May, 2015 Luncheon Speaker
Tue, May 26 2015, 11:30am
Campus Club ABC
Dr. Vern (Evert Lavern) Sutton returns to the UMRA stage to speak and perform at our special annual Gala luncheon may 26.
Vern confesses that from his very early school-year experiences, he learned that he loved to be on stage. As soon as first grade, when he played Baby Bear in the play about Goldilocks, the "roar of the crowd" had hooked him on singing and performing.
Throughout his career, he has juggled life, very successfully, both as a professor and performer. Having earned a bachelor's degree from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and a master's and Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Minnesota, he spent another 36 years (1967-2003) on the faculty of the University's School of Music.
Vern Sutton's contributions to the music scene in Minnesota have been numerous. In 1963 he was a founding member of the Center Opera Company, which later became the well-known and beloved Minnesota Opera. He directed the University's Opera Theater and School of Music for 30 years.
Around town, he appeared as a guest on Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" show for 13 years; he acted in the Guthrie Theater's Christmas Carol for five seasons and appeared in the Guthrie's 1776 production. In addition he created "Opera on the Farm" and brought opera to many rural communities in the Midwest.
After retiring from the University he became artistic director of Opera in the Ozarks in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
He is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics from Dickens to Oscar Wilde to the History of Opera. At our May luncheon he will treat us to talk and song about the "Music of the Ziegfeld Follies."
Come and enjoy this year's annual meeting and program— the capstone to a very successful year of UMRA programming.
— Jean Kinsey, President-elect
May Meeting and Festive Luncheon features
your choice among three entrées
(Please be sure to indicate your menu selection
when you send in your reservations.)
Social
Come early and mingle with friends and colleagues.
Wine and beer cash bar opens at 11:30 a.m.; lunch is served at noon.
A program featuring Vern Sutton, professor emeritus and "Prairie Home Companion" musician, will follow the brief business meeting.
Menu
All meals are served with fresh baked bread and seasonal vegetables. please select one entrée from the following:
1. Balsamic Rosemary Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast marinated with garlic and rosemary. Pan-seared and finished with chicken demi-glace and balsamic reduction. Served over Campus Club pilaf. Gluten-free and dairy-free option.
2. Pan-Seared Canadian Walleye: the most popular Campus Club menu item, the walleye is lightly seasoned and topped with local herb butter and lemon. Served with herbed potatoes.
Gluten-free option.
3. Rainbow Chard and Wild Rice Dolmades: Minnesota wild rice mixed with roasted vegetables and herbs and rolled in rainbow chard leaves. Served with dried fruit compote. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan options.
Finale for all: Assorted organic cookies, fresh brewed coffee and water will be served.
Deadline for reservations: Monday, May 18
Please rush your reservations with your entrée selections and check for $30 for each reservation to:
UMRA May Reservations
c/o Judy Leahy Grimes
1937 Palace Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105-1728
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.