Stuart ’48 and Beverly Shaffer

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Once a Bruin, always a Bruin,” boast the Shaffers, 76-year-old Beverly and 80-year-old Stuart ’48, of Woodland Hills, Calif. Short in stature but mighty in presence, the Shaffers might be considered UCLA career volunteers.
Their fingerprints may be found on every corner of campus. They both usher at sporting and other special events, serve on an Alumni Association scholarship committee, assist with alumni mailings and serve as docents at the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden. Beverly proofreads UCLAlumni magazine and organizes the football and basketball archival materials for UCLA sports information. Along with Dr. Art Gibson, Bev established the docent program for the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden while Stu assisted the Fowler Museum’s Digital Imaging Project. They both have led tours for the Campus Visitors Center.

The Shaffers are also active in the larger community. They are designated track and field officials, and can regularly be found officiating at events held at UCLA and nationwide, including the annual Jesse Owen Track Classic, held at Ohio State University. Additionally, Beverly teaches citizenship preparation in an outreach program at Kaiser Permanente, reads to kids in the Woodland Hills Library’s Grandparents and Books program and administers SAT and C-Best tests. Stuart assists with data management for Kaiser’s volunteer department.

Bev earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Michigan in 1949, took summer classes at UCLA in 1953 and earned a teaching credential in 1966 from Valley State College in Northridge, Calif. Stuart attended UCLA, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1948.

Still good friends after almost 54 years of marriage, Stuart chuckles as he describes meeting Bev in 1949. “She was a standout because she told me what to do.” And, with a full out laugh, he adds, “She still does!”

Why do they volunteer so much of their time? Quite simply, they believe in giving back to their communities. The perks they receive include staying intellectually challenged and enjoying a social life on campus that keeps them young.

But perhaps the best reason of all, they say with a robust gleam in their eyes: “We haven’t retired from life.”

Carole Felixson is director of education and community outreach for UCLA’s Stunt Ranch Reserve and Mathias Botanical Garden. She writes the Los Angeles Times monthly series, Drawing from Nature: a science and art lesson for kids.