August 2019 Newsletter (PDF)
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RETIREES ASSOCIATION OSURANews 2200 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210 August 2019 614-292-2281 • 1-800-762-5646 • [email protected] • osura.osu.edu The Year of Thurber By Nancy Wardwell My Life and Hard Times. In that chapter he tells The rest of the world the tale of the Botany may think of James class (the only class he Thurber as a New Yorker failed – because of his – but in 1894 he was inability to use the born in Columbus, microscope) and of the graduated from East two-year requirement High School and ROTC where his attended Ohio State mediocrity at drill and as University – wrote for a soldier kept him in the Dispatch, and uniform all his years at incidentally, is buried in James Thurber, photographed in 1916 during his time at Ohio State, is framed here Ohio State. Section 50 of Greenlawn by an unpublished cover design he created for My Life and Hard Times, one of Cemetery. He used his his most famous books. Both the art and the photo are held in Ohio State’s Rare It was in Econ where Columbus and Midwest Books and Manuscripts Library. OSU football took its first observations and beating by Thurber. experiences throughout his career, so it is no wonder that the Through the travails of a fellow student, a football player city of Columbus and the University are going all out to named Bolenciecwcz, Thurber shared his impressions of the celebrate his 125th year! academic intellect of the men recruited to play football. (Perhaps that is where Sports Illustrated got some of its ideas). The Thurber House (77 Jefferson Avenue) is coordinating the His dim view of athletics came up later in other writings – but organizations participating in the “Year of Thurber”; in fact, after leaving OSU, his wonderful, simple cartoons became the OSURA member Barbie Tootle is the chair of the “Year of cover of the 1936 Homecoming Football Program. (Ohio State Thurber” committee. beat Michigan 21-0). The festivities are already underway, the first being the It was at The New Yorker that Thurber really gained his awarding of the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor. reputation as a journalist, humorist – and cartoonist. He was The Thurber House, Columbus Museum of Art, Keny Galleries a master of illustrating the often comedic frustrations of ordinary in German Village and The Ohio State University are among people. Many of those pieces have been collected and those offering special celebrations. published. In fact, there is a new collection – Collected Fables, Thurber at Ohio State edited by Michael J. Rosen. Thurber fables are fabulous and fanciful little stories, always concluding with a Moral. James’ relationship with OSU had its ups and downs. He attended Ohio State for five years, did not graduate but in The all-time best moral, useful in so many situations is: 1995 was posthumously awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters. He was in a fraternity and served as editor of the MORAL: Fools rush in where angels fear Sundial but one gets a much different impression reading to tread, and the angels are all in Heaven – Chapter 8 “University Days,” in his 1933 autobiography but few of the fools are dead! From the Calendar Benefits Book Club New OSURA President—2 of Events—4 Committee—5 Titles—6 Retirees—6 Spotlight—7 2019-2020 OSURA Executive Board Officers President FROM: The President Margaret H. Teaford Vice President/President-Elect Dear OSURA members: Jerome G. Dare Secretary I am writing to you on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon—a Shirley M. Flowers glorious summer day filled with daylilies and the fragrance of Treasurer Edward J. Schlechty “real” lilies. Definitely iced tea weather! Immediate Past President In a few weeks, first-year and overseas students will Steven M. D’Ambrosio arrive on the Ohio State campus to begin new studies and Members at Large adventures. The University will kick off the celebration of its Mary J. Cull Sesquicentennial. To commemorate the founding of the Ohio Betty Hriesik Shari L. Lorbach Margaret H. Teaford A & M College in 1870, there will be a wide variety of events Beverly J. Maselli across campus, Ohio, and even the world. (Go to http://150. Marjorie E. Ward osu.edu to learn more). Debra Zang OSURA will be playing a part in these celebrations starting with our Annual Conference Committee Chairs on September 11. You do not want to miss the following: Benefits Hallan C. Noltimier • A surprise visit by Ohio State’s first president, Dr. Edward Orton, and a talk by our Budget/Finance current president, Dr. Michael Drake Gerald H. Newsom • A remembrance of September 11, 2001 by OSURA member Shirley Brooks-Jones and Bylaws Marie T. Taris her experience afterwards in Newfoundland which are portrayed in