Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Former League Presidents Nancy Little and Trevor

With Convention 2009 just 2 weeks away, I thought it timely to present this month's featured former League Presidents. They were very active in the League and submitted a 1979 Convention photo with their stories. Although we have other married retreat couples (including me) these are the only two former League Presidents who are currently a married couple: Nancy Little and Trevor


Nancy served 1983 - 1985

Trevor served 1976, 1979 - 1981


Where are they now?


Nancy: When I was President of the League it was mid-'80s and it was the ANCL back then. Yes, I'm married to a former president. I met Trevor in 1979 at Convention in Urbana, OH. He remembers meeting me earlier than that but I don't. If we met earlier than 1979 it was probably at Blairhaven in S. Duxbury, MA where he was lifeguard for a few years in the '70s and I was a camper. We've been married for 10 years.

So, where am I now? I'm about to start graduate school for a Masters in Library Science at Simmons College in late January. The main campus of Simmons is in Boston, MA. They have a part-time program on the campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, which is 20 minutes from my home in Hatfield, MA (Western MA). Since school doesn't start for another 6 weeks at least, I'm enjoying the "time off". Lately I spend lots of time on my latest passion, crochet. I learned to crochet last winter and I'm hooked! I'm on Ravelry if anyone's interested.

I'm still involved with our church on a national and state level. I'm currently the president of the Alliance of New Church Women, North America. Visit our blog at www.womensalliance.blogspot.com! The Alliance's main purpose is to raise money to support church programs. We raise money for camps, youth league, missions, new churches, etc. I also serve on the Executive Committee of the MA Association of the New Jerusalem (that's the state level). We meet once a month, generally at the "other end of the state". Since 2003 I've been the Registrar of the Fryeburg New Church Assembly in Fryeburg, Maine where many of the East Coast Leaguers have attended camp in August or a retreat.

I loved being a part of the League! I had so much fun at retreats, conventions, and camps! I've made life-long friends and even met my husband. Some of my closest friends are people that I met through the League. Lee Dyer (we knew her as Muff Richardson back then) of Fryeburg, Maine - Alex's mom - she's one of my closest friends. We met at that same convention in Urbana, Ohio in 1979. We see each other every summer at Fryeburg. There are many more close friends that I've made because of my involvement with the League.

Trevor: I was one of a small group of teens who banded together at then League president Julie Rankin's instigation at the first "modern era" retreat at the Fryeburg Church in the beginning of the 70's with the specific purpose of revitalizing the League. We re-started the League Journal (renamed "Clear Blue Sky"); re-started League houseparties (renamed "retreats"), re-started local Leagues (called "local Leagues") at more than a dozen churches across the continent, came up with the Regional Officers concept, and strongly promoted teens attending Convention... all things (I think(?)) that are still vital in today's League.



Trevor and Nancy Now












Trevor giving the League President's address on the floor of Convention in 1979

(with Nancy wondering if he is ever going to finish)



1 comment:

trevor said...

Trevor here:
What I didn't say is that I was also Clear Blue Sky editor for most of a decade, and took it from a sporadic, handwritten, 6-12 page magazine to a regular, monthly, 12-24 page publication during my editorship.
Attention current CBS editor(s): This took a LOT of nagging, cajoling, pestering, and downright forcing leaguers to submit stuff. It was a lot easier at retreats to make EVERYBODY contribute a full issue's worth of stuff (plus we had way more League retreats back in the 70's and 80's). But every single retreat, I got them to write stuff about the retreat, poems, pictures, articles both silly and serious, as well as a regular column from me as editor and from the League Chaplain. I also got covers done by the known (and not so know) artists in the League.
I've also been on the Board of Directors at the Fryeburg New Church Assembly family camp in scenic Fryeburg Maine since I was 16; was president of the FNCA Flames for most of a decade; and have been the camp's Activities Director since the mid-80's.
I worked several summers at Camp Blairhaven, our denomination's former children's day camp on the ocean at Blairhaven in S. Duxbury MA. I served as the recreation director, the life guard, as well as camp director for two years.
I ran a small day care in my home for 8 years in the 80's and 90's. Now I'm a full-time entertainer: TREVOR "The Games Man"... something I've been working towards since my first professional "show" at age 16. Just Google "Trevor the Games Man" to find my huge website!
Love and hugs to all,
-Trevor