Professor Robert Wagley has been an extremely busy and welcoming person in his retirement.
The experiences of a sabbatical in England, in addition to teaching in Germany, Italy and Chile, has led to the development of the Retirees Welcome Club. This is the way that Bob and his wife Lorraine pay back the many courtesies and favors they received when overseas. Here are a few examples from their foreign excursions, when locals began treating them as friends:
- Being invited to a folk band performance in the foothills of the Alps with their Italian teacher and dancing until 2 AM.
- Making friends with a couple in Chile, (she Chilean and he English) and spending time with their extended family.
- Going to fellow faculty members homes in Germany and Italy to eat their food and see how they live.
- Being able to connect with Fabio Roveda, a visiting scholar at WSU. Bob and Lorraine visited him and his finance Catherina in Bologna and they, in turn visited the Wagleys in Wales.
- Students taught by Bob in Germany have come to visit in Ohio, as well as a fellow faculty member from Turin, Italy.
These are the experiences that convinced the Wagleys to continue connections with international students, faculty and scholars at Wright State.
The Welcome Club rewards for Bob and Lorraine have been many as they have:
- Been invited to a visiting Chinese faculty member's apartment for a special “welcoming the beginning of winter” dinner,
- Hosted dinners for foreign visitors from Russia, Italy, China and Germany.
- Ushered these visitors to grocery stores, malls and Young’s Dairy (of course) as they adapt to our customs.
The Wagleys are always amazed at how much the visitors appreciate their small efforts and how much we all have in common even though our cultures and countries differ.
