Old does not mean boring, and there are over 700 members of the Renaissance Society at Sacramento State who believe, and are proving, that a person can move into their later years with grace and dignity.

The Renaissance Society is an organization sponsored by Sac State that promotes learning in retirement seminars, forums, excursions and “cracker barrel” open discussions. Sac State gives the society – an affiliate of the Association for Learning in Retirement Organizations, West and the Elderhostel Information Network – space on campus to conduct their activities.

“We want the campus to know that we appreciate what they do for us. If it wasn?t for the classroom space that they give us we couldn?t do this,” said Eleanor Hoffman, President of the Renaissance Society.

The Renaissance Society was started in 1986 by Bob Heilman, Leah Burdman, Ermyl Schwartz and Peg McKoane, and shows its appreciation for the school by giving annual scholarships to Sac State students who plan careers with aging associations.

“If you are retired, it?s a nice organization for you to join,” Hoffman said.

The Society requires members to participate by having them be responsible for coordinating all of the activities, and the members frequently give presentations themselves.

In addition to being the president of the Renaissance Society, Hoffman retired once, then started her current job where she runs the hearing and immunization clinics for the Folsom Cordova School District. She believes that, since the members are responsible for most of the details, all she has to do is bang the gavel at the meetings.

“I let the organization run itself. It?s a pretty easy job,” Hoffman said.

One of those participants is Charles Branthaver, a retired pediatrician who has been with the Renaissance Society for 11 years. He has also led several seminars that have ranged in topics from healthcare reform to jazz and swing.

“The beauty of it is that all of this talent has been accrued by these people over the years,” he said.

Constant participation is vital to the success of the society, Branthaver sai, because many of the members are not content to just sit in class.

“It can be a problem when one gets older. One can get isolated, a chronic television watcher. It?s an opportunity to make friends,” Branthaver said. “There are social activities for those who have trouble getting out. It gives them renewed energy.”

It can also be an opportunity to do the things that you love with your peers while receiving a mental workout, society member Ruth Davis Barr said.

Barr, a former English teacher from Oklahoma City, likes to wrap her brain around the writing workshops that allow the members to write about whatever they are interested in. The variety in topics is a direct result of the variety of the members? passions.

“It?s a learning program for people who have retired, but whose brains haven?t retired,” Barr said.

The groups do not meet exclusively at Sac State. There are several off-campus groups that have specific focuses, such as singing, walking, learning foreign languages and cooking. The society also offers “mini seminars” every Friday morning that are conducted by members who usually present an interesting hobby.

If you have any questions regarding the Renaissance Society, or if you would like information on how to become involved, call 278-7834 or visit them online at www.csus.edu/org/rensoc.