Class Bulltinboard

Various Hiram College and WEC officials are very excited about Hiram WEC students having written the book, The Tuskegee Women, over a 5-year period. This may be a precedent-setting event requiring more time to plan publicity, coordinate related activities with other College departments, and establish a relationship with an interested book publisher. Therefore, because of the significance of the event, I was requested to postpone the banquet to allow other Hiram College departments time to become involved. This is good.

On August 10, 2007, at 6:30 pm, instead of a having celebration banquet for the completion of the book The Tuskegee Women, we will have a dinner celebrating the completion of two Hiram College Tuskegee Airmen Courses, the WEC course The Tuskegee Airmen, a Course in Group Dynamics (15 students), and the one week, 40-hour, teacher recertification seminar, Modeling Future Heroes (7 students), presented July 23-27.

The invitees for the August 10 dinner will include the members of both Tuskegee Airmen classes, their guests, the local original Tuskegee Airmen listed and the members and friends of the Tuskegee Airmen’s North Coast Chapter.

Therefore, here are the changes in our current class project. Your group assignments have not changed that much, and you will receive credit for the work you have done planning the Tuskegee Women’s Banquet. Your groups are to submit on the last day of class a paper describing the obstacles you encountered during this project and the steps taken to overcome them. This should include the problems encountered forming and working in groups. Please see the chart below for your new group assignments.

Old Assignments	New Assignments

5-Aces	5-Aces

Invitations	Invitations
Location	Location = Alumni Heritage Room
Entertainment	Entertainment
Favors	Favors

99^th	99^th

Programs	Programs
Transportation	Transportation
Lodging	Lodging
Decorations	Decorations

Spitfires	Spitfires

Catering	Catering = Menu Already Established
Menu	Menu
Funds/Collections	Expenses Reports
Promotions	Promotions

The group charged with establishing expenses for the dinner, being the Spitfires, will give to me their cost estimates. There is to be no solicitation or fund raising as part of any group’s activities.

The menu determined for the former women’s banquet can stay the same for the August 10 dinner. The cost to the students and their guests for this dinner will be $13.00. The College will be taking care of the meals for the Tuskegee guests. Class members who do not wish to eat dinner may attend the event without charge.

Please do not contact Hiram College offices regarding this event such as Catering, Physical Plant, Service Center, or Development, but instead work through me when such contacts are necessary.

Invitations, programs, entertainment, and evening activities are still desired. Some suggested activities are speeches, a comical roast of the airmen, autograph table, photographs with the Airmen and guests, a table to purchase Tuskegee memorabilia, and any of your wonderful ideas. Party favors in the past have consisted of table tents honoring the airmen and clever wine labels with the individual airmen pictured on them.

In the past, transportation to Hiram College for the Airmen has ranged from donated limousine services to class members picking up the Airmen at their homes. Many class members prefer to supply the transportation, for it gives them some private time to get to know the Airmen and appreciate their past sacrifices.

In order to accomplish this dinner, a means of communicating with group members is necessary whether it be actual meetings, conference calls, emails, website communications, or otherwise. Meeting only at the scheduled class times is not sufficient.

These group planning activities are challenging causing you to get your creative juices flowing, develop good time management skills, and utilize the problem-solving lessons presented in class. Frustration, learning how to calmly handle failure, managing stress, and overcoming obstacles are part of the process. Please communicate with me as a regular process keeping me informed and up to date on your activities.

It is MY responsibility to see that this dinner works well, helps honor the airmen, and promotes the many values of Hiram College. Therefore, you will not be graded as much on the success of the dinner, as you will be graded on the successful developing dynamics of your group and on overcoming the many obstacles associated with planning the event.

If your groups notify me of a desired time, I will be happy to initiate a conference call with all members in your group.

To study the Tuskegee Airmen Problem solving Model, go to http://www.rfcram.com/tuskegee_airmen.htm and click on the red-tailed P-51 Mustang. To get a list of those who should be invited to our August 10 dinner, go to the above mentioned website and click on the radar screen. To go to a blank webpage that can be used for communicating between members of your group, go to the above mentioned webpage and click on the picture of the group of aircraft flying in unison. If you email me your group information, I will post it on your pages.

Kaylon Clarke, a Hiram Alumni and bomber pilot shot down during WWII, spent some time in a prisoner-of-war camp with a Tuskegee Airmen. Kaylon will be speaking at our next class from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. The second half hour will be for questions and answers. I will be sending you an article about Kaylon taken from our Hiram College Alumni Magazine. Please read this article and prepare some questions for Kaylon by our next class. Good luck and keep up the good work. I appreciate and admire the enthusiasm and determination you have shown in this class. Thank you.

PS Some of you wanted to have an hors d'oeuvres party next Wednesday. This would be nice for Kaylon as well. If this is to take place, planning is needed.

Also, it is estimated the banquet celebrating the book The Tuskegee Women will take place around late October to early November. You will all be invited to this banquet and have an opportunity to participate in its planning.