11/12/2018 Hansel C. Hall
Hansel was a special friend. When I first became a member of NAP he was president of MSAP and wrote me a personal letter of congratulations and invited me to be his guest at the upcoming State convention which was being held at the Historical Museum in St. Paul. He mentored me when I became president of the St. Paul Unit the first time. He encouraged me to attend the NAP Convention along with several others from Minnesota who were also attending. When I progressed to being a PRP, he wrote my name in on the NAP ballot for one of the positions that was up for election that year at the NAP Convention. My name was read off in the Tellers Report as having received one vote. The smile on his face when I gave him credit for that was the "give away." There was an occasion at another NAP Convention when we encountered NAP members that knew Hansel but did not know me. Hansel introduced me by name and then added "Ginny is my sister." That was the beginning of our frequent reference to one another -- I would say, "This is my brother Hansel; and if he was first, he would say, "This is my sister Ginny." That exchange served to confirm that he was a special friend. Hansel shared his knowledge and his experiences and served in that manner as our teacher. He would, during the course of a meeting, use motions that were not commonly used, such as I Call for Orders of the Day. That would prompt me to do more research and on one occasion when he used that motion, I had prepared a script that walked me through how to set aside the call for "Orders of the Day." That brought a HUGE smile to Hansel's face and that was my moment of realization that I had achieved what HE had set out to teach ME. Not uncommonly, I would get a letter in the mail from Hansel. Many times it was simply a clipping of a cartoon or comic strip that made a reference to some aspect of parliamentary procedure or meeting decorum. Sometimes it was just information that he thought I should be aware of. The personal touch. That was Hansel. Such a special man. He was so personable and never had any criticism of others. I miss him but I know that I will see him on the other side.
Ginny Altman, PRP |
AuthorArticles Sources throughout the MSAP and its lesson units Archives
February 2022
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