In a message dated 8/16/01 5:19:11 PM, JKazla1592 writes:
John:
The Board of Registration in conjunction with the Office of The Registrar of Vital Statistics for the Commonwealth of Mass. is conducting for funeral service licensees and City and Town Clerks, a program dealing with Electronic Death Registration, Nurse Pronouncements and traditional filing of Death Records. Elaine Trudeau Registrar of Vital Statistics will conduct the Death Registration portion of this program,
Additionally, members of the Board of Registration in Funeral Service will be available to discuss recently changed regulations which affect all licensees.
There will also be a discussion of the shortage of Mortuary students, funeral service licensees now and in the future, and how we can all as practitioners, regulators and colleagues, take steps to encourage potential candidates to enter our profession. There will also be a discussion of The National Board Examination provided by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards.
Licensees will obtain 5CEU's for completion of this program it is of course provided at no charge to the attendees. We look forward to seeing you on August 28th at 1pm in the Science and Technology Center of Worcester State College. If anyone needs directions, please fax a request for same to me at 508-793-1939. It is my understanding that we will be in The Multi Media Auditorium located on the first floor of this brand new facility.
Sincerely,
John J Kazlauskas CFSP
Chairman, Board of Registration
Embalming and Funeral Directing,
Secretery/Treasurer, International Conference
of Funeral Service Examining Boards
In a message dated 7/26/01 9:17:13 AM, Linda at ICFA writes:
The Funeral Profession Coalition Council of Canada recently published the results of its survey of consumer attitudes toward funerals and compared the results to the series of Wirthlin surveys commissioned by FAMIC (Funeral and Memorial Information Council) in the United States.
Similar to the Wirthlin surveys, the Canadian poll contacted approximately 1,000 consumers age 35 and older, but it used mail results whereas Wirthlin used the telephone method.
Among the findings, more Canadians prepay some aspect of their funerals than U.S. consumers, about 29 percent vs. 12 percent, though more U.S.consumers who prearrange have chosen a grave site than Canadians, 70 percent vs. 46 percent. Among factors for selecting a funeral home, both Canadian and U.S. consumers rank reputation, location and firsthand impression as the top reasons. About 25 percent of U.S. consumers would choose cremation for themselves or their loved one, whereas 52 percent of Canadians would choose cremation for themselves and a quarter of them would select it for their loved one. For more information on the Canadian survey, contact the Funeral Service Association of Canada at 1-866-841-7779.
The ICFA Fall Management Conference, October 24-27 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in San Diego, California, will challenge attendees with the theme, "Has Anyone Moved Your Cheese Yet?" Program co-chairs David Brownworth and Bruce Buchanan have developed a program focusing on the theme of industry and consumer change, including sessions on topics such as branding, strategic positioning, endowment care funds, cremation, aftercare programs and personal and professional growth.
In addition to the educational programming, Fall Management Conference attendees will have opportunities to participate in golf and tennis tournaments, networking receptions and a closing dinner. Conference sponsors include Aurora Casket Company, the Buchanan Group, Cornerstone Family Services, Family Care Funeral Services, Granit-Bronz, Matthews International Corporation, Stewart Enterprises and Superior Bronze & Granite Company.
For information and registration materials, contact the ICFA at 1-800-645-7700 or visit http://www.icfa.org/educ2.html
In a message dated 7/17/01 4:08:39 PM, C in Illinois writes:
Comments:
Here's a little blurb I thought others might find interesting. I spotted this in today's Chicago Tribune.
P.S. Love your site, keep up the great work!
---Forwarded article----------------
`Six Feet Under':
By Marja Mills
Susan Alvarez knows better than to tell strangers what she does for a living. At least not straight off, when people first ask. Once she answers, the 46-year-old braces for the usual reaction.
"Ooooh, how can you do that?" she mimics, drawing out the
"oooooohh," and feigning a look of creeped-out curiosity.
"That" is running a funeral home. Embalming bodies. Handling caskets. Driving a hearse. Facing the fresh grief of one family after another at Alvarez Funeral Directors, the small business she owns on Chicago's West Side.
All of that is uncomfortable territory for most of us, the stuff of dark jokes and nervous laughter.
No wonder the profession appealed so much to Alan Ball, creator of "Six Feet Under," the new HBO series about Fisher & Sons, a fictional family-run funeral home. Ball won an Academy Award last year for his satirical "American Beauty" screenplay.
Now he mines this new territory -- for its black humor, to be sure, but also for the sharp commentary it yields about American culture and our attitudes toward relationships, work and, of course, death. Not to mention what it's like to live above a funeral home and deal with the dead. The show, which airs on Sunday nights and repeats during the week, has fared well in the ratings. But as a look into a shrouded business, the question seems inevitable: How realistic is it?
"It is Hollywood, but at least it humanizes these people," said Thomas Lynch, 52, a poet, essayist and second-generation funeral director.
"Most funeral directors see it as good entertainment and that at least it gives them a fair shake," Lynch said.
Lynch's non-fiction "The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade" was a finalist for the 1997 National Book Award. His day job is running his family business, Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors, in Milford, Mich.
According to him and other mortuary pros, the producers of "Six Feet Under" nailed much of the technique and lingo of the trade. But it's still clear that this is a more colorful funeral home family dealing with far more colorful deaths than is usual.
Yet, if there have been any complaints about inaccuracies, the show's co-executive producer, Alan Poul, says he hasn't heard about them.
"I've been bombarded by phone calls from funeral directors across the country and they all have been wildly supportive of the show," Poul said.
"You expect to have your errors pointed out to you and instead what I've gotten is people saying, `I'm a funeral director and you are touching on the things we go through and I want to share a story of something that happened to me.' "
In the show, set in Pasadena, the Fishers live in a large, old-fashioned house. The funeral home is downstairs and the livingquarters upstairs, a common arrangement.
During the first episode, the Fishers are jolted by a death in their own family. A bus broadsides the new hearse that the family patriarch, Nathaniel, is driving to the airport, killing him.
All of a sudden, as specified in the father's will, sons Nate and David are in charge of the business. Nate abandons his free-wheeling existence working at a Seattle food co-op to join the tightly wound David, who has been working alongside their father.
The brothers clash with resentments new and old. ("You know nothing," David seethes at Nate after Nate suggests changes.)
Meantime, a powerful funeral conglomerate targets the small business, vowing to take it over or drive it out of business.
