Retirees Update

Greetings!

Much has transpired since our last communication.  We will try to bring you up to date.

Many of you contacted us about our planned gathering at Ryan’s in May.  For those who had not heard, or who have been out of the area, Ryan’s parent company filed for bankruptcy.  Although we were first informed the Marion Ryan’s would reopen shortly, that proved to be incorrect.  We have been fortunate to reserve the south room of the Marion Diner as a replacement.  It is located at 1565 Marion-Waldo Rd, Marion, OH 43302, in front of the mall.  We will order from the menu.  Our luncheon will be at noon on Tuesday, May 3^rd. 

There have been several invitations received from MCI, with two taking place on the same week.

Wednesday, May 4^th, is the free lunch for retirees in the Wander Inn at MCI.  They open around 10:30am, and serve until noon.  This occurs each month on the first Wednesday.

Thursday, May 5^th, at 11am, MCI will be holding their Service Awards Banquet.  All retirees are invited to attend.

Tuesday, July 19, MCI will be hosting a cookout for MCI retirees from 4 till 7pm.  It will be held at the FOP Park just outside of Caledonia (5327 Harding Hwy E, Caledonia, OH 43314).  There is no cost involved, except for bringing your favorite side dish.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, and appropriate accessories will be provided.  We suggest calling Kathy Hamilton (740-382-5781, ext. 2210) by July 11^th to confirm attendance, so an appropriate amount of food can be prepared. 

MCI’s Strategic Planning Retreat will be in the latter part of May.  For several years retirees have been requested to attend and participate.  For obvious reasons, we provide historical perspective that has proven to be valuable in making plans for the future.  As soon as the date is determined an email will be sent, and it will be posted to our web site.

MCI is hosting a Men’s Retreat, date and location yet to be determined.  We have been told retirees will be invited.  As soon as the date is determined an email will be sent, and it will be posted to our web site.

Warden Bunting has informed us of new plans to recognize the history of the institution.  In the main Lobby, where the Visiting Desk was formerly located, a display of MCI’s history is planned.  Arrangements are being made for display cases for that purpose.  In addition, a mural is being planned for the main hallway, from the Control Room down to M Block.  The mural is intended to represent the timeline from delivery of the first load of bricks to the present time. 

The next time you are in the institution, we have two recommendations. 

The first recommendation is to go to PNN and have a new MCI Retiree ID made.  It only takes a few minutes, and the new ID will be compatible with MCI’s new photo recognition system.  When you are leaving the Main Lobby you will notice a pedestal to the left of the gate to the A Building.  Your photo ID has to fit into the slot for it to be read, and to permit you to continue out to the A Building.  Unfortunately the original IDs issued to retirees do not fit the slot.  That could be a big deal if you had planned to be home by supper. 

The second recommendation is to take your time walking to or from the Wander Inn.  The area of the South Hall has seen plenty of changes over the years, some of which you might not notice unless you look for them.  One change has been the redesignation of R block to preferred housing.  Old timers will remember it as the Correctional Cell, but many changes have been made from those days.  The transformation is one that needs to be seen to be understood.  Another change is O block, formerly known as 6 Cell Block.  Years ago the Southern Steel Corporation converted it from preferred to disciplinary housing.  With the recent restructuring of the inmate disciplinary process, the activities within the block are much less restrictive.  For obvious reasons this area isn’t open to tours, but on a recent visit the staff welcomed questions about the changes.   

After you make your way back to the Wander Inn, you will notice something new.  In the NE corner is the Coffee Crafters cart, which features specialty coffee drinks.  This the most visible evidence of a new program at MCI which trains baristas for stores like Starbucks.  Unfortunately for us their products aren’t free, but you can purchase a card at the Cashier’s Office which will enable you to sample their wares.

There is one more MCI item to mention.  As noted above, MCI is serious about collecting and preserving information regarding the history of the facility.  One important resource is you.  As employees we have seen the facility evolve over a significant period of years.  Some changes have been minor, and some so major they almost defy description.  Warden Bunting has requested we assist with preserving what we know of MCI’s history, and what our experiences have been. Each retiree has a story, and PNN will help document it.  Whether you stop by their studio after one of the free lunches, make an appointment for a different day, or take advantage of their presence at our luncheons in May and September, they would like to hear from you.

The last item we have is organizational.  We try to reach all the retirees of MCI, and now NCCI.  Given the numbers involved, and the costs of printing and postage, we’d appreciate your assistance.  To cut costs we’d appreciate receiving your email address for future distributions.  For our part, we promise not to "sell" or give away your email address, and promise not to send videos of puppies or kittens - Face Book already has that franchise.  To do this, contact John Mathew at copta2003@yahoo.com, or email us at mcira43302@yahoo.com.

That’s all we know for now.  We’ll see you at the Marion Diner on the 3rd.

Charles Daniel, President
John Mathew, Vice President

mcira43302@yahoo.com

http://mciretireesassociation.blogspot.com/