Event Summary

Health sciences in the spotlight

UMRA’s September Living Well Workshop will feature Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs. She is an internationally recognized cancer surgeon-scientist who also brings considerable leadership and administrative experience. 

Book Notes | ‘ The Secret Book of Flora Lea’ by Patti Callahan Henry

Event Date: September 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM

Overall, our group liked 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' with its rich descriptions and happy ending. We also talked about the heart-wrenching removal of 1.5 million people from British towns and cities over three days in September 1939.

Strategies for managing the ups and downs of sleep

Event Date: September 17, 2026, at 8:30 AM

Questions and comments on topics ranging from consistent bedtimes to the use of CPAP machines and over-the-counter sleep aids contributed to an engaging and goodhearted discussion for the UMRA Breakfast meeting on September 17.

Minnesota Genealogical Society

Event Date: September 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM

Mike, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, provided a brief overview of the library, the society and the many volunteers who help maintain it and entertained questions about the Society.

Book Notes | ‘Buckeye’ by Patrick Ryan

Event Date: August 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM

The book chronicles the lives of three generations of two families living in Ohio in the mid 20th-century. Midway through the book, the reader learns that the two families are connected in a most unusual way.

Book Notes | ‘The Silent Patient’

Event Date: July 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM

Referred to as a psychological thriller, this New York Times best-selling novel by Alex Michaelides is narrated by the lead character, a psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with a woman who, after being found guilty of murdering her husband, has chosen not to speak.

Book Notes | ‘In Winter’s Kitchen’

Event Date: June 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM

'In Winter’s Kitchen' by award-winning food writer and author Beth Dooley is part memoir and part guidebook. It is a story about discovering community-based agriculture and finding delicious, healthy food even during winter. Autobiographical information about the author is woven into each chapter of the book.

Meet the U’s chief academic officer and Twin Cities campus provost

Executive Vice President and Provost Gretchen Ritter will discuss her role and offer reflections on her first year at the University of Minnesota as the featured speaker for the UMRA Luncheon Forum on May 19 at Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville. The forum will be preceded by UMRA’s 2026 Annual Meeting.

Book Notes | ‘The Alchemy of Us’

Event Date: May 15, 2026, at 2:00 PM

The things we take for granted required materials and humans working together to develop inventions including the telegraph, steel, medical treatments, photographic techniques, and the electronic devices we now depend on in our daily lives.

An advocate for gun violence prevention

UMRA’s Living Well Workshop on May 12 will feature Megan Walsh from the University of Minnesota Law School for a presentation on efforts to prevent gun violence through lawsuits designed to address unlawful practices in selling, manufacturing, or advertising firearms.

The changing role of art museums

Ever wonder what goes on behind the shiny walls of the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus? What its mission is, and how the museum staff and its collections relate with our community? Join us for UMRA’s April 28 luncheon forum at Midland Hills and hear Weisman Art Director Alejandra Peña Gutiérrez explain it all.

“No, Manchester is not the ‘armpit of England’” with Ilene Dawn Alexander

Event Date: April 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM

Ilene Dawn Alexander did a fabulous presentation on April 22, 2026, for the UMRA Armchair Traveler program.

Keeping up with technology is a daunting responsibility

Event Date: April 16, 2026, at 8:30 AM

“You are the chief information officer of you and your family. A daunting responsibility,” Frank Preese told fellow UMRA members who attended the April UMRA breakfast meeting to discuss keeping up with technology and learn from his expert advice and each other.

Writing our lives

UMRA’S March workshop will explore how to transform your memories, including those that have faded with time, into lively true stories. It will also show you how to reflect on them, how to express how you felt, and how to connect your stories to the values and beliefs you want to pass on.

How the University is navigating current legal and policy challenges

University of Minnesota General Counsel Douglas Peterson will be the featured speaker for UMRA’s March 24 luncheon forum. He will speak about how the University is addressing its latest challenges and opportunities involving law.