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SECTION 2 • PAGE 4 • PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER S. IMS *Wgeneral^^™ News ' % Nearing retirement? Prepare for big shock! which was good one earning $25,000 a year. That's a lot« by Carl Riblet Jr. * Q. ~ "This has been one of the worst years of my life because X just went on Social Security at ie 65 and lost my position me or a woman. I didn't lose my position because I reached 65 or because I was incompetent. I lost it because I was declare^ permanently disabled with a heart attack -- angina pectoris, "According to company rules that were given in a book printed by the company I was supposed to receive $700 a month disability for three years. I received the check for four months and then came the notification by the company that my position was terminated and I would no longer be receiving disability pay. Bob Wilbrandt, left, Woodstock, plays Tommy Albright, captivated by Fiona MacLaren, the bonnie Scottish lass portrayed by Shirley Owens of Hampshire, in Townsquare Players pre-holiday production of Brigadoon, scheduled to open at the Woodstock Opera House Nov. 4 and run for three weekends. Al Smith, center, AAcHenry is directing the shew. For ticket information, contact the Opera House box office at 815 338-5300L "I worked for the company 18 years. I received a number of awards for best performance of any manager of any of the company's branches. For each of the three years preceding my heart attack I brought in a million dollars a year gross business for the company -- much more than was ever earned before by my branch office. As recent as two years ago they offered me a job in the head office for $60,000 a year. I turned it down because I didn't think I could do such a stressful job" and because of the colder climate. "When I had the heart attack, they hadn't paid my expense account of $700 for 1981 or as much for 1982. At first they said they hadn't received the expense account. When I proved I had sent it, they ignored me. I was sick and they didn't care about me. Finally, a year later, I hired a lawyer. He got the money for me, plus three weeks vacation pay. "Mind you, this treatment of me came from what used to be a wonderful, friendly company, then they began to terminate the employment of older managers - - many of them with the company for as many as 25 and 30 years. Younger people took over and we oldsters got our throats cut. Nobody save a damn about us. As it Is right now, I am 65 years old, suffering from angina pectoris, not able to work and receiving no disability pay from the company that owes me at least as much loyalty as I £ve them. The ironic thing is it my successor as manager has not only been unable to duplicate my volume of business, he has lost more than half of it. "I was a hard-working, well- paid and successful business woman. Now I am suddenly sick and unpaid with no pension except $420 a month Social Security. What can a woman like me, or anybody else for that matter, do to avoid getting gypped the way I was?" -- Priscilla DeH. _ : A. - Priscilla's late employer has shown that it has an effective health plan -- "get sick, get fired." She has shown us what happens when a large company knocks off its older and experienced employees and replaces them with younger people who do not care and who oo not have the exnerience to work out situations that cause great suffering to loyal and able ^^rflere is nothing new in the story, except that the complaint comes from a woman, not a man. I recall 50 years ago when the day city manager of the Associated Press in Chicago was nearing mandatory retirement age. He was fired several months before the date ~ after working for the AP for what seemed years beyond recall. It has happened thousands and thousands of times since and it is happening everywhere even today. The key word is "greed." To all who are nearing retirement, watch out. Be Srepared for a shock, especially 1 the complicated factor of disability is involved. Hiere is little that can be done about forced termination of employment if the employee doesn't have an enforceable, protecting contract. Many companies don't have contracts with any but very high up officials of the company. Instead, they publish rule books that attempt to spell out disability payment and retirement and insurance coverage according to varying ideas mat the accountants ana personnel people cook UD in order to decrease overhead and increase profit. Such plans printed in rule books allow for instant changes that are advantageous only to the company and cause great suffering to hapless employees. Thank Cod for Social security. Q. - "Will Medicare pay for the care that we have to have for my old father at home? He is helpless and we have to do everything for him. We hire people to come in and help." -- Miriam J. A. - Medicare does not cover custodial care, which is given primarily for the purpoee of meeting personal needs and is provided, or could be provided, by persons who don't have professional skills or training. If you need information or help on problems of aging, write to Carl Riblet, Jr., PX>. BOX 40757, Tucson, A? 85717. Questions will be answered in this column when possible. Thefts reported McHenry County Sheriff's Police are investigating the theft of an undetermined amount of cash from Forms Corporation of America, 3106 W. Route 12, Spring Grove. Police said the thief broke a window to gain entrance and rifled a coin changer. County police are also looking into the theft of a small amount of cash, a coin collection and two rings from the home of Diane Wade, 4508 Mayfair, McHenry. Entry to the residence was made through a window. DUI arrest follows two-car accident CRYSTAL LAKE: 5618 Northwest Hwy....Mon.-Fri. 10-9; Sat. 10-5; Sun. 12-5 • 815/455-0810 A McHenry man was charged with driving under the influence and failure to yield the of and last W. following a two-car collision at the intersection Meadow Lane Elm Street Friday night. J e f f r e y N a t x k e , H i ci or y , Woodstock, was driving west on Elm Street when another vehicle made a left turn to northbound Meadow Lane, The driver of the other vehicle, Charles A. Lang, 1711 Meadow Lane, McHenry, was charged with failure to yield the right-of- way and driving under the influence. Natzke and a passenger in the Lang auto, Lillian Lang, were taken to McHenry Hospital by the McHenry Area Rescue Squad for examination and t r e a t m e n t o f injuries. M i c h a e l R . Erickson, 4017 W. Lake Shore Drive, Wonder Lake, was injured when the car he was driving went off Ringwooa Road and struck a tree. ' Erickson told county police another vehicle t u r n e d o n t o Ringwood Road from Barnard Mill Road with its bright lights on, which blinded him. He was taken to McHenry Hospital by the JOhnsburg Rescue Squad. Kelly Jacox, 1208 Sunset, McHenry, was ticketed for improper lane usage after the car she was driving struck another vehicle in the 3800 block of Timothy Lane. The driver of the other car, Frank A. Mucciante, 3804 Timothy, McHenry, had stopped while backing out of his driveway, when the collision occurn " C o l l e e n Geisser, 3813 Fillmore St., McHenry, was ticketed for failure to yield the right-of- way following a two- car collision at the intersection of Routes 31 and 176. Ms. Geisser was attempting to make a left turn when her car struck another auto.-The driver of the other car was James E. Bennett, 17 Wooly Way, Cary. ' Steven J. Simon, 7303 Oak St., Wonder Lake, was cited for failure to yield the right-of- way after he reportedly ;* pulled in front of an auto driven by Elizabeth Gomez, 2506 S. Maple wood, Wonder Lake. The accident, occurred at the intersection of E. Wonder Lake Road and Oak Street, in Wonder Lake. 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