Report from
UC
Davis Emeriti Association (UCDEA)
October 2009
The Centennial
Video History project led by Verne Mendel has produced a history of the Davis
Campus through the words of some of the nearly 340 UC- Davis emeriti who have
recorded oral histories. It
appears the UCDEA Video Record Project is unique among UC Emeriti
Associations. The Centennial
project produced 23 DVDs each approximately one hour in length and containing
up to 10 excerpts from over 150 faculty talking about the role they played in
the historical development of Davis. The DVDÕs are organized by
College/School. Short excerpts for
some Emeriti included on the DVDs are available on the UC Davis Centennial Web site
[http://centennial.ucdavis.edu/timeline/history/emeriti/] and on YouTube.com by searching for something like
Òuc davis video histories.Ó The
final disposition of these DVDs and the future of the Video Record Project is
currently under review by the Association; one objective of the review is to
determine an effective distribution system for an international audience.
The Emeriti
Association in conjunction with the Retiree Center and RetireesÕ Association
held a Wine Tasting event on March 1, 2009. Close to 100 retirees, one of our best turnouts ever,
sampled wine from three local wineries. Emeriti were reminded of past wine
tasting events and expressed a desire for the event be repeated annually. Steak Bake 2009 held on June 6 and
attended by about 135 was a perfect opportunity to honor Chancellor Vanderhoef
and his wife for their many years of service to UC Davis. A joint staff and faculty New Retirees
Reception was held on June 15 with a great turnout of about 40 new retirees, 20
guest and 30 other members of the campus community. The fall season commenced with Fall
Oktoberfest on September 26.
This, the Retiree Center Õs second annual, was a lively
evening of German food, beverages and entertainment; internationally respected
UC Davis beer professor Dr. Charlie Bamforth regaled on amusing anecdotes and
facts from the world of brewing, interspersed with expert-led tasting of a
selection of remarkable and diverse beers.
Current
UCDEA membership includes 197 (up 6) Lifetime Members, 143 (up 8) Annual
Members, and 64 (up 1) Associate
Members. The overall
total membership is 404, up from
389 in our last report. Dick
Walters, our Membership Chair actively pursues all reports of new emeriti and
contacts them with membership information.
UCDEA
has joined with the UC Davis Retiree's Association to publish a single
newsletter three times a year beginning with the Fall 2009 edition. Thus, the UCDEA's EmeriTimes
and the UCDRA's The UC Davis Retiree have
been replaced by the Retiree
Center's Campus Connections. The newsletters are available on the Association's web site (http://emeritiassociation.ucdavis.edu) and
distributed to dues-paying and lifetime members. The newsletter includes
descriptions of upcoming events, opportunities for service by emeriti and
retirees, updates on association activities and other newsworthy
information. The editors are
Barbara Anderson (UCDRA) and Nora McGuinness (UCDEA)
The
UCDEA continues to organize monthly luncheons from October through May for both
Emeriti and Retirees. These
sessions are very well attended by both emeriti and retirees, with an excellent
selection of speakers. Tom Rost and Anne Gray co-chair the Program Committee,
Graham Gall, Vice-President, UCDEA