July 29, 2023

BREAKING NEWS

Lynne Dahmen, Managing Director, Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future, "Working for a Sustainable Future" (Slides) and Allison Bryan Jungels, Assistant Director, Operations, Outreach & Partnerships, Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, "Purdue Research Impacts" (Slides) (Zoom)

June, Rob Ford, Communications Director, Tipmont REMC and Wintek, "Electric Cooperatives: Their Place In The Grid" (Zoom)

2023 Annual Spring Conference Video (Slides) (Previously Known as Purposeful Living in Retirement)

Special Events

PURA’s September Kickoff Luncheon—Registration Opens August 1

Reminder: Extension Retirees Cruise Deadline is August 1

PURA Business

August 7 PURA Monthly Meeting: Working for a Sustainable

Future: Purdue Research Impacts

Tom’s Topics:

Volunteer for PURA Committees

Big 10 Retirees Associations Conference Held End-July

PURA Scholarships Grew by $7,825 on Purdue Day of Giving

Calendars

Upcoming PURA Events

August Campus/Community Calendar Highlights

Purdue Academic/Holiday Schedule

Features

Recap: PURA Tours Whitaker Inn in June

Jo Thomas: Confessions of a Book Addict

NYPD Red: The Sorority Murders

Sara Jane Coffman: On Going to Bed at Night

**Zoom Connection Information for PURA Meetings**

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August 7 PURA Monthly Meeting

Program: Working for a Sustainable Future: Purdue Research Impacts
Presenters:

Dr. Lynne M. Dahmen, Senior Managing Director, Purdue University’s Institute for a Sustainable Future

Allison E. Bryan-Jungels, M.S., Assistant Director – Operations, Outreach, and
Partnerships, Regenstrief Center for Health Engineering (RCHE) and the Eli Lilly Strategic Collaboration

Purdue University is not only an Educational institution, it is steeped in Research. Students are the visible product of Purdue, but Research has a large impact on the University maintaining a sustainable future. Join us to learn more about some of these cutting-edge research initiatives.

Dr. Lynne M. Dahmen is the Senior Managing Director of Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future. Previously, she held the Managing Director position at Purdue’s Center for the Environment and helped oversee the transition from Purdue’s Center for the Environment and Purdue’s Climate Change Research Center into the Institute for a Sustainable Future in 2022. She helps develop cross-campus and external partnerships in the sustainable space. Dr. Dahmen holds a PhD from Indiana University and has taught not only at Purdue, but overseas as well. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1994-96.

Allison Bryan-Jungels, MS, serves as the Assistant Director for the Operations, Outreach, and Partnerships of Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE) and the Lilly Strategic Collaboration. In these roles, she oversees the daily operations, facilitates faculty and student engagement across campus, and coordinates with industry partners on strategic initiatives. Allison received both her BS and MS degrees from Purdue University.

Join PURA in person at Lafayette VFW, Duncan Road, Lafayette, Indiana. Or join us via Zoom broadcast from our studio at the VFW (connection information at the end of this newsletter.) Lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. ET; program begins at 12:30 p.m. ET; speaker at 12:40 p.m. ET.

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PURA Monthly Meetings: Change Is A Comin’

For a VERY loooooong time your PURA monthly meetings were held at noon at MCL Cafeteria. Covid raised its ugly head and at the same time MCL closed up shop. PURA was forced to make a quick change and do it “on the fly”. Unfortunately, the numbers of folks attending the lunch meetings has not returned to what they were before our forced changes.

In an attempt to bring more member back in person, your Executive Committee has approved a trial time change for the regular Monday business and program meetings beginning at the October 2, 2023 meeting. This change will run though at least the March 4, 2024 meeting. In conjunction with our survey, a decision will be made as to whether or not to make the time change permanent.

What is that time change you ask? Our Monday meetings will start at 10:00 a.m. ET and end around 11:30 a.m. ET. Your Executive Committee will be offering complimentary refreshments at these first meetings of the 2023-24 PURA program year.

