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As I write this month’s article, it is the Uirst dayof school in Tallahassee. Plenty of kids arebeing asked to write an essay on “how they spenttheir summer.” In that vein, I thought I wouldalso relay one of the more exciting parts of mysummer – at least in terms of work. In June, myfamily and I took our annual summer vacation toour native southern New England. While wewere there, I also worked in some site visits onbehalf of PRAXEIS® -- “Uield trips” we’ll call themfor this “how I spent my summer” essay! Three ofthese work-related Uield trips were to visitdifferent “Virtual Villages,” and I’d like to sharewith you what I discovered.What are Virtual Villages, you say? Well, I’m

glad you asked! The original Virtual Village isBeacon Hill Village (BHV), established in theBeacon Hill neighborhood of Boston in 2001.Beacon Hill Village arose out of conversationsthat a dozen or so maturing adults were having inthe mid-1990s. These conversations centeredaround “wanting to create a network of socialconnections, events, information and supportservices that…[would enable them] to liveconveniently, safely and happily as they grew

© Westcott Lakes®, September 2009

Eagle VisionVolume 1, Issue 11; September 2009

FOR ALL LIFE CAN BE

Dr. Chris MulrooneyWestcott Lakes CEO andRegional Vice President

by Dr. Chris Mulrooney, Westcott Lakes CEO and Regional Vice President

(continued on page 6)

Virtual Village neighbors visiting in theBeacon Hill community

If you saw or heard about thebeehive of recent activity inthe Westcott Lakes MediaRoom, it was members of theLibrary Committee and friendsputting the Uinishing toucheson our newmini-library. Oncegiven the go-ahead to createthe Library, Founding Member

and interior designer Ruth Bassarranged for bookshelves tooccupy a long wall of the room.The beautiful maple woodshelves, constructed so theycan be moved to morepermanent quarters when thetime arrives, are now Uilledwith books donated by LibraryCommittee members. Next tothe shelving is a rotating rackfor CDs and DVDs, a book cartand a computer that will hold aUile of Library holdings. Chairsand tables invite on-sitereading in comfort. Borrowingwill be facilitated by check-outcards in the pockets of eachbook and CD/DVD.This development can bepaired with an arrangementwhereby FSU Strozier Libraryhas designated Westcott Lakesas a satellite location for

borrowing books from Strozier.Westcott Lakes members cango onto the computer and,using their FSU ID number,request books from FSU andhave them delivered to theWelcome Center. Strozier staffwill also retrieve borrowedbooks from the Center whenreaders are Uinished with them.A Grand Opening of the newlibrary is scheduled for“Second Tuesdays” onSeptember 8 from 4 to 6 p.m.Make it a point to come andpartake in door prizes, specialpresentations and a chance tobe Uirst-day borrowers. Thelibrary is one more example ofhowWestcott Lakes is notstanding still but moving aheadtoward the day when we willall be neighbors in fact.

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Our New Libraryby Dr. Charles Nam

Dr. Charles NamSoaring Editor-in-Chief

Ice Cream SocialWestcott Lakes members enjoyed a special “Second Tuesdays” event on August 11.With administration and staff dressed in ice cream parlor costumes, attendees weretreated to their favorite ice cream dishes (even a sugar-free choice). Our specialguest was Diane Andrews, wife of long-time FSU defensive football coach MickeyAndrews, who spoke on “The Other Side of Defense”.by Dr. Charles Nam

Chris Mulrooney serving ice cream toWestcott Lakes members

Member Carolyn Shackelfordwith Renee Prasek

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The Partnership Council ofAdvisors (PCA) meetsmonthly and continues to directthe business of the WestcottLakes membership. We havemore and more members get-ting involved in our activities,and our core of bonded friendsgets bigger and bigger. We areexpanding our committeestructure and all of our commit-tees have programs to engagemembers. We have recently

added three more committees.Charles Nam is chairman ofour Library Committee. Shelvesand a media rack have beenplaced in the Media Room andbooks and DVDs/CDs will beavailable to be checked out.Jessie Lovano-Kerr chairs theMember Showcase Committeethat will have artwork andother displays in the WelcomeCenter for our members andvisitors to enjoy. The displayswill be changed from time totime.Our third new committee istaking over preparation of thisnewsletter (Soaring), withCharles Nam as Editor-in-Chief.Our Council and committees aremaking lots of progress andhaving fun doing it.For the past couple of yearswe have not had many guide-lines for the conduct of our

