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OLLI
E-News #14-06 of Apr. 7, 2006
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|
| NEWSFLASHES |
>>
OBITUARY:
Founding
member and former president Michael Styles died Apr 5. Memorial service
2-4 pm, Apr 9, Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home. More.
>> PIEDMONT
FILM FESTIVAL:
Fri-Sun, Apr 7-9, Manassas. The finale Sun
features
special film excerpts, music, vocals by Prof. Rick Davis (photo above). |
| ALERTS
|
>>
BOARD
ELECTION: Board
candidate information and procedures for voting at the annual
membership meeting on May 3 have been mailed to members. Also see the President's
Message of Apr 5 and the candidates' Web page,
where you will find photos and biographies of the nine Board candidates.
>> EFFECTIVE NETWORKING:
Lecture by Mason Associate Dean Patricia Carretta, Wed, Apr 12,
7:30-8:30,
Fairfax County Government Center. Free, refreshments provided, free
parking. Details. |
| REMINDERS
|
>>
DRAMA
CLUB: First
meeting will be at 1:00 on Fri, Apr 14. More info.
>> BOOK CLUB: Meets at
Tallwood on Wed, Apr 12, at 1:30 to discuss Phillip Roth's Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel American Pastoral.
All are welcome.
>> CLOSED COURSES:
Only
18 spring-term courses are closed; ALL others are open, and it's easy
to register
now for any open course. |
|
ADRIANNA
SGARLATA
(center) with, left to right, Thelma Weiner, Margaret Andino, Professor
Patricia Parker and EricaDawn Garcia.
Photo by Rod Zumbro
|
AN OLLI HIGHLIGHT THIS PAST WEEK was
soprano
Adrianna Sgarlata's superb singing performance in Margaret Andino's
"Music Sampler" class. Adrianna's recital, with Mason Prof. Patricia
Parker on the piano, included two duets with mezzo soprano EricaDawn
Garcia. Special thanks go to OLLI
member Thelma Weiner, who had suggested to Margaret that Adrianna be
featured in a class.
SAVE
THIS DATE: MAY
5, 2006. Adrianna,
an award-winning graduate music student at Mason and Miss
Arlington 2006
(she will compete in the 2006 Miss Virginia pageant), will sing in the
role of Susanna in The
Marriage of Figaro, a GMU Opera production (A Celebration of Mozart, Part II),
on Fri, May 5. The production will also be performed on Sat, May 6,
with a separate cast. Both productions start at 8:00 at the Harris
Theater ($12 adults, $10
students/seniors). |
|
| P(r)OGO |
 By
Kathryn Russell, Program Review Committee chair
With
a tip of the
hat to the late Walt Kelly: “We
have met the program and it are
us!”
The body of OLLI is its members, the soul of
OLLI is its program. We need your help … as a member of a Resource
Group, as a Resource Group leader, as a Course Coordinator, and as an
Instructor … or whatever else interests you relating to the OLLI
Program.
Come join us at Tallwood on Wed, Apr 26, from
2:00–4:00 and learn “How an idea
becomes a class” and other program facts. |
|
ON-CAMPUS
BENEFITS WITH A GMU ID CARD
An important update for OLLI members
 By Dick Chobot,
OLLI Executive Director
OLLI HAS RECEIVED CLARIFICATION FROM THE
UNIVERSITY on
GMU ID card privileges extended to OLLI members. Thanks to Tom
Hennessey, Chief of Staff to the President; John Spaldo, Assistant Vice
President for University Services; and Greg Toney, Associate Director
for University Services, for their support in clarifying privileges for
OLLI members.
Members
should note that the discount from the University Computer Store is no
longer available. Gregg Toney advised us that the University can
no longer offer this benefit to Affiliates due to antitrust
considerations. The benefit has, therefore, been eliminated for all
affiliates. In spite of this fact, we have an excellent set of
privileges. I encourage you to take advantage of them.
