(Last updated 06/02/2011. See Archived Events for prior luncheons and news)
May 31, 2011 - Cleveland Reunion 2012 Planning Meeting: Several members of the reunion planning committee met on May 31st to discuss the logistics involved in hosting the Mid-America Reunion in Cleveland OH on July 15-17, 2012. Chapter President Bill Bengele, Dean Morrison, Bruce Conner, and Rick and Mimi Ruhland were present. Copies of the NARPI Reunion planning guide were distributed, along with notes on sightseeing venues taken during the Fall 2010 North Coast Chapter meeting. Also examined were examples of recent and future reunion itineraries. The experiences of the members that have attended reunions was also shared. Fortunately, most of the local sightseeing venues have been experienced by one or more of the committee members. Only some of these venues are able to accommodate large groups; however, so agreements were made to further explore the most promising of these. Also assigned: find a suitable golf course; to plan banquet entertainment; and to gather cost estimates from Cleveland area hotels. Another reunion committee meeting will be held on Monday, June 13th. Please contact Chapter President Bill Bengele or Chapter Secretary Rick Ruhland for more details or to volunteer your support. The next reunion committee meeting will be on Monday, June 13, 2011, at a location to be determined.
May 27, 2011 - Doug Cislo Retirement: Several NARPI North Coast Chapter members turned out to celebrate the retirement of Cleveland Team Leader Doug Cislo. There were fourteen retirees and spouses present including: Bill and Millie Bengele, John and Roe Campisi, Bruce Conner, Chaz Jeronis, Dale Kamps, Dean Morrison, Rick and Mimi Ruhland, Pat Ryan, George Silva (Cincinnati), Will Tyler, and Stan Wanek. Among those present were three classmates (Ruhland, Silva and Tyler) from the Postal Inspector Class of 84-03, which commenced on February 20, 1984. Local Cleveland InC Dugan Wong and fellow Team Leader Frank Pihoker made short complimentary speeches and presented Doug with the USPIS badges he carried during his illustrious 27 year USPIS career. That career started at Maumee OH, where he was a Letter Carrier, to the small domicile at Riverside CA, then on to Chicago IL for his major metro assignment, and finally home to Cleveland OH. He also served in several higher level details as Assistant Inspector-in-Charge. Doug thanked his supportive wife, Kathleen, his grown children, and all the people that mentored or worked with him over the years. After a short decompressing period, Doug will begin working as an investigator for PNC Bank in Cleveland.
May 7, 2011: The NARPI North Coast Chapter convened for its Spring 2011 Meeting and Luncheon on May 7th, at the Auro Bistro,in the Crown Plaza Hotel in centrally located Independence OH. Present were: Will Tyler, Betty Killeen, Fred Maki, Bob and Audrey Cottrell, and Rick and Mimi Ruhland. Several North Coast Chapter members sent their regrets due to previous engagements or ailments, including Jennie Ecklund, Anita Helffrich, the Caldwells, the Corey’s, the Connor’s, the Ryan’s, and the Bengele’s.
Bob Cottrell was just back from visiting India with his son-in-law. Bob first got a glimpse of the Taj Mahal during WWII from a plane and always wanted to see it up close. His wish was granted 65 years later. Bob said the palace is constructed of intricately carved marble and sandstone inset with precious and rare stones.
We also discussed Fred Maki’s career for the NARPI History Project and learned that he shared many experiences with Bob Cottrell. They both served in the U.S. Naval Armed Guard in WWII; they were classmates as new Postal Inspectors in 1958; they were assigned to small domiciles in Kentucky; and both were transferred to Cleveland. The strategy back then (1950’s) was to have Inspectors domiciled in several smaller cities such as Ashland, Pikeville, and Hazard KY, in order to have a quick response to reported crimes. In the 1970’s, under CPI Cotter, these domiciles were closed and Inspectors formed into specialized teams under managers. Fred also shared some of his WWII adventures as a Radioman in the U.S. Navy, and we viewed pictures of ships he served on. Fred’s complete history, along with that of other Chapter members, will be posted on the North Coast Chapter’s website.
We discussed the upcoming Spring 2011 NARPI Reunion to be held in Poughkeepsie NY and the exciting venues the NY/NJ Chapter has planned. As of this writing, Rick and Mimi Ruhland, Pat and Jane Ryan, and Mary Mulligan are scheduled to attend from the North Coast Chapter. Because of the low turnout, the summer 2012 reunion committee was not formed or discussed in depth. We will have a committee meeting in June 2011, at which we will need to assign people to the various scouting tasks to be completed this year, and service duties for the actual reunion in July15-17, 2012. We are looking for at least ten (10) members to help.
April 12, 2010: Obituary notice for Richard Lawson. Richard worked at Cleveland OH until early 1987, when he returned to his hometown of Kansas City KS. He had proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was a police officer and detective for the Kansas City KS Police Department before becoming a Postal Inspector. After retirement from the USPIS in 1999, he studied for the deaconate and became a Deacon for the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. He was well liked by all who knew him.
December 1, 2010: National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform releases its report. Among the many recommendations is to replace the current consumer price index for urban workers(CPI-U) with a "chained CPI" (C-CPI-U). But what is "Chained CPI"? Chained CPI is a slightly different method of measuring the cost of living that accounts for substitutions buyers make in reaction to changes in prices for products or services. Instead of just taking average prices as they are each year, the chained CPI method follows buyer trends over time in switching to less expensive substitutes, and it more accurately measures real buyer behavior. For example, when gasoline costs were driven up to $4.25/gallon by commodity speculators in the summer of 2008, many drivers changed either their driving habits or their cars and overall consumption declined. Fuel costs were a primary driver in federal retirees getting a 5.8% COLA increase in 2009 because it affected many other costs. How would using C-CPI-U on estimating COLA affect retirees? According to a 2003 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average difference during the 1990-2000 time frame was 0.32 percent per year. That is, if a retiree received a 2.0% COLA increase each year under CPI-U, the COLA increase would have been1.68% using C-CPI-U. There are other portions of the report of interest to retirees such as what is recommended about federal pensions; health care; and Social Security. The magnitude of the changes in demographics (longer life expectancy, earlier retirement age, costlier health care, etc.) over the last 70 years are startling, and the Commission is recommending modest changes now to prevent the need for drastic changes later. NARPI members are encouraged to read the entire report (about 60 pages) at the Commission's website: http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/news/moment-truth-report-national-commission-fiscal-responsibility-and-reform
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Created January 2010 to serve the membership of the National Association of Retired Postal Inspectors (NARPI), North Coast (Cleveland) Chapter. NARPI is a Section 503(c)(7) tax-exempt non-profit organization that provides social fellowship for retired employees of the US Postal Inspection Service and their spouses. The North Coast Chapter of NARPI is based in Cleveland OH.
