WWURA NEWS
Welcoming retired WWU Faculty and Staff and others
June 2022
President's Notes
Sally and I flew into Washington, DC on Memorial Day, temperature 95 degrees (yuk). Each day it has gotten cooler, 80 now, but the humidity has gone up each day… no chance of winning.
On a more serious note, these photos of me at the Capitol and the Supreme Court, surrounded by an 8’ high fence, break my heart when I look at the current state of our political discourse.
I continue to be thankful for the commitment and efforts by Board members to maintain an organizational presence when we have not been able to meet safely face-to-face. I am excited that our Picnic/Annual Meeting on July 16th will be in person at Fairhaven Park. Please submit your registration to attend early to help with the planning. The Board will be assessing the return to more in-person activities and would welcome any comments.
WWURA is seeking new members and hope you will take this opportunity to invite a colleague or friend you think might be interested to the picnic.
Stay safe…
We’ll be seeing you soon.
Kevin
Getting to Know WWURA Members
Please help by suggesting yourself and/or others to be noted here.
This month: Our WWURA President, KEVIN MAJKUT
Kevin Majkut grew up in the “quirky” state of Rhode Island, receiving his BA and MA from the University of Rhode Island in Student Personnel Services in 1974. He came to WWU in 1976 (“with the Bicecentennial”), retiring as Director of Student Activities in 2014. “I loved working with thousands of students over the years helping them organize everything from the Outback Farm to the Women’s Center, KUGS, Ethnic Students Center, AS Board and more."
He met his wife, Sally, a WWU grad, playing volleyball in Carver Gym. They have son Joe, a Princeton Ph.D. working in Washington DC, and daughter Devin, a Fairhaven College grad working in Seattle providing social services. The couple has 3 grand kids in DC.
Asked about hobbies, he said, “I’m obsessed with stereo equipment and LPs, buying them in the 80s when everyone was getting rid of their records. Now I have about 6000 albums but I’m narrowing my collection to about 3400 – many difficult decisions.”
For Your Calendar
Annual Gala Meeting/Picnic
Saturday, July 16th
Fairhaven Park Upper Picnic Shelter
11:30 to 2:00
Provided: Fried Chicken and Charlie Way's ice cream !
*** Invite other prospective members ***
$5 bring Potluck Dish or, $10 no dish
Last name
- A - G bring Salad
- H - M bring Side dish
- N - Z bring Dessert
******************** . . . . . . . . PICNIC RESERVATIONS . . . . . . . . .**********************
Name(s) ___________________________________________________________
Enclosed $ ______________
Please make check payable to WWURA and send to;Margaret Loudon
2611 Mill Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
360-733-6052 PeggyLou99@Gmail.com
WWURA Membership Application or Renewal for 2022-2023
Name _______________________________________
Spouse/Partner's name (if applicable)_______________________________
Address _____________________________________
City ______________________State ___ Zip _______
Phone(s) __________________________________Email _____________________________
Year retired ____ Years of WWU Service ___ Department _______________
*If not a WWU Retiree, check one:__ Friend of WWU, __Spouse/Partner of Retiree
. . . . . Retiree of what institution/company? ________________________________
* Select Membership (includes spouse or partner); . . . . .. .$____________
. . . . .Contributing Membership $50.00 or more
. . . . .Regular Membership $35.00
. . . .. Surviving Spouse or Partner $10.00
* Contribution to WWURA Scholarship Fund (Deductible) . $____________
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Total amount enclosed. . .. $____________
Signature _________________________________ Date _________
Please mail form and check (payable to WWURA) to;
WWURA Membership, c/o Barbara Evans
715 North Garden Street #502
Bellingham, WA 98225
TRAVELOGUES
As usual, WWURA travelogues will take a summer vacation. Our next event will be Wednesday, September 21.
This is a group event and YOU are invited to participate. If you have any interesting pictures from your travels that you would like to share, save them! Next month the Newsletter will explain about the September travelogue and how you can be a part of it.
. . . . . . . . . . INTEREST GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you are interested in one of the groups please call or email the contact person.
BOOK GROUP
Donna Moore, 360-733-5769 dfmoore12@gmail.com
We will meet June 21st at 2:00 pm by Zoom. Lina will send the link.
- June book: Facing the Mountain by David James Brown - discussion leader: Ev Kepler
- July book: One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle - Gail Adele/group discussion
- August book: The Hidden Life of Trees by Wohlleben - discussion leader: Carol Rice
INFORMAL DINING - To be revived when we can!
OPERA GROUP
Evelyn Ames, 360-734-3184
evelyn.ames@wwu.edu
MET Opera in Cinema (at Regal): starting times generally are 9:55 pst.
Hamlet (new opera by Brett Dean; June 4)
MET Opera Radio (10 am KING FM and 1pm on CBC radio 2):
- June 4 (Dean’s Hamlet -- new opera and Network Broadcast Premiere)
- June 11 (Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress).
Selection of arias:
- Opera gala: the greatest arias from Mozart, Verdi, Rossini and others Bing video:
- Don Pasquale: Don Pasquale - full opera with subtitles
YouTube suggestion: How about some wonderful humor from Anna Russell!
Her analysis of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung or her “The (First) Farewell Special”.
CLICK HERE !!!!
WRITERS GROUPS
- The first writer’s group of has an opening for one writer.
We have decided to keep our group all female. We meet on second and fourth Thursdays from 2p.m till about 4 p.m. If you would like to be part of a supportive group where your writing can be heard and receive feedback, as you wish, at every meeting, we welcome hearing from you.