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PRIVILEGES
FOR OLLI MEMBERS AS AFFILIATES
Book Store
- Same privileges as
Faculty/Staff
- Faculty and staff receive a
10% discount on
most merchandise.
- Exclusions include,
magazines, newspapers and
convenience items or as
designated.
Dining
Services
- Same discount as offered
Faculty/Staff
- $3.50 lunch specials at Ciao
Hall on Tuesday
& Thursday during Fall and Spring semester currently offered
Aquatic
Center
- Participants offered annual
memberships at the
same rate as employees of the University (currently $175)
- OLLI members receive a
parking pass with their
membership. This
offer does not extend to faculty, staff, administration or other
affiliates.
Johnson
Center Cinema
- Same discount as offered
Faculty/Staff ($1 fee
for movies)
Library
- Take out ten books at one time
- Books may be withdrawn for a
3 week period with
one renewal
- Request books from other GMU
campuses
- Use of Arlington Law Library
is excluded
|
Apple
Federal Credit
Union
- Entitled to join as a member
of the Credit
Union
- Same benefits as all Apple
Credit Union members
Patriot
Center
- Same discount as offered
Faculty/Staff Card
holders
- Discounts vary per event and
require Mason ID
card
Freedom
Center
- 15% discount off of regular
annual membership
rates
Performing
Arts Center
- Discounts are offered, but
not to all events
- Discounts vary with
performance and require
Mason ID card
CUE
Bus
- CUE Bus rides for free with
show of Mason ID
United
Bank
- Check cashing privileges at
United Bank campus
locations (Mason ID required)
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|
RECORDER
COURSE? TAPE? DISC? NO!
NORM ROSENBERG
Photo by Gary Reynolds
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About the recorder
By Norm Rosenberg, OLLI member
LEARNING TO PLAY THE RECORDER can provide many years of
pleasure, feeling of
accomplishment, music education, hand dexterity, hand and eye
coordination, mental challenge and therapy, and a wonderful social
life.
The
recorder is a woodwind that dates back to
the early sixteenth century. Henry VIII owned 76 recorders of various
sizes.
The instrument is a hollow tube with finger
holes, blown from one end, like into a whistle. Notes are
produced by the appropriate fingering (covering) the holes. Recorders
are made in different sizes. The most common family set includes the
soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Each instrument has a range of
over two octaves and is capable of producing a full chromatic scale.
About a year ago, I initiated a beginner’s
soprano course. The response was better than I expected. I limited it
to 10 people and we were initially filled. Since then we have
had an ongoing course/club arrangement that includes didactics for an
hour
and a half and then free play.
Some of our members are now
meeting on their own, off-campus. Later we expanded the courses to
alto playing (different fingering). Most of the players now do both
soprano and alto, and some have moved on to tenor and bass – completing
our consort.
We have been playing mostly 16th & 17th
century music.
We will be getting into Bach, Telemann, and early baroque composers.
Our group performed at a few OLLI functions
and enjoyed every moment of it. We hope you folks did also.
Let me know
if we have other OLLI players, experienced or not
experienced, who want
to learn recorder. I’m thinking of a mixed consort with strings for the
future.
OLLI FETES ITS FACULTY
Teacher Appreciation Event at Mason's
Center
for the Arts
 By Debbie Halverson, Membership Committee chair
| TEACHER APPRECIATION EVENT |
OVER 90 GUESTS,
PRIMARILY GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY AND OLLI INSTRUCTORS, slipped
out of their teacherly roles Friday afternoon, Mar 31, and
mingled at a reception given in their honor. Included too were
members of OLLI’s Program and Special Events committees whose
contributions of time and energy make the OLLI program recognized as
one of the country’s finest.
Held in the Mason Concert Hall’s Grand Tier
with its wide spectrum of campus views, the reception included
greetings from OLLI President Charles Duggan and Executive Director
Dick Chobot. Charles thanked those gathered for their generosity of
time and talent, adding that this reception could be only a
representation of the immense gratitude OLLI members have for those
being honored. He noted as evidence
of OLLI’s success the fact that the
membership total has now climbed beyond 700.