The show isn't all bodies and business. Nate becomes involved with a brilliant woman whose mysterious past slowly comes out.
David, ambivalent about revealing his homosexuality at the church where he is a deacon, argues the issue with his boyfriend, a black cop with the Los Angeles Police Department. The brothers' prim, widowed mother, Ruth, keeps a nervous eye both on her suitors and her rebellious teenage daughter, Claire.
Not your ideal family
"This is not the picture perfect American family," Poul said. "So if funeral directors and their families& wanted to say, `That's not us,' I would understand."
This is not G-rated material, either. Sex is more than hinted at, and four-letter words salt the dialogue.
For many of us, the show may provide our only glimpse of funeral homes behind the scenes. For funeral directors and their families, of course, looking for themselves in the show, and spotting inaccuracies, is reason enough to tune in, starting with the show's take on what it's like to live in a place that also houses the deceased.
Living above the prep room
"Six Feet Under" scene: Claire, the tough-talking teenager, brings home a date. "It must be weird" living there, he tells her upon entering the family's living quarters above the funeral home.
"You get used to it," Claire replies.
That rings true for Susan Alvarez's son, Roberto, now 20. He grew up above a couple of Chicago funeral homes where his mother practiced her trade. He starts a one-year program at mortuary school this fall, in Wheeling, then plans to join his mother in her business as an apprentice.
He remembers his 3rd-grade birthday party, held at home. "I invited a bunch of kids in my class and only one kid came.
"I guess they were probably scared. They relate funeral homes and death to scary movies. They freak out."
In "Six Feet Under," a flashback shows one of the Fisher sons as a young boy, curious but afraid of the embalming room where his father would spend long hours working.
Not so Alvarez. "Living above a funeral home was OK for me," he said. " I didn't really care. I just grew up with it. I used to walk by the chapel without even acknowledging there's a person in the casket. It was just there."
The one "Six Feet Under" episode he watched recently struck him as entertaining but far-fetched. "People taking the foot Claire steals a corpse's body part and puts it into a classmate's locker and using it for pranks . . . that doesn't happen at all."
As many in the funeral business point out, "Six Feet Under" features far more exotic deaths than funeral homes routinely deal with. That stolen foot, for example, belonged to a baker chopped up in a giant mixing machine.
"If it was like normal, who would watch it?" Alvarez said. "It would be boring."
Each episode begins with a fatal vignette. A charismatic con-man dives into a swimming pool and hits bottom. A gang member is shot by a rival. A porn star is electrocuted when a certain appliance falls into the bathtub. An old woman dies in her sleep. And every one of their families becomes a customer of Fisher & Sons.
Fiction mirrors fact
Susan Alvarez has never dealt with a dismembered baker or an electrocuted porn queen, but she can relate to the theme of dealing with all kinds of families, all kinds of deaths.
"There are so many ways to leave this earth," she said. Over her more than two decades in the funeral business, Susan Alvarez mostly has buried people who died of illness or, essentially, old age. But also some who died in car wrecks and gang wars, suicides and accidental falls, murders by strangers and murders by husbands.
"Fire and water must be the worst," she said, recalling clients who had burned to death or drowned.
"It's those extremes. It is . . . a death of desperation for someone in a drowning situation, and the pain of being in a fire."
Every profession gives its practitioners their own insights like that. For funeral directors, most of whom prefer that modern term to undertaker or mortician, their job also teaches them that the dead, surprisingly, are not always silent.
An eerie sound
Scene: Nate Fisher, new to driving the hearse, is transporting a body to the funeral home for embalming.
Suddenly, an eerie sound that resembles a moan escapes from the corpse in back. Fisher shoots a startled look at his cargo.
Still dead. But air escaping the recently deceased had creating a breathy noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan.
The incident is fiction but the phenomenon is real.
In fact, the scene is in the show because it happened to the funeral director hired to inject realism into each episode.
"When someone dies, when you move the bodies, the air just flows out past the vocal cords," said Vaughn Nybakken, 49, who reviews scripts for the show. He spent two decades working full-time in the industry and now works for IBM and does part-time funeral duty.
"When I first got into this, my partner didn't tell me corpses make noise. It's like 2 in the morning and in the call car -- or the deadwagon, we call it -- the guy's head is less than a foot behind my head," recalled Nybakken, who, as he drove around a corner, heard the body behind him emit that moaning sound.
"I just about had a heart attack myself," Nybakken said. "My partner thought that was funny."
FSPA will be on vacation from the WWW, a cruise through the UK, Ireland and France, the next update can be expected some time in early September.
UPCOMING will be a report on the Preneed Debate at NFDA's Policy Board Meeting and Leadership Conference. The Preneed Prizefight over WHO SHOULD SELL PRENEED
Thomas Lynch and Pennsylvania FDA's Exec Director John erickson on the side of Licensed FD's should be the only ones to sell preneed on the other side will be Trust 100 CEO Alan Creedy and French Mortuary Director Chester Stewart who will be on the side of non licensed people selling preneed.
Lisa Carlson "our favorite consumer" will be joining me at ringside for this issue and I hope to get some comments from her on the Licensed vs Non Licensed Prenneed Sales!
In a message dated 7/20/01 9:45:52 AM, jhess@mkjmarketing.com writes:
Date: July 9, 2001
Contact: Bill Forsberg 708-865-1600 / 1-888-WILBERT, Fax: 708-865-1646
www.wilbertonline.com
FIRST WOMAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF WMA BOARD
Forest Park, Illinois-
Holly Baxter Bridgers, of Baxter Burial Vault Services, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio, was recently elected President of the Wilbert Manufacturers Association. She is a 1990 graduate of Southern Methodist University with a degree in Advertising Management, and the first woman to hold the position since the WMA board was founded in 1944.
In 1991, after several years of marketing executive experience at 7-Up corporate headquarters in Dallas, Ms. Bridgers joined her family's burial vault business, which was founded by her grandfather in 1924.
Regarding her new role coordinating Wilbert Manufacturers Association activities, Ms. Bridgers said, "The most important thing we can do at Wilbert is offer our customers a complete understanding of the industry as a whole, and a deep involvement in it. When we do this, we help funeral homes give the best to their families when it comes to burial vaults, graveside services or cremation."
Holly's election caps a long history of professional activity in the industry, serving on the Board of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, and on the boards of other important professional associations.