the Broadway Communications musical “Come Away” Nancy S. Wardwell • The history of the Oval and Mirror Lake Conference • Restorative yoga Rachel L. Turner and Sally E. Dellinger • Learning about dark energy and the accelerating universe Event Planning • Updates from the OPERS and STRS retirement systems, and many more Cultural Arts – Raimund E. Goerler Social – Elenore R. Zeller and The conference also offers you a chance to catch up with long-time friends and Phyllis J. Carroll colleagues over breaks and lunch. You will be able to chat with our sponsors and learn Travel – Alabelle Zghoul about what they have to offer OSURA members. Finally, you can end your day with a Friendship Sally E. Dellinger tour of Chadwick Arboretum, the Center for Automotive Research, or a tour of campus Membership by bus to see exciting changes there. To register, call 614-292-2281. Diane M. Selby and Gemma B. McLuckie As our former president Steven D’Ambrosio mentioned in his June 2019 column, OSURA is also participating in the 150th anniversary by helping today’s students. The Representatives Board has created an endowment fund to help combat student food insecurity. Too Bucks for Charity Drive many students with limited funds have difficulty putting together healthy and nutritious David Crawford Campus Campaign meals. Our endowment will assist the Buckeye Food Alliance, our student food pantry. Thomas L. Sweeney (Go to www.buckeyefoodalliance.org to learn more) This student-run organization Faculty Compensation and provides the healthy and fresh supplemental food that these students need. Please Benefits Committee Harold J. Moellering bring a couple of canned goods to the Ohio Council of Higher Annual Conference to re-stock the shelves Education Retirees for the autumn semester. And if you Nancy Wardwell and haven’t done so yet, please consider Gerald H. Newsom HELP WANTED Ohio Public Employees contributing to our endowment fund Retirement System by calling 614-292-2141 and giving to Do you have experience in Michele B. Hobbs Fund 316596. marketing? The OSURA Board is State Teachers developing a short-term task force Retirement System When you read this, I will be visiting the Gerald H. Newsom campus of the University of Illinois in to assist in creating a program for Historians Champaign-Urbana for the annual meeting soliciting sponsors for the annual meeting and advertisers for our Thomas L. Sweeney of the Big Ten Retirees Association. Together with vice-president Jerry Dare, newsletter and directory. We hope to Emeritus Academy we will be learning about what other similar work with a team of OSU students on Paul A. Beck organizations are doing. I’ll have a short this project. It will start at the end of Newsletter Editor report for you next month. Until then, as a the summer and finish before the Nancy S. Wardwell song says, “See you in September…” winter holidays. Yours, Interested? Want more information? OSU Foundation Margaret H. Teaford Go to https://osura.alumni.osu.edu/ OSURA Endowment Fund Number about/contact and send us an e-mail. 605419 President of OSURA We look forward to hearing from you! osura.osu.edu Live in style. Live in the moment. Live in The Fairfax. Residences are reserving fast. Don’t miss your chance. It’s the beauty of a spacious residence with nine-foot ceilings and expansive windows. It’s the beauty of a lush green campus behind a gated entry. But the real beauty of living at The Fairfax is having the time to enjoy and appreciate all that you’ve earned in life. When it opens in 2021, The Fairfax at First Community Village will offer 70 contemporary, spacious apartment homes in the English Country Manor style along with the security of lifelong healthcare. And the best time to secure your place in the next generation of retirement living is right now. RESERVE YOUR CHOICE FLOOR PLAN 1800 RIVERSIDE DRIVE AND VIEW…AT NO OBLIGATION. COLUMBUS, OH 43212 614.324.4455 I TourTheFairfax.com 4 OSURA News Calendar of Events COMMITTEE MEETINGS August 27 (Tuesday) August Tertulia Breakfast Book Club August 6 (Tuesday) Please join OSURA members and friends for The “right stuff” consists of background, Benefits Committee breakfast and conversation. abilities, temperament, ambition and Time/Place: 9:15 a.m., Longaberger Time/Place: 8 a.m., OSU Faculty Club resilience. How did Lincoln, Theodore Cost: On your own Roosevelt, F.D.R., and Lyndon B. Johnson Arranger: Jerry Dare (Tertulia Breakfast SIG) show they had it? Find out in Leadership: August 13 (Tuesday) In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Board Meeting (Wednesday) Goodwin. We’ll discuss this when we August 28 meet on September 18th. Time/Place: 9:30 a.m., Longaberger Bridge Group Arranger: Lee Hill (Book Club SIG) August 22 (Wednesday) Join us –– enjoy the fellowship, and have fun playing a good game of bridge.