DePaul Emeritus Society History
Like people, most
organizations do not materialize “full grown.” They start out small, often have
“parents” and develop over time. The
DePaul Emeritus Society is no different. Upon the infusion of so many new
members to the family, it only seems fitting that a little information about
DES’ ancestors is in order.
The Professor Emeritus Society (PES), founded in 1992, was
conceived by four faculty (William Gorman, Adolph Mark, John Masterson and Edwin
Schillinger) with the support of Fr. Thomas Munster (Chancellor’s Office) and
Ted Tolcher and Beth Bracco (Development). It was formed “to provide a vehicle
to keep retired faculty involved with the university, to have an open line of
communication with the university, and, to provide an opportunity for social
and professional interaction amongst these retirees.” The first luncheon
gathering of the PES was held on November 11, 1992. Bill Gorman was its first and
only chair.
In 2000, a group of university administrators including Steve
Loevy, Fr. Tom Munster, Fr. Ed Udovic, Elaine (Watson) Beaudoin and Carolyn
Wright raised the possibility of creating multiple lines of communication with all
faculty and staff retirees, individuals on disability, and spouses of deceased
retirees. It was hoped this would improve communication among these groups and
the university. Two years later, the idea of a Staff Emeritus Society (SES) was
raised, and officially founded in 2003. The
first SES planning committee was composed of 5 retired staff members (Nancy
Gall, Marjorie Piechowski, Nancy Rospenda, Karen Stark, and Elaine (Watson)
Beaudoin); Tom Paetsch (active employee); Camille Licklider and Joel Schaffer
(Development); Fr. Tom Munster and Gerry Timm (Chancellor’s Office), Carolyn
Wright (Human Resources) and Fr. Ed Udovic (Mission and Values). The purpose of
the SES was similar to that described by the Professor Emeritus Society. Its first luncheon was held on October 29,
2003 and Elaine (Watson) Beaudoin was its first and only chair.
Both organizations worked to improve communications and identify
general university benefits for their respective retiree groups including
continued access to University libraries, identification cards, and DPU email
addresses; invitations to university events including Service Awards Luncheons,
Annual Health Faire, and Vincentian Service Day; receipt of paper and
electronic university publications and announcements; and, discounts to events
and facilities, course tuition and parking.
When Bill Gorman died in 2006, the university took the occasion
to review the two separate organizations and to contemplate the combining of
the societies. A questionnaire was sent
to all faculty and staff retirees asking if they thought a merger was a good
idea. The overwhelming majority saw the
combining of the two organizations as a positive step. The DePaul Emeritus
Society was born in 2008. “The DES is open to all
faculty and staff of DePaul University who have retired from the university
with 20 years of full-time service and are 55 years or older, or have retired
from the university with 10 years of full-time service and are 62 years or
older.” The initial DES charter called for the election of six officers,
three faculty and three staff. The first officers were Elaine Beaudoin, Fr. Tom
Croak, Jerry Goldman, Dick Meister, Nancy Rospenda, and Denny Shea. An
inaugural luncheon, attended by over 60 individuals, was held on May 12, 2008
in the Cortelyou Commons.
Today’s DES mission is to provide a means for ongoing connection,
communication, and socialization between the university and its emeritus
faculty and staff, and between individual retirees whose professional lives
were for so many years dedicated to university service. Since the DES’
inception, a number of programs and communication vehicles have been
established including the semi-annual Newsletter
and luncheon, Oral History Program, Memorabilia Project, Annual Road Trip
Outing, Book Club, DES Website, DES News
Updates blog, and the DES Facebook page. In addition, through the
philanthropic support of our members, more than thirty small scholarships have
been granted to upper-level, undergraduate students while creating a DES
Scholarship Fund now in excess of $100,000 assuring an income stream that will
support scholarships in perpetuity. Our sponsor (or we might say our “God
Parent”) during DES’ six year of life has been the Office of Mission and Values
for which we are very grateful.
Elaine Beaudoin
June 30, 2014