She is also a past Board Member of Fernside -A Center for Grieving Children in Cincinnati. This nonprofit organization offers support and advocacy to grieving children and their families, and increases community awareness of children's grief issues. Fernside now serves approximately 300 children and their families each year.
"Wilbert is proud to have many professional women in our corporate offices," said Wilbert Executive Vice President, Terry Whitlock. "I know of many others in key positions as owners or managers in our licensee network. Now we're especially pleased that Holly Bridgers will be our first female WMA Board President."
In a message dated 7/24/01 11:11:02 AM, Dan in California writes:
Dear John,
I am concerned about an apparent lack of discussion regarding the pros and cons of a professional designation for funeral directors. I have yet to see an issue paper anywhere that delineates the potential effects on the industry. There are of course the usual superficial assumptions, but I would think for such a momentous question it would be incumbent on NFDA to produce a well researched and documented report to the membership. I am suspicious of the potential overall future costs and wonder if I am alone with that concern. NFDA might think carefully about how fully it informs and represents members. My experience in California indicates that funeral service is unique and our association has had many unresolved issues since trying to represent other interests simultaneously, it is divisive and cripples the strength of the association.
Daniel
In a message dated 7/28/01 8:48:17 PM, Steve in Arizona writes:
I can't help comment on Dan from California's question about investigating our professional designation. In your other postings, I am reading about Wade Funeral Home in Connecticut's disgraceful, and criminal, behavior. We also now about California's Oakwood Memorial Chapel/Cunningham's Affordable Cremation and Burial Center's preneeded fiasco that AARP is now investigating. Add this to the prenned/atneed scandal of the Prime Succession's Fred Hunter properties and this will answer this question. As long as our industry does not squash these vermin who violate and pillage the public, we do not deserve to be called professionals.
Part of professionalism is maintaining standars within your industry.
Thanks for the soapbox. Enjoy Europe!
Steve in Arizona
In a message dated 7/16/01 8:16:45 AM, Beacham in North Carolina writes:
NAME REMOVED@cbsnews.com (NAME REMOVED)
To: McDougald@aol.com
Mr. McDougald,
I am an Associate Producer on the CBS Show "48 Hours".
On August 30, we are doing a one-hour special on the Steve Hartman pieces "Everybody Has A Story." It is a compilation of his seven best pieces plus an original one.
We have chosen your story as one of the seven best to be included in our hour. I have to tell you that I LOVED your story. The older lady on the porch was priceless.
Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me an update. Since we are re-airing an old story we would like to be as up to date as possible. Are you still in the funeral directing business? Ever heard back from anyone in "Spaghetti's" family? Anything else you would care to share...please do.
If you would like to speak to me on the phone, I can be reached at 212-975-++++. I have your work number and didn't want to be intrusive.
Thank you so much in advance! Looking forward to hearing from you!
NAME REMOVED
In a message dated 7/15/01 10:49:59 PM, Thestarclass@aol.com writes:
Here is a little story from the Nilsen household. I hope you enjoy.
Our seven year old Erica came bursting in the door, her cheeks flushed, her shoulders freckled and sun-kissed from a day at the local carnival. In her hand was a goldfish, swimming in a clear plastic bag tied in a knot. She had "won" him in a ring toss game. It had been a long, HOT, 4th of July afternoon, and by the time she arrived home with her "new little friend" he was looking a little sluggish and pale of skin.
I warned her that the fish wasn't looking too well and that he might not last through the night.
She insisted he must be starving because he hadn't eaten all day and he was just tired from all the merry-go-round rides he had accompanied her on that day. I told her I didn't have any fish food on hand, and being a holiday, I wasn't sure where I could find a store open to buy any. She put the little fish, still in the bag, to rest in a cool place in her room while we went searching for tropical fish flakes.
Arriving home, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed the door to the basement was ajar (our two cats stay in the basement during the day). My daughter ran upstairs with her $ 5.99 fish food purchase in her hand and I waited, breathless, hoping the unthinkable hadn't happened.
The scream told it all. I followed up the stairs to find her kneeling on the floor with "Goldie" in her hands and the plastic bag torn to pieces. It was a gory sight.
I have to admit, I was more upset about the $ 5.99 I was out for fish food, although I have read you can sprinkle it in your flower garden with beautiful results.
We discussed the funeral arrangements, but the idea of flushing him down the toilet was totally unacceptable. So we all drove to Minnehaha Creek which empties out into the Mighty Mississippi (her idea of fish heaven), and dropped his limp, finless body over the stone arched bridge. "Good bye, Goldie," she whispered, waving farewell.
Everyone was silent. When we heard the splash, even I felt a tear come to my eye. We stood there in the shade and watched until the little guy was out of sight, skipping and dancing over sun glinted ripples in the current of the stream.
Such love for one of God's creatures. It was evident that day that we had done something right in raising our children. They were loving, compassionate little people, grieving the death of a mere fish.
Karen E. Nilsen RN
In a message dated 7/21/01 11:59:16 PM, lynlou@tiac.net writes:
Funeral Institute-NE Announcements:
FINE in Westwood, MA now awards an Associate in Applied Science in Funeral Service. This means that all graduates may transfer FINE courses to 4 year colleges to earn a Bachelor Degree.
FINE is offering teacher-assisted distant education courses in Chicopee, MA beginning September, 2001. This site is convenient to students in northern CT, southern VT, and western MA. Two courses will be offered on Mondays--one in the afternoon and one in the evening--for the usual ten week term. Thus, one class meets one time per week rather than the usual 2-3 times per week at other colleges. A student who adheres to the prescribed schedule will be able to finish his/her studies in about 2 years. The time to finish can be faster if the student also takes FINE correspondence courses and/or courses at the Westwood, MA campus. For more information call 781-461-9080 or email Lynlou@tiac.net
Bill Werner, LFD, MBA, has been appointed to the position of Administrative Dean beginning immediately. Bill will oversee the the teacher-assisted distant education classes in Western MA as well as teach and help with other administration duties.
Colorado's funeral directors and cemeterians are extending an invitation to all funeral director and cemeterian colleagues worldwide to register for and participate in their two-day, precedent-making combined convention and funeral service exposition in Denver, September 14-15, 2001. Theme of the convention is "Together We Can Make A Difference.
