Larry Boleach

When I retired from Truman in June 2000, it marked over 42 years of association with the university.  I enrolled as a student in the spring of 1958.  I received my bachelors degree in 1962, my masters degree in the summer of 1965, and became a member of the faculty in the fall of 1965. Since that time I have worked for 5 of the university's 13 presidents.  I have been a member of 2 different divisions, and I have worked for 3 different division heads. 

The university has had four different names during my tenure.  I have witnessed the transition of Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, a regional teacher preparation institution, to Truman State University which is Missouri's statewide liberal arts and sciences university.  Whatever the mission has been for the university, it has always done an admirable job of achieving it's objectives.  I am proud to have been a part of that venture.  It has been wonderful to have worked with the very competent and dedicated people of my division.  The university has meant more to me than a group of buildings where I attended classes as a student and subsequently taught for 35 years.  I have always experienced a unique comfort level here, and I would hope that others have had a similar experience.

Since my retirement Linda and I have been doing some traveling.  We intend to escape some of the bitter winter weather of northeast Missouri whenever we can.  We also plan to explore some of the wonderful areas that this beautiful country has to offer.  I enjoy working around the house and doing some woodworking in my shop.  Truman State University continues to be an important part of our lives.  We are huge Bulldog fans, and we attend as many games as we can.  We also continue to enjoy some of the other Truman activities such as Lyceum.  We are active in February selecting the recipient (s) for our scholarship.  The selection process continues to be a struggle because of the large number of highly qualified and worthy applicants.

Retirement is wonderful-I don't go to work or do anything and someone sends me a check every month. The best thing about it however is that I do things on my own schedule-(so far, I haven't made a schedule).  Retirement has produced a sense of freedom that I have not encountered before.  There are also a number of things that I miss.  The thing that I miss most is the daily interaction with students.  That for me was the real appeal of teaching.  I also miss the comradery with my colleagues and the feeling of being a part of the noble profession of teaching.  The things that I don't miss include the politics of the educational bureaucracy, the first week of the semester, finals week, and committee and division meetings.