Community Honors Lois Mahaney

Prepared by R. Taggart in collaboration with Liz Salada

The community of Hayward, CA presented an Awards Program honoring Lois Mahaney as one of its STAR volunteers on October 24, 1996. Each of the community leaders was chosen to celebrate the twenty years that the City of Hayward has honored its volunteers. The printed program proclaimed:

“Each STAR strengthens the fabric of community life … and benefits all of us.”

Describing Lois, the printed program went on to state, “Her quiet presence and sense of humor are great in any enterprise.”

Many of us know Lois as the longtime editor of The Vital Force, Journal of T’ai Chi Chih. She continues to serve VFJ and the T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) community as Resource Correspondent. She is responsible for the compilation and production of the TCC Teachers’ Directory, but she also serves in many other ways, spending countless hours making sure the TCC community stays connected through her outreach/referral measures.

Lois has been involved with The Vital Force journal since it’s inception. She continues to oversee the mailing of VFJ, hosting the quarterly gathering where volunteers collate materials, and then stamp, label and stuff the mailing envelopes (see back page). Over the years she has been instrumental in providing an environment for SF Bay Area TCC teachers to gather, using her home as a focal point for TCC-related events.

Lois, who turns 80 this year, actively teaches TCC in her local community and sponsors “Practice in the Park” every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. She manages three newsletters both national and local, does voter service as a board member of the League of Women Voters, and takes on projects for AAUW. A retired school teacher who still occasionally substitutes, she pursues many projects with the California Retired Teachers Association.

The T’ai Chi Chih family takes special joy in celebrating Lois’ service to her community, and congratulates her on this special recognition of her devoted work.