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OLLI
E-News #30-06 of July 28, 2006
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NEWSFLASHES
> CATALOG FOR FALL TERM IS NOW ONLINE.
The registration form can be
filled out online and then printed,
which we encourage you to do (legible forms are easier for the office
to process). Paper catalogs will be
bulk mailed by Fri, Aug 11.
>
REGISTRATION FOR FALL
TERM STARTS 9:00 WED, AUG 16.
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ALERTS
> OLLI WILL BE CLOSED
for summer break Mon, Jul 31, through Fri, Aug 11.
> OLLI
E-NEWS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED during the office's two-week
summer break but will
resume on Fri, Aug 18, three weeks from today.
>
BOARD MEETING FRI,
AUG 18, 10:00, TA-1. All members invited. Read what
to expect.
>
HISTORY, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & CURRENT EVENTS RESOURCE GROUP meets
10:00, Tue, Aug 29. All OLLI members welcome; suggestions needed for
course planning.
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REMINDERS
> BRIDGE CLUB. The next meeting will be
10:00-12:00, Wed, Aug 16. Yes, we are reverting to Wednesday mornings
until the fall term starts when we will change to Wednesday
afternoons. All are welcome to join us in TA-3.
>
HELP STILL WANTED: One
or more
members to chair the Art and Music Resource Group. Read details;
contact Kathryn Russell for more info and a detailed job description.
> ALL
MEMBERS WHO
JOINED LRI IN '91, '92
OR
'93: Contact Janice Dewire. Details. |
ARTICLES &
NOTICES
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DEPARTMENTS
> PROFILES:
Literature, Language, and
Theater Resource
Group co-chairs Doris Bloch, Jane Tombes and Kathie
West. By Carolyn
Sanders
> LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
A forum for member comments.
>
COMING
ATTRACTIONS: OLLI non-class
events for next two weeks. |
| > CORRECTION. Phil True's name
was inadvertently not included in the names of members who helped with
the fall catalog editing/proofreading. See full list; our
thanks
to all of them. |
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FIRST ANNIVERSARY ARTICLES
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Message from the president
 By Debbie Halverson, President
WE'VE
BECOME SO ACCUSTOMED to our Friday dose of information
by now that we hardly can believe we've had our OLLI E-News for just one year. This
week we celebrate its first anniversary under the talented and able
trustee, its editor, Rod Zumbro.
When I first saw the E-News in all of its color a year ago, I was
so thrilled. It looked beautiful, the composition imaginative, the
makeup well done and as a visual piece of work, it did OLLI proud.
Especially since it is available on the Web, we are represented by
something in keeping with the quality we like to think OLLI requires.
But as the weeks progressed, I realized we had
more than that. We
had very interesting articles, both straight news and features, and our
newsletter told us stuff we really wanted to know. Then Rod added some
feedback opportunities so that our members could get their views known;
"Letters to the Editor" invited your comments and "Question of the
Week" probed your brains.
The publications committee, which is the
umbrella under which the
E-News sits, could not allow our non-computer members to be newsless.
And so each week the Institute is in session, a print copy of the
newsletter is available at both Tallwood and Lake Anne.
As president, I'm able to get my messages to
you with regularity
and with the confidence that, because you've come to read the E-News
faithfully, you'll actually read them. |
Thank
you, publications committee; thank you, Mr. Editor, for our wonderful
E-News and Happy Anniversary!
Communications at OLLI before our email
newsletter
 By Gordon
Canyock, Publications Committee chair
BACK
IN THE DARK AGES BEFORE THE VERY COLORFUL OLLI E-NEWS, the Institute
published a 4-6 page quarterly newsletter called Tallwood Times (later LRI Times) and a weekly
2-3 page This Week at LRI.
The
deadline
for getting an item into the newsletter was 10 days prior to
publication, so it wasn't exactly timely, but it did contain an
occasional black-and-white photo and was well written and edited by our
volunteers. There were no letters to Ms. Ettakit or to the editor. If
information needed to be sent to the members sooner than in 10 days, we
relied on email and telephone calls, adding to the burden of our small
paid staff.
