Spring 2015 President’s Message 1 Board Members & Volunteer Staff 2 Updating Contact Information 3 Seminar: The Healthy Brain - The Alzheimer Brain 3 2015 Luncheon & “Educational” Wine Tasting 3 ASU Technology Self-help Problems for Retirees 4 Special Parking Permit, Prices for ASURA Members 4 Discount Programs for ASU Retirees & for Seniors 4-5 ASURA Office Updates 5 Adopt-a-family Program 6 ASURA Needs Your Old Books 6 Disability Benefits 101 7 Legislative Breakfast 7 Video History Report 7-8 On the road again … with the ASURA Travel Cmte. 8 2014 Meet & Greet Pizza Party 9 Save the Date - ASURA Annual Meeting 9 2014 Health Insurance Seminar 10 Spring 2015 ASURA Events Schedule 10 2014 Tovrea Castle Tour 11 2014 Fall Luncheon 12 Spring 2015 Emeritus College Colloquiums 2014 Holiday Potluck and Bake Sale Obituaries Welcome New ASURA Members 12-13 13 14-15 16 by Jo Madonna 2014-2015 ASURA President Hopefully 2015 is treating you well so far. I do indeed wish everyone a Happy New Year. Those of us who still live in the lower desert celebrate the beautiful days that we are graced with this time of year. I grew up in a fairly large family, at least by today’s standards. I was oldest of 5 kids and there was always something going on in our house. When that something was some sort of minor calamity such as milk being left out on the counter, the back door being left open so that a pet escaped, or a knick knack getting broken, etc., my Pop would gather us together and ask “who did it?” More often than not, the response from each of us was “not me.” He would then say, “Well, do you think that Yahoodie did it?” We all knew that Yahoodie was the little man that wasn’t there. In more serious situations blaming it on Yahoodie wasn’t likely to happen but for minor ones Yahoodie often got us off the hook with a just a good lecture meant to make it a teachable moment. The above reminiscence from my childhood is to explain who Yahoodie is to those of you who haven’t heard of him before. I bring this up to point out that ASURA isn’t blessed with a Yahoodie on our list of members. The work and activities that ASURA carries out on behalf of both our members and ASU retirees in general are possible because of the work of our members and not by Yahoodie, a fantasy person who works on our behalf. Because Yahoodie isn’t an option, I ask you to consider getting involved in one of our committees so that ASURA can remain vital and effective in meeting the needs and expectations of our members. The following pages are full of information about some of what is going on in ASURA. So, keep your skills honed and, now that you are retired, stay connected and get involved in something that you enjoy. If you just have an hour here or there or if you are looking for something to sink your teeth into, ASURA wants and needs you. Please contact me at jomadonna@cox.net if you have any questions about what would be involved. President Jo Madonna Vice President Jim Fordemwalt Past President Barry McNeill Terms Expire April 2015 Terms Expire April 2016 Terms Expire April 2017 Elmer Gooding Gary Kleemann Barry McNeill Connie McNeill Bill Stasi Karen Hammann Glenn Irvin Jo Madonna Jan Thompson Hal White Larry Carlson Joyce Hartman Diaz Jim Fordemwalt Ruth Kingsley Trudy Perez Adopt-A-Family Joan Leard Membership David Schwalm Book Donations Mary Stevens Obituaries - Becky Reiss Events - Barry McNeill Finance - Connie McNeill Prime Times Newsletter Wilma Mathews (Editor) Jeannette Robson (Designer) Scholarship - Sue Blumer Government Liaison (ASRS) - Larry Carlson Seminars - Jan Thompson Government Liaison (State Legislature) - Hal White Seminars (pre-retirement) Trudy Perez Health Insurance (ASRS/ ADOA) Liaisons Art Ashton, Larry Carlson, Joyce Hartman Diaz Travel - Gary Anderson Luncheons/Special Events Barbara Bradford Eschbach Website & Data Base Connie McNeill Alumni Association - Rhonda McClintock Emeritus College Liaison - Elmer Gooding Human Resources - Sheree Barron University Affairs - Barbara Shaw-Snyder & Abby Polito University Club Liaison - Jim Fordemwalt University Senate - Helene Ossipov University Staff Council - Sharon Young Phone: Fax: Website: Location: 480-965-7668 ** 480-965-7807 http://asura.asu.edu/ Community Services Building 200 East Curry Road, Room 201B Tempe, Arizona ** Best to call beforehand Business Operations Manager - Carolyn Minner Coordinator, Office Staff - Carol Moore Monday - morning afternoon morning afternoon morning afternoon morning afternoon morning afternoon Carol Berg Jeannette Robson Carol Moore Linda Van Scoy Nancy Lesko Bev Buddee Bonnie Scheall Mary Williams Need volunteer Need volunteer Joan Leard Helen Seaton Dorothy Meunier Maxine LaRoux Tuesday - Thursday Friday Subs - 2 Treasurer Connie McNeill Ex-Officio Members Wednesday - Video History Project David Scheatzle Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times Secretary Glenn Irvin Spring 2015 If you are an ASURA member and you have changed your address, phone, or e-mail address, please let us know through one of the following