Though popular culture tends to gravitate toward the young and ephemeral, the University of Missouri recognizes that retirees often possess time-tested wisdom worth hearing.
At the Chancellor’s Retirees Luncheon May 23, R. Bowen Loftin told hundreds of MU retirees that he would seek their counsel as he goes forward in his role as chancellor.
“I reach out to you for help,” Loftin said in the Columns Ballroom in the Reynolds Alumni Center.
He also praised the retired faculty and staff for their volunteer work in the community and, in some cases, as part-time MU workers.
While the young are busy earning a living and raising families, seniors pick up the slack through good works in the region. “The communities we live in need you,” he said.
During the presentation, Ken Hutchinson, who retired in 2008 as the vice president of human resources at the University of Missouri System and is currently president of the Retirees Association, presented an oversized check from retirees to MU. The check was for more than $2 million, raised through MU’s faculty-staff fundraising campaign, It’s My Mizzou.
“Retirees represent a vital part of the university family,” Schwartz said. “I express to you my appreciation.”
Receiving the Faculty Retiree of the Year Award was Don Day of MU Extension. Though he retired in 2002, he remains active with extension and in the community. He has also been part of three missions to El Salvador to aid refugees. Though he’s given a lot of hours helping the struggling people, Day said, “they have given me so much more.”
Receiving the Staff Retiree of the Year Award was Phyllis Miller, who worked in the College of Education for 21 years. “I enjoyed going to work almost every day,” Miller said.
Each recipient was nominated by their peers and received a plaque and check for $1,000.
