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OLLI
E-News #16-06 of Apr. 21, 2006
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| NEWSFLASH |
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PROF.
RICK DAVIS HONORED:
This week, the George Mason University Alumni Association named Dr.
Rick Davis the Faculty Member of the Year.
Rick is currently teaching OLLI course #410, "World Theater: An
Overview." |
| ALERTS
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>>
BOARD
MEETING: The
April meeting of the Board of directors will be held Thu, Apr
27, at 3:45 (new date and time).
Details and agenda topics
below.
>> HISTORY CLUB: May meeting
has been shifted to May 10, 2:00 to 3:30. |
| REMINDER
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BOARD
ELECTION:
Meet the candidates at OLLI's annual
membership meeting 1:30 Wed, May 3, TA-1. Read the President's
Message of Apr 5 and see the candidates' Web page
for photos and biographies of candidates. Also hear Board
candidates speak
at 10:30
Fri, May 5, at Lake Anne. |
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OSHER FOUNDATION TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL $50,000 GRANT
AND TO MODIFY ENDOWMENT AGREEMENT
An update on Osher funding for OLLI
 By Charles Duggan,
OLLI President
The date and time of the April Board meeting have changed since
several Board members were not available on April 28.
The Board will meet at Tallwood on Thu,
Apr 27, at 3:45. President Charles Duggan expects to have agenda items
for the Board on reconstituting
the Long Term Planning Committee as a Planning Committee whose
mission, among other things, would be to address OLLI growth issues,
and on the
conditions of receiving the Osher endowment.
OLLI members are welcome to attend. However,
observers might note that following this business, the Board will go
into executive session.
--Carol
Henderson, OLLI
Secretary
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WHEN WE RECEIVED NOTICE A FEW MONTHS
AGO that
OLLI-GMU would receive a $1 million Osher Foundation endowment,we were
obviously pleased. However, we soon realized that the related endowment
earnings benefit would only become available gradually over the next
few years and not benefit us in the short term. This is because of the
conservative investment policies of the GMU Foundation.
When we explained this to the Osher
Foundation, the foundation understood the problem since GMU’s
investment practices are standard in the foundation community.
Osher
then responded by generously offering us an additional $50,000 grant to
help us in the near term.
In addition, the Osher Foundation also offered
to modify the endowment whereby we would be allowed to temporarily use
up to $50,000 of the $1 million principal in the near term on the
condition that we return the funds to the endowment over an extended
period.
In making this extra grant and offering to
modify the endowment, Osher
Foundation president Mary
Bitterman explained that the Osher Foundation was extending us this
accommodation because the foundation holds our program in very high
regard. This is a tribute to all the
volunteers and staff that have
made us one of the best lifelong institutes in the country.
FRIDAY PROGRAMS OFF TO A ... START
An update on Friday programs
 By Dick Chobot, OLLI
Executive Director
FRIDAY PROGRAMMING KICKED OFF ON MAR 31
with
a session on
Medicare Part D. The presenter, Pam Kress of Fu Associates, prepared an
informative spreadsheet that compares Virginia prescription plans;
copies of this document are still available in the office.
On Apr 7 we followed with the movie Spitfire Grill, attended by
approximately 20 movie fans … and thanks to Diana, we had popcorn!
The following upcoming Friday programs are all from 1:00–3:00:
- Apr 21--Movie: The Russians are Coming, The Russians are
Coming! (review and trailer)
- Apr 28--Dr. Jay Lavine: "Diet and
Nutrition for Seniors"
- May 5--Movie: 1776, with commentary by Jennifer
Epstein of the National Park Service (review and trailer).
- May 12--Leslie Lesner: "Hearing Loss and
Hearing Technology"
- May 19--Movie: The General, with Buster Keaton (review and
trailer).
Considered by some to be one of the best movies of all time.
If
you have suggestions for Friday movies or programs, or if you would
like to serve on an informal group to help plan Friday program, please e-mail me. See you on Friday!
"A
WINDOW ON SOUTHEAST ASIA": RECONFIGURED
A reconfigured course 307, still open to
members
 By Eileen Duggan, Board member/"Face of the
Theater" attendee
SPACES ARE STILL
AVAILABLE TO SIGN UP FOR "A Window on Southeast Asia,"
a four-week course (#307) on Wednesdays commencing Apr 26 at 11:30.
