Event Summary Archives
Event Summary Archives
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Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota including my grandfather, whose unusual relationship to several churches, and religion in general, was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
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When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
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UMRA’s first Living Well Workshop for 2026 featured McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor of Psychology Moin Syed who explored how personal and cultural narratives shape identity over time. Syed explained how our memories function as stories, through which we understand ourselves, and are continually interpreted and reinterpreted over time.
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In William Alexander’s humorous memoir, readers are taken on a wild ride as he searches for the recipe and technique to replicate—from scratch—the “perfect bread.” He tries his hand at growing, harvesting, and threshing the wheat, attends a kneading conference in Maine, and even enrolls in a week-long bourlangerie class at the École Ritz Escoffier in Paris.
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A large group of UMRA members gathered at the Original Pancake House in Edina in early January for a discussion led by UMRA member Frank Cerra, MD, former dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and senior vice president of the U’s Academic Health Center, who retired from the University in 2011.
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Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin turns personal in this illuminating memoir of the unparalleled 1960s and the life she shared with her husband of 42 years, Richard “Dick” Goodwin, speech writer and confidant of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy.
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Cathy Lee Gierke presented photos about her cruise on the Rhine river, Italian Switzerland, and Lake Como -- and the history, culture and geology along the way.
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Academic freedom and freedom of speech are being challenged by the current federal administration in ways that are upending norms and directly affecting institutions of higher education across the country.
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After my grandmother gave birth to her ninth child, my grandfather ran off with another woman. They were caught living together in a small town 250 miles away. This presentation will describe the three main characters and what happened next.
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Damien Fair, PhD, offered a terrific presentation at the University of Minnesota Retirees Association luncheon forum on October 28. The audience of nearly 110 members and friends of UMRA paid close attention as he outlined an optimizing career path that led to his current research and program development at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain.
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Wellbeing has six dimensions that range from health and relationships to community and purpose. It is not the absence of stress, but dealing with it through mindfulness.
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See this recording of Fin & Legal session on how the new "OHR Exchange" can assist?
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Author Janet Horvath was the associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1980 until 2012. The thrust of this story is about the her journey to uncover her father’s depravations during World War II, when he was forcibly relocated to a labor camp along with thousands of other Hungarian Jews.
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UMRA’s September 2025 Forum featured Beth Dooley, award-winning food writer, columnist, prolific cookbook author, and emerging voice for agricultural sustainability. She shared her own journey in thinking about food, drawing from her forthcoming book, 'In Summer’s Kitchen.'
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See the recording of David Foster, CFP©, CRPC©, CRPS©. Vice President, Senior Wealth Planner discussing Longevity, Distributions, Long Term Care, Social Security and Comprehensive planning
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Ann Hill Duin and her husband Doug Duin shared their recent “bucket list” tour of “Egypt: Temples, Tombs, Time.” Bill and Sheryl Lazarus took us on "A Tour of Lebanon, 2022." See the video.
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Figurative language, including personifications of animals and inanimate objects, give "West with the Night," a memoir by Beryl Markham, a poetic quality. As Ernest Hemingway said, “…She can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers—it really is a bloody wonderful book.”
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The UMRA workshop on September 16 featured representatives from the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources and from Via Benefits, who introduced UMRA members to the changes that are coming now that the University will no longer be offering group health insurance plans for Medicare-eligible retirees. The hope is that the individual marketplace will offer expanded choice, lower premiums, and a more streamlined process.
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View the video presentation by R. Linus Chan, Professor of Clinical Law, Andy Whitman, Carlson School’s Partners, and Scott Whitman, Immigration Attorney.
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When the UMRA breakfast group met in September, we had a full house of book lovers, and a lively discussion about books we are currently reading, and favorite reads. The genres ranged from non-fiction history to mystery and fantasy. The group created a list (attached) of these books, with the author and genre. For more information about the book list or the UMRA breakfasts, please contact Lynn Slifer ([email protected]) or Bill Donohue ([email protected]).
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Watch the video below to hear how Ilene Alexander, while searching for information about her ancestors, became part of a “Not Parent Expected” category of people whose DNA test brought unexpected discoveries.
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Do you love the Minnesota State Fair and want to know more about its history? Then 'Blue Ribbon' by Karal Ann Marling, U of M professor emerita of American art and culture, is your chance.
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More than 40 UMRA members practiced skills for listening and sharing perspectives during a special workshop held at the Ramsey Country Library in Roseville in July and led by Braver Angels co-founder Bill Doherty.
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Written by New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid, "Daisy Jones & the Six" is about the rise of a fictional rock and roll band in the 1970s. It is also now a limited series available on Amazon Prime.
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A storehouse of information, author John Boyce Upholt’s 2024 book is an ambitious take on the geological, hydrological, ecological, sociological, political, and historical story of the “mighty Mississippi.”
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Author Ariel Lawhon's book of historical fiction is based on the real life of Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer in 1789 colonial Maine. Members of the UMRA Book Club liked the first-person narrative with Martha telling the story. Also, the descriptions of the woods and landscape, the Ballard mill, and the Kennebec River. It is a good read.
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It is not the level of one’s intelligence that makes people vulnerable to financial scams. But thinking you’re immune to scams can make you more vulnerable. And, despite efforts to make people aware of financial scams, fraud losses are increasing exponentially, according to Jay Haapala, head of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network and the guest presenter for UMRA’s May 2025 Living Well Workshop.
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The April 23, 2025 Armchair Traveler Program featured Ceeya Patton-Bolman sharing insights, maps, and photos based on her 20 years of experience in Rwanda, and Gene Allen sharing pictures, maps, and information about the British Columbia Coast and its San Juan and Gulf Islands.
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Rick Huebsch, Associate VP for Research, Technology Commercialization at UMN, discussed UMN Technology Commercialization. Tech Comm facilitates the transfer of UMN innovation beyond the research lab, to benefit the public good, foster economic growth, and generate revenue to support the University's mission.
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Author Adrian Nicole LeBlanc spent 10 years hanging out in the Bronx with one loosely defined family, while she tracked its fate. Most UMRA Book Club members thought LeBlanc’s “unflinching documentary” provided more questions than answers.
Event Presentation Media Archives
Event Presentation Media Archives
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