Hello, my name is Alice A. Larson
Hometown: Brown City, Michigan
When did you join UMRA? In 2021.
What was your very first job? I was a waitress in a restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? I’m a professor emeritus in pharmacology and neuroscience in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Who or what inspired your interest in (studying and teaching) creativity? After many years working with graduate students, I realized that we expect them to be innovative and think “outside the box,” but we offer no formal training in approaches to becoming more creative. In fact, faculty as well as students, regardless of their area of interest, could use more of the techniques that have been found to be successful in expanding creative thinking.
What happens to "creative muscle" as we age? The initial aging process that influences creativity is from the age of about 7 or 8 years old to adulthood. Creativity declines as our formal education promotes critical thinking and memorizing (the “right” answer) while minimizing creative thought (many possible answers).
In older adults, our creative muscle is not necessarily diminished by age, but the importance of it in evaluating the world increases. This is because we become more easily influenced by, and less likely to be skeptical of, ideas that appear to be consistent with our lifelong learned schemas. This is the basis of older adults being easily scammed. Luckily, techniques to enhance the intentional use of creative thinking can be learned just as easily in healthy older individuals as in children.
If you were competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, what would you like your sport to be? Karate.
Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? My midmorning breaks followed the sidewalk encircling the St. Paul Campus. It’s the perfect distance to unwind.
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? I used to be fluent—and I still read—Dutch, but I speak it poorly now. Call me if you can help me brush up on it.
What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? I have an apartment in the New York City area, where I’m taking art classes at the Hoboken Public Library, in person when I’m there and online when I’m back in Minnesota.
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: