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PITTSBURG —
The Wednesday meeting of Crawford County AARP Chapter 646 was something of a celebration, with a special cake in honor of Robert J. Casino, who was stepping down after serving 12 or so years as chapter secretary.
A past president of the chapter, Casino also received a framed certificate of appreciation.
“I’m a humble guy, and I don’t think I really deserve this,” he said.
Casino was also the Kansas AARP Safe Driver instructor for 15 years, but retired from that last December.
“I enjoyed every minute of that,” he said. “I love teaching adults, but I taught at Frontenac High School from 1976 to 1996, and I loved that, too.”
He taught chemistry, physics, math and computers.
“The students may not have loved chemistry, physics and math, but they loved computers,” Casino said.
He also spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, from 1954 to 1974, including the frightening time when the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union could have erupted into a nuclear war.
The 13-day Cuban missile crisis occurred between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28, 1962, after the United States learned that the Soviet Union was constructing missile sites on Cuba, only about 90 miles from Florida.
After considering an attack on Cuba by air and sea, the United States decided on a naval blockade instead to prevent Soviet ships from delivering offensive weapons to Cuba.
Casino was on one of the U.S. Navy ships blockading the island.
“We had to turn the Russian ships around and send them back if they were carrying missiles,” he said. “I wasn’t one of those who went on board the Russian ships, but I was keeping track of them.”
The confrontation concluded when President John F. Kennedy, United Nations Secretary General U Thant and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev came to an agreement that the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons on Cuba and ship them back to the Soviet Union, while the U.S. promised never to invade Cuba. The naval blockade ended on Nov. 20, 1962.
“We came very close to war,” Casino said.
He is also an Audio Reader volunteer and serves on the board of the Homer Cole Senior Citizen Center.
Casino is far from the only active volunteer in Chapter 646. Martha Roberts, president, is currently working on the yearly report for 2012 and said that the 1,100 hours of volunteer service reported for members during the year is probably way below what they have actually done.
The Wednesday meeting of Crawford County AARP Chapter 646 was something of a celebration, with a special cake in honor of Robert J. Casino, who was stepping down after serving 12 or so years as chapter secretary.
A past president of the chapter, Casino also received a framed certificate of appreciation.
“I’m a humble guy, and I don’t think I really deserve this,” he said.
Casino was also the Kansas AARP Safe Driver instructor for 15 years, but retired from that last December.
“I enjoyed every minute of that,” he said. “I love teaching adults, but I taught at Frontenac High School from 1976 to 1996, and I loved that, too.”
He taught chemistry, physics, math and computers.
“The students may not have loved chemistry, physics and math, but they loved computers,” Casino said.
He also spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, from 1954 to 1974, including the frightening time when the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union could have erupted into a nuclear war.
The 13-day Cuban missile crisis occurred between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28, 1962, after the United States learned that the Soviet Union was constructing missile sites on Cuba, only about 90 miles from Florida.
After considering an attack on Cuba by air and sea, the United States decided on a naval blockade instead to prevent Soviet ships from delivering offensive weapons to Cuba.
Casino was on one of the U.S. Navy ships blockading the island.
“We had to turn the Russian ships around and send them back if they were carrying missiles,” he said. “I wasn’t one of those who went on board the Russian ships, but I was keeping track of them.”
The confrontation concluded when President John F. Kennedy, United Nations Secretary General U Thant and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev came to an agreement that the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons on Cuba and ship them back to the Soviet Union, while the U.S. promised never to invade Cuba. The naval blockade ended on Nov. 20, 1962.
“We came very close to war,” Casino said.
He is also an Audio Reader volunteer and serves on the board of the Homer Cole Senior Citizen Center.
Casino is far from the only active volunteer in Chapter 646. Martha Roberts, president, is currently working on the yearly report for 2012 and said that the 1,100 hours of volunteer service reported for members during the year is probably way below what they have actually done.
“We’ve given over $2,200 to Wesley House in 2012, as well as paper products, plastic bags and other items,” she added. “Wesley House is our main project.”
Chapter member Fred Giefer has been donating his turnip crop to Wesley House, and is active in maintenance of the Shirly Cemetery and Mills Cemetery.
“The chapter donated $1,000 to the Pittsburg State University Foundation for the music department,” said member Carolyn Brooker, who has volunteered to fix Thursday meals for Wesley House.
Diana Kerle has volunteered for Thursday meals and also volunteered at Via Christi Hospital. Serving as AARP Tax-Aides have been Helen Kriegsman and Elwyn Davis. Davis also assisted with Joplin tornado relief efforts.
Member Mattye Foxx was a Red Cross bloodmobile volunteer for 40 years, and Rosalie Talley has been volunteering for Audio Reader for 18 years.
Several members have served as president of the Southeast Kansas Retired School Personnel, including Casino, Brooker, Kerle, Norma Wilson, Coleen Gray and Betty Hight.
All members assist the Pittsburg Salvation Army every year by ringing bells in the Red Kettle campaign, and many help with the annual Horn of Plenty food drive for Wesley House.
“Not a lot of organizations do what we do,” Roberts said.
“I’ve loved every minute of being a part of AARP,” Casino said.
