User talk:Bddpaux/Texas woman celebrates 40 years in state public service

Newsworthiness

Obviously I've no idea where you have in mind to take this. Just wondering. --Pi zero (talk) 17:33, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

I agree. Whereas this woman's service is certainly commendable, it is hardly newsworthy. If we wrote an article for each government employee that reached their 40 year mark, we'd be able to write few other stories. This would be local news at best, and even then, only in a small town. This is a great blog post, but hardly news. Tadpole256 (talk) 20:39, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

Again, Mr. "WE". --Bddpaux (talk) 22:59, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

Tadpole256 — what you're "agreeing" with isn't what I said.

Bddpaux — Just to update. I can't see the newsworthiness yet, though agree with brianmc that it could emerge from the interview, as things take shape. That's a tough row to hoe; top-flight interviews are difficult; but I'll wait and see. Note that the current headline and lede would have to change, as just atm they don't even mention the interview that would provide newsworthiness, and they try to make the case for newsworthiness of the 40 years' service on its own, which doesn't provide newsworthiness. --Pi zero (talk) 23:24, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

Personal Interview Notes

General matters at present

Well, a director (employed at the same address for 40 years) at a large government-run institution (open for about 90 years, and has served 10s upon 10s of thousands of people) in a state (with, arguably one of the most recognizable names/flags of any place on the planet) is NEWSWORTHY, we've pretty much established that. HOWEVER, I've been around enough to know that just because the THING is newsworthy, that doesn't mean you've got enough proper fodder to bring all that to light. So, given that and my general state of snittiness at present, I'm unsure that I can "pull" the article out of said fodder. There really is still an article in here somewhere; I just think that grappling with oneself, asking "what exactly is the story here?" is an indicator that one is trying to think about what one is doing.......and frankly, at the end of the day, the answer to that question should come quickly, not with severe effort, IMO. When in doubt, I revert back to my motto here, "Get it, write it, submit it, move one." If someone is motivated to dig, they could pull a story out of this, but I'm too generally up-ended to give a fig right now. --Bddpaux (talk) 00:51, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Original reporting notes

Emails, Phone call transcripts, other written evidence

• The Connection is an eNewsletter published by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. As a government entity, that newsletter is public domain. Here is a link to the recent issue>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/newsletter/2012/08/081312_Linda-Hinshaw-40th.html

Each issue generally highlights news and updates for employees of various state agencies (specifically, those which provide Health and Human services). --Bddpaux (talk) 21:52, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

Although, the eNewsletter was published on the 13th, I didn't receive it until the 14th; and technically, her "anniversary" date is the the 19th. --Bddpaux (talk) 19:57, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

• I contacted Linda via e-mail, asking for an interview................she responded on August 15th.......those questions/answers follow:

"Do I understand correctly……Monday is your 40th anniversary of continuous state employment in Texas? The Connection lists it as August 19. I actually started on July 17, 1972, but I retired and came back a few years ago so that pushes it back a month.

Have you found your work in Abilene rewarding? Yes, I have. Abilene is a wonderful town to live in and raise a family. They have been very supportive of the facility here, which is so very important. I’ve made many life-long friends.

Operationally, what were the early days like in the world of state schools in Texas, compared to today? When I started the care provided was primarily custodial in nature. We were just beginning to provide what we now call “active treatment.” Of course, so many more people lived on campus it was hard to do much more than that. There were over 2,000 people living here at that time. The homes were very crowded and we did not have the number of staff that we have today. The home that I worked at then have over 60 men living there. Most used a wheelchair for mobility and required assistance in all their daily living activities. So by the time they got everyone up and ready for breakfast, fed breakfast it would nearly be time to get ready for lunch. They would have a little time for some recreational activity.

In your management career, have you met any noted leaders or celebrities? I have been fortunate to be able to attend various training opportunities over the years and got to attend a conference where Dr. Edwards Deming was part of the presentation. I had read a couple of his books prior to attending and it was great to get to hear him speak.

A couple of years ago I was fortunate to hear Dr. Temple Grandin speak at a conference on autism.

Have you ever had any particularly harrowing or scary experiences in your work? Other than having to perform CPR few times in my nursing days nothing comes to mind.

Thanks so much for answering these!

Best regards.

Paul Budd" --Bddpaux (talk) 19:44, 17 August 2012 (UTC)