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OLLI
E-News #21 of Dec. 23, 2005
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NEWSFLASHES
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>>
THIS IS
THE LAST OLLI
E-NEWS OF 2005. Happy Holidays! We resume publication on
Fri, Jan 6, 2006.
>> THE BOARD APPROVED THE
PROPOSED 2006 BUDGET at the Board meeting on Dec 16. Dues will
remain at $280 per year -- no increase.
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ALERTS
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>> OLLI OFFICE CLOSES FOR
WINTER BREAK DEC 23 & DEC 26-30
>> TALLWOOD HOUSE IS SCHEDULED
FOR DEMOLITION on Mon, Jan 9, weather permitting. The four
restrooms will remain for use by OLLI. |
REMINDER
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>>
REGISTRATION
FOR THE
WINTER TERM ENDS MON, JAN 9,
2006
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QUESTION
OF THE WEEK
Our weekly Web polls provide member
feedback to OLLI management
We are
suspending questions of the
week until after the winter term resumes.
| Last week's question was, "What class size do you prefer -- mega;
large; medium; small; or very small?" |
Results:
A total of 69 members voted. Most chose medium-sized classes of 30-59
attendees (49 percent) and small classes of 11-29 attendees (39
percent). Twelve percent didn't care or had no opinion. Note: We recognize that it was difficult to
answer this question because the ideal class size depends on the type
of class, and there was no way with our multiple-choice format to
accommodate this.
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PROFILE
OF TEACHER BARRY BERKEY
A profile of one of OLLI's long-time
instructors
 By Mary Jane Steele, OLLI
E-News staff writer
LOOK UP
THE WORD POLYMATH IN
THE DICTIONARY and you are liable to see a picture of Barry
Berkey.
Physician, athlete, duck carver, teacher and writer are some of the
hats Barry has worn. The one we are most familiar with is as course
leader here at OLLI of the Life Story Workshop.
Barry grew up in a small town outside
Pittsburgh lovingly known as Little Chicago because of the lifestyle of
a few of its inhabitants. Barry’s best friend in the first grade is
still his best friend. That same loyalty shows through when he speaks
so glowingly about his wife Velma.
Barry did his
undergraduate work at Washington
and Jefferson College and received his medical degree from the
University of Pittsburgh. Internships and residencies followed in
Harrisburg and the University of Wisconsin. In the 60’s Barry and Velma
moved to Northern Virginia when he became the first clinical director
of the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute. In 1969 he entered
private practice, and he partially retired in 1996. He still attends
the weekly grand rounds at Fairfax Hospital and keeps up to date on
what is current in the medical field.
His first non-medical writing was published in
1961. His latest, which appeared in The
Washington
Post in
August 2005,
warns against putting your life story, i.e., doctors' appointments,
party invitations, personal peccadilloes, on your refrigerator if you
don’t want anyone to know what’s going on in your life. It’s a good
read. He and Velma have written books together ranging from children’s
books to carving decoys.
With such a varied life’s experience, Barry is
a natural to help people work on stories of their lives. This fall was
his 17th session of teaching at OLLI. He encourages the participants in
the class to do what he does: write daily. Remember to sign up early
for this course as only 10 lucky people will get in.
FAIRFAX "CEAN"
Fairfax County's emergency alert system
explained
 By Kitty O'Hara, OLLI
E-News staff writer 
STUCK IN TRAFFIC -- AGAIN? Interested in avoiding this all-too-frequent
scenario? Want to know when hazardous weather may strike? Whether
schools are open? Try signing up with Fairfax CEAN, the Community
Emergency Alert Network.
CEAN is the alert system used by Fairfax
county emergency management, fire and rescue, police and public affairs
agencies to deliver important emergency notifications during major
crises and emergencies. OLLI member Edith
Speir suggested that OLLI E-News
inform members about this service after learning during one of her
classes that this means of providing public emergency information is
not well known.
You can sign up to have messages delivered to
you to any or all of the following: email account, cell phone, text
pager, satellite phone, and wireless PDA. This service is provided
without charge.0
If you have not yet registered for the CEAN,
it just
takes a minute, and once you register, important emergency alerts,
notifications and updates during a major crisis or emergency will be
sent to you by whatever means you have registered. To sign up for the
CEAN, visit the CEAN Website.
IRELAND--YESTERDAY
AND TODAY
Details on the Sep 2006 OLLI trip to
Ireland
 By Susanne Zumbro,
Board member and OLLI travel coordinator 
SEVERAL
OLLI MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP for our upcoming
TraveLearn-escorted trip to Ireland, September 7-21. This trip is bound
to fill up fast!
