The tentative schedule will find the youth leaders gathering at least once a month for special programs from September through March, followed by a group project. In April, a ceremony marking the end of the program will bring the year to a close.
     November's program will be the communication/teamwork workshop by Mike Klumpp, youth development specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service. The other programs are: October, Ropes Course and a visit to the State Capitol; November, "True Colors Personality Assessment" by Dr. Joe Waldrum of the Cooperative Extension Service; December, "Welcome to the Real World;" January, Civic Responsibility including visits with local government officials and civic organization representatives; February, NATCO visit and information presentation, "What's New in Technology;" March, Career Awareness; April, Group Projects. 

Extra Copies of New Directory Widely Available

     NATCO hopes you are enjoying the advantages of your new 2001 Ozark Regional Directory: one combined section for all area white pages numbers; larger type size; reverse listings for all area numbers; and its convenient size to use at home or carry in your vehicle or briefcase.
     Additional directories are available free to our customers at the following locations:

South Shore Memory Project Receives Continued Support

     The South Shore Foundation Board approved a $4,800 grant to continue support for the South Shore Memory Project coordinated by Allen Benson, director of library services at Arkansas State University Mountain Home. The project gathers and records local history of Marion and Baxter Counties in a digital format and then publishes special exhibits for the public at www.ozarkhistory.com. 
     According to Benson, the Memory Project remains one of the few digital library projects in the nation that attempts to catalog and distribute text, audio, image and video clips. Flippin Public School teachers, students, South Shore residents and private industry have worked together to preserve local history. The funds will help finance the maintenance, technical support and database management for the project. 

Memory Project Showcases Local History South Shore Memory Project Director Allen Benson shows Jodie Jeffrey-Sanders a video, Treasures in Time, the History of Gassville and Cotter, from the www.ozarkhistory.com Web site. The video will soon be available at local libraries.

     Interest in the Ozark history Web site is worldwide. Each week between 250 and 380 visitors log onto the site. They are from all around the U.S., including Virginia, Texas, New Jersey, the University of Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, California and Washington, D.C. Visitors come from cities as far away as Athens, Greece. "We have a 51% increase in visitors over the last year and page hits are up 33%," Benson said. Funds granted by the South Shore Foundation ensure that the Web site is maintained and all data indexed and digitally archived. 
     For more information about the South Shore Foundation or for a grant application, call (870) 453-3333, or visit the South Shore Web site at www.southshore.com.
 

Yellville VFD Obtains South Shore Foundation Grant for Defibrillator

     The Yellville Volunteer Fire Department has received a grant from the South Shore Foundation for rescue equipment. The $6,430 grant provides funds for an automatic defibrillator and battery powered suction unit for cardiac emergencies. The volunteer fire department covers approximately 355 square miles in Marion County and assists in covering South Shore communities as well.
     The Yellville Volunteer Fire Department has 13 First Responders already certified to use the defibrillator. Fire Chief Billy Evans estimated that 50% of the rescue runs were possible cardiac cases. "The American Heart Association has proved," Chief Evans pointed out, "that if you can get a defibrillator on a person who is down within the first 12 minutes, you have the best chance for saving someone.

Life-saving equipment for Yellville VFD
     Life-saving equipment including the portable defibrillator shown here will help the Yellville Volunteer Fire Department's First Responders assist cardiac patients in emergencies. Shown with the new equipment, purchased with funding from the South Shore Foundation, are (from left) firefighter John E. Van Scoy Jr., Assistant Chief Bill Martin, South Shore Foundation Trustee Heidi Volltrauer, Chief Billy Evans and South Shore Trustee Howard Evans. 

