t’s peanuts and Cracker Jack time so take me out to the ball game. The Cubs and Dodgers get the popcorn popping February 20 with the Diamondbacks and Rockies suiting up the next day. But don’t forget about ASU; they will be around long after the big boys have left town and they are going to play good teams, e.g., Baylor, Oklahoma State. It will be an exciting year in the Big 12 conference.

Board meeting snippets

• Don Doerres, chair of the Video History Project, initiated an interesting discussion about the Video History Project. One interesting topic was how to increase viewership. Currently the edited interviews are on the ASU digital repository KEEP.  While KEEP is open to the public, viewers are primarily the ASU community. Paul Skiera, Board member, pointed out that ASURA has a YouTube channel and maybe YouTube would be a way to broaden the viewership. YouTube has no limit on the total number of videos and the limit on video size was well above our longest interview. Stay tuned; we might be moving to the mass media market.
• Maria Hesse, President, initiated a discussion about proposed revisions to the Bylaws. The Board reviewed a cover letter to the revisions which laid out three major objectives for the revisions: make things work better, provide flexibility, and improve clarity. The Board had a few questions, which were addressed, and then voted to accept the revised Bylaws and cover letter. The next step is to have the members vote on the revisions. It was agreed to hold off on this ballot until after the current new Board member election is completed on February 28.
• Maria Hesse also reported that there is no new information on where ASURA’s offices will be located. We are still under the impression that we must be out of the Community Services Building by about mid-May. A group of Board members has volunteered to come to the current offices in April to help prepare for the move.

Call for volunteers

Larry Carlson, long time member and our ADOA Health Insurance contact, managed to find a crack in the ADOA information wall. When he slipped through the crack he found Paul Shannon, Director of Benefits at ADOA. After some discussion it turned out that Paul was amenable to a Zoom meeting with ASURA retirees to discuss ADOA benefits. Before the meeting he wanted a list of questions or comments so he could prepare.

What Larry would like is to find as many members as possible to give input for this meeting. Larry does not want the meeting to be a “bitch session” of complaints but rather a partnership in which we can address specific issues and brainstorm to find solutions.

So,

• If you have ADOA questions or issues you would like discussed; or
• If you would like to be part of the group that meets with Paul; or
• If you would like to do both,

Please email Larry at AZOrion@Gmail.com with your input and/or willingness to be part of the group meeting with Paul.

New Board member election

Kay Faris, Immediate Past President, and her group have put together a strong set of candidates to run for a place on the Board. Those of you who routinely receive emails from ASURA should have received an invitation to vote on Tuesday. The remainder will get a paper ballot by US Post later this week or early next week.

When you receive your ballot the best thing to do is to vote immediately and not put it off. It only takes two minutes to vote and putting off voting increases the chances of not voting. As is mentioned in the ballot material, voting is your chance to show support for the candidates and the Association.

If you have misplaced your ballot, no problem; just use one of the two links below to cast your ballot.

• Electronic Voting (highly recommended)
• Paper Ballot

Upcoming Events

Be sure to periodically check out the Upcoming Events and Affiliated Events pages on our website for new events. There are several events coming up that you might be interested in.

Upcoming ASURA Events

• February Pre-retirement seminar – Social Security 101
• March Seminar - Food is Medicine
• March travel - Silver Star Theater matinee of Jukebox Hits of the 50’S & 60’S (Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath and many others)
• March Spring Luncheon at Friendship Village – a chance to catch up with some longtime friends now in Friendship Village. The luncheon entertainment features music and dance performances.

Affiliated Events

• From the Emeritus College - Joanna Allhands, Digital Opinion Editor at the Arizona Republic, will address The Groundwater Gamble: Arizona’s Reliance on a Finite Water Supply. This presentation is part of the Emeritus College Colloquium Series.
• From AROHE – Reimagining retirement: Holistic Cognitive Health. This February 25 presentation is part of a three-part virtual learning series. Pat Schneider attended a preview session and thought the series looked very good.
• From ASU Book Group – My Heart Is Bound Up With Them: How Carlos Montezuma Became the Voice of a Generation by David Martinez, (Akimel O'odham/Hia-Ced O'odham/Mexican) professor of American Indian Studies, School of Transborder Studies. The author is present.

Barry McNeill
E-News Editor