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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap: break-word;-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;-webkit-line-break: after-white-space'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thank you, dear Lynda, and so many others from across the world, for enriching our collective memory of one wonderful woman, Annette Patton Bingham. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>How very little any of us knew about each other’s myriad gifts when we were in the Movement/Order and were focused together on the immediate mission. It astounds me of the abundant capacities that were never tapped at that amazing time of corporate engagement and yet have flowered in profusion since then. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Annette is now on my list of saints.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>A special memory of the Binghams happened when I was conducting the Florida to New England college visitation marathon, summer 1987 when our twin sons were juniors in high school. Living so close to Cape Kennedy at the time, they were convinced they would be the first twin astronauts in space, so had their sights on an aeronautical engineering major.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>When we visited the Binghams at the University where Bill was teaching, Bill and Annette helped Jon and Ben reframe that single minded focus and encouraged them otherwise: “cast your net broadly, and do not specialize prematurely.” What wisdom! Ben did major in chemical engineering, but chose medicine; Jon majored in neuroscience and Spanish, but chose international medicine. AND Gabby Gifford’s husband and his twin brother became the first twin astronauts in space!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I give thanks for the completed life of such a wise spirit woman, Annette, and rejoice that so many of our OE colleagues, like you, Lynda; Lingo; and others could stand in for us as you sang (actually or imaginally) “For All the Saints……….”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Grace, peace and love for all our beloved community,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Marilyn and Joe<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> OE [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Lynda C via OE<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, October 22, 2016 9:47 PM<br><b>To:</b> OE@lists.wedgeblade.net<br><b>Subject:</b> [Oe List ...] Fwd: Bingham, Annette Patton - Obituaries - News-Record.com<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Colleagues, Linked below is the obituary for Annette Patton Bingham. Somehow, I had not known, or didn’t remember that she was born in Greensboro. I also didn’t know that she was born of Greek Orthodox parents with a family name for which Patton is a derivative. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.greensboro.com/obituaries/bingham-annette-patton/article_1a6c2813-d53c-5407-a904-67698f6687bb.html?mode=jqm">http://www.greensboro.com/obituaries/bingham-annette-patton/article_1a6c2813-d53c-5407-a904-67698f6687bb.html?mode=jqm</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Nelson and Elaine Stover, Charles Lingo, Herman Greene and I represented the EI and ICA at her very meaningful memorial service in Raleigh this afternoon. Allen Bingham’s words about his mother and his family’s journey were especially meaningful as he spoke of being raised to the words of a song sung to the tune of Yellow Submarine, which grew out of his family’s experience with the Ecumenical Institute and Institute of Cultural Affairs. He went on to relate the words of the song and admitted that it took him years to realize that these were words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's paper on Freedom. So, freedom, responsibility and duty all were keystones to their family’s understanding of life. I can imagine that Allen is a very powerful shepherd to his UMC congregation, many of whom were there in the service. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>A representative from the NC UMC Conference Board of Missions spoke of Annette being known as the Draggon Lady because she was always Draggin someone off to some mission. A gentleman from Haiti who was introduced as "an adopted son" of the Binghams had flown from Haiti to be present. He is an engineer working on water systems in Haiti. I wondered if he could have been one of Engineer Bill’s students. (By the way, Bill was an engineering professor, not an economics professor as I had previously reported.)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Each of the four designated persons who presented the eulogies attested to the wide reach of this family's care regardless of race, gender or religion. Toward the end of the service a gentleman from the audience introduced himself as a member of the Muslim community and celebrated the difference that this woman (and Bill) had made for people of his community through their interfaith dialogue work. I met several people from Ghana and from Sierra Leone who were part of the welcoming outreach of Annette and Bill. Also celebrated was the about 20 years of a Kids’ Café, co-founded by Bill and Annette, an after school care of enrichment, nutrition and tutoring for immigrants and minority students. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>With this family we celebrate a life fully and gratefully lived in service to others. "For All the Saints who from their labors rest…."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>…. Alleluia! <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Lynda Cock<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>