by Catherine Skivers
It has been quite a while since I have been asked to chair a committee for the American Council of the Blind (ACB). When Chris Gray asked me to be chair of the Durward McDaniel Fund I was honored and delighted. I knew Durward well and we worked together for many years. He worked hard for us as a national representative and I was one of the many people he taught and encouraged to become involved in ACB.
Durward could work longer and harder and get more people to do the same than anyone I think I have ever known. I met him in Louisville, Ky. in 1965. I had just become president of the ACB affiliate in California and I came to the ACB convention in Kentucky. We had a few conversations after which Durward told me he thought I would be an asset to the board of directors of the ACB. In spite of my insisting that this was not possible because I hardly knew anyone at the convention and that since they did not know me my running for a seat on the board would just be a waste of time, finally I decided not to argue with Durward, because I was sure I would not be elected anyway. For the next several days Durward introduced me to every delegation and I don't think I ever shook more hands before or since. To make a long story short, I got elected that year and for 10 more after that. Durward encouraged me to run for CCB president in 1995 and 1996, and finally I was elected president here again in 1997. Being a member of the ACB has been a wonderful experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have been active there and of course in my own state of California.
One of Durward's main goals was to increase membership in ACB. The goal of the Durward McDaniel Fund is to do just that. Each year one person from east of the Mississippi River and west of the Mississippi River is eligible to win a trip to the ACB national convention, and that is where you come in. The members of the Durward McDaniel Fund Committee are Dr. Ed Bradley, Stephanie Hall, Lucille Fierce, Milly Lillibridge, Carl McCoy and Gerald Pye. We will be meeting by teleconference immediately after the mid-year meeting. We'd like your ideas on what kind of fund-raisers you think might be good for us to try, and what we need from you most is for you to encourage people to make application to be one of the lucky winners to come to Houston in July.
If you would like to come to Houston at the expense of the Durward K. McDaniel Fund, all you need to do is write a letter about why you would like to attend our convention, and how you think it might be of benefit to you. Send your letter by April 1, 2002 to the ACB national office, to the attention of the Durward K. McDaniel Committee; the address is 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005. You will be notified in plenty of time to make your reservations if you win. If you have never been to a convention I assure you it will be a tremendous experience. If you have been you already know how great that is and you should share that with your friends who have not had that good fortune. I hope at mid-year to meet with some of my committee members who will be there. We'll then get in touch with the others and I hope that when we get ready to review letters from those of you who would like to come to Houston that we'll have lots of work to do. A lot of people can't afford to contribute to all the organizations that request it. I am hoping that even though you may not be able to send a lot of money to the Durward McDaniel Fund that many of you will participate in our committee's project that you will be hearing about very soon. Many of us giving a little can make quite a difference. It is a worthwhile project in memory of a man who gave so much.