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In a message dated 10/3/02 8:03:14 PM, John in Massachusetts writes:
If you have ever been angry about unfair bank penalty, you might enjoy this. It is a bit long, but rather clever. One may only hope the bank spent many hours in conferences with their lawyers about this etc.
Dear Bank,
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations some three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement, which, I admit, has only been in place for eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account by $50 by way of penalty for the inconvenience I caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. You have set me on the path of fiscal righteousness.
No more will our relationship be blighted by these unpleasant incidents, for I am restructuring my affairs in 2002, taking as my model the procedures, attitudes ! and conduct of your very bank. I can think of no greater compliment and I know you will be excited and proud I have noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, ever-changing, prerecorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will, therefore and hereafter, no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your branch whom you must nominate. You will be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further by introducing you to my new telephone system, which you will notice, is very much like yours. My Authorized Contact at your bank, the only person with whom I will have any dealings, may call me at any time and will be answered by an automated voice service: Press buttons as follows
1. To make an appointment to see me.
2. To query a missing payment.
3. To transfer the call to my ! living room in case I am there.
4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping..
5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated at a later date to the Authorized Contact.
8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may on occasion involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. This month I've chosen a refrain from "The Best of Woodie Guthrie": "Oh, the banks are made of marble, with a guard at every door, and the vaults are filled with silver, that the miners sweated for."
On a more serious note, we come to the matter of cost. As your bank has often pointed out, the ongoing drive for greater efficiency comes at a cost which you have always been quick to pass on to me. Let me repay your kindness by passing some costs back.
First, there is a matter of advertising material you send me. This I will read for a fee of $20 per page. Inquiries from the Authorized Contact will be billed at $5 per minute of my time spent in response. Any debits to my account, as, for example, in the matter of the penalty for the dishonored check, will be passed back to you. New phone service runs at 75 cents a minute. You will be well advised to keep your inquiries brief and to the point.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a happy, if ever-so-slightly less prosperous, New Year?
Your Humble Client,
(Name Withheld)
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From: abangolee@popmail.com
To: Lowellma@aol.com
University of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
Dear Mr. McDonough:
I am looking for a uniquely caring institution to build my future; a place where I can find all the diversity, excitement, and opportunity life has to offer; an institution whose education is rigorous, demanding and always rewarding; a school whose core curriculum gives students the solid academic foundation they'll use their entire lives; a place where I'll find an education that commands respect ijn and career I chose.
Having made a comprehensive, keen, and vogorous search, I find your institution to be best suited for my educational, professional, and religious needs. But due to penury and the death of my father who was all in all to me, I have determined to appeal to your generosity were you to kindly offer me any form of financial aid through scholarships, grants,loans, and work study programs, that will cover my 12 months estimated costs at your good institution.
Sincerely, I want to become a funeral service professional by demonstrating my commitment to funeral service through dedication and high awareness of the community's needs.
Upon completion of my course of studies, I will like to work to refund all that you will spend on my education.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"-The Golden Rule
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards.
Sincerely yours,
Abangolee John Caulcrick
Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.
In a message dated 10/1/02 8:52:43 PM, Charlie from Down Under writes:
A SMALL team of highly skilled Australian morticians and embalmers will fly to Bali today to begin the gruesome task of preparing bodies for their return home.
Morgue erected as experts prepare bodies for trip home The Howard Government has hired worldwide disaster management firm Kenyon International to establish a temporary morgue, and help identify remains of victims of the Sari Club terrorist attack.
A further 22 disaster identification specialists from federal and state police forces were also flown to Bali yesterday to assist in the identification of the victims.
Prime Minister John Howard told Parliament yesterday that stabilisation of the remains of those killed was a major priority.
Qantas will fly remains of Australian victims home in co-operation with Kenyon, which has assisted in some of the world's worst man-made disasters, but few like the bomb blast in Bali.
The five-person Kenyon team will establish a temporary morgue to help with the identification of the dead, and conduct autopsies.
They will work closely with Indonesian and Australian police, investigators, coroners and medical examiners.
A large part of their job will be preserving and restoring the remains of the victims so they can be returned to Australia and other home countries for funerals.
Heading the Kenyon team will be the company's Sydney-based Pacific rim operations director, Peter Gregory, a funeral director with 22 years' experience.
"We're taking a small team tomorrow morning to help out the families there," Mr Gregory said.
"It consists mainly of people from the Australian Funeral Directors Association, embalmers and mortuary people, to assist the government agencies already there retrieving those poor people."
Mr Gregory said Kenyon's usual workload was civilian air disasters.