methods: 1. Log in to our Membership and Events site: A. Follow our directions at http://asura.wildapricot.org/Login if you've never logged in to our Membership and Events site before. B. Go directly to a log-in form at http://asura.wildapricot.org/sys/Login if you're an old hand at using our Membership and Events site. There's a link to use there if you've forgotten your password. Once logged in, you can update your information (your profile) by clicking on the "View Profile" link, which is in the upper right corner or the screen in the gold stripe. OR 2. Contact the ASURA Office to provide us with current information. OR 3. Print and Complete a new Membership Enrollment form at http://asura.wildapricot.org/Resources/Forms/ MembershipApplication.pdf and send it to us. Please include a note explaining that this is an update of your contact information. The owner of this establishment, Robert Coulson, promises another memorable luncheon. More importantly, we will have a sommelier (i.e. “wine professor”) who will educate the attending oeunophiles (i.e. “winos”) about various wines during our luncheon, including dessert wine! All of this comes at the remarkable price of $30/person, which includes tax and tip. One of the attendees last May 2014 remarked, “It’s the best $30 I ever spent!” Dvine in Chandler is located at the northwest corner of Alma School and Ocotillo. In preparation for the class you might want to visit www.DvineWine BarChandler.com to check out their great “educational” videos and even greater menu. by Jan Thompson Two outstanding speakers will highlight our February 12, 10 a.m. seminar on "The Brain" in CSB 330. ASU Professor Emeritus of Psychology Dr. Jay Braun will focus Questions? Contact Barbara Bradford Eschbach at on the Healthy Brain for the first hour, while Mayo Clinic physician and Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium researcher Barbara.Eschbach@asu.edu. Dr. Bryan Woodruff will speak on the Alzheimer's Brain during the second hour. A capacity audience is expected for this timely and informative topic of interest to all. by Barbara Bradford Eschbach Get prepared to register for our 2nd ASURA Luncheon & Wine Tasting event on Thursday, March 5, 2015. This luncheon will be held at the Chandler location of the Dvine Wine Bar & Bistro. Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 3 Spring 2015 members who apply for it with them. ASURA cannot extend the same offer, but we are happy to confirm membership for those of you who may wish to purchase the permit. by Connie McNeill, ASURA Technology Officer This arrangement was worked out with Parking Services 4 years ago by then ASURA Vice President Sheila Stokes. We have tried periodically to get the cost reduced to $0 on the basis that retirees would use permits only infrequently. We tried again recently, with help from Ray Jensen, and received this informative response from John Riley: On July 1, 2014, ASU’s University Technology Office implemented a new service for faculty and staff. The service, called “ServiceNow”, was supposed to improve our ability to find articles in the IT Knowledge Base and to submit a service request if needed. “Parking is not in a position to offer free parking permits. We currently have 24,790 parking spaces: 17,210 at Tempe, 3,100 at Polytechnic, 3,400 at West, and 1,080 at Downtown. We have 82,060 students (13,000 of which are in our online programs) and 9,425 employees. So, we have one parking space for every 3.1 people. Unfortunately, the new system is not available to retirees. I am told by John Rome, Deputy Chief Information Officer of the University Technology Office that this was unintentional – “with a shortened timeline for bringing up the new helpdesk by 7/1, some of the existing functionality didn’t transfer to the new environment.” John indicates that my request that this functionality be restored is among 50+ requests being handled by the “ServiceNow” team, and he has asked for assistance from senior ASU personnel for prioritizing that request. “At the Tempe Campus, this will get significantly worse with the loss of spaces for the Omni Hotel/USA Basketball project, and with the Athletic Facilities District development. “Since FY07, we have lost 5,041 spaces, or 17% of our spaces, while the number of students has increased by 39%. We have been able to meet the demand through subsidized light rail and bus passes, free intercampus shuttles, and free transportation to off-campus locations like the Mayo Clinic and the Chandler Innovation Center. Further, at the request of our respective student governments, we have expanded intercampus transportation to nights and weekends. So – it may be a while before our service is restored, but it will eventually be restored. It may be that the ability to search the knowledge base will be restored before the ability to submit a service request is. If you are impacted by this, I urge you to write on your own to John at JohnRome@asu.edu. If he hears from more people, he may be able to escalate the fix for us. “At present, Parking