NATCO Now Offers Long Distance

     NATCO customers are welcoming the opportunity to have long distance service through their hometown telephone company, according to NATCO Customer Service Manager Melissa Merkel. "Customers are happy with the convenience of one bill and a real, local person to talk to. 
     NATCO started offering long distance service this summer in the six exchanges of the NATCO service area. Rates for calls in the 48 continental states are 10¢ a minute with a monthly $4.95 Simple Saver Fee.
     Customers who have optional calling plans to area communities can also continue those plans, pay the Simple Saver Fee and use NATCO Long Distance at 10¢ a minute for calls outside the Little Rock LATA. 
     Customers who don't wish to pay the monthly Simple Saver Fee will pay 18¢ a minute for long distance domestic calls.
     NATCO Long Distance carries all long distance calls, in-state, nationwide, and international.
     Toll-free numbers are available for $5 a month and 12¢ per minute. Directory Assistance calls are 65¢ per minute. "The rates we are able to offer compare very favorably with national companies' rates when customers analyze their long distance bills. Some nationally advertised rates are not available here and most national companies change rates without contacting the customer directly, so your rates may have changed from what you thought you had," Sanders advises NATCO customers.
     NATCO is also providing a new TelCard and keeping the charges reasonable at 20¢ per minute for domestic calls, Sanders stated. The NATCO TelCard can be used to call Mexico and Canada at especially attractive rates, he added. Calls made with the NATCO TelCard at pay phones will be subject to a 20-cent per minute pay phone surcharge after an initial 30-cent charge.
     To sign up for NATCO Long Distance, call NATCO Customer Service at 1-800-775-6682, or 453-8800 in Flippin, 8am-5pm, or visit the NATCO office, 8am-4:30pm weekdays. Customers will name NATCO as their preferred interexchange carrier to cancel the service of the long distance company they now have.

Unhappy with your Long Distance  Service Provider? ...NATCO Has the Answer! There's something better for you...NATCO Long Distance. ONE bill ONE great rate ONE company here at home Pay NATCO's Simple Saver Monthly Fee of $4.95 and  ALL Your Calls -- In State or Out of State -- Are 10¢ a Minute* National long distance companies usually... Don't know where you live...Often have misleading and confusing rates and plans...Think "bigger" is better...Raise your rates without notifying you. We are your neighbor. We've provided phone service for the South Shore area since 1951. Our long distance rates are published on our Web site: www.natcotech.com. NATCO telecommunication services exceed those available in metro markets, even though we are a small independent telephone company. We invite you to sign up for our plan featuring flat, per minute rates, local customer service, and just one bill each month with both your local and long distance calls. It's simple to do...just complete this Letter of Authorization form and mail it in with your bill payment. So, hang up on your national long distance company! 301 East Main Street Flippin, AR 72634 www.natcotech.com 1-800-775-6682     *Other rate plans available, call for details.

LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION ____________________________ Name (as it appears on the phone bill):  (___)________________________ Phone Number(s): ____________________________ Address:  ____________________________ City, State, Zip Code Long Distance Features:  (check the features you want) _____ Interlata Service           (State-to-State)   _____ Intralata Service           (Within Your Calling LATA) _____ $4.95 Simple Saver Plan _____ No Calling Plan  _____ International Calling Blocked _____ 900 Blocking _____ Calling Card - # of Cards __ (Fill Out Calling Card Order Form) _____ Toll Free Service  Does it have to be ported?  Yes or No (circle one) (Fill Out Toll Free Order  Form or Appropriate Port Form) By my signature below, I designate NATCO Technologies as my primary long distance carrier with the features noted above, and authorize said carrier to inform my local exchange company of this change. I certify that I am of legal age and that I have proper authority to sign this Letter of Authorization. I further accept responsibility for all charges incurred on this account. I further agree with NATCO's "Terms and Conditions for Use and Enjoyment of Interstate and International Toll Services" (available from customer service or at www.natcotech.com/ terms.htm). I understand my local telephone company may assess a one-time nominal fee for each line which is changed. ___________________________  Authorized Signature  ______________ Date

Meet NATCO's Board Members 

     An important dimension of NATCO is the Board of Directors. The board meets quarterly and gives direction to the efforts of officers and employees. In this 50th anniversary year, NATCO introduces our customers to our Board of Directors. Some will be familiar faces; others may not be. Courteously, ladies first, and alphabetically, we'll start with Shirley Chamberlain.

Shirley Chamberlain
     Shirley is the widow of a NATCO founder, Artel Chamberlain. She was voted onto the board in 1981, resides at Oak Forest, IL, and is retired.
     Mrs. Chamberlain's late husband worked with NATCO and served on the board. "I wish I would have learned more from him about the company. When I went on the board, I had a lot to learn, from the bottom up," she says. Important board decisions include entering the cellular phone partnerships and reorganization of the divisions of NATCO under one parent company, NATCO Communications.
     Mrs. Chamberlain credits Dr. Steve Sanders with keeping the company successful. "He works very hard." She adds that Steven Sanders Jr. is also "doing great work."
     Mrs. Chamberlain considers NATCO a second family and enjoys her trips to board meetings here. She also enjoys fishing, bowling, traveling, and her family, including her first great-grandson, and friends.