He served with the team that dealt with the loss of 225 lives on Korean Air flight 801 in August 1997, and 104 on SilkAir flight 185 in December of that year.
Established in 1929, Kenyon's past experience has included some of the world's worst air disasters, such as TWA flight 800 off New York in 1997 in which 230 people died, the explosion aboard the Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea in 1988 when 167 were killed, and a ferry sinking on Lake Victoria in Tanzania in 1996.
Air India, which transports the bodies of Indians from the Gulf free of cost, will now provide a free ticket for one person to accompany each body, said its manager Orchid Raikhan.
In a letter to India's Ambassador to Bahrain Bhaskar Kumar Mitra, Air India commercial director V K Verma said the airline would now provide free transportation to a person accompanying the body.
The airline has been transporting bodies free of cost for the past two years.
''The airline will also carry free 50kg of luggage belonging to the dead worker, and 40kg of the accompanying person,'' Raikhan told Gulf Daily News.
The airline will undertake to transport the bodies free of cost from the Gulf to India based on the recommendation from the Indian Embassy, along with death certificate and other documents, she said.
There have been several cases in the past where the bodies of Indians were kept at local mortuary for months after sponsors refused to meet the repatriation costs.
Air India operates five flights a week to India, two to Bombay and three to Kochi.
In a message dated 10/16/02 10:57:38 PM, Matt in Hawaii writes:
The state has filed a civil complaint against Memorial Mortuary for allegedly selling pre - need funeral plans for 20 years without a license.
The complaint, filed Wednesday by attorney Haunani Alm from the regulated industries complaints office of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, is asking a judge to order the funeral home to stop selling those plans without a license.
It also seeks $200,000 in civil penalties.
The complaint alleges that Robert R. and Momi Diego sold pre - need funeral services on behalf of their Hilo mortuary from 1981 to 2000.
The Diegos and their daughter, Bobbie Jean Diego, were arrested March 20 on suspicion of second - degree theft. They spent the night at the Hilo police cellblock but were released the following morning after their attorney, Brenda Carreira, filed a document claiming they were being held illegally.
At the time of the arrest, the Attorney General's office was investigating allegations that Memorial Mortuary sold pre - need funeral plans and did embalming without a license, and that it sold customers caskets and then buried the deceased in body bags.
The Diegos, who were never charged with anything in connection with the investigation, denied the allegations.
Robert and Momi Diego gave the Tribune - Herald this brief statement Wednesday afternoon: "We weren't served with this complaint and at this time we have no comment."
Their attorney, Brenda Carreira, was unavailable Wednesday because of a death in her family.
In response to an inquiry, Deputy Attorney General Rick Damerville said the Commerce Department's civil complaint is not a substitute for any criminal action by the state. "No, no, no, it's not in lieu of anything," Damerville said. "It's still under active investigation."
Joann Uchida, complaints and enforcement officer for the Commerce Department, said the department's jurisdiction over Memorial Mortuary is limited to the pre - need plans.
"If somebody else was going to take action on the embalming," she said, "it would come out of the Attorney General's Office," which she described as the "legal arm" of the state Health Department.
In a message dated 10/1/02 8:00:56 AM, Eric stationed in West Germany writes:
A Chilean funeral home has produced a prototype 'double coffin' that allows couples to be buried together.
Designer Joaquín Ortúzar said the coffin would be perfect for couples who died at the same time in an accident.
The luxury coffin is lined with satin and pure cotton. It will retail at around £1,200.
The coffin is too large to fit in a normal hearse. But Ortúzar said eight people should be able to carry it comfortably.
The innovative coffin is currently on show in Santiago's Barros Design Gallery, newspaper La Cuarta reports.
In a message dated 10/05/02 9:01:16 PM, Arthur in Pennsylvania writes:
A funeral director who had known William Neff for years alerted authorities after finding a 15-inch bruise on his body.
Jeff Thompson started to prepare the body for embalming. He removed the clothes and found a 15-inch bruise. He took another look at the death certificate from Sept. 11, 2000.
"Failure to thrive," it said. The vague term sometimes describes a natural death, he said, but this death wasn't natural.
Thompson, a 39-year-old funeral director for Bryer's Funeral Home in Willow Grove, had known William Neff for many years. Neff was a decorated World War II veteran and Philadelphia native who retired a long time ago from a ball bearing manufacturer. Thompson was close with the family. He buried Neff's wife in November 1999, and he recalled how William Neff seemed lost during the funeral. It was clear that his mind was deteriorating, he said.
Thompson looked again and again at the bruise. The last thing he wanted to do was tell the family that he suspected the bruise contributed to the death.
