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Faculty & Librarian Retirees' Association, University of Windsor,
April, 1995. Issue#12
Mozart's
Don Giovanni
at the
Masonic Temple, Detroit
2 p.m. Sunday, April 30th, 1995
The Michigan Opera Company
John LaGaipa advises: Seniors at half price if there one hour early. Meet for
rides at usual rendezvous: N&D lot on Grand Marais West at 12.15 p.m. After
the show, plan to go to dinner at Stewart's. Afterward, we may go to
someone's house for coffee. If so, be prepared to kick in $1 p.p. to defray
costs. Any volunteers for the venue? Phone John at 966-2350
THE BEST SEASON: from about May 1 to May 14. Hundreds will come to Point Pelee and Pelee Island to watch birds migrate. Go with Paul Pratt, Windsor's Ojibway Park Naturalist.
You don't have to be an expert. You'll meet friendly people and have fun. Paul meets groups early a.m. and they hike till noon or 1p.m. Then lunch together and some continue in the aft.
HERE'S THE SCHEDULE: WEDNESDAY hikes: meet 0830 at the Nature Centre at Point Pelee:April 26, May 3, May 17. $18 (ask for the Seniors Discount).
SATURDAY hikes: Call 966-5852 about the time and place to meet: probably a different place each Sat.: April 8th, 22nd, 29th and May 20th. All hikes $28. (Ask for a Seniors Discount). Buy a series ticket, or buy singly.
CONFIRM the dates and times the day before (966-5852). Definitely take binoculars; a must.
DAVID ADDs: "A few of us may want to go birding together. To arrange a car
pool, call David Booth at 966-2547 a few days before each hike...Point Pelee
has a wheel chair for people with disabilities, but you should call ahead to
reserve it,
IN MEMORIAM
It is with deep sorrow that we record the death of Ann Diemer, of
Rochester Hills, Mich. Ann was for many years a professor in the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She died in December, 1994.
What should one look for in a university retirees' organization? I can't claim to speak for others, but here is what I look for.
I want such an organization to be akin to an oasis, following all those years of bumps and hurdles along the academic way. I want it to be a kinder, gentler place than that land of legendary rivalry, jostling and sometimes cruelty that is the modern university.
My own academic career was iced with 27 years of administration, including deanships of the University's two largest faculties. In later years I walked the picket line throughout a faculty strike. At times I had to negotiate from both sides of the bargaining table.
Now I want to bask in the comfort of knowing that all those things are in the past; that now I can accept people, and they me, for what we really are; that I am free to write, to research or to dream, just as I please.
In return, I know that in retirement I must give up the right to demand things with the old arrogance and certitude which I once took for granted; I must learn to rely more heavily on good faith and genuine concern for the welfare of others, in order to merit and enjoy worthwhile returns in my life.
This is what my oasis is built on. True, a whiff from the past may re-awaken sparks now and then. But when it does, a voice says, "Hey. Remember that oasis? Hang on to it. This is not the time of your life to lose sight of it!"
W.G.Phillips, Upon leaving office as sec'ty-treasurer.
Martin Basic has contacted the Entertainment Committee and The Newsletter about a possible organized trip to Stratford during the play season this summer. So far no one has taken the matter up, presumably because of the major logistic problems and the time that would be involved in the arrangements. If you have any ideas, or would like to take it up with Marty, call him at 254-6627.