John H. Haley
     John has served on the board continuously since about 1981. A tax lawyer and commercial litigator since 1957 in Little Rock, Mr. Haley has been acquainted with and advised the Sanders family since 1975.
     Mr. Haley received his bachelor of arts degree from Emory University in Atlanta, and his law degree from the University of Arkansas. Special interests of his are hydrocarbon energy, and real estate management and development. He enjoys skiing, diving and boating in his leisure time.
     A key decision the NATCO board of directors entered into was to upgrade to become "the best Telco in Arkansas," Mr. Haley said. Success has come to NATCO and it is able to mark its 50th year as an independent, family-owned telephone company due to two factors, according to Mr. Haley. Those factors are: "Steve Sanders' foresight and Millie Sanders' tenacity."

Steven G. Sanders
     Steven G. Sanders of Mountain Home has been a member of the NATCO Board of Directors since 1970. The son of one of the founders of NATCO, the late Ray Sanders, Sanders was present when the corporation was established. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1958. In 1965, he earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of South Carolina and worked as a physics professor at Southern Illinois University from 1965 to 1979. Sanders has been president of NATCO since 1977. 
     In Dr. Sanders' judgment, some of the most important board actions have been the $20 million loan which built the NATCO network as we know it today; approval of funding for the South Shore Foundation, and approval of the new holding company, NATCO Communications.
     "It is impressive that a small company can survive for three generations of the founders. It is especially remarkable that this group could handle the regulatory and technological change that has occurred during this period. We are fortunate also that this part of the State of Arkansas has grown and prospered," he commented. Additional factors in the success of NATCO, he said, are: "Excellent leadership of the officers. Good work force. An eye for the local market and the technologies that can support it."

Steven Sanders Jr.
     Steven Sanders Jr. has been a NATCO director since 1999, the same year he became vice president/plant manager at NATCO, after working as a construction lineman, telephone installer and repairman, and in external relations for NATCO. Steven, a third-generation Sanders at NATCO, began working with the company when he started college, during the summers. 
     The telecommunications industry is enjoyable to Sanders because there is new technology emerging every day with many changes making the field very interesting, not stagnant.
     Steven Sanders Jr. holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Arkansas State University, and he has also completed many continuing education courses in management and computers. Representing NATCO, Sanders has served the Arkansas Telecommunications Association on major committees and worked for three years on the Marion County E 911 Advisory Committee. He has served as both president and vice president of the Flippin Chamber of Commerce.
     NATCO has been successful for 50 years as a local company partly because it is small. "We live here. We know the area we serve." Because it is run locally, managers are accessible and get feedback directly from the customers. "We are able to implement decisions quickly and offer new services in direct response to what people are looking for," Sanders says.

Warren R. Stidolph
     Warren R. Stidolph of Tinley Park, IL, has been a member of the NATCO Board of Directors for three years. He is the stepson of a NATCO founder, Artel Chamberlain. Mr. Stidolph works as a pipe fitter foreman. Training for his work consisted of five years of trade school after completing high school. He has now worked in his field for 33 years. He is a member of Local 597 Chicago.
     Stidolph salutes Dr. Steve Sanders and his great knowledge of the phone industry. "I hope NATCO goes on for another 50 years with all of the family still running it."
     In his leisure time, Mr. Stidolph enjoys the family's vacation house in Michigan on the lake and riding his four-wheeler motorcycle in the woods.

Try Out DSL and ISDN

     NATCO Technologies invites customers to come in and "test drive" a high-speed, multi-tasking Internet connection, especially if you have more than one computer at your home or business. In the NATCO demonstration room in the Flippin office, there are two configurations showing how up to four computers can share an ADSL or ISDN connection. One setup is a LAN using a US Robotics ISDN modem, which would cost about $300; the other setup has two computers sharing an ADSL connection, using a Linksys router, which would cost $150.

Visit NATCO's demo room. The demonstration room in the NATCO Flippin office provides visitors with a chance to try out Internet services on networked PCs and a Macintosh. Larry May of NATCO Technologies will assist customers who visit from 8am-4:30pm weekdays. (Pictured are youth leadership team members during "Tech Day" last spring.)

