Age is nothing but a number to the members of the Renaissance Society.

This large group of senior citizens at Sacramento State are on campus to continue its lifelong quest for education through classes and seminars every Friday that run throughout the school year.

The society is made up of mostly retired Sacramento-area citizens who range from ages 55 to 99 years old.

P.J. Garrido, president of the Renaissance Society, joined in 2001 and has seen this group grow and evolve over the years.

“(The society) formed in 1986 and started with about 20 people who were interested in learning,” Garrido said. “We’ve grown from the 20 to 1,600 – 1,000 of whom are on campus on Friday.”

Bob Taylor, the Renaissance Society’s publicity chair, has been a member for 10 years.“It’s a wonderful extension of our professional lives,” Taylor said. “When we retire, we have this opportunity here in the greater Sacramento area. My wife and I love coming to seminars every Friday. It’s a great opportunity and a nice aspect of our retirement lives.”

The society is made up of several Friday morning seminars and documentaries with a large, topical seminar in the afternoon. Seminar lecturers range from volunteers, professors and experts in fields ranging from photography and history to philosophy, music and literature. Garrido said the organization is mainly participatory and the volunteers receive syllabi and bibliographies on many different topics.

Taylor said the society presents more than 20 seminars on campus as well as off-campus seminars that more than half of the members participate in. Garrido said the society also gives back to the university in gratitude for its partnership with this group of eager learners.

“We pay for parking, we volunteer at the university, we volunteer to usher at performances such as ‘Women of Juarez’ and we totally staff performances,” Garrido said. “We have two $5,000 scholarships to give out. We are one of the largest scholarships right now. We are very supportive of CSUS and believe we are good ambassadors for (the university).”

The growth of this society continues to increase due to word of mouth and the great things being said by the current members.

“We are growing pretty steadily because of word of mouth. People ask, ‘What are you doing? What’s Renaissance?’” Taylor said. “I’d like to see it continue just as it is.”

Taylor and Garrido are thankful to have this opportunity on campus to keep up with their quest for education.

“(This is a group) that is interested in continual learning to keep our brains active and (stoke) our thirst for knowledge,” Garrido said. “We are very privileged to be on campus.”

As long as there are eager students, the Renaissance Society will continue to thrive.

“Learning never stops, as you’ll find out as you grow older,” Taylor said, “(Renaissance Society) is an opportunity to continue having knowledge about how the world works.”