The two publications were published only
when classes were in session and cost us about $2,000 a year. The rest
of the year, we were silent. With the introduction of OLLI E-News, we are
spending only about $1,200 on the print version that is distributed in
smaller numbers in each classroom, and we have greatly improved two-way
communications almost year-round. |
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST YEAR OF OLLI E-NEWS
Key events during year one
 By Rod Zumbro, OLLI
E-News editor
- SPRING 2005:
Then-president
Charles Duggan sees an html email newsletter from another
lifelong-learning institute and asks if OLLI can do something similar;
Rod Zumbro answers yes, but the software would probably be expensive.
- JULY 2005: After
testing and
determining that OLLI could publish an html newsletter at no direct
cost, Rod meets with publications chair Gordon Canyock at Caribou
Coffee to discuss doing a weekly email newsletter; they decide to "just
do it."
- JUL 29, 2005: First issue
released.
- AUG 25, 2005:
New feature
introduced—profiles of Board members, committee chairs,
longtime
instructors, etc.
- SEP 2, 2005: New
feature
introduced—highlights of the last Board meeting.
- SEP 23, 2005: Two new
features
introduced, both oriented to comments from members—letters
to the
editor; letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit.
- OCT 28, 2005:
New feature
introduced—Coming Events at Mason's Center for the Arts.
- OCT 7, 2005: New
feature
introduced—Question of the Week, a
Web poll soliciting feedback from members.
- DEC 9, 2005: New
feature
introduced—OLLI Video News, short
OLLI-related videos.
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- JAN 27, 2006:
Printed OLLI News merged
into one single weekly email newsletter, OLLI E-News, that is also printed
for distribution in classrooms during class terms.
- MAR 3, 2006: New
feature
introduced—Mason Highlights, coverage of local Mason
events other than
Center of the Arts events already being covered.
- MAR 31, 2006:
Special April Fool's
edition emailed to the membership, fooling some members (Note: the April Fool's edition is not
available on the OLLI Website but can be emailed to any member who
would like to see it; ask the editor.).
- JUN 2, 2006: OLLI E-News reports breaking
news of election results, with photos, of new OLLI officers elected
earlier the same day.
- JUL 28, 2006:
Second year of OLLI E-News
commences with this
first-anniversary issue.
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HONOR
ROLL OF CONTRIBUTORS
Honoring the writers
who made it all possible
WE
ARE INDEBTED to the many OLLI members and staff employees who
were responsible for the content of 50 issues of OLLI E-News during its first year.
These writers wrote with style and humor to inform, stimulate and
engage you, to make you feel a part of our wonderful OLLI community.
WRITERS OF OLLI E-NEWS ARTICLES
(Listed
alphabetically.
Number of articles written in parentheses. Asterisk indicates OLLI
E-News staff writer) |
Florence
Adler (6)
Bob Bohall (1)
Jan Bohall * (29) Note 1
Valerie Braybrooke (1)
Gordon Canyock (10)
Dick Chobot (34)
Art Cook (1)
Pat Cosslett (1)
Michael Coyne (3)
Elizabeth Crawford * (24)
Sandy Driesslein (1) |
Charles
Duggan (7)
Eileen Duggan (11)
Abbie Edwards (2)
Julie Fintel * (4)
Ben Gold (1)
RoseMary Gustin (3)
Debbie Halverson (27)
Ann Hartmann (7)
Carol Henderson (14)
Barbara Kyriakakis * (14) Note 2
Ceda McGrew (1) |
Luci
Martel * (2)
Marvina Munch (6)
Sarah Munson * (1)
Kitty O'Hara * (9)
Manny Pablo (2)
Bruce Reinhart (1)
Louise Richardson * (1)
Arleen Richman * (5)
Norm Rosenberg (1)
Kathryn Russell (12)
Carolyn Sanders * (3) |
Rae
Schafer (3)
Mona Smith (1)
Anne Sprague * (1)
Mary Jane Steele * (2)
Virlinda Synder (1)
Jane Tombes * (6)
Joe Torpey (1)
Kathie West (1)
Don Yesukaitus (1)
Rod Zumbro (13)
Susanne Zumbro (11) |
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Note 1.
