Gwendolyn Ebbett
 I would like to extend a warm welcome to our latest new members: Jerry Cohen, Psychology; Marion Overholt, Law; James Wittebols, Political Science; James Higginson, Business; Jill Grant, Social Work; Cyndra MacDowell, Visual Art; Lorna DeWitt, Nursing; and Karl Jirgens, English and Creative Writing. We are so pleased that you have joined our Association and hope you will consider joining one of the WURA committees.
The Minutes and all Reports from our first hybrid Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 29, 2023 are available on the WURA website. I am sure you will enjoy reading about the various activities of your fellow retirees and our Association.
The results of the Election of the 2024 Executive Committee and Chairs are as presented in the Nominating Committee’s slate. We received 64 ballots - 63 electronically, 1 by mail. There were
60 “Yes” votes in favour of the slate of Officers presented by the Nominating Committee; there were 0 “No” votes against; and there was 1 Abstentions. Three (3) ballots were returned without a recorded vote. The confirmed Executive Committee is as follows:
President: Ms. Gwendolyn Ebbett;
Vice-President: Dr. Bruce Elman;
Secretary: Dr. Walter (Jake) Soderlund;
Treasurer: Dr. Norman King;
Past President: Mr. Roger Lauzon;
Directors-at-Large: Dr. Adrian Van Den Hoven; Dr. Geri Salinitri; Dr. Christina Simmons; and
Webmaster: Mr. Richard Dumala.
Congratulations to all and thank you to those who took the time out of their busy December to vote!
At our January Executive meeting, we unanimously approved a further one-time contribution of $1,000 to the WURA Scholarship Fund. We believe it is important to keep growing the capital in this Fund so that we can provide enhanced aid to more students in these economically challenging times. The Executive is committed to further one-time contributions when our budget allows. We urge all members to consider the WURA Scholarship Fund as a destination for your funds when donating to the University.
I, also, want to share with you that we received a lovely letter of thanks from Drouillard Place for our donation of $440.00, which we raised during the raffle at our recent AGM and Holiday Lunch. Drouillard Place is a non-profit, charitable organization offering a variety of programs to meet the needs of the Drouillard Road and Grandview Communities.
I have requested an update from the President’s Office regarding further action on the University’s proposed application to join the Age Friendly University Global Network. In response, we have been told we can expect to be contacted soon regarding a committee that is being set up to operationalize this initiative. We hope to hear more soon.
I wish all a fantastic winter wherever you are currently located.
Gwendolyn Ebbett
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| ("Holiday Luncheon" by DALL-E, Abstract, October 2023) |
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The Social News
Christina Simmons
WURA’s Social Committee is organizing a variety of events for your enjoyment. We will let you know later about late spring or summer possibilities, but they might include outings to Petrolia’s Victoria Playhouse (a Gordon Lightfoot tribute event in June) or Stratford, croquet in South Windsor, or trips to county wineries.
More immediately we hope to gather a group to attend one of the Windsor International Film Festival’s monthly film screenings or to go on a tour of Windsor’s Masonic Temple (to explore the history of its founding and activities in the city). We will announce these as soon as we know more.
DEFINITE EVENTS:
1. Return of the popular St. Patrick’s Day World Zoom session of Celtic music, led by Lynne Reid, on Sunday, March 17 and is open to all to listen or participate. We will send out Zoom invitations closer to the day of the event.
2. Return of a Zoom session for the Love of Reading. In late March or early April, we will schedule a book discussion like those held in 2022. We would like to get two volunteers, each to speak briefly and lead some discussion about a book -- fiction or non-fiction –- about which they are enthusiastic. A couple of novels that occurred to committee members were Bonnie Garmus’s “Lessons in Chemistry” (2022), about a young woman chemist’s struggles in the 1950s and 1960s, and Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning “Demon Copperhead” (also 2022), written as a modern variation of David Copperfield and set in Appalachia. But we welcome suggestions of any interesting books that you are reading.
Please write to the Chair of the Committee (Christina Simmons, simmonc@uwindsor.ca) if you would like to lead a discussion on one of these or any other book. Then we will set a time and advertise the event.
PLEASE WRITE TO US to suggest any other activity you would like us to organize. Despite the easing of Covid restrictions, we on the committee still want to bring people together as much as possible to socialize and have some fun. |
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| ("Researchers" by DALL-E, Abstract, October 2023) |
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WURA “Research Corner”
Jake Soderlund
Anyone interested in continuing their research into their retirement years or has some innovative ideas for the Research Support Group to pursue, please contact Jake Soderlund <akajake@uwindsor.ca>
Recent Research Activity
Susan Gold Smith
Research in Progress
In collaboration with Nobel Peace Project and Artcite Inc, Susan is producing a publication to document the Fluxus Anniversary of “Art’s 1,000,061 st Birthday”, an event celebrated internationally since it was announced by action poet Robert Filliou in 1963. The 2024 event includes 75 artists from 18 countries, at least one third associated with the University of Windsor.
Alan Phipps
Research Completed
Housing Affordability from a Resident’s Point of View. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2023. htpps://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-152756-1982-4
Pauline Phipps
Research Completed
A Victorian Educational Pioneer’s Evangelicalism, Leadership and Love: Maynard’s Mistakes. Palgrave Macmillan, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-139099-4
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| ("What will your legacy be?" by DALL-E, February 2024) |
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What will your legacy be?
Jacqueline Watty, Director of Advancement
UWindsor is more than just a campus; it is a vibrant community of people devoted to education and the fostering of meaningful connections with our valued supporters, alumni, partners, retirees, and the community. In this pursuit, philanthropy stands as a cornerstone, playing a pivotal role in propelling us toward excellence.
Planned Giving allows those who desire to become architects of the future to do so, ensuring that the passion and dedication they bring to our institution endure for generations to come. Planned Giving leaves a lasting impact in so many ways.
Students: Every person deserves an opportunity to learn, share their opinions, and shape their future. Support through a planned gift can be the tipping point for life-saving discoveries, inspiring art, or the removal of barriers to justice.
Infrastructure: From classrooms and laboratories to libraries and technology, a university campus shapes students' learning experiences and enables researchers to make groundbreaking discoveries.
Research: The full impact of our scholarly and creative activities extends across generations. Your support could lead to life-changing insights and discoveries, inspiring creative activities, or developing technologies that create a brighter tomorrow.
Other Areas: You can invest in a variety of areas with which you are personally connected, thereby leaving an indelible legacy in various areas of University life such as Lancer Athletics, or Arts and Culture programs, or by contributing to the University's Endowment Funds.
Additional benefits of Planned Giving include tax benefits, flexibility and customization of areas of support, special recognition by the University of Windsor, legacy and long-term impact, and much more.
You can learn more about the benefits of Planned Giving, areas of support, methods of giving, and how to initiate a conversation, if desired, by reviewing our website: https://www.uwindsor.ca/supportuwindsor/planned-giving
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| (Books For Our Grandchildren. Image created by DALL-E, February 2024) |
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Books for our Grandchildren
Editor’s Note: It has become the custom of the Editorial Board of the e-Bulletin to review books in our December pre-holidays issue. This year, however, it struck us that we should be reviewing books that members might purchase for their grandchildren. So here, in our mid-Winter issue, we are reviewing some books you might consider buying for your grandchildren because you don’t need a holiday or an excuse to buy books for your grandkids!
“Elephant and Piggie” by Mo Willems.
Reviewed by Joe Saso
 One of the greatest joys of my retirement has been spending time with my four grandchildren. One of our favorite activities is reading about the lives of two best friends, Elephant and Piggie. Elephant is serious and cautious while Piggie is an exuberant risk-taker.
Throughout 25 stories contained in five volumes, Elephant and Piggie learn how much fun it is to share, to let their imaginations run wild, to make their own fun on a rainy day, to accept the physical limitations of others (helping a snake to play baseball!), to be patient when waiting seems impossible, and that misunderstandings between friends can be worked out with a little compromise and effective communication. These stories, written and illustrated by Mo Willems, a former animator for Sesame Street, are so clearly and simply presented, with emphasis on key words, that children quickly discover that they too can read. One of my grandchildren has progressed from memorizing the stories to actually deciphering the words. Better still, the illustrations do an excellent job of conveying Elephant and Piggie’s emotions so children can easily connect words and feelings. Remarkably, the kids never seem to tire of the stories even when they know them by heart. Just recently, my 9-year-old grandson happily re-read three of them before falling asleep. If there is a drawback to the Elephant and Piggie series it’s that the author decided to end it after five volumes.
I heartily recommend these books for you and the children in your life and I’m sure you will enjoy the antics and lives of Elephant and Piggie as much the kids do.
“The Rainbow Tear” written by Norm King and Jane Ripley, and illustrated by Amy Helsby.
Reviewed by Gwendolyn Ebbett
 This is a beautifully illustrated picture book that explores a full range of feelings linking each to a colour of the rainbow. Ooh and Aah find a field of flowers of all colours, but only one flower has all the colours of the rainbow and, what looks like, a very special tear. In their attempt to find out who shed such a special colourful tear, Ooh and Aah interact with someone shedding a tear in each colour. Each person Ooh and Aah meet is experiencing a different emotion. It is a very clever and safe introduction to feelings and how to respond to each one. As the quote by Helen Keller on the back cover says: ‘’The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt within the heart.”
“Bubba the Duck and the Wayward Butterfly, a Happy Ending Bedtime Story” by Charlotte and Grandpa Jakie Bear (Walter C. (Jake) Soderland); Illustrated by Sasha Opeiko.
Reviewed by Gwendolyn Ebbett
This is an entertaining and lovely illustrated story about a migrating monarch butterfly, Willie, and his adventurous flight to rejoin his group of monarch friends in Mexico. Willie and the other monarchs are leaving Point Pelee National Park on their annual migration to a mountain top forest deep in the heart of Mexico where they will spend the winter waiting for the return of warm weather in Canada to make a reverse migration. Willie misses the group’s departure and the story details his adventurous efforts to catch up with the other monarchs. Along the way he meets new friends, including Bubba, the Duck, and Pedro, a pelican, who do their best to assist Willie in finally rejoining his monarch friends. Children will learn about the importance of paying attention to a departure deadline, the kindness of new friends, and much about monarch migration. A delightful bedtime story appropriate for all young children.
“Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book” by Sandra Boynton.
“I Thought I Saw a Lion!” by Lydia Nichols.
“I Love You More Than the North is Vast” by Isis Essery and Rhiannon White.
Reviewed by Bruce Elman
Reviewer’s Note: My wife and I are incredibly fortunate to have seven grandchildren – four here in Ontario and three on the other side of the Atlantic. There are five boys and two girls and they range in age from 15 months to (almost) 15 years. They all have their favourite books. I decided to focus on my youngest grandchild who is moving from the “infant” stage to “toddler” status. These books are “hits” for my 15-month-old grandson. He gives them a “two-thumbs-up”.
 “Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book” by Sandra Boynton is one of his favourites. My grandson never seems to tire of this book. Perhaps, that is because his older sister is a very tolerant and overly protective Aussie Doodle. In fact, both sets of grandparents have dogs as does his aunt and uncle. So, he is very comfortable around dogs, so a counting and barking book may make perfect sense to his 15-month-old mind. Sandra Boynton is a very well-known children’s author and illustrator with over 75 children’s books and seven general audience books to her credit. She is actually a mini-conglomerate with greeting cards, stationery, paper goods, calendars, wallpaper, bedding, etc., etc., etc. all part of her repertoire or should I say merchandise selection. Anyway, the book starts off strong – One (large) Dog barking “WOOF”. It moves apace to Two Dogs – One large dog barking “WOOF” and one small dog barking “Yap Yap”. By now, you may be getting the gist of this but there are surprises that I will not disclose at Six and Nine. As it draws to its climax, Ten presents a cacophony of counting and barking and a surprise. Kids love this book but it does require the parent or grandparent reading it to have some dramatic voice skills.
 “I Thought I Saw a Lion!” by Lydia Nichols. “I thought I Saw a Lion” is described as a “slide-and-seek” book. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out the plot of this book. Opening chapter – “I thought I saw a lion. Is it in the restaurant?” Move the sliding mechanism in the table cloth and (to the child’s delight) out pops a lion. I will not go through all of the locations your grandchild will visit in “I Thought I Saw a Lion” but at each place, you (or your grandchild) gets to use a slide mechanism to reveal a . . . . Guess what? Lydia Nichols bills herself as an Illustrator but, like Sandra Boynton, she is also an industry. If you like the “I Thought I Saw a Lion” book, then I have good news: There is also “I Thought I Saw a Dinosaur, a Bear, an Elephant, a Panda, a Penguin” and so forth. There is a whole other set of books as well. My next purchase will be “Happy Llamakkah!” And there are lots of illustrations you can purchase as well.
 “I Love You More Than the North is Vast” by Isis Essery and Rhiannon White. This is a beautiful award-winning book written and illustrated by two wonderful illustrators – Isis Essery and Rhiannon White. In 2016, Essery designed the album for Juno award-winning Man Machine Poem by the Tragically Hip and, in 2017, she won a Juno in the category “Recording Package of the Year” for designs based upon the book and album of Gord Downie’s The Secret Path. And, best of all, this book rhymes. For example: “I love you more than mice are small; I love you more than moose are tall.” The illustrations are simply magnificent! Best of all, $1.00 from each book purchased will be donated to Dene Nahjo to support Indigenous cultural preservation, and revitalization.
What do all these books have in common? They are small books and can be carried in a diaper bag or knapsack to entertain the child when the family is out and about. Even better, these books – covers and pages -- are made of thick cardboard that make them difficult to rip or tear or to destroy when the child is teething. I recommend all of these books to you if your grandchildren are infants or toddlers.
When my other grandchildren heard I was doing this review, they wanted to get their favourite books into the article. So here are the books recommended by my other six grandchildren:
Grandchild #1 (15-year-old boy): “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.
Grandchild #2 (12-year-old girl): “Anne of Avonlea” by L.M. Montgomery and any of the “Tom Gates” books by L. Pichon.
Grandchild #3 (9-year-old boy): “The Prisoner of Azkaban” by J.K. Rowling.
Grandchild #4 (9-year-old girl): “Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations” by Dav Pilkey.
Grandchild #5 (7-year-old boy): “World’s Worst Parents” by David Walliams.
Grandchild #6 (5-year-old boy): “You Choose” by Pippa Goodhart.
Happy Reading!
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Budget Quiz
What essential commodity has NOT increased in cost over the past 10 years?
- Gasoline - 1 liter
- Milk – 4 liters
- WURA Dues – 1 year
- Used Porsche 911
- None of the above
If, as a retired academic, you could not resist picking up your pen and checking off an answer and checked c., you are correct. If, as a retired academic, you are annoyed at being asked to answer such an obvious question and refused to do so, you are also correct.
The average cost of a liter of regular gasoline in 2014 was $1.17, and it is now $1.65. The average cost of a four-liter bag of 2% milk in 2014 was $3.69, and it is now $4.24. Somewhat less essential, a used Porsche 911 which cost $92,00 in 2014 would cost about $105,00 now. The cost of annual dues for WURA in 2014 was $25.00, and it is still $25.00! Clearly, WURA dues is the smartest investment today.
If you have not yet paid your dues for the 2023-2024 year, today would be a good day to do it. Your WURA executive and other committees are working constantly to advance retirees’ interests regarding pensions, health benefits and other privileges at the University, arrange events to bring colleagues together, support a scholarship program, and publish this eBulletin to keep you aware of it all.
Please send your cheque for 2022 dues made out to WURA for $25.00 to our Treasurer:
Norman King
#103, 1935 Normandy St.
LaSalle, ON
N9H 1P9.
You may also make a direct deposit if you prefer through email to: nking@uwindsor.ca.
If you wish to save yourself some time and avoid being late next year, you may also pay for more than one year (2022 + 2023, or for 2021 + 2022 if you missed last year). And if you have forgotten your present dues status, please send an email message to nking@uwindsor.ca, or write to him at the above address.
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| (Freedom of Speech, A DALL-E generated image, February 2024.) |
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The Windsor University Retirees’ Association (WURA)
Presents
HOT TOPIC #3
“Freedom of Speech on Campus: If You Are a Professor or a Student, Can You Really Say Anything You Want?”
With
Professor Richard Moon
Distinguished University Professor and
Professor of Law
University of Windsor
Tuesday, March 19th, 2024 – 1:00 p.m. On Zoom.
(Further Information and the Zoom Link to Follow.)
Be There -- Keep your mind sharp!!
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