Profile....

Sallie Faulkner – Sallie's my name; numbers my game

Sallie Faulkner is the Learning Center's Finance Chair and putative treasurer.  She not only tracks the income and expenses and keeps the books, but she gives financial advice to the Coordinating Council that is central to keeping the Learning Center healthy.  Can we afford to add four new computer stations right now?  What are the financial ramifications of dropping out of SeniorNet?  Do we need to increase tuition?  These are the kinds of questions that are always before the Coordinating Council and Sallie's informed advice is a central factor in keeping the Learning Center financially healthy..

"I was born in Westwood, California, north of Nevada City near Lake Amador.  My dad was a civilian Navy employee so we moved around a lot when I was little."

"I went to public school in Long Beach.  My first employment was a temporary Navy job as a disbursement clerk in Guam in 1957," where she lived with her parents.  This was a bit stressful, Sallie told me.  "My father needed an employee and I was at the top of the candidate list but since he knew I was only going to be in Guam six more months, he didn't want to give me a full time job.  So he found me a temporary job.  I was the lowest of the low," Sallie said with a giggle.

"After that, I came back to Hollywood and worked for Coldwell Banker in their accounting department."  It was then that her beau of four years, an Air Force man, came back from Hawaii and they got married.  "Then we moved back to Hawaii, where I had my first daughter, Kathie."

Then there was the Long Beach Naval Station again.  "I worked in the disbursing office."  As an interesting sidelight, Sallie told me that the person who hired her had bounced her on his knee as a toddler.  "When my father was a housing officer during the war, this man and my father had been friends."  Small world.  "I stayed at Long Beach for seven years.  I left there with my second daughter, Debbie, who was born in an elevator," a story that's probably best not to try to relate here. 

"Then my husband was promoted to regional manager for Savin Industries and we moved to Dallas.  I had trouble getting a job so our landlord took pity on me and hired me as a secretary in Texas Instrument's Chemistry Research and Development Lab."  Sallie admitted, with a laugh that she was a cost accountant, not a secretary, so she didn't hold out much hope for success in a secretarial job.  Fortunately, her boss agreed and put her in the cost accounting department.

"Then my husband was promoted again and we moved to Florida, where I went to work as the assistant to the comptroller for a pool table company.  When I got pregnant again, my husband decided that the baby should be born in California, so we moved back to Long Beach."  Sallie resumed a job as disbursing officer for the civilian, Navy, and Marine personnel in Long Beach and the surrounding areas.

"My husband became disabled in 1982 and eventually, the Navy decided to close the office in Long Beach, so I started looking for another job."  Sallie got what she termed a great job; the best job in the Navy, she said.  "In 1987, we moved to San Diego and I became the director of the examination and assistance division.  I had offices in San Diego, Oakland, and Pearl Harbor.  My coverage area was from Oakland to Bahrain, east to west; and Alaska to Antarctica, north to south. My responsibility was to audit military pay, travel allowances, appropriation usage, and small purchases within that area."  I know interviewers aren't supposed to, but I gasped.

"I traveled all over," Sallie told me.  "I was in Oklahoma City the day after the Murrah Center bombing.  I was on the Carl Vinson during the first gulf war, the only female on that aircraft carrier at the time.  The only place they could think of to put me where I could have a private room and bath was just under the catapult.  The first time they launched a night flight I thought we were being bombed."  Sallie laughed.  I laughed harder.  "I stayed in that job until I retired in 1998.

"Although I can't boast a college degree, I went to a lot of schools the Navy offered to their employees.  There were various accounting courses, two-and-a-half years worth, actually; a year of psychology; and a marvelous class for instructor training.  They brought a professor from Washington D.C. to teach our class of ten.  It was very intense.  We had to prepare and give two lectures a day."  I gathered that Sallie felt this training helped her years later when she became an instructor for the Learning Center.

Warren Botengen was Sallie's long time colleague and friend.  In 1997 they decided they enjoyed each other's company.  "After we both retired, Warren and I drove through the Grass Valley/Nevada City area on our way from Lake Tahoe to the valley and we fell in love with the place.  The next day we bought a house and 30 days later we moved in."  In 2000, Sallie started out by volunteering at the Senior Center, as it was called then.  It wasn't long until Jill Sonnenberg recruited her for the Learning Center.  She started out instructing and coaching and being on the administrative committee.  "Then I co-chaired the Council with Mitch Bain.  Later, when Mitch stepped down, I became the finance chair." 

