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Galleries - Gulf Coast
Treasures
Helen Osteen
If you’ve ever served as an officer on a board of a
non-profit organization you know about one of the downsides to
volunteer work: burnout—defined by Webster as a “complete depletion
of energy and strength”. It can happen after just one term on a
volunteer board, but almost always happens after two, typically 2 to
4 years, depending on the length of the term.
In this vignette, we recognize and honor someone who,
not only avoided burnout, but who savored thirteen successive
terms on the GCWA board of directors—our own “iron lady” Helen
Osteen.
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Helen’s involvement with GCWA began back in
March of 1992 after the club’s then-Secretary/Treasurer/newsletter
editor resigned because of burnout from new, increased
responsibilities from his “day time” job. Helen’s son,
Ernie Bahr, a relatively new GCWA member at the time,
convinced Helen that GCWA would “die” if no one volunteered
to produce a monthly newsletter. According to Luna Ford,
one of few members active in the club back then, Helen
agreed to temporarily take the job. By any standard,
it was a remarkable action on her part because she had no
background in newsletter writing or desktop publishing, and
knew even less about woodturning! But that’s how the world
gets fashioned: willing individuals stepping in at a time of
need and doing the unexpected. |
Helen keeping
the books |
After all those
years, Helen is still not a woodturner, but has faithfully
served as secretary/treasurer/newsletter editor, then
treasurer/newsletter editor, and in recent years just treasurer.
During that time, she’s been our membership chairman and has
registered and collected dues from nearly 1100 different members.
Helen has also been the club’s historian and she created a CD with
the history of the club in pictures and newsletters.
In
her elected capacity, Helen did such a good job that no one ever ran
against her for the offices she’s chosen to hold. To recognize her
exceptional dedication, energy and contribution, the club president
at the time, Boyce Gahagan, selected her to receive the coveted Luna
Ford Award in 2002.
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Helen is
always ready with a smile! |
Well, all good things come to an end and
Helen’s involvement with GCWA’s board is no exception. As
the 2005-2006 nomination process got underway, Helen
announced that she was “retiring” and would not seek
re-election to the Treasurer’s job. But, even though she
won’t hold an elected position, Helen says, “I'm not going
away; I will continue to act as membership coordinator, keep
the GCWA database updated, and send email messages to club
members.” (Some retirement, huh?!) |
So…what’s she going to do with all her “free
time?” Helen says that she’s going to devote more energy to
her own hobby, cake decorating. Her cakes have been twice
featured on CBS’s TV’s Houston affiliate (KHOU-Channel 11)
“Walton’s World,” and Jonathan Walton, the show’s host,
liked her ocean scene cake (see below) so much that he ate
one of the dolphins! One of Helen’s creations was featured
at the International Cake Exploration Societe’s American
Culinary Federation’s convention in Orlando, Florida in
2004. And her gingerbread lighthouse cake (see below) was
her first ever entry in a judged show—it took first place at
the McKinney (TX) Cake Show in May 2005.
Even with the success she’s enjoyed thus far, Helen’s
not a person to rest on her laurels. She now has big plans to make
a cake that will “knock your socks off!” Well Helen, speaking for
all GCWA members past and present, we’ll miss your radiant charisma
and your ever-present smile at our monthly meetings. We wish you
the very best . . . and we’re looking forward to a piece of that
cake!
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