Program on one-daytrips is feature of

November luncheon

AGRADUATE of BGSU and apersonality at Toledo’sWTOL-TV, Dick Berry, will

present the program at the BGSURAluncheon meeting Wednesday, Nov.17, at the First United MethodistChurch, East Wooster Street.

Vol. 10, No. 2

November 2004

BGSURA

®

•••• Reservation Form for BGSURA’s Nov. 17, 2004, Luncheon ••••Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004 • Reservation Deadline Friday, Nov. 12!

1st United Methodist Church. 11:30-Noon: Check-in and socializing. Noon: Luncheon.NOTE: Reservations at $8 per person MUST BE MADE by Friday, Nov. 12.

Name ___________________________________________________________________________

Name(s) of Your Guest(s)__________________________________________________________

_____ Total Number of Reservations

CHECK ENCLOSED FOR $_____________. MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO BGSURA.SEND RESERVATION FORM AND CHECK TO DON BRIGHT, 1209 CLARK ST., BOWLING GREEN, OH 43402,

NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, NOV. 12. Telephone 419-352-8360

Published continuouslybeginning in June 1995

• A list of Dick Berry’s sites for “Day Trippin’”may be found at the WTOL-TV Web site, wtol.com.On this Home page, click on FEATURES, then clickon Day Trippin’ 2004 for Berry’s suggestions forone-day excursions in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

Ohio Retired Teachers Assn.INCLUDED with this issue of the BGSURANewsletter is an application for membership in theOhio Retired Teachers Association (retiredConneaut School principal Patricia McGinnis ispresident of the Wood County chapter of ORTA).

BGSURA members are urged to join ORTA fora stronger retiree voice in Ohio.

What’s ahead• Jan. 19, 2005 – Musiciansfrom the Bowling GreenSymphony Orchestra, withEstelle Dobbins in charge.• March 16, 2005 – EarleneKilpatrick, Executive Direc-tor, Main Street BG.• April 6, 2005 – DarylStockburger, director of BGPublic Utilities, will discussthe wind-turbine project,now with a total of fourunits in place at the WoodCounty Landfill, at the Re-gional State Retirees Lun-cheon. It will be held in theMcMaster Meeting Room308 of the Bowen-Thomp-son Student Union. • May 18, 2005 – Ray Fis-cher, Wood County Prose-cutor, will discuss “IdentityTheft.”

• Briefdescriptionsof each trip,such as thisone about theWWII VictoryMuseum inAuburn, Ind.,may be foundat the WTOLWeb site.

Tea Dec. 1THE annual Fall BGSU

Retirees Reception,sponsored by the BGSU Of-fice of Development, will beheld Wednesday, Dec. 1,from 3-5 p.m. at MiletiAlumni Center. Recent re-tirees will be honored.

NEWSLETTERBowling Green State UniversityRetirees Association15 College Park Office Bldg., BGSUBowling Green, OH 43403 • (419) 372-9696 Email: retirees@bgnet.bgsu.edu • Web: www:bgsu.edu/faculty_staff/

which explains the princi-ple of natural things andthe proprieties of thebody, etc. And when fi-nally Jourdain settles onasking to learn “spelling,”he is taught how to pro-nounce vowels and thedifference between proseand verse. “Oh la bellechose que de savoirquelque chose!” (“Howwonderful it is to know athing or two,” concludesJourdain.)

Molière is of courseridiculing pedanticphilosophers. But I thinkif he had met Bob Good-win he might havethought twice about theundertaking. Not only isBob a philosopher, he isalso a man of parts.

Born in New York City in 1925,Bob studied for the priesthood, attend-ing Immaculate Conception Seminaryin Long Island. It was there he acquiredhis phenomenal knowledge of Latin.(He is able even now to read the worksof St. Thomas Aquinas in the originalLatin without a dictionary.)

Changing directionLeaving aside this earlier vocation-

al plan, Bob sought his PhD in philoso-phy from Georgetown University,which he attended from 1953-1958.There he acquired his specialty inAmerican philosophy, writing his dis-sertation on Charles Peirce and Ameri-can pragmatism. Following this he tookhis first assignment at DePaul Univer-sity, Chicago, where he taught from1958 to1961. Coming to BGSU in1961, he taught American philosophyand medieval philosophy.

Bob’s interest in Latin and his pas-sion for philosophy explain how hecame to be friends with classics profes-sors on the campus — and especiallywith Boleslav Povsic, an immigrantfrom Slovenia, a noted scholar, a pro-fessor of Greek and Latin, and a mem-ber of BGSURA, who recently died.

NOW READ THIS: Retiring in

2 • BGSURA Newsletter November 2004

No ‘pedantic philosopher he’

‘Molière should havemet Bob Goodwin’

BY JAN PALLISTER

REMEMBER Molière’s Bour-geois Gentilhomme? As thevarious “masters” of music,

dance, fencing and philosophy eachclaim their superiority over one anoth-er, the “master” of philosophy remainsabove the contest. A philosopher, saysthe nameless “master,” knows how totake things – and he declares that he isgoing to compose a satire about theothers in the style of Juvenal whichwill teach them a lesson.

“But never mind about that,” hesays. “What do you want to learn...?”And in response to Jourdain’s in-quiries, he explains that withoutknowledge, life is almost an image ofdeath. He then offers to teach him anumber of things: Logic; morality,which treats felicity and teaches men tomoderate their passions; physics,

• Bob Goodwin

1990, Bob turned his attention to ethi-cal issues, and since 1996 he has beenconcerned with the ethical problemsrevolving around stem-cell research, somuch a part of present-day political de-bate. As a member of the Ethics Com-mittee of Wood County Hospital, hehas lectured on this matter as well asothers, such as the question of abor-tion. I have witnessed the fascinationBob displays as he wonders about themoment at which a human being be-comes a human being. It is clear thatthese new pursuits are integrally tied tothe foundations of his life: The questfor knowledge and his profoundly reli-gious nature.

Other pursuitsBob has other pursuits as well: He

is the treasurer of the BG SymphonyOrchestra, and — the father of 11 chil-dren, 32 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild — he has turned lately towriting short short stories for children.Not surprisingly these little stories —sometimes verging on the autobio-graphical — have hidden morals: Notto be bossy, not to be haughty, etc.

He has a granddaughter attendingWestern Washington University. Anartist, she has been doing illustrationsfor these stories. They hope to publishtheir work in the near future.

Bob and his wife Elaine have doneconsiderable traveling since his retire-ment: They have gone to Alaska, Ire-land, France, Spain (with MercedesJunquera as their guide) and Italy,which Bob likes best of all. He is espe-cially fond of Tuscany — for the beautyof the locale, its cobblestone walks andits pasta!

It should come as no surprise thatBob loves to read. It seems he is alwaysreading. Sometime it’s heavy-duty ma-terial, such as the biography of JohnAdams or the history of the Building ofthe Brooklyn Bridge. And then againsometimes it’s mystery stories, espe-cially those of Robert Parker.

Is Bob sedentary? No. He swimsevery day.

• Jan Pallister, Ph.D., L.D., is DistinguishedUniversity Professor Emeritus of RomanceLanguages. Email her at jpallis@dacor.net.

3 • BGSURA Newsletter January 2004 • BGSURA Newsletter November 2004 • 3

DISCUSSION at the Ohio Coun-cil of Higher Education RetireesSeptember meeting at Ohio

State University focused on STRS is-sues, Board membership, health care,federal and state legislation, status of in-active chapters, consideration of PERIaffiliation with the Ohio Retired Teach-ers Association, and election of OCHERrepresentatives to ORTA. Lou DiOriowas elected as the OCHER representa-tive to the ORTA Executive Committeeand Bob Niedzielski as ORTA District12 representative. Lou DiOrio was in-ducted into the OCHER Hall of Fame.

Todd Gourno, STRS coordinator ofHigher Education Retirement Programs,reviewed programs that have been de-veloped and the procedures for estab-lishing such. He addressed issues facingSTRS like health care costs, “doubledipping” and efforts to meet unfundedliability requirements. The next meetingof OCHER will be Nov. 16.

STRSWith the passage of the pension re-

form bill, new members added to theSTRS Board are Dave Speas, an ORTAdirector (Springfield), appointed by theGovernor to fill the new second retire-ment seat until September. Judith Fish-er, retired chief financial officer forHuntington Bancshares, was appointedby the Governor as an investment ex-pert. Appointments by the Speaker ofthe House and Senate President are ex-pected by mid November.

Connie Ramser (Massillon) was ap-pointed by the Board to fill Jack Chap-man’s seat. Joe Endry, retiree represen-tative to the Board, has chosen not to seere-election. Thus two retiree seats andone contributing member seat will beopen at the May election, which will bemanaged by VR Election Services, Car-rollton,Texas. Nominating petitions forthe seats will be available from STRSDec. 1 with a deadline for return Feb.25, 2005. Ballots will be mailed onApril 25, 2005. Ability to vote by toll-free phone and internet will be provided.

