No, “Liam” Finn, we are not the bunch of bingo players who live in the “quaint” retirement home across the street: the stereotype on which you base the closing of your recent letter to the editor.In fact, many of us here have — years ago — traveled paths that you who read this now will follow in future. We are retired professors, administrators, department heads, teachers, physicians, pastors, Brothers of Holy Cross, professional musicians, founders of charitable institutions, engineers, grandmothers, grandfathers, parents and writers. Here we actually do NOT have bingo on our activities lists, but we DO have other games: bridge, mah-jongg, euchre. Our residents can choose from 2 book clubs, “Great Courses,” in-house concerts, spiritual discussion groups, yoga, tai chi, Interactive Learning lectures, One Day University presentations and in-house movies. We are still on the go with transport to ND football games, operas, symphonies, theaters, lectures on campuses, trips to historical and cultural exhibits (sometimes overnight).So thank you for recognizing our presence on campus. When encountering stereotypical comments about my own life in retirement, I often smile and think to myself: “They’ll catch up.”
Barb Ziliak
Resident of Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame
Oct. 5
