Kansas Senior Press Service Weekly Newsletters Kansas Senior Press Service Weekly Newsletters By Lynn Anderson
Kansas Senior Press Service
The Kansas Senior Press Service recently heard from a man named Gary Bedingfield, of Glasgow, Scotland, asking for assistance with a research project. It’s a fascinating project and, because we’re sure many readers will want to participate, we’re introducing it here.
In the 1940s, when baseball played a significant role in the lives of young men, thousands of Americans — who played baseball at all levels — put down their gloves and bats and went off to fight for their country in far-off lands.
Bedingfield has developed a nonprofit Web site aimed at remembering and honoring North American baseball players who served with the armed forces during the war. Whether professional, college, amateur or high school players, all have a place in his “Baseball in Wartime” site, www.baseballinwartime.com.
The Web site, subtitled “Baseball’s Greatest Sacrifice,” is a rich collection of player biographies that include “gallant young men” from the major, minor, Negro, semi-pro, amateur and college or high school leagues. The site contains photo galleries packed with nostalgic pictures, a list of ball players who lost their lives during the war, and much more. Bedingfield also edits a newsletter that is available by e-mail.
He welcomes contact from readers whose own stories might have a place on the Web site, who have memories of wartime baseball, or whose relatives were baseball players who served in the armed forces. Visit the site, then contact him:
Gary Bedingfield
5 Pineview Court
Glasgow, G15 7QT, Scotland
Great Britain
garybed@gmail.com
By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell
Kansas Senior Press Service
Leona Helmsley made headlines when she recently left everything to her pampered pooch. She drew the ire of her jilted family, and the public debate became, what could a dog do with $12 million?
Many of us don’t have to worry about what to do with that kind of money, but people who work in animal rescue will encourage you to at least think about where your pets would go and who would provide for them should something happen to you.
Shelters and rescues see plenty of pets relinquished when their owners die. What happens to these pets is a matter of luck. Some are taken to no-kill shelters, but many are simply handed over to municipal shelters that are bound to euthanize your beloved pet if room in the shelter runs out. About 70 percent of animals that end up in public shelters are euthanized. If your pet is old or has problems socializing, the pet’s chances for a new home are limited.
One solution is to provide for your four-legged, winged or finned family member in your will.
Mark Logan, a Shawnee attorney specializing in estate and corporate planning, says this is relatively easy.
“I simply include a provision to have someone take care of (the pets) in the will,” said Logan. “I recommend that my client talk to the person, and that the pet is treated as property in the will.”
Logan has never had to deal with distributing millions, or with having clients cut their family from the will to give all their wealth to their pets — but he has had clients distribute a proportion for the care of their pet in a trust to the person or persons who will be responsible for the pet’s care.
Logan says a will can provide for any animals, including horses and other livestock.
“When deciding on the amount of money that should be distributed for the care of the animal, I recommend looking at the animal’s life span,” said Logan, who added that parrots, for example, have a much longer life expectancy than dogs.
Denver Vold, an attorney with offices in Leawood and North Kansas City, said one client even provided for the continued feeding of squirrels in his neighborhood.
“It was a major worry for him about what would happen to the squirrels when he died,” Vold said. “He set up a squirrel trust, with a trustee who agreed to come and feed the squirrels for two years.”
Vold said that the two-year period was agreed upon because it would take care of the particular squirrels the man had come to know for the rest of their lives. Because the man had no family, the rest of his estate was willed to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“I think people are more concerned about pets today than in the past,” said Vold. “For the elderly or people without kids, pets are like kids to them.”
Vold has not seen huge amounts of money willed to pets, either. He said the maximum has been from $50,000 to $100,000 for their care.
The most important things to consider are naming the person who will care for the pets and stipulating where the person will care for them. Both Logan and Vold said that all the pets named in wills they have drawn up will go to other people’s homes, but it is possible to stipulate that a caregiver can live in your home, and the pets remain in their home, for the remainder of their lives.
Vold said that veterinarians also sometimes handle pet trusts. He does point out that such trusts are void after a certain length of time.
For more information on providing for your pets, visit the Humane Society Web site, www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/providing_for_your_pets_future_without_you; e-mail petsinwills@hsus.org and ask for the free will kit; or call 202-452-1100.
Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell is a freelance journalist, business writer, editor, photographer, instructor, and facilitator. She is immediate past president of the Kansas City Press Club.
By Annette McDaniel
Kansas Senior Press Service
With spring’s arrival, thoughts of clearing away winter clutter and starting renovation projects begin to percolate in the brain, evolving from idea to plan to goal.
One spring I asked my husband to help me hang new wallpaper in the dining room. The look of panic that crossed his face was comical.
“Do I have to?” he asked warily.
I was puzzled by his response, until I remembered that I had foolishly revealed to him the circumstances under which I had learned to hang wallpaper.
As children in a large household, we were expected to help both in and outside the home. Each of us had assigned tasks. My outside job was gathering eggs from the meanest chickens in the county (but that’s another story). My inside chores were setting the table, clearing it after meals, and washing or drying dishes (no dishwashers to load or unload back then).
Every few years, Dad decided it was time to hang fresh wallpaper in every room — and each of us, as we became old enough, was “allowed” to help with the endeavor. My father was a man of unlimited talent but limited patience, and these redecorating projects occurred before the time of pre-pasted, strippable wall coverings.
After the old paper was steamed and scraped from the walls, leaving slimy scraps decorating arms, faces and hair, the real fun began. The new paper was measured, cut and rolled out on a makeshift work station (a slab of plywood across two sawhorses) in the middle of the room. Dad’s homemade flour-and-water paste was then slathered liberally on the back, and the ballet began.
Dad would hoist one end of the pasted paper from the table. The designated “holder” would grab the opposite end, keeping it away from anything to which it might adhere, while Dad scaled the ladder. Then, from his perch, the vocal portion of the program ensued.
Hold it away from the wall!” Dad would yell. “Don’t let it touch yet! Careful! Straighten out that wrinkle! Make sure the pattern is lined up!”
Strip by strip, the process was repeated. A glance toward the kitchen door showed Mom scuttling quickly out of sight. She had served her apprenticeship before her children were born and had no desire to go for journeyman status.
My husband, aware of Dad’s predilection for perfection and knowing that I had received my instructions from the master, had no desire to fill the “holder” position for me, and was not yet “yeller” material. I, being my father’s daughter, could fill either role.
My spouse helped with the wallpapering that spring, but only after a slight alteration in the rules of engagement. I was allowed to give instruction, but only if the decibel level was maintained at 60 or below.
A recent study indicates that some yelling is good for us. It allows us to vent, which, while raising the blood pressure temporarily, keeps the stress from dangerous buildup. Those who hold in their frustration, we are told, may raise their cortisol levels, leading to adrenal fatigue, causing depression and unhealthy weight gain, especially in women (and we can’t have that!). The study also states that men usually have no trouble venting — but, then, they yell at the television set whether their team is winning or losing.
If you are by nature a “holder” needing to vent, go holler at a chicken. It worked for me.
Annette McDaniel is a former elementary teacher, former accountant, and sometime poet and writer, who lives in Edgerton.
These articles are also available electronically at the Center on Aging Website: http://www2.kumc.edu/coa/Senior_Press_Article/Topic_Index.htm