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The Retirees' Newsletter
The Retirees' Association, (Faculty, Librarian, Administrator), University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
Vol. VII , No. 5, December, 1997
FROM THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
The time has come to "pass the torch", as they say. I'm giving up the editorship. Unquestionably I'll miss it, because I've enjoyed putting out these first 25 issues. The good side is that I'll be turning over the task to my long-time friend and colleague, Datta Pillay, whose sheer energy and dedication to the Association have impressed me greatly.
I spent a couple of hours the other night just leafing through the old copies of The Newsletter, of which I have a complete set, of course. It is truly a rather complete history of the first seven years of the Association.
We can look back with great pride on what this Association has achieved in those seven years.
But if I were asked what stands out most, for me at least, I'd have to say it is the spectacular growth of our Bursary Fund.
NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS did I, when the Association agreed to start that Fund, imagine it zooming well beyond thirty thousand dollars in less than three years. I thought that if it hit two to three thousand, five at most, that would be fabulous.
I believe that our Bursary Fund stands as a reminder to all who see it, that the Faculty, Librarian and Administrator retirees of the University have given tangible evidence of their dedication to seeing their University prosper and to helping its students, just as they did throughout a very large part of their lives. Their dedication did not stop when they retired.
The Association has been very fortunate in its leadership, and it continues to be. Norm Shklov and Edwin Habib both made enormous contributions of their wisdom and common sense that saw us through the first seven years, and I am certain that Kumar Chatterjee will carry on that tradition.
Retirement is a far cry from the days when we were actively employed at the University. All of us bring with us a lot of baggage when we retire, along with a mind-set which it is hard to discard.
I remember writing about this in a much earlier issue of The Newsletter. I put it this way then:
Sometimes it's not easy to break one's ties with academe, to get along without the daily ritual of being "needed", of hearing "yes, doctor", "no, professor", please, sir". ...Everybody hates to let go.
But sooner or later one finds that retirement can weave a certain magic. It can slowly sweep away all of those cherished illusions and elaborate facades so commonly found in academe. It can skim off the academic froth, and let the person you are shine forth -- no more, no less. Retirement may be the greatest blow for freedom most of us from academe have ever struck!
I wish every one of our members the best for the holidays and the new year. And may our Association flourish for years to come. I'll see you at meetings. Bill Phillips
The Association
The Retirees' Association (Faculty, Librarian, Administrator) at Windsor was formed in 1990, to give a unified voice to retirees; to provide a bridge for communication with the University; to encourage social contact among the retirees; and to open a few doors through which retirees could continue to contribute to the University of Windsor.
Thus the Association is meant to fill what could otherwise be a void in the lives of retirees possible isolation from the University and from their former colleagues; and possible lack of understanding of vital pension and health issues that affect them directly.
There are only two meetings of the full membership per year: in the spring and the fall. A social committee arranges several other events per year dinners, plays, picnics, and so on all of which are paid for by those who take part. The Association encourages smaller special interest groups to form as occasion and their interests warrant. Because of extreme economy of operation, dues have been kept at the level of $10 per year. This includes five issues of The Retirees' Newsletter.
Officers of the Association are:
President: Kumar Chatterjee
Secretary: Datta Pillay
Treas'r & Membership: Bill Phillips
Elected Members of the Executive Committee: Bob Chandler; Joseph Habowsky; Gerard Monforton; Terrance Parkinson.
Ex Officio Members of the Executive Committee: (Founding Pres.) Norm Shklov; (Immediate Past President) Edwin Habib; and (Newsletter Editor) Bill Phillips (until Dec 31st); and Chairpersons of Committees of the Association.
The Association's Address is:
(See Name Above)
University of Windsor Post Office,
Windsor, ON. N9B 3P4
Email: pillay @uwindsor.ca
Home Page Address: http://www.uwindsor.ca/newsstnd/uwflra/
Newsletter online: http://www.uwindsor.ca/newsstnd/uwflra/news.htm
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