His suspicions were correct, authorities said. William Neff was abused - kicked so his ribs were broken - and he was left to linger in pain for six days until he died. The investigation led to the arrest of five former staff members at Alterra Clare Bridge, a personal-care home in Lower Makefield that charged Neff's family about $43,000 annually.
A nurse's aide was charged with criminal homicide and four other people who worked at the personal-care home were charged with failing to report the abuse.
Thompson said he was surprised to learn that five people were charged in connection with Neff's death. After all, Thompson said, Neff was supposedly getting the best of specialized care for Alzheimer's patients.
"The place wasn't a dump," he said. "The thing that throws me is that other people didn't notice the bruises or blow the whistle on what happened."
Bucks County District Attorney Diane Gibbons praised the funeral director for notifying authorities. Had it not been for his diligence, she said, five people could have gotten away with a crime.
At 47 years, on Sept. 21, unexpectedly, due to Coronary Artery Disease, of East Boston & Lynn, formerly of Pittsfield. Registered Funeral Director for the Greater Boston & North Shore Areas. Son of the late Thomas A. & Julia (Waldron) Hynes. Cherished brother of Thomas A. Hynes Jr. & his wife Judith & his twin brother James A. Hynes, all of Lenox, MA, Miss Ellen C. Hynes of Pittsfield & Mrs. Mary C. Hynes-Drumm & her husband Michael of Lanesboro, MA. Dear uncle of Meagan M. Drumm of Lanesboro, Amy M. Cullett of Pittsfield, Thomas A. Hynes III, Joseph E., Mary C., & Anne E. Hynes, all of Lenox. John is also lovingly survived by many friends, associates, & an extended family in the greater Boston area. Family & friends are invited to attend a Memorial Funeral Mass on Saturday, September 28th at 1 p.m., in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, corner of Beach St. & Winthrop Ave., REVERE. At John's request, visiting hours are resepctfully ommitted. Interment of his cremains will be on Saturday, October 12th at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Pittsfield. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Italian Home for Children, 1125 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Arrangements were completed by the Vertuccio Home for Funerals of REVERE.
In a message dated 9/24/02 2:54:44 PM, lacorn@icfa.org writes:
ICFA INTERNET EXPO OFFERS ACCESS TO HUNDREDS OF INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS
RESTON, VA (September 23, 2002) - The International Cemetery and Funeral Association in August launched the ICFA Internet Expo, the cemetery and funeral service industry's largest online trade show.
The ICFA Internet Expo allows cemetery and funeral home owners and operators to research 300+ suppliers in more than 100 product and service categories from the comfort of their homes and offices. Each company "booth" page offers name and contact information, as well as a link to the company's Web site, a company logo and a description if available. All ICFA supplier and professional members are included in the Expo free of charge.
In its first month, the Expo has drawn rave reviews from industry members as an easy and convenient way to locate suppliers. Since its launch, the number of visitors to the ICFA Web site has increased by 17 percent, from an average of 312 per day to 365 per day, and the number of page views on the site has increased by 140 percent, from an average of 731 per day to 1,750 per day.
To check out the Internet Expo, visit the ICFA Web site at www.icfa.org. For more information, call 1-800-645-7700.
Founded in 1887, the ICFA is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, funeral and memorialization industry. Its membership is comprised of more than 6,000 cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers, crematories and related businesses worldwide.
In a message dated 9/24/02 2:57:36 PM, lacorn@icfa.org writes:
ICFA'S NAKED SALES V TO TEACH 'FIVE COMMANDMENTS OF SALES'
RESTON, VA (September 23, 2002) - Naked Sales V, the International
Cemetery and Funeral Association's annual sales management and marketing
conference, will offer attendees two days of "how to" information based
on the "Five Commandments of Sales." January 16-17 at the Royal Sonesta
Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, Naked Sales V will focus on:
I. Thou shalt prospect.
II. Thou shalt set appointments.
III. Thou shalt make presentations.
IV. Thou shalt close the sale.
V. Thou shalt not quit.
Through 23 educational sessions, interactive Q&A and a networking
reception, the program will provide practical "nuts and bolts"
information sales managers and their top counselors can use to take
their programs to new levels of success. Program highlights will include:
o A keynote address by Bill Cates, president of Referral Coach
International and author of the widely acclaimed training book,
"Unlimited Referrals." According to Cates, two of the keys to
effectively obtaining and using referrals are becoming "referrable," or
worthy of the client's referral, and properly asking for and following
up on the referral. Attendees will find out how to do this and more
during this two-hour session.
