UMSL Retirees Association

  A Message from our President - Clark J. Hickman

Instead of a personal message, Clark prefers you read the the general welcoming message from the Board of Directors: Welcome to the UMSL Retirees Association found at the top of the left column.

UMSL Retirees Association News

Spring Luncheon and Annual General Meeting

The 2026 Spring Luncheon was held on Thursday June 5 and reportedly it was a great meeting with almost 70 in attendance and excellent food. Members attending the luncheon received a complimentary copy of Chancellor Emerita Blanche Touhill’s latest book The History of the University of Missouri St. Louis 1983-2003, and she briefly addressed the group. President Connie Jeffries handed over the gavel at the end of the meeting to incoming President Clark Hickman, and Bernard Feldman Physics was elected President-Elect. Candi Agnew and Melissa Hattman outgoing Board Members were thanked for their service, Faith Lucas was reelected Treasurer, and David Ganz, Tom Eyssell, and Mimi Duncan were reelected to the three open two-year terms. The Board approved  new bylaws and eliminated the Constitution and the Secretary position. The Bylaws are to be found in the left column and the Board roster at the end of this page. 

The Banquet Room at the 2026 Spring Luncheon at Glen Echo Country Club on June 5.

  Connie Jeffries turns over the gavel                     Tom Eyssell and Chancellor Emerita Touhil
   to new President Clark Hickmann                           and her book ,The History of UMSL Vol 2.     
                    

Membership

2026-27 UMSL RA membership renewal and enrollment campaign began April 15. First time members receive their first year membership for  FREE ! Pre-retirees 55 and older are now eligible to join the UMSL retirees association! Please  join today to join us. If you have any questions on the renewal and enrollment process, please contact Melissa Hattman at mhattman@att.net  to the UMSLRA! 

Retiree of the Year Nominations are Closed

The 2027 nomination form will be available in the fall. For more details and the names of former awardees, see the feature in the left hand column.

Events, Recent and Upcoming

UMSLRA Walking Tour of Grand Center - April 28. 

About 25 retirees and friends met at the Angad Arts Hotel for a walking tour of historic and vibrant Grand Center. We caught a break between showers and enjoyed a beautiful cool spring morning. Sterling Lawler, Grand Center Community Relations Manager, led us on an informative walk through a neighborhood that has become synonymous with art and culture. Home to 16 theaters, 10 music venues, and 17 museums/galleries that host more than 1500 events annually. Sterling shared fascinating stories about some buildings, interesting histories of others. And a number of surprises. The tour ended with lunch at Commonwealth. Thanks to Sterling for a great tour, thanks to Joel Glassman for making all the arrangement, and thanks to Mike Murray for sharing some of his photos!. 

Several UMSL Retirees Association Breakfasts have been held within the past year. Here is a summary:

O n March 10, 2026  Mary Troy, Professor Emerita of English and retired Director of UMSL's MFA program in Creative Writing, made the presentation, "Why write fiction?" Mary authored six successful books of literary fiction - novels as well as collections of short stories - and has won numerous national awards for writing, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, the UM  President’s Award for Leadership, both in 2015, and a UMSL Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025.

On February 18, 2026 Christopher D. Spilling, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic and Community Development, and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry spoke about "Reshoring Generic Drugs". He described the active pharmaceutical ingredients Advance Manufacturing Hub at UMSL which will help strengthen the US pharmaceutical supply chain.  Chris is a noted synthetic organic chemist and served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and as Interim UMSL Provost and has received awards for his scholarly research.

On November 12, 2025  Robert L. Sorenson, Professor Emeritus of Economics, and former chair of the department, spoke on "Tariffs as a policy questions and the impacts the new tariffs will have on our personal finances". His primary research field of interest was industrial organization, an area in which he published widely.  In 1990 he received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

On September 24, 2025 there was a presentation and discussion led by Thomas Eyssell and Dennis Ganahl, retirees from the  College of Business Administration, on "Win for Grassroots Politics: MoTaxReliefNow and Property Tax Reform in Missouri".  

