Event Summary Archives

Set in the 1600s in a small town in Puritan New England, 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of sin, cowardice, and survival. Members of the UMRA Book Club found the writing to be laborious, riddled with many words no longer in use, and wondered why the novel was on high school reading lists.

Cognitive impairment will happen to many of us as we age. Understanding why and how and what can be done about the changes related to aging was the focus of UMRA’s March 19 workshop with neurologist Paul Schanfield, MD. The good news is, we don’t use the word “senile” any more.

In 'The Other Einstein,' an historical novel about the life of Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Marić, author Marie Benedict speculates that Marić contributed significantly to the papers and relativity theory that are attributed to Einstein. The book raises several questions.

UMRA members attending the February 27 UMRA Forum enjoyed an honest and refreshing conversation with guest speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and an honors graduate of the U of M Law School.

If you’ve never felt a twinge of pain in your knee and wondered whether a knee replacement was in your future, you’re one of very few older adults. Fortunately for UMRA members, renowned U of M orthopedic surgeon Elizabeth Arendt, MD, generously shared some of her expertise in diseases of the knee for our February workshop. Among her recommendations for self-care: “Fitness and strengthening, and a heavy dose of common sense.”

For our Armchair Traveler Program on January 24, 2024, Kate Maple took us to western Iceland.  Her photos are incredible and her descriptions are informative and poetic.  She and her friend and traveling companion Michelle Schermann had an amazing experience exploring some lesser-known parts of Iceland and we had an amazing experience hearing all about it and seeing amazing pictures.

Pat Miles and her husband thought they were set for life. But when he died abruptly after a short illness, she discovered they were not set for death. Eventually, she reached out to other widows and then wrote a book about the lessons she learned from their shared experiences.

Set in the Northwoods of Minnesota, 'Fox Creek,' the 19th book in the Cork O’Connor mystery series by William Kent Krueger, is about the conflict between Native and white people in the use of natural resources in both the U.S. and Canada.

For the first time in history, there will soon be more people over the age of 65 than under, and they will need an increasing number of people to care for them. Investigating how to increase the healthspan of older adults is the goal of Dr. Laura Niedernhofer and her geroscience research team at the U of M.

Knowing your family’s medical history is important for everyone, especially as we become more aware of the role played by genetics in many medical conditions. See this video of Michelle Casey, previously a senior research fellow in the School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy & Management, as she presents her trek through family medical history.

There are just over 30,000 undergraduates today at the U of M, and in some ways the campuses are more or less back to normal post-pandemic. But more than one-third of all students report some degree of food insecurity, and mental health challenges are increasing.

Bugs, human rights, and children’s tantrums. What do these have in common? University of Minnesota retirees received awards from UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program to continue their work in these fields.

The topic covered by this well-researched and carefully documented history is depressing but very important as the battle between democracy and autocracy continues around the world today.

Overview of all your important financial decisions from taxes to trusts and health care directives.

Regent Mary Davenport, chair of the U of M Presidential Search Advisory Committee, met with members of UMRA on October 20 to share information about the search process and invite input regarding the qualities that are essential to a good president.

Open Enrollment for the University’s health insurance plans for next year is November 1–30. Those who already have University plans can continue with those plans, switch to other University plans, or leave the University plans. However, if you leave the University’s plans, you cannot return.

This Family Reunion Project is about sharing family stories and learning about surprising family connections. I asked everyone to write an essay, prior to coming, about growing up in the Revell family.  The compilation of essays from three generations that was distributed at the reunion has become a family keepsake.

U of M Regents Mary Turner and Penny Wheeler provided an engaging and personal exchange about their roles as new members of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents during UMRA’s special forum on October 4.

Professor Jill Hasday, the guest speaker for UMRA’s September luncheon forum, deftly explained the evolution of abortion and affirmative action law in the United States over the past century. Great questions from the audience circled around whether the Supreme Court is more partisan than in the past, and the implications of these recent decisions for Minnesota.

Funding Long Term Nursing care as an ongoing issue. There are a number of factors that will determine if LTC insurance is right for you – your age, health, retirement goals, income and assets.

Enjoy the recording of UMRA’s first Armchair Traveler program of 2023–24. Nanette Hanks shared fabulous pictures and information about the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Tom O'Toole told us about his return visit to Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Half of all people in their 60s have some hearing loss, and most people in their 80s have significant loss. Shockingly, only 30 percent of people who would benefit from hearing aids actually use them.

This presentation was recorded at Carlson School. Topics included IRS compliant ways to make qualified charitable distributions (QCD) from your IRA or rollover IRA; funding gifts to Minors and other gifts; plus more.

The UMRA Book Club discussion of Elizabeth Zott’s novel brought to light several real-life examples of discrimination against women close to home, including their exclusion from full participation in the University of Minnesota Marching Band until 1972 and the landmark Rajender v. University of Minnesota sex discrimination lawsuit filed in 1973.

Although it represents exhaustive research and is engrossing, Lisa See’s novel about a young woman who becomes a tea entrepreneur in China and the daughter she gives up for adoption by a family in Southern California drew mixed reactions from members of UMRA’s Book Club I.

Carson McCullers’ debut novel enjoyed a rapid rise to the top of the bestseller lists when first published in 1940, and ranks high on many current lists of best novels. But members of UMRA’s Book Club I found it to be dark and bleak and would not recommend the book to others.

On Wednesday June 28th, over eighty UMRA members and their guests gathered in the shade of the Como Park pavilion to catch up with old friends and colleagues and welcome new members.  And after lunch, THE QUIZ! Competition was fierce, and merriment abounded.

In a presentation that intrigued college sports fans and non-fans alike, UMRA’s May 2023 Forum provided an overview of the current state of University athletics and historic changes that have occurred in intercollegiate athletics in the past two years.

The power of friendship, the destructive impact of war, and genuine appreciation of the natural world are the overriding themes in this quirky, historical novel about an unlikely expedition by two women in search of an elusive golden beetle.