Chapter celebrating 30 years of service

Who knew 30 years ago that a small idea for a gathering of local senior citizens would grow into such a huge benefit to the community's retired population?

It has! And it's going strong!

To celebrate this event, Learning in Retirement members will gather at the summer membership meeting July 20. The event at the Knights of Columbus meeting hall in St. Martins will begin at 11 a.m. with registration and exhibits and a chance to sign up for courses and clubs.

You may get to meet special guests Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, state Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, Lincoln University President John Moseley and Lincoln University Dean of Continuing Education Jenifer Benne. They have all been invited, and, hopefully, will be able to attend.

The official opening of the day starts with a welcome from Steve Buchholz, Learning in Retirement president, and introductions of the special quests. A musical interlude will follow as Annette Kehner, organist and pianist, will entertain the group.

Then, it's lunch time, and as always, it's going to be delicious! Think of fried chicken, roast beef and all the sides followed up with cupcakes for dessert.

Your invitation to the event (if you are already an LIR member) was mailed to you along with the Learning Times newsletter. If you aren't currently an LIR member, you can join immediately by calling or visiting the Learning in Retirement office at 573-681-6152 and paying the mid-summer membership fee of $25. The office is located in Room 7 of Soldiers Hall, 903 Lafayette St., on the Lincoln University campus.

Pictures of many past LIR events will play on PowerPoint during lunch and will give attendees opportunities to remonstrate on trips, courses, and clubs they have enjoyed in the past.

After enjoying the delicious lunch, you can sit back and meet the people who have presented courses in the past year, and then the recipients of the ROTC and LIR/Dr. Gary K. Scott scholarships that Learning in Retirement awards each year to Lincoln University students.

The Learning in Retirement scholarship is one of the best scholarships available to Lincoln students who have graduated from Missouri high schools, so if you know of a student who is currently a sophomore or junior at LU, tell them to apply for this scholarship.

The day's events will proceed with recognition of charter and lifetime members and past presidents, and a silent moment in remembrance of deceased members.

A brief business meeting will follow with introductions of current board members and the election of board members for 2023, whose terms will begin in January.

After the meeting, members of the curriculum committee, educational travel committee, and clubs will be available to answer your questions and to sign you up if you are interested in participating in upcoming events.

If you are wondering how such an active and inspiring organization began in Jefferson City, it started as the brainchild of Dr. Gary K. Scott, who was dean of graduate studies and continuing education at Lincoln University. He had read about organizations, such as Elderhostel, that offered courses for older people, so he attended an Elderhostel meeting in Kansas City. He wanted to explore the concept of offering college-level classes to retired people.

Scott reasoned that Lincoln University had curriculum available, and if Lincoln was willing to provide facilities and support, it was something that could happen in Jefferson City. He presented his idea to Dr. Wendell Rayburn, the LU president at the time. Rayburn understood the need for such an organization and encouraged Scott to pursue the idea.

With the help of June Glaser, associate professor of research instruction and chair of the LU campus gerontology committee, other LU faculty and staff, and community members, Learning in Retirement was born.

By April 1992, Scott believed enough community interest had been shown to establish a Learning in Retirement group. Nearly 60 people showed up for the first meeting, surprising Scott and committee members. Membership fees of $40 annually was set at that time and remains the same today.

Fifteen members were elected to the first board of directors, and a memorandum of understanding with Lincoln University was accepted. Parking and office space with a telephone was established in Soldiers Hall, where the LIR office remains today.

Jefferson City's Learning in Retirement was the first such organization in Missouri and one of the first in the United States.

Two membership meetings are held each year, in January and July, a holiday social is held in December, and educational trips, courses and clubs happen all year. In fact, if you, a member, were interested in just participating in what Learning in Retirement has to offer, you could be busy every day of the week.

At one point before the coronavirus pandemic, LIR had 420 members. Of course, membership dropped during the worst of the pandemic, but today is back at 325 members, and there is always room for more.

Learning in Retirement is a volunteer organization. It only thrives because members are willing to spend many hours creating, planning, organizing and carrying out the many activities. Your help is needed.

You will be enthusiastically welcomed and happily encouraged to participate in activities that are interesting to you. Join today and attend the celebration on July 20.