We were very fortunate to have David Drake, a professional photographer and a TIAA member, take pictures at the annual TI Retiree Luncheon on Oct. 27. Ronnie Brandenburg has organized the photos that David took, added captions and created a slide show. (Click Slideshow at the top of the page to begin.) Whether you were able to attend or not, you might enjoy seeing the photos of this event attended by 800 retirees, spouses and other guests. You can contact David at drakedigital@gmail.com or 214-906-8774.

Jerry Pierce retired from TI's Corporate Finance office in 1998 – just in time to assume a 10-year leadership roll as TIAA's Education Chair. He and his committee have arranged between two and five informative seminars every year on seniors' health issues, insurance, legal info, and investing. Jerry is a financial advisor for Edward Jones & Company and has an office in Plano. Jerry has been a legend sponsor for each of TIAA's annual charity golf tournaments. The good news is that his work load has increased this year as the market turns around and his clients need help with their financial picture; but the bad news is that he has asked to be relieved of his TIAA duties in order to provide needed financial help. Jerry has done a wonderful job for us and we thank him and wish him all the best.

On Dec. 16, TIAA hosted a luncheon at the Texins Activity Center to show our appreciation of the many hours our volunteers devote to the varied activities of TIAA. A total of 30 TIAA members were joined by 5 TIers who volunteered at the TI Retiree Luncheon. Shown are Larry James, Dolores Runyon and Kate Rose getting their box lunches from Jessica Stewart.

TIAA learns of the deaths of retired TIers or TIAA members from a number of sources including TI, family members, friends, newspaper obituaries and returned mail. We verify these deaths by checking with the Social Security Death Index. In December, we learned of the deaths of the following 24 retirees: Clarence Behrends, Elaine Benschneider, George Binion, Lee Blanton, Helen Caldwell, Joseph Corrigan, Mildred DiPoli, Boyce Foreman, Margaret Gilliam, Eugene Gongaware, Jessie L. Greene, Arvard Hansell, Ruth Hartley, Alma L. Henson, Thomas L. Johnston, Robert Kyle, Doris McCraw, Mabel Montgomery, Ruth Moore, Tom Morris, Warren Penwell, Belva Reid, Ruth Saltsman, and Lena Wilson.

It occurred to us that we had undoubtedly never been informed about many deceased members. Therefore we checked all TI retirees with birth dates prior to 1930 against the Social Security Death Index and obtained the following 183 names of those that have died – many of them a number of years ago: Chauncey Abney, William M. Alford, Roy L. Atkins, Bula Mae Ballew, Agnes L. Barbee, Fred Barrett, Willie L. Bartlett, Eula M. Bates, Menter H. Bethke, Phyllis Bienvenue, Lucetta Birdwell, Millard L. Blassingame, Hattie Bowman, Lucy B. Brackett, John F. Brann, Marshall Brown, Thomas E. Brown, Leo Buben, Edith J. Bullock, Mina W. Burkham, Henry A. Bush, Ila M. Byrd, Ivy L. Caraway, Ruth Carpenter, Felicia Castillo, Percy M. Chance, Dakota Chester, James W. Childress, Wallace W. Churchill, Edward W. Clark, Will M. Clegg, Alma Coccia, Ernest L. Crandall, Rosanna R. Croner, Ima R. Crowder, Margaret C. Daniel, Terence E. Dennis, Leon Denson, Tobias Disch, Lola J. Douglas, W. J. Drake, Carlos E. Droescher, Bertha V. Dudzik, Velma Duncan, Robert C. Dunlap, Majin Duran, Alice Earl, Minnie L. Eaves, Anna A. Elliott, Mary Fagan, Olin Fannin, Gladys Farmer, Donald C. Fish, J. T. Fisher, Donald T. Flatt, Antonio A. Freitas, Marion E. Gelinas, William T. Gibson, Thelma M. Gillis, Alice L. Goff, Rita P. Goffette, Vada R. Goforth, H. C. Goldsmith, Allen W. Graves, John Green, Clifford J. Grube, Louis Gund, William H. Hanson, Madalene K. Harlan, Mary G. Hendershot, James H. Hightower, Elmer L. Hildreth, William E. Hiller, Alma G. Hughes, Orcealia L. Humiston, Walter H. Hutchcraft, Gerald A. Jackson, Cecil K. Johnson, Ola F. Johnson, Bess F. Johnston, Edward Jones, James Jones, Myrtle B. Jones, Charles E. Jung, William M. Jurek, Rosa L. Keene, James M. Kerte, James G. Knox, Jerry J. Koubek, Inez H. Laffoon, Olan Lawrence, William A. Lawson, Amelia R. Lazarz, Ruby R. Leach, Ione Leath, William Lebow, Lois E. Lee, Osie B. Lee, Helen Lenox, Mary H. Leonard, William Leonard, Dorothy M. Lepage, Louis P. L'Hommedieu, Lois I. Luscombe, Virgie L. Manasco, William A. Martello, Faye Matthews, Glen G. Mayfield, James Mayfield, Lillian M. McClure, Anna McCormack, Alice A. McKamy, Mims McKinzie, Jack V. McManus, Joseph L. McMorrow, Audrey J. Miller, Russell B. Miller, Harvey C. Moats, Jan S. Mogielnicki, Charles M. Moore, Willie M. Moore, Edward Moquin, Finis H. Morgan, Fannie Motley, Horace J. Muehlendorf, Doris L. Murphy, Mary A. Murphy, Mildred Murrell, Dick Newby, Newby, Taft Newby, Juanita V. Noll, Lillie P. Oliver, Ethel Peacock, James F. Peterson, W. L. Potthof, Anna Presley, Vernon F. Prichard, Louie C. Proctor, William R. Reese, Frances E. Reinle, Olen L. Rhodes, Tina E. Riddlehoover, Kenneth E. Riggins, Geraldine Ritchie, Lloyd Rodgers, Frederick E. Romberg, Sidney D. Rose, Vivian F. Roy, Ensi R. Sadlier, Vatie L. Scarborough, Grace A. Schaerdel, Gladys E. Scott Scott, Helene L. Scott, Ruth M. Slater, Stanley W. Sorensen, Eunice B. Spearman, Gladys E. Spurgin, Horace L. Starnes, Henry Frederick Stern, Edgar I. Stevenson, Stevenson, Gerlad Stevenson, Stanley Temple, Charles E. Terry, Howard Terry, Georgia B. Tilger, Joseph F. Timmerman, Zelma L. Timmons, Charlotte B. Tipton, Arthur R. Tomkins, Ruth M. Tranmer, Everett W. Turner, Charles Underwood, Lula M. Ussery, Johnny Walker, Booker Washington, Roy W. Weatherford, Alvie C. Whisenhunt, Evelyn F. Wilcox, Harold R. Willhoite, George L. Williams, Mary A. Wofford, Theodore Wysocki, and Charles D. Youngblood.

