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Following my retirement from Stanford, my wife Barbaranne and I visited many retirement communities – especially up and down the West Coast and (pulled by our Massachusetts daughter and her family) also in the Northeast. But among all the communities we investigated, the Academy Village was unique in offering all the following, for us, powerful attractions :
1. A community of intellectually active and wonderfully congenial residents, evenly balanced between men and women, who (having newly arrived from all over the United States) share a great enthusiasm about embarking on a joint adventure.
2. The choice of several plans of appealing, spacious, well insulated, high-ceilinged homes of southwestern design, with ample privacy, and surrounded by beautiful desert views of unspoiled mountains, glorious sunsets, and a variety of curious native visitors – including javelinas, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, road runners, and colorful hummingbirds.
3. Access to a major university – here the University of Arizona (of which our founder and now a resident, Henry Koffler, was a former president) – with library and other privileges. (I have already established rewarding intellectual colleagueships with several U of A faculty members with whom I share interests in cognitive science, philosophy, and the physical sciences.)
4. A stimulating offering, through The Arizona Senior Academy here at the Village, of courses, lectures, movies, and concerts. And a variety of resident-initiated informal groups based on common interests – whether science, computers, photography, art, crafts, painting, literature, poetry writing, chamber music, opera, needlework, investment strategies, tennis, or hiking.
5. Remarkably inspirational and devoted fitness instructors for voluntary classes in aerobics, strength training, yoga, water aerobics, and the like. Over the years at Stanford I had more than a dozen instructors in late afternoon fitness classes – only one of whom approached the knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm of our principal fitness instructor at the Village, Jean Missey. Before coming here, I had never taken yoga, but because we have two experts here at the Village – Jeanne Missey and resident Paul Zeiger – I am now taking Yoga on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, with gratifying improvements in my strength, flexibility, and balance.
For a memorable celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary here, shortly after moving into our new home, we invited all the residents. We love them all, and we don’t expect ever to leave.
Author : Roger Shepard, Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Social Science, Emeritus, at Stanford.
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