Because the original speaker is unable to join
us, we have recruited four speakers, each with impressive
résumés and wide ranges of experience in Southeast Asia.
- In week
1, OLLI member Peter Poole, a retired Foreign
Service officer, will discuss Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, three
countries that play leading roles in the region.
- In week
2, Scot Marciel, Director of the State
Department’s
Office of Mainland Southeast Asia and the first diplomat to serve in
Vietnam following the Vietnam War, will talk about his experiences in
that country and its current relations with the U.S.
- In week
3, Angela Dickey, Director of the State
Department’s Office of Maritime Southeast Asia, will discuss her
experiences working on the tsunami that devastated the region in 2004
and how the affected countries have fared since then.
- In week
4, Ambassador Marie Huhtala will close the
series
with an in-depth discussion of Thailand, its current political crisis
and the Thai-US relationship.
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| Affordable
Housing and Healthcare Round Out Forum
by Political Leaders |
THE FINAL FOUR WEEKS of the
"Questions…and Answers" forum, course 710 (Thursdays, 11:30,
Tallwood), will feature panels of local leaders speaking about housing
and healthcare.
- The
first two weeks (Apr 27, May 4) will focus on affordable
housing and will be led by James M. Scott, Virginia House of Delegates
member.
- The
final two weeks (May 11, May 18) will focus on healthcare
and will be led by Marlene Blum, chair of the Fairfax County Healthcare
Advisory Board.
There is still room in the course, so all interested OLLI members are
invited to attend. |
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THURSDAYS AT
TALLWOOD
From the Membership chair
 By Debbie Halverson, Membership Committee chair
IF IT'S
THURSDAY DURING TERM-TIME, IT'S MY TALLWOOD DAY. Early morning
traffic is light heading south
along Hunter’s Mill Road, that curvy, hilly beautiful road that winds
from Reston to Oakton where I pick up Route 123 into Fairfax. I love
this drive, especially on a spring morning when the countryside is full
of flowering trees and daffy gardens.
After I pick up coffee and a treat in the
social room, I’m off to my first class, usually a lecture, because
sitting and absorbing at this hour suits me fine. Afterwards, I’ll
visit with friends, or hang over the veranda rail and member-watch. I
figure that’s part of my job.
Next class is hands-on creative: Harriet
Grever’s “Intermediate Watercolor” with a congenial group of painters
at different developmental stages (I’m an advanced beginner;
“intermediate” suggests more skill than my chancy accomplishments
deserve).
Then, I lunch at a picnic table on the
breezeway, or in the annex with other brown baggers. There may be time
to search out a great new book from the social room’s lending library.
My last class is Joyce DeVoll’s “Singing for
Fun”; aptly named, this is an affable mix of men and women who jazz up
with voice and sometimes movement, singing good old songs whose lyrics
you can understand and melodies you remember. Ninety musical moments
fully fuel me as I hum my way home to the woods of Reston.
Let’s see: Monday will be my Lake
Anne day,
yet another to look forward to at OLLI.
RESTROOMS AT TALLWOOD
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 THERE
ARE OFTEN LONG LINES AT THE TALLWOOD RESTROOMS, and sometimes people
are waiting for someone to come out of a vacant restroom!
Please,
PLEASE do NOT close
the door when you leave a restroom. When you leave the door
open, anyone can see that the restroom is free. But if you close the
door when leaving, most people will assume that the restroom is
occupied and they may wait for quite a while before someone checks the
door to see if it is locked ... and meanwhile, the restroom line grows
longer.
So be considerate of your fellow
OLLI members: Leave the door open when you leave the restroom.
Thank you! |
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| OLLI VIDEO NEWS
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- Egypt Highlights
- Coptic Church
Iconography
- The Fall of the House
of Tallwood
- Ancient Ephesus
- A Day in Istanbul
- OLLI 2005 Holiday Party
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DO YOU HAVE AN OLLI VIDEO? We will
be glad to post your OLLI-related video in OLLI Video News.
