Steven E Morrell:  

Lets see ... How to sum up 30 years without being boring ... I held a lot of different jobs, most of them pretty hum-drum and I'd like to forget about. Along the way I held several jobs for the government. My least favorite was Eligibility Interviewer for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, interviewing and determining eligibility for food stamps, general assistance, emergency assistance, AHCCCS, etc. Ugh! There were a few clerk/typist jobs for Maricopa County, all for one division or another of Health Services. I also worked as a Licensing Clerk for Maricopa County Animal Control, also a division of Health Services. I later worked as a Justice Court Clerk. I was originally hired for a special project that was part of a pilot program. I really enjoyed this particular job because I got to work pretty much independently, and the assignment involved a lot of detail-oriented multitasking. I had to watch out for a lot of different things all at the same time. I developed a set of procedures I liked to follow, and a few of these eventually became standard procedure for everyone. When Admin decided that the court clerks needed somebody they could call when they had a question about procedure (a help desk), I was appointed to train the assistant administrator who would be the help desk for the criminal case clerks. Sometimes, I would get farmed out to one of the courts to cover for a clerk who was on vacation, or to temporarily fill a vacancy until a permanent clerk could be hired to fill it. At one time or another, I worked on every type of case heard in a Justice of the Peace court. I later went to work as a regular Justice Court Clerk, working the misdemeanor desk. At this point, the guy I trained as the help desk became ... my helpdesk. In practice, I was still one of two people he called when he had questions. The other person he called was the Chief Clerk at the court where I was working. For cross-training purposes, most of us were later shifted to a different, unrelated desk, and I ended up on the domestic violence caseload (Orders of Protection and Injunctions Prohibiting Harassment, the so-called "restraining orders"). Then the precinct borders were redrawn, and this meant that a lot of cases had to be transferred to the court that now had jurisdiction over the address at issue. Because of the shift in caseloads, some courts ended up with too many clerks, and other courts didn't have enough. Because I was actually cross-trained in all JP court case categories, I was transferred to another court where I worked the domestic violence caseloads, as well as the small claims cases. I later went on to work as a sort of freelance victim advocate, taking on some pretty big bullies on behalf of my clients. This brought on a lot of government watchdog work, and I got an insider reputation with local government as someone they really didn't want to tangle with (they tried, and it really backfired on them, big-time). Now I hold a seat on an advisory council for one of the AHCCCS insurance plans. Within AHCCCS guidelines, we try to make the insurance plan as member-friendly as possible. For part of this, we review each edition of the member handbook to make sure members can find the information they're looking for, and check the wording to make sure it's written in clear, everyday language. We also develop programs to remind members to go to the doctor for annual wellness exams, take their kids in for their immunizations and boosters, and other reminders for members with specific medical conditions, such as diabetes. We educate members to know when to go to the ER, when to instead go to an urgent care facility, and when its best to go directly to their doctor. We also promote member self-advocacy: we provide helpful guidelines to make the most of every doctor visit (no matter whether its an office visit, or a visit to the ER or urgent care); to know their rights as a patient; to stick up for themselves and their family members; and who to contact with their concerns or complaints when they feel something isn't right. Recently (May 2010), the DEA shut down the offices of a valley doctor and a chain of pharmacies in connection with their investigation of complaints of prescription fraud and other serious charges that have resulted or contributed in the deaths of several people. Most of the complaints were levied because the patients and their families were observant enough to know that things weren't being done properly or were for some other reason questionable, and they knew who to take their concerns and complaints to. It's staggering to think of how many more people could have died or been harmed if these medical charlatans hadn't been stopped. I have to change the subject before I go on and on about this ... After high school, I continued my creative pursuits. Sophomore year, I was active in the Drama Department, and later took drama class with Mr. Snow. I got involved in community theater, and in the summer of '78, took my first steps from church pageants and school plays into the real deal. I was in six plays (South Pacific; The Taming of the Shrew; Jackie and the Beanstalk; Damn Yankees; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; and Shiedelmeyer), a couple of Reviews, one Halloween scare shop, and an arts film that will probably never be seen. Alhambra alumni would be interested in knowing that for one year, the AHS Theater doubled as Phoenix Theater West, then for another year was the home of its successor, Musical Theater Showcase. We did quality work while we had the chance, and it was all due to the hard work of Alhambra's very own drama coach, Fred Snow. Thank you, Fred, for everything you did for us, and for sharing your vision with us. We came together as a community and worked magical and musical wonders to behold. It's funny that when I auditioned for South Pacific in '78, I didn't think myself a dancer. I had been pretty good when I was younger, but I had forgotten all about it. I was surprised when the choreographer approached me two weeks before opening night, wanting to know why I hadn't been coming to dance rehearsal. I didn't know I was on the dance team. He was really upset. He said I was one of his "best movers." It was too late to work me in, but he had me understudy every male dancer, "just in case someone gets run over backstage by a steamroller." At almost the last minute, one of the dancers dropped out, and I was instantly multicast. Both parts and being a dancer didn't conflict or create any problems, except for one really hectic costume and make-up ch...Expand for more