Properly interpreted, the quaint phrase, "keep your shoulder to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel" can be a true beacon for all to follow. Although it evokes images of drudgery, hard labor and a somewhat difficult lifestyle, it also speaks of consistency of practice and dedication to established values. TASCC was born in 1988, with the adoption of a resolution by the Tucson City Council which made sister cities out of Tucson, Arizona and Almaty, Kazakhstan. It huffed and it puffed...looked pathetic and had few followers....but consistency of purpose crept in and urged a core group of people to keep their focus on the key principle of People to People Diplomacy through Education, Culture and Economic Development. And so we have come to 2006 and, boy, do we have things to be proud of!!!!! We have flourished in all three areas with projects and programs too numerous to name in their entirety. Having over 30 students from Kazkahstan enrolled full-time at the University of Arizona is about the biggest accomplishment to date for this group of loyal volunteers....both unfunded and unrecognized for the work they do. We all know that success breeds success, however.........so, I urge all to keep your shoulder...etc, etc, etc.

This message came in the mail today, and how sweet it was for the writer to write:

Dear Jerry,

People like you make a real difference in other people's lives. Thank you for all the support that you and the committee provided to me for years. I have enclosed a contribution to TASCC as a token of appreciation.

Love,

xxxxxxxxx, former student at the University of Arizona

The Prez sez hello!

We have a good friend at the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washingtion, D. C. After reading in the newspaper that Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev was coming to the USA sometime in September or October of this year, I casually asked this friend if it was possible for me to meet the President and present an item of appreciation to him from our committee.. "Absolutely not" was the response. He did say, however, that I could possibly be invited to a dinner where the President would be speaking. And so it happened. I received TWO invitations....one to the dedication of the national symbol of Kazakhstan on the grounds of the Kazakhstan Embassy on Thursday, September 28th at 11pm and the other was to a dinner sponsored by the NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative Foundation), Chaired by Ted Turner. I had a very nice plaque prepared, on copper plate, which carried our logo, a message of welcome to the President of Kazakhstan and the names of all the students from Kazakhtan currently enrolled at the University of Arizona. Chair Barbara Chinworth wrote a beautiful short letter to President Nazarbayev, for me to present, if the occasion presented itself. On the morning of the dedication, Committee Secretary Sally and I were in the throng of onlookers in front of the Embassy and took some pictures of the ceremony and heard both Ambassador Saudebayev and President Nazarbayev speak.

As the President was leaving the embassy, I happened to be sitting near the gate he had to go through on the way to his waiting limousine. As he came through the gate, we made eye-to-eye contact and I held out my hand. He stepped towards me and shook hands, while Ambassador Saudebayev explained who I was and something about our active committee. He has a very friendly demeanor a twinkle in his eyes. Fast forward to dinner at the Capital Hilton and imagine 1500 people seated at 150 tables in this HUGE room. The President was at the table in the front, along with Mary Jane Eisenhower, Ted Turner and various notable US politicians and, of course, lots of security personal from both the US and Kazakhstan. Taking a firm grasp on the plaque and letter from Chair Barbara, I decided to take a chance and boldly approached the table. As I started towards him, the President smiled at me in recognition and stood up and came forward to meet me. I explained to him that our committee and the Bolashak group in Tucson wanted to present him with a token of appreciation. He accepted the plaque and letter and told me that there were over 3000 students from Kazakhstan studying abroad through the Bolashak program. I said that I knew about them and that one percent of them were in Tucson, Arizona studying at the University of Arizona. He then shook my hand again and thanked me for coming. This was truly a highlight in my life.

 

Jerry
Jerry M. Gary, Chairman Emeritus
Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee
P. O. Box 32527
Tucson, AZ 85751-2527
Phones: (H) 520-886-1260, (C) 520-241-1687
Fax: 520-628-1317 or 520-886-1091