     Another demonstration site for Mountain Home area customers is at Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, 19 Medical Plaza. Here, visitors can experience the speed of a DSL Internet connection. Video conference demonstrations can be arranged at this site, also. The Brooks-Jeffrey demonstration room is open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. To make an appointment, contact Angela McCune or Mark Morris at Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc. 425-8064.
     If you have more than one computer and desire options for connecting them and sharing one telephone service, please contact Larry May at NATCO Technologies, or call NATCO Customer Service, toll-free at 1-800-775-6682 or 453-8800 in Flippin.

Spotlight: ISDN Aids Working At Home

Margaret C. Hall
The Corner Joint Gallery & Frame Shop

     The Corner Joint Gallery & Frame Shop is on College Street in Mountain Home, but Margaret C. Hall works part-time from her home in Bull Shoals on Corner Joint business - using her ISDN connection to the Internet. She answers e-mail inquiries from the business' Web site at www.cornerjoint.com.
     "Communication via e-mail on the Web is important, and growing. We are getting more results from it," said Mrs. Hall. The search engines and organizational links to business and professional groups are bringing results to The Corner Joint Gallery & Frame Shop.
     People who visit the Web site ask what to do about their art: how to take care of it, frame it, or put a value on it. They ask how to locate art they want but can't find through other galleries and dealers. The Corner Joint can, nearly all of the time, answer these questions, or point them in the right direction.
     Margaret enjoys using her ISDN connection to the Internet because of its speed. "It used to take a minute or so with the old dialup connection. ISDN cuts that time to less than 30 seconds, and that can make a big difference." It is convenient to use the telephone and the Internet at the same time, which ISDN allows. Margaret is considering a step up to DSL service for even faster Internet connection in the future. (NATCO DSL is now available in portions of Bull Shoals, Flippin, and Mountain Home.) 
     As a trustee of South Shore Foundation since its beginning, Margaret was introduced to the ISDN Internet service. The creation of a Web site for Corner Joint brought about an opportunity for Margaret to work at the business from her home. (NATCO partner Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing - www.bjmweb.com  - created the Corner Joint Web site.)
     The Corner Joint Gallery & Frame Shop is located at 205 N. College St. in Mountain Home, just one-half block from the College St. and Hwy. 62 B intersection. The business is open from 8:30am - 5:30pm Monday through Friday and 8:30am-3pm Saturday. Of course, the Web site store and the inquiry line via e-mail are always open. 

Spotlight: Twin Lakes Community "Help" Directory Now Online

     A new directory of organizations helping others in Baxter and Marion Counties is now online. It received major funding from South Shore Foundation. This help site is at the Internet address of www.twinlakescommunity.org.
     Online since mid-June, the Web site lists nearly 100 local service organizations with contact telephone numbers, operating hours, and services provided. Adding state and national service organizations brings the number to more than 200.

UCRC Press Conference Announces New Web Site.  At left: Susan Partney, project coordinator, presents the Web site at a press conference August 9, 2001, at Arkansas State University Mountain Home. Committee members, at right, are Ellen Kilgore, Brent Taylor, Jackie Edmonds, and Susan Partney.

     All organizations can be found by category of service or alphabetically by name of the organization. An agency may be listed in more than one category if it offers more than one service.
     The United Community Resource Council introduced and demonstrated the Web site August 9 during a press conference at Arkansas State University Mountain Home. Creation of the Web site is a coordinated effort of the UCRC, which is made up of 24 local service organizations, additional agencies, and two funding sources. A $12,350 grant from the South Shore Foundation at Flippin and a $5,000 grant from the TEA Coalition of Baxter County funded the project's initial phase.
     For those who use public access computers, such as those at libraries, there will be promotional signs identifying "www.twinlakescommunity.org" as the online source to find organizations of "People Helping People." Business cards with the Web site URL have been printed and are available at the public Internet access sites to keep for reference.

     Susan Partney, project coordinator for the UCRC said, "The overall intent of this Web-based resource is to provide as much current information on services available in our community to as many people as possible."
     Mrs. Partney said it is important for service providers to know what other service providers do if they are to counsel their clients effectively. The descriptions, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses make up a great resource, she said. "It is also our goal to have those who need services become self-reliant in locating appropriate resources by making the information and Internet access available to them."
     The South Shore Foundation approved funding for the project because it uses telecommunications technology to benefit so many people, according to Margaret Hall, foundation trustee. "Using the Internet is an efficient way to present a great deal of information to the public and to keep that information up-to-date.
     Committee members in addition to Mrs. Partney are: Barb Pate of the Baxter County Health Unit; Richard Taffner, Baxter County Health Unit; Ellen Kilgore, Arkansas Dept. of Health; Brent Taylor, Dept. of Human Services; and Jackie Edmonds, Dept. of Human Services.
     Jodie Jeffrey-Sanders and Elizabeth Norell, from Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc. in Mountain Home demonstrated the site at the August 9, 2001, press conference. Mrs. Sanders pointed out that the online information can be easily updated. Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc. was the company chosen to design the www.twinlakescommunity.org Web site. Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc. has designed Web sites since 1996 for retail businesses, chambers of commerce and tourism associations, professionals, and individuals locally and statewide.
     For more information about the United Community Resource Council, please contact Jeff Crawford, president at 425-9811. Mrs. Partney can be reached by telephone at 425-7974 or by e-mail to spartney@cox-internet.com.

