ambitious orthodontics program was wobbling with too many students and too little funding after a major corporate sponsor went bankrupt.

With a few years of continuity under West, the debate has subsided. The school now covers about three-fourths of its annual budget -- $21.8 million out of nearly $30 million -- with tuition, fees, research grants and payments from the 60,000 patients treated there every year. West wants to keep state support around the current level to hold down student costs while building reserves to cover expenses such as new drills and chairs.

Meanwhile, she continues to grapple with issues such as how to price services to patients and costs to students, which now run at $178,000 for a four-year program, to maximize revenue without getting ahead of the market.

Question: Why did you want to walk into the problems the school faced in 2007?

Answer: When I interviewed for the position here, believe it or not, that was the first time I had ever been to Las Vegas in my life. So I wasn't aware of the way the school was looked at. All I knew was that it was a new school, which attracted me because you can do so much with a new school. It's like a blank slate and there are a lot of opportunities. But I was only tangentially aware of the problems.

Question: Was there some point when you started to get buyer's remorse?

Answer: Probably a few times I second-guessed myself. Should I have done this? I ran into things here that I never ran into in Kentucky (her home state and previous professional address). It's a different environment of living here, whole different social environment. Kentucky is the South; things are kind of slow there. Here, things move at a very fast pace and you have to make decisions and you can't look back. You move forward.

I thought to myself, "I know I can do this, but is it what I really want to do?" After a couple of years we made changes and things kind of fell into place. I said, "I like this place." It was different for me to move here. I like the desert, I love the weather, but I miss my green trees.

Question: Why did you stick it out?

Answer: Because I'm not a quitter. If I had left here before things were straightened out, in my opinion, I would have felt like I was a failure. And I don't deal well with that. I knew I could make a difference. The school had some tremendous potential and it just needed some TLC and some good oversight and management.

Question: To some extent, you were thrown into crisis management. What was your background for that?

Answer: As an academic dean at the University of Kentucky, I was always the bad cop. That's what academic deans do. They're the ones that sometimes have to tell students that they flunked out. So I was used to doing that sort of thing.

I had quite a bit of leadership training through different programs in health care.

Question: Did you have to learn a lot on the fly?

Answer: Yes, but I found out that I liked it. ... There were so many opportunities to build the school, to expand. I didn't know how much I was going to have to do, but I came because of that. It's so much easier to make a difference at a school that hasn't got a lot of old, established rules.

In Kentucky, for instance, there is the Kentucky way of doing things. Here, we didn't yet have the UNLV way of doing things and that's what we have been able to build, I think.

Question: What is the UNLV way of doing things?

Answer: We like to say that the hallmark of our school is our service. We have service to the community and probably have one of the largest programs in the country for what we provide in service. Our philosophy is that here at the school you are going to learn leadership training, you are going to learn to give back to the community and you are going to have a quality education.

Question: It seems as if you are more of a CEO than a typical dean.

Answer: Most dental school deans have to be business managers because we have clinic operations, even more so than a medical school. Usually, in a medical school, they work in a hospital. Here, we have the entire enterprise.

Question: The school's level of self support is now about 75 percent. When the school was set up, the announced target was total self-support. Is that still the case?

Answer: It will take a long time to get totally self-supporting because we are a new school. Most schools that have a large and self-supporting income have an alumni base. We're not there yet. Once we get up there, I think we can gradually increase the amount. But it's going to take us a while.

If we tried to do that right now, we would basically increase our tuition out of the marketplace.

Question: Do you have to act as chief marketing officer in setting price?

Answer: Oh, yes. There are still a lot of students that want to go to dental school. We had 2,300 applicants for 80 spots last year. We have plenty to choose from.

But at the same time, we don't want to make it so expensive that our students can't pay back their loans when they get out. That's my worry. So I try to balance that, what they can pay and what we need as a school to continue.

Question: How do you think the school is doing now?

Answer; I think we are going great. Our graduates are our best marketing tools because they are doing very well right now. Over half of our students go into graduate programs. That's very difficult, to get into graduate programs. We have program directors at other places tell us that our students are very well prepared. The community is accepting of us. We're involved with organized dentistry.

Question: What's on the to-do list?

Answer: We want to build more graduate programs. We have an orthodontic, a pediatric dentistry and a general practice residency program.

One of the things that happens when students go off to graduate school (elsewhere) is that they generally stay there. We want our students, our graduates, to stay within state instead of going to California or somewhere because we don't have a program here.