o Presentations by more than 20 industry speakers, including numerous
first-time Naked Sales presenters combined with our top-rated veteran
presenters, on a variety of sales management issues. Sessions will give
sales managers a variety of essential training and management tools
through topics such as "Beyond the Phone: Face-to-Face
Appointment-Setting Techniques," "Organizing Effective Group
Presentations," "Closing With Objections," "Family Service Follow Up,"
"Recruiting Sellers Who Just Won't Quit" and more.
o Five 15-minute Q&A sessions with presenters. After each "commandment"
has been covered, all presenters from that section will be brought back
on stage to engage in interactive discussions and answer audience
questions. Many presenters also will be available during breaks to talk
one-on-one with attendees.
o A binder filled with practical instruction to take back to the
attendee's location. Year after year, this conference extra is rated a
top benefit of attendance. Each presenter includes handouts and
ancillary materials to support his or her topic, offering a veritable
"cookbook" for increased sales and productivity.
o An evening icebreaker reception on January 15. Attendees will have an
opportunity to meet hundreds of industry colleagues while enjoying
complimentary beverages at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the heart of
Bourbon Street, New Orleans.
The conference program was developed by Program Chairs Mike Hays, vice
president of advance planning for Keystone Group Holdings, Tampa,
Florida, and Gwen Mooney, director of preneed services at Jon Deitloff
Funeral Centre, Cincinnati, Ohio, along with the 26-member ICFA Sales &
Marketing Committee.
According to Chairman Gregg Williamson, CCE, the committee made a
concerted effort to develop sessions that cover the essential elements
of successful industry sales programs. "Each year we continue to
fine-tune our Naked Sales programs based on attendee feedback,"
Williamson said. "One consistent theme that emerges from our
post-conference surveys is that attendees want us to provide practical,
concrete ideas for improving their sales numbers. This program aims to
do just that."
For complete program information, visit www.icfa.org or call the ICFA at
1-800-645-7700.
Founded in 1887, the ICFA is the only international trade association
representing all segments of the cemetery, funeral and memorialization
industry. Its membership is comprised of more than 6,000 cemeteries,
funeral homes, memorial designers, crematories and related businesses
worldwide.
##
ICFA ACCEPTING 'KEEPING IT PERSONAL' AWARDS ENTRIES
RESTON, VA (September 23, 2002) - The International Cemetery and Funeral
Association (ICFA) Personalization Committee is now accepting entries
for its 2002 KIP (Keeping It Personal) Awards, recognizing
personalization of products and services in the cemetery and funeral
industry.
"We established this awards program last year in response to the growing
trend toward personalized funeral and burial services," said
Personalization Committee Chairman Julie Burn. "The program's success
exceeded our expectations: It attracted 50 entries from throughout North
America and abroad, and what's more, the awards presentation and display
became a big hit at the ICFA 2002 Convention. As a result, at the 2003
Convention we will expand the awards presentation program to a
full-fledged session on personalization."
ICFA-member cemeteries, funeral homes, suppliers and related businesses
are eligible to submit entries in three categories:
o Special Events - For the most creative workshop, seminar or holiday
event held by the entrant from December 1, 2001, to November 30, 2002.
The event must include the participation of client families and/or the
general public. Prizes will be awarded for events costing less than
$1,000 and events costing more than $1,000.
o Magic Moments - For the most creative and meaningful "best practice"
or service that helps differentiate the company by demonstrating an
unexpected personal touch.
o Products That Personalize - For the product or service that reflects
the character of the person memorialized in a way that is personal and
meaningful. The product may be physical or virtual, but it must be
something for which the company levies a charge.
The deadline for entries is December 6, 2002. Award recipients will be
recognized as part of a seminar on personalization at the ICFA Annual
Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 10-13, 2003, and will be
recognized in International Cemetery & Funeral Management magazine. In
addition, the ICFA will provide winners with news releases announcing
the awards to send to their local press.
Descriptions of the 2001 KIP Award winners, as well as rules and entry
information for the 2002 awards program, can be found at the "KIP
Awards" section of the ICFA Web site at www.icfa.org. For more
information, call 1-800-645-7700.
RESTON, VA (September 23, 2002) - The International Cemetery and Funeral
Association's 2002-2003 Membership Directory & Buyer's Guide is now
available. This 264-page directory of cemeteries, funeral homes,
suppliers and related businesses and organizations offers the most
comprehensive index of individuals working in the industry. It includes
contact information for:
o 5,500+ ICFA-member cemeteries, funeral homes and allied businesses;
o 300+ industry suppliers;
o 151 international, national, regional and state industry associations;
o 100 U.S. and Canadian state/provincial cemetery regulators and funeral
service boards;
o 51 mortuary science schools; and
o all ICFA officers, board members and committee chairs.