Sallie was married to Warren in 2004.  In April of this current year their wedding was formally blessed by Warren's brother, a retired Bishop of Manila.  For one, I am happy that Sallie is on her way to recovering some of the joy she lost when her husband of 34 years passed away in 1993.

"The most important thing to me is my family," Sallie continued.  "We had two daughters and a son.  One daughter, Kathie, and her husband live in Oroville and their daughter is finishing high school this year.  Her son and two children and their mom—my great grandchildren—live with me now. 

"My son, George, lives in San Diego.  He has two girls and a boy.  The boy is a star little leaguer," Sallie says with obvious pride.  "He hit a grand slam the other day!

"My other daughter passed away in 2004—leukemia—and her family, two daughters and two sons now live in the Poconos of Pennsylvania.  I'm not sure I've gotten over that to this day," she admitted.

Sallie's bottom line?  "Its such a joy to teach and coach," she said.  She obviously loves the Learning Center.  From my own observation, she is an indispensable member of the leadership team, not only keeping the Center's financial records but providing invaluable financial advice to facilitate the planning process for future growth.

Kudos to Sallie!  Without dedicated people like her, the Learning Center would not be the successful organization it is today.

-----oOo-----

How are we doing?

By Bob Reeves

The Computer Learning Center is doing quite well, thank you.  We have been teaching computers for six years and we have taught almost 1500 students.  We are a growing, thriving organization and I want to tell you some of the things that have been happening.

• In the past six months we have added seventeen new volunteers.  Welcome!  You’ve joined a very dedicated, talented and energized group of committed people.  We’ve enjoyed sharing our knowledge with one another and we hope you will be as rewarded for your service as we have been.  We look forward to working with you.
• Just in case you hadn’t heard, we separated ourselves from SeniorNet at the end of 2005.  We did so because of the cost savings to be realized.  Once we separated from SeniorNet we could no longer use the SeniorNet manuals they provided.  Thanks to Martha and her “Band of Writers” we have manuals written by us and for us that are tailored exactly to our needs.
• There are some advanced classes we teach where we are not going to undertake writing a manual.  Instead, we will provide the students with a textbook.
• Once we left SeniorNet we could no longer use the software SeniorNet provided.  We’ve purchased the software we needed and Mitch has installed it on the computers.
• I’m sure you’ve seen the room-darkening blinds that have been added to the Lounge.  The Community Center bought the blinds for us and Sallie helped select them.  The blinds provide a greater contrast to the projection image so, hopefully, the students can see the screen more clearly.
• The blinds also allow the students to face toward the windows.  Thanks to Mitch and his tech support troops for setting up the classroom in this manner.  With the students facing the windows, community center people can walk to and from their offices without crossing the students’ line of vision and interrupting their concentration on the class.
• Roger has created a spectacular website for our use.  He continues to add new items of interest, so visit often. 
• We are considering adding four more computers to the classroom.  There are pros and cons to doing so; therefore, this option is being evaluated.
• The latest Memorandum of Understanding we have signed with the Community Center gives us full use of the lounge except for Tuesday mornings and one Wednesday afternoon a month.  We pay the Community Center $750 a month rent for this space.
• Our seminars and user groups are well attended.  Thanks to Joan for all the arranging she has done.  We have expanded into “workshops,” which are designed to provide hands-on instruction for eight students.  The instructors of the workshops can pick any computer subject they chose, e.g. “How to write to a CD,” and the students can be totally immersed in that subject for two hours while getting practical hands-on experience.  We hope to expand the number of workshops we conduct.  We want and need Instructors for the workshops, seminars and user groups.
• Our computer labs are not well attended.   I’ve never been able to put my finger on exactly why, so if you can offer me any insight into why the students are not taking advantage of the lab please do so.

As Coordinator I get to see all the enthusiasm and energy put into our Learning Center by our volunteers.  I’m privileged to work with such dedicated people.  Thanks to you all!

-----oOo-----

Photo of the Month

 Since this is the last newsletter I will be doing for GCCLC, I decided to indulge myself by printing this photo of a cougar feeding on a deer I took north of Kalispell, Montana, in 1990.  It wasn’t exactly comfortable standing in snow up to my knees for longer than I wanted to but the result was worth it I thought.  Dick Mooney

-----oOo-----