PURA History: 2007-2008
YEAR IN REVIEW
Officers and Advisor:
President: Betty M. Suddarth
Vice President: W. Scott Rumble
Secretary/Treasurer: Patricia J. Lawson
Historian: Mary Alice Nebold
Past President: Michael T. Drayer
Advisor: Murray M. Blackwelder
Committee Chairpersons:
Benefits: Martha O. Chiscon
Communications: Oscar Hopkins
Endowment: Betty M. Nelson
Hospitality: Lois M. Gotwals and Lois K. Wark
Program: Dale R. McHenry
Trips and Tours: Truman G. Martin
Ad-Hoc Committee Chairpersons:
Campus and Community: Richard C. Nelson
Kickoff Luncheon: Carolyn T. Jones
Purposeful Living in Retirement: Lowell Landrum
Activities:
Annual Meeting:
President France Cordova was featured speaker at the annual meeting.
Award Recipients:
Arthur G. Hansen Recognition Award: No award was given in 2007-2008.
Betty M. Nelson Special Recognition Award:Purdue Marketing Communications, David J. Brannan, Director
Benefits:
The Senior Supplemental Health and Prescription Plan was negotiated for the third year with PacifiCare and United Health Rx.
Big Ten Retirees Association Conference:
Betty M. Suddarth, W. Scott Rumble, and Martha O. Chiscon represented PURA at the Big Ten Retirees Association held on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.
Campus and Community Tours:
Tours of new campus buildings (Mann and Armstrong Halls); visits to the Columbian Park Zoo, the Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, and the
Lafayette Symphony; and lunch at the Athletic Dining Room prior to the
Purdue Women’s exhibition basketball game comprised the campus and
community organized tours for PURA members.
Endowment:
PURA established an endowment with the Purdue Foundation using the
reimbursement from the United Health/ PacifiCare Performance Guarantee. Earnings generated by the endowment will benefit Purdue
retirees. Betty Nelson, chair of the Endowment Committee, worked with
Purdue Marketing Communications to develop a brochure announcing this endowment.
Handbook:
The updated handbook for retirees was formatted as a tri-fold and sent to members with the July 2007 PURA Newsletter. Sufficient copies were
produced to cover two years distribution.
Kickoff Luncheon:
A record 379 Purdue retirees and friends attended the luncheon at University Plaza September 10. Dr. France Cordova, Purdue's new president, was the featured speaker.
Newsletter:
In the future, the PURA Newsletter will be distributed to all Purdue
retirees four times each year in January or February, March, July, and
November. Development of the new web site for PURA is in progress.
President Martin C. and Patty Jischke Recognition:
PURA has five years to reach the $20,000 contribution goal for the Martin C. and Patty Jischke Opportunity Award Endowment. To date, $12,000 has been given. The Purdue Opportunity Award is granted to students who have high financial need, personal hardship(s), and/or other extenuating circumstances. One award is designated for each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Programs:
Monthly meetings, held at MCL, featured a variety of topics presented by
engaging speakers. A listing of program titles and the presenters is
included with the archival materials.
Purdue University Strategic Plan:
Betty Suddarth represented PURA on the Campus Design Committee, one of eight Tiger Teams, appointed by President Cordova to participate in the process of developing a meaningful and comprehensive university strategic plan. Several retirees contributed ideas at the various open
forums that were held on campus.
Purposeful Living in Retirement:
The fourth retirement conference (formerly Living to 100) was held April 23 at University Plaza. The presentations focused on preserving family
history, discovering one’s second career, personality and longevity in
purposeful living, a spiritual bucket list, and solutions for care givers.
Spring Fling:
The Hospitality Committee again hosted a PURA tent at Spring Fling.
Informational brochures about ongoing benefits official Purdue retirees
receive, and magnetic folders for addresses were distributed to attendees.
State College Retirement Associations:
Michael Drayer volunteered to research the possibility of organizing
meetings with representatives from other Indiana college retirement
associations. He found, however, that only Indiana University and Purdue University have organized retirement associations.
Trips and Tours:
One hundred nineteen (119) members and friends participated in
enjoyable and entertaining trips around Indiana (French Lick and West
Baden, the Railroad Museum and Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refuge, Rose
Hulman Institute and the Clabber Girl Museum, Indiana University
campus and the Oliver Winery), and to the Gerald Ford Museum and
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
United Way:
As pacesetters, Purdue retirees gave $83,949 to the United Way Campaign. This amount was only $51 short of the $84.000 goal.
Comprehensive reports regarding PURA activities and accomplishments during the year, June 2007 through May 2008, are filed in the Purdue University Library Archives and Special Collections. A guide to the PURA records can be accessed on the web at http://www.lib.purdue.edu/
May 2008
Mary Alice Nebold, Historian
