Silver Wings Spring Newsletter

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF SILVER WINGS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Spring 2016

From Our President

T

he year 2015 ended with a great cruise in October with over 230 members attending. SWI members once again donated a record amount to our charities, the TWA Museum at 10 Richards Road and the Flight 800 Memorial. Each received over $7,500.

2016 is the 20th Anniversary of Flight 800. I recently forwarded an email from the Memorial to the SWI members with instructions of how to attend the event that will be held July 17 in New York.

Our website is still being worked on and adjusted to our current needs. We’ve changed domain hosts to HostGator. As soon as the site is available, we will inform you via email. If you have any changes to your address, phone or email, please notify Anita Ridpath, our Web Manager, at nylayover@gmail.com. Do NOT send any changes to any other officer on the board.

We continue to have difficulty with checks we receive in the mail.

Some are making checks out to our treasurer for dues, to our charity treasurer for our charities, or to the charities themselves.

Silver Wings cannot cash checks made out to anyone else but Silver Wings. Making the check out to anyone else causes a lot of problems for our treasurer, Stephanie Byrne, and slows the accounting process. Please, send checks made out ONLY to Silver Wings. It will be greatly appreciated.

Our convention this year will be in Las Vegas at Paris Las Vegas from October 5 through October 9. Room rates will be $109 plus a resort fee of $29 and taxes for weekdays. Weekend rates for Friday and Saturday will be $159 plus the resort fee and taxes.

Each day you will receive a breakfast coupon for the morning buffet. Invitations will be sent out towards the end of March with detailed information.

Silver Wings 29th Annual Convention 2016 October 5-9, 2016

Las Vegas

at Paris Las Vegas Hotel

Flown

West

Cindy Cross November 2015

Kelly Badger December 2015

Mogen Pedersen November 2015

Ruth McGuire December 9, 2015

Pat Grey June 8, 2016

The Good Ol’ Days

There is a Help Wanted ad for the position of president in this issue. I would like to retire at the end of this year and would greatly appreciate someone stepping up to be president. Look over the ad. If you have any questions, contact me at swi5prez@ cox.net. Remember board positions, as well as chapter chairs, are not lifetime positions.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support of Silver Wings.

This organization is the stabilizing force within the crazy airline industry, and we hope to continue way into the future.

Deanna

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Chapter Chatter Don’t miss out on the fun at your next chapter gathering!

PITTSBURGH: Barbara Sahar, Joyce Parker, Paulette Fazio, Marian McCann, Lucinda Harshman 2015 Christmas Party for Charities. We collected checks plus gifts for the Chicago Abused Women’s Shelter and for needy families at St. Agatha’s.

WASHINGTON, DC: Barb McGuire, Norma Byers, Carol Keating, Pat Smart, Gloria Zimmer, Joan Martling, Darlene Quinn Bryant, Mark Zimmerman

CHICAGO CHAPTER GROUP PHOTO

CHICAGO: Barb Smith, Dee Balfour

CHICAGO: Sue Infante, Joy Terkel

SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER GROUP PHOTO

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SAN FRANCISCON CHAPTER 11-07-15 LUNCHEON

CHICAGO: L-R Irene Cain, Ann Gerado

SAN FRANCISCO: Emily Murphy, Tish Thinesen

SAN FRANCISCO: Elke Collins, Jeannie Corrigan, Norma Westall, Diane Hawkins

SAN DIEGO: Ann Avilla, Judy Nitti, Sue McComb

SAN DIEGO: Carol Schmidt-Pennevaria, Stephanie Johnson

SAN DIEGO: Deanna Ayers,Sally Ingmanson

SAN DIEGO: June Donovan

LOS ANGELES (LAX) The January 27, 2015 luncheon at The Proud Bird was Judy Vavrek’s last meeting as LAX president/chapter chair of 25 years!

Ninety people were in attendance, and it was LAX: Diane Schumacher, Margrit LeFors, Heidi Stompe, Ludie McIntosh, Felicia Borsari a perfect opportunity SAN DIEGO: Lee Ann Weise, Mary Lou Metts-Phipps to thank her for her many years of service to our organization. The program, with a “Silver theme,” was focused completely on Judy. She was VERY surprised!