The video must be short (not longer than six
minutes) and in the right format (typically, Windows Media Player or
Real Player format designed for progressive download from a Web server)
so that members can start watching the video almost immediately.
Your editor
may be able to advise you on how to convert your edited video into the
required format.
Back to top
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ONLY FIVE MORE MONTHS
The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics is
coming in September
 By Rod Zumbro, OLLI
E-News editor
DO YOU
ENJOY PLAYING GAMES OR
SPORTS ACTIVITIES? IF SO, you might want to join at
least three OLLI members who plan to participate in the Northern
Virginia Senior
Olympics this coming September.
Don't
think that just because it's
called "Olympics" you have to be athletic to participate. Not at
all! There are a large number of non-athletic events. Here is a listing
of such events held last year:
- Backgammon
- Bait
Casting
- Bridge
- Canasta
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- Chess
- Cribbage
- Eight
Ball Pool
- Horseshoes
- Kings
in The Corners
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- Line
Dancing, Team Competition
- Miniature
Golf
- Rummikub
- Shuffleboard
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Participation
is the key to this
fun occasion,
although if you want to compete and make a
good showing, you have five full months to get ready. Athletic-type events are held in five or
10-year age groups, so you're only competing
against your age-group peers. To
read about OLLI members who participated in previous
Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, see this article or this one.
Here is a listing of athletic-type events held
last year:
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Track
& Field Events
- Dashes:
50,100 and 200 meters
- Runs:
400 meters (1 lap); 800 meters (2 laps).
- Walks:
3 miles (12 laps); 1500 meters (4 laps); 800
meters (2 laps)
- Discus:
Women: 1 Kg. discus, Men: 50-59 1.5 Kg; 60+ 1
Kg.
- Shot
Put: Women: 3 Kg. shot, Men: 50-59 6 Kg.; 60-69
5 Kg.; 70+ 4 Kg.
- Long
Jump: Running and Standing
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Other Events
- Basketball–Free
Throw
- Basketball–3
x 3 Team
- Frisbee
Throw
- Golf
- Pickle-ball
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- Softball
Hit
- Softball
Throw
- Swimming
- Table
Tennis
- Tennis
- Ten
Pin Bowling
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The applicable Website has all the
essential details, and there are phone
numbers to call for updated information. The 2006 Olympics are expected
to start with a short opening
ceremony and track and field
events on Sat, Sep 16, 2006,
at a
local high school track and then continue over the next two weeks at
various
venues in Fairfax County. Even if you decide not to
participate, you might want to mark your calendar for Sep 16 and come out and cheer
OLLI members to victory in their track-and-field events!
Back to top
NEW
EXHIBIT IN SOCIAL ROOM ANNEX
An exhibit of photographs by Dan and Jean
Feighery
 By Marvina Munch, Facilities Committee member
OLLI
MEMBERS DAN AND JEAN FEIGHERY display their
latest photographs in the social room annex during the final half of
the spring session.
Most of Dan’s photos reflect his interest in
the natural world.
Among Jean’s are two that were juried into this year’s Meadowlark
Gardens
Park Exhibition. One of those, her “Rose on Canvas,” won a Sponsor’s
Award.
Jean’s recent retirement will give Dan and
Jean more time for outstanding photography.
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INVITATION TO ARTISTS
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In
addition to collage artists,
workers in other media--such as silk screen printing and
calligraphy--are invited to exhibit their art during the summer session.
Please call Marvina Munch for
details.
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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
Dance Company Spring Concert |
Fairfax
Symphony Orchestra |
American
Youth Philharmonic Orchestra |
All
performances at 8:00
Thursday, Apr 20, Friday, Apr 21, Saturday, Apr 22
Admission $10 seniors/students, $15 adults
Harris Theater |
Sharon Lee, piccolo
Aaron
Clay, bass
Saturday, Apr 22, at 8:00
Admission $60, $55, $45, $35
Concert Hall |
Sunday,
Apr 23, at 1:00
Admission $10 seniors/students, $14 adults
Concert Hall |
| Young
Artists Musicale |
Keyboard
Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel |
GMU
Chamber Orchestra |
Sunday,
Apr 23, at 6:00
Admission is Free
Concert Hall Lobby |
Mozart
and Ravel: Elegance and Exhilaration!