Preliminary reports from the Boardactuarial committee indicate an excep-tionally good year regarding investmentreturns but a loss in the area of retire-

The Stang ReportBY GENEVIEVE STANG

ment and separations which, combinedwith an increase in the number retiringwith 30 years or more and the higherrate of teacher salary increases, resultedin little change in both the funding peri-od (42.2 years) and the funded ratio(75.9 percent). Thus these still do notmeet the state mandated level.

HEALTH CARETwo-thirds of the STRS members in

2005 will have lower premium costs. Upto 95 percent of enrollees could benefitfrom changes in the Advance PC drugprogram. Open enrollment for 2005health care began in September and ma-terial has been mailed. Concerns havebeen raised about the impact of younger,healthier members with fewer than 15years leaving the program. Two promis-ing cost-containment management pro-grams are being considered.

PERSItems from the September meeting of

the OPERS Board included guardian-ship and power of attorney issues, theHealth Care Prevention Plan, strategicplanning, disability earnings limits, andthe Investment Repository Project.

LEGISLATIONTopics that continue to need monitor-

ing at the federal level include drug im-portation, health care coalitions, simpli-fied senior tax form, drug cards, privacyand ID theft measures. Items at the statelevel include ARP legislation, SinglePayer Action (SB263, HB455 andSB225) regarding designation of benefitrecipient, HB449 and HB213 regardingrefund of contributions to PERS, ex-emptions for Ohio income taxes; alsoHB468 and HB469, which deal withpurchase of PERS service. Although acompromise was made with regard to“Buy Ohio,” monitoring still is neededto protect pension funds. • Dr. Stang may be reached at ges@dacor.net.

Computer troubles?

PROBLEMS getting connected to theInternet for E-mail and surfing? Call

Charlie Applebaum, 352-0777, or sendan E-mail to applebau@math.bgsu.edu,or phone the math office, 372-2729.This “help” program is sponsored onceagain by the Office of the Provost.

Who’s Who — BGSURABGSURA Office,

15 College Park Office Bldg.(419) 372-9696

www:bgsu.edu/faculty_staff/E-mail: retirees@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Note: All telephone numbers require a 419 prefix.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPresident, Roger Anderson, 354-6451

rogerca@bgnet.bgsu.eduVice President, Robert Clark, 352-2191

rkclark@wcnet.org Secretary, Joan Gordon, 354-6648

jhgordon@dacor.netTreasurer, Harold Lunde, 352-3929

hlunde@cba.bgsu.eduOCHER Representatives

Richard Edwards, 353-4135redwards@wcnet.org

Genevieve Stang, 352-5534,ges@dacor.net

DIRECTORSDennis Anderson, 385-0441

dennis43614@aol.comClif Boutelle, 352-5625

jboutel@bghost.netDon Bright, 352-8360

mardon@wcnet.orgRichard Edwards, 353-4135

redwards@wcnet.orgRebecca Eninger, 352-6072

reninger@wcnet.orgHarry Hoemann, 352-0493

hhoemann@bghost.netRobert Kreienkamp, 353-4376

kamp@wcnet.orgPark Leathers, 352-9171

pleathers@wcnet.orgPhyllis Oster, 352-4360poster@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Wallace Pretzer, 352-8057waldipret@wcnet.org

Dolores Reynolds, 352-3688sdmkap@aol.com

Elfreda Rusher, 352-4729emrusher@dacor.net

COMMITTEESActivities, Robert Clark, chair

Administrative, Park Leathers, chairBenevolence, Joan Gordon,

Dolores ReynoldsBylaws, Jan Pallister, chair

Membership, Clif Boutelle, chairNominating, Elfreda Rusher, chairOffice Staffing, Phyllis Oster, chair