The Buyer's Guide section of the directory includes 97 categories - from
"Accounting Services" to "Vaults" - listing more than 300 suppliers,
including company names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and
e-mail and Web addresses.
Additional highlights include a set of industry guidelines for
cremation; recommended monument installation guidelines; and information
on ICFA's governance, membership benefits and upcoming educational
programs. The directory also features a 58-page index of individuals
working in the cemetery and funeral industry.
"This is the most comprehensive directory available to our industry,"
said ICFA President Bill Wright, CCE. "It covers not just one segment,
but the entire industry. And as usual, the ICFA has been able to keep up
with the times, offering not just mailing addresses and telephone
numbers, but also fax numbers and e-mail and Web addresses. This
publication is by far the quickest, easiest way to locate industry
colleagues and suppliers."
ICFA members receive one free copy of the 2002-2003 Membership Directory
& Buyer's Guide as a membership benefit; additional copies can be
purchased for $25. Non-members can purchase the directory for $45. For
more information or to order, call 1-800-645-7700.
In a message dated 9/19/02 3:02:20 PM, kshay@nfda.org writes:
Contact: Fay Spano
800-228-6332
NFDA #36-02
NFDA Teleconference Emphasis on Successful OSHA Inspections
Brookfield, Wis.&emdash;The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is
offering a compliance teleconference, "Preparing Your Funeral Home for
an OSHA Inspection," on November 14, 2002, from 1- 3 p.m. CST. The
teleconference will be presented by NFDA OSHA Safety Consultant Jay
Burnside of Professional Compliance, Inc., Baltimore, Md.
"This teleconference is a tremendous opportunity for funeral homes to
review OSHA inspection procedures and the rights of employers and
employees during the conduct of an inspection, as well as to learn how
to prepare for a successful OSHA inspection," said NFDA Chief Executive
Officer Christine Pepper.
This continuing education event will provide guidelines for funeral
homes to present the firm's safety records and compliance programs in
the best possible mannerReceived: from GRPWISE-MTA by during an OSHA facility and recordkeeping
audit. Attendees also will be provided with an update on the new OSHA
Workplace Accident and Illness recordkeeping forms and procedures that
became effective January 1, 2002, and on amendments to the recordkeeping
requirements of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.
The teleconference is approved for two hours of continuing-education
units (CEUs) by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice
(APFSP) and most state funeral service boards. The cost is $105 for the
first registrant and $40 for each additional registrant at the same
location who would like to receive CE credit. For more information or to
register for the teleconference, please contact an NFDA member services
representative at 800-228-6332.
NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in
Washington, D.C. It is the oldest and largest nationwide funeral service
association, serving about 13,500 members. To learn more about NFDA,
visit our Website at www.nfda.org.
Contact: Julie Tarantino
DeAnn Scrabeck
800-228-6332
277 Funeral Homes to Receive National Award
National Funeral Directors Association Announces Pursuit of Excellence Winners
Brookfield, Wis. &endash; Two hundred seventy-seven funeral homes from
across the United States and the West Indies will be honored as Pursuit
of Excellence award winners during the National Funeral Directors
Association (NFDA) 121st Convention & Expo in San Antonio, Texas,
October 20-23, 2002. This mark of excellence recognizes firms for their
outstanding community service, professional integrity and dynamic public
relations programs.
"These funeral homes represent the best of the funeral service
profession," said NFDA Chief Executive Officer Christine Pepper. "They
are shinning examples of community outreach and set the standard for
excellence for their peers. As their professional organization, NFDA is
Received: from GRPWISE-MTA byproud of all they have accomplished."
The funeral homes will receive their Pursuit of Excellence awards
during a ceremony on Monday, October 21, at the Henry B. Gonzalez
Convention Center. They will be honored for meeting service excellence
criteria in nine categories of achievement. These categories include:
education, compassionate service, technical skills, community and
professional service, library or media resources, professional
development, in-house staff training, and public and community
relations.
There are five levels of recognition: Achievement, Continuing
Achievement, Eagle, Golden Eagle and Emeritus. In order to qualify for
Eagle or Golden Eagle, funeral homes must write an essay on an
innovative idea they have implemented and compile a scrapbook describing
their accomplishments during a one-year period. Those scrapbooks will
be displayed at the Pursuit of Excellence booth in the convention
center.
Many Pursuit of Excellence participants will also attend workshops on
Monday, October 21, where they will exchange ideas on how to attain
higher levels of excellence and improve their participation in the
program.
