When you are reluctant to change, think of the beauty of autumn.
VV Brown

I’ve been thinking I’d like to have a little something not ASURAish to get these newsletters started. My first thought was to start with a short poem appropriate for the month but this ran into some difficulties. First the poems were not short and second, while I found some really nice September poems, they were, for the most part rather gloomy – the beginning of the end. For us, September is actually the dawn of a new academic year, full of hope, interesting things to do and a chance to make some new friends.

I didn’t want to give up the idea of an introduction to September and thought that maybe a nice quote would do the trick. When I looked at some possible quotes, I was very pleased to see they were much more upbeat and I chose one by VV Brown, a British indie pop singer-songwriter, model and record producer.

A Year of Events

The program elves were very busy during the summer working on this year’s programs, a multitude of activities. During the year you will want to periodically check our Events menu webpages to make sure you don’t miss an event. Following, presented during the September Board meeting, is an overview of what to expect this upcoming year.

Already Scheduled Events

• ASURA – Fall Meet and Greet (September 16) This is a great way to kick off the year. It is being held at SkySong and includes a catered lunch. There are only 13 spaces left so time is running out to register.
• Emeritus College – September Colloquium (September 17) This colloquium has an amazing topic – neurodiversity, the fact that human minds and bodies naturally vary in how they experience things like thinking, feeling , and sensing. Scholars are beginning to use neurodiversity concepts to better understand the creation, interpretation, and reception of literature. The presenter, Brady Irish, is an ASU Associate Professor in the Department of English
• ASURA – Copper Canyon. (October 4-12) This is an amazing train ride through Copper Canyon, Barrancas del Cabre, in Northern Mexico. There is still time to register for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
• ASURA – Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (October 29-November 17). It is getting close but I think there is still time to register for this tour of ancient kingdoms.
• ASURA – Northern Spain & Portugal (March 31-April 16) There is still time to register for this trip and if we can get 11, the group will be limited to ASURA registrants. Northern Portugal is a lovely country.

Not Yet Scheduled Fall Events

As these events are scheduled, they will appear on the various ASURA Events webpages.

• ASURA – Open enrollment seminar(s) (early October)
• ASURA – Luncheon at Mirabella (mid-November) This is a chance to get a “free” lunch and visit Mirabella
• ASURA - - Mata Ortiz A Journey into Mexico’s Art and Culture (Fall) This event was offered late last spring but did not go
• ASURA – Sidney Poitier New American Film School (fall)
• ASURA – Holiday Potluck and Bake Sale (early December) This is the longest running ASURA event and you won’t want to miss out
• Emeritus College – Short talks luncheons at Friendship Village (second Tuesday of the month)
• Emeritus College – Monthly Colloquium

Spring Events

Specific dates and details for these events have not been set. When the dates and details are established, you can find details and registration information on our website (asura.asu.edu in the Events menu).

• ASURA - Seminars – three are planned
• ASURA - Silver Star Theater – two matinees are planned for late February and early March
• ASURA - Lavendar Gardens (April)
• ASURA - Wrigley Mansion
• Emeritus College – Short talks luncheons at Friendship Village (second Tuesday of the month).

September Board Snippets

Jeff Bush, ASURA Treasurer, presented a budget for this fiscal year. There were no questions and the proposed budget was approved.

Jan Shore, chair of the Scholarship Committee, wanted to know if the board would approve the $10,000 scholarship again this year. It was pointed out that the money for the scholarship is in this year‘s budget which had just been approved.

 Barry McNeill, chair of the Finance Committee, presented the Fiscal 2026 ASURA Financial Health Report. The report showed that based on the approved budget, ASURA is financially healthy. Paul Skiera, ASURA Vice President, noted that our income over the past four years has been more or less unchanged and wondered if this could be a long-term problem. Barry said the Finance Committee was planning to discuss ASURA’s long term financial health.

Membership Renewal

If you have not renewed your membership you are getting dangerously close to being struck from the rolls. If you don’t remember if you have renewed call the ASURA Office at 480-965-7668 (the Office is open Tuesday-Thursday from 10:00 to 1:00) and they can tell you if you have renewed. To renew visit our Renew your membership page.

Obituary Information

Tara Roesler, past ASURA President and chair of the Obituary Committee, greatly appreciates the efforts members make in alerting her to the passing of a member. Sometimes it is easy for Tara to get the basic obituary information she needs but other times it’s not. The more basic information you can supply (see the ASURA webpage Submit an obituary) the easier it is for Tara to publish an obituary. Particularly useful are pictures and/or stories/information about the deceased’s work at ASU.

RideChoice

Jan Thompson, past ASURA President and current Board member, used RideChoice to travel to an appointment in Phoenix and was so impressed she thought ASURA should make sure its members knew about the program.

RideChoice is provided by Valley Metro, the regional public transportation authority and brand for the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona. It provides alternative travel options for ADA paratransit certified people with disabilities and seniors age 65 and above who reside in participating communities. RideChoice is:

• available 24/7, including holidays
• low cost ($3 for each one-way trip up to eight miles, with additional miles costing $2 per mile)
• available to ADA paratransit certified members in many of the Phoenix metro communities
• available to members 65 and above if they live in Chandler, Fountain Hills, Litchfield Park, Phoenix, Surprise, or Tempe.

For more information:

• visit valleymetro.org/ridechoice or
• call 602-716-2100

Barry McNeill
E-News Editor