Oregon Retired Educators Assn.
 

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About US: OREA's Historical Background

Our Motto: To Serve, Not To Be Served.

Our Founder: Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, founder of our organization, served as a principal in California from 1916-1944, the first woman principal in the state. She founded the Institute of Lifetime Learning and took up the cause of raising living standards for retirees, especially retired teachers.

Quotations from the writings of Dr. Andrus:

  • On Aging: "We earnestly seek not eternal youth but a constantly increasing maturity."
     

  • On Older Americans: "...The emerging profile of the older American, [is] that of a person using his expertness and experience in assuming responsibility, not only for self... Our nation needs the accumulated experience, knowledge, wisdom and skills of all older adults."
     

  • On Mental Elasticity: "AARP chapters offer insurance against loneliness, for the development of a mental elasticity, the cultivation of community commitments, the adoption of wider interest."
     

Then:

  • In October 1947, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired educator from California, organized the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA) to develop pension reform and a network for retired educators to channel their career skills and serve their communities, their state, and the nation.
     

  • In 1955, the Oregon Retired Educators Association (OREA) was organized as a professional nonprofit organization of retired educators associated with NRTA.
     

  • In 1958, Dr. Andrus established the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
     

  • In 1982, NRTA and AARP officially merged with NRTA becoming a separate division within AARP.

And Now:

  • There are 14 active local units of OREA, representing most areas of the State of Oregon.
     

  • About 1100 retired educators from public, private, and higher education are members of the OREA. Our membership represents the interests of all retired educators in the State of Oregon and we gain national representation through affiliation with NRTA.
     

  • At present AARP membership is more than 40 million 535,000 of which are Oregonians. To learn more about AARP click on the following address to see the Oregon AARP web site: www.aarp.org
     

  • Membership in NRTA and state units is open to anyone interested in educational issues.