HELLO, my name is Russell Luepker
Hometown: I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in a community called Roseland, where Barack Obama was later a community organizer.
When did you join UMRA? Two years ago.
What was your very first job? I worked as a stock boy for Alliance Leather Novelties on the west side of Chicago. My duties were many.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? I was Mayo Professor of Public Health. I was teaching two classes in clinical research and leading NIH studies. I also served on and chaired local, national, and international professional committees.
What inspired you to combine medicine and public health? My father died suddenly at age 51 due to hypertension. As I completed my training in cardiology, I decided to focus on hypertension at the population level. This combined medicine and epidemiology.
Describe a pivotal time or person who influenced the course of your career. I spent a year during medical school as an NIH research fellow in Sweden with Professor Edvard Varnauskas, head of cardiology at Göteborgs universitet. He taught me the scientific method. I was also fortunate to have Paul Yu, at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Richard Warbasse at Johns Hopkins, and Eugene Braunwald at Harvard as mentors.
If you could learn a new skill, what would you like it to be? Or, if you were an Olympic athlete, what would you like your sport to be? I would like to speak a foreign language better. Basketball, a team sport.
Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? I like my office at WBOB [West Bank Office Building].
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? I have chartered sailboats around the world with friends from Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turkey, and many other places.
What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? We now have our 17-year-old grandson living with us. Raising teens again.
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:
Meet UMRA member Millie Woodbury, a lifelong world traveler whose favorite place on campus is Aisle C, Seat 24, at Northrop Auditorium.
Eight retirees from the Twin Cities and Morris campuses have been chosen to receive 2024 awards from UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees Program. As in previous years, their projects cover a diverse set of topics, reflecting the breadth of studies and continuing professional activities undertaken by University retirees.