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The Retirees' Newsletter
The Retirees's Association ( Faculty, Librarian, Administrator), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ont. Canada
Vol V III, No. 1, February 1998
Given the success of this feature, first initiated by my predecessor, I agreed with the concept
and invited five colleagues to share their retirement experiences with us
RETIREES GLIMPSES
Stanley B. Cunningham
Communication Studies
I retired on September 1, and I haven't looked back yet. In my case, the timing felt just right, and it has given me the opportunity to work and write on my own terms. In the past few months, I've been working to complete some old projects, and I've begun some new undertakings. Currently, along with Jake Soderlund (Political Science), and Walt Romanow (emeritus) and Kai Hildebrandt (Communication Studies), I'm putting some penultimate editorial touches to our book on negative political advertising in Canada. The manuscript has been accepted for publication.
In late November, I delivered a paper in Chicago at the National Communication Association Conference; and I also completed my role as Chair of the Communication Ethics Commission within the NCA. This May, I deliver a paper at another national conference in Michigan. I'm continuing the work, that I began a number of years back, of applying philosophical techniques to the study of propaganda. The final results, I believe, will be new and instructive. I've also taken advantage of my increased leisure time to read more widely, especially in the areas of literature and history. Every morning, I linger longer over The Globe and Mail and coffee. Within the community, I've been active with the Council of Friends of Windsor-Essex County Public Libraries. My students gave me an auto sticker that sums it all up to a 't':"Eat your heart out...I'M RETIRED."
Esio Marzotto
Communication Studies
Up to this point adjusting to retirement has been a very pleasant task.Although some have suggested that I am still on vacation. There is no lacking of things to do to fill the day. I am at the computer more now, email and the WWW can take as much time as you have available. I have taken up wine making. Its great fun and provides considerable savings over LCBO purchases. I prefer using 100% grape juice but, of course, it is only available in the fall. The concentrates and sterilized packages keep me going through the winter. We have a place up in Michigan ski country that I now visit about twice a month and during the week as opposed to weekends. The rolling countryside is beautiful in winter. Yes they are getting snow up there. I do miss my colleagues at the U, particularly at lunch at the University Club. The banter there was most enjoyable. The informal networking (translate to exchanging rumors) was great fun.
Michael L Petras
Biological Sciences
In deciding to take early retirement (one year earlier than scheduled), I had concerns about adjusting to it in spite of what most of our retired colleagues told me. I was worried about the effects of switching from relatively tightly scheduled days to days with much more 'leisure time'. Well the change was not as traumatic as I had expected for a number of reasons.
First, I was able to continue using my office and research laboratory. This permitted me to finish some of the projects on which I was working and to writeup some of the findings. In fact, in the eighteen months since I retired eight papers have been published and several more have been submitted to scientific journals for consideration. Moreover, there are some additional papers that I plan to complete. In this time-frame I also saw my last graduate student complete the requirements for a Ph.D. These activities resulted in a gradual transition from an 'active' academic life to 'retirement'. I must , however, admit that I do miss the contact with students -- not necessarily, however, 200 at a time.
On the domestic level retirement has permitted Doris and me to travel quite a bit. We've gone to Arizona for a month each of the last two years. We also had a chance to see the wonders of southern Utah in the last two summers. Last year when we went to Utah we stopped to visit Cal and Bonnie Kuehner in Salt Lake City and to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Some of you may remember Cal, a botanist, who was a member of the Biology Department in the early and mid sixties. The trips to Arizona and Utah have also rekindled my interest in photography and as result I'm helping to keep Kodak in business.
Incidently, there hasn't been as much leisure time as I anticipated. Some things that I put off in the past are being done (e.g. more golfing). Both Doris and I are certainly enjoying my 'retirement'.
Kenneth G. Pryke
History
When Datta Pillay suggested that I send him my views about retirement I thought that I could do it in two words: flexibility, continuity. Flexibility because I wasn't going to be tied to an institutional schedule. Imagine a life without meetings! Continuity because I would be able to carry on with what I liked doing. Definitely rework that paper which has been in the bottom drawer for the past three years and take time to deal with that heap of books which has built up on the desk ( some are actually under the desk). In brief, retirement would bring a shift in focus, a change in emphasis but not be a true break. After a minute of thought I realized that my approach was no different from that of a number of my colleagues. Indeed, a recent article in University Affairs pointed out that many academics, probably a majority, have a similar approach to retirement. Well, isn't it reassuring to realize that we still like what we have been doing and, should we so choose, continue to do it.
Ripu Daman Singh
Sociology&Anthropology
It was never a bolt from the Blue, rather a gradual process as I straddled along; the journeys I had taken, pains and pleasures, successes and failures, achievements 'so-called' all provided an outlook toward the life as a whole rather than a piece-meal or narrow window approach. I had (and still have) a panoramic view of life where institutions, affiliations, administrative fast foot-works and the like were insignificant minuscule rubbles, though, at times stumbling blocks for a particular goal. I had to face them, but the most gratifying were my interactions with my students, the chores of the lab and the museum and all integrated into one. Retirement took some bite into this integrated whole but the satisfaction that I handed over some treasure which no other institutions in Canada with an undergraduate program in anthropology could boast of was limitless. I did not grow 'old', and some colleagues repeatedly inquisitioned; to others, it was and still is a mystery that high blood pressures, cardiac problems or the associated did not affect me and how did I manage so smoothly? It was never deliberate struggle to make a shift, rather a smooth slide,
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