| Next meeting: Saturday, October 28, 2006
Main Branch Library, Houma, LA 1:00 p.m.
We had another great meeting last month. It seems
that we do not need a speaker to get things started. Our members can and
do share their thoughts on just about any topic.
At the October board meeting, a very important topic
came up. The burden of loading and unloading of the boxes of paper needed
to produce the quarterly was discussed. After Audrey WESTERMAN and Louis
DUET run off close to 400 copies of each of the 35 or so sheets of 8½
x 11 in. paper, printed on both sides, they put them in boxes. Are you
a Math Whiz? No? Well, I’ll help. That adds up to 14,000 pages, more or
less. One ream is 500 pages, so that’s 28 reams and each ream weighs five
pounds—140 pounds. It usually runs about four or five good-sized boxes.
After the quarterlies are put together, with front and back covers and
three staples, each of those boxes must weigh close to 40 pounds. Each
box must be moved several times. From Audrey’s house to a truck or car,
then unloaded to someone’s house for “checking.” This must be done to eliminate
blank pages. (Sometimes one side of the page is printed and the other side
is skipped. No one wants a quarterly with one page missing. Don’t you know
that it contains just the item you were looking for?) After checking, the
loose pages are put back into boxes to wait for collating day, when they
must be loaded into a vehicle and brought to the collating venue, where
they are unloaded and stacked into the collating trays for the workers
to do the easy part: put the pages in order so that each Terrebonne Life
Lines quarterly may have its covers put on and be stapled.
The books are counted and again put in boxes to be loaded into vehicles
for delivery to Jess’s house where they can have labels put on and wait
to be taken to the post office for mailing. Just a few are taken out to
be handed out at the collating party and at the general meeting. Have you
been counting? That is eight moves, counting each move from location to
vehicle and vehicle to location as separate moves. That’s a whole lot of
lugging goin’ on.
Seriously, folks, it is beginning to affect our
health. And some of us were warned by our doctors not to even think about
lifting a 40-lb. box. We have to make some changes.
At the same board meeting we discussed some alternatives.
One of the suggestions was to put the quarterly on a website with limited
(password) access. Another was to produce a CD which would contain the
quarterly to be mailed to each member. A third suggestion was to cut the
size in half. Many societies issue smaller quarterlies than ours. A fourth
suggestion was to contact some of the area high schools for students who
are looking to gain service points. All of these suggestions have their
pros and cons. Would you please help us by giving us your suggestions and/or
feedback? If you can’t come to the meeting, could you please write us or
send an email to either Jess BERGERON or Ed HICKS?
DEATH: I am saddened to report the death of the husband of longtime
member Enola DUPRE PONVILLE. Joseph A. "AJ" Ponville Sr, a native of Labadieville
and resident of Houma died at 11:25 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, 2006. Burial
was in St. Francis de Sales Cemetery No. 2.
He is survived by his wife, Enola DUPRE PONVILLE of Houma, his step
mother, Marie AYSEN PONVILLE of Labadieville; two daughters, Ellen CASSELL
and husband, Jimmy, of Weatherford, Texas, and Annette WEIGEL of Houma;
three sons, Joseph A. PONVILLE Jr. and wife, Mel, of Egypt, Michael PONVILLE
and wife, Pamela, Of Houma, and Thomas PONVILLE and wife, Tammy , of Colorado
Springs. Colo; two sisters, Peggy STROUD and husband, Tommy, and Diane
GAUDET; three brothers, Elvin PONVELLE and wife, Barbara, Resley PONVELLE
and wife, Pat, and Carrol PONVELLE and wife, Verna; nine grandchildren;
and two great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Eddie PONVELLE
and Helen LeSAGE PONVELLE.
He was a U. S. Navy veteran.
TERREBONNE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
25 years and still going strong.
Come to our Christmas Social Meeting!!!!!!!
December 9, 2006 Main Branch Library
Meeting Room, Houma, LA
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL: After the October meeting, we will have only
one more meeting in 2006, and that will be the Christmas Social meeting.
Only the bare minimum of business will be conducted, and Phil will turn
the meeting over to the Board Members. So far, several ideas have been
put forth. Every year we have a HUGE Christmas Door Prize Giveaway. Each
member has cooperated by bringing more than one gift per person (good time
to dispose of the “white elephants” in the china closet) wrapped for instant
giving. In addition to the Door Prize Gift(s), Juanita CHIASSON suggested
that we bring Toys for Tots. This would be a gift appropriate for a young
person, bought new, and not wrapped. Many persons love to shop for a child,
so if that is your thing, go ahead, indulge yourself. It has been years
since some of us have had a child to shop for, and find it so difficult
to get a gift that will be enjoyed by our own children or grandchildren
that we have fallen into the “give a check” habit. Go on, do it. Make a
trip to the mall and buy a special gift to make a child feel special.
You will feel better afterwards. And you know your effort will be most
appreciated .
We will be celebrating our twenty-fifth year as a society,
so we think someone will bake us a cake. With all the cake-bakers in our
membership, I’m sure they will rise to the occasion.
Patty WHITNEY was asking around for suggestions for an “Ice-breaker”
activity that we could use to get to know each other better. Can you think
of any? Let us know. Attend the October meeting if you can and we will
talk about it.
It has been rumored that one of our board members
was seen shopping for shrimp and, naturally, our mind instantly thinks
of someone’s famous “Shrimp Dip.” Can we count on you to bring something
like that? Also appreciated would be meatballs, finger sandwiches, veggie
trays, fruit trays, chips and dips and salsa, and so on and on. If your
culinary skills are anywhere near mine, you could bring a jar of pickles
or olives, assorted nuts, some picnic plates, forks, knives, spoons, or
napkins.
In this article, I use two different spellings for the
surname PONVILLE/PONVELLE. This is in accordance with the family usage. |
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