About Us
- Fall 2008 Tour Brochure
- Celebrate Jean Shepard's Retirement (Reception), September 16
- Leisure Travel (day trips)
- Pharoahs and Cowboys, October 24-26
- UA Fort Smith Alumni Office Offers Italy Trip, Sept. 26 - Oct. 4
- Napa Valley, November 6-10
- Contact Information
Fall 2008 Tour Brochure
Click here to download the Fall 2008 Tour Brochure.Celebrate Jean Shepard's Retirement (Reception), September 16
Tuesday, September 16, 3 p.m. Fullerton Administration Building
Park in the Waldron lot across from the Stubblefield Center. Transportation to Jean's reception will begin at 2:30 p.m.
With hundreds of miles behind her, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith tour guide Jean Shepard of Van Buren is saying goodbye to a family she has been amassing throughout three decades of journeys. A beloved friend and traveling companion, Shepard recently announced her retirement from the program she helped develop almost 30 years ago.
Shepard’s career at UA Fort Smith began in 1975. A former stay-at-home mom, she kept herself busy when her youngest daughter graduated high school by taking painting classes at the college. After attending a few classes as a student, she says she wound up teaching seven classes the next semester and then expanded her classes to include some for senior citizens in surrounding towns.
During this time, she and her husband, Bill, took a short trip into Oklahoma, not realizing then the impact it would have on their future.
“In 1980 we heard that OG&E was going to have bus tours through their plant in Muskogee, so we decided to take a group,” she said. “They thoroughly enjoyed it, and they started calling us for more.”
The Shepards soon contacted the college, which was then Westark Community College, about conducting tours through the school. School officials quickly took to the idea, with the only stipulation being that every trip had to be educational. The Shepards agreed and modestly began the touring program.
“It started out with one or two little trips and just grew and grew and grew and has grown ever since,” Shepard said.
Since the program’s inception, the Shepards have led groups on bus tours mostly around the country and Canada. Day trips have included such nearby locations as Branson, Mo., and the Amish farms near Chouteau, Okla. Destination tours have included Alaska, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and “Historic America,” featuring places such as Boston and Salem, Mass.
At one point, the group even ventured out to include a tour of nine European countries, including England, Germany, Italy, France and Liechtenstein.
Regardless of where the group went, the Shepards always kept with their original agreement.
“They will always learn something every trip they take,” Shepard said. “At the end of the trip we’d ask, ‘What did you learn today?’”
Over the decades the program has grown not only in number but also in distance. Brochures are sent to interested people as far away as California and Maine, Shepard said, many of whom will travel to Fort Smith to join a group heading out on another trip. Though most participants are senior citizens, the group also occasionally includes some younger people and even children at times.
During their travels, it was inevitable for the Shepards to develop friendships with many of the regular attendees. As the group grew and faces became more and more familiar, the couple realized they were inadvertently creating an extended family.
“We get together once a month, and it’s like getting together with old friends,” Shepard said. “You talk to each other like you’ve known them for years. So many of them are like relatives. It’s a great big family.”
Many things can change in 30 years, and the tours are no exception. Shepard commented on the passing of some of the group’s regular travelers, including her husband in 1996. Even though, she said, like many of the other passengers, she continued to make the treks.
“He [Bill] went with me,” she said. “He loved it, and I loved it, and I thought he can just go along with me. It was better to go along than just staying home doing nothing. We had a wonderful life, and I can’t see any sense not continuing with a good life.”
Shepard continued sharing her good life and smiling disposition through the tours until April, when a stroke caused her to take a break. During that time, she made the final decision to stop conducting tours, owing to the decline in her health.
“My mind’s not that sharp anymore,” the 82-year-old said. “They tell me it will be again, but by that time …”
Now, she said, instead of leading groups through the colonial cities of New England and admiring the different flowers growing in Switzerland, she plans to take more time for herself — cleaning, reading and putting things in order.
Despite Shepard’s absence, UA Fort Smith will continue the program through the Center for Lifelong Learning. Even though she will no longer be conducting the tours, she says she plans to try to go on most of the trips, if she can.
“I won’t give up,” she said. “I’ll keep going as long as I can. I know my limitations, and I’ll only stop when I have to.”
Leisure Travel (day trips)
UA Fort Smith tours are entertaining, informative, and offer a variety of activities for everyone. All tours (unless otherwise noted) include transportation on air-conditioned coaches that are in first-class condition, with drivers who are courteous and willing to assist passengers to ensure their comfort. Brochures are mailed twice each year, spring and fall, with detailed information about each trip. For more information, click the above link.Pharoahs and Cowboys, October 24-26
Dallas, TXFee: $765
Join us as we travel by coach to Dallas, Texas, for a weekend of fun. On Friday, our first stop will be a visit to the King Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit. You will see over 130 amazing artifacts, including Tutankhamun’s royal crown, belonging to Tutankhamun and his royal ancestors, many never before seen outside of Egypt. Your ticket will also gain you admission to the Dallas Museum of Art.
We will be staying at the Wyndham DFW North where breakfast and cocktails will be served daily. Saturday morning will be a tour of Texas Stadium and then a day of leisure. Visit the Grapevine Mills mall or arrangements can be made for a day of golfing.
Sunday morning we will head to Texas Stadium to take in the Dallas Cowboy-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at noon. Leave the driving to us as your weekend winds down Sunday evening as we return to Fort Smith. Lunches and dinners are not included.
Space is limited!
For more information email cll@uafortsmith.edu or call (479) 788-7212.
UA Fort Smith Alumni Office Offers Italy Trip, Sept. 26 - Oct. 4
Alumni and friends from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith will have an opportunity to travel to Italy next fall in a joint venture with other Arkansas universities. The tour is scheduled from Sept. 26 through Oct. 4, 2008.The “Best of Tuscany and the Italian Riviera” tour includes first-class hotel accommodations in Montecatini and San Remo. Montecatini, best known for its Italian spas, is situated in the heart of Tuscany between Pisa and Florence. Other included features are round-trip air transportation, round-trip transfers including a scenic transfer via Pisa, luggage handling and related tipping, and professional guide service. The cost of the trip is $1439.
For more information or to be included on the mailing, please contact Anne Thomas, director of alumni affairs at UA Fort Smith by telephone (479) 788-7033 or by email Alumni.
Napa Valley, November 6-10
Napa, CA
CRN: 5049
Fee: $1392
Relax in the atmosphere of the Napa Valley—majestic hills, expansive vineyards and remarkable wineries. Enjoy a gourmet three course lunch on the Napa Valley Wine Train in an elegant dining car as we journey through the Napa Valley, where we will disembark at Grgich Hills Winery for a one-hour private tour and tasting. Visit the COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in the heart of Napa where we will learn about wine and food and enjoy a garden experience in The Edible Gardens.
Join us on the Napa Valley trip for a truly memorable experience.
Contact Information
For more information about our Tours and Travel Programs, contact the center at (479) 788-7212 or by email: Center for Lifelong Learning
5210 Grand Ave. • P.O. Box 3649