Rx approved...
An area of interest to some people after retirement is volunteer work. It is a passion for some who choose to give of themselves instead of pursuing an Encore Performance that includes a paycheck.
Volunteering, regardless of the beneficiary, can be more demanding of oneself because of the personal interest in the ongoing crusade that most times doesn't have an end.
HUH? What's up with that?
There isn't any rule in the Encore Performance handbook that disqualifies volunteer work as an official Encore Performance in itself. I have talked to a few people who have disclosed their charitable side, but, very few have said they devoted themselves full-time to such a pursuit post retirement.
However, one of the exceptions is Bill Harned of Mt. Washington, Kentucky.
I read an article in the newspaper back in 2000 right after I retired from GE, he said. I was interested in possibly volunteering, so, I called the number and spoke to an AARP volunteer.
I assume you took the next step?
Yes, I met with the guy I called and the meeting was favorable, he recalled. I was accepted into the advocacy group.
How long had you been at GE Appliance Park here in Louisville?
36 years. I was hired in 1963 and retired in 1999, he replied. The last job I had with them was as a shop operations manager.
GE Appliances is now owned by Haier China. Just out of interest, what do your buddies who still work at the company say is the biggest difference in the culture of the company since you retired?
Friends tell me the biggest change is at the hourly level, he lamented. I've been told workers are less likely to show up for work, and, as a result, there is high absenteeism.
After you retired, were you looking for something to do?
In a way, I guess I was, he remembered.
When you decided to give of your time and energy as a volunteer, what made you choose AARP?
I really liked what I read about AARP and thought it would be something I would enjoy. I was really interested in the legislative work they were doing in Frankfort (Kentucky State Capitol), Bill answered. When I contacted them in 2000, I wanted to become a member of their legislative task force.
You got your wish and worked with the legislature. What happened after that?
I did that for two years, he recollected. Then, I served as state president for six years and my term was over.
What is something you can say you helped bring about in your first two years?
Early on when I started, he said, we were working on prescription drug coverage under Medicare, which ultimately resulted in Medicare Part D. We all have that now, but at that time, you couldn't get prescriptions under Medicare.
What about the time you spent as president. Did you advocate for anything particular that you are especially appreciative of now?
Yes, we did, Bill proudly stated. One of the things we labored hard on was long-term care. While we didn't hit a home run, we got the government to take some of the money they were spending on nursing homes and put it in what we called community based care.
How does that work?
People could actually get help in their own homes, he recited. They could stay home instead of having to go to a nursing home. Just imagine what that would be like for an older person.
Since you worked with close to 200 volunteers, you must have traveled all over the state and beyond. Who is someone you met in your capacity as Kentucky AARP president that stands out today as most interesting?
One of the most interesting people we met was Hubert Humphrey's son, he smiled. He was called Skip and he was an AARP volunteer. There were many times my wife and I would go to a meeting out of town and Skip would be there. (Hubert Humphrey was Lyndon Johnson's vice president)
Are you still involved with AARP?
I continued on the state board of directors until 2011, he offered. Then, I became an officer in the Mt. Washington, Kentucky chapter until this year. It was dissolved because of Covid, so, now I am officially unemployed.
Do you and your wife still travel?
We don't travel as much as we used to, he confessed. When I was with AARP, we had a lot of calls to travel to the eastern part of the country. Our trips now are for pleasure. We also go to Treasure Island, Florida right after Christmas every year and we stay for three months.
Do you have a favorite restaurant at Treasure Island?
We love a place down there called, Rick's Restaurant.
Sounds like it might be out of a movie, say, 1942, or something. What about hobbies? Anything special?
Golf is my biggest hobby and I have a motorcycle, he revealed. I have a Honda V Twin which is Honda's attempt to look like a Harley for about 10K less.
Tell me about a road trip on your Honda that was especially meaningful to you.
That would be the last big road trip I took and it was right before Covid, he envisioned. It was with my son and we went to North Carolina to a motorcycle museum and then rode to Asheville before coming home. It was a great trip.
You mentioned before the interview started that you enjoy bourbon. Do you have a favorite?
Weller's Bourbon out of the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort is probably Kentucky's best tasting bourbon, he opined.
Pappy Van Winkle gets a lot of publicity as being the most rare doesn't it.
It's the same basic recipe as Weller's, but, it's aged longer, he informed me. It's been given the status of rarity by the distiller because it's produced in very limited quantities.
How about a bucket list. Do you have one?
One thing my wife Rita and I would like to do is travel to the northwest part of the country, he acknowledged. We've been all over, but, not out there.
Bill, thanks for your time. Take that trip to the northwest. If not now, when?
We're going to do it, he predicted. Thanks.
Coming up: another job$ somebody's gotta do; more POS and their goals; an update with a friend from Ukraine, and; another observations, oddities, & ?'s.
And, finally. If you were about to place your order in La Provenance Bistro and saw, Frite poulette gesiers listed as a dinner selection, would you order the entree?
How about a week later while you were sitting in Hazel's Diner trying to make up your mind as you gazed at the menu and you saw an entree called, Fried Chicken Gizzards? Would you order the same dish the Bistro offered?
Would fried chicken gizzards be more acceptable to the masses if they had a more appetizing name? Even sound a-like words are a turn off: buzzards, etc. I don't know. Maybe it's the double Z thing.
HUH? What's up with that?
Comments