Council, so in the spring theCouncil decided that we shouldgo ahead and produce a set ofbylaws. Steve Shackelfordagreed to take on that responsi-bility with advice from GaryStilwell, Marie Cowart andCharles Nam. The Uinaldocument was voted on at theAugust PCA meeting. It hasbeen sent to the Westcott LakesBoard of Directors for theirreview. You should get a copy ina couple of months.I encourage all of you toattend our late afternoon mix-ers on the Second Tuesday ofevery month for members andprospects. We have a really funtime and it’s a good way forvisitors to learn about WestcottLakes and experience ourfriendliness. Come join in allthe activities. You will have agood time, I promise!

From the PCA President’s Deskby Bridget Chandler

Bridget ChandlerPCA President

“Twenty people, average age50, with type 2 diabetes, hyper-tension, and high cholesteroljoined either a usual care controlgroup or a laughter group. Inaddition to standard medicationprescribed for diabetes, thelaughter group viewed self-selected humor for 30 minuteseach day, typically situationcomedies or funny movies. Afterone year, the laughter group’s‘good’ HDL cholesterol rose by26% compared to 3% for theusual care control group.”(Source: American PhysiologicalSociety, April 17, 2009)

So let’s laugh it up! We’llstart with these puns.- I wondered why the baseballwas getting bigger. Then it hitme.- Police were called to a daycarecenter where a 3-year-old wasresisting a rest.- The roundest knight at KingArthur’s round table was SirCumference.- To write with a broken pencilis pointless.- When Uish are in schools theysometimes take debate.- A thief who stole a calendargot twelve months.

- A thief fell and broke his leg inwet cement. He became ahardened criminal.- When the smog lifts in LosAngeles, UCLA.- A bicycle can’t stand alone; it istwo tired.- In a democracy it’s your votethat counts; in feudalism, it’syour Count that votes.- When she saw her Uirst strandsof gray hair, shethoughtshe’d dye.

Laughter and Healthby Dr. Charles Nam

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Westcott Lakes Foundingmembers Richard andAllene Roberts give a wholenew meaning to the term highschool sweethearts. “Alleneand I both attended Boca CiegaHigh School in Gulfport,Florida during the late 1950s.However, it wasn’t until our20th year class reunion that wereconnected. We have nowbeen married almost 30years,” recalls Richard.Before marrying in 1980,the couple each lived excitinglives and led fascinatingcareers. Allene, who aftergraduating from high school,went to St. Petersburg JuniorCollege and graduated with aunique degree. “I majored in‘Social’…much to my parent’sdismay!” recollects Allene.After joining corporate Americaand working in advertising for ayear, Allene became a Ulightattendant for United Airlines andwas able to travel the world. “Idid a lot of traveling over thosesix years,” says Allene. “Itraveled all over Europe andCentral America and spent threemonths in the South PaciUic, inaddition to living in Hawaii for afew years. I also learned how toUly single and twin engineairplanes, sky dive, scuba diveand sail!” Allene eventuallymoved back to Florida andsettled in Miami where shereceived her real estate licenseand opened up her ownbrokerage Uirm.Richard, on the other hand,

also kept very busy, earning bothhis Bachelor’s and Master’sdegrees from FSU while compet-ing in track and Uield and settingthree FSU track andUield records. Hethen went on tocoach high schoolfor three yearsbefore returning toFSU as the AssistantTrack Coach andAcademic Advisorfor Athletics andlater becoming theHead Track andField Coach for menin 1977. “We won11 consecutiveconference men’s team titlesthrough 1988. I had the pleas-ure of coaching six ‘National

