Saturday, May 9, 2009
Newer friends
I've never run a Blog before but for Woody Baldwin I'll try. This post is for new friends to Woody and to Prime Timers. Here we ask for comments (positive I hope) about how the organization started by Woody has enriched their life.
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Well I'm not old, I'm not gay and certainly not a man so I'll comment on friendship! I have not met you Woody, but know that you are a wonderful influence on Lawrence and Gene, whom I love dearly, and can only express gratitude towards you for that. Cheers to you for your birthday and celebrating life!! A second cheer goes out to you as well for creating such a wonderful organization. Best Wishes!!
ReplyDeleteThe Prime Timers Worldwide Bi-annual Convention was held in Reno, Nevada, in October of 2007. This was in celebration of the twentieth year since the founding of the organization in 1987. In 2007, I was Secretary of the High Sierra Prime Timers and we were a very small group by most chapter's standards. There was some doubt within our own chapter about our ability to manage a successful convention, but we did it! More than 400 attended and we received many "Bravos".
ReplyDeleteDepending on when you read this, Woody Baldwin will be 90 in March 2010 or he was 90 in March 2010. It was very exciting for me to meet him in person in 2007. My partner (Lawrence Peterson) and I were included in a dinner party of eight along with Woody and his friend (Dale Spencer). Woody kept us all laughing with his stories and one-liners such as: "If I can't remember what I ate for breakfast, I just look down at my shirt."
He told us about his recent visit to a comedy club with several of his younger (under seventy) friends. He convinced them to sit in the rear because at least one of the comedians would always pick on him due to his age. Sure enough, one of them picked him out and said, "Are you straight or gay? I mean, do you prefer a man or a woman?" Woody responded, "It makes no difference — at my age, you take what you can get!"
Woody was called upon to say a few words at the Saturday night banquet. He needed no prodding and made a brief extemporaneous speech thanking everyone for being there. He also thanked the Reno chapter for putting together an excellent convention. There were tears in his eyes as he expressed his gratitude to all of us for having accepted his idea of a social organization for elderly gay and bi-sexual men and their admirers.
I was especially impressed when Woody mentioned that members of Prime Timers could , of course, donate to charitable causes as individuals, but never on behalf of their chapter — never using their chapter as an extension for fund raising for charitable organizations. We have added this statement as a clause to the by-laws of our chapter in order to avoid any confusion regarding charitable contributions.
The Board of Directors met at our house on the Monday following the close of the convention because the hotel did not have a suitable room available. It will forever remain a thrill to Lawrence and me that Woody Baldwin was here in our house!
Gene Gates
Woody has helped me through a lot of low spots in my life, i feel very fortunate to have met him. He is a very caring and warm individual, he has helped me take a better look at myself. Woody does not judge people he takes them for who they are. Woody will always be a special friend no matter what happens. Dale
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