Two
feature articles and 27 "Coming Events at the Center for the Arts"
articles.
Note 2.
Four
feature articles and 10 "Mason Highlights" articles.
Dick
Chobot
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Jan
Bohall
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Debbie
Halverson
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Elizabeth
Crawford
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Back to top
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NEXT MONTH'S BOARD MEETING
Why you may want to attend this meeting
OLLI
MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS and make their
views known. All Board meetings (except executive sessions) are open to
the general membership. The August Board meeting (Friday, August 18,
10:00, TA-1)
promises to be another interesting one. Topics expected to be discussed
are--
- The
controversial sections of the revised Bylaws proposed by the Bylaws
Revision Ad Hoc Committee, including--
- Giving the
Board the flexibility of changing the Board size between a range of 12
to 21 directors;
- Setting a
maximum number of terms that any members can serve as a director; and
- Establishing
term limits for the treasurer and secretary equivalent to limits
already established for the president and vice president.
- Budget
assumptions
to be used by the Finance
Committee as it develops the 2007 OLLI budget for
approval by the Board this fall. Discussions will likely focus on how
to
balance the budget considering all the potential competing needs for
additional funds, including--
- Pay raises
and bonuses for our staff;
- Increasing
the Rainy Day Fund set-aside; and
- Paying the
salary and benefits of a full-time executive director.
- A proposed
policy concerning governance and use of discretionary funds for meals
and entertainment, newly approved for use by the president and the
executive director.
CAUTION: At press
time, the above topics are expected to be discussed ... but there are
no guarantees. The president sets the agenda. If you are
interested in attending this (or any) Board meeting and wish to know
for sure what will be discussed, please contact the office by phone
(703-503-3384) or email a day or two
in advance of the meeting and ask for the agenda.
--
Rod Zumbro, OLLI E-News
editor
BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of last Friday's meeting of the
Board of Directors
 By Eileen
Duggan, Vice President
AT THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEETING ON FRIDAY, JULY 21, the Board of Directors
approved the extension of the Executive Director’s contract through
February 28, 2006.
 The Board also
gave approval to the Planning
Committee to move ahead with a pilot program on Mason’s Loudoun campus
involving two to five classes. Peter Stearns, GMU’s Provost,
asked OLLI
to initiate this program. Mason will provide space and some funds for
marketing. Loudoun residents attending classes will be charged a
minimal fee but will not be considered OLLI members and will not be
able to participate in classes at Tallwood or Reston. OLLI members will
be able to attend the courses offered in Loudoun at no cost. OLLI
member Ray Beery, a Loudoun county resident and former OLLI president,
will spearhead the effort. This will be a test program to determine the
level of interest in Loudoun County. |
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The
Board
determined that the President and
Executive Director should have some funds for discretionary use such as
meals and entertainment and voted to provide a monthly budget of $200
per month. It was further determined that a policy needed to be
implemented for the governance and use of such funds. Gordon Canyock
and Charles Duggan will draft a policy statement for consideration at
the August Board meeting. |
 Gordon Canyock,
the Bylaws Committee Chair,
distributed copies of new draft Bylaws for the Board to review and
discuss over the next two months. In September the Board will be
asked
to vote in favor of the proposed changes to the Bylaws. Assuming the
vote is positive, the Bylaws then will go to the membership and they
will have the opportunity to vote on them at a special meeting in
November. |
 The Board of
Directors approved making a $500
contribution in 2006 to the Fall for the Book Festival from "Friends of
OLLI" funds. The festival, whose principal sponsors include
George
Mason University and the City of Fairfax, has arranged to have authors
speak at OLLI each year since 1999, the year the festival was
organized. In addition, the festival has provided bus transportation
from Tallwood to the main campus to hear some of the more well-known
authors. Details about this year’s festival will be included in
upcoming issues of OLLI E-News. |
Back to top
OLLI FEATURED ON "FOREVER YOUNG" TV
Watch OLLI folks being interviewed
By Dick Chobot,
Executive Director
A FEW
MONTHS AGO, "Forever Young" host and producer Jim Seeley
interviewed Debbie Halverson, Kathie West, Gordon Canyock and me for an
episode.