The announcement was made jointly by Colorado Funeral Directors Association (CFDA) President Linn Ahlberg, Ahlberg Funeral Chapel, Longmont, and Colorado Association of Cemeteries (CAC) President Frank Peterson, manager of Martin Mortuary and Grand Junction Memorial Cemetery, Grand Junction. Both are Mortuary Science Practitioners (MSPs) certified by the Colorado Funeral Service Board (CFSB).
In a joint statement, Ahlberg and Peterson said,; Colorado experiences some 27,000 deaths per year with more than 16,000 resulting in burial (60 percent). It is estimated that more than 400,000 citizens each year participate in these funeral events. The public sees funeral directors and cemeterians as one. It is important that they work together in the creation and maintenance of meaningful funeral events."
Convention keynote speaker will be Patrick Downey, Vice President of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. He will address the roles of the funeral director and cemeterian in the 21st century. Speaking from the National Funeral Directors Association will be NFDA Treasurer Dwayne Spence.
A total of 10.6 continuing education credits will be offered for those attending all sessions. Education topics include: Unresolved Deaths/A Panel of County Coroners; Shattered Dreams: Grief and Suicide; Personnel and Benefits Issues; The Assassination and Funeral of Abraham Lincoln; Cremation and Burial Vaults; Cemetery Planning and Design, and Government Regulations and Funeral and Cemetery Service. A tour of the historic Fairmount Cemetery is also planned.
A golf tournament is planned for Thursday afternoon prior to the opening of the convention. Social events include a Friday evening reception and fund-raising auction and a Saturday evening 1950's dinner/dance. Networking lunches and breaks are planned in the exhibit area throughout the entire program.
Ahlberg and Peterson emphasized in their announcement that the combined convention does not represent an attempt to combine the two separate organizations, but rather to have both organizations benefit from the efficiencies that might be gained by working together. Each organization will hold their own annual meetings and elections of officers during the convention. Each will maintain their own operations even though there is some overlap of membership and leadership.
Colorado is the only state that does not license funeral directors and has only limited regulation for funeral service. Colorado law permits co-ownership of mortuaries and cemeteries. Consequently a significant number of mortuary owners also own cemeteries and the reverse is true. Some funeral directors serve as both cemetery and mortuary managers.
In the absence of licensing, the Colorado Funeral Service Board provides a voluntary registration and certification program. More than 200 persons are certified as mortuary sciences practitioners, certified funeral directors, certified embalming technicians or interns. The CFSB, which is comprised of funeral directors, cemeterians and citizen representatives, is recognized by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards as a voting member along with its licensing constituency.
The CFDA/CAC Combined Convention will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Denver. Details and convention registration forms are available on the world wide web at http://www.cofda.org.
Details on Colorado's funeral service certification program are available on the web at http://www.cofda.org. Postings on this web site include current Colorado mortuary science laws.
Many thanks. We really appreciate your work and your communications. Best regards, Fred Caruso, Executive Director
I just finished reading Funeral Service Insider's Compensation Survey, if you want all the details please call FSI at 877-602-3835.
I was surprized to see how low salarys are in our industry, no wonder there is a help shortage, a local pizza store takes in $25,000. a week and the owner makes way over 5K a week, hear we are "PROFESSIONALS" with high salary for an owner of $2200. per week, seems to me a funeral parlor owner should make more money than a pizza parlor!
Below are some of the figures I saw!
Owner Salary on the average: $74,000. to $115,000
Most Experianced Funeral Director: $50,000. to $58,000.
Least Experianced Funeral Director: $32,000. to $38,000.
Looking on the WWW we find More Salaries
Service Corporation International
R. L. Waltrip Chairman and Chief Executive Officer $1,713,500
Jerald L. Pullins President and Chief Operating Officer $892,500
James M. Shelger Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary $595,000
W Blair Waltrip Former Executive Vice President Operations 1999 $507,500
John W Morrow Former Executive Vice President North American Operations 1999 $375,000
George R Champagne Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 1999 $370,577
B. D. Hunter Vice Chairman $731,000
Jeffrey E. Curtiss SVP and CFO $680,000
Carriage Services
Name & Title Year Salary Bonus Total Direct Comp.
Melvin C. Payne Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President $439,615
Mark W. Duffey Former President $225,000
Thomas C. Livengood Executive Vice President, CFO and Secretary $244,442
Russell W. Allen Former Executive Vice President of Operations $180,000
Gary O'Sullivan Senior Vice President -- Marketing 1999 $353,718
Jay D. Dodds SVP--Funeral Operations $175,769
Gregory M. Brudnicki SVP-- Cemetery Operations $125,655
Mark F. Wilson SVP-- Cemetery Operations $314,000
Loewen Group
Robert B. Lundgren Former President and Chief Executive Officer 1999 $425,000
Paul A. Houston President and Chief Executive Officer $409,039
John S. Lacey Chairman of the Board $500,000
Jeffrey L. Cashner Retired as Senior Vice President, USA $375,000
Michael G. Weedon Senior Vice President, Trust & Insurance $252,440
Bradley D. Stam Senior Vice President, Legal and Asset Management $300,414
Michael A. Cornelissen Former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer $385,838
STEWART ENTERPRISES INC
Frank B. Stewart, Chairman of the Board $450,000
Joseph P. Henican Formerly Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer $30,770
William E. Rowe President and Chief Executive Officer $660,000
Brian J. Marlowe Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer $467,500
Charles L Tillis Executive Vice President and President - Central Division 1999 $345,000
Kenneth C. Budde Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer $390,000
Brent F. Heffron Executive Vice President and President - Souther Div. $350,000
1800Flowers
James F. McCann CEO $1,196,000
Christopher G. McCann Senior Vice President $335,750
Peter G. Rice President of Plow & Hearth $276,000
John W. Smolak Former Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration $351,000
Kenneth J. Mesnik Vice President - Merchandising $372,000
HILLENBRAND INDUSTRIES INC
W. August Hillenbrand Retired as Chief Executive Officer $2,134,440
Donald G Barger Resigned as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 1999 $306,058
David L. Robertson Vice President, Executive Leadership Development $582,518
Michael L. Buettner Vice President, Corporate Development $579,879
Mark R Lindenmeyer Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary 1999 $223,933
Robert J Tennison President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill-Rom Company, Inc. 1999 $287,980
Tom E Brewer Former Senior Vice President, Finance 1999 $272,489
Frederick W. Rockwood President and CEO $1,442,025
Donald G. Barger Resigned as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer $608,842
How about no profit (association) salaries?