2025 Retiree of the Year Award Winners

Lucinda “Cindy” Vantine retired from UMSL in 2018 from her position as Director of University Events. Over many years at the university she developed a career in which she was appreciated by all with whom she worked, whether faculty, staff or student. Cindy now continues that same unwavering commitment to the community through service, leadership and mentorship. She serves as president of her HOA and President of the Artist Presentation Society, a 77 year-old organization that encourages and promotes exceptional young early career musicians in the Midwest. She is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Chorale and Brass, a social justice music organization of professional singers, brass players and percussionists, and has toured internationally with this group. She is the Minister of Music serving as organist and choir accompanist at the Lutheran Church of Atonement in Florissant and continues to serve as both singer and event organizer for the Bel Canto Chorus of St. Louis. When she is not using her many talents to uplift and lead others, she can be found on the UMSL campus taking classes, doing water aerobics, and attending performances at the Touhill. She continues to be one of UMSL’s biggest supporters and advocates in the community.

William (Howard) McAlister, Emeritus Associate Professor of Optometry, retired in 2018. Since then he has made great strides both in academic research and professional service which bring global recognition to UMSL. He has authored 6 peer reviewed journal articles and has delivered 11 conference presentations, 6 of which were at international meetings. He has received 4 prestigious awards that recognize the profound impact he has made across the broader healthcare community. Dr. McAlister freely donates his time and experience to, for example, the World Council of Optometry, the Board of Directors for the Voluntary Optometric Service to Humanity/International, and the Optometric Historical Society Committee of the American Optometric Association. Most recently he was appointed as an UMSL representative to the International Optometric Educators Committee of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. Such post-retirement contributions continue to enhance the prestige of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Cindy Vantine and William (Howard) McAlister

            Keep in Touch

Stay in contact with your Retirees Association by emailing  umslra@umsl.edu.

Please note the existence of the Retirees Association Facebook page. Administrators include Clark Hickman, Steve Spaner and Lol Barton.

Join the UMSL Retirees Association

Don't forget to join or rejoin the University of Missouri-St. Louis Retirees Association. The membership year is from June 1 to May 31.

Presentation of the UMSLRA Membership Card grants the following:

• Annual Luncheon and Business Meeting, courtesy of the Chancellor
• Access to events and programs of the UMSL Retiree Association
• 10% discount at the University Triton Store in the Millennium Student Center
• Up to 25% discount on tickets to events at the Touhill Performing Arts Center
• Admission to the Department of Recreational Sports classes at the active faculty/staff rate
• Admission to the UMSL Recreation and Wellness Center at the active faculty/staff rate
• A free campus parking permit, available 7:30 am – 5:00 pm at Office of Parking and Transportation, 44 Campus Police Building

Annual dues are $15. Or, for the most convenient option, join as a lifetime member for just $125.

If you are a new or renewing member, simply click on the new enrollment form and pay online by credit card. If you prefer to pay by check, the same link will give you the information you will need to do so.

In June 2015, at the UMSLRA annual meeting the membership passed a motion to accord a dues-free first year for new retirees. If you have just retired, check the "free–newly retired" box under the membership type.

2026-2027 Retirees Association Board

(Updated after the election on June 6, 2025)

Officers                                                            Board Members

Clark J. Hickman, President (1 yr)                                                  Susan (Sue) Baber (2 years)
College of Education                                                                          Education
hickman@umsl.edu                                                                            ssnbbr@gmail.com

Bernard Feldman, President-Elect (1 yr)                                       Mimi Duncan (2 yr)
Physics and Astronomy                                                                    College of Education                      feldmanb@umsl.edu                                                                         duncan@umsl.edu

Faith Lucas, Treasurer (1 yr.) ER                                                    Thomas Eyssel (2yr)
Accounting Services                                                                         College of Business Admin
falacct@yahoo.com                                                                          eyssellt@umsl.edu

Connie Jeffries, Past-President (1 yr.)                                         Dave Ganz (2yr)
College of Arts and Sciences                                                            College of Business Admin
joggincon@gmail.com                                                                     ganz@umsl.edu

Kevin Smith                                                                                       Joel Glassman (1yr)
Staff Liason, Alumni Engagement                                                 International Studies
smithkevina@umsl.edu                                                                  jglassman@umsl.edu

Lol Barton, Webmaster                                                                    Susan Moody (1yr)
Ex Officio, Chemistry                                                                       College of Business Admin             lbarton@umsl.edu                                                                            Littleladysue58@gmail.com

Dave Garin, Historian                                                                     Michael Murray (1yr)
Ex-Officio, Chemistry                                                                      Communications
dgarin@umsl.edu                                                                             murraymd@umsl.edu