VCCCDRA

Video Recording of VCCCDRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Held by Zoom on April 27, 2022

Below you will find the video recording of the 2022 Annual General Meeting divided into five sections. If after left clicking on a link the recording does not start playing right away, left click on the right arrow icon at the bottom of the screen.

01 GATHERING OF RETIREES BEFOFE THE MEETING
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ark2dmxHsGRnebhnAKZfrLM9A1k

02 PRESIDENT DIANE MOORE BEGINS THE 2022 VCCCDRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ark2dmxHsGRneAs309b6PesPylo

03 KEYNOTE SPEAKER, GREG BARKER, PRESIDENT CALRTA DIV 28 – VENTURA COUNTY
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ark2dmxHsGRnfPPruPE2Eza1CVc

04 PRESIDENT DIANE MOORE BEGINS BUSINESS PART OF MEETING
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ark2dmxHsGRnfecGPNSfa1uFasU

05 PRESIDENT DIANE MOORE BEGINS Q&A – LAST PART OF MEETING
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ark2dmxHsGRnez1yxKcgdPS4rZc

Sid Adler’s Passing

It is with great sadness that the VCCCDRA has learned of the passing of Dr. Sidney Adler on November 10, 2021 at the age of 91, a dear friend and colleague to many of us. Sid had a long and remarkable life and career, having served in the Korean War, written his Ph.D. dissertation on Isaac Bashevis Singer who later won the Nobel Prize in literature, taught English, served as a union president and later served as Dean of the English Department at Moorpark College for two decades.

Sid Adler’s Obituary

Surrounded by loved ones, Sidney Adler passed away at his home after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Sid was born to Fannie and Joseph Adler in Ellenville, NY. He spent his early years living on a farm with his three brothers and large extended family. In 1935, Sid’s father moved the family to New York City, where Sid began studies at Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva. School days at the yeshiva were long, but Sid thrived. His proclivity for academic challenge and success continued into his adolescence and adulthood. Sid earned his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York (CCNY). He enrolled in CCNY’s teacher-credentialing program, but his plans were upended when the registrar failed to submit his enrollment notification to the draft board, resulting in Sid being drafted for service in the Korean War. While enlisted, Sid completed airplane-repair training and was assigned to a base in Japan. Good fortune came when the Army added a literacy assessment to its officer-advancement requirements. This meant that many current and would-be officers needed to take a college-level literacy/composition course offered at military bases throughout Japan and Korea. Sid, as the only soldier (out of thousands) on his base with a college degree, eagerly accepted a position teaching two of these courses. This was Sid’s first full teaching assignment, and he again thrived. By day, he was a lowly airplane mechanic…by night, he instructed the highest-ranked officers in the entire military regional theater. Sid’s reputation grew further while spearheading a military partnership with The Jewish Agency, which regularly shipped lavish Shabbat meals and supplies for other Jewish rituals to the bases. Sid led Shabbat/holiday services and other events on his base: breaks from routine base life that quickly became highlights for the Jewish soldiers. Upon returning from the war, Sid ultimately did earn his teaching credential from CCNY. He also met Dina (Nehama), his future wife of 63 years. The couple were married and moved to California, drawn by better weather and job opportunities. Sid began teaching at Morningside High School while also working towards his Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern California. While most of his peers focused on established authors for their dissertations, Sid studied Isaac Bashevis Singer—a man then well-known in the Jewish/Yiddish community, but less so in the greater literary community. Sid produced the first dissertation of Singer. When Singer was awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in literature, Sid was interviewed by CBS News and his work was referenced by international media. Sid and Dina relocated to Thousand Oaks and grew their family to include two children, Reeva and Eric. Sid soon assumed a faculty position in humanities at Moorpark College. Sid’s service as union president at Moorpark yielded profound improvements in contract language, working conditions, and overall compensation for hundreds of Moorpark employees. During his two-decade leadership as dean, Sid supervised 165 faculty, greatly increased enrollment, and coordinated funding and construction of the Performing Arts Center. Sid assumed equally influential roles in the local and greater Jewish community. He served on synagogue and organizational boards and committees, led Torah readings, and ensured that his children fully experienced Jewish education and culture. In addition to bringing his family on an enormously rewarding year-long sabbatical trip to Israel, Sid supported his children in attending Habonim Dror summer camp and spending additional years living and learning in Israel. Upon retirement, Sid was involved in a variety of professional and community groups. His leadership in the VCCCD Retired Management Association again improved compensation for many. Sid’s life left a legacy of commitment to Jewish values, devotion to family, and service to community. His will to live—and live to the fullest—inspired and was admired by all. He is survived by his wife Dina, children Reeva and Eric, and grandchildren Hannah, Adam, and Leah.