pays $5,709,100 for transportation, and transfers $3.4 million to other University programs. Finally, we are currently upgrading our parking management system.” by Connie McNeill, ASURA Technology Officer Did you know that ASURA members are entitled to purchase a retiree/Gold Permit for parking at ASU? The cost is $280, and it allows parking in the Rural Road Structure, Packard Drive South Structure, the Stadium Structure, and at Gammage on the Tempe campus; at the University Center garage Downtown, and better reciprocal parking at West and Polytechnic. by Connie McNeill, ASURA Technology Officer This price and the parking locations are quite favorable when compared to what is available to employees. Employees are limited to just one parking location and pay $430 for the Rural Road or Stadium garage and $470 for the downtown University Center Garage, if indeed permits are available for them to purchase in those locations. If you don’t have an ASU ID (SunCard) to use for this purpose, you can get one at one of the SunCard offices – there is one on each campus. The one on the Tempe campus is in the MU lower level. You will need a photo ID and you will need to know your 10-digit ASU ID number. If this is a problem for you, you might try calling the ASU Help Desk at 1-855-ASU-5080 for assistance: identify yourself as a retiree and say you need to know your 10digit ASU ID number. You can look the number up if you Did you know that there is a long list of discounts on attractions, goods and services that are available to ASU employees – and ASU retirees? These discounts are available in many cases just by using promotional codes. In some cases, you must show your ASU ID. The Gold Permit is not available to all retirees – just to those who are currently members of ASURA or of the Emeritus College. It has been the practice of the Emeritus College to cover the cost of this permit for their eligible Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times (Continued on page 5) 4 Spring 2015 recreation sites. I am sure using this has saved my husband and me well over $300 in the past few years. See http:// can log in to myASU (using your ASURITE UserID and www.doi.gov/tourists/get-a-pass.cfm for more informapassword) – http://www.asu.edu/myasu. The ASU ID is tion. There is a list of where passes are issued at http:// store.usgs.gov/pass/PassIssuanceList.pdf. We got ours at listed under Profile, Account Details, View My IDs. the Bureau of Land Management office on 7th Avenue in Goods and services categories in the ASU discount list Phoenix. You can also order it on-line, but then it costs include florists, food, health, hotels/resorts, home improve- $20. ment, security, moving services, telephone/TV/Internet and others. Attractions are listed for Arizona, Florida, and Some businesses clearly list senior discounts on their California, and include the Dolly Steamboat on Canyon websites or post them in the store. Many museums, movie Lake, Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass, the Arizona Diamond- theaters, restaurants and retailers also clearly post senior backs, the ASU Karsten Golf Course, Gammage Auditorates. Many stores provide discounts only to seniors who ask for them. Wherever you are doing business, ask rium and others. whether there is a senior discount available. There is a link from our ASURA website, https:// asura.asu.edu, to the lists of discounts, which includes inSo – take advantage of all these great discounts, and structions for taking advantage of each offer. Our link ap- find more on line. Just search (“Google”) on “senior discounts” and you’ll find lots of lists. pears under “Membership”. (Continued from page 4) In addition to ASU-related discounts, there are many discounts available to seniors. The eligibility age varies from 50 (AARP members) to over 60. Often just showing a driver’s license or other identification will allow you a senior discount. In some places you need to register to get by Linda Van Scoy (Photo by Dave Scheatzle) a card. Here are a very few examples. I picked these examples because I’ve personally taken advantage of most of The Chair Arrived! them: The ASURA office staff is  Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card pleased to report that we received (60+) our new office chair donated by  Burger King: 10% off (60+) Goodman’s Interior Structures. This  Dunkin Donuts – free donut with an order of a cup is a Herman Miller design chair and of coffee (55+) is extremely comfortable, adjustable  Village Inn: 10% off (60+) and 99% recyclable (Should that  Wendy’s: check with the restaurant as senior age time ever come!). discounts vary  Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by Thanks go to Wael Soliman, an location) employee of Goodman’s who  Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Member- learned of ASURA from Dave Jo Madonna & ship & 10% off every Monday (55+) Linda Van Scoy Scheatzle ... his father-in-law.  