On Thursday, May 15, our luncheon will feature PCRTA’s Past President and current ORTA Trustee, Ron Snowberger, as our speaker.  Ron will be sharing with us his fantastic cultural experiences while visiting China.  

Ron has a short, but beautiful, power point presentation taking us from: Beijing to the Great Wall, the Olympic Stadium, a jade factory, the Temple of Heaven, The Forbidden City, the 8000 terra-cotta soldiers, a tea village, a Chinese high school, and on to Shanghai.

Since this was a trip for educators, Ron will also relate his experiences teaching 3rd and 4^th graders at Rise, an English School.  He says, “Zai-Jian.”

Two of our own members, Saroj Sutaria and Ruth Weigand, have also gone on this trip.  After hearing Ron’s presentation you too might want to sign up for this wonderful experience.  Ron would love to go back again.

A special thanks goes to our webmaster, Connie Evans, for helping Ron create the power point presentation.

Judy Morgan, Community Service Chairperson, has asked that the PCRTA provide paper supplies for the Clothing Center in Ravenna, Ohio. The volunteer staff is in need of paper towels, toilet tissue, Kleenex, dish washing soap, liquid hand soap, paper drinking cups, paper plates, and table napkins. Please bring these items to the luncheon meeting on May 15.

Last meeting,  George Sleigh presented, “Surviving the 91^st floor on 9/11.”

George grew up in England and was a naval officer.  He was offered a job opportunity in Canada in shipping and met a Canadian lady whom he married.  Then he worked in Cleveland in shipping design.  In 1968 until 1983 he worked in the head office in Manhattan for the American Bureau of Shipping and lived in New Jersey to raise his family. 

In 1989 a new company president transferred 1500 employees to Houston, Texas but George, along with 149 employees, was left in New York on the 106^th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. He said that when you looked out the window from the 106^th floor, you were above the clouds.  In 1991 the 25 employees who were left moved to the 91^st floor of the North Tower. 

On September 11, 2001, it was a clear morning and by this time there were only 10 employees in their office. George said that he was on the phone when he heard a loud roar and saw a plane was flying towards the building at 600 mph.  His office collapsed with bookshelves and light fixture’s falling.  (He showed a slide of the entry of the plane just 25 feet directly above the 91^st floor office site.)  He said he also survived the 1993 explosion in the   basement of the tower where he hid under a ledge for two hours until the smoke cleared. He then walked down 110 floors in complete darkness.

On 9/11, as he walked down, he knew nothing about the planes.  There were three flights of stairs for each floor, but two of them were blocked on his floor, so they started down the third flight.  People were calm and had to back up when firefighters were coming up the stairs with all their equipment.  As they walked down, they were getting soaked by the sprinklers.  He eventually made it to the concourse below the building, which is connected underground with seven buildings and has shops and eateries as well as a train that enters there.  He said that it was very dark except for one light, but eventually he found a door and made it to the street above. He said his guardian angel helped him get to the street. George showed a slide, taken by a British photographer, of himself walking with two other survivors, all of whom were smoke covered and wet.  As they were walking, he heard a second explosion around 10 a.m.  George ended up in the ER and was treated for injuries to his leg and ankle.  He called his wife by pay phone from the hospital.  Eventually he got a driver from New Jersey who came to drive him home once streets were unblocked.  When the picture of George and the other two men with him reached the news in England, one of his sons who lived there knew that his Dad had made it out safely. 

George Sleigh retired in May, 2003. He and his wife currently live in Hudson, Ohio, where they moved after his retirement.  Vice President, Georgia Darrah thanked George but said she could not imagine him experiencing two world trade center events. 

JEAN SLICKER VISITED PCRTA IN MARCH 2014

Jean Slicker, who is pictured on the left, has been elected to represent us as director of ORTA District XI.  She has served many positions in the Stark County Retired Teachers Association including president.  She was chair of the ORTA Informative and Protective Services Committee.  She currently serves on that committee as well as the ORTA Visions and Goals Committee. Jean taught second grade at Fairhope Elementary School in the Louisville school district and remained in the same classroom for 30 years.  Her goals are to visit all chapters in our district and to maintain open communications between the chapters and ORTA.  You may contact her at darjeje@hughes.net.