The OLLI show (episode #20)
will air on local cable on the following dates/times:
- In Fairfax
Co. on cable ch. 10: Mon, Aug 28, at 3:00 PM; Thu, Aug 31, at 9:30 AM;
Sun, Sep 3, at 9:30 PM
- In Arlington
Co. on cable ch. 69: Mon, Aug 28, at 11:00 AM; Fri, Sep 1, at 4:00 PM;
Sun, Sep 3, at 3:00 PM
- In Montgomery
Co. on cable ch. 21: Wed, Aug 30, at 6:00 PM; Sat, Sep 2, at 10:30 PM
"Forever Young," a local cable TV show featuring content of interest to
seniors, is entering its second season. In addition to the OLLI
episode, "Forever Young" airs a number
of other shows of potential interest to
OLLI members. For more information, you can check the organization's Website; to
obtain notification of upcoming shows and other updates,
you can email the producer.
| DO YOU ENJOY WRITING? HAVE AN OLLI STORY TO
TELL? |
| If you enjoy writing,
consider joining the OLLI E-News staff as a staff writer! We're
always looking for help in writing feature articles, member profiles
and OLLI-related stories that members tell us about. You can write as
many or as few stories as you wish; we're all volunteers. To volunteer
or for more information, please contact OLLI E-News deputy editor Karen
Hamilton. |
| Note. If you have an OLLI story or
idea for a feature article that
you think would be of general interest to the membership, contact Karen
Hamilton and we'll consider asking a staff writer to write the story. |
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| OLLI VIDEO NEWS
|
- Teacher Appreciation
Event
- OLLI Member
Testimonials
- 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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MEET DORIS
BLOCH, JANE TOMBES AND KATHIE WEST
Profiles of three resource group co-chairs
 By Carolyn Sanders, OLLI
E-News staff writer
"I WISH
I HAD A TEACHER LIKE THAT..." Who is responsible for making the
contacts and finding all the wonderful teachers, instructors,
coordinators, and special events that make up OLLI’s stupendous course
offerings and programs? Doris Bloch, Jane Tombes, and Kathie West are
some of them. These superwomen are OLLI’s Literature, Language, and
Theater Resource Group co-chairs. All have formidable bios, and it is a
privilege to introduce them to you.
 Doris
Bloch grew
up in northern New Jersey. After college, marriage, two daughters, and
five states in seven years, she
has made Northern Virginia her home
since 1969 when her late husband joined the Social Sciences faculty of
the "pioneer" college that has grown to be our very own George Mason
University. In the mid-1970’s, Doris was admitted to an National
Science Foundation-funded program whose purpose was to retrain women
chemists who had been out of the job market. After completing the
eight-months-long course, Doris resumed gainful employment and worked
until retiring from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2004.
Travel to over 40 countries, walking, theater
going, volunteering,
attending Mason men’s basketball games, collecting and using cookbooks,
needlework—you name it, it is probably one of her hobbies! She’s even
interested in forming a "Doris" club of gals who share her name and
like to lunch. These interests led to her involvement with this
particular OLLI resource group. This busy, busy grandmother also dotes
on four grandchildren—three boys and, finally, a girl!
How did you
hear about OLLI and when did
you join
are favorite questions to ask interviewees. Doris heard about us in the
most reliable way—her daughter and Eileen Duggan’s daughter are
friends. The moms met after Doris joined OLLI in March of last year. (Hint, hint: Tell someone about OLLI.) |
|
 After 10 years in New Mexico,
Jane
Tombes
and husband Ave, also an OLLI member, returned to Northern Virginia for
15 good reasons—their four grown children and 11 grandchildren live in
Virginia and North Carolina. It helps that they learned to love the
area when Ave served in several capacities at, where else, George Mason
University!
Jane herself has enough degrees and teaching
experience
that I fully expect to get this article returned to me covered in red
ink and cryptic English-teacher-type comments. After all, a 25-year
habit is hard to break.
Jane volunteers at OLLI as a committee member
and writer for this
newsletter. She also serves as membership vice president of the Friends
of the Center for the Arts and represents that organization on the Arts
at Mason board at GMU.
