Stay young! Get involved! TASCA TO PRESENT A MYSTERY DINNER THEATER FUN-RAISER If you ve ever played the game Clue, you ll know how much fun solving a murder mystery can be! Well, TASCA is offering you a chance to participate in a Mystery Dinner Theater Fun-Raiser called The Outlaw Mayor of Bluegrass. The setting is the meeting hall in the Old West town of Bluegrass. The mayor of the town should be presiding at the meeting, but he seems to have disappeared, leaving behind only a cryptic note. The murder victim is a city councilman, and the suspects are people who want to take the mayor s place. Chief investigators are the local sheriff and all the dinner guests who attend the dinner theater event. The play consists of three acts which revolve around a three-course meal. At the end of the third round, guests should have acquired enough clues to solve the mystery. TASCA is on the lookout for actors in the play. Auditions for parts will be coming up soon, so now is the time to let us know if you are interested being an actor. Dates for auditions and for the mystery dinner theater itself have not yet been set, but stay tuned. We ll let you know as soon as we know when the event will take place. You don t have to be an actor to participate, just plan to come, have dinner, solve the crime and help raise funds for TASCA. VOLUNTEERS AND SPONSORS NEEDED FOR FUTURE 42 TOURNAMENTS Based on the great success of the 42 tournaments we held last November and in March, we feel confident that the events will continue to be successful as quarterly fun-raisers. The two tournaments alone brought in over $1200 for TASCA! With this in mind, George Clair and his team are requesting that more TASCA members become involved in the tournaments as planning committee participants, judges, helpers and especially as sponsorseekers. For example, you may know someone who runs a small business and might be willing to donate prize money for 42 tournament winners or door prizes or lunch for the event. You can help by encouraging businesses/business owners to sponsor these really special TASCA fun-raisers. If you re interested in becoming more involved let us know and we ll put you in touch with the tournament committee. And of course all who wish to can sign up to participate in the next tournament planned for this fall. Page 1
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: PROFILE OF THE MONTH Meet Isabel Warren, a TASCA member for the last seven years. She loves domino games so you ll often find her playing Mexican Train on Tuesdays or at the Spinner table on Wednesdays. She has also been a frequent volunteer at the Saturday Country & Western dances, setting up the snacks table, taking money at the door or working the concessions with pal Inez Williams. Isabel learned about TASCA through a newspaper article when TASCA purchased our current main building. She credits our well-loved and much-missed Billie Gordon and the TASCA staff with helping to make her experiences here so positive. As she says, Thanks to Billie Gordon for being one of the most kindhearted and understanding people that I have ever met. Isabel grew up on a farm in Moulton, Texas where she and her two older brothers and younger sister learned how to pick cotton and pull the corn off the stalks. She also remembers a temperamental horse that only her father could ride, at least until the day Isabel asked to ride the horse with her father. When he reluctantly agreed to let her ride with him, the horse didn t act up at all. But there are other childhood memories which aren t so good, like when Isabel had whooping cough at the age of six and doctors didn t expect her to pull through it. She did pull through, of course, and remembers most of her school experiences fondly. She didn t like math, but loved reading. And in junior high and high school she enjoyed playing baseball and volleyball. Isabel also recalls that in junior high, our class would get to ride the train to Houston to see the circus or the rodeo for $1.00. Another of Isabel s happiest memories is graduating from Weimar High School and then taking a trip with her fellow seniors. Shortly after she graduated, she secured a job as a bookkeeper at an appliance store in El Campo, Texas, which was the start of a successful career. She worked at the appliance store for two years, until she married in 1957. Later on, when her son David was in kindergarten in the mornings, Isabel took education classes at Wharton Junior College and Houston Baptist College, and worked as both a teacher s aid and substitute teacher. Isabel also worked at the Wharton Credit for a number of years. Eventually one of the owners of the credit bureau retired and sold Isabel her share in