The national averages projected pay for 2001 for the eight position are:
* Chief Executive &emdash; $96,715
* Chief Financial Officer &emdash; $62,361
* Program Director &emdash; $56,862
* Planned Giving Officer &emdash; $59,939
* Development Director &emdash; $59,220
* Major Gifts Officer &emdash; $60,945
* Chief Of Direct Marketing &emdash; $52,758
* Director Of Volunteers &emdash; $35,285
In a message dated 7/18/01 12:16:18 PM, skip@cwo.com writes:
Greetings:
I have just added a link to my home page for funeral software.
http://www.ultimatecomputersoftware.com/funeral.html
I am not endorsing the product, I am just providing the information. I have been asked many times during my career if I am aware of any comprehensive software programs for funeral home management. Well, here is one.
As always, I will add related links to my homepage if they appear legitimate and useful to the industry.
Regards,
Skip Jones
Funeral and Cemetery Consulting and Expert Witness
916-205-1346
www.cwo.com/~skip
NCFDA E-Line
WE NEED YOUR HELP: NCFDA is personally calling all daily North Carolina newspapers in order to update our information in the 2001-2002 NCFDA Membership & Resource Directory. However, if you know of any corrections which should be made to the community or non-daily North Carolina newspapers, could you please contact NCFDA at 800-616-2332 or send the information via e-mail to: phncfda@aol.com. Thanks!
2001-2001 NCFDA MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY: Last call for anyone interested in advertising in the upcoming 2001-2002 NCFDA Membership & Resource Directory!
Ad Size Width x Dept Cost
1 Page 7 1/2" x 9 1/2" $275.00
1/2 Page 7 1/2" x 4 3/4" $180.00
3 1/2" x 9 1/2"
1/3 Page 7 1/2" x 3 1/4" $145.00
1/4 Page 4 3/4" x 3" $110.00
3 1/2" x 4 3/4"
FOR SALE: 1992 Cadillac six door limousine (FWD) black over black with navy interior. Excellent condition. Contact Jody Tyson, Taylor-Edwards Funeral Home, Snow Hill for more information at 252-747-3675.
E-MAIL ADDRESS UPDATES: If you change you e-mail address, be sure and advise NCFDA so that the correct information appears in the upcoming directory and so that you will continue to receive the NCFDA E-Line!
NCFDA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
July 29 &endash; August 1&emdash;National FDA Leadership Conference in Mashantucket, CT
July 31 Legislative Review of Proposed Cremation Laws at the NCFDA Districts 3 & 5 Meeting at Billie's Backstreet Restaurant in Goldsboro, NC with a social at 5:00 PM, dinner at 6:00 PM and program at 7:00 PM. (2.0 c.e.c.) Contact Jody Tyson at 252-747-3675.
Aug 6 Second Annual NCFDA President's Golf Tournament at Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, NC with 1:00 PM tee time. $45.00. Sponsors: Aurora Casket Company, Fortis Family, Imperial Vault Company, Interment Trust/Access Financial (NCFDA Master Trust Program), U. S. Airways TLC, Wilbert Vault Manufacturers
Aug 6 District 8 Meeting at Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, NC with Mark Henderson, interim Executive Director and attorney for the NC Board of Mortuary Science. Social at 6:00 PM, dinner at 6:30 PM and program at 7:00 PM. (2.0 c.e.c.) $30.00 includes prime rib dinner and program. Contact Dorman Caudle at 336-765-8181.
Aug 7 NCFDA Board of Directors Meeting at Village Inn in Clemmons, NC
Aug 11 Deadline for petitions to be filed with the NC Board of Mortuary Science for a position on their board of directors
Aug 15 Board Meeting of the NC Board of Mortuary Science at their office in Raleigh at 9:00 AM.
Aug 15 Open Meeting of the NC Board of Mortuary Science at McKimmon Center in Raleigh to hear comments regarding the proposed cremation law.
Sept 15 Exam Date for licensure by the NC Board of Mortuary Science (Applications MUST be in the State Board Office by August 11)
Oct 8 &endash; 10 National FDA Convention in Orlando, FL
June 10 &endash; 12, 2002&emdash; NCFDA Annual Convention at the Grove Park Inn Resort, Asheville, NC
In a message dated 7/26/01 9:40:08 PM, Bob in Pennsylvania writes:
John - I wish to inform you of the death of Thomas J. Soxman, age 57 who died following a brief illness. Tom was the owner of two funeral homes in thew PennHills area of Pittsburgh. A graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. A member of NFDA , PFDA and immediate past president of the Allegheny County Funeral Directors Association. He receive two Eagle Awards in the NFDA Pursuit of Excellence and has been nominated for a third to be awarded at Orland this October. Hes received his CFSP from the Academy several years ago. He leaves his wife Donna , sons Brian and Mark , a sister Nikki and his father. Funeral At St. John the Baptist R.C. Church Monday July 30th. Visitation Saturday and Sunday at the Soxman Funeral Home , Frankstown Road , Penn Hills , Pennsylvania.
In a message dated 7/16/01 11:19:15 AM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
Stampfl, Walter A.
NORWOOD NORTH ATTLEBORO
Of Norwood, July 11, Walter A. "Wally". Beloved husband of Louise M. (Becker) and dear father of Heather Nelson of N. Attleboro and Jessica E. Stampfl of Norwood. Son of Hannah (Johnson) Stampfl of Norwood and the late Walter A. Stampfl Sr. Brother of Nancy Pavia of FL, John Stampfl of Norwood, Henry Stampfl of Norwood, Frances Markham of Norwood, and Susan Pitaro of Norwood. Also survived by his two stepsons, John E. Malboeuf of NH and Timothy C. Malboeuf of NC; as well as 4 grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral Monday at 9 AM at the May Funeral Home, 85 Nichols St., NORWOOD. Interment will be private. Visiting hours Sunday 4-9 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations for liver transplant research may be sent to the Lahey Clinic Liver Transplant Fund, Suite 4 West, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01808 would be appreciated. Late employee of May Funeral Service. May Funeral Service (781) 762-1509
In a message dated 7/19/01 4:23:03 PM, jhess@mkjmarketing.com writes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2001
For Further Information, Contact:
Glenn Gould, CEO
MKJ Marketing
1501B Belcher Rd., South
Largo, FL 33771
727-524-8100
MKJ Announces â ÏEmphasis On Qualityâ two-part Seminar
Largo, FLâ " MKJ Marketing, a full service marketing firm serving funeral homes, cemeteries and death care industry vendors in areas of Market Research, Advertising, Web Site Development and Business Planning, has announced its 19th Annual Marketing Seminar. The event will be held at the Don Cesar Beach Resort in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida during the week of March 4 â " 7, 2002.