Marriott Hotels: 15% off (62+)  Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up Office Volunteers Needed  Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus We are in need of a few more volunteers, permanent or Plan $29.99/month (65+) temporary, to staff the ASURA office. Unfortunately, sev AMC theaters: discounts vary (60+)  AARP has negotiated a wide variety of discounts on eral of our regular volunteer office staff, or a family member, are recovering from various health issues leaving us behalf of members. You need an AARP memberwithout coverage on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afship to take advantage. ternoons and also Friday morning. Shifts are 9-noon and 14 p.m. If you can help out or know of someone who might My very favorite is the America the Beautiful senior pass. For people age 62 and older, $10 will get you a life- lend a hand, let us know. Please contact Carol Moore at time pass that provides you and up to three other adults free carollinneamoore@cox.net. admission to more than 2,000 national parks and federal Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 5 Spring 2015 turned on for a family, one time we were able to find and pay for a dentist for a family member, we purchased tickets to a rock concert, we bought a sewing machine, many school and art supplies, etc. One time a family requested a TV so my daughters, who help me with this, picked up the one in my den and said, “this will do”. by Joan Leard, Committee Chair The ASURA Adopt-A-Family program was established during the 6th year under President Don Gieschen. He wrote a letter to his board of directors: “I think we should go beyond selfinterest and pocketbook issues and serve a broad range of interests”. Among other suggestions he mentioned the Adopt-A-Family program. Thus the program began. These families express their gratitude with letters, cards and drawings from the children. I have asked the social worker if this really made a difference in the lives of these people and she always assures me it did. During the early years the volunteers accepted donations of clothing, household items and non-perishable food. They stored these items at their homes for later distribution. They also solicited items from Tempe merchants including movie tickets. They did not ask the association for any funds. When I was asked to take over the program eight years ago I announced to the board that I believed ASURA should pay for the program instead of asking for donated goods. I also exclaimed I am a big spender. The program has now advanced and has a sizeable annual budget from the association for the purchase of goods and food. I personally wanted to have the program make a difference in the lives of the families chosen. Are your bookshelves too full? Are you downsizing your office or your home and don't have space for all of your books? Donate your used books to us, and we will work with our partner, Friends of the Phoenix Public Library, to sell them. We'll use proceeds of the sale to support our programs. The ASU Foundation, a separate nonprofit organization that exists to support ASU, will provide you with a gift receipt for tax purposes. Half of the proceeds will be invested in our endowed scholarship fund, and half will be used for our Video History project. Earnings from the endowed scholarship fund are earmarked for our ASURA Scholarship. ASURA is able to adopt two families each year. One needy family chosen by a social worker from the Tempe school system; and a returning student family from the ASU Adopt-A-Family Program. The ASU student must be working towards a degree, have a part-time job and have children. If you have books you can donate, please visit our web site at https://asura.asu.edu/BookDrive and print our donation form. Complete the form and either scan and fax or email to Mary Stevens, chair of the Book Drive project or mail it directly to the ASURA office. Deliveries are made in the Fall at Thanksgiving, at Christmas and in the Spring just before Easter. The families are surveyed for their individual needs that include clothing, household goods and toys. For more information contact: In the Fall I choose hoodies for each member of the families, flashlights for each and household items requested Mary Stevens - marystevens0@gmail.com (602-758-3750) Bill Moor - william.moor@asu.edu (480-838-8348) as well as a gift card from a grocery store of their choice for holiday food. I find beautiful baskets at thrift stores in which to pack these items. At Christmas we are able to purchase an entire outfit for each person, toys for each child, various household items and a grocery card for food. Each item is presented wrapped in Holiday paper. In the Spring ASURA is able to purchase more clothing and requested items as well as a card for holiday food. Again the gifts are delivered in baskets. One time we were requested to pay to have the utilities Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 6 Spring 2015 cial Security benefits by explaining eligibility requirements; linking to applications and other program websites; linking to articles related to different significant