Features
Mozart’s
Trumpeter Sonata and Ravel’s La Valse
Sunday, Apr 23, at 7:00
Admission $35, $27, $17.50
Family Friendly: Children 12 and under half price
Concert Hall |
Sunday,
Apr 23, at 7:00
Admission is Free
Harris Theater |
Marc
Bamuthi Joseph
Scourge |
GMU Players Mainstage
Trojan
Women by
Euripides |
GMU
Music Scholarship Concert |
With Hip Hop, the spoken word and live
music, he offers a revolutionary look at Haiti.
Wednesday, Apr 26, at 8:00
Admission $30, $22, $15
Concert Hall
Come early at 7:15 for a pre-performance discussion on the Hall’s Grand
Tier |
Thursday,
Friday, Saturday, Apr 27-29, at 8:00
Saturday, Sunday, Apr 29-30, at 2:00
Admission $7 seniors/students,
$10 adults
TheaterSpace (From Level 2 of
Parking Deck take the bridge. Enter first door on left and follow
hallway, go through gray doors and downstairs.)
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Features the GMU Symphony Orchestra,
Chamber Singers and University Chorale
Friday, Apr 28, at 8:00
Admission $8 seniors/students,
$15 adults
Concert Hall
Note:
One of
the performers is pianist Jorge Martinez (see photo below), the 2006
winner
of OLLI's $2,000 Abe Spero scholarship. He is an outstanding pianist
and will be featured as soloist in the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto
during the concert. |
| GMU
Vocal Jazz Ensemble |
United
States Marine Band |
Jorge
Martinez, pianist |
Sunday,
Apr 30, at 1:00
Admission is Free
Johnson Center Bistro |
Captain Michelle A. Rakers, conducting
Sunday, Apr 30, at 2:00
Admission is Free
Concert Hall |
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Back to top
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.
21
Friday 10:00 AM Classic Fiction Book Club Reston Regional Library
10:00 AM Recorder Class/Club TA-2
11:15 AM Publications Comm Mtg TA-1
1:00 PM Movie- "The Russians Are Coming, The
Russians Are Coming!" TA-1
1:00 PM Drama Club Tallwood
1:30 PM Homer Book Club Annex
25 Tuesday 8:15 AM Walking Club Lake Anne Church
26 Wednesday 1:30 PM Bridge TA-2
2:00 PM Spec Event F:Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
TA-1
2:00 PM "How An Idea Becomes A Class" TA-3
27 Thursday 3:45 PM Board Meeting TA-1
28 Friday 8:30 AM Spec Event G: Montpelier Bus Trip Fair Oaks Mall Lot
#44
1:00 PM Informational Program: Diet and
Nutrition for Seniors TA-1
1:00 PM Drama Club Tallwood
1:30 PM Homer Book Club Annex
MAY
1 Monday 10:00 AM Handbook Comm Mtg Annex
2 Tuesday 8:15 AM Walking Club Lake Anne Church
3 Wednesday 1:30 PM Annual Meeting, Board candidates speak, TA-1
5 Friday 9:30 AM Drama Club TA-1
10:00 AM Recorder Class/Club TA-2
10:30 AM Reston Support Committee Mtg, Board
candidates speak, Lake Anne Church
11:30 AM French Club TA-3
1:00 PM Movie-"1776" TA-1
1:30 PM Homer Book Club Annex |
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
grandchild or a neighborhood teenager or college student to fix things
for you. Or you could change your
email settings yourself. Here's how to view html-formatted messages
like this newsletter in
three popular email systems:
- Outlook
Express.
Click Tools; select Options; in the Read tab, uncheck "Read all
messages in plain text."
- Yahoo
Mail.
Click Mail Options/General Preferences; under Security, uncheck "Block
HTML graphics in email messages from being downloaded."
- AOL.
Upgrade,
if possible, to an AOL version above 5.0.
GMU Webmail.
If OLLI E-News is being sent
to your gmu.edu email address, we recommend against using GMU Webmail
(i.e., iPlanet "Messenger Express") to read the newsletter because we
have found that usually you cannot view our newsletter as a single
integrated
document, with text and accompanying 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 after it is posted
each Friday.
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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 21, 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. |
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