To access photos and the full obituary on Sid Adler at the source, please use this link.

District Zoom Meeting Held on October 7, 2020

Lester Tong was kind enough to email us his summary of the Zoom meeting sponsored by the District on 10/7/2020.

On 10/7/2020 9:50 PM, Lester & Mae Tong wrote:

Today from 10:00am till 11:00am, I attended the “CalPERS Medical Plan Open Enrollment” Zoom Meeting (along with 47 others) presented by Katy Lyon. I found it to be very helpful. This Zoom Meeting was recorded and will be made available for playback at the District’s Benefit website at: https://www.vcccd.edu/departments/human-resources/benefitsLook for the section “CalPERS MEDICAL”Then subsection “Retirees”Under the “Zoom meeting Q&A – Recording 7/17/2020” (when they get it posted).
Also, I would encourage all retirees to go to this website and review the “CalPERS MEDICAL – OPEN ENROLLMENT” section for more detailed information.
Here are the highlights from my notes:
__ CalPERS Health Benefit is on a Calendar Year which is from Jan 1 to Dec 31.
Open Enrollment for 2021 is from Sep 21 to Oct 16, 2020. Any changes to your existing Medical Plan must be completed during Open Enrollment. Changes are done online with your account login at www.calpers.ca.gov
__ For CalPERS Anthem “PPO Basic Plans” (without Medicare), it is either “PERS Choice” or “PERSCare” Comparision of Benefits is found in “2021 CalPERS Health Benefit Summary” starting on page 16. It can be downloaded from the District’s Benefit website (see link above).
__ For CalPERS Anthem PPO with Medicare, it is either “PERS Choice” or “PERSCare” Comparision of Benefits is found in “2021 CalPERS Health Benefit Summary” starting on page 24. It can be downloaded from the District’s Benefit website (see link above).
__ If you are over 65 and do not have both Medicare parts A & B,

Regarding Medicare eligible by age but not enrolled – CalPERS allows newly contracting members to enroll in a Basic plan until they can secure Medicare. They must then enroll in the required Medicare during the upcoming general enrollment, January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021.

Upon receiving Medicare, that is a qualifying event for retirees to change plans. For example, if a retiree becomes effective for Medicare July 1, 2021, that would be a qualifying event for them to change plans.

Additional information can be found at http://www.calpers.ca.gov/newhealthmember.
__ Medicare Part B (Non-hospital cost) monthly premiums including IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount based on your tax returns) will be reimbursable with proof of payment starting September 2020. Also, Medicare Part D (Prescription cost) IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount based on your tax returns) will be reimbursable with proof of payment starting September 2020. Reimbursements will be handled by a 3rd party, BCC (Benefit Coordinators Corporation) using the SMARTCARE program. VCCCD can not pay these premiums directly as it is prohibited by law. Further instructions from BCC are mailed to your home address.

__ MES Vision & Delta Dental will remain the same and separate from CalPERS Medical.
Lester Tong, Classified Retiree, June 2016

Shall the VCCCDRA Sponsor a Don B. Medley Scholarship?

From Rene Rodgriquez, President, VCCCDRA

It occurs to me from some emails that I have received that some of you may not know who Don Medley was. Don founded the VCCCD Retirees’ Association 25 years ago in 1994, and due to this fortunate occurrence, we were able to mount a successful united front against the Ventura County Community College District to protect our retiree healthcare benefits 14 years ago.

Because of the suit filed in 2007 and the settlement reached in 2010, retirees have saved thousands of dollars in premium savings that they didn’t have to pay when active ASCC college district employees were required to pay part of the premium when premium costs exceeded the district cap, to mention one aspect of the settlement agreement. Additionally, Don remained an active member of the VCCCDRA Executive Board, maintaining the membership records from the inception of the organization until a few months before he passed away on August 26, 2018.

Gary Johnson wrote a full blown tribute to Don Medley in a recent VCCCDRA newsletter, which can be accessed through the link below: http://vcccdra.org/html/documents/MonitorFall2018final.pdf which I encourage you to read.

