Congratulations to Lorrie Tripp, longtime UHP steward and former officer, who retired this spring after three decades of service to UConn Health!
“What I will miss most is the sense of community, whether it was as a UHP member or as an operations manager in facilities,” Lorrie says.
She says steward meetings were her favorite.
“Listening and learning from Jean Morningstar was an education at the meetings,” Lorrie says. “The lessons I learned from each steward presenting cases was super educational. And I can’t forget sitting across from Shawn Brown. It was hilarious; I tried every meeting to make him laugh.”
“We’ll remember Lorrie for a long time as one of the fiercest advocates for our members and our contract,” says Jean, who was UHP president from 1998 to 2013 and has been our chief steward since 2019. “She’s definitely the kind of steward you want beside you at a grievance. We were lucky to have her as a steward for so many years.”
And Lorrie offers some parting thoughts for our members:
“Volunteer, whether it’s in your community, church, or UHP,” she says. “For those who say they can’t be a steward since they don’t know the contract or they don’t understand SEBAC, I say, contact the UHP office and ask to attend a meeting. New ‘pledges’ can take classes but the best education is listening to the stewards and their cases and their approach to a case. President Garrity will work with you. Jean Morningstar is a genius, she knows the gospel and everyone in the room will help.
“Do me a favor and attend a meeting. You will be glad you did.”
And what does retirement have in store?
“I don’t like the term ‘retirement’ since I will continue to work, as a good citizen, Christian, and sibling,” Lorrie says. “I plan on volunteering a lot at the food pantry, dog shelter, or Habitat for Humanity. I like helping people.”