Quite honestly, dental schools don't make money on their undergraduate programs. They make it on the graduate programs. So on predoctoral clinics, we just want to break even. That's another reason I want graduate programs.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.

More here:
Nevadan At Work: Unlv Dental School Dean Displays Turnaround Artistry

By Ellen Keiley, K&L Gates

Whether you are continuing your education in your 20s or 50s, it can be a worthwhile endeavor. Most agree that that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort. In fact, you may suddenly find yourself frequently writing papers all hours of the night and no longer being able to take leisurely vacations. However, that?s just temporary, and the benefits outweigh the negatives. In the end, continuing education is rewarding and game changing in a positive way.

According to Dorothy Whalen, Board President of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) Boston Chapter, although she was already at the CFO level, it was definitely worth going back to school for her MBA. Whalen said ?No one can take away my education.? Attending Northeastern University?s Executive MBA program allowed her to learn among other leaders with diverse experiences and perspectives and enabled her to keep current on new technologies, trends, and best practices.

Evelyn Tate, Director of Graduate Recruitment & Admissions at Northeastern University stated continuing education helps you remain competitive in the workplace, and additional education can set you apart from other candidates, whether you are applying for a position or looking to be promoted within a company. Tate also said although there?s financial expenses involved with attending school, there?s also financial benefits going forward. A Bureau of Labor & Statistics study shows that the financial benefits of continuing one?s education can be significant.

Networking and the social aspect are added benefits of continuing education. The class atmosphere provides an opportunity to build your network and build deep relationships that will last a lifetime. Diane Darling, CEO of Effective Networking, Inc. and author of ?The Networking Survival Guide? suggests getting involved as much as possible and ?building relationships before you need them.? For example, people often reach out to their former classmates for business or service referrals. Darling also suggests joining the conversation, getting involved with alumni networks after graduating, and staying in touch with former classmates.

Before deciding to go back to school, one should be ready for the commitment involved. Michelle Jacobo, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Program Director at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, attended a 5-year full-time, fully intensive program, as well as 2 years of post-doctoral training and said it was like giving up 7 years of her adult life outside of school while she was in her 20s. However, she doesn?t regret doing so in any way. Not only was it necessary for her field of expertise in healthcare, but it was also rewarding.

Whalen said for sixteen months, she spent most of every waking hour outside of work on studying to prepare for team meetings, classes and deliverables. Those efforts paid off, as they increased her team building skills and made her stronger in the working world. Whalen was fortunate to have received a partial scholarship, but her school loans were still significant.

If you determine you want to go back to school, do your homework. Before making a decision, research programs and determine the right one for you. There are so many options these days, such as full-time, part-time, blended learning, and dual degrees. For those that have to travel frequently for work or have extremely busy schedules, online programs may be the way to go.

Whether online or on campus, continuing education will build your skill set and better equip you in the workplace and in life.

Some Important Tips
? Visit school websites, talk to friends and professional colleagues, and tour school campuses and classrooms.

? Many schools offer the opportunity to speak with students and instructors ? take advantage of that to get a real sense of the commitment involved.

? Review school rankings and look for accredited schools. Massachusetts has a long list of excellent schools to choose from.

? If you have interest in international business, consider schools that have an international business program, including travel opportunities.

? If you plan on taking classes on campus, take the school?s location into consideration and determine if it will work logistically.

? Develop a plan on how you will support yourself financially while in school and how you will pay for school.

? Speak with a school financial aid counselor to learn about payment and financial aid options.

? Research scholarships and look for tuition-funded opportunities.

Ellen Keiley is a Boston World Partnerships Connector and a member of the Business Development Department at K&L Gates in Boston. She can be contacted at ellen.keiley@ klgates.com

See the rest here:
Continuing Education

Posted: Friday, February 24, 2012 8:03 am | Updated: 7:41 pm, Thu Feb 23, 2012.

From Joel Adamson of Phoenix, to George Zuverink of Tempe — the last player listed in the Baseball Encycolopedia — more than 400 former major league alumni make Arizona their home. This includes the 120 or so who live in the East Valley alone, according to information from the Arizona Major League Alumni Association.

For the core of former players active in that association — a group ranging in age from their mid 30s to late 80s — they don’t hesitate to step up to the plate, or cover the bases, if you will. In addition to moving forward with its mission of helping a new generation of Arizona youth ballplayers better learn the game, the association also aims at aiding former Major Leaguers or their family members who have fallen on hard times.