The program will be comprised of two seminars. The first seminar, March 4 and 5, â ÏPromoting the Quality Differenceâ will address advertising and marketing strategies for maintaining a leadership position in your market, or how to capture the quality position in your community. This seminar is based upon consumer research data collected by MKJ Marketing, as well as studies conducted at major corporations throughout the US.
â ÏQuality Service is the most discussed issue in American industry today. Our objective is to apply these popular concepts to funeral service and to augment it with our own research findings,â comments Glenn Gould, Chief Executive Officer, MKJ Marketing. The seminar will discuss consumer attitudes toward personalization, pre-need marketing, and promoting your firmâ ™s cremation services. The seminar will examine multi-media advertising including constructive use of the Internet.
The follow-up seminar, â ÏBuilding a Quality Attitude within Your Firmâ is a Communication and Management training seminar to build a self-perpetuating, quality orientation within your funeral home.
According to Marilyn Gould, President of MKJ Marketing, â ÏThe most pressing challenge for traditional funeral home operators is demonstrating how your firm is different. For most of our clients, the difference is in the quality of the service provided. Promoting the quality difference involves every member of the firm, including the pre-need counselors, aftercare personnel, at-need funeral directors and support staff. Training quality is a management function that demands your attention.â
Page 2
The Don Cesar is one of Floridaâ ™s most historical and deluxe beach resorts having been the winter retreat for such notables as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Al Capone. The Don has recently undergone a top to bottom restoration making it one of Floridaâ ™s premier destination resort locations. Pinellas County is a very popular Florida vacation area located less than 100 miles from Orlandoâ ™s theme parks and features Busch Gardens and other theme parks in the Tampa area. March is peak tourist season on Floridaâ ™s West Coast with golf, big game fishing, and diving. Tampaâ ™s nightlife features Ybor City, modeled after the New Orleansâ ™ French Quarter, Ybor City offers all night dining and entertainment.
Seminar fees have not been increased over previous years. Contact MKJ Marketing for more information and to reserve your seat at the â ÏEmphasis on Qualityâ seminars. Hotel reservations may be made with Kathy at 888-MKJ-1566 or MKJ@mkjmarketing.com.
In a message dated 7/13/01 8:41:17 AM, Linda in Virginia writes:
UL 11, 2001
New York Times
Connecticut Funeral Homes Not Inspected, State Concedes
NEW HAVEN, July 10 -- The discovery of five decomposing bodies in a funeral home's garage here last month has led to yet another finding: Connecticut has not had an inspector for funeral homes for more than a decade.
Officials of the State Department of Public Health acknowledged on Monday that the Wade Funeral Home -- which ceased operations on June 27, the day the bodies were found ? had not been inspected since 1988 and
had been operating without a license for a year. They said the lack of routine inspections held true for the rest of the estimated 300 funeral homes in the state.
The revelation concerning inspections came after a hearing on Monday in which the embalming licenses of Wade's president, Michael Wade, and an employee, Monica Hammie-Richardson, were suspended; the home has been cited for numerous health violations. The partly embalmed bodies, which had gone unburied for three to five years, were found by the police after a complaint.
A health department spokesman, William Gerrish, said the inspections stopped when the part-time funeral inspector, Thomas Dowling, retired in 1989. He was not replaced, Mr. Gerrish said, and financing for the position had been withdrawn.
"Our priority now is to make sure that funeral homes are inspected properly," said Mr. Gerrish, who added that the state would consider re-establishing the position.
The co-chairwomen of the Connecticut General Assembly's Public Health Committee said today that they were shocked by the absence of a funeral home inspector. One, Senator Toni Harp, Democrat of New Haven, said she would seek financing for an inspector at a meeting with state health officials on Wednesday.
"I'm hoping the only case of mismanagement and lack of procedure and protocol is here in New Haven, but we have no way of knowing that," Ms. Harp said. "This is a whole sector of our economy that has the potential of horrible things happening if we don't know the cleanliness of these facilities." The other chairwoman, Representative Mary U. Eberle, Democrat of Bloomfield, said she planned to introduce a bill next year to mandate inspections.
The state now inspects homes only when they open, change management or face a complaint.
The executive director of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, John Cascio, said he would welcome such a bill.
"We have been lobbying for this position for a number of years," said Mr. Cascio, whose group represents 222 funeral homes around Connecticut, though not the Wade Funeral Home. "We take pride in our ownership and believe that an inspector should be responsible for randomly checking homes, making sure they're clean facilities with only licensed personnel," he said.
Mr. Cascio said that Mr. Wade, who faces another hearing Aug. 8 on whether his license will be revoked, was well respected in the industry.
Mr. Wade did not return several phone calls to his office today. State officials said that they had identified one of the five bodies as that of Fred Carmon, an elderly victim of a stabbing in 1998. The other bodies remain unidentified.
In a message dated 7/24/01 10:29:37 PM, Charlene in New Hampshire writes:
It Costs Money to Die - Where Does Your Money Go?
LOS ANGELES, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Probably the last thing the mourning family thinks about when it gets the funeral home's bill is the wage scale of funeral industry employees.
However, should anyone inquire, they will discover that -- not unexpectedly -- the highest paid workers are in management. On average, funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral attendants are all paid less than computer-related and finance professions.
Also, according to the first-of-its-kind 500-page nationwide compensation study of the funeral industry by Los Angeles-based A Grief Observed (www.AGriefObserved.com), it may cost more to die in Connecticut than in any other state. Why? Because Connecticut pays funeral professionals a three-category (Funeral Directors, Embalmers, and Funeral Attendants) average hourly rate of $63.40, the highest rate in the study, as measured by the AGO Pay Ranking.
If how much funeral professionals get paid relates at all to how much funerals cost, funerals cost more on the East Coast. "Funeral home CEOs in the east are definitely the highest paid," he said. Further, he added of all the states studied, only 4 states (Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) received the "Most Competitive" AGO Competitiveness Meter ratings for paying funeral professionals an average wage of at least $40 an hour and for each having at least 800 funeral homes. These will be good states for funeral professionals to work in due to the high wages, but for the consumer, these may be expensive states to buy funeral products and services because the high wages paid are usually made up, in part, by passing on the cost to the consumer.