Starting in October come and join us at a new time, but at the same place – the Lafayette VFW, 2660 Duncan Road, Lafayette.

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Registration Opening for the September 2023 PURA Retirees Annual Kickoff Luncheon

Join fellow PURA Retirees on Monday, September 11, 2023 at the Annual Kickoff luncheon to be held at The Courtyard Lafayette Marriott, 150 Fairington Avenue, Lafayette, IN 47905.

Online Registration for the luncheon will be open Tuesday, August 1, 2023 through Friday, August 18, 2023.

The luncheon keynote speaker will be Anthony Cawdron, Events Coordinator and House Manager at ‘Westwood’, the Purdue President’s official residence—a position he also held at Iowa State University before making the transition to Purdue twenty-one years ago, with now president emeritus, Martin Jischke. He continues to manage the day-to-day operations of the house and oversees the events and entertaining for Purdue’s thirteenth President Mung Chiang and his wife, First Lady Kei Hui.

Anthony also teaches business etiquette and advanced service courses in the Hospitality and Tourism Management department at Purdue, as well as advises numerous student groups on interview and work-preparedness skills. He has a Masters degree in Hospitality and has held a variety of positions including banquet manager, restaurant manager, hospitality faculty in Switzerland and three years as a butler in two of England’s finest stately homes; Blenheim Palace and Sutton Place.

Anthony’s presentation will focus on: “Keeping House ~ from Blenheim to Westwood”

The luncheon begins at 12:00 noon ET. The main menu features Grilled Chicken Parmesan, Penne with Pesto, Italian Roasted Yellow Squash, House Salad with choice of Ranch or Italian, Garlic Breadsticks, and Chocolate Layer Cake with Rich Chocolate Gateau, Iced Tea and Water

Vegetarian Entrée: Penne with Pesto, Italian Roasted Yellow Squash
Gluten-Free Entrée: Grilled Chicken Parmesan, Gluten-free Penne with Pesto, Gluten-free Bread, Gluten-free Chef's Choice Dessert

Register online at http://www.purdue.edu/conferences/PURAKickoff2023

Conference Registration will be available for assistance at 1-866-515-0023 Mon. Fri. 8:30 a.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. ET. Registration fee $25.00

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Reminder: Cruise Registration Deadline is August 1, 2023

Just a reminder that the cruise registration deadline is imminent—August 1—for the cruise organized by the Purdue Extension Retirees!

The Purdue Extension Retirees are hosting an 11-day cruise on the Norwegian Jade, January 27 to February 7, 2024. Departure and return from Tampa, Florida. Ports include Key West; Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Orangestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; and George Town, Grand Cayman. Invited are: Purdue Retirees, families, and friends.

Check this website for cruise details and total costs. Registration must be done via the website: https://www.travelwithsuzanne.com/purdueextensionsoutherncaribbean2024

Special Notes:

A $250 per person deposit is due within 7 days of booking. All bookings must be completed by August 1, 2023.
Final payments are due September 1, 2023.
You will need a valid passport for this cruise which does not expire prior to August 8, 2024.

If you need/want a paper copy of the cruise itinerary, please contact any of the committee members. Call, text or email with questions.

Your cruise committee,

Cindy Barnett, cbarnett@purdue.edu, 260.610.1456
Roger Sherer, rsherer@puprdue.edu, 260.273.8188
Barb Thuma, bthuma@purdue.edu, 260.348.7057

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Tom’s Topics

The PURA Transition Meeting was held June 7 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church. As a result, our committees and PURA Board are busy making plans for the coming year. The committees are always looking for new members. If you are interested in serving on a committee, contact us at: pura@purdue.edu.

The Benefits Committee (chaired by Larry Pherson) is in the process of reviewing and negotiating our 2024 PURA health insurance plans with United Health Care, as they do each year on our behalf.