Please submit your pledges as soon as possible. The link is included below in a reproduction of the email sent out on May 20, 2019. If ALL retirees submitted a one-time minimum pledge of $25, we could increase the scholarship to $800 annually.

The email sent out on March 20, 2019 follows.

May 20, 2019

Dear VCCCDRA Retiree,

At the VCCCDRA Annual General Meeting held on March 20, the following proposal was made:

“Shall the Retirees’ Association explore how many retirees would be willing to make a minimum of a one-time $25 pledge in support for the establishment of a Retirees’ Association sponsored, endowed $500 annual Don B. Medley scholarship?”

A motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved by those attending the Annual General Meeting on March 20 for the Executive Board to explore whether there is support by the general membership for the establishment of such a scholarship.

We are thereby sending you this email to see if you would be interested in making a pledge towards the establishment of this scholarship.

If so, please click on the link below to enter a one-time pledge of a minimum contribution of $25:

https://forms.gle/LWHYn71fRM2pGug5A

Note: for anyone interested in more details regarding how the idea for a Don Medley scholarship came about and the deliberations that took place, the following background is provided.

1. A few months ago, a Retirees’ Association Executive Board member brought the idea of sponsoring a scholarship on behalf of our founder Don Medley. An Ad Hoc Scholarship Committee was formed, chaired by John Woolley to look into the matter and report back to the Exec Board.

2. After much discussion at two separate meetings, the Exec Board decided to propose that the Retirees’ Association explore with the general membership the idea of sponsoring a scholarship on behalf of Don Medley. 3. The main concern is the funding of the scholarship. It would take approximately one-half of the membership to make a one-time $25 contribution to establish a permanently endowed annual $500 scholarship. 4. There are other questions that need to be resolved, but funding the scholarship seems to be the main concern.

5. The Executive Board decided to pose the following question at the VCCCDRA Annual General Meeting to be held on March 20: “Shall the Retirees’ Association explore how many retirees would be willing to make a minimum of a one-time $25 pledge in support for the establishment of a Retirees’ Association sponsored, endowed $500 annual Don Medley scholarship?”

6. A motion was made to that effect at the general assembly and passed unanimously.

7. At a subsequent Exec Board meeting, it was decided to pose the question first to those retirees who have an email address.

If you have any questions, please respond to this email.

Sincerely,

Rene G. Rodriguez

President, VCCCD Retirees’ Association

Daisy Stringer-Eilers’ Passing

Daisy Pauline Eilers – known as “Polly” – passed away at the age of 94 on April 28, 2019. I can think of no better words to describe her than those used by her beloved nephew Dustin Benham: “She was a beautiful person, kind to everyone and inspirationally positive.” A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, May 9th, at 3:30 p.m. in the Point building at C.C. Young, 4847 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas 75214. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to either Joni And Friends or the Benevolence Fund at C.C. Young.

Published in Dallas Morning News on May 1, 2019. To see the obituary in the Dallas Morning News click here.

——– Forwarded Message ——–

On 5/9/2019 6:01 AM RALPH EILERS <preilers@yahoo.com> wrote:

Thank you Rene for letting people know that Polly died.

I miss her very much. She was such a happy person and

loved people. She taught me how to enjoy life. I’m sure that

some will remember her if they see her picture.

Thanks again,

Ralph Eilers

On Wednesday, May 8, 2019 10:00 PM, Rene <vcccdra@gmail> wrote:

Thank you, Ralph, for letting us know. We’ll put this information on our website as soon as we can. I note from our records that she taught at Moorpark College.

Rene

On 5/8/2019 6:53 PM, RALPH EILERS <preilers@yahoo.com> wrote:

I need to let you know that Daisy ( Polly) Stringer,Eilers died April 28, 2019, she was 94. She taught fashion design and retired in June of 1991. The teacher’s lounge was named after her. Three years after her first husband, Phil Stringer, died she married Ralph Eilers. Everyone loved Polly! Sorry for the sad news.

With Love,

Ralph Eilers my email is: (preilers@yahoo.com)

Thomas Dalton’s Passing

Thomas William Dalton (Tom), age 61, passed away in his home in Santa Barbara on Feb. 6, 2019. He was a learning disabilities specialist and professor at Ventura College.

To read Tom’s obituary please, click here.