"The Pursuit of Excellence program is the premier standard for funeral
service excellence and high ethical standards. It requires a great deal
of hard work and devotion on the part of the participating funeral homes
and they are to be congratulated for their efforts," said Christine
Pepper, NFDA Chief Executive Officer.
A complete list of winners is available on NFDA's Website at
http://www.nfda.org/mediacenter/releases/2002/award-list.doc.
NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in
Washington, D.C. It is the oldest and largest nationwide funeral service
association, serving about 13,500 members. To learn more about NFDA,
visit our Website at www.nfda.org.
Families feel betrayed by grave-search news
Last chance to locate loved ones' plots in Riverview may be lost
Jackie Allen said she has been on an emotional roller coaster for three years as she waited for Delaware and Riverview Cemetery officials to find the lost grave of her husband, Melvin. Now, she said, she's left with only empty promises.
That's because after more than a year of negotiations, the state and attorneys for the cemetery owners are readying a settlement of a 2001 consumer-fraud lawsuit, a deal that would transfer the bankrupt Wilmington cemetery to new owners with no provisions for more efforts to find the misplaced casket of Allen and others, officials said.
State officials said they have no money to pay for further searching. And in settling the lawsuit, the state also will concede it has no legal authority to force several fraternal organizations that own shares of the bankrupt cemetery company to pay for the search, or the continued operation and maintenance of the Wilmington cemetery.
Deputy State Attorney General Olha Rybakoff said that if she won any judgment, it would be against a bankrupt company.
"There's not a lot to work with in terms of compensation or records to find loved ones," she said.
Allen said she feels betrayed.
"They were going to bring in all this equipment to look for Melvin," Allen said. "I'm not stupid. They weren't looking for him."
Riverview Cemetery Corp., which operated the 130-year-old nonprofit cemetery at 3300 N. Market St., declared bankruptcy last June and closed, after depleting its $100,000 perpetual-care fund in the prior five years. Shares of the cemetery company are owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodges 1 and 34, and the Knights of Pythias Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
State officials sued the cemetery company and its shareholders in Chancery Court early last year after receiving more than 85 complaints from families about the upkeep of the grounds and mismanagement of cemetery records and its perpetual-care fund. Questions about who is buried where remain unanswered because of years of sloppy record keeping, officials said.
Family members with relatives buried at the cemetery turned to the state Attorney General's Office for help. The state asked the court to make the owners pay restitution to customers, give a full accounting of cemetery records and make extensive efforts to locate misplaced caskets among the cemetery's 36,000 graves.
Chancery Court Judge William B. Chandler heard initial testimony on the case last July, and the parties agreed to negotiate a settlement behind closed doors. State officials and Odd Fellows attorney Dennis Phifer said they expect the negotiations with the state to be completed in a few weeks.
Rybakoff said the state's consumer-protection laws were not designed for a situation such as Riverview's.
Initially, the state considered using ground-penetrating radar, forensics and bloodhounds to search for Allen's grave. Rybakoff said there is no money to pay for a search unless a special appropriation is secured from the General Assembly or a benefactor is found.
"It takes money to find graves, and these excavations or grave openings are expensive," she said. "The money has to come from somewhere."
Phifer said existing state law does not allow Delaware to recoup money from the fraternal organizations that have shares in the defunct cemetery because there is no legal culpability. He said a full-scale search is not a good idea.
"What do we accomplish if we disturb 50 properly buried people to find one?" Phifer said. "To try and exhume the dead would hurt the living."
Allen said she's upset that her hopes of finding her husband have been dashed again.
"To get your hopes up, and boom! The person who said they were going to look for him isn't going to look for him," Allen said. "If they didn't have the money in the first place, they should not have said anything."
Allen said no efforts have been made to find her husband's grave since a failed March 15, 2001, exhumation. Then, investigators hired by the cemetery concluded that Melvin Allen was buried in grave G-75 in the single-grave section. But when they unearthed the grave, Allen's casket was not there.
The person in the casket found in that grave has not been identified, the cemetery's former executive director, Walt Mateja, said.
"I think they buried somebody on top of him," Jackie Allen said.
Allen is not alone in her frustration.
Allen and other relatives of those buried at the cemetery criticized the state decision to settle the lawsuit. Relatives of Lamotte Williams, Elizabeth Jackson, Susie Green and Eloise Alls have learned that their loved ones also are not where records say they are buried.
Workers last week excavated a grave at the cemetery hoping to find the casket of Susie Green. But the casket found in grave G-76 was not the rose-colored casket Green was buried in Dec. 19, 1998.
Attorney Lois Dawson, who represents Allen and other families with missing relatives at Riverview, said the state has failed her clients. Dawson has filed a lawsuit against the cemetery's former insurer hoping to win compensation for the victims.