. . . . . . . . . . . .Contact: Lynne Masland: Lynne.Masland12@gmail.com (36
- The second writing group has started and is accepting new members. Any gender.
Meets every two or three weeks.
Contact: Bill Smith 360-920-5390, billsmith1545@yahoo.com if interested.
......................BOOK REVIEW..........................
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (2021, Grove Press)
by Minda Rae Amiran
I imagine you’ve heard that until quite recently the Catholic Church in Ireland systematically exploited unmarried mothers, girls whose families had thrown them out when they got pregnant, and whom the Church took in as virtual slave labor for convent laundries. The good nuns gave the babies of these women away for adoption or allowed them to die, and kept the girls hungry and in rags, punishing them if they tried to run away.
Claire Keegan’s short novel concerns the internal turmoil of a man whose mother was saved from such a fate by her kind Protestant employer. He finds himself thinking about his past, though now he is married with five daughters and owns a successful coal and firewood company whose best customer is the convent on the hill above his town. He works very hard and is becoming vaguely dissatisfied with the routine of his life.
Delivering coal to the convent shortly before Christmas in 1985, he finds a barefoot girl in rags locked in the coal shed, her breasts leaking milk. The Mother Superior mounts an elaborate cover-up, but news of their encounter gets out, and a friend warns him not to mess with the nuns—the Church will ruin him. What is it right for him to do about this girl whom he has accidentally seen, one of many in a similar plight?
The story is affecting but not depressing. Keegan’s writing is concise and clear. The book—an afternoon’s read—gives you a sharp picture of life in a small Irish town in the not-so-distant past.
~~~ From the WRITERS GROUP ~~~
WHY I WRITE
I write because I feel that my life has been wonderful and my grown-up children and grand-children want to hear about it. Unfortunately, because I am now the matriarch of this group of people, they expect and deserve information. Sadly, I cannot remember very much.
However, I have learned that the more I try to remember – by talking or writing (especially by writing) the more I do remember. One of the best things I ever did for my family was to join WWURA ‘s “remember and share it” group of expectant, smiling faces and now I love them all. Remembering and “fleshing out” memories really does keep them alive. Without my “writer sisters” I believe that my later years would have been “I should write about that sometime” and never doing it. That would surely have meant that my life memories would have been forgot forever. The WWURA writing group pushed me past my “I can’t do it” doubts. With all their unshared memories – my tiny part of 1931 – 2022 would now be gone.
My, my! it feels like a new beginning. I thank you all.
Pat Clarke, May 2022
COOKING FOR ONE (or TWO) by Suzanne Krogh
Peggy Loudon, longtime WWURA member, thinks she might have found the recipe for Potatoes O’Brien in an old Sunset magazine; but it was longer ago than even her membership in WWURA, so she’s not sure. Important just now, however, is the fact that she recently bought a package of Andouille Cajun Style sausages at Fred Meyer and then didn’t know what to do with them. It suddenly occurred to her that she could make a one-dish, one-step meal combining her Irish potatoes with Louisiana sausages. The result was some cross-cultural tastiness and her husband agreed. I tried it myself and also agreed. If you are looking for something quick, easy, and just right for main dish comfort food, it would be hard to find something better.
POTATOES O’PEGGY FOR ONE (Peggy doesn’t know I named it this)
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium potato
½ medium onion
½ medium red bell pepper
½ Andouille Cajun style sausage
A shake of granulated or dried garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the potato lengthwise in 4 pieces; then slice it crosswise in slices no thicker than ¼ inch.
Dice the onion and red pepper.
Slice the sausage in rounds, ¼ to 1/3 inch thick.
Heat a mid-size fry pan to medium hot and add the oil. Add the sausage and vegetables and season to taste.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything has turned light brown.
Scoop onto a plate or pasta bowl and eat hot.
Tips
For two people, just double everything.
HEALTH NOTES by Evelyn Ames
Start the Month of June with Humor
“Whether you're guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is a great form of stress relief, and that's no joke.” When we laugh, we change physiologically. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues. A healthy sense of humor can help us deal with difficult times. Health benefits of humor and laughter are wide-reaching and good for the long term. Laughter may:
Enhance the immune system. Negative thoughts can affect the body by stressing the system. Positive thoughts can release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses. Serotonin, a mood-enhancing chemical in the brain, produces feelings of calmness and happiness.
Improve mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can significantly lift spirits by reducing anxiety and depression and help lessen stress and improve self-esteem. Laughter releases dopamine, which is involved in pleasure and reward.
Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can make it easier to cope with difficult situations and connect with other people. Laughter releases oxytocin, which promotes social bonding.
Boost immune system. Positive thoughts lead to release of neuropeptides.
Relieve Pain. A good laugh causes the body to release natural painkillers, thereby relieving physical pain.
Encourage Positivity. Having a good sense of humor helps one interact and connect with other people.
Relieve tension. Laughter stimulates rapid blood circulation. When this happens, one may experience a calming sensation that takes away tension and stress. Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke - Mayo Clinic.
Enjoy the following bit of humor that four of WWURA members did on a recent tour (Springtime in Holland and Belgium). The tour director’s before dinner port talk ended with this:
“In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!”
Evolution of our Newsletter
The WWURA June Newsletter has been created in its usual pdf form. It has been emailed to you and its printed form is being mailed to you.
This is one of two new variations being emailed for you to evaluate.
Many people have been working for months with WWU staff to create a new online form for this newsletter. The new 'Smore' form will be more accessible to those with disabilities such as sight impairment, has some different tools, and it permits cross-referencing with the WWU software.Please give us feedback about this one (with a balloon background) and about the 2nd Smore version (with a Blue background).
Thank you,