William Reeder, Dean of the College of Visual
and Performing Arts, was clearly energized by the upcoming Final Four
basketball game and his remarks reflected his pride in the
overall accomplishments of George Mason University. He noted that
it now includes students from over 140 countries who speak 50
languages, evidence that the “Mason Nation” has emerged.
OLLI Development Committee chair Eileen Duggan
focused on the four $2,000 scholarships being awarded to students from
"Friends of OLLI" funds. Present at the event was Rachel Muth (see
story
at right) from the New Century College and winner of the Shirley Fox
Scholarship (see editor's note below about Shirley Fox). The names of
the recipients of the Kathryn Brooks
Scholarship, the Abe Spero Scholarship and the Friends of OLLI
Scholarship will be announced at a later date. |
|
| SHIRLEY FOX SCHOLARSHIP |
The
recipient of the $2,000 Shirley Fox Scholarship
RACHEL MUTH
Photo by Richard Lanterman
|
was Rachel Muth, a senior in New Century College at Mason.
An attractive
young woman full of energy and enthusiasm, Rachel has plans for heading
to graduate school at NYU or Boston if she gets her wish.
Her studies
at Mason have concentrated on nonprofit management, and many of her
extracurricular activities center around that as well. She’s president
of the Mason Habitat Club in its first year on campus, and she works as
a financial coordinator for special activities on campus.
I had an unexpected surprise in talking with
Rachel to find out that she
grew up in Benicia, California - the town right next to the one I came
from. She wanted to come to the East Coast for college and fell in love
with Mason on a tour. It seems clear that she’s going to do very well
in her chosen career.
 By Kitty O'Hara, OLLI
E-News staff writer |
|
|
 Note about Shirley Fox.
The late Shirley Fox was one of the founding members of OLLI (then the
Learning in Retirement Institute)
and served as its second president, after the term of founder Kathryn
Brooks. Shirley wrote an excellent account of the first five years of
our institute, An Informal History (pdf), that
is recommended reading for all OLLI members.
Rod
Zumbro, OLLI E-News editor
|
Back to top
NEW GENEALOGY CLUB
UP AND RUNNING
All members are welcome to drop by
 THE NEW GENEALOGY CLUB is up
and running. We had a very successful
organizational meeting in February. At the March meeting member Don
Ferrett presented a fascinating program about haw the study of
graveyards helps in discovering a community’s history.
In April we will be fortunate to have Suzanne
Levy, librarian for the Virginia Room
at the Fairfax City Regional
Library, who will give us a presentation on the genealogical resources
at this wonderful local asset. We will continue to leave adequate time
for an open forum for members to present problems, discuss solutions
and tell of unique finds.
All OLLI members are welcome to come, even if
just to satisfy a curiosity. The next meeting will be Wed, Apr 19, at
2:00 in TA-2.
For further information contact Nick Cirillo but feel free to
come unannounced.
Back to top
BE PART OF A REALLY BIG “SHEW”
An opportunity for your few moments of fame
By Dick Chobot,
OLLI Executive Director
 SARAH
MOYER, ONE OF THE TWO INTERNS from the Bachelor of Social Work Program
this term, has taken as her project the development of a retrospective
video on the 1950s.
As
a part of this project, she would like to interview, on camera, a few
OLLI members.
The “interviews” will consist of
questions/comments/remembrances on topics that you select from a list
that Sarah will provide. The interview will be here at OLLI, will be
scheduled at a time of your convenience (as long as it’s on Monday,
Tuesday or Wednesday), and should require no more than 30 minutes …
unless you succumb to the lure of the camera.
If you are interested in helping Sarah with
this project, email me within the
next week and I will pass the contact information on to Sarah. This is
a neat project, and I appreciate your willingness to help Sarah. Her
video, when complete, will be shown at an OLLI Friday session.