life changes; and providing tips for planning for future. DB101 is more than just employment for Social Security beneficiaries. It’s about empowerment, community inclusion, increasing self-worth, moving out of poverty, and creating a better life. Disability Benefits 101 http://az.db101.org/ These words are often uttered by individuals who receive Social Security benefits when asked about returning to the workforce. “How much can I earn and keep my eligibility for Social Security disability benefits?” “It took me forever to get my SSDI check. I am not working and messing with that.” “I would love to work, but I cannot afford to lose my healthcare.” If you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and live in the state of Arizona, you are in luck!! Arizona has a resource at its fingertips that only 2 other states in the country have…a comprehensive, state-specific online resource that will allow you to see what will happen to your income, benefits, and health coverage if you gain employment. Hal White, John Brock, Bill Stasi, President Michael Crow, Bob Mings, Jeri Meeks The Arizona Disability Benefits 101 (DB101) is a userfriendly online tool that helps work through the myths and confusion of Social Security benefits, healthcare, and employment. DB101 online tools support individuals with disabilities to make informed decisions when thinking about gaining employment, or when accepting a job offer, by educating on how work and benefits (cash, medical, etc...) go together. These tools help support individuals with disabilities to maximize their earnings by utilizing available work incentives. Use the “Benefits and Work” calculator to find out how a job may affect your total income and your health coverage. Get started by watching the 90-second introduction video on the home page. by David Scheatzle, Chair Our interviewee selection committee met in December and suggested 40 new names. We also asked previous interviewees to propose names. So with these, added to the names already identified, we have about 100 possible candidates. Prioritizing, we have selected 16 persons who we hope to schedule to start off “this season.” We are always open to receiving suggested names from our members. DB101 has a broad range of information, does not require any identifiable information, and is completely FREE to use. It is also available in Spanish at http://azes.db101.org/. Although DB101 is user-friendly, technical assistance is available, so you can “Talk to an Expert” by calling the number listed on the website and someone will assist you. Four recent interviews have been–Walter Harris, Louis Olivas, Suzanne Steadman and Ted Humphrey. This brings the total of interviews to 104. Our archives have become extensive and we will begin uploading our files to the ASU Library’s Archive server for DB101 can even be helpful if you are not receiving SoArizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times (Continued on page 8) 7 Spring 2015 Following the matinee concert we all went off to dinner at BJs and continued our enjoyment, accompanied by two of secure backup. Our plans are to have interviews viewable the singers, David Schwalm and John Brock. Hmmm. Did on the ASU Library Archive Repository Website. This will we enjoy the day? eliminate the need to produce DVDs. “I’m partial to barbershop harmonies and the Phoenix Chorus is among the best anywhere. This was my third year at In the meantime, Connie McNeill has developed the their top notch performance.” Norm Perrill ASURA Video History Web page, guiding us through the process to add brief clips of interviews to the web page. We “A great way to start the Season and the program brought have posted over 40 video clips for public viewing. See Christ into Christmas as it should be.” Hal White https://asura.asu.edu/VideoHistory. (Continued from page 7) We have an editing backlog. Anyone who has an interest and maybe a little experience in video editing is invited to visit our studio. We use the iMovie software on MAC computers; we have two workstations. Where we’re going Details of our trips and activities are always found on the ASURA website as well as the opportunity to register for them. You can also get up to date information by callPhoto Caption: Suzanne Steadman was interviewed by ing the office. Leon Shell in June of last year. Suzanne retired as Director of the International Students Program in 2010. Suzanne tells some very interesting stories. Our plans for the coming year include some really incredible trips. On April 22-24, 2015 we are going to the Four Corners area. You will have an opportunity to tour Canyon de Chelly, probably see John Wayne ride around the butte in Monument Valley and view the mysterious and haunting Antelope Canyon. Call as soon as you read this to book your reservation. Details are on the website. On May 17th we are going to board a plane at Sky Harbor for a visit to China. You can be a “Chopstick, too” and come with us to walk the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, the TerraCotta Warriors, cruise