Volume 10, Issue 4 Winter 2019 ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Message from the President Diane Jackson EFA President

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EFA Supports UCO Hockey Six EFA members and two guests attended

the season opener of the UCO Hockey team on

September 19, with dinner at On the Border. The

Bronchos won! (Submitted by Sue Lynn Sasser) L to R in front row: Pam Kuzminski, Diane Jackson, Kathy Black, and Richard Bernard. Second row: Sue Lynn Sasser and her guests Susan Sasser and Susan Voner. Not pictured is Ken Jackson who’s taking the photo.

Greetings, all! Can you believe the end of the year is almost here? It

seems like the holidays come faster and faster each year. Fall has been a

busy time for EFA members. In addition to the monthly Kaffeeklatsch,

Central Pantry donations, and Book Club, members had opportunities to

nuzzle alpacas at an alpaca ranch in Newcastle and try their forensic skills at

the Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City. The Fall Brunch and Business

Meeting on October 10 was a success and included the election of President-

Elect Sue Lynn Sasser, Secretary-Treasurer Tim Bridges, and Board

Member Candy Sebert. We appreciate their willingness to serve EFA in

those positions, beginning in January 2020.

Upcoming events for December include lunch at Devon Tower and tour

of Crystal Bridge on December 4 and Musical Theater Christmas Shows at

the UCO Jazz Lab on December 5-8 and 12-14. The Activities Committee

has done a great job providing a smorgasbord of opportunities this year and has already planned

some very exciting events for 2020. Stay tuned!

As you plan your end-of-year giving, please consider the EFA Endowed Scholarship Fund. Your

generosity this year helped us reach the endowed status of the fund, and continuing contributions

may enable us to someday support TWO students each year! (Send donations to UCO Foundation,

Attn: UCO Annual Fund, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, OK 73034. On the notation line write

“E10428 EFA Endowed Scholarship.”

Finally, I want to thank you for being part of EFA and allowing me to serve as your president this

year. I appreciate the dedication and commitment of all those who serve on the Executive

Committee, the EFA Board, and the various EFA committees. I have enjoyed getting to know more

members of this wonderful organization and appreciate your friendship as we continue to be actively

engaged in this chapter of life called “retirement.”

Best wishes to you and your families for a healthy and wondrous holiday season! Diane

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Bob Palmer Presentation and CeCE Tour (Submitted by Pat LaGrow) On September 26, nine EFA members gathered at Ted’s Café Escondido where they were greeted by a colorful

mural of skulls done by one of Bob Palmer’s past students. Scrumptious Mexican food and wonderful

conversation was enjoyed by all. After lunch, a group of 12 met at the Center for eLearning and Connected

Environments (CeCE) where three videos of Palmer’s murals from UCO and Bricktown were shown. Palmer

provided narration for the videos and offered his insight into the history of their production, including image

selection and wall preparation, and to the emotions which the murals have evoked among viewers. He answered

numerous questions.

Palmer taught mural painting at UCO for 15 years and has (along with former students) completed over 3,500

murals around Oklahoma, Canada, Mexico and Eastern Europe. He enjoys painting murals in small towns and

takes pride in public works that are historically accurate. His favorite mural is the Santa Fe Railroad Wall in

Bricktown. The wall is over four blocks long. Many of his murals have served as backdrops in TV commercials,

major movies and TV series filmed in Oklahoma.

Following the presentation, EFA members were treated to a “behind the scenes” tour of CeCE and learned how

staff assist faculty in creating unique, creative and certified online courses to enhance students’ learning.

Sections of murals located in Oklahoma City.

Central Pantry Donations EFA began collecting nonperishable food

and toiletry items for UCO’s Central Pantry

at the June Kaffeeklatsch. Pictured is Pam

Kuzminski, Activities Committee chair, and

items brought to Kaffeeklatsch in Sept.

What We’re Doing in Retirement At the April Kaffeeklatsch, Jeanette Patton told those

present about the hats that she, Donna Hodges, and Betty

Beall make and donate to U R Special, an Edmond non-profit

for school age children. There are 94 hats in this picture

taken in early September, and more followed before the

ladies gave the hats to the children in November. They were

hoping to donate about 150 hats this year. Any hats not

selected were given to other groups to hand out to people

who needed them. Thank you to EFA members who donated

money to help with the cost of yarn.

