Notes:

Niagara Gazette

MISS MARLENE G.
HOUCK, a secretary at the
Power Authority of the State
of New York's administration
building, has been named 1967
Secretary of the Year of the
Niagara Falls Chapter of the
National Secretaries Association.,
Announcement o i Miss
Houck's honor will be made
formally today by Miss Rose
Marie Antonuccl, chairman,
at a brunch at the Treadway
Inn marking the start of Secretaries
Week.
All secretaries of the Niagara
Frontier have been invited
to attend the brunch, and
to attend church today in
groups at Grace Lutheran
Church and St John de La-
Salle Church.
Miss Houck is secretary to.
George T. Berry, systems engineer
at the Power Authority.
As SOTY (Secretary of the
Year) she will represent the
local chapter In the state division
competition to be held
at' Grossingers May 19-21. The
state winner at this competition
will then compete for
Northeast District and International
Secretary of the Year
titles.
Miss Houck is the daughter
of 'Mr. and Mrs. Andrew N.
Houck, 1119 Saunders Settlement
Road. Mr. Houck is vicepresident
of Schwabel Fabricating
Co., Inc., Tonawanda.
° ° °
A NATIVE OF NIAGARA
FALLS, she attended local
schools and is a 1954 graduate
of Niagara Falls High School.
She has been attending Evening
Division classes at Niagara
County Community College,
and study groups sponsored
by the Niagara Falls
and Buffalo Chapters of the
National Secretaries Association.
Miss Houck has successfully
completed four of the six sections
needed to obtain rating
as a Certified Professional
Secretary. Sponsored by the
association, examinations for
this rating are held annually
in May and cover such fields
as secretarial accoun t i n g ,
business law, business administration,
human relations and
secretarial skills. To date
there are 3,390 secretaries in
the world who have earned
their CPS rating.
HOW DOES SHE feel about
this honor?
"Being selected is a great
honor and one I shall always
cherish. I only hope I too can
bring fame to our chapter,"
said Miss Houck. "Mrs Sarah
Bielic, the chapter's 1966
SOTY" was also selected Di-
vision SOTY and Mrs. Genevieve
Lenr, a past president
and former member of the
local chapter was International
SOTY in 1954.
"Mrs. Lens was employed
In the same law firm where I
obtained my first Job. When
she received the coveted honor
of International Secretary
of the Year I was pleased and
happy for her. Incidentally,
this was my first introduction
to the National Secretaries Association
and I hoped that
some day I could qualify for
membership. And now, 13
years later, I have been selected
to r e p r e s e n t my
chapter."
An association m e m b er
since 19W, Miss Houck has
been active on committees.
She was president of the local
chapter in 19*445; has been
chairman of publicity, rules
and by-laws and program
committees. This year she is
chairman of the bulletin committee
and editor of "Whirlpool
Whispers," the monthly
bulletin.
° ° °
SHE IS ACTIVE IN other
organizations-is a member of
St. Francis Guild working at
the gift shop at Mount St.
Mary's Hospital; is a member
of the Altar Guild of Bethany
Lutheran Church; and is a
member of the parish education
committee at the church.
She likes cooking, bowling,
ice skating, knitting and collecting
Early American antiques.
She is proud of the organisation
and says "we have the
opportunity to keep abreast
with new techniques and developments
constantly taking
place."
To students aspiring to be
executive secretaries she says
"you should be able to take
dictation and transcribe without
hesitancy; be loyal to
your employer; neat in work,
office and appearance, and
conscientious."
Noting that "a secretary today
is a member of the management
team," she said "a
secretary must be ready to
meet this challenge. Only
through continued education is
this possible."

