What do professors do after they retire? Maintain Mexican villas? Call their investment advisers daily? Take their yachts around the world?
Actually, many go to hear lectures given by their often world-famous colleagues whom they never had a chance to hear or enjoy while they themselves were in full pedagogic harness behind lecterns or lab benches.
Welcome to the Retired Academics Group (RAG), a pride/gaggle/coven/flock of retired Western faculty who gather monthly to hear fascinating talks by fellow teachers still active behind the podium or in the field.
Every year, eight speakers address the RAG community, a 200-strong body from a variety of intellectual areas. Most talks are held at Windermere on the Mount on Friday afternoons. A coffee/tea reception at 2 p.m. is followed by the talk at 2:30 p.m., with questions to follow. Membership and events are free.
John Biehn (Family Medicine) was RAG’s past chair; Peter Auksi (English) cracks the whip and rattles the cage at present.
If you are a recent retiree or spouse/partner thereof and would like more information, contact membership officer Jill Stewart-DeHaan at stewartdehaan@gmail.com or simply attend one of the lectures. For more information, visit the website uworag.com.
