HELLO, my name is Cherie Hamilton
Hometown: I was born in Manhattan, lived in Brooklyn until age 6, and then moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where I grew up, went to school, college, and married. My husband, Russell, and I moved to Brazil for two-plus years when he was doing research for his doctoral thesis while a graduate student at Yale.
When did you become a member of UMRA? In 2009.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? Director of recruitment and staffing services at Vanderbilt University. Earlier in my career, I was EEO representative and manager of recruitment for General Mills, where I directed college recruiting of MBAs and electrical and mechanical engineers.
Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? The McNamara Alumni Center, home of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), where for the past 13 years I have been an active member, including two years as president. I have enjoyed working with fellow OLLI members, both on campus and off, including five OLLI trips I arranged and led to Portugal and Brazil.
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? I am fluent in Portuguese and taught in Brazil (high school math and English) and later served as an interpreter in Angola and Belgium. I also spent four summers as a guest lecturer at Middlebury Language School in Vermont. Something else little known about me is that I was first violinist and concert mistress (first female and first minority) for the Johnson Junior Symphony in New Haven.
What is something you currently enjoy doing? Reading mysteries, watching old movies, cooking international cuisines, traveling, and learning about new cultures. I also knit blankets for preemies and newborns at the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital.
News
Declining government funding, inflation, loss of purchasing power, low birthrates, and lack of trust in the nation’s institutions have combined to create a confidence crisis in higher education not seen for decades. Minnesota is no exception.
Since its inception 40 years ago, the University Retirees Volunteer Center has focused on identifying where help is needed within the University community and has provided opportunities for thousands of retirees to use their skills, experience, and interests to help address those needs.
Meet UMRA member Nancy Carpenter. She grew up in the American heartland; nevertheless, she was surprised by the frigid, snow-covered landscape when she visited Minnesota for the first tine to interview for a job teaching chemistry at UMN Morris.
UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees are intended to support projects related to University of Minnesota retirees' research, instructional or work history, or new scholarly interests that contribute to the academic reputation of the University.
After working decades in communications for the U’s Center for Transportation Studies, Pam Snople perks up whenever she sees transportation news. It’s usually the salacious stuff that makes the headlines. But, behind the scenes, vehicle automation research keeps rolling along — including key work by UMN researchers.
Renée Good was killed in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge. One month later, a community memorial to mourn her death and celebrate her life was held. Susan Ranney attended the ceremony and wrote an evocative essay on the service, which was published recently in UMRA’s Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays.
Professor Emeritus Alan Kagan has played many roles in his nearly 30 years of service with the University Retirees Volunteer Center. From assisting with phone calls to becoming office manager and eventually serving on and chairing the Volunteer Center’s board, Kagan helped build the organization into the robust operation it is today.
We’re already getting organized to identify and recruit members to step into leadership roles in 2027. As a well-informed and engaged UMRA member, you are invited to play a role in the process.
I’ve been an UMRA member for more than a decade and each year I’m impressed anew by the energy and dedication of the volunteers who do the work of the organization. I invite you to join in their efforts. But if that’s not possible, there’s something else you can do to help support UMRA: Renew your membership.
You don’t have to go far, and you don’t have to drink coffee. It’s the conversation that matters. It’s a new, experimental effort being organized by the wizards of UMRA; a meet-up of members who live in the same zip code.
UMRA will be collecting hats, mittens, and scarves at our November 17 Luncheon Forum to help keep Minnesota kids warm this winter.