Only $10!
     Regularly $17.95 and $21.95, the Pioneers solid sterling silver die-cut charm and earrings are on sale for $10, plus shipping, through the holidays. The charm and pierced dangle earrings are 1" wide by 5/8" tall. Visit http://www.verizonpioneers.org/Estore.htm.

Brockton Rox with the Veterans
     June 14th and August 31st were two special dates for the veterans at the Brockton Veterans Administration Hospital. The Thomas Sherwin Chapter’s Pilgrim Council brought veterans to the Brockton Rox baseball games at Campanelli Stadium located in Brockton, Mass., giving a much-needed recreational treat to our veterans. Twelve Pioneer volunteers escorted 43 veterans to the two games. KO, the Brockton Rox team mascot paused to greet the veterans and take pictures. (The Pioneers in the back row l-r beginning with the second from left are: Jim Brogan, Dan Carnali, and Sean Murphy)

Mountain Valley Empire cleans up
Oakwood Cemetery
     Home of Uncle Sam's grave and located in Troy, NY, the Oakwood Cemetery was in a sad state until the Mountain Valley Empire Chapter, led by the Troy LMC, started renovating and maintaining it nine years ago. Most of the stones in the plots were covered with sod. Members started with the Jacob D. Vanderheyden's Gravesite, founder of Troy and began working on the plots that were the oldest and had no one left to maintain them. They very gently removed the sod and washed the stones and edges. The rest of the plots were surrounded with tall weeds and shrubs, which the members chopped and weeded to make the plots presentable. The members now concentrate on 35 gravesites, including the one of Samuel Wilson, which was vandalized last year.
     During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering cattle and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government. He died in 1854.

Spotlight on Life Member...Judy Tibenszky
     Judy Tibenszky has been an active member of the Morristown Life Member Club, HG McCully Chapter, since retiring in 1993. As a Club Member, she has held several appointed and elected positions, including Entertainment Co-Chairperson, Participation Chairperson, Community Service Chairperson, Member-At-Large, and is currently the club's Vice President. For the past several years, Judy has been the club's "Be My Baby Basket" project coordinator. As project coordinator, she has organized "baby showers," where the club members are asked to bring much needed baby items to the meetings to fill the baskets. Each month Judy delivers one laundry basket full of baby items to St. Clare's Hospital in Denville to be given to a new mother [designated by the hospital staff].
     When Judy wasn't busy doing Pioneer projects, she can be found volunteering her time at the Denville Public Library, or with her Church's Women's Club, where she has been instrumental in creating and delivering holiday baskets to needy children in Paterson, or as a volunteer at the front desk at St. Clare's Hospital. Judy was recently honored by St. Clare's Hospital for completing her tenth year of dedicated volunteer service to the hospital.

Interested in becoming a TelecomPioneer?
    If you'd like to join the Verizon TelecomPioneers, go to http://www.verizonpioneers.org/ChptrJoinmap.htm. If you have any questions, please contact Stephen Kohn, vice president - Verizon/Telcordia/Frontier TelecomPioneers, at stephenkohn@verizon.net.

We look forward to your questions and comments. Please send them to editor@verizonpioneers.org. Our Estore manager is also curious about what products you recommend we stock in our online store. Please e-mail him at estore@verizonpioneers.org.
Please visit our website at www.verizonpioneers.org.

October 17, 2005