"[Rybakoff] led us all to believe that if we left it up to the Attorney General's Office, she could resolve the problems that existed," she said.
State Sen. Harris B. McDowell III, D-Wilmington North, who has been instrumental in the ongoing cleanup of the cemetery by state prison inmates, said he also was disappointed with the apparent outcome of the case.
"It doesn't answer to the depletion of its perpetual-care fund," he said. "Why have we deluded ourselves that we have a consumer-protection unit?"
Rybakoff said the best solution for everyone involved is to turn over the property to a new owner.
The Rev. Tom Davis, of Restoration Christian Fellowship at 3500 N. Market St., was identified in court records as the proposed new owner. But neither Rybakoff nor Phifer would comment on his selection.
Davis did not return telephone calls this week. In an April interview, he said he was poised to take over cemetery operations "whenever the transaction completes itself."
McDowell said he no longer supports legislation he proposed this spring to give the new cemetery owner immunity from the past mistakes of the former owner. The General Assembly did not act on the legislation before adjourning on June 30. The bill was designed to facilitate the transfer of the cemetery, but is not needed for the settlement to go through.
"Under the circumstances, I could not forgive them the past," said McDowell, who began public hearings two years ago on Riverview's problems.
McDowell said he supports some type of cemetery oversight legislation and will continue to work toward that. But he and Rybakoff said any type of mass exhumation to find Allen's grave or others is unlikely.
An arbitrator's ruling has awarded $1.7 million to a man who said he was harassed because he is Armenian and was forced to quit his job at a Fresno funeral home.
A lawyer for Jock Vartanian, who worked as a salesman at Fresno Memorial Gardens from 1992 to 1998, said the award is expected to be confirmed during a Fresno County Superior Court hearing early next month.
Vartanian sued the funeral home, SCI-California Funeral Services Inc., saying he was harassed for two years by a sales manager hired in 1996.
According to court documents, Vartanian repeatedly was called names including "stupid Armenian" and "fat pig Armenian" by the manager, Craig Cramer, who also allegedly took steps to force Vartanian out of the company. Cramer mimicked employees' accents and told Vartanian he looked "like an Armenian tank," according to court records.
Corporate managers failed to take proper action when Vartanian and other Fresno employees complained about Cramer's discrimination and harassment, the arbitrator ruled.
"SCI allowed one of its managing agents to not only commit ongoing racial and ethnic slurs of his employees, but also to cause those same employees to be the subject of severe retaliation, including trumped-up claims of poor performance and attempts to force them to resign or be terminated," the arbitrator wrote in issuing the judgment.
It called SCI's response to complaints about Cramer "half-hearted and inadequate."
Jay Waring, president of SCI-California, said the allegations in the lawsuit don't reflect the company's business practices.
"It's a complete 180 about how we can conduct ourselves professionally and ethically," Waring said. "We don't tolerate discrimination."
SCI's attorney, Steve Gurnee, called the arbitrator's award "stunning and outrageous."
"I've never seen anything like this," he said, noting that Vartanian was awarded nearly $390,000 in actual damages, though he began another job about 40 days after he resigned from Fresno Memorial Gardens, and $200,000 for emotional distress, though he never saw a doctor or counselor.
"That's a lot for someone who had a couple of sleepless nights," Gurnee said.
Vartanian resigned from Fresno Memorial Gardens in March 1998, days before he was to be fired for poor performance, which the arbitrator ruled was simply the result of being set up by Cramer.
Cramer, fired in April 1998, said Friday that the arbitrator's finding simply is not true.
"I was trying to fire Jock because the guy was unprofessional and lying to customers," Cramer said. "It had nothing to do with race or heritage or anything. I have a son who I adopted from Guatemala."
Cramer accused Vartanian of lying to customers about product availability and using underhanded tactics to win company sales contests, according to court records. Cramer testified that he never used ethnic slurs, but that Vartanian once called him a "cheap Jew."
The arbitrator called Cramer's testimony "quite unbelievable" and "totally untrustworthy."
Vartanian will receive $1 million in punitive damages and about $700,000 for actual damages, emotional distress, interest and attorney's fees. His attorney, Butch Wagner, said SCI "never offered a penny to settle this case."
Wagner said once the court approves the award, Vartanian will have the authority to seize SCI property if the company refuses to pay. "Mr. Vartanian may be owning and running Fresno Memorial Gardens," Wagner said.
SCI owns 1,400 funeral homes nationwide, with Fresno properties including Chapel of the Light, Boice Funeral Home, Heritage Funeral Services, Tinkler Funeral Chapel and Lisle Funeral Home.
