HELLO, my name is Vicki Gaylord
Hometown: River Falls, Wisconsin
When did you join UMRA? 2020
What was your very first job? When I was nine years old, I mowed the neighbor lady’s yard that summer for 50 cents a time. I used a rotary mower that was taller than me. After a few times she came to me and apologetically said she was giving the job to the teenage boy in the neighborhood, who charged $5 a time; her reason was, “because he asked me, and he’s a boy.”
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? In 1988, I was hired as the first publications coordinator for the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. I was tasked with managing and growing ICI’s just-established Publications Office, which provided publishing and communications support for ICI projects and centers. I held that position for 32 years.
What are a couple highlights of your work at ICI that stand out in your memory? One of my roles was managing editor of ICI’s flagship publication Impact. Over the years, I worked with 1,000+ individuals from around the world who authored the personal stories, research, best practices, and big-picture perspectives published in its pages. Among my most meaningful experiences in that role were when people contacted me about using Impact in their work or personal lives.
For instance, when we published a feature issue on violence against women with disabilities, the U.S. Air Force included it in a resource guide on sexual and domestic violence placed on every USAF base worldwide. When we released the issue on the justice system and people with disabilities, the International Association of Chiefs of Police promoted it to its 45,000 members. And when we put out the issue on inclusive K–12 education, a Midwestern mom called asking for copies to distribute at her local school board meeting as she advocated for her child’s educational rights.
You are an active member of UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG). How did you become interested in family history and the group? As I retired, we were in COVID lockdown and my plans for retirement activities went on hold. So, I started sorting through 200 years’ worth of family photos, documents, and other things I’d inherited from earlier generations who’d been preserving our family history. I contacted cousins I hadn’t seen for decades to ask family history questions, and that evolved into a recurring Cousins Chat virtual gathering in which we shared family history stories. I created family history slide shows for the cousins, which became Zoom videos we passed on to children and grandchildren.
FHIG gave me the opportunity to do some of those presentations to that group, as well. It’s been a terrific way to turn the limitations of the pandemic into something of lasting value in my family and perhaps beyond.
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? I witnessed the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.
News
Meet UMRA member and statistics Professor Emeritus Sandy Weisberg. His work in “regression analysis” is the direct ancestor of predictive artificial intelligence. His first job was renting televisions to patients in the now-defunct Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles.
The UMRA-sponsored Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays is seeking a new editor-in-chief who can promote the e-publication, solicit authors, and ensure JOIE’s continued success.
Volunteer work is usually evaluated according to “replacement rate” figures based on hourly wages. But the data on hours contributed and people served are just the notes on the page; the music is in the human spirit behind and beyond them.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center Leadership Council has elected two new members, including UMRA member Scott Elton (pictured), and re-elected four members for second, three-year terms.
UMRA is excited to announce the launch of a new member portal in late April. This web-based, member management software system is hosted by a company called WildApricot and will replace the current member portal at retirees.umn.edu, where you currently renew your membership and sign up for events.
The new portal simplifies and more efficiently manages many essential tasks for UMRA, including enrolling new members, updating member records, registering event attendees, and processing payments.
I have developed a special interest in my seventh great grandfather, Michael Pierce… Putting together the pieces of Michael’s life has been an interesting journey, even if at times complicated and confusing. I have learned to evaluate sources that tell different stories and cannot agree on what one might think are basic facts like when and where someone was born. I have learned to accept and live with these and other ambiguities.
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:
At a contentious meeting March 14, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved a resolution restricting University units from issuing statements “of public concern or public interest.” Several dozen faculty and students present vehemently protested the resolution.
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2025–26 will be conducted via an online poll from May 12 to 18, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 20. Sally Gregory Kohlstedt leads the slate of nominees as president-elect. She came to the University of Minnesota in 1989 as a professor and associate dean, and retired in 2018.
Meet UMRA member Vicki Gaylord. In her 32-year career at the Institute of Community Integration, a U of M Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people around the world.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center is seeking candidates to serve on the URVC Leadership Council. The council meets six times per year to identify opportunities for volunteer projects and develop strategies for growing and supporting volunteer participation.
Deanne Magnusson was raised in a family in which education and volunteerism were encouraged. She earned three degrees at the U of M, and enjoyed a career working in education with leaders and schools in Minnesota and across the world. These experiences, and her volunteer work today with URVC, continue to transform her as an educator and as a person.