The Kickoff Committee (chaired by Viki Taylor) is completing the planning for our Kickoff Luncheon which will be held September 11 at the Courtyard by Marriott Lafayette. Online registration will open in early August. There will be door prizes this year!

Flu shots will be offered again this year in September and October, with in-person and drive-through options available. The exact dates will be announced soon.

Our monthly meeting in July included patriotic music led by Roy Johnson with accompaniment by Jeris Eikenberry. The program was a presentation by Dr. Kathryne A. Newton (Purdue Polytechnic Institute) titled: “U.S. Supply Chain-- Weakest Links.”

The Big Ten Retiree Association Conference will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on July 26-28 (hosted by the University of Wisconsin Retirees Association). Jerry Day and Marshall Martin will represent PURA at the meeting. The conference will include several discussion sessions as well as time for networking with fellow retirees.

In an attempt to increase our in-person attendance, we will adjust our monthly meeting times this fall on a trial basis. Beginning in October and continuing through March our monthly meetings will start at 10:00 a.m. ET and conclude at 11:30 a.m. ET. The location will remain the same —the Lafayette VFW. Please mark your calendars accordingly.

Remember, there is a tremendous amount of information on the PURA website. Take some time to browse it soon. www.purdue.edu/retirees

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Boiler Up!
Tom Robertson
PURA President, 2023-24

(Editor’s Note: Many apologies to Tom for misspelling of his name in a couple places in the last issue.)

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Have an Interesting Experience to Share? We’ll Do the Write-Up!

PURA members represent a broad range of disciplines and interests and would like to hear about your experiences during your professional life or after retiring. Have you traveled, participated in an interesting hobby, encountered remarkable people, or volunteered for a worthwhile cause? Do you have a Purdue anecdote from your time here or an interesting photo? Please share with us.

Just a bit of your time is required. The PURA Communications Committee will contact you for a short interview, do the write-up, and return the proposed article to you for approval/editing. We’ll give you your own byline… or not, as you prefer. The final article will appear in a future PURA News newsletter. And if you’d like to help write these, we’d love to have you!

Interested? Please send your contact information (email, preferred method of being contacted, and a convenient time to reach you) to pura@purdue.edu and we’ll follow up. Thanks!

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PURA Campus and Community Committee Tour of Whittaker Inn

On Monday, June 26, Andrew and Elizabeth Whittaker opened the Inn for lunch and a tour to members of PURA. Nearly 20 members took advantage of this opportunity to hear the history of how the Whittaker Inn came to fruition and the plans for its future expansion. Elizabeth then led a tour of a number of the Inn’s 13 rooms, each one themed after a location special to them. It was a lovely way to spend a warm June afternoon with fellow Purdue retirees.

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Confessions of a Book Addict

By Jo Thomas

NYPD Red – The Sorority Murders

The first 6 novels of the squad who catered to the wealthy and famous were authored by James Paterson and Marshall Karp, but this one is Karp on a solo flight. He is hypersonic.

A high profile New Yorker is shot in the neck while addressing a crowd from The steps of the Courthouse. A mile away at almost the same time his brother is stabbed to death while on a walking path. Detectives see no connection. It is a puzzle in a mystery within an improbability.

Two unlikely witnesses saw the murders. A man being held for selling guns says the shooter was wearing a UPS uniform. A homeless man saw a man covered with blood step inside a tunnel to clean himself. When asked to describe him, he used a piece of paper to draw a highly detailed portrait. Some clues finally.

In an assisted living facility, a frail old man suffering Alzheimer’s disease tells a tale about five men who were Assassins for the Government. At the end of hostilities, they were thanked and kicked to the curb with no funds for them and their families. And so the murder sorority, Kappa Omega Delta, was formed. Each man had a woman’s name and a specialty.

The 18-year old boy to whom the patient told his tale, wanted to produce movies and thought this would make a great film; so did his friends, including a NYPD Red detective. This tale could not be true. Those men were in their 70’s. Still there was a whiff of truth, and so the hunt began.

