Today was to be ASURA’s Annual Meeting. While we cannot meet face to face to 

celebrate the successes of the past year and look forward to the upcoming 

year, we can still hear from this year’s President, Jan Thompson, as she 

metaphorically passes the gavel to next year's  President, Carl Cross. 

Jan Thompson Outgoing ASURA President 

It has been a memorable year in so many ways.  None of us will ever forget 

the difficult times that we’re living through today as we close a year of ASURA 

activities with our “virtual” Annual Meeting in the time of coronavirus. I was so 

looking forward to “Celebrating Prime Times” with all of you today as I thanked 

everyone for their wonderful help this past year and handed the gavel off to 

Carl, our next President. But alas, the gavel is “socially distanced” at the 

ASURA office where it will remain until September when we’ll hopefully reunite 

to launch another lively year of activities and events. I know we’ll all appreciate 

the friendship and camaraderie that ASURA offers even more when we’re able 

to get together again! 

 

More than anything, my year as your President has made me so appreciate 

the amazing number of people involved in keeping our organization healthy, 

vital, and growing. Our officers, board members, committee chairs and 

members, and government/health care liaisons are constantly engaged in 

activities that keep our all-volunteer organization successful and thriving. 

Please be sure to read their summaries of the year’s activities in our Annual 

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Report below and you will appreciate the wide-ranging breadth of their 

accomplishments. I can’t begin to thank you all enough for your contributions, 

suggestions, and cooperation over this past year. It has been a pleasure to 

work with all of you and to meet and interact with so many of our members 

over this past year. 

 

Special thanks to our outgoing officers--Treasurer Barry Bruns and Secretary 

Pat Schneider--for their exemplary years of service and to outgoing board 

members Barry McNeill, Don Nilson and William Stasi for their ongoing 

dedication to ASURA. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Barry McNeill 

(my original ASURA mentor) for his year-long guidance and support. Barry 

coordinates so many behind-the-scenes details and did a great job of keeping 

me on track. And both Barry and Connie’s upkeep of the E-News and website 

and Jeannette Robson’s excellent work on Prime Times have been invaluable, 

as always. Lastly, a big thank you to my friend Carl Cross for jumping into the 

Co-Presidency last fall during my absence and for assuming the “virtual” 

Presidency now. Things can only get better! You’ll be a steady hand and a 

great leader for ASURA, Carl. 

 

Thank you all for the opportunity to serve as your President. It has been a 

highlight of my retirement and a time that I will always cherish. Please be safe 

as we continue to work our way through the next few months. I look forward to 

seeing you all in a happy and healthier September!

Carl Cross Incoming ASURA President 

I’d also like to thank you all for attending our unique “virtual” 29th Annual 

Meeting. The first General Meeting was held April 14th, 1992. A lot has 

happened over the decades since a small group of retirees decided to create 

this Association. As illustrated in the Annual Report, there are many ways to 

become more involved and numerous activities to take part in. I challenge 

each of you to be an active member this year and to have fun as you meet new 

people and create new friendships through ASURA. 

 

I retired at the end of August in 2015 and attended my first ASURA Annual 

Meeting the following spring. It was there I volunteered to be the liaison for the 

University Club and began attending the monthly Board meetings. Although I 

was only an ex-officio member of the Board, I soon volunteered to be a part of 

the Video History Project, utilizing my experience with the ASU Digital 

Repository that I contributed to before retiring from the University Library.  

 

In January 2019, I submitted my name to the nominating committee to be on 

the Board. Once the voting had taken place, Jan Thompson was busy trying to 

find a Vice-President before the March Board meeting. After much arm-twisting 

and reassurance, I agreed to serve.  

 

I have always enjoyed the comfort of being in a “support” position, rather than 

at the head of the table. However, with the incredible support of our Board and 

our wonderful volunteers, I knew that everyone was always willing to help each 

other. That’s one of the things that makes ASURA a very special and active 

organization. 

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I know that I’ll be leaning on Immediate Past President Jan Thompson, as 

ASURA completes its third decade in the spring of 2021. We extend a warm 

welcome to our five new board members – Larry Edmonds, Kathy Gunn, Mark 

Henderson, Jill Massara, and Trudy Perez. Our new Officers are Larry 

Edmonds, Vice President; Jane Carey, Secretary; and Jill Massara, 

Treasurer.  Thank you all for your willingness to serve. 

 

I’m looking forward to a great year, filled with lots of fun and exciting events 

that will allow each of us to not only enjoy our retirement, but continue to be 

active and contributing members of the ASU family. 

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