Champions’ and 74 ‘All Ameri-cans’,” said Richard proudly. In1988, Richard retired from hishead coach position to becomea National Accounts Managerfor AstroTurf® in charge ofsynthetic running track salesand remained there until semi-retirement in 2003; however,he still does consulting work inthat Uield. “To sum it up, mystory goes like this. I’m a guywho got a BS in education, aMS in Ed. Administration andalmost a Ph.D. in HigherEducation, decided to makecoaching my profession, endedup being a salesman andretired because of real estateinvestments. Who knows whatpath life is going to take us?It’s been a great ride…espe-cially the years with Allene.”After reconnecting at theirhigh school reunion in 1979,Richard and Allene married on

Valentine’s Day in 1980 and thensettled in Tallahassee whereAllene quickly assumed the

by Bronwen KrauseMeet Your Neighbors

Richard and Allene Roberts

(continued on page 7)

Richard and Allene Roberts at last year’sWestcott Lakes Holiday Party

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Mr. Burt Altman, archivist/librarian in the Special Col-lections Department of the FSUStrozier Library, presented at theAugust 11 Life College class. Inhis presentation he offeredseveral suggestions about howbest to preserve your familypapers, photographs, audiovisualmedia and books, along with alist of recommended suppliesyou can purchase to preservethem, and useful tips to prolongthe life of these preciousmementos.The class was extensive in itsrecommendations, so we canrelate only a sampling of his keypoints here. He discussedhandling, storage/preservation,disaster planning and recovery,and some resources to get moreinformation.Handling and Storage:Most paper is made fromground wood, which containslignin (an acid-producer).Therefore, use acid free paperwhen possible. Photocopy anyfragile documents – de-acidify, ifnecessary. Newsprint is the mostdestructive type of paper – photo-copy onto acid-free paper. UseMylar envelopes – do notlaminate! Encapsulate!House documents in acid-freeUile folders. Store folders inarchival-quality documentstorage boxes. Alternatively, usea Uile cabinet that has hangingracks and hanging archival-quality folders. Good air circula-tion is important. Avoid places

with great Uluctuations in temper-ature (attics or basements) anddo not store near water sources!Do NOT expose to direct sunlight.Do not use PVC (polyvinylchlo-ride) – it is not chemically stableand causes deterioration.The safest way to preservephotographs is to store the origi-nals and display copies. Eachshould have own enclosure – ei-ther archival folders or envelopes(acid and lignin-free) or plasticsleeves (polyester, polypropylene,or polyethylene). Store in cooland dry conditions (temperature:40-65 degrees Farenheit; relativehumidity: 40% - 50%).Store all audio/video tapesvertically in acid-neutral boxes orcontainers and away frommagnetic Uields and sources ofvibration.Film storage cans or plasticboxes should be archival.Decomposing nitrate Uilms andacetate Uilms suffering from thevinegar syndrome must alwaysbe stored separately from oneanother and apart from otherUilms. You may transfer “homemovies” to VHS or DVD – but keep

Uilm since it is more stable!Save computer Uiles in TIFformat for preservation andcopying; JPEG or GIF for viewing;PDF Uiles for printing. Upgradeyour equipment every few yearsand transfer Uiles to new media asthe technology becomesavailable. Regularly back up Uilesof documents, photos, databaseUiles and digitized photos. Maketwo backup copies.Disaster Planning andRecovery (primarily paper)Legal and Uinancial records:insurance policies, house andautomobile titles, birth andmarriage certiUicates, passports,pet vaccination records, check-books, savings account books,investment records, credit andATM cards and any other Uinan-cial records. Make photocopies ofsuch items – keep one copy at afriend or relative’s house and an-other in a plastic container. Placeimportant papers in archival plas-tic page protectors (polyester,polypropylene, or polyethylene),and place protectors in a note-book. Do not use vinyl, PVC, oranything with a strange smell.Use duct or packing tape on thelid of every plastic storage bin inan effort to keep out water.Resources:You can create your ownhome disaster response kit fromProtext:http://www.protext.net/products/Products.html.Contact me atstilwellg@yahoo.com if youwould like Mr. Altman’s full noteson this topic.

