Events

The Towson University Retiree Association (TURA) offers many events throughout the year for the enjoyment, engagement and continued edification of members. 

dan rodricks speaking
Dan Rodricks speaking at a TURA Fall Forum event.

Event Information 

TURA events are wide ranging and include such things as: timely talks on current affairs, social get-togethers, informative talks by invited speakers and by members on their areas of expertise, virtual and live tours of both on-campus and off-campus facilities, conversations with university administrators and project directors, film discussions, non-fiction book group discussions, bicycle rides and many other types of events.

Events are open to all members and typically are held all year long. Upcoming events are posted below. Event announcements and details are also sent to members via email. Frequently, members are invited to bring guests.

Both TURA members and non-members interested in attending additional events on campus are encouraged to explore Calendars & Events,  Department of Music’s Events Calendar,  College of Liberal Arts Events and .

TURA has a special relationship with the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning at Towson. Osher offers discounted membership and tuition fees for TURA members giving discounted access to classes, lectures, trips and special events.

Members are encouraged to make suggestions for events or to create interest groups. Have an idea for an event?  Email the TURA President to share your suggestion.

Upcoming Events

TURFA Thirsty Thursday Happy Hour at Racer's Cafe, Harford Road and Taylor Avenue.

Come join fellow TURFA members and their significant others at for libation and conversation.

Racer's Café had 20 beer brands on Tap!!   Lots of parking spaces are directly across the street.

Contact Tom Maronick if you have questions.

Please join us on Wednesday, October 22 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. for discussion of the documentary Faces Places (France, 2017), co-directed by Agnes Varda and the photographer JR.  When filming began in 2014, Varda was 86 and JR was 31, a strange pairing.  They visit a number of French villages and talk to people, with emphasis on the working class.  JR shoots and prints enormous photographs of ordinary people, pasting them on walls and other surfaces.  This creates an ephemeral celebrity, for the paper photos are not made to last.  Varda’s journey is layered with memories, and with reflections on aging.  For example, she visits the grave of the great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom she knew.  Another strand of the film is the developing friendship of Varda and JR—curious, unconventional artists of different generations.

Critic A. O. Scott of the New York Times described the film like this: “Despite its unassuming, conversational ethos… Faces Places reveals itself as a powerful, complex and radical work.  Ms. Varda’s modesty is evidence of her mastery, just as her playful demeanor is the expression of a serious and demanding aesthetic commitment.  Almost by stealth, but also with cheerful forthrightness, she communicates a rich and challenging array of feelings and ideas. As we contemplate those faces and places we are invited to reflect on the passage of time and the nature of memory, on the mutability of friendship and the durability of art, on the dignity of labor and the fate of the European working class.”

Faces Places is available for free streaming on TU, Baltimore County Library, and Pratt Library Kanopy.  Baltimore County Library has 2 DVD copies.  The film can be streamed for a few dollars from Amazon Prime or YouTube.Zoom

Link: 
Meeting ID: 949 8714 8872
Passcode: 30084685

Contact Peter Lev at if you have any questions.

The guest speaker is Alison McCartney, Dean of TU’s Honors College. The topic is “Civic Engagement in Retirement and at Towson.”

More details to follow.

Please join us on Thursday, November 13 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, by William Dalrymple (Pub. 2025, 432 pages)

Details to follow.

Please join us on Thursday, December 11 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual discussion of the book Class Clown: Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, by Dave Barry.  (Pub. 2025, 256 pages)

Details to follow.

Additional Events Being Planned

  • Thirsty Thursdays
  • Discussion on topics of interest to members
  • Bicycle rides
  • Film group discussions
  • Non-fiction book group discussions

Recent Past Events

  • October 9 from 2 to 3:30 PM: Non‐fiction Book Group Virtual Discussion – The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins:  Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and the Minimum Wage, by Kirstin Downey.
  • September 18 from 4 to 6 PM: TURA Thirsty Thursday Happy Hour at Racer's Cafe, Harford Road and Taylor Avenue.
  • September 17 from 3 to 4:30 PM: TURA Film Club – Virtual Discussion of the film Yi Yi (Taiwan, 2000), directed by Edward Yang.
  • June 25, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM: Office of the Presidents’ Luncheon to Celebrate All Retired Faculty and Staff at the 51AVSouth Campus Pavilion.

TURA Flicker Event Photos

  • Check out photos from previous events on the .

Groups

As the listing below shows, there are several active special interest groups.

TURA Non-Fiction Reading Group

This group meets regularly each month. If you are interested in participating please contact the group facilitator, Jo-Ann Pilardi at .

TURA Film Group

The film group has been meeting regularly. If you are interested in joining, please contact Peter Lev at .

TURA Bicycling Group

The bicycling group plans short rides depending on the weather. If you want to get involved, contact Jim Paulsen at .

There are plenty of opportunities to take the lead and initiate a new group. Local theater, hikes, crafts, genealogy, etc., await a member with an interest to take the lead. TURA will support your efforts and get the word out to members.