An unexpected finding of the study, according to Darian Chin, Co-Founder of A Grief Observed, is that competition among funeral homes tends to drive wages up. "I would have thought that competition would drive wages -- and the related cost structure -- down," he said. "But it appears that if a family wants to limit its expenditures on a funeral they should look for an area where there are few funeral homes."
Other major findings are as follows:
-- Management, computer-related, and financial occupations earn the most
-- Funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral attendants are neither the highest paid nor the most employed
-- Nine out of ten (90%) of the top ten states with the highest pay rankings are located on the east coast
-- Seven out of ten (70%) of the top ten states with the highest paid CEO's are located on the east coast
-- "Most Competitive" designations earned by only nineteen (38%) states nationwide for paying funeral professionals well
-- "Most Competitive" designations earned by only five (10%) states nationwide for number of funeral homes
-- Only four (8%) states made it to the top as "Most Competitive" in pay rate and number of funeral homes
-- Funeral industry pay and number of funeral homes varies widely among states
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In a message dated 7/27/01 7:34:42 PM, Mike in Oklahoma writes: Really appreciated the news. Just found out that both my wife and I are underpaid. Know of any openings in Connecticut? Mike
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In a message dated 7/13/01 7:28:25 PM, Peter in Illinois writes:
John,
When I read the story about Bernard Cardinal Law intervening in Rep. Moakley's funeral plans, I wasn't surprised at all.
When Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago died about four and a half years ago, a similar thing happened from what I understand. Bernardin, upon learning that his cancer was terminal, began to make his own funeral plans. In planning his own funeral the Cardinal decided that he wanted his right hand man, Monsignor Ken Velo, to give the homily/euolgy after the reading of the gospel. I have heard from more than a few priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago that many of the other Cardinals throughout the country were upset about this, and tried to change Bernardin's mind. Apparently the Cardinals weren't happy that the Monsignor was going to eulogize Bernardin, they wanted one of the other Cardinals to give a homily about scripture and the church's beliefs on life and death. In the end Monsignor Velo gave the eulogy, and from what I understand has been since blackballed by the Cardinals from around the U.S .
In hearing this story, and now the Moakley story, I am not lead to believe so much that it is the Cardinal's concern about funerals getting out of hand or doing things by the rule of the church, but more a power trip, and a struggle for constant and total control on the part of Law and the other Cardinals. Politics on every level...
-Peter
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In a message dated 7/21/01 12:25:36 AM, Pat in California writes: Had a family bring in a brochure with VFW/Ladies Auxiliary logo's on it with Dignity Memorial Program. Sci has made a deal with VFW to use their logo for selling "ten simple steps to prearrangement", they have a plan option for funeral and cremation with payment options, then select a Dignity Memorial Provider for your area, guess what? They are all SCI firms what a surprise. The lady that came in wondered why our name was not on the list of providers. I showed her it was only their corporate firms on the sheet. Always trying something. If someone signs up, they can have their minor children/grand children covered at no extra charge for $2500.00 until they are 21. Naturally they have hidden the cost in the insurance rate for the adult. Pat in California.
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In a message dated 7/16/01 1:04:13 AM, tibbles@ix.netcom.com writes:
Guy in a taxi wanted to speak to the driver so he; leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, jumped up in the air and yanked the wheel over. The car mounted the curb, demolished a lamp post and came to a stop inches from a shop window. The startled passenger said "I didn't mean to frighten you, just wanted to ask you something." Taxi driver says "Not your fault sir. It's my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a hearse for the past 25 years.
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This is a responce to an issue from the last update along with it's response
In a message dated 7/1/01 11:13:56 AM, Frank in Massachusetts writes: John, nothing changes but the date, what happend to any kind of announcement of the passing of Inspector Arthur Carow, what a great guy, I just wish I had know to go to the wake, I know it was in the globe I missed it! Dammit! With all the stupid faxes of Margie trying to sell more stuff to us she could have faxed us about his passing, she did the same thing when Wayne Brasco's wife passed. THANKS FOR NOTHING MASS FDA!!!!
Frank it is nice to hear from you, I did write NFDA about the issue and I called the office too, no word back yet. Ill keep you posted. As for announcing it here, I am just as sorry, I liked Arthur very much, he had such a keen way of keeping us all on track. Our funeral home property was struck by lighning and we had no internet access for almost a week, we found out too late to make the wake and funeral. You can e-mail his daughter through this site click here---> http://www.funeralserviceprofessional.com/ArthurCarowPassed.html
In a message dated 7/19/01 9:57:13 PM, LOWELL MA writes: Why didn't any notice go out about Arthur Carow passing away?
In a message dated 7/17/01 10:30:03 AM, Mfdaneft writes:
Hello John: Sorry for the delay in responding to your e-mail. As Tara told you when you called our office, I have been out of state on vacation with my family.
Re your question about notification of the death of Arthur Carow (an employee of the Inspection Division of the Division of Professional Licensure) / Thanks to Mike Flynn of the Higgins Funeral Home in Boston, we got an e-mail notice about Arthur's death. I believe that you got the same e-mail. This communication was opened the day of the funeral and it was forwarded at that same time to our Board of Directors. (I believe that Mike's notice came from the Boston Globe which apparently no one else noticed as his was the only communication we received. The most common notification of a death to the Association is a call from the family, a colleague/coworker or the funeral director handling the service. Sometimes we also get a copy of the obituary from the newspaper clipping service we retain, but this notification can be several weeks after the death.)
The notice has also been placed in the "In Memory" section of our MFDA Association Newsletter and a remembrance has been sent on behalf of the Association.
I hope that you and your family are having a pleasant and enjoyable summer. Take care. Margie
In a message dated 7/17/01 12:07:48 PM, LOWELL MA writes:
Thanks for your resonse Marge, Ill pass it on! The question was Why didn't any notice go out about Arthur Carow passing away?
Seems to me the association does not transmit information well to its memebers in a TIMELY FASHION. Your office told me you were on Vacation, I also hope you are enjoying your summer. Take Care!