We will be escorted by Dr. Coilin Owens,
recently retired professor from GMU and a native of Strokestown,
Ireland. Professor Owens has taught courses
in Irish history and culture, drama, and modern literature, including
several classes at OLLI. In preparation for our trip, he will be
teaching a four-week course for OLLI in June, during our summer term.
Our trip will include stops in Shannon, Killarney, Kerry, Cork, Dublin,
Donegal, and Galway, with accommodations at first-class hotels
throughout.
The program price is $3,395 per person, double
occupancy (land only), and all OLLI members signing up will receive a
$200 rebate. Literature and registration forms are
currently available in the Tallwood social room.
UPDATE:
DESPITE WHAT THE LITERATURE SAYS, YOU SHOULD SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION
FORM DIRECTLY TO TRAVELEARN, WITH YOUR DEPOSIT; TraveLearn will keep me
apprised as registrations are received.
Also, the office has a
16-minute videotape on Travelearn trips called "Learning Vacations for
Adults" that is available for any OLLI member to borrow and return.
More information can be obtained by
visiting the TraveLearn Website (click on Tours and
select Ireland
2006 under 2006 Tours) or by calling TraveLarn at
1-800-235-9114. I will try to maintain a list of anyone traveling alone
who would like a roommate. Please feel free to send me an email or call
me at 703-569-2750.
MEET OLLI
SECRETARY CAROL HENDERSON
A continuation of our profiles of OLLI
Board
members
OLLI Secretary CAROL HENDERSON
Photo
by Gordon Canyock
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 By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI E-News staff writer
CAROL HENDERSON JOINED OLLI IN 2000 and has been active as Reston
Support Committee Chair, Literature and Language Resource Group Chair,
and member of the Nominating Committee and the Special Events
Committee.
Carol was elected to the Board of Directors in
2002 and became Chairman of the Publications Committee, where she
codified the policies and procedures for OLLI's various publications.
Carol ran for the Board again in 2005 because her prior experience as
an executive for the non-profit American Library Association makes her
uniquely qualified to view OLLI, a non-profit, from both executive and
board perspectives.
This summer her presentation on the Board's
changing role from a managing board to an advisory board, now that OLLI
has an Executive Director, was the focus of the Tallwood Retreat.
Currently
Carol is OLLI Secretary and co-moderator, with Jan Dewire, of the
Literary Roundtable, which has met for the last several years at Lake
Anne. How many short stories have they discussed over the years? Too
many to count.
Although all of this activity is time
consuming, Carol
is happy to contribute to OLLI, which she considers the "best
discovery" one can make in retirement.
WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION
A new musical by GMU's Theater of the
First Amendment
 AUDIENCES
OF ALL AGES WILL BECOME AIRBORNE in Lift: Icarus and Me, a new
musical inspired by the myth of the high-flying Icarus, set in East
Texas to the music of ragtime, rodeos and Texas Swing.
This Theater of the First Amendment world
premiere, from the renowned creative team of Mary Hall Surface and
David Maddox ( Sing Down the Moon,
Mississippi
Pinocchio, Perseus Bayou,
and more) was
co-commissioned by George Mason University’s Theater of the First Amendment
and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland.
The production opens at George Mason
University’s Harris Theater and runs January 19 through February 5 –
Thursday and Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 pm, Sunday at
4:00 pm (February 5 at 2:00 pm).
Tickets are $30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and
$25 all other performances. Family friendly. All children, 12 and
under, half price. Charge by phone at 703-218-6500 or visit www.tickets.com.
OLLI
VIDEO NEWS: CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
A chance for your 60 seconds of fame ...
and to help OLLI in marketing
AT THE
SUGGESTION OF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DICK CHOBOT, we will be videotaping brief comments
of a few OLLI members about why they joined OLLI and what they are
getting out of the organization.
Each set of comments will be edited
into a 30-60 second video clip and displayed as part of a future
installment of OLLI Video News. This is a marketing idea, and our
target audience will be prospective OLLI members and donors, but
current OLLI members, and friends and family of the participants, might
also enjoy watching these short videos.
Naturally, we are looking for members who are
enthusiastic about our wonderful institute and everything it has to
offer. If you're interested in participating, email OLLI E-News editor Rod Zumbro, who
will be doing the taping during the the
winter term.
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OLLI VIDEO NEWS
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 Our
new occasional feature is OLLI
Video News, where you can watch short videos created exclusively
for OLLI members.
This first installment is a 3-minute video
of the OLLI Holiday Party.
