Retiree News
News submitted by or about retirees.
2015 NEWS
News about Mark Riley - Foreign Languages, Submitted by Bob Meindl
Mark Riley, Emeritus Professor of Classical Languages, has continued his scholarship in neo-Latin literature while at the same time enjoying retirement with his family around the country. He has edited, for the UK’s University of Birmingham Philological Museum, a number of hyper-text editions of previously unavailable renaissance Latin poems, among them Raphael Thorius’ 1626 poem on the origins and use of tobacco (the Hymnus Tabaci)and Samuel Gott’s Philippica, a 1648 poem on the Spanish Armada presented as a Roman historical epic.
Continuing his work with writers of the Scottish Renaissance, he has also edited James Hume’s The Richeliad, a poem of praise for France’s Cardinal Richelieu left unfinished in 1639, and the entire corpus of the poetry of the neo-Latin novelist John Barclay (Poematum Libri Duo, with verse translations by Bob Meindl, English Emeritus). This latter work expands upon Riley’s work with Barclay’s better known Latin novels and political commentary, which led in 2004 to his edition of Barclay’s most famous work, the Argenis, published simultaneously by a Dutch press and Arizona State University Press.
In 2014 Riley published his edition of Barclay’s Icon Animorum with Holland’s Leuven University Press, available in the U.S. from Cornell University Press. This book, the result of extensive travel in early 17th-century Europe, describes the manners and mores of Barclay’s European contemporaries and presents a fascinating picture of national stereotypes as they existed at the time. The publisher describes it as “a valuable study, not only for the illustration it offers of a pre-Romantic view of Europe, but for a glimpse into the continuities that mark European civilization.”
On January 24, 2015, Riley presented a paper before the 30th meeting of the Semiotic Circle of California at UC Berkeley. His presentation, titled “Poetry in Two Worlds: Latin Pastoral at the Court of King James I,” discussed Barclay’s use of traditional poetic conventions in verse written for the sake of maintaining his position as Latin poet (as well as diplomatic courier) in the English king’s court circle.
Riley has as well continued his involvement with Greek studies, and in 2013 Sophron Press published Riley’s Greek Reader, a textbook for intermediate classes in ancient Greek.
Click HERE to email Mark.
2014 NEWS
News about Jorge Santana - Foreign Languages, Submitted by Tom Griffith
Jorge has a new love in his life, Ginger Teslarossa. He is so infatuated with Ginger he made a film about her that has become very popular on YouTube. View Jorge's film HERE.
Click HERE to send an email to Jorge.
News from Richard Kaufman
Dear Friends:
If you are interested, my book "Saving the Donner Party and Forlorn Hope" is being published as we speak and will be available in bookstores and on-line Amazon in about a month or so. It is a non-fiction work with about 234 pages in length that culminates close to ten years of work. Here's a peek at the cover in the above attachment. Hope you are getting along well and would like to hear from you. Cheers.
Richard Kaufman
Click HERE if you'd like to email Richard.
News from Elsa Favila - Government and Academic Affairs
The greatest joy about retirement for me is having the opportunity of spending lots of time with our two grandsons, Gabe, now age 11 and Nicolas, now age 9. I retired nine years ago when neither of the boys were in school and my daughter was then a stay-at-home mom. We spent lots of quality time together having picnics at the parks, visiting museums and nearby recreation parks! I cherish all the memories those early years brought me. Now they're in school and busy with a variety of sports activities. Our daughter has returned to full time employment, so I had to find other means of occupying my time.
I started jogging with my sister who is also retired. We walk/jog six days a week, 8 to 12 miles per day, in the American River Parkway and I have even competed in several half marathons! I never would have dreamed that I would become this active in my 60's! But I have the time and someone who motivates me every day to get up and move. My favorite half marathon was Avenue of the Giants in northern California. I also enjoy Zuda yoga in the midtown area two to three times per week. My husband wants me to bicycle with him and I decided to do that cold turkey!! We just returned from traveling from Pittsburgh to Washington DC by bike on The Great Allegheny Passage Trail – very historical and absolutely beautiful scenery. But riding over 50 miles per day was most tiring. I wished I had trained for it as I had trained for the half marathons. I would have enjoyed that more.
I am also the Associate Director for the Western Political Science Association – a nonprofit organization that promotes the study and teaching of government and politics. I help organize and plan for an annual meeting of faculty and graduate students in political science who get together to share their research. I enjoy working with academics and I just couldn't quite give that up just yet! It allows me to use the skills I attained while at CSUS and provides an avenue for me to socialize and travel. I work from home and travel to various sites in the western states four times a year and to the east coast at least once a year. I always extend these travels a few more days and have my husband and/or family tag along.
Retirement is great! I enjoy the freedom of travel and spending time with family and friends. The only drawback is that time passes so quickly. I can't believe it has already been nine years. Life is great and I often think of how fortunate I was to have worked with so many wonderful individuals at Sac State.
Click HERE if you would like to email Elsa.