That’s the genesis for the participation of about 50 former players in Sunday’s 26th-Annual Kleven Construction Celebration of Baseball All-Star game at Surprise Stadium. The festivities surrounding the event will include a hitting contest featuring some of the alumni, top-ranked college players from Arizona State University and two local high school baseball stars in the Valley — Mitch Nay of Chandler Hamilton and David Graybill of Phoenix Brophy.

For the last 15 years, Tempe resident Lou Klimchock, a former infielder in the 1960s has been the glue to galvanize the Valley’s community of former baseball players as the president of the association’s president. Klimchock said he also has seen the number of current players living in the Grand Canyon State grow as the nonprofit organization is seeking to acquire more sponsorships for the nonprofit organization so it can continue to thrive in the future.

“It’s my passion,” said Klimchock, now 72. “We’re a pretty well kept secret in the state, and despite hard economic times, we’re still able to do the things and help others out.”

As an 18-year-old rookie with the Kansas City Athletics in 1958, Klimchock said he made the then-minimum league salary of $6,000; in his last year in 1970, he made $24,000. He later worked in marketing for the Adolph Coors Co. and Coca-Cola, picking up skills he said has helped him make the alumni association more viable with the help of a volunteer board of directors.

The Arizona Chapter of the Major League Alumni is said to be among the oldest and largest chapters in the country. Many of its members were hardly household names — playing long before multi-million dollar contracts — and left the game before they played four years, the minimum amount of time required to receive a pension from the league.

That’s where the Arizona Major League Alumni has come in, surpassing $600,000 in contributions to its members in need. To date, 24 members have received assistance, mostly with medical care costs, and the organization also supports BAT (the Baseball Assistance Team, also helping former Major Leaguers suffering hardship), and youth baseball programs throughout Arizona.

The money is raised through its annual golf tournament — slated this year for Feb. 27 at Scottsdale’s Troon North Golf Club Feb. 27 — and from various other events, like the annual Arizona Baseball Awards Dinner. Come Novemeber, this year’s event will again honor the top Major League, Minor League, college and high school players from Arizona.

Klimchock, who played second and third base for the Athletics, Washington Senators, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets and Cleveland Indians, jokingly said that if the Celebration of Baseball game is rained out again this year — it would be the third year in a row — that maybe someone is trying to tell them something.

“If we’re rained out this year, the guy upstairs is telling us we’re too old to do this,” Klimchock said. “We need more younger players to participate in the game. ... The ages of most of the guys getting out of baseball are 30 to 50, and it takes a while for them to return to the game. They’re not quite ready to be called old timers.

“But, we really need the younger guys to help keep the alumni going, and we’re looking for more corporate sponsorships to grow.”

Included among the players participating in Feb. 26 game are former pitcher Dave Burba, now coaching for the Colorado Rockies and residing in Gilbert, former San Diego Padres outfielder Kory DeHaan, now a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates who lives in Chandler, and Jack Heidemann, a former big leaguer who lives in Mesa.

Klimchock has said that one of the alumni goals is to raise more money for scholarships to send nationally-ranked high school players from Arizona to the annual Wood Bat Tournament in Florida in October, where they can showcase their skills before pro and college scouts. Sponsored by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team is overseen by R.J. Harrison, an Ahwatukee resident and director of scouting for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Laurel Prieb, vice president of operations and special projects for Major League Baseball’s Western Operations Office in Phoenix, said that it is important that the mission of the Arizona Chapter of the Major League Alumni continues into the future.

“The Valley has so many players living here and that underscores the importance of the chapter,” Prieb said. “And Lou (Klimchock) has done so much in making sure the needs of the players’ needs are met and bonding them together.”

Added Klimchock: “It’s all about passing on what we’ve learned and keeping the alumni association going. What keeps the alumni involved and doing things? Because we can.”

Contact writer: (480) 898-6533 or msakal@evtrib.com

Original post:
Spring training: Arizona MLB alumni continue stepping to the plate

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Seven inspiring individuals and a foundation helping to transform the nursing profession while raising awareness of the valuable role nurses play in 21st century healthcare will be honored at the second annual “Nurse 21 Awards” presented by the UCLA School of Nursing on May 9 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The honorees represent a diverse group of nurses – an internationally renowned expert in healthcare and the worldwide nursing shortage, an educator and policy advisor currently working in South Australia, a strategic advisor for the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action, a nursing student who is challenging the stereotypes and inequalities that affect all nurses, a clinical nurse specialist, an expert in mental health nursing – and one of the world’s best-known and most highly respected healthcare foundations.