for 3 days on the Yangtze and become an expert in the use of chopsticks. Details are on the website or you can contact the office. Where we’ve been We’ve helped some members of ASURA and their friends get a bit more musical over the last couple of months. But our singing is probably still best done in the shower, with the water on full. Like spaghetti? How about Italy in September? You will explore the history and culture of the Italian heartland. How about Bologna and Parma, Tuscany and Umbria? A focus will be on the culinary traditions and delights of the area. Details are available on the website and by calling the office. Information sessions planned for January 26 (1:00pm) and February 4 (10:00am) at the Tempe Public Library. Pizza, anyone? On November 20th, we went to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in north Phoenix. MIM is a collection of musical instruments from around the world and across the ages. It is really an incredible place to visit. There is the Africa room, for example, with dozens of countries and cultures represented through their instruments and music. In addition to the instruments, the displays all have videoaudio presentations of the instruments in use, accompanied by singing and dancing. More than 200 countries are represented. Music has been a part of humankind, long before showers came about. Tovrea Castle, the one you see on the way to Phoenix? We are going back there in October for another tour. The dates are not yet set but watch for the next Prime Times and check the website in late spring. On December 6th, we went to hear the wonderful Spirit of Phoenix men’s chorus perform their show called Christmas Letters. This group has been in existence in the Phoenix area for over 60 years. Their beautiful musical selections got us all in the mood for Christmas. Wonderful. Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times There will be more local trips planned for the spring and fall. Let us know what you would like. 8 Spring 2015 by Barbara Bradford Eschbach Nearly 80 folks attended the first ASURA Luncheon/Pizza Party! The photos you see just scratch the surface with respect to how much fun all attendees had, which included previous as well as new members of the ASURA. Aside from swapping stories of "what I did on my summer vacation," the attendees were introduced to the Board members for 2014-2015. Committee chairs spoke briefly on plans that are already in place for this year, and an invitation to all to become an active participant in the Association. Please visit our ASURA Photo Gallery for more pictures. Barbara - ready to feed the hungry crowd Alleen Nilsen Joe Schultz, Hal White Glenn Irvin, Borgny & Alan Johnson Jay Butler, Joe Schultz, Elmer Gooding, Gary Kleemann Marjorie Garrity, Bev Buddee, Karen Hammann, Jeff Chapman The ASURA Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00pm in the Alumni Lounge at the Memorial Union, Tempe Campus. This year’s guest speaker will be Ray Anderson, ASU’s Vice President for University Athletics and Athletic Director. Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 9 Spring 2015 by Jan Thompson (Photo by Gary Kleemann) A record number—just over 100--- ASURA members and guests attended our first-ever DOUBLE seminar event on October 22 and went home armed with information on Medicare, ADOA and ASRS retirement health plans. The annual Health Care-Open Enrollment Seminar was booked to capacity well before the event, with a growing waiting list that couldn’t be accommodated. Fortunately we were able to book our 3 excellent speakers for a second session, offered on the same afternoon, setting a precedent that will likely be followed next year for this popular annual event. ADOA representative Elizabeth Shaefer, ASRS representative Pat Klein, and independent insurance agent Brian Bilyeu presented a wealth of information on ASU group retirement health plans, on Medicare Parts A-D, and on Medicare supplement and drug plans. Attendees had many of their questions answered and were enthusiastic about the knowledgeable speakers, friendly delivery, and quality of information conveyed. by Barry McNeill The Events Committee has been busy planning the spring’s set of activities. Please put these dates on your calendars. As the events get closer additional information will be available on our website, https://asura.asu.edu and you will be able to register for the events. Type Seminar Event Name Date The Healthy Brain – The Alzheimer’s Brain Luncheon Luncheon & Wine Tasting Cost Thursday – February 12 Free Thursday – March 5 TBD Seminar Finances (tentative) Thursday – March 19 Free Meeting Annual Meeting Saturday – April 18 Free Travel Four Corners Trip April 22 - 24 TBD Travel China Trip 2015 May 18-June 9 Spots still available Travel Bologna & Parma: Rich History & Culinary Traditions and Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland adventure September 11 – October 1 Spots still available Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 10 Spring 2015 by Gary Anderson (photos by Barry