Welcome to the October 2011 News4U Email Blast!
• MCRA 2012 Conference – InterContinental Hotel
• Region I Trivia Night
• Region II Trivia Night
• PROGRESS
• Sue Steen, MCRA Secretary
• Laurie Bennett, Trivia Committee
• FTR Hires 2009-2010 NCRA President
MCRA 2012 Conference at the InterContinental, Kansas City at the Plaza, 401 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112 – October 19, 20, 21, 2012. You can make your hotel reservations at 1-866-856-9717. We’ve been able to negotiate a wonderful room rate of $99 for rooms that typically go for $269. The InterContinental is located in the beautiful Country Club Plaza entertainment district. The Convention Committee is currently working on an outstanding agenda. Call and make your reservations early to take advantage of the great room rate for this fabulous hotel. .
Region I Trivia Night - Region I is hosting their annual trivia night on Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Shrewsbury Community Center, 5200 Shrewsbury Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63119. Laurie Bennett, Shana Crane, Sue Moody, and Reagan Fiorino will be hosting this fun-filled evening. You don’t want to miss it. Please mark your calendars early.
Region II Trivia Night – Region II is hosting a trivia night on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at the Vietnam Veterans of America #377 Hall, 3027 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the trivia starts at 7:00 p.m. The tickets are $15 per person/$120 per table of eight in advance, $17 per person/$136 per table of eight at the door. Rozann Brancato, Kathy Foley, and Sarah Marshall have planned a great trivia night. Please plan on attending and support MCRA Region II! You can contact Rozann at rbrancato50@att.net to reserve your tickets.
PROGRESS DEADLINE October 31, 2011 – We’d love to receive your articles or suggestions for articles. If you have something you’d like to submit, please forward to Dawn McTeer at verb8m@sbcglobal.net and Marian Rein at marian@javajournalNOW.com.
Sue Steen is your new MCRA Secretary. Here’s something from Sue in her own words:
My name is Sue Steen. I have been an official reporter in Division 12 of Jackson County since 1982. During college I worked part time at the courthouse in Jasper County, Missouri. I was always intrigued by the two court reporters there and how they could "write" so fast. After two years of college, I moved to the Kansas City area and started working at (where else?) the courthouse. Near the end of my schooling, I interned with the reporter in Division 12. Just as I passed my CCR, she decided to switch to a different division and I stepped into her spot, where I've been ever since.
I have been a member of MCRA since 1982. I've made wonderful friends in the association. Four of us have traveled to convention and roomed together for as long as I can remember. I can't think of a time when an organization working for court reporters is more important than it is right now. Being on the Board is not something I necessarily sought, but it's a way for me to give back to the profession that's given so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving you as MCRA secretary.
Laurie Bennett is Co-Chair of the Region I Trivia Committee. Here’s something from Laurie in her own words:
I’m Laurie Bennett, CCR in St. Louis, Missouri. Dawn asked me to write a couple paragraphs about myself, so here I go! (and lucky for you all, you’re reading this and not taking it down as I’ve been told I’m a very fast talker! And you’d think I would know better!)
I started reporting in 1985 after graduating from Meramec Community College in their Court Reporting program. My career began right out of school taking Federal Grand Jury proceedings. After a few years there and some independent freelance work, I joined Gore & Perry Reporting where I worked for close to 10 years, loving the flexibility and variety that freelance offered. Then for a change of pace, I moved into the courtroom setting and have never looked back. I love my job!
Court reporting has been the perfect career choice for me. I’ve married, raised two children (almost… they’re 18 and 16), and I know this profession will see me through until my retirement. It’s taken some time for me to realize that I must also give back to this rewarding profession, even fight for it at times. So I’m finally getting more involved in MCRA and enjoying every minute of it. I had a blast at convention last month and look forward to attending more. I truly believe court reporters are some of the nicest people. We’re dedicated, hard-working, picky, fun people, who like to get it right!
Last year, I was amazed and so proud of all the support shown for our Region 1 Trivia Night. I look forward to the same support and fun on February 25th for another Region 1 Trivia Night. So save the date, folks! Say yes to Trivia and start saying yes to MCRA! We’re seen as guardians of the record. Let’s be heard as guardians of our profession.
ForTheRecord (FTR), digital recording company, hires 2009-2010 NCRA President SueLynn Morgan to head their new Consulting Services Department
“SueLynn Morgan, a past president of NCRA and the Oklahoma Court Reporters Association, has informed me that, after 17 years of service as an official court reporter in the same courthouse in Lawton, Oklahoma, she is leaving her position as an official reporter and moving on to a new career. That is, of course, an individual and personal choice on her part.
I know, however, that her personal choice may cause some distress for friends and colleagues in the reporting community since the opportunity that SueLynn has accepted is with FTR, a leading provider of electronic recording, transcription and record management products and services.
All of SueLynn’s official NCRA board duties had come to a close before she received this job offer. In our discussion, we agreed that SueLynn would cease all her remaining NCRA committee roles and responsibilities.
Like any other member of the profession, SueLynn was a strong minded and independent individual with a right to her own point of view, which she never hesitated to express vigorously during board meetings, even when, as often was the case, she was in the minority. Throughout her years of service as a state and national leader, she always made her personal opinions clear, but she also always respected the consensus reached and bowed to the decision of any board or committee on which she served. Even when I disagreed with her, I could respect her position.
I want there to be no doubt in any member’s mind over where NCRA stands. We heard our members through your Writing Our Future responses. Your NCRA board today remains unwaveringly committed to keeping the promises that we have made to our members. NCRA is an association devoted exclusively to the welfare and promotion of the stenographic reporting profession.
Doug Friend
NCRA President |