PROFILE
OF
LONGTIME CLASS COORDINATOR ROMAN LOTSBERG
OLLI's Foreign Affairs course coordinator
for
eight years
 By Arleen Richman, OLLI
E-News assistant editor
ROME LOTSBERG
Photo by Richard Lanterman
|
EVEN IN AN
INTRODUCTORY PHONE CONVERSATION, it is obvious that
Roman
Lotsberg is passionate about the Foreign Service. "Rome" graduated from
the University of Minnesota with a major in
international relations. “I spent 30 years as
an Administrative Officer in the Foreign Service with postings in
Paris, Calcutta, Cairo, Tangier and Tehran,” he recalls and “never,
ever regretted it.”
From
1998-2005, Rome coordinated our
Foreign Affairs classes.
Rome described Calcutta as one of his most
memorable assignments because, he says, there “I met my first wife,
married
her (she died in 1991), and we had a daughter, our only child.” Rome is
proud of his career because he knows he performed “a public service for
my
country.”
From 1998 through 2005, he cultivated support
for the Foreign Service by coordinating OLLI classes in
foreign affairs. He says he “recruited many
of my friends who had been ambassadors and USAID officials to speak at
OLLI.” His Foreign
Service colleagues were pleased that OLLI students were so well
traveled, educated and receptive to their talks.
After he retired from the Foreign Service, he
joined Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty where he was based in Munich
broadcasting to the Soviet block. Later he
settled in McLean. “I knew the Washington area better than my
native Minneapolis since I had had a two-year assignment here and had
come back to this area many times between postings,” he explains.
Rome
and his second wife, Priscilla, are active members of OLLI who enjoy
taking classes in—what else?—foreign affairs and related topics.
OLLI VIDEO NEWS: NEW VIDEO--"EGYPT
HIGHLIGHTS"
See the pyramids, sphinx, temples, King
Tut treasures
 THE SUBJECT OF TODAY'S TRIP TALE, COURSE 903,
WAS AN
EGYPTIAN SIGHTSEEING TOUR. If you attended the class or have an
interest in Egypt, you might like to view our new video, "Egypt
Highlights."
This three-and-a-half-minute video is newly
edited from a
longer video made by your editor after a one-week visit he and Susanne
made to Egypt several years ago.
You will see the pyramids and sphinx
at Giza, the temple at Abu Simbel (photo above) that was moved up 200
feet in the 1960s to avoid flooding, cruising the Nile River,
temples in the Valley of the Queens and Karnak, and as a grand finale, the
amazing treasures of King Tut that were discovered by Howard Carter in
1922 ("What do you see?" "I see wonderful things."). Watch now. |
| OLLI VIDEO NEWS
|
- Egypt Highlights
- Coptic Church
Iconography
- The Fall of the House
of Tallwood
- Ancient Ephesus
- A Day in Istanbul
- OLLI 2005 Holiday Party
|
|
Back
to top
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
A forum for members to voice their views
on OLLI matters
THE
EDITORIAL STAFF WILL
PUBLISH your brief letters commenting on OLLI activities and will try
to include follow-up information from the relevant committee or staff
member, in the same or a subsequent issue. Submit your letters via
email to me or
submit them (please indicate that it is a 'letter to the editor') via
the online
suggestion box or the suggestion box in the Tallwood Social Room.
-- Rod Zumbro, OLLI E-News editor
OLLI
courses at Manassas?
Has anyone thought of offering OLLI courses at George Mason's Manassas
campus? With the huge increase in population in Prince William County
in the last few years, this would be the perfect time to begin
planning. I'd be glad to help.
-- Vera DeWeese, OLLI member
Response from Pat Carroll, Long Range Planning Committee chair:
There have
been a number of
recent Board discussions on expansion of the OLLI program. As the title
of last year’s Town Meeting suggests, OLLI is at a “crossroads.” The
Executive Director has been tasked to prepare an analysis of the
advantages and disadvantages of program expansion. This analysis will
include specific references to Loudoun and Prince William counties. By
the time you read this, the Planning Committee also will have
met to consider this issue in the broader context of the OLLI Strategic
Plan.