the business. In addition, Isabel bought another credit bureau, combined the bureaus and started a collection department as she tells us. Not too long after, she bought the remaining share of the Wharton Credit Bureau. Within eight years, computerization changed the business world dramatically, and Isabel decided her bureau was too small to computerize. So she sold to the Victoria Credit Bureau. Isabel married her second husband Bill in 1989 while living in Houston. After he retired from Schlumberger Well Service, Isabel also decided to retire, and they moved to Lufkin for 15 years before deciding to move to Tyler. Bill passed away from leukemia in 2007. Isabel now has two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. One of her passions is genealogical research, and she loves how computerization and technological advances have made this research so much easier. She also loves all of the friends she s met playing dominoes here at TASCA. Page 2
MAY BALLROOM DANCE HAS A BROADER THEME As we told you last month, the Masquerade Ball in March was very fun and successful. We ve included a few pictures here for you to see for yourself. More will be on display at the next dance. The dance this month, on Friday May 15, comes with variety of music and dance. Popular local musician Lynn Groom will provide something for everyone: ballroom, country, oldies rock & roll and line dance. Reservations are encouraged, and admission is $10 per person. Attire is dressy casual: nice jeans, slacks, sport shirts for men; nice jeans, slacks or casual dresses for the ladies. Dessert will be provided by Chip and Zayjean Clark, who will also be celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary. A great back-drop for photos will be available, so have your picture taken with your partner! UPCOMING BALLROOM DANCES & THEMES May 15 Let s Dance Jun 12 Rock & Roll Jul 10 USO Dance Aug 14 Roaring 20s Sept 11 Red, White & Blue Oct 9 Halloween Ball Nov 13 Holiday Ball Dec 31 Welcome 2016 Page 3
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T Y L E R M U S E U M O F A R T EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS TOYS OF THE PAST Tyler Museum of Art (TMA) has a new exhibit Tin Toys & Raw Realities which opened on March 1 and will be on display until June 28. The exhibition features more than 20 paintings by Fort Worth artist John Hartley including works that have only recently been completed as well as toys from his private collection. The exhibition represents Hartley s varied interests which range from contemporary social and political issues to nostalgia. Sponsors for this collection are McElfatrick Charitable Foundation and Betty and Dick Summers. TMA invites seniors to view this new exhibit as well as the museum s permanent collection titled Contemporary Texas, which highlights almost 30 works from Texas artists including Fisher and Surls, Terry Allen, David Bates and Skeet McAuley. Visitors 65 and older are invited to view museum exhibits free during Seniors Day Monday, May 18. The Museum opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. TMA is supported by its Members, Tyler Junior College and the City of Tyler. The museum is located on the TJC campus at 1300 S. Mahon. DON T FORGET! One-on-One Bridge Lessons Our favorite Bridge Guru, Milton Tompkins now offers Bridge lessons at any time during TASCA s normal open hours, including 7:00 PM on Tuesday evenings. The lessons will be by appointment only. If you would like to learn to play, you can make arrangements with Milton by calling (903) 876-4165. The lessons are free of charge. Lone Star Singles The Lone Star Singles will meet for dinner this month on Thursday May 21. Join them at 5:45 p.m. at Red Lobster in Tyler. If you ve never been to one of these outings and would like more information or want to know where they will meet, call Wanda Barber at (903) 566-4211. 423 Kellywood Lane, Tyler, TX 75706 Billy & Mary Williams (903) 520-8124 texastravelerstyler@yahoo.com Upcoming Trips Paragon Casino Aug 10-11 WE RE NEW IN TOWN! ECHO TRANSPORTATION CHARTERS AND TOURS 2828 TEAGUE TYLER, TX 75701 Contact Billy Williams (903) 561-6095 (903) 520-8124 Page 7
TYLER AREA SENIOR CITIZENS ASSOCIATION PO Box 131540 Tyler, TX 75713 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED www.tasca.org TASCA Tally May 2015 EVERYONE INVITED & WELCOME Joyful Beginnings Lutheran Church Bible Study: Sunday, 9:30 AM Worship Services: Sunday, 10:30 AM The Refuge Church Worship Services; Sunday, 2:00 PM SPECIAL MAY EVENTS 2 1st Saturday Night Dance Ben Lowery & Texas Express 12 Potluck Dinner 15 Ballroom Dance: Let s Dance 16 3rd Saturday Night Dance Hoss Huggins & the Ponderosa Band 21 Lone Star Singles Dinner Out