Event Summary Archives

The Shoemaker’s Wife is a fictional story based on the author’s own grandparents’ experience.

At our March workshop, sleep expert Muna Irfan, M.D., offered an enlightening and useful presentation on sleep, sleep disorders, and ways to improve sleep.

At our March forum, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice (and U of M alumna) Lorie Gildea offered a comprehensive and compelling review of the state judicial system.

Educated, Tara Westover’s story of her journey from a childhood spent in an Idaho junkyard to higher education at Cambridge University, is an unsettling read for some.

Representatives from the Office of Human Resources gave an update on a pending change in vendor for the U’s pension plan.

Athletic Director Mark Coyle provided an engaging and candid presentation on the direction and accomplishments of the U’s Athletics department.

Three meditators started the workshop by describing what got them into mindfulness meditation and then offered testimonials to its benefits.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a compelling book on a repeating theme: dangers in the workplace or community that take too long to be recognized.

PBS correspondent and University of St. Thomas educator Fred de Sam Lazaro gave a marvelous presentation on his globe-spanning career as a broadcast journalist.

Ted Bowman, who specializes in helping individuals, families, organizations, and communities deal with loss, change, and transition, led the November UMRA Cares Committee workshop.

U of M political science professor Kathryn Pearson presented a comprehensive review of both the November midterm election results and the electorate, depicting voting behavior by turnout, gender, age, race, education, and region.

The Nest, a best-selling debut novel by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, stimulated much discussion.

Members of UMRA met with Abdul Omari, chair of the U’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee, on October 30 to express their views and ask questions about the search. Omari was both informative and candid.

In simple, almost poetic prose, Margaret Craven’s novel, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, tells the story of Mark Brian, a young Anglican vicar who is sent by his bishop to serve a First Nation parish in an isolated village in British Columbia.

During the business portion of our May 22 meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. in the West Wing of the Campus Club, members will elect UMRA’s leadership for 2018–19.

In an appearance that turned out to be unexpectedly timely, President Eric Kaler was the keynote speaker for UMRA’s 2018 Annual Meeting on May 22. He outlined major challenges facing the University, and provided updates on the U’s strategic plan and $4 billion capital campaign.

"The Professor’s House" by Willa Cather and "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles are reviewed.

“Eighty-three percent of all help provided for persons with Alzheimer’s and related diseases comes from family members,” Joseph Gaugler, a gerontologist and professor of long-term care, noted in his presentation following UMRA’s April luncheon.

“Eighty-three percent of all help provided for persons with Alzheimer’s and related diseases comes from family members,” Joseph Gaugler, a gerontologist and professor of long-term care, noted in his presentation following UMRA’s April luncheon.

Author delivers a riveting account of his parents’ determination to survive the chaotic events that took place during the reign of Robert Mugabe.

Prof. Erika Lee addressed the complicated nature of the United States’ approach to immigration and provided a “quick tour” of the country’s history of xenophobia, beginning in the mid 1700s.

Tech support available to retirees from the U’s Office of Information Technology and a demonstration of UMRA’s website were highlights of the workshop following UMRA’s March luncheon.

Minnesota is at the forefront of the “de-carbonization” of power, the result of both public policy and private sector leadership.

For those who like historical fiction and a “light” read with a happy ending, the UMRA Book Club recommends A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor.

What if you were always introduced by the worst thing you have ever done? UMRA’s February luncheon speaker, criminal justice advocate Emily Baxter, posed this provocative question to inspire us to think deeply about the “empathy and opportunity chasm” that exists between those who are caught and convicted of criminal offenses and the rest of us.

Reflecting on their impressions of The Homeplace by J. Drew Lanham, Book Club members select the quote: “I am as much a scientist as I am a black man; my skin defines me no more than my heart does. …I’ve yet to have a wild creature question my identity.”

A panel of UMRA members, led by Cares Committee chair Ron Anderson, shared stories about their individual journeys into retirement and what it is that gives them a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. The answer, in the words of one: “Enjoy life, do good, and try to add value.”

UMRA members who braved unplowed streets and parking challenges were treated to a fine presentation at our January luncheon by Vancouver native and U of M doctoral candidate Jessica Finlay, whose academic work is focused on human geography and social gerontology.

“Just thumbing through this book is enough to scare you.” See what UMRA Book Club members say about it.

Participants in UMRA’s November workshop learned about the challenges of caregiving among older adults and the variety of services offered for adult caregivers by the Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, including Tai Ji Quan, a specially designed balance training regimen.