Professional, Eloise Clark, chairProgram, Wallace Pretzer, chair

Editor, Jim Gordon, 352-8175jrgordon@dacor.net

Associates, Joan Gordon, 354-6648jhgordon@dacor.net

Diane and Wallace Pretzer352-8057

waldipret@wcnet.org

NEWSLETTERBGSURA

• PHILIP R. WIGG, professor emeri-tus of art and an internationally knownartist, died Oct. 15 at his home inBowling Green. He retired from full-time teaching of printmaking, drawingand sculpture in 1982 and then taughtpart-time for five years. In 1993 hereceived the BGSU HonoraryAlumnus Award. In the 1950s and1906s he worked as a pilot after serv-ing as a pilot with the Navy in WorldWar II. He joined the BGSU faculty in1948.• EVELYN STEIDTMANN, diedAug. 4 in Bowling Green. She had

retired in 1972 after 17 years as officemanager of Founders dormitory. Shewas well known as a teacher of bridgeclasses, having taught for more than50 years. She operated a Sunday dupli-cate bridge club in the UniversityUnion for 34 years. • HELEN CRAWFORD died Oct. 14in Bowling Green. She retired fromthe University in 1965 after 16 yearsas a cook.• DOROTHY FAUSNAUGH,Rudolph, died Oct.23 in Wisconsin.She was a custodian at the Universityfor 13 years.• HELEN MALONE, Weston, diedOct. 13 at her home. She was a retiredBGSU police officer.

• DONALD YOUNG, who retired in1993 after working as a maintenancesupervisor for the University PoliceDepartment for 25 years, died Aug.15.• CARLOS M. REYES SR.,Perrysburg, died Aug. 11. He hadworked as a supervisor of custodialworkers at the University, retiring in1997.• HELENA MORLOCK died Sept.29 in Bowling Green. She hadworked at the BGSU Health Centerfor 10 years.• TERRY CHAPMAN, NorthBaltimore, died Sept. 5. He had retiredin 1998 after working for 33 years as acustodian at BGSU.

Passings

BY the time you receive this newsletter we will havevoted and, hopefully we will know who the nextPresident of the United States is. Ohio, and particu-

larly Northwest Ohio, have been at the center of thePresidential campaign for months,given the importance of Ohio’selectoral votes. I have given upcounting the number of timesSenators Kerry and Edwards andPresident Bush and Vice-PresidentCheney have visited Ohio and thisarea. Although I enjoy engaging inpolitics and discussing it, it will begreat to take a vacation from poli-tics for the next several months.

BGSURA’s 10th annual convo-cation in September was a successwith almost 90 attending. Dr.Robert Glidden, retired president of Ohio University, gavehumorous insights into his service as a college president.He then carefully and thoughtfully detailed a number ofchallenges facing universities in the next 10 years, especial-ly in Ohio.

On October 20 the BGSURA officers and board heldour quarterly meeting. Membership chair Clif Boutellereported that the membership campaign was going wellwith a number of retirees opting for lifetime membership. Ifyou have not renewed yet, please do so as soon as possible.At the board meeting Hal Lunde, our treasurer, announcedthat as of Sept. 30, BGSURA has a balance of $3,000 in theaccount, which is right on budget.

Genevieve Stang and Richard Edwards, secretary and

vice-president of the Ohio Council of Higher EducationAssociation respectively, and our OCHER representatives,highlighted the September 16th OCHER board meeting inColumbus. Covered were the changes taking place in theOhio retirement systems as a result of the pension reformbill signed by Governor Taft this past summer, pendingstate and national legislative relevant to retirees, STRShealth care changes for 2005, and possible candidates forSTRS board elections in spring 2005. Dick Edwardsreported on his work with PERI members and the organiza-tion. Both representatives stressed the importance ofOCHER’s recent affiliation with the Ohio Retired TeachersAssociation for greater advocacy for retirees. I urge you toread the enclosed membership application from ORTA. Ifyou are not already a member, I urge you to join!

Bob Clark, chair of the BGSURA activities committee,noted that he is contacting Star Tours of Ohio about provid-ing tour opportunities for our members. Star Tours, inPemberville, provides day and multi-day bus tours forretirees and others and is currently working with the WoodCounty Retired Teachers Association on tour possibilitiesfor retired teachers.

Dennis Anderson from our program committee summa-rized the BGSURA luncheon dates and speakers for theremainder of 2004-2005. The committee has identified ten-tative programs and speakers for 2005-2006, but if youhave a program idea do not hesitate to contact any Boardmember or the program committee.

Although our committee membership has been approvedby the Board, we always are seeking candidates for Boardmembership beginning July 1, 2005. Please contact anyBoard member or me if you’re interested in serving as amember of BGSURA’s Board of Directors.nn

• Dr. Anderson is Associate Professor Emeritus of PoliticalScience. His address is rogerca@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

• Dr. Anderson

President’s CornerBy Dr. Roger Anderson

4 • BGSURA Newsletter November 2004