Back to top
COMING
EVENTS AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Something for everyone at nearby Mason
 By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News staff writer
For
tickets, call
888-945-2468 or visit the Center
for the Arts Box Office, Tue–Sat, 10:00–6:00.
| GMU
Chamber Ensembles |
GMU Players Studio Series
Jesus
Hopped
the A
Train |
Virginia Opera
Bellini’s
Norma
|
Friday,
Apr 7, at 7:00
Admission is Free
Harris Theater
|
by
Stephen Adly Guirgis
Friday, Apr 7, at 8:00
Saturday, Apr 8, at 2:00 and 8:00
Sunday, Apr 9, at 2:00
Admission is Free, but tickets required
Black Box Theater
Park
in the
Deck. From Level 2 take the walkway across and enter the first door on
the left, follow hallway to gray doors. Enter and go downstairs, look
for Black Box sign
next to
TheatreSpace. |
A
lyric tragedy in four acts, it will be sung in Italian with English
supertitles.
Friday, Apr 7, at 8:00
Sunday, Apr 9, at 2:00
Admission $84, $68, $44
Concert Hall
Come early at 6:30 to the Concert Hall Lobby for a special wine and
cheese tasting
There will also be an artistic discussion at 7:15 on the Hall’s Grand
Tier |
| GMU
University Chorale, Chamber Singers and Choral Ensembles |
Doug
Varone and Dancers |
GMU
Music Faculty Recital
Dr. Rachel Bergman, Chamber Music |
Sunday,
Apr 9, at 7:00
Admission $5 seniors/students, $7 adults
Harris Theater
|
The company has been honored with eight
New York Dance and Performance
Awards, for its physical daring and vivid musicality, and for capturing
the nuances of human interaction through movement.
Friday, Apr 14, at 8:00
Admission $42, $34, $21
Concert Hall
Come early for a pre-performance discussion at 7:15 on the Hall’s Grand
Tier |
Saturday,
Apr 15, at 2:00
Admission is Free
Harris Theater
|
| Ute
Lemper |
With a career that spans stage, film,
concerts and recordings, she brings “panache, versatility and
sophisticated repertoire.”
Saturday, Apr 15, at 8:00
Admission $40, $32, $20
Concert Hall
Come early for a pre-performance discussion at 7:15 on the Hall’s Grand
Tier
 |
Back to top
MASON HIGHLIGHTS
A brief listing of other events at nearby
Mason
 By Barbara Kyriakakis, OLLI
News assistant editor
| INTERNATIONAL
WEEK AT MASON |
SAVOR THE AROMA of Greek, Italian,
Mid-Eastern and other exotic foods when International Week opens at
Mason with the International Bazaar & Mid-Day Performances on the
North Plaza of the Johnson Center. Stroll through the plaza between
12:00 and 3:00, Apr 10 through 13, and enjoy cultural exhibits,
demonstrations, documentaries, vendors, food, music and dance
performances. In conjunction with this festival, a variety of other
events will take place on campus, including two free film and panel
discussions:
- Shower—an inspiring Chinese comedy;
and
- The Human Cost of War:
Student/Faculty Panel—personal
experiences told by those affected by the conflicts and war.
The week will culminate with the International Dinner Dance, a catered
buffet on Apr 15 from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am. Invite your friends and join
in the fun with music, dancing, and entertainment by the winners of the
international dance competition held earlier in the week. For all
events, dates and times, visit this Website.
|
THE
NINETEENTH ANNUAL LYNCH LECTURE is presenting "A More Peaceful
World? Explaining the Post-War Decline in Armed Conflict," by Dr.
Andrew
Mack, Director of the Human Security Centre at the Liu Institute for
Global Issues, University of British Columbia. Reception, 6:30;
lecture, 7:30 at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. For more
information, call
Mason’s ICAR at 703-993-1300 or send
an email.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Non-class events at OLLI for the next two
weeks
The following
list covering the
next two weeks is extracted for your
convenience from the more
complete OLLI
Staff Forecast of Non-Class Events.
