America Buffet.

Good food & good fellowship.

Be sure to tell the cashier that you are with the TI Retiree Club to get your Club Discount. We meet in the large room to your left as you exit the cash registers. We eat, then have a short business meeting, which includes DOOR PRIZES! Occasionally we have an interesting and informative speaker or entertainer. There is always lots of good fellowship and good food, so come and try us out. We usually finish up about 12:30 PM.

You don't have to be a member of the club to join us for lunch.

Map to America Buffet.
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At our last meeting....

Steve Thomas of AARP's Tax-Aide Program speaks at February Luncheon.
Ralph Garcia introduced our February speaker, Steve Thomas, the Local Coordinator for five Fort Bend County libraries for AARP's Tax-Aide Program. The Tax-Aide Program is the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service available to taxpayers with low- and moderate-income, with special attention to those age 60 and older. The service is staffed by dedicated volunteers such as Steve and our own Ralph Garcia.

Steve was born in Houston. He worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. and then for BFI for 24 years.

Steve has been involved with AARP Tax-Aide 10 years or so. Doing taxes for him came naturally since he once did them professionally. He feels that doing taxes for people who come to Tax-Aide for help is much more rewarding than when he did it for a living.

Steve went over a long list of changes to the IRS Tax Laws that potentially could affect our members with their upcoming 2009 Tax Returns. He answered questions from the audience and encouraged us to take advantage of the free service available at Public Libraries in the area.

Free, year-round assistance Tax-Aide offers via the Web allows taxpayers to pose questions to online volunteers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from the comfort of home. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/taxaide.

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Some Past Meeting Speakers

Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella Speaks at August 2009 Luncheon.
Programs Chairman Lonnie Buckner introduced our August speaker, Mayor Leonard Scarcella, to a packed gathering of members at the Golden Corral.
Mayor Scarcella kept everyone's interest as he briefly covered Stafford's history and how they have been able to grow from 3,000 in 1970 to 20,000 today. He related how the City has been able to succeed even though they abolished the City property tax a few years ago.
He brought along and explained a map of Current and Future Roadway Improvement Projects inside the City. Most of the Hwy 90A Project - widening to 4 traffic lanes each way with landscaping and turn lanes - has been completed. The major junctions have under-passes. Next is the Stafford Road/Staffordshire widening and extension to Beltway 8, and Cash Road widening.
He talked about the expansion of the Houston Community College campus which now has 7,000 students to more than 10,000 in the future. That growth will bring more traffic to the area and benefit from all the roadway improvements. He said that the Stafford Fire Department is ISO rated #1. Five years ago the Stafford Center Arts Theater was built to serve the community. Stafford also has their own separate Municipal School District with 3,000 students, the only one in the State.
When asked about Commuter Rail, Mayor Scarcella said that he has not given up on a Commuter Rail Line from Stafford to the Houston Medical Center.
Mayor Scarcella has been Stafford's mayor for Forty Years. Evidently the city residents are happy with him.
We thank Mayor Scarcella for taking time to keep our Club informed on this host City to our TI-Stafford Site.

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Sharon Bradley Speaks at June 2009 Luncheon.
Lonnie Buckner, Programs Chairman, introduced our June speaker, Sharon Bradley, National Service Officer from the D.A.V. (Disabled American Veterans) regional office, just across the street from the V.A. hospital.

Sharon pointed out that those honorably discharged veterans (or families) who contracted illness, disease or injury while on active duty (even if symptoms appear later) should fill in an application located on the VA website, www.va.gov.

Veterans over 65 can receive fast-track approval. Many individual generic and specific questions and answers followed. Sharon had available several books, pamphlets, plus her business cards that were all passed out. Her indirect contact information: 713-794-3665 www.dav.org

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Constable Sgt. Joe Lee Speaks at May 2009 Luncheon.
Sgt. Joe Lee from the Crime Prevention Bureau of Fort Bend County Pct. 2 Constable's Office was the featured speaker at the TIRET business luncheon on May 20. He gave an informative and thought provoking presentation covering his background and the duties of the Constable's Office. Constables have responsbility for both criminal and civil offenses (summons, eviction, etc.) throughout the State of Texas. Ft. Bend has 4 precincts presently.

He told of several scams that are going around that target seniors. He gave lots of tips on how to avoid being caught in a scam. He passed out several informative brochures including an excellent 6-page handout from the Houston Police Department titled Personal Safety.

Sgt. Lee served 27 years with the Houston Police Department before retiring in 2005. But he chose to continue working instead of retiring. He has served as a trooper for the State of Texas. He has a B.S. in Education from Stephan F. Austin State Univ. He was a 2nd Lt. in the Army National Guard until 1976. His hometown is Newton, Texas. He now lives in Ft. Bend County.

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TI-Stafford Site Manager Curt Moore Speaks at April 2009 Luncheon.
Our Luncheon speaker for April was Curt Moore, Site manager for TI-Stafford. Curt spoke on the state of TI to well over 50 members and guests attending.

Curt sounded positive in the way TI has positioned itself going into the current business climate. He felt a good cash position was being maintained through closely managed discretionary spending, non critical custom R & D cuts, selected plant shut-downs, worldwide RIFs, and by establishing a policy of aggressive inventory controls.

He mentioned that TI's current business strategy is to focus on high growth markets, geographies and major needs of customers. Analog catalog products are a thrust right alongside system sell with general purpose (versus highly custom) processors.

He also pointed out the opportunities for growth in Analog and Embedded Processing. Among the highlights in the quarter were the acquisition of CICLON semiconductor, a specialized supplier of analog chips for power management, and qualification of a new assembly/test factory. "Both improve our ability to serve customers," Curt said.

Curt was well received and the members had more questions than there was time. Everyone enjoyed his presentation.