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NORTHERN VISIONS
February 2025 EDITION
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February Zoom: The Women
- February 17 Branch Meeting -
Join Dr. Kathy Magruder, Professor Emerita at the Medical University of South Carolina, as she discusses her work with post-traumatic stress among woman veterans of the Vietnam war. Many of us have connections to that war through family and friends. The Night Readers book group recently read Kristin Hannah’s book, The Women, a powerful fictionalized story of women, particularly nurses, who endured horrific experiences and then tried to return to “normal” life.
The meeting is inspired by but not based on the book but the real at-home aftermath. Dr. Magruder brings a lifetime of work in education and research including working with the VA and earlier with the National Institute of Mental Health. She will present findings and share insights from a large epidemiologic study she led of over 4000 female Vietnam Veterans including data relating to PTSD, mortality, and other health problems. A more detailed bio below.
Monday, February 17th is the date with Zoom time at 6:15 p.m., the speaker beginning about 6:30 p.m.
You don’t have to have read the book to find this meaningful. Invite another member or friend(s) to your home for a watch party to create a discussion group (or snack group).
Registration Required
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Biography
Dr. Kathy Magruder is a Professor Emerita in the Departments of Psychiatry and Public Health Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She is also retired from the Veterans Administration. Before coming to MUSC, she was at the National Institute of Mental Health where she was the Chief of Services Research and the Director of Rural Mental Health Research. Her undergraduate degree is from Duke University and her graduate degrees in Epidemiology are from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Dr. Magruder's main interests are in the areas of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. She has recently completed two large VA Cooperative Studies Projects concerning the health and mental health of Vietnam veteran men and women and was on the Executive Committee for a third Cooperative Studies Project testing service dogs for veterans with PTSD. In 2011-12 she was the recipient of a Senior Fulbright Award in Ankara, Turkey where she studied refugee mental health. She has published 150+ peer-reviewed articles.
For over 10 years, Dr. Magruder cared for her husband, a Vietnam veteran, who had dementia. Her mother (who is 105) lives with her on the Isle of Palms. She has 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She is an avid pickleball and duplicate bridge player. She is also on the Isle of Palms Turtle Team!
Kathy is pictured above in Finland (brrrr) dressed for a ride in a dog sled.
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Zoom Webinar of Interest
The Limits of Prosperity: Women's Work and Class in the Department Store
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Marissa Knaak, MSU Department of History
Biograophy: https://history.msu.edu/marissa-knaak/
Zoom
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Open to the public
No pre-registration required
Password: odwodl
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STEM Committee
Laura Higgins, 515-229-7062, ohiowami@gmail.com
The AAUW-TC STEM Committee will meet Wednesday February 12 at the Traverse Area District Library at 6:30pm in Study Room D. We will begin to synthesize information gathered from our STEM Community Listening Sessions and lay the groundwork for a STEM Action Plan.
All interested members are welcome to participate.
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Flower Power Fundraiser
Beautify your garden and donate to our scholarship fund!
Flower Power winter fundraiser January 3-May 15, 2025.
Flower Power offers an earth friendly alternative in the fundraising world. They offer only the finest, best-quality bulbs and plants available from growers in Holland and the U.S. AND offer an unconditional, 100% replacement guarantee!
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Monday Evening Book Group — Bonnie Willings, 231-645-0578, bkwillings@yahoo.com
February 10, 2025 @ 6:00 p.m. Goodnight Irene by Luis Urrea. Nadine Doland is the discussion leader and Irene Brown is the hostess.
Night Readers — Cindy Hull, 231-349-1757, hullc@gvsu.edu
February18, 2025 @ 6:30 p.m. The Women by Kristin Hannah. Ann Freeman is the discussion leader; loation TBA.
Verna Mae Book Group — Joyce Jasinski, 760-212-2431, jjasinski46@gmail.com
Feb. 26, 2025 @ 11:00 a.m. in the Thirlby Room of the Woodmere Branch of the Traverse City Library.
The Verna Mae book club will be reading Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange for our February 26th meeting. We will be meeting at 11 AM in the Thirlby Room of the main library. Let Joyce know if you need a copy of the book.
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Book Sales & Farmers’ Market — Amy Gibson aemark1@gmail.com and Shirley Murray, 231-943-4663 sgibsonmurray@gmail.com
AAUW mini-book sales are the first Saturdays November to April, 10-2:00 p.m. at the Mercato Winter Farmers’ Market. The Annual sale is the first weekend of May. The February 2025 sale netted $207.60!
March 1st book sale
8:30-10:00 a.m. is set-up; 10:00 a.m.-1:30 book sales; 2:00 p.m. take-down. Click here to Volunteer!
We are accepting donations at this time. Please bring your book and puzzle donations to the Saturday morning book sale or contact Shirley (email and phone above.)
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Lunch & Bridge — Shirley Murray, 231-943-4663, sgibsonmurray@gmail.com
This group meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at the Traverse City Country Club.
February 13, 2025, 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
February 27, 2025 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
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Living Well with Cancer Group —
Meets last Monday of the month
Meet us on Monday, February 24th, 10 a.m.
RSVP Pat (231) 946-3746)
It’s not all about cancer! It’s also about making friends. Join us to talk together.
Coffee, Tea & Pastries
Home of Pat Lewallen
4725 Sunrise Lane
Directions: call Pat: (231) 946-3746
Questions: Sandy Seppala-Gyr 703-597-7925, sansep19@gmail.com
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Lunchin' Around — Pat Lewallen: 231-946-3746, bandplew@chartermi.net
Thursday, February 20th, 11:30 a.m.
