We have two volunteers to introduce to you this month, and we're going to be taking a different approach.  We'd like to talk to you about a married couple this month, both of whom have been volunteering at the Resource Center Desk for the past several months. Cliff and Emma Overfelt have been a helpful and enthusiastic addition to the RC staff.

Cliff and Emma were both in the military.  She was an Air Force nurse but changed her career to motherhood when the first of their 5 children arrived.  Cliff was in the Army for 1 1/2 years, left to go to college, then was recalled into the Air Force during the Korean conflict.  He apparently liked it, and stayed in the Air Force for the next 28 or so years.  His assignments were in Health Service  Administration and  Public Health.

They usually both moved to wherever the Air Force sent Cliff. That is everywhere but an assignment to Taiwan, during which the 5^th child was born (You'll have to ask Emma about that story!).  Locations included Okinawa, Taiwan, Brooks AFB in San Antonio, Maxwell AFB in Alabama, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
 
Their first computer was a TRS Model 1 in the early 80's, then a Commodore Amiga (still have), a DOS and Windows 3.1 machine, and others.  They now have two computers - one with Windows 98 and the other with Windows ME, connected on a home network. They use the computers a lot for e-mail, news, financial records and banking, and basic games.  Emma is also the computerized bookkeeper for the local branch of NAICI, a women’s investment group.

Both Emma and Cliff have curious and unique hobbies.  Emma’s hobby is quilting – but not just grandmothers sitting around chatting and quilting (like mine used to do).  It’s much more organized and active.  For example, she’s going on a quilting cruise out of Los Angeles with a group in October – food, quilting classes, Mexico, etc.  She is also very involved with her church (as is Cliff), and with an  orphanage.

Cliff’s hobby is collecting military insignia, and he belongs to the AASMIC (Am ASsoc of Military Insignia Collectors). He has one of the largest collections in the US, with over 9000 insignias in 100+ binders.  He helped prepare catalogs of insignia for special groups (infantry, etc), and has the only known collection of certain types of  early WWII insignia.

I asked Emma for something about her that most people didn’t know.  She told me that she was raised in an orphanage from age 9, along with her three brothers.  That became her family and support group for several years, so now she works with an orphanage – raising funds, being a friend, and generally helping them grow up.

Altogether, a couple of nice people with quite interesting lives, don’t you agree?  They have been a great addition to the Desk volunteers for Alamo PC.