“We are honored to recognize these champions who have been working to redefine and expand the role of nursing,” said Courtney H. Lyder, dean of the UCLA School of Nursing. “Their impact has been enormous and will continue to be so.”

The keynote address at the “Nurse 21” gala will be delivered by Heidi Crooks, RN, MA, who will also receive this year’s Nurse 21 Leadership Award. Crooks currently serves as senior associate director of operations and patient care services and chief nursing officer at the UCLA Health System. Crooks is a past recipient of the Most Innovative Patient-Focused Care Award from the Hospital Council of Southern California as well as the 2001 Caregiver of the Year Award.

In addition to Crooks, other 2012 award recipients include:

Corporation/Foundation – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Human Capital Campaign: The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action. This unique initiative is designed to identify, generate, synthesize and disseminate evidence essential to implementing the recommendations outlined in the Institute of Medicine’s report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” and to contribute to Campaign for Action’s goal of advancing comprehensive change in healthcare for patients and the country. International. Judith A. Oulton, D.Sc. (hon.), M.Ed., RN, former chief executive officer of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and current member of the board of trustees of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention. Oulton is an internationally renowned expert in issues such as healthcare and the worldwide nursing shortage. Her efforts to advance the field of nursing have spanned her entire career. Oulton retired from ICN, a federation of national nurses’ associations that works to maintain a strong international community of nurses and to promote sound health policies around the world in collaboration with the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations. Media Advocacy – Diana Mason, RN, Ph.D., former editor of the American Journal of Nursing. During her 10-year tenure, the journal was named one of the 100 most influential journals of the century in biology and medicine—the only nursing journal to be selected for this distinction. Currently Dr. Mason is the Rudin professor of nursing and co-director of the Center for Health, Media and Policy at Hunter College, The City University of New York. She also serves as strategic adviser for the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action that is coordinating implementation of the recommendations in the Institute of Medicine’s report on “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” Community Award – Kristine Gebbie, former head of public health for the state of Oregon, Washington State Secretary of Health, and member of the White House team which established the AIDS Policy Office for President Clinton. Gebbie has also served as a senior policy advisor to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on subjects of public health infrastructure and the public health workforce. She has chaired policy committees for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Energy. Presently Dr. Gebbie works as an adjunct professor, faculty of health sciences, at Flinders University School of Nursing & Midwifery in South Australia where she continues her longstanding research interests in competency-based education and emergency preparedness. Distinguished Alumni – Sandra Rome, RN, MN, AOCN, a clinical nurse specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Rome received both her BSN and her MN degrees from the UCLA School of Nursing. She currently serves as an assistant clinical professor at the school, through which she frequently mentors graduate students and provides guest lectures. Rome has impacted nursing on a national level through membership, speaking, and publishing several articles and book chapters in nationally recognized journals and texts. Distinguished Alumni – Dr. Vivien Dee, DNSc, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is professor and director of the Ph.D. nursing program at Azusa Pacific University. Upon graduation from UCLA, she served as nurse consultant at Western Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities in Santa Monica and then as assistant director for child services at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital from 1977-1987. In February, 2011, she was the keynote speaker at the International Nursing Conference in Riyadh, sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health. Emerging Leader Award – Jonathan Lee, a fourth-year student in the undergraduate program at the UCLA School of Nursing. In his second year he co-founded Men in Nursing at UCLA, and under his leadership the group has become one of the largest and most active chapters of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. As an individual and through Men in Nursing at UCLA, Lee continues to challenge the stereotypes and inequalities that affect all nurses and hold back the nursing profession.

Further information may be obtained at http://nursing.ucla.edu/Nurse21.

The UCLA School of Nursing is redefining nursing through the pursuit of uncompromised excellence in research, education, practice, policy and patient advocacy. Ranked among the top nursing schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report, the school also is ranked No. 7 in nursing research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and No.1 in NIH stimulus funding. In 2010-2011, the school received $24 million in total research grant funding and was awarded 26 faculty research grants. The school offers programs for the undergraduate (BS), postgraduate (MSN and MECN) and doctoral (Ph.D.) student. For more information, please visit nursing.ucla.edu.

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UCLA School of Nursing “Nurse 21” Awards Honor Nursing Champions Who Transform and Lead the Profession in the 21st ...