RSVP by February 18th to Pat
Our next LUNCHIN AROUND gathering is Thursday, February 20th 11:30 am at MINERVA'S RESTAURANT, located inside the Park Place Hotel with delicious food, lunch specials, easy parking; hope you can join us!
Our discussion question: What is your favorite Northern Michigan Actiity to share with out-of-town guests ... and why?
Guests always welcome and carpooling encouraged. If you need a ride, let Pat know.
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Poetry Interest Group — Shirley Murray, 231-943-4663, sgibsonmurray@gmail.com
Meets third Friday of the month
Friday, February 21, 2025, 11-1 p.m.
Bring your poetry and/or enjoy work by selected poets. Snacks provided.
Location: Shirley Murray’s 610 Cottageview Drive apartment. Call for directions.
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TC Branch Communications Mini Poll
I have been sending out 3 reminders for our online events--week before, night before, and day-of. How do you feel about that?
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| How do you feel about 3 email reminders per event? | | | |
January Zoom Meeting Summary
STAY VIGILENT was the primary take-away message from the January Zoom meeting for AAUW Traverse City. Alison Thornton, NMC Technology pro, provided up-to-date fraud and scam information highlighting ways to avoid becoming a victim. Over 20 women attended the presentation and Q & A. Special thanks to Alison for sharing her expertise. Below are a few of the slides you might find helpful. Note: Alison warned about opening attachments unless you know that the source is safe. If you are encouraged to open one in the AAUW newsletter, you can be quite sure it is safe.
Alison also noted, "one of your members brought up a really good technique for ferreting out phishing emails. Check your emails on your computer instead of your phone to see the drop-down next to the email. This allows you to see the actual email it was sent from. In the following example, the email says it is from Lynne Moritz (an actual NMC Employee), but when I click the little arrow down next to the "to:", I see that it is actually from a gmail account of Roselyn Rose , not Lynne's personal email address.
Additional Fraud Resources
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Getting to Know...Marge Eckart
Interview by Bonnie Willings
Marge Eckert has been an AAUW member since she graduated from MSU 77 years ago! Until she went to State, where she was a Home Ec major and a Phys Ed minor, she hand milked the cows on her parents’ farm both morning and night. In college, she lived in a co-op where they cooked their own food because it was much cheaper than living in the dorm. Her junior project in her Home Ec program was designing and sewing her wedding dress which she wore the summer between her junior and senior year. She and her husband lived in Dearborn for 60 years and she taught in Garden City until she had her children: 2 boys and a girl. One of the highlights of her teaching career was switching students with the shop teacher; she took his boys for two weeks and he took her girls. It was her idea, it was a great success, and she’s very proud of it. She did substitute teaching, mostly in Dearborn, as her children were growing up.
When she and her husband and children took a camping trip to Colorado, they all loved it and her kids said that was where they were going to live when they grew up. Her daughter now lives in Interlochen and her son lives in Colorado; her other son died about 20 years ago. Marge has two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Marge has always liked walking and hiking and has walked parts of the Appalachian Trail. Her first Appalachian hike started at the southern end and was two days and one night.
Marge ushered at Interlochen for 15 years and stopped only last year. She says she should have paid them to usher because she got to listen to all that wonderful music. She also volunteered at Interlochen Public Radio during fundraising and she listens to 88.7, the classical music station, 24/7!
Going to church has always been important to her. She was raised Methodist, but when she went to the Presbyterian Church in Lansing, she changed to Presbyterian. At one point, the only church in town was a “hell and damnation” church, so she went, but knew it wasn’t for her. Her habit was to shower on Saturday night before Sunday church, so it was a challenge when she moved to Bay Ridge and her shower times are Mondays and Thursdays!
Marge has always enjoyed traveling and has been to St Petersburg, Russia, twice. She has also traveled throughout Europe, including, of course, Norway, which is her heritage. Her son-in-law was a music teacher who took choirs to Europe and she travelled with them three years. Today, she takes just about every day trip that Bay Ridge offers and participates in their in-house activities. She’s still active in the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City and is in the Current Events small group there. You’ll never miss Marge in a group with her sassy beautiful white hair and her well-put-together outfits!
“Honest and Hardworking” has always been her family motto.
Thank You for Sharing Marge!
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AAUW Issues: Equal Pay Day March 5th 2025
AAUW national has several reports and articles about equal pay. The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap discusses the persistent inequity even though, "over half a century after pay discrimination became illegal in the United States, a persistent pay gap between men and women continues to hurt our nation’s workers and our national economy ....Women’s retirement income is only 70% of men’s, suggesting that the pay gap affects women’s economic security now and in the long term." The publication Where We Stand: Equal Pay lists needed actions from AAUW and members including sections on: Administrative Actions to Close the Gap, Congressional Efforts to Close the Pay Gap, and AAUW action. At the bottom of the article are 2 more activist links.
As a former government document librarian I must recommend the website for Department of Labor's dol.gov, Bureau of Labor Statistics bls.gov, and the Women's Bureau dol.gov/agencies/wb
A Sampling of Statistics
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Dates to Remember
- Mini Book Sale: February 1st @ 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
- Verna Mae Book Club February 26th @ 11 a.m.
- Monday Evening Book Group: February 10th @ 6:00 p.m.
- Zoom of interest: February 12th, noon-1
- STEM Group: February 12th @ 6:30 p.m.
- Bridge: February 13th @ 11:30-1:00 p.m.
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- Lunchin' Around: February 20th @ 11:30 a.m.
- AAUW-TC Branch Zoom Meeting: February 17th, 6:15 p.m
- Night Readers: January 21st @ 6:30 p.m.
- Poetry Interest Group: Friday, February 21st @ 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- Living Well with Cancer: February 24th @10:00 a.m.
- Bridge: February 27th @ 11:30-1:00 p.m.
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