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
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.