Obit

Of Lewiston,  joined her late husband, Carl, in eternal rest on Sunday, June 4, 2017, at Niagara Hospice House, Lockport, NY.   She was born in Niagara Falls, NY on Mother's Day, May 9, 1937, to the late Andrew N. and Florence G. (Beach) Houck. 
Marlene attended local schools and graduated from Niagara Falls High School.   She retired from The Carborundum Company as an Executive Secretary where she had worked for almost 25 years. She was previously employed at the New York Power  Authority and  Bell Aircraft.  Marlene earned her CPS (Certified Professional Secretary) rating in 1967 and was a member of the local chapter of National Secretaries Association for many years.
After retirement, she volunteered at Mary's Hospital, Artpark and with  Rivershore Inc. 
She also quilted many security blankets for Project Linus and kept many children warm with the scarves she knit and donated each Christmas. Marlene enjoyed counted cross-stitch, knitting, quilting and flower gardening.  She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, O. Leo Curtis Post No. 830, Ransomville, NY.
Marlene was the wife of  23 years to the late Carl R. Briggs, who passed away in 1996.    She  is survived by her brother Ronald G. Houck, a step-son  Kenneth ( Dorothe) Briggs,  three grandchildren Trent M.  (Donna) Briggs,  Jessica (Dr. Shahzad) Mustafa  and Stacy (Garet) Feldpausch, two great-granddaughters Amiya Rose Mustafa and Maria Elizabeth Feldpausch, four great-grandsons Naveed Mustafa, Ayan Mustafa, Caden Feldpausch and Julius Briggs and was the aunt of  Sandra (Wayne) Gleason, Lynn Houck, Desiree (Garth) Pratt, Nelson B. , Lawrence (Dawn), Bruce, Ronald  II, Richard  and Randolph (Debbie) Houck.   She was the sister of the late Nelson L. Houck, and step mother of the late Michael G. Briggs.
Her family will be present on Thursday from 3-4:00 PM at the RHONEY FUNERAL HOME, 901 Cayuga Street, LEWISTON, NY, where funeral services will be held at 4:00 PM.  
Memorials may be made in her name to the  Lewiston Fire Company #l. 
Interment in Maple Lawn Cemetery, Bolivar. NY

Family/Spouse: BRIGGS, Carl R. Carl died in 1996. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Andrew married BEACH, Florence Gertrude on 28 Jun 1924 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY. Florence (daughter of BEACH, Harvey and PARKER, Elizabeth) was born on 26 May 1906 in New York; died on 16 Dec 1996 in Town of Lewiston, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Niagara Gazette - 7/3/1924

A quiet but pretty wedding took
place At the Pierce Avenue Presby-
terian parsonage on Saturday morning,
at 10:30 o'clock, when Miss
Florence' Gertrude Beach, daughter
of Mr, and Mrs- Harvey Beach
of Willow avenue, was united In
marriage to Nelson Houck of Weston
avenue.
The bride wore a navy blue Poiret
twill suit and a hat to match, and
wore a corsage bouquet of sweet
peas.
The couple was attended by Mr.
and Mrs. Floyd Carmack.
After the ceremony a wedding
dinner was served at the Red Coach
Inn.
Mr. and Mrs. Houck, after an ex-
tended motor trip, will reside in
Penn Yan, N.Y.

Harvey + PARKER, Elizabeth. Elizabeth (daughter of PARKER, William and SMITH, Flora Ash) was born about 1873; died on 27 Jul 1958 in Ransomville, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Lockport NY Union Sun Journal - 7/28/1958

A former resident of Lockport,
Mrs. Elizabeth Beach Brainard,
85, died Sunday (July 27, 1958) at
Ransomville General Hospital.
Born on Navy Island In 1873, the
daughter of the late William and
Flora Ash Smith Parker. Mrs.
Brainard lived for 16 years at 77
Washburn St.. Lockport, before
moving to Niagara Falls several
years ago.
She is survived by four daughters,
Mrs. Roy Phipps, Olcott; Mrs.
Clyde Nelson, Wilson; Mrs. Andrew
Houck, Lewiston and Mrs.
Kenneth Woolcutt, Niagara Falls;
and a son George W. Beach, Niagara
Falls; a sister, Mrs. A. Vandenberg,
Kenosha, Wis., and a
brother, Joseph Parker, Hamilton.
Out . 12 grandchildren and 12
great grandchildren.
Services will be held Wednesday
afternoon at 1 at the Gridley Funeral
Home Inc. with the Rev.
Gordon R. Bender of Lockport officiating.
Burial will be in Budd
Cemetery, Warrens Corners.

William + SMITH, Flora Ash. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]