Life Collegeby Dr. Gary Stilwell

Burt Altman and Steve Shackelford atthe Life College Event

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Anew committee wasrecently designated as theMember Showcase Committee.

The Committee includes DeWittMathers, Carolyn Shackelford,Peggy Moore and Ruth Bass,and is chaired by Dr. JessieLovano-Kerr. Last month, theMember Showcase Committeewas invited to begin planningfor the display of artworks ofour members in the WestcottLakes Welcome Center as ourUirst project. We will bedeveloping this project duringthe next few months.Picture this! As you walkinto the entrance of theWelcome Center at some point,you will experience a sensationof having been instantlytransported to a beautiful artgallery. Colorful paintings anddrawings will cover both sides

of the walls as they do now, butas you glance at some of thelabels next to the artworks, youwill realize that this is ashowcase for the works of ourmembers who are artists, aswell as of those who are artcollectors. We also hope toeventually have pedestalsdisplaying sculptures andceramics standing proudly withtheir two-dimensionalcounterparts.This is a glimpse of what isto come as we celebrate ourmembers’ appreciation of thearts. If you are interested inUinding out more about thework of this Committee, contactme at jlovanok@fsu.edu or385-1702.

Members Showcaseby Dr. Jessie Lovano-Kerr

Founders Club MemberDr. Jessie Lovano-Kerr

(continued from page 1) – in their ownhomes”(excerpted from TheVillage Concept: A Founders’Manual).Since this beginning inBoston, Village networks havesprung up all over the countryand overseas. Some refer to aVillage as a “virtual retirementcommunity,” not unlike the“community without walls” thathas developed among themembership of Westcott Lakes.Villages are made up of members(BHV currently has over 450),each of whom pays a modestannual membership fee to belongto a member-governed,member-managed,member-funded network ofpeople who take advantage oftheir being in community with

one another to access culturalevents, informational programs,exercise opportunities,transportation assistance,handyman and cleaning services,in-home meal delivery, pet-sitting, computer support, and ahost of other services up to andincluding a full offering ofshort-term and long-termin-home personal care.Each Village is a nonproUit501(c)(3) tax-exemptorganization, which makes iteligible for grant funding and toreceive charitable donations.Most Villages collect enoughrevenues from their membershipfees and other fundraising toemploy some part-time staffmembers to coordinate servicesacross the network. I had a

chance to interview the staffdirectors for BHV in Boston,aswellas “VineyardVillageatHome”onMartha’sVineyardIsland,Massachu-setts, and“StayingPut inNewCanaan” inNewCanaan,Connecticut.All threedirectorsreportedthattransportationacross theirnetworkswasthesinglemost importantservicebeingmadeavailable tomembers ineachVillage. All threedirectorsalsoreportedbeingable tobroker theseandotherservices tomembersatreducedpricesbecauseof theabilitytonegotiatea“groupdiscount”onbehalfofasizablemembership.Giventhe“virtual”communitythathasdevelopedacross themembershipofWestcottLakes, Iwouldbehappytosharemoreinformationonthisconceptwithanymemberwhois interested.