We have added these 207 names to our online In Memoriam list. To view the complete list, go to www.tialumni.org/in-memoriam/. Use your Web browser Find function (Ctrl-F) to locate a particular person. The list can be also be sorted by date of death or state.

If you have gone on any of our recent travel events, you probably had your picture taken by Jerry Brandenburg. We normally have room to print one or two of Jerry’s pictures in our newsletter, TI Alumni News. Most of the photos, however, cannot be used until the next TI Retiree Luncheon. Recently Ronnie Brandenburg sorted the pictures, added captions and prepared slide shows of photos Jerry took at the last four travel events. You can view the slide show for the Sept. 17 Trinity River Audubon Center Tour, the Oct. 10 Tyler Rose Festival, the Nov. 17/19 Cowboy Stadium Tours and the Dec. 6 Grapevine Christmas Tour. (Click "Slideshow" at top of each page.) If you went on any of these events, refresh your memory of the great time we had. If you didn’t go, see what you’ve been missing and consider joining us on one of the travel events listed below.

East Texas Trip - Wednesday, Jan. 20 - Travel in comfort in a luxurious coach bus to Kilgore to visit the East Texas Oil Museum and the artist colony in Edom, Texas. We will leave the Texins Activity Center at 9 a.m. and have an early buffet lunch at McKay Ranch House in Kilgore at our own expense. Then on to the nearby East Texas Oil Museum which houses an authentic re-creation of oil discovery and production in the early 1930s from the largest oil field in the “lower 48”. Then step through the doors into Boomtown USA - a full-scale town full of stores, people, animals, and machinery depicting the lively activity of a town booming in oil. Browse the shelves at the general store, have refreshments at the drug store while listening (or dancing) to vintage 1930 big-band music on the jukebox. On our way back to Dallas, we will stop in Edom, Texas, known as the “Art Center of East Texas”. Edom has one downtown street lined with charming shops that house artist’s studios and gift shops featuring pottery, jewelry, birdhouses, candles and metal sculpture. We can try the homemade ice cream at the Edom Marketplace Café before boarding our bus. We should return to Texins about 5 p.m. Cost of $28 per member and $31 per nonmember covers transportation and museum entry fees. Please register by Jan. 13.

Addison Event - Wednesday, Feb. 10 - Something for everybody. We’ll visit the Cavanaugh Flight Museum at Addison Airport and then tour the nearby Mary Kay Museum. The Cavanaugh Flight Museum chronicles the history of aircraft from World War I, World War II and Korea. You'll see aircraft refurbished to the condition they were in when they rolled off the assembly lines, such as the Fokker D VII, Sopwith Camel, P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, MIG 15 and others. It also has one of the largest collections of signed print art in the Southwest. All the aircraft are in comfortable, fully enclosed hangers. We will then eat lunch at our own expense at the Mary Kay cafeteria – not the typical company cafeteria - with a lovely view of a garden area. They welcome visitors and the food is both good and inexpensive. Then we’ll tour the Mary Kay Museum and see the history behind Mary Kay Ash and her world-famous company, Mary Kay Cosmetics. Displays show many of the lavish rewards given to salespeople who made the Mary Kay line famous, including diamond bar pins, diamond rings and the ultimate prize - the pink Cadillac. We’ll depart the Texins Activity Center at 10 a.m. and return about 3 p.m. Cost of $16 per member and $18 per nonmember includes entry fees. Please register by Feb. 3.

Contact Jessica Stewart at admin@tialumni.org or 214-567-8444 to register for events. Each member may bring one guest at the member price. Make checks payable to TIAA and mail to TIAA, P. O. Box 740181, Dallas, TX 75374. Please remit payment at least seven days prior to the event.

Check the TI Alumni online calendar for additional events