7
Friday 8:30 AM Spec Event B: Gettysburg Bus Trip Fair Oaks Mall Lot #44
1:30 PM Homer Book club TA Annex
9 Sunday 2:00pm Spec Event C: Opera Norma GMU-CFA
11 Tuesday 8:15 AM Walking Club LA Parking Lot
12 Wednesday 1:30 PM Bridge TA-3
1:30 PM OLLI Book Club Tallwood
2:00 PM Spec Event D: A Ni Hao Experience in China
TA-1
14 Friday 10:00 AM Recorder Class/Club TA-2
1:30 PM Homer Book Club Annex
18 Tuesday 8:15 AM Walking club
19 Wednesday 1:30 PM Bridge TA-3
1:30 PM Fiction Writers' Club Fairfax City Library
2:00 PM Spec Event E: The Happy Back TA-1
2:00 PM Genealogy Club: TA-2
21 Friday 10:00 AM Classic Fiction Book Club Reston Regional
Library
10:00 AM Recorder Class/Club TA-2
1:30 PM Homer Book Club Annex |
OBITUARY
OLLI founding member & former
president Michael Styles
| MICHAEL
HOGAN STYLES |
 Michael
Hogan Styles, age 79, died April 5, 2006 at Reston Hospital Center. He
is survived by his wife, Page; two children, Kathleen Styles (Robert
Gardner) of Falls Church, VA and Thomas Styles of Phoenix, AZ; stepson,
David Trivett (Karen) of Woodbridge, VA; four grandchildren, Michael
Hogan Carver, Benjamin, Sarah, and Paige Trivett. A memorial visitation
will be held Sunday, April 9, 2006 from 2 to 4 p.m. at FAIRFAX MEMORIAL
FUNERAL HOME, 9902 Braddock Rd., Fairfax, VA. Family requests that in
lieu of flowers, donations be made to Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute,
4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032.
Published in The Washington Post
on 4/7/2006. |
|
Rod
Zumbro
Editor
Karen
Hamilton
Deputy
Editor
|
About OLLI
E-News. OLLI
E-News is
OLLI's weekly newsletter; it is emailed to OLLI
members with email addresses on Fridays. When classes are in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms, primarily for members without email. We encourage OLLI
members and
staff employees to submit news items and write articles; deadline to
the editor is 7:00 PM Wed for that week's issue. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact the OLLI
E-News editor or the
Publications Committee chair, Gordon
Canyock.
Note
about HTML graphics. If
you do NOT see
photos and
clickable links in this message, you might want to ask a teenaged
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three popular email systems:
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Click Tools; select Options; in the Read tab, uncheck "Read all
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Mail.
Click Mail Options/General Preferences; under Security, uncheck "Block
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Upgrade,
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GMU Webmail.
If OLLI E-News is being sent
to your gmu.edu email address, we recommend against using GMU Webmail
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have found that usually you cannot view our newsletter as a single
document, with text and images. It's not necessary to use GMU Webmail
since you can easily use other email systems, such
as Outlook Express or Yahoo Mail, to retrieve mail sent to external
addresses such as your gmu.edu address. An alternative is to read your
newsletter online at the OLLI Website each Friday.
|
OLLI
E-News Editorial Staff
Assistant
Editor, Database Manager
Barbara Kyriakakis
Assistant
Editor
Arleen Richman
Photo
Editor Luci
Martel |
| Copyright
©
2006 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University.
Materials in this publication subject to OLLI-GMU copyright may be
reproduced for noncommercial educational purposes as long as credit is
given to OLLI-GMU. |
|
Updated:
April 7, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at
George Mason University. Materials in this publication subject to
OLLI-GMU copyright may be reproduced for noncommercial educational
purposes as long as credit is given to OLLI-GMU.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University
4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384; E-mail: olli@gmu.edu;
Fax: (703) 503-2832
Original site design and construction by OLLI-GMU member Rod Zumbro. |
|