LAX: Judy Vavrek, Lynne Adelman, Deanna Ayers, Anita Ridpath

LAX: Judy Thompson, Sherry Milam-Scholl, Laura Hartfield

Judy Vavrek & her silver shoes LAX: Kay Hopkins, Judy Weidman, Linda Barnes, Kathy Lauriha, Marabeth Lis

HELP WANTED

LAX: Carol Harding, Jennie Swenson

LAX: Carol Larkins, Susan West

The position of president will be open starting in January 2017.

Here is a list of the president’s duties: 1. Email members throughout the year keeping them aware of current events.

2. Coordinate with our web manager, design person, printer, and newsletter editor for the mailing 3 times a year of the newsletter as well as dues notices, invitations, directory, and solicitation letter for SWI charities.

3. Coordinate with hotel contacts on the pre-planning meeting in February and during the convention. Travel twice a year to the pre-planning meeting & convention city.

4. Plan future conventions.

5. Coordinate with SWI’s treasurer, secretary, vice president, and web manager throughout the year.

If interested, please contact Deanna Ayers at swi5prez@cox.net.

LAX: Kathy Lauriha, Joyce McDaniel

LAX: Mary Pitko, Carole Pateman LAX: Patti Hill, Bobbi Buescher

Deanna Ayers hands the new LAX chairperson, Betty Ford, the gavel

Betty ready to try and fill Judy’s shoes

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230 Wilton Road Westport, CT 06880-2338

MAY 15, 2016 will be the cutoff date for receipt of pictures & articles for the next newsletter.

Please include names with photos!

2016 Board of Directors President Deanna Ayers Vice President Katie Norvell Secretary Valerie Roffe

Kaye’s Corner Interview with Peggy

Kupitz

By Kaye Juhl

A

fter reviewing the sonority list and deciding if they wanted Treasurer a “big bed or a big bath” Stephanie Byrne at the Kensington Hilton, London crews sat in Website Manager the lobby to wait until Anita Ridpath the rooms were ready.

Exhausted flight attendants Newsletter Editor in uniform decided that Lee Ann Phillips Weise something stronger than tea was needed for the wait, so tea pots were filled with lager or something stronger, and thanks to Peggy Kupitz and her flying partners, “crew tea” became a staple in many hotel lobbies.

Peggy Snow Kupitz began her career with TWA March 1964. She was based in Chicago flying on the “Connies” which she was told would only be around for a short 6 months more (TWA retired the Constellations in 1967). She was on the first international flights out of Chicago along with service manager Dwight Dedmon and purser Roaul Ibera—a memorable duo. She remembers numbers 770 and 771 to London and back that she flew for 11 years. Once she was even #1 in the domicile.

Peggy “buddy bid” Peggy Kupitz 2001 Last Crew Bus with Marty Flulton,

Maureen Spillane, and Val Frahm Franke. She was long time friends with Ann Gerardo. She admits to being a strict galley person which earned her the nickname of “Our Lady of the Galley.”

The only inflight emergency she remembers was a meal flight on a DC-9 out of PIT where gravy from entrees hit the oven coils creating smoke that drifted from the galley into the cockpit. The cockpit was a bit tense with an FAA check ride in progress and now had to make a (successful) emergency landing with an overweight aircraft.

Peggy Kupitz in 1964

Peggy met her husband Arthur on a “blind date” during the strike.

They had a common love of London and honeymooned in the English and Wales countryside. They both loved to eat in the quaint pubs. Peggy and her husband live in the Crystal Lake area about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. She has helped for 14 years with the local food pantry and also helps with a human resource center which provides services for 36 different programs. Peggy loved retail and did work for an auction company, but “got herself in trouble with all of the great bargains!” Peggy has suffered from “essential tremor,” a neurological disorder causing rhythmic shaking in both hands since the late 1970s. In January and again on April 30th, 2015, she had brain surgery. She continues to work towards a full recovery.

Peggy retired with a great send off including supervisors, cake and flowers. Her husband who went on her retirement flight treated the crew to dinner. She is proud to have been part of the TWA family and happy to continue to see all of the local Chicago flight attendants. She remembers it all as a “special world and a great time.” ▶