In a message dated 7/17/01 5:03:46 PM, Mfdaneft writes:
To answer your question -- as I said, yes a notice did go out to our Board of Directors as soon as a death notification is received. Perhaps, I misunderstand the actual intent of the question. If it is to ask if we sent a notification to the entire membership at that time, then you know that this is actually accomplished when the death notice is included in our newsletter.
I don't recall us sending notices to the entire membership in another way, but I certainly don't think that anyone would be adverse to our using our communication capabilities (e-mail and/or fax broadcast) to send out this information if we were asked to do so and we had the information in advance of the service. In the case of Arthur Carew's services, the issue is really moot as the information was received after the funeral services were held.
I hope that this answers your question John. Take care. Margie
In a message dated 7/24/01 9:26:56 PM, LOWELL MA writes:
Hi Marge,
I do think you should consider communicating in a more timely fashion with respect to the loss of someone who has served our profession so well, especially in a state wide capacity, state inspctor or state board members association officers including one's spouse or child. I am sure many funeral directors would have liked to shake Mrs. Carow's hand and give her the in person condolences she so well deserved.
Not to shun my responsibility to read the Boston Globe everday and at the same time pat Mike Flynn on the back for his efforts to keep people posted on the loss of Funeral Service Professionals.
BOTTOM LINE: USE THE FAX and/or E-Mail liberally.
Thank you for your consideration to this matter
Have a great summer!
John
In a message dated 7/25/01 3:56:50 PM, Mfdaneft writes:
Hi John: Yes, we too very much want to use fax broadcasting and e-mail as much as possible. As you well know its distribution is expeditious and very cost effective. Its a real money saver for us. The problem is 35% of our members don't have dedicated fax lines and many firms don't have e-mail yet. Some of those that do have e-mail tell us that they don't check it often enough to make it an effective tool. Most ask for a mailed copy in addition to the e-mail. The list does keep growing, at least in regard to e-mail, so we hope that this can be used more frequently.
Thanks for your input. I have shared it with our Board.
Margie
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Got any Hot News for us. Issues that involve funeral service, in your community, it in, Everything you see here was send in by someone just like you. If there is a newspaper article in your area, send the link and we can all learn from it, even if it is your opinion we all learn from one another. Any HOT NEWS OR SCUTTLEBUTT WILL BE POSTED IN THE READER'S WRITE BACK SECTION.
Send your story or issue to FSPA just click here --->Lowellma@aol.com
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In a message dated 7/20/01 9:14:48 AM, jmixon@ifdf.org writes: We are a new independent in Atlanta, GA. and are looking for black or dark blue hearse(s). Could you please post a message to your Fla. members who might have or know of someone with a hearse for sale, or dealers in the area. Thank you/ Simon. happyorgans@yahoo.com 404-786-9570.
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You are welcome, to write us with your comments, suggestions, complaints and especially stories about funeral service. Please remember only FSPA members will have information posted in the weekly update, it's easy click here ---> Mailto:Lowellma@aol.com Your participation is appreciated and essential.
FUNERAL SERVICE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION does not share membership info with anyone, no one will be given your information with out your permission or a court order.
To Join the Funeral Service Professional Association you must derive some of your income from the funeral industry, students and retirees from the funeral profession are welcome as well, please e-mail the following information.
If you skip answering one of the seven questions, you are wasting your time, the standards are the same for everyone, FSPA is open to everyone in funeral service, we are all equals here no exceptions, FSPA will not tell anyone who you are unless you request your identity be disclosed, FSPA is only open to any type of Funeral Service Professional, or Funeral Service Affiliate such as: Funeral Association employees, Mortuary School Students, Funeral Service product providers and Funeral Service Media.
Accountants will tell you FSPA is a write off ! Please check with your accountant. If s/he approves Go get yourself a nice laptop and possibly write off your hardware as well as AOL or other Internet service charge as an expense, the more your participate in FSPA the more proof you have.
If you have a suggested question this please just send it along, none of FSPA 's mail will be possible with out your sending information into us,
To make life easier on me
First and foremost, Send your info or story in to FSPA.
2nd Please put on the top line your name and location, like "John from Massachusetts writes :"
3rd please address the subject line put:
This is just a hobby, if you send and don't address the subject line with FSPA, it usually delete it because it looks like junk mail, FSPA get over 50 pieces of mail a day, most gets deleted, THE SUBJECT LINE is the key so please, use the subject line properly. Put FSPA in the Subject line along with the flavor of your message.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE the posting(s) you send are some times resent to others be careful, if you are proud of what you said and want the world to know how you feel Put your name, location and e-mail address at the end.
However If you don't want the world to know your ideas and you want to remain anonymous, just put name withheld at the end. FSPA does not reveal who its members are nor does FSPA lend it's list of members to others. There is no need to identify yourself. If you are not proud of your response (like the air line lost a body on us) it is not recommended you identify yourself, since we can all learn from problems. We need your input! Your answers go all over the place, E-mail is so easy to forward. We are happy to learn from your problems and issues, there is no need to identify yourself if you don't want to, South Western United States if just fine.
If the article you want is from a commercial publisher YOU MUST get permission from the person or company who created the story.
Because e-mail can be altered electronically, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed. Any of the items you read here, you are free to reuse, understand, the postings are just that, the items are for the most part cut and pasted from E-mail, others FAXed and of course from funeral publications and other media. What you see here is never checked, if you do decide to republish or quote any thing FSPA puts out, check it out, please do not name the individual who sent the article without their permission. If you see fit to use any information from FSPA please give us credit. Ages ago a state association news letter posted a quote using the senders name, she was not a happy camper nor was her company, please use caution in the future. We appreciate your understanding and we need your support.
Consider these steps for your life.
1. Work like you don't need the money.
2. Love like you've never been hurt.
3. Dance like you do when nobody's watching.
C YA
John
BOTTOM LINE: WE ALL WORK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF FUNERAL SERVICE PROFESSION AND THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY THE CONSUMERS WE SERVE AND THE PROFESSIONALS WE WORK WITH. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING WRONG, IF SOMETHING HERE REALLY OFFENDS YOU, LET'S WORK TOGETHER. PLEASE NOTIFY FSPA IMMEDIATELY, YOU CAN E-MAIL TO lowellma@aol.com Or call FSPA in the United States Voice 978-458-6816 Fax 978-459-0115 or the old fashioned way through the mail at FSPA c/o 14 Highland Street Lowell, Massachusetts 01852-3399 USA
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