HELLO, my name is Jan McCulloch
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama.
When did you become a member of UMRA? 2015
What was your very first job? I was hired as a work study student my freshman year in college. I worked for an English professor and graded freshman English assignments. I was grateful for my high school English teachers who gave me the skills to be able to do this as soon as I got to college.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? Full professor in the Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development.
What was your first car? I didn’t own a car until I married. I loved the one we bought, a 1968 Ford Torino, deep blue and very fast. However, we were living in Mineral Wells, Texas, at the time and the car did not have air-conditioning. In the middle of the front seats there was a long metal bar. It was so hot one day that the bar blistered my back. Not such a great car after that!
If you could learn a new skill, what would you like it to be? Learning to ride and be safe on a touring motorcycle. The idea of taking road trips and back roads on a motorcycle seems a wonderful way to explore the world. But in my 50s, I chose photography over a motorcycle. I decided it was safer, but, as it’s turned out, maybe not less expensive, to focus on building my photography skills.
Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? When I visited during my interview in 2003, I saw the Peter Woytuk sculptures of the bulls on the St. Paul campus. I immediately felt at home, and the charm and beauty of the St. Paul campus has always delighted me. Many of my happiest memories have been in rural places, visiting family farms in northern Alabama during my childhood and working with my husband and his family on a dairy farm in southeastern Pennsylvania.
What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? I have been an amateur photographer for many years, focusing on nature and landscapes. I love the way I can get lost with photography. Whether I am in the field shooting or at home working on post processing, I relish the way the rest of the world falls away for a time and only the tasks at hand remain.
News
Make your own discoveries in Portugal in 2025 on this journey to medieval monasteries, fertile vineyards and cities that are equal parts history and modern energy. Deadline to express an interest is Friday June 7, 2024.
Spend eight nights in Madrid and Barcelona in 2025. Express your interest by June 7, 2024.
Embrace the colorful history of the Canadian Maritime provinces for 11 nights in 2025. Express your interest by June 7, 2024.
Spend four nights in Québec City in 2025. Express your interest by June 7, 2024.
Spend 9 nights on the Douro River in Portugal in 2025. Express your interest by June 7, 2024.
Embrace and explore Mexico City as it showcases all facets of Mexico’s national character in 2025. Deadline to express an interest is Friday, June 7, 2024.
Bright and bold living history awaits you in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida in 2025. Express your interest by June 7, 2024.
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: