“I'm so glad we had this time together. Just to have a laugh or sing a song. Seems we just get started and before we know it, comes the time we have to say, so long.” (theme song from the Carol Burnett Show)
How many times have you heard that song? How many nights did I spend watching Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and the rest of them, laughing, and crying, at their routines, skits and their semi-realistic outlook on life? I could not even begin to count them.
Through the last two years of my own Carol Burnett Show (aka the Nevada Paralegal Association aka NPA), I have had many laughs, silently cried a few tears, forged ahead into unknown and unchartered territory and finally reached the end of my road. It is with great hope, fondness, and sadness that I prepare to step down and watch from the sidelines as your association (yes, it belongs to you) continues to grow, flex its muscle, and becomes bigger and better. I was another stepping stone, another piece of the puzzle, another cog in the wheel. NPA continues to rumble forward, gathering strength in its membership, and becoming known in and among the Las Vegas legal community that we call home.
I want to take a moment to say thank you to the officers and those who served on my board of directors. Without you, we would have never gotten here.
Lissa Treadway, my Vice President, President-Elect, and Chairman of our Membership Committee. Lissa was never wavering, whenever I felt myself losing my grasp, control, or my mind, she was always there to prop me up, dust me off, and shoo me back on my way; nevermind that she was also picking up the mess I left behind.
Pat Kois, our secretary, has been diligent in keeping track of our minutes. Though we all have busy lives, Pat attended board meetings and regular meetings as her schedule allowed, and as one of the biggest accomplishments of our young group, completed our first quarterly newsletter this past month.
Terri Hicks, our treasurer, kept up with our funds, kept us in the black, and kept our checkbook balanced (even with me writing checks!). Terri has been an integral part of NPA through these past few years, and there is no amount of thanks I can give Terri for her participation and always willingness to help.
Joan Wiley, our parliamentarian, has kept all of us honest throughout the past several years. I have known Joan since I came back to Las Vegas in 1992, and in her position as parliamentarian, Joan and I have gotten to know each other even better as we have spent more than one Saturday in the office discussing NPA, its affairs, our bylaws, rules and regulations.
Ellen Sternhill, NALA Liaison, has had one challenge after another this past year, but she has always managed to get our reports filed, get our questions answered and work with NALA in helping NPA get back on its feet and she always kept smiling.
Tenesa Houdek (chair of the Pro Bono Committee) is the energizer bunny in disguise. This woman does not know what the word “slow down” means. She has worked and worked for the past several months with CCBA on the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event. It has been a big challenge for her and a big challenge for NPA.
Susan Lindhorst is our co-chair for our committee on education and certification. I will begin working with Susan on educating the bar about what a paralegal is and what the paralegal can do. Another item of interest is the certification of paralegals in the State of Nevada. NPA hopes to take an active role in what could be an important step for our profession in the State of Nevada.
Because the board has been diligent, persistent, and willing, it has continued to promote NPA, its activities and our profession. As we undertake our biggest event yet (our Spring Seminar 2006 with special guest participants Peter Chase Neumann, Esq. and William H. Ginsburg, Esq.), we can say that our party is just getting started!
Let me pass on a few words of wisdom to our members and to the young paralegals just starting out in the legal profession. Never stop learning. You can never know enough. Our jobs are always changing, and the challenges continue to increase and take on different forms. Attend NPA meetings, attend NPA seminars. Take the CLA examination. Give back to your community. We are what we make it.
To my board, to the nominees for 2006-2007, and to the incoming board, I wish you and NPA all the best. This organization has helped me so much – I have met so many wonderful people and made some fantastic new friends.
And to finish out the song …
“There is a time you put away for dreaming, a time for things you have to do and the time I like the best is any evening to spend a moment here with you.
When the time comes, and I am feeling lonely … and all so blue, I will sit back and think of you only and the happiness will come through.
That is why I am so glad we had this time together, as you made me feel I belong, seems, we just got started and before you know it comes the time we have to say, …so long.”
Good night everybody!!
Pat Altstatt, CLAS, CBA
May 2006