Her interests include theater, music, dance,
travel, politics, reading, and working out. She has taught acting and
directed plays in several venues. Having "trod the boards"
in college and community theater, Jane especially enjoys the Readers'
Theater classes at OLLI. |
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|
 Kathie
West
also is no stranger to
going where one’s spouse’s career takes one. She even followed John to
OLLI
when she retired a year after he did. They are the parents of two
daughters and have two "delightful, marvelous, wonderful, etc."
granddaughters to brag about.
Theater has played and does play a big role in
Kathie’s life and
that’s no pun. She has a BIS degree from Mason in Theater, Management,
and Psychology, which makes her the perfect coordinator of Readers'
Theater classes at OLLI and the co-founder of the OLLI Drama Club; she
willingly takes on many other projects. Her costume collection rivals
that of a professional troupe of actors.
Kathie has performed in many venues including
The Air and Space
Planetarium, The Pittsburgh Playhouse, The Berkshire Playhouse, and The
Yarmouth Theater. Her company, New Vintage Associates, performed at
senior citizen homes from 1987-1990. From 1990 until she retired in
2005, Kathie taught high school drama, first at Robert E. Lee High
School and then at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and
Technology.
After 44 years and counting in the wacky world
of theater, Kathie
still loves it; however, she does allow time for painting, doll
collecting, and spoiling those precious grandchildren. |
WE ARE SO FORTUNATE AT OLLI to have
people of such high caliber as these three women for our teachers and
coordinators. These brief intros do not begin to cover the lives and
credits of Doris, Jane, and Kathie, but the editor says this is as much
space as I may have. Be sure to talk with these superwomen when you see
them flying by, but, be warned—don’t ask to see pictures of their
grandkids!
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, if
applicable, 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
Mid-July
at
Tallwood; photos by Gordon Canyock
Kudos
Kudos
#1: Wow! The picture at the top of the July 21 newsletter
is a reminder of how beautiful the OLLI grounds have become. Some
"before" and "after" pictures could be a subject for a gardening
magazine. I want to compliment Valerie and the Green Thumb group for an
outstanding job!
Kudos #2:
The group that
has the ideas, organizes, and coordinates the special trips for us OLLI
members is also to be congratulated. The
Shenandoah Sampler, which included a bus ride on a sunny day through
the bucolic Virginia countryside, a visit to a plantation, lunch and a
hilarious play, was a real pleasure. Thanks for making this opportunity
available (and especially for having someone else to do the driving)!!
-- Roxanne Cramer, OLLI member
| Editor's
note. Board member
Valerie Braybrooke and the Dirty Knee Club are responsible for
landscaping of 'OLLIwood.' The Special Events Resource Group chaired by
Florence Adler is responsible for OLLI special events. |
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. Board and committee meetings are
highlighted
in bold. OLLI members are
welcome at all Board and committee meetings (except executive sessions).
JULY
28 Friday 10:00 AM
Classic Fiction Book Club Reston
Regional Library
10:00 AM
Language, Literature and Theater Resource Group
Meeting Tallwood
10:00 AM
Genealogy Club TA-1
10:00 AM
Recorder Class/Club TA-2
10:30 AM
Reston Support Committee Meeting
Lake Anne Church
10:30 AM
Homer Book Club Annex
31 Monday
Closed OLLI Summer Break Jul 31 - 11 Aug
06
AUGUST
Closed
OLLI Summer Break 1 - 11 Aug 06
1 Tuesday 8:15 AM
Walking Club Lake Anne
Church
2 Wednesday 9:30 AM
Painting Workshop Reston
Storefront Museum
10:00 AM
Planning Committee Meeting Tallwood
8 Tuesday 8:15 AM
Walking Club Lake Anne
Church
9 Wednesday 9:30 AM
Painting Workshop Reston
Storefront Museum |
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 it
is not easy to view our newsletter as a single
integrated
document, with text and accompanying images. As you may know, 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.
|
OLLI
E-News Editorial Staff
Assistant
Editor, Database Manager
Barbara Kyriakakis
Assistant
Editor
Arleen Richman
Photo
Editor
Michael Coyne |
| 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:
July 28, 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. |
|
