Retiring Employees Recognized at Annual Dinner

Retiring Employees Recognized at Annual Dinner

By Amy WilliamsUniversity Relations – Communications
Printer-friendly version PDF version
Allison Vaillancourt, vice president for institutional effectiveness and human resources, was the dinner's master of ceremonies.
Allison Vaillancourt, vice president for institutional effectiveness and human resources, was the dinner's master of ceremonies.
Kathleen LaRose, retired deputy director of athletics, gave a talk on what her life has been like since retiring two years ago.
Kathleen LaRose, retired deputy director of athletics, gave a talk on what her life has been like since retiring two years ago.

Retirement, for some, is a time for beaches, vacations and well-earned rest. For others, it's an opportunity to do things they haven't had the time for.

Marie Anderson, for example, plans on learning how to play the guitar, volunteering and doing more traveling after she retires as administrative associate in Arizona Student Media. Jeannie Benally, assistant agent for the 4-H youth development, is simply looking forward to having breakfast in the morning without having to rush off to work.

Anderson and Benally were among the hundreds of retiring University employees who were celebrated last week at the UA's annual Retirement Dinner, hosted by the Division of Human Resources and the Office of the President.

Eighty-five employees attended the ceremony, which honored a total of 355 employees retiring in 2015-2016.

Allison Vaillancourt, vice president for institutional effectiveness and human resources, was the dinner's master of ceremonies and invited Kathleen "Rocky" LaRose, retired deputy director of athletics, to give a talk.

LaRose shared what her life has been like since retiring two years ago and her wishes for those who are embarking on the same journey.

"You have to find your own way, but for me I decided that I was going to just think of three words that would keep me on track," LaRose said. "They actually helped in these couple of years, in moments where I wasn't motivated and I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do the next day, and so I thought I'd share that with you. One of them is curiosity. When we work, we don't have time to be curious, so I thought, 'That's a good word.' The other word is spontaneous – having that philosophy that you're willing to do something. The third thing is joy."

She went on to explain how she is able to experience curiosity, spontaneity and joy through her photography hobby – something that she has much more time to pursue now. She illustrated each point with a different photo that she took and explained the story behind how she was able to capture the moment.

The retirees who attended were asked in advance of the ceremony to share a memory from their time at the UA or their plans for retirement. Their reflections were read aloud as they received their gift and posed for a picture with Vaillancourt. Each retiree was given a hand-blown glass hummingbird feeder, crafted by local artist and UA alumna Lynda Allen of Fire Ranch Glassworks.

To view the full list of this year's retirees, click here (PDF).

UA@Work is produced by University Communications

Marshall Building, Suite 100. 845 N. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 (or) 
P.O. Box 210158B, Tucson, AZ 85721

T 520.621.1877  F 520.626.4121

Feedback University Privacy Statement 

2024 © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona