Updated TIAA Constitution and Bylaws

The original TIAA Constitution and TIAA Bylaws were written in May of 2000 shortly after the Association was formed. The Constitution describes the charter of TIAA as a club of the Texins Association and includes some high-level information on meetings, officers, etc. The Bylaws provide more detail on membership, officer elections, committees, officer duties, etc. The two documents were changed slightly in 2004 – mainly to reflect a changed tax category for the Texins Association. With the passage of time, both documents needed to be revised to conform to the current organization and practices of TIAA. Larry James and Tom Boedecker, who spearheaded this effort, with much assistance from Hector Cardenas, spent many hours coordinating suggested revisions from members of the Executive Committee and members of the Membership Subcommittee. The results of these efforts are a proposed new TIAA Constitution and TIAA Bylaws that will be voted on at the TIAA Annual Meeting on May 11. You can view the proposed and current Constitution and Bylaws at http://www.tialumni.org/constitution/. If you prefer, you can call the TIAA office at 214-567-8444 and request a copy be mailed to you. Please contact Larry or Tom at admin@tialumni.org if you have any questions.

Help Us Reach Former TIers

TI provides us with names and mailing addresses of TIers who retire or go on bridge leave to retirement. Therefore, we have been able to send letters offering those who recently left TI under those circumstances a complimentary one-year membership in TIAA. And we have been gratified by the response. But we have no way of contacting the hundreds who were recently involuntarily terminated. If you know of any former TIers who are not TI retirees – regardless of when they left TI – please forward this bulletin to them or let them know that they are most welcome to join our organization. Anyone who ever worked at TI and has never been a member of TIAA is now eligible for the free one-year complimentary membership. Application for membership can be made at http://www.tialumni.org or by calling the TIAA office at 214-567-8444.

Mrs Baird’s Bakery Tour – Tuesday, May 5

Mrs Baird’s invites you to “crumb on over” to tour its Fort Worth bakery. The smell of fresh-baked bread can’t be beat and it will be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for many of us who were raised on Mrs Baird’s Bread and who may have toured the facilities as children. Even with today’s technology, each loaf of bread is twisted to ensure that it’s moist and flavorful. Come see and taste for yourself  Rules include covered legs, no open-toed or heel-out shoes like flip-flops, no jewelry, and no video cameras. We will leave the Texins Activity Center parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and arrive in Fort Worth for lunch at Stars Café in the Stockyards at your own cost, and then to Mrs Baird’s for the 12:45 p.m. tour. We should return to Texins about 3 p.m. Cost is $15 for members and $17 for nonmembers. Please call Jessica Stewart at 214-567-8444 to register by April 28.  

DTV Converter Box Coupons

It got lost in all the media coverage about the recently enacted stimulus package, but the legislation included $490 million for an additional 12.25 million converter box coupons. So, if you have a TV set that can only receive analog signals, you might want to call the new integrated call center at 1-888-CALLFCC and request two $40 coupons be sent to you. If you don’t need both the coupons yourself – or don’t need any – we request you apply for them and send them to The Senior Source, 3910 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75219. They have a list of seniors who are not able to make the request themselves. Plus they will help the seniors install the converter boxes.

Cottonwood Park Cleanup – Saturday, April 25

Tech Smart Big Heart invites you to join other TI retirees and active TIers in this community project, which is an annual tradition of many years’ standing. Please contact Andy Smith by April 20 at wasmith@ti.com or 214-480-3462 to register.

April TIAA Travel & Events Reminder

Fossil Rim Wildlife Park – Wednesday, April 15 – Come join us in visiting Fossil Rim in Glen Rose where you can see animals living in their near-natural environment. Located an hour and 20 minutes away, the 1700 acres of open space lets us interact with deer, rhinos, giraffes and other wildlife. We will ride the TI bus through the 9 ½-mile tour viewing savannah-like pastures, forested areas and hillsides for the animals to roam. If we are in luck, we might see an Aoudad or Sable approaching one of the watering holes. There will be several stops to allow for photo opportunities. After the approximately 2-hour tour, we will stop for lunch at Anderson on the Square in Glen Rose at your own cost. The bus will leave the Texins parking lot at 9:30 a.m. and we should return about 3:30 p.m. Cost is $27 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Call 214-567-8444 by April 8 to register.

Germanfest in Muenster – Saturday, April 25 – Willkommen to Muenster where Texas hospitality and German customs meet. Founded in 1889 by people of German heritage, this community throws one of the biggest parties in Texas. At your own cost, drink German beer and dine on mouthwatering German sausage, scrumptious apple strudel, hearty cheese and homemade bread, cakes and pies. Price is $31 for members and $35 for nonmembers, which includes bus transportation and admission. We will leave the Texins Activity Center parking lot at 9:30 a.m. and return about 5:30 p.m. Call 214-567-8444 by April 18 to register.

 Reserve These Dates!

Monday, May 11 – TIAA Annual Meeting at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Monday, Sep. 14 – TIAA Golf Tournament at Woodbridge Golf Club.

Tuesday, Oct. 27 – TI Retiree Luncheon at Mesquite Convention Center.
 

Check the TI Alumni online calendar for additional events