McNeill & Gary Kleemann) On October 10th, about two dozen ASURA members and friends visited the Castle on the Hill-Tovrea Castle. It is the one we always marveled at as we passed it driving into Phoenix on Washington St. The original land was a homestead established by F.L. and Lizzie Warner in 1907. In 1928 the land, 277 acres, was sold to Alessio Carraro. Tovrea Castle was completed in 1930 by Alessio, who built the castle to be the hotel center piece of a planned resort destination. In 1931, the Castle was purchased by E.A. Tovrea, the founder of the Arizona Packing Company. He passed away within a year but his wife, Della Tovrea lived in the Castle until her death in 1969. The City of Phoenix purchased the property in 1993 but it was not opened for tours until 2012. The tour began at the visitor center where we learned about the creation of the Tovrea Carraro Society - TCS - a non profit organization. The city had spent over $15 million of bond funds to renovate the site but did not have the funds to open the site to the public. The TCS was formed in the summer of 2010 and worked on programs that would allow the public to tour the site. After the introduction we boarded two trams and were driven around the castle and the cactus grounds. The Castle itself is very impressive, both inside and out, and so too is the very extensive cactus gardens surrounding the Castle. Tons and tons of rocks were hauled from the bed of the Salt River to line the walkways and accent the extensive hilltop cactus garden. Breath-taking and beautiful. After the tour of the grounds we entered the first floor of the castle and you can imagine the oohs and aahs of our group as we FINALLY got inside the Castle to have a look. The Travel Committee is going to try to schedule another Castle tour for next fall. If you can’t wait, you can book online at http://TovreaCastleTours.com. The 8:30 am Crew Entrance to Hotel Great Room - same artist as Orpheum Theatre Garden surrounding Castle Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 11 The 11:00 am Crew Della Tovrea’s commissioned petroglyphs Spring 2015 Story and photos by Barry McNeill Again this year the fall luncheon was held at Friendship Village. Twenty-two members and three guests enjoyed a nicely served lunch and chit chat with fellow retirees. After lunch had been eaten we had a very nice musical program given by Russ Schmidt on piano and vocalist Vicki McDermitt. The program featured songs by Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers including: “Can’t Take That Away From Me”, “It’s Alright With Me”, “Embraceable You”, “Don’t Fence Me In”, “Summer Time”, “Not For Me”, “Someone To Watch Over Me”, and ending with “Our Love Is Here To Stay”. Not only did Vicki sing she also supplied us with little snippets of information about the songs. For example while Cole Porter is credited with writing “Don’t Fence Me In”; he actually got the words from a poem written by a highway worker who gave Cole the poem while Cole was on a trip out west. Cole was willing to give credit but the publishing company refused thinking it would put a blemish on Cole’s reputation. Vicki pointed out the enduring quality of the songs; they all over 70 years old, yet most members of the audience recognized them. Jo Madonna “holding court” pianist Russ Schmidt vocalist Vicki McDermitt Great food, entertainment & conversation! Wednesday February 18, 2015 Emeritus College Colloquium, ASU Foundation Fulton Center, Sixth Floor Board Room, 2:00 - 3:30 pm Speaker: Jeffrie G. Murphy, Regents Professor of Law, Philosophy and Religious Studies "Lost Innocence" Wednesday March 18, 2015 Emeritus College Colloquium, ASU Foundation Fulton Center, Sixth Floor Board Room, 2:00 - 3:30 pm Speaker: Chouki El Hamel, ASU Professor of History "Black Morocco" Wednesday April 15, 2015 Emeritus College Colloquium, ASU Foundation Fulton Center, Sixth Floor Board Room, 2:00 - 3:30 pm Speaker: Ahren Sadoff, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Cornell University "Should Intelligent Design/Creationism Be Taught in the Science Classroom?" (Continued on page 13) Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 12 Spring 2015 (Continued from page 12) A short description of the Colloquiums can be found at the following ASURA web site: http://asura.wildapricot.org/ AffiliatedEvents. For more information on all the Emeritus College offerings and to RSVP for the Colloquiums, please contact them directly: Emeritus College Physical Address: Old Main 102 Mailing Address: PO Box 873002, Tempe, AZ 85287-3002 480-965-0002 | 480-727-3324 (fax) EmeritusCollege@asu.edu by Barbara Bradford Eschbach (Photos by Elmer Gooding) A group of merry, retired ASU "elves" gathered together on Thursday, December 18th. The gathering was to enjoy a potluck luncheon with lots of goodies! Also, several luncheon attendees brought even more goodies for the Bake Sale, raising some $$$ for the ASURA. Live piano music set the "mood" for this jolly event, and everyone left to go home to nap and to dream of dancing with Sugar Plums! The following photos tell the story best about this Jolly event! Joyce Hartman Diaz, Rick Wall, Barbara Buffet is ready! “Reindeer-eared” Barbara welcoming attendees Bake Sale is ready! Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 13 “A Convivial Group” (word of the day) Elmer Gooding, Barbara Spring 2015 by Becky Reiss Please note that all obituary notices and photos, when available, are on our web site: http://asura.asu.edu/obituaries Name Date of Death ASU Affiliation Brumbaugh, Wayne Monroe December 21, 2014 ASU Polytechnic Campus Burgess, Joseph James, Jr. November 1, 2014 Faculty, School of Art Canright, Margaret “Peggy” Jean October 15, 2014 Wife of Dr. James E. Canright, Emeritus Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, deceased in 2008 Carey, Francis J., Jr. November 1, 2014 Chairman and CEO of W.P. Carey Foundation; instrumental in founding W.P. Carey School of Business Cassa, Robert Lee October 1, 2014 Served on ASU Alumni Association Casteel, Geraldine September 14, 2014 College of Nursing Corder, Brice W. December 3, 2014 Professor, Health Science; Asst. Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Founder and Director of Pre-Med Advisory Program Davison, Barry David December 26, 2014 Event Coordinator, Department/college unknown Farr, Gerald D. “Jerry” September, 2014 Father of Heather Farr, pro golfer (deceased) and Missy FarrKaye, ASU Associate Head Women’s Golf Coach Fechter, William (Bill) Frederick November 26, 2014 Professor, Industrial Technology Fesser, August Keith August 3, 2014 Sun Devil Ticket Office Forrester, Nancy Gale December 3, 2014 Along with colleagues maintained a scholarship for several years, School of Engineering for promising female engineering students Freund, Maxine December 20, 2014 Wife of John Ernst Freund, Professor (deceased) Green, Mary Elizabeth December 21, 2014 Assistant Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hoffer, Warren Wayne November 6, 2014 Emeritus Professor, School of Music Jones, Austin Edward December 26, 2014 (estimated) Professor, Department unknown Laetz, Johann "Hans" Gottlieb September 23, 2014 Professor of German Lightfoot, Marjorie September 27, 2014 Emeritus Professor, Department of English (continued on page 11) Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 14 Spring 2015 (continued from page 10) Name Date of Death ASU Affiliation Marker, Ann September 23, 2014 Department/College Affiliation unknown Maxwell, Doris September 28, 2014 ASU Library Mehrens, Gloria Marie December 4, 2014 Mother of Dr. Christopher Mehrens, Administrator, Music Library Morris, Donald Harvey August 30, 2014 Professor, Anthropology and Archaeology Murra, Richard J. September 22, 2014 Director of Personnel Ordini, John “Johnny”, Jr. December 6, 2014 Asst. Director, Administration, Facilities Planning & Construction Paolino, Lt. Col. John Julian September 10, 2014 Adjunct Professor Prather, Elizabeth Moodie September 17, 2014 Emeritus Professor, Speech and Hearing Science Rewick, David Whitcomb December 1, 2014 Member, Council of Emeritus Advisers, College of Business Robinson, Charles December 10, 2014 Professor, Mathematics Ruhala, David Michael December 7, 2014 Professor, Department unknown St. John, Ralph E., Jr. October 7, 2014 Computer Science Professor Smith, Jean Holcomb October 23, 2014 Wife of Dean Smith (Deceased), Director of Publications Sylvester, Edward J. November 7, 2014 Faculty, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Walsh, Rev. Thomas A. November 21, 2014 Parish Priest, All Saints Catholic Newman Center Welch, Doris W. “Scottie” November 26, 2014 Wife of H. W. “Bill” Welch, Professor, Electrical Engineering (deceased) Wittenberg, George Karl November 8, 2014 Lecturer, Chemistry/Biochemistry; Chemical/Biological Engineering; Special Education; John Hopkins University Center Wootten, William W. November 22, 2014 Emeritus Professor, History Remembering Bill ... William W. Wootten, 89, professor emeritus of history at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1994, a total of 35 years, passed away November 22, 2014 in Tempe. In his late 80s, Bill volunteered in the ASURA front office on Friday afternoons from 2011 to 2013. Arizona State University Retirees Association Prime Times 15 Spring 2015 Marcia Charles Peter Horwath Denise Hutchinson Howard Nelson Elizabeth Croteau Jean Humphries Jeri Meeks Susan Nowak Prime Times is issued three times annually by the Arizona State University Retirees Association with special editions as needed. Articles welcome, subject to Board approval. Mailing Address: Prime Times ASU Retirees Association PO Box 873308 Tempe, AZ 85287-3308 Arizona State University Retirees Association: ASURA has a volunteer-staffed office in the Community Services Building, 200 E. Curry Rd., Room 201B in Tempe, Arizona. Office hours are generally Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - noon and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Best to call beforehand) Phone: Fax: Website: 480-965-7668 480-965-7807 http://asura.asu.edu 16