March 6, 2014
Vol. 44, No. 06
www.stuttgartcitizen.net
It’s a long night for museums
Stuttgart’s Long Night of the Museums on March 15 is worth staying up for.
Recovering from identity theft
If you become a victim of ID theft, here’s how to clean up the mess the thieves leave behind.
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Stuttgart community celebrates Black History Month Story and photos by Greg Jones USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Office
O
n Feb. 27, 1964, a landmark civil rights bill was making its way to the senate for debate. This bill was a major victory in the struggle for civil rights for black Americans. Now, 50 years later, service members, civilians and their families in the Stuttgart military community gathered to celebrate Black History Month by commemorating this monumental achievement of the American people. The Black History Month celebration held Feb. 27 in the Kelley Theater focused on the half-century anniversary of that bill, called for by President Kennedy just months before his assassination. The celebration, hosted by the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart and U.S. Africa Command, featured a performance by the Stuttgart Gospel Choir, a spoken word performance by Sgt. Eric Wiley, assigned to the Headquarters Support Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and a keynote address by Army Brig. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford, U.S. European
Army Brig. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford delivers the keynote address during the Black History Month observance Feb. 27.
Raquel Sargent, backed by other members of the Stuttgart Gospel Choir, sings a solo during a rousing musical performance at the USAG Stuttgart/AFRICOM Black History Month celebration at Kelley Theater Feb. 27.
Command’s J6 director, who focused on the significance of the anniversary of the historical event. “In order to produce the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it took vision, it took perseverance, and it took the personal courage of many to stand up,” Crawford said. “This courageous act became a pillar to the foundation of what we now
know and call the American Dream.” A cake cutting followed the musical performance and keynote address, and a “living” museum presentation by the Böblingen Elementary/Middle School drama class rounded out the activities. The living museum featured a sampling of African-American cuisine coordinated with specific periods or
events in the struggle for equal rights for African Americans. Each period featured certain foods, and for each period, the BEMS drama class prepared a short performance by one or two students outlining significant events during that period.
See Black History on page 4
Arts, crafts director sews up DA Rec Employee of the Year award Story & photo by S.J. Grady USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Office
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unning a profitable small business is a tough job. When that business is an overseas Army arts and crafts operation, it can be even more challenging. No one knows this better than Kelly Sarles, the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Morale, Welfare and Recreation Arts and Crafts director. No one is better at it, it seems, as evidenced by Sarles’ recent honor as the 2013 Department of the Army Recreation Employee of the Year. The award is presented to an employee across the Family and MWR Command who best exemplifies superior achievement as an Army community recreation professional. In Sarles’ case, she has taken a community support program that is partially supported with appropriated funds and made it profitable without those funds … in other words, without taxpayer dollars. “It’s not all about profitability, but being profitable means we can continue to provide the service, and the appropriated funds originally designated for Arts and Crafts can go to other programs that can’t generate
Kelly Sarles, the Arts and Crafts director, assists Pam Macken in making a twister quilt during a quilting class Feb. 8 at the Arts and Crafts Center on Patch Barracks. revenue, such as the fitness centers or libraries,” said Greg Holzinger, the USAG Stuttgart Directorate of Family and MWR director. “Kelly is the example for many other programs
in the Army that are challenged with budget cuts,” he added. For Sarles, a self-sufficient program is a matter of survival. “I wanted to make sure that if the day came that there was no more [appropriated fund] money in support of arts and crafts programs, this one would be able to stand. I tell people all the time, I want to be the last one standing,” said Sarles, who hails from Colorado City, Texas. Sarles said the success of the program is based on teamwork. “We work really, really hard. It’s a huge combination of everything: it’s the classes that we offer, our instructors, the products we sell in the store, the quality of the frame shop, the fantastic woodshop on Kelley … everything goes into that,” said Sarles, who has directed the operation since 2005. Staying relevant means keeping a finger on the pulse of the do-it-yourself craft and hobby industry. Sarles and her staff are constantly conducting online research, listening to their customers and searching for instructors.
See Employee of the year on page 4