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PURA Scholarships Grew by $7,825 on Purdue Day of Giving

Annually, PURA members continue to support the two scholarship endowments for Indiana students on Purdue Day of Giving. This year contributions totaled over $7,800 with $1,575 designated for the PURA POA in Honor of Martin C. and Patty Jischke Endowment and $6,250 designated for the PURA Student Endowment.

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Hannah Dennis Gardner, a freshman in the College of Education, is appreciative of her scholarship. She is studying elementary education and states, “It has been my dream forever and it is so very needed in our country. I could not have attended Purdue without scholarships, which is why I am so very grateful. Your generosity has not only affected me and my education, but it will impact all of the young students I will teach with my degree. Thank you!”

The Scholarship Committee also thanks you for your continuing support of the over fifty Indiana students receiving PURA assistance. These scholarships are awarded by the Division of Financial Aid as part of a financial aid package offered to eligible students.

Contributions are welcome throughout the year. If you are in a position to assist, you may make a donation by phone: 1-800-319-2199 or by check payable to The Purdue Foundation for Life with the specific endowment noted in the memo line – PURA Student Scholarship Endowment or PURA POA in Honor of Martin C. and Patty Jischke. Mail the check to: The Purdue Foundation for Life, 403 W. Wood Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2007.

Again, thank you for your contributions and HAIL PURDUE

PURA Scholarship Committee
Melinda Bain, Jerry Day, Sue Graham, Betty Nelson,
John Norberg, John Trott, Tom Turpin

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On Going To Bed At Night
By Sara Jane Coffman

I don’t think I ever asked my parents if I could stay up past my bedtime. After a hard day of being a kid, I was usually fast asleep by the time my bedtime rolled around.

Now that I’m older, it’s a different story. I have a whole routine I go through in order to fall asleep.

I begin by taking a warm, relaxing bath. Then I curl up on my couch and read. When my head starts falling down towards the book, I call it a day and head upstairs to bed.

Once I’m in bed, my pillows have to be arranged just-so. I put a small pillow under my knees (for when I lie on my back), two large pillows on my right and left sides (for when I sleep on my side), and a small, down-filled pillow under my head (which I always have to vigorously punch to get the feathers where I want them).

Thus barricaded, I put on my night mask. Unable now to see, I reach over and fumble around to try to find the little metal pull-chain to turn off my nightlight.

Then I say my prayers and drift off to sleep.

I wish.

The problem is my brain. My brain has fooled around all day doing nothing remotely constructive, but it now suddenly goes to work. It begins by analyzing the day’s events. . . then moves on to solving the world’s problems. . . then it runs through the things I have planned for the next day, which includes trying to remember if I was mad at anyone that day that I should remember to be mad at tomorrow.

After all that, I have to get up and go to the bathroom.

Fast forward to morning.

When I go to bed, I’m lying north and south, with my head at the top of the bed.When I wake up, I’m lying east and west at the bottom of the bed.

My head is on the pillow designated for my LEGS.

My cats are asleep on the pillows designated for my head.

The blankets are all on the floor, and I’m all tangled up in my sheet.

Sometimes I think I get more exercise at night than I do at the gym.

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Zoom Connection Information for PURA Meetings

The Zoom connection information for PURA monthly meetings is shown below. The link, Meeting ID, and password will be the SAME for all future normal monthly meetings.

Members who wish to join via phone call audio only will need the separate Passcode shown below. (The password/passcode for that method is different from the normal “computer connection” to Zoom.)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/97285398989?pwd=MlB4U0FudEplMFRoWm1GTkZzNmYrZz09

Meeting ID: 972 8539 8989
Passcode: BoilerUp

One tap mobile
+13126266799,,97285398989#,,,,,,0#,,41051096# US (Chicago)
+19292056099,,97285398989#,,,,,,0#,,41051096# US (New York)

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+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 972 8539 8989
Passcode: 41051096
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acvQQKVcnE