WATCH NOW |
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COMING
EVENTS AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Something for everyone at nearby GMU
 By Jan Bohall, Catalog editor
For
tickets, call
888-945-2468 or visit the Center
for the Arts Box Office, Tue–Sat, 10:00–6:00
The
United States Navy Band
29th
International
Saxophone Symposium |
GMU’s
Theater
of the First Amendment
Lift:
Icarus and Me
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Friday,
Jan 6, at 8:00
Saturday, Jan 7 at 8:00
Admission free
Concert Hall,
Center for the Arts
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Jan
19 through Feb 5
Thursday and Friday at 8:00, Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00, Sunday at
4:00 (February 5 at 2:00)
GMU’s Harris Theater
Tickets $30 on Fridays & Saturdays, $25
all other performances
Family friendly
All children 12 and
under, half price |
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 Rod
Zumbro, OLLI E-News editor or 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.
-- Gordon
Canyock, OLLI News editor
EDITORIAL -- CELEBRATING SIX MONTHS OF OLLI
E-NEWS
This final issue of 2005 is the 21st weekly issue since our premiere
edition in late July. OLLI E-News
continues to be a work in progress.
As we've evolved, we've added new features such as Ms. Ollie Ettakit,
letters
to the editor, profiles of Board members,
committee chairs and long-time instructors, the question of the week,
and OLLI Video
News.
The newsletter would not be possible without
our dedicated staff writers and also other OLLI
members, including Board members and committee chairs, who occasionally
write feature
articles; we thank all of these writers for their valuable
contributions. The
html format of the
newsletter allows us to publish photographs, and we also thank the
photographers who have provided us with images of OLLI people and
places to help tell our stories. Special thanks go to Karen Hamilton,
who
carefully and professionally proofreads all our articles.
We are grateful for your many positive
comments about our newsletter. We encourage you to stay involved in the
OLLI community and to let the OLLI
leadership know when you have a suggestion, question or concern. We
will continue to publish your letters to the editor, so don't
hesitate to send them to us. When we start
classes again, don't forget to ask Ms. Ettakit if you have an OLLI
etiquette
question; she has been distraught about not receiving
any questions for a while.
Publications Committee chair Gordon Canyock
and I are committed to keeping you, the OLLI membership, as fully
informed as possible about what is happening at OLLI. It's been a fun
ride during these past six months, and we look forward to bringing
interesting, informative articles and features to you in 2006. Our best
wishes for a happy and safe holiday season.
-- Rod Zumbro, OLLI E-News editor
LETTERS
A breakdown of actual
and projected landscaping costs
This letter is in response to a question previously posed in a letter
to the editor concerning landscaping costs at
OLLI. Phase I was $2,000; Phase II was $5,500, paid out of Osher
funds; and Phase III (2006) will be $2,900--for a total cost of
$10,400. Maintenance during 2006 is budgeted at $1,000. To put the
$10,400 in perspective, each $7,000 in OLLI expenses translates to
about $10 in dues per OLLI member.
-- Susanne Zumbro,
Administration Committee chair
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More
information about Medicare from the OLLI Treasurer
Saw Joe
Torpey's piece in OLLI E-News
on the Medicare RX Benefit and he's
right on.
You might suggest to the membership that if
they go to www.medicare.gov,
they will find Medicare Drug benefit software that goes through the
process of identifying plans that a beneficiary can select based
on the drugs being taken, the dosage, etc. -- plus a demo of how the
software works is also provided. Basically, it gives the user a ranking
of plans by cost to the beneficiary plus other information to help make
a decision. Also, on the www.medicare.gov site, they'll find
comparative information on hospitals and home health agencies, access
to telephone numbers, etc.
Suggest that folks should also be sure that
they select/input the pharmacy they wish to use and be sure that their
pharmacy will participate with the plan they wish to select before they
enroll. Speaking of enrollment, folks can also enroll using the
software. I would emphasize that they have until
May 15, 2006 to sign up; signing up after May 15, I believe, results in
a penalty.
There is a new Medicare site as well
that folks might wish to access regarding personal
Medicare-related matters/information: http://my.medicare.gov.
-- Don Yesukaitis, OLLI Treasurer
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Rod
Zumbro
Karen
Hamilton
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OLLI E-NEWS
Editor
Proofreader
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About OLLI
E-News. OLLI
E-News is
emailed to OLLI
members on Fridays when sufficient content is available. Each issue
contains new content. We encourage OLLI members and
staff employees to submit news items and write articles. 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 your child or
teenage grandchild to fix things for you. Or you could change your
email settings yourself. Here's how to view html-formatted messages 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.
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Updated:
May 15, 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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