Sandy Bliss, 2019 Award of Excellence Honoree
by Phyllis VanSteenburgh, Oppenheim-Ephratah Teacher Retiree
“Sail beyond the horizon; fly higher than you ever thought possible; magnify your existence by helping others…be true to what you value most; shine your light on the world; and be the person you were born to be.” Blake Beattie
I do love quotes so I found one that seems to embody all that Sandy Bliss was. She did leave us in August of 2018, but her legacy lives on, and the Award of Excellence recognizes her exemplary leadership and her dedicated services to members of NYSUT Retiree 12. For those who do not know, Sandy became RC 12’s vice-president in 2010, the year after she retired. Two years later, she was elected as our co-president with Jeanne Williams Bennett and served until her death in August of 2018.
As Jeanne Williams Bennett pointed out, the Award of Excellence is awarded to people because “they might not do things specifically for RC 12 retirees alone, but for inservice educators and retirees in general.” That is why, in Jeanne’s speech about Sandy receiving this award, Jeanne included her participation in NYSUT’s Solidarity Project when Sandy made two trips to Poland to help Polish teachers learn about democracy. “Those of you who participated in NYSUT rallies and marches often have chanted, ‘This is what democracy looks like!’ and whenever I hear that chant, I think that this is what Sandy and her fellow teachers were sharing with the Poles.”
“Sandy was at the very first convention that merged the New York State Teachers Association or NYSTA with the United Federation of Teachers or UFT to form NYSUT (New York State United Teachers). She became actively involved in this new union and ended up being on the NYSUT Board of Directors for 24 years.” In addition to teaching math for 40 years at the Frankfort Schuyler School District, Sandy always served in an elected or appointed leadership position from VOTE/COPE coordinator to union president. “In fact, she continued to serve on the negotiations team throughout her entire retirement. Sandy was also instrumental in forming a retiree chapter for Frankfort Schuyler, and as you may have guessed, became its first president.”
“As an articulate spokesperson, Sandy participated in the original Committee of 100 (which now numbers over 700) as ‘she believed that political action is central to union work and that coalition building is an important facet of political action.’ Sandy became heavily involved as a delegate to the NYSUT Representative Assembly, as a State Democratic Convention delegate, and she helped build the Central NY Labor Council into a more meaningful and effective organization. She was given the Samuel Gompers Award for her efforts.
When she retired, Sandy moved back to Cooperstown where she was born. “For many years, she was very involved with the local food pantry. I (Jeanne) remember Sandy working on and helping solve problems such as aiding new mothers with the purchase of diapers or partnering with local farmer markets so that food pantry recipients could obtain fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Also, Sandy became involved with the Otsego County Senior Citizen Advisory Board and the Office of Aging, always advocating for what was best for retirees. I hope you can “see how Sandy’s efforts were widespread and affected a vast number of people.” Thanks, Sandy. Just one more quote, “Success isn’t what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do.”
A donation on behalf of Sandy Bliss, 2019 Award of Excellence honoree, was chosen by her two sisters, Amy and Laura, and it will be split three ways: Cooperstown Food Pantry, the Catskill Area Hospice and the Kate Mullany House.