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The Social Security system(ofUicially referred to as theOld Age, Survivors andDisability Insurance program)was begun in 1935 and has beena mainstay of the economicsecurity of Americans eversince. Of all those receivingbeneUits in 2008, 69 percentwere retirees and theirdependents, 18 percent weredisabled workers and theirdependents and 13 percentwere survivors of deceasedworkers.The importance of SocialSecurity for economic welfareis revealed by the fact that 88percent of married couples and86 percent of unmarriedpersons 65 and older receivedSocial Security beneUits.Moreover, the beneUits providedat least half the income for 64percent of the aged in 2007.About 20 percent of married

couples and 41 percent ofunmarried persons among theelderly relied on Social Securityfor at least 90 percent of theirincome.In the system, payroll taxes

are collected from today’sworkers to pay beneUits totoday’s recipients. Because thenumber of baby boomers isbeginning to swell and thenumber of potential retirees andolder persons are living longerthan ever before, at the sametime as the size of the workforce

is declining due to smallercohorts Uilling working ages, theratio of contributors tobeneUiciaries is decliningrapidly. It is now estimated thatthe total amount ofannual retiree beneUits willbegin to exceed the totalamount of annual taxcollection in 2016.On account of thedemographic picture, theaccumulated reserves in theTrust Funds are estimated tobe sufUicient to cover payoutsonly until 2037. This willnecessitate Congressinstituting changes in thesystem, such as raising the ageof eligibility for paymentsand/or increasing the payrolltax rates.(Information based on reports ofthe U.S. Social SecurityAdministration, 2009)

Have You Heard?by Dr. Charles Nam

position of “TeamMom” toRichard’s track team. Evenafter Richard’s retirement fromFSU, the couple had no intentionof leaving Tallahassee. “Wereally enjoy our home on sevenacres in the woods, surroundedby large old oak trees and hugepine trees,” says Allene,speaking of their propertywhere they live with their threeBrittany bird dogs. “Althoughwe love our home, seven acres isa lot of land for two people andwe know that one day we won’t

be able to do everything byourselves,” said Richard. “Also,since we don’t have children,our future long-term care planand health needs started tobecome very important to us,”mentions Allene. “I think ofplanning for future long-termcare plans as similar to writing awill. It is something you need todo way ahead of time so you cango on and enjoy life.”“We are excited aboutWestcott Lakes,” states Allene.“The people are so alive, alert

and fun loving – a very upbeatgroup.” “The afUiliation with FSUwas also an attractive amenityfor us,” says Richard. “I havespent a good portion of my lifebeing afUiliated with FSU, sonaturally I liked the relationshipWestcott Lakes had formed withthe school.”“We have made so many newfriends through Westcott Lakesalready,” says Allene, “we’reexcited to spend time with agroup of people who enjoylearning and want to be active!”

(continued from page 4)

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This newsletter is prepared by Dr. Charles B. Nam, Editor, with substantial assistance from members of the WestcottLakes Newsletter Committee (Dr. Betty Lou Joanos, Don Alford, M.D., Dr. Fanchon Funk and Dr. Jessie Lovano-Kerr)and other Westcott Lakes members and administration staff, and with design and editorial contributions from

Bronwen Krause of the PRAXEIS communications staff. Dick Ambrosius and Stephanie Hinson of PRAXEIS providelogistical and guidance support. The Editor encourages submissions from other members with stories to tell (e.g.,travelogues, book reviews, historical accounts) that would be of interest to the general membership. These and

other communications concerning the newsletter should be sent to charlesnam2@embarqmail.com.

September Calendar of EventsTuesday, September 8th

Life Collegesm Series (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)George F. Slade, M.D. will speak on "Sleep As We Age: Why It's More Important Than Previously Thought".Tuesday, September 8th

Second Tuesdays Event (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)Westcott Lakes will celebrate the Grand Opening of its Library at the Welcome Center. There will be doorprizes and refreshments. Members can borrow books and DVDs/CDs. Be a Uirst-day borrower!Monday, September 14th

Bridge Club Meeting (1:00 p.m.)This month’s Bridge Club event will be held at the home of Bob and Barbara Holt, 1811 Sageway Drive,Tallahassee. Please call 893-5668 or email chief@nettally.com if you’re planning to attend.To R.S.V.P. for an event, call the Welcome Center at (850) 645-7110. For more information on Westcott

Lakes events, visit our website at www.westcottlakes.org/events, or give us a call.

®

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Tallahassee, FL 323111-866-510-1515 (Toll-Free)

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