2020 Kaffeeklatsches

Jan. 9 * Feb. 6 Mar. 5 Apr. 2

May 7 June 4 July 2 Aug. 6

Sept. 3 Oct. 1 Nov. 5 Dec. 3

*UCO is closed on Jan. 2

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Fall Brunch and Business Meeting

EFA members and guests met on Oct. 10 for the annual Fall Brunch and Business Meeting. After

welcoming remarks and introduction of guests by President Diane Jackson, Vice Provost Charlotte

Simmons provided an update on several campus projects and Vice President Anne Holzberlein thanked

EFA members for meeting the goal of endowing a scholarship fund. Diane then presented a certificate

of appreciation to outgoing Board president Karen Carter and to outgoing secretary-treasurer Sue Lynn

Sasser, thanking both for their leadership and participation on the Executive Committee.

During the Fall Business Meeting, the minutes of the Spring Luncheon and Business Meeting were

approved and copies of committee reports were distributed. New business included the election of new

officers for 2020 (see Diane’s message on the first page of the newsletter).

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Museum of Osteology

On November 12, twelve members of

EFA journeyed to the Museum of Osteology

in OKC to view exhibits and test their forensic

skills in a hands-on simulation. You’ll be proud

to know that our four forensic teams successfully

solved their cases! We later enjoyed food and

fellowship at The Lazy Donkey in Moore, OK.

(Submitted by Diane Jackson)

L to R: G. Kay Powers, Don Powers, Tim Bridges

EFA Alpaca Ranch Outing (October 2, 2019)

An intrepid assemblage of 13 very brave EFA members and 1 congenial guest trooped off to the

wilds of Newcastle on a recent auspicious fall day in search of the wily and dangerous Vicugna

pacos! (Known to the less erudite as the Alpaca.) Your humble recording secretary is extremely

pleased to report that the expedition was a complete success with

no fatalities or even serious injuries. An amazingly docile group of

Alpacas was easily found (probably because they were in a fenced

enclosure) and almost immediately we had them eating right out of

our hands! The herd numbered about 40, with several babies, and

were of a variety of colors. They were all very polite and welcoming

and soon made us all feel very much at home. They even shared

their picnic gazebo, where we had a delightful lunch with perfect

wine parings—or perhaps it was bottled water? Anyway, after a fun

and educational day we boarded our rental van, expertly driven by

Sue Lynn Sasser, and returned to Edmond. Perhaps the most

excitement of the day occurred when we tried to refuel the van. Can

you believe that a whole van load of Ph.D.’s couldn’t find the gas

tank cap? Neither could the amazed customers at Enterprise car

rental! A final editorial note: Remember the immortal words of St.

Balderdash of Wewoka—“Get out and enjoy the many EFA

activities; you can sit in your recliner when you’re old!”

(Submitted by Larry Westmoreland)

Karen Carter and Pam Kuzminski with a friendly Alpaca

In Memoriam: Jim Stewart (April 1, 1928-Oct. 12, 2019) was born in Quilin, MO. Jim taught English at UCO in 1968-

88. Carl Reherman (Dec. 13, 1941-Nov. 1, 2019) was born in El Dorado, AR. Carl was a faculty member and

administrator at UCO, served as the director of the George and Donna Nigh Leadership Academy, and was an Edmond

mayor. Don Shane died on Nov. 1, 2019. Don taught special education at UCO. Donna Younker (Feb. 7, 1932-Nov. 1,

2019) was born in Evanston, IL. Donna taught in the Professional Teacher Education Department for 29 years. Also Gerry

Pinkston’s mother and Bob Brown’s wife.

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EFA Book Club: The EFA Book Club meets on the first Monday of the month at 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Virginia Lamb

Living Room of the HES Building on campus. Reading list: January—The Book Club will not meet this month. February

3—Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in

American History by S. C. Gwynne (ISBN 978-1849017039). March 2—Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty by Tim Sandlin (ISBN

978-0989395731). April 6—Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (ISBN 978-0399590504). May 4—Blowout:

Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow (ISBN

978-0525575474).

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Reminder: If you haven’t already renewed your EFA membership or want to join, go to

http://sites.uco.edu/academic-affairs/faculty-staff/emeritus-faculty/#EFA%20Membership for a membership form.