The $19.95  Internet Service Plan  Is Available To All  Businesses And Residents In: Bellefonte Bergman Bull Shoals Compton Cotter Diamond City Everton Flippin Gamaliel Gassville Harrison Henderson Lakeview Lead Hill Mallard Point Midway Mtn. Home Norfork Omaha Pyatt Summit Valley Springs Western Grove Yellville Rates may change without prior notice. *Harness the awesome power of the high speed ISDN or DSL Internet technology - available to portions of Boone, Marion and Baxter Counties. Call today for details!	Natco Technologies, the region's first and largest ISDN*, DSL* and Internet Service Provider offers the best Internet plan for the area.   unlimited Internet access service   no toll charges    free software configuration over the phone or at drop off     locations below   free e-mail account - choose from any of these domains:    your name@  baxtercounty.net  bellefonteweb.com bergmanweb.net boonecountyweb.com bransonusa.net bullshoals.net calicorock.com comptonnet.net cotterweb.com diamondcity.net evertonweb.com flippinweb.com gassville.com harrisonweb.com lakenorfork.com lakeviewnet.com leadhill.net marioncounty.com midwaynet.com mymtnhome.com norfork.net omahaweb.net ozarkmountains.com pyatt.net southshore.com valleysprings.net westerngrove.com wholedamarea.com yellvilleweb.com - free over-the-phone technical support every weekday 8-5 - monthly billing - subscription to Natco's customer newsletter and electronic   newsletter - free "Introduction to the Internet" class - fast service - call us any weekday and you can be online   within hours
Sign up today at these NATCO Technologies partners for Internet Access (via Modem, ISDN, DSL) and Web Hosting Services!
301 East Main St.  Flippin, AR 72634 1-800-775-6682 www.natcotech.com www.natconet.com www.southshore.com  19 Medical Plaza Mt. Home, AR 72653 870-425-8064 www.bjmweb.com  We offer gift certificates for all Internet services.

Web Sites of Interest

On NATCO's Web site - www.southshore.com/useful.htm, these and other sites of interest are hot linked for easy access. Many subjects and sources of information are listed and updated frequently.  

South Shore's site features tourism, relocation and business information for communities in or near the South Shore of Bull Shoals Lake. The site includes driving tours, online calendar of events, maps, online yellow page links and news from the South Shore Foundation, the nonprofit economic development organization funded by NATCO.

NATCO's Web site features "NATCO News" newsletter online, current news about the telephone company and detailed information on the digital services offered.

At www.natconet.com/newsletter/, you can find our new electronic newsletter for Internet customers.

• www.ipl.org
  Links to references, newspapers, magazines and academic papers.

• www.nationalgeographic.com 
  Interactive site with multimedia features

• www.finaid.com
  Easy instructions on loans, scholarships

• www.ifilm.com
  Offbeat short works, student projects, political satires, etc.

• www.culturefinder.com (Not Active as of: 04/07/04)
  Your ticket to the arts. Museums, orchestras, theaters throughout the nation.

• www.sonicnet.com
  Two Yahoo! awards for best overall music site. Has tunes, news, trivia, Web casts and artist chats.

• www.medterms.com
  Readable, concise definitions of medical terms

• www.twinlakescommunity.org
  An online directory of agencies, organizations, and help-lines that provide services to Baxter and Marion County residents. 200 listings in many categories.

• www.baxterhometownhealth.org
  Find out about the health needs of your area and the health services available to you. This Web site concerns neighboring Baxter County.

• www.backyardorganicgardening.com (Not Active as of: 04/07/04)
  If you're gardening, consider organic gardening. Here are facts and tips.

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Northern Arkansas Telephone Company | 301 East Main Street | Flippin, Arkansas, 72634
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