Vartanian declined to talk about the case.
Wagner said Vartanian is working at a funeral home in Bakersfield.
In a message dated 10/10/02 8:46:11 PM, Will in California writes:
$1.9 million awarded in accident Motorist had stroke days after wreck
Thursday, September 19, 2002 - A motorist who suffered a massive stroke days after apparently escaping injury when avoiding an accident on Interstate 25 was awarded $1,955,000 by a jury Tuesday. Brock Redden, a manager at a Gunther Toody's Diner, collapsed at work June 18, 1999, as a result of a tear to the carotid artery caused by the whiplash he suffered during the accident, according to medical testimony in the Denver District Court trial. The artery tear in his neck interfered with the flow of blood to his brain and probably caused a clot - a combination that triggered the massive stroke in the 45-year-old, according to doctors. Bruce Smith, Redden's lawyer, said Redden was northbound in the right lane on I-25 at Alameda Avenue on June 12, 1999, when a truck owned by SCI Colorado Funeral Services cut across two lanes of traffic and attempted to exit at Alameda. Smith said that Redden, in trying to avoid an accident, drove to the shoulder of the highway, where he plowed into a signpost. The two vehicles brushed each other and sustained minor damage. Redden was shaken up and complained of soreness on the right side of his neck. But Smith said there was no immediate, significant injury. An officer arrived and ticketed the other driver, and everyone left. "There was no need for an ambulance, nobody went to the hospital," said Smith. "Then six days later, Brock had a massive stroke. The medical testimony was that the whiplash caused him to have a tear in his carotid artery. It cut off the blood flow and probably kicked off a clot. "There was no medical question that was the cause of the stroke." As a result of the stroke, Redden suffered permanent brain damage. He has language difficulties, thinking difficulties and no functional use of his right arm and hand. Tim O'Neill, SCI lawyer, said the company "extends it sympathies to Mr. Redden and respects the jury process." "This was a difficult case because of the very minor nature of the accident with such extensive injuries claimed. Appropriate appellate avenues will be explored," O'Neill said. Redden is married and has no children. His wife, Pat, is an accountant for Red Robin restaurants. Redden now earns about $7 an hour for a company that tests how well vehicles function at high altitude, said Smith. Redden sued SCI, claiming the accident had been negligently caused by SCI's driver and resulted in the damage to the artery and caused the stroke. Smith called 14 witnesses, including three medical experts, during the six-day trial. The jury awarded $200,000 in non-economic damages for pain and suffering, $1,055,000 for past and future lost earnings and medical expenses, and $700,000 for permanent physical impairment.
In a message dated 10/3/02 9:08:53 PM, Jon in Worcester Massachusetts writes:
In a message dated 10/3/02 6:36:40 PM, Mike in Boston Massachusetts writes:
James E. Fay
10/03/2002
Worcester James E. Fay 82, of 245 Mower St. died Thursday (Oct.3) at University Commons after an illness. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Catherine R. (Ladden) Fay, three sons, James E. Fay of Worcester, William J. Fay of West Boylston, and Michael J. Fay of Worcester, two daughters, Catherine F. Harrington of Rutland and Ann F. Michaels of Andover, a sister Nancy Harper of Worcester, six grandchildren, several nephews and nieces. A Brother, William J. Fay of Worcester died in 1993. He was born in Worcester, son of James E. and Anna G. (McDonough) Fay. He graduated from Saint Peter's High School and New England Institute of Anatomy and Embalming. He was a 4th Generation Funeral Director for 60 years at the City's Oldest Funeral Home, Fay Brothers Funeral Homes in Worcester and West Boylston and is succeeded by his son William J. Fay and grandson, William J. Fay II, who continue the business. He was a member, lector and usher at Christ the King Church, a long time member of the Knights of Columbus Alhambra Council #88 and its board of directors and Alhambra Acres and he was a member of the 4th Degree Bishop O'Reilly Assembly and a past Faithful Navigator. He was a member of the Greater Worcester Funeral Directors Association and a former member of Massachusetts Funeral Directors Associations, and National Funeral Directors Association. He was a former Cooperator of Bay State Savings Bank, was involved in Troop # 100 and #88 Boys Scouts of America for many years and was an member of the Main South American Legion Post #341. A Funeral will be held Saturday (Oct.5) from Fay Brothers Funeral Home 9 Hammond St. (www.faybrothers.com) 9 Hammond St. with a Mass at Noon in Christ the King Church 1052 Pleasant St. Burial will be in Saint John's Cemetery. Calling Hours are Friday (Oct.4) from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home
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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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