Members of the Harold O. Young VFW Post 2394 presented awards to several city employees during a banquet last Saturday, Feb. 18.

The VFW named Lisa Lord as Teacher of the Year, Lt. Paul Collina as Firefighter of the Year and Robert Mann, the school resource officer, as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. (Click on the link, at left, to view a photo gallery from the awards banquet.)

The awards program has been held before, but not during the past few years — the VFW resurrected the tradition this year under the suggestion of Robert Driscoll, commander of VFW Post 2394 and chairman of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board. The VFW selected the three honorees, with input from department heads.

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

The letter written to nominate Officer Robert Mann recognized his status as one of the founding members of the Melrose Police Department’s Color Guard, supporting veteran parades and ceremonies and firefighter funerals and more, as well as his membership in the Regional Response Team that responds to emergencies throughout Middlesex County.

“Law enforcement has been a lifelong passion for Officer Mann from his humble beginnings as an undercover store detective to his honorable service as a distinguished member of the 972nd Military Police with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to his duty today as the school resource officer in his hometown of Melrose. Put simply and truthfully, Officer Robert Mann is the embodiment of the values the VFW looks for in the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year,” the nomination letter said.

Mann’s efforts as the Melrose school resource officer were also recognized, including the many programs he implemented — such as a coat drive to help less fortunate students stay warm in the winter months.

Mann is an executive board member of Melrose’s Operation Resolve project, which is helping raise money to send World War II veterans to see their monument in Washington, DC. (Read a story about the program in the Feb. 9 edition of the Free Press or online at wickedlocalmelrose.com/news.)

Mann and his father also raise money to provide calling cards to local servicemen and women serving overseas.

His knowledge of the law, professionalism and dedication also contributed to his selection as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

“He is an independent thinker, pays attention to detail, and his energetic approach to his job is highly regarded by his supervisors, peers and the Melrose community. He is a team player with outstanding personal, academic and professional potential,” the nomination letter said.

Teacher of the Year

Lisa Lord has been a social studies teacher at Melrose High School for the past 14 years.

Many of her projects have encouraged partnership between veterans and students. She established an oral history project that brings local veterans — from World War II to today — into the classroom to speak with her students about their experiences and responsibilities in the military.

Begun in 2007, the project is ongoing. As part of the program, students’ biographies of veterans have been published in the Free Press and other local papers in recognition of Veterans Day.

As part of the oral history project, Lord lined up veterans from various conflicts, including a WWII veteran who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and a live conversation via Skype with an MHS alumni student who is serving in Afghanistan with the Air Force.

“Lisa Lord is quite simply a great teacher with much admiration and respect for the men and women in uniform. She is most deserving of the VFW’s Teacher of the Year Award,” her nomination letter said.

One year, Lord and her students attempted to create “Victory Gardens” in the classroom as part of their World War II studies. This year she is also hoping to collaborate with a local elementary school that started a community garden, which connects to a classroom lesson.

Lord has undertaken a project to create an elaborate archive of information about Melrose veterans. By working with veterans and other community members, she has an extensive collection of war-era magazines, newspapers, photographs and other artifacts. She is collecting veterans’ stories and obituaries from local papers to accompany the archive. At some point, she hopes to involve students in the project.

Firefighter of the Year

Paul Collina is a fire lieutenant, and is trained as a paramedic for the department. He helped Melrose’s city and fire officials reach their goal of restoring emergency medical services to an in-house program, which it had been before it was contracted out in the early 1990s.

Collina helped establish the policies and procedures needed for the fire department to offer ambulance services, worked through the challenging state licensing process, researched the purchase of a new ambulance and advised on the final choice, and spearheaded all the training for department members.

“The department began successfully operating on June 1, 2011 and it has been a tremendous success due to the efforts of Lt. Collina. He is without question personally responsible for the success of this new venture,” his nomination letter said.

The letter quoted Collina’s motto during the two-year conversion process: “If we are going to do it, we have to do it right.”

According to the letter, Collina helped make ambulance services in-house by working with state inspectors, the director of the city’s billing company, the medical director and emergency room staff of the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and the staff at Cataldo Ambulance.

At one point in the process, he even traveled out of state to observe the ambulance manufacturer’s factory.

“His depth of experience and his ‘give me the ball’ attitude was instrumental in the accomplishment of this department’s historic milestone,” the nomination letter said.

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VFW presents awards to 3 community leaders