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OLLI
E-News
#30-11 of July 29, 2011
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> SUMMER BREAK:
During the two-week OLLI summer break (Aug 1-12), there will be no OLLI E-News. Look for the next
issue in your inbox on
Fri, Aug 19.
>
E-NEWS SUBMISSIONS.
Backup editor Ernestine Meyer will be doing the next two issues (Aug 19
and Aug 26). Please
submit articles/notices to Ernestine via
email.
>
FALL TERM.
Catalog is online;
registration is Tue, Aug 16 through Wed, Aug 31.
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CELEBRATE AND
REMEMBER
Join Us
for OLLI’s
20th
Anniversary
Reception
Refreshments,
Music,
Remarks from OLLI leaders past and present
Unveiling
of Gifts for
Mason President and Provost
Remarks
by the Mason
Office of Military Services
(recipient
of OLLI's 20th
anniversary gift)
Friday,
September 16, 2:00
- 4:00
Church
of the Good Shepherd
RSVP
to the OLLI office: 703-503-3384 or olli@gmu.edu
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Make checks
for $10/person payable to OLLI (designate "20th anniversary reception")
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SERIES LAUNCHES
THIS FALL
From the executive director
I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE a
new project that should address a perennial concern at OLLI –
attracting, supporting and retaining members who are interested in
helping with our program of courses. As you know, about 50 percent of
our courses are taught by our own members, and almost all courses are
the product of creative energies of OLLI members who generate ideas
for topics and speakers.
The purpose of the eight-week Faculty Development Series is to
provide a systematic set of opportunities for OLLI members to:
- Teach or
facilitate an OLLI course
- Develop a
course for OLLI
- Coordinate a
multi-speaker course for OLLI
- Enhance
teaching and presentation skills
The course will run on eight Mondays in the
2:00-3:30 time slot at Tallwood. Each session will be facilitated by
two or more OLLI members who are experienced in that particular aspect
of our OLLI program. The seminar format will include ample time for
informal questions and answers as well as opportunities for application
of concepts. You can register for the whole series or register only for
the session modules that interest you the most. Details of course F902
can be found here
and on page 23 of the catalog.
Our expectation is that the Faculty Development Series will
help ensure a strong and dynamic OLLI program for the future.
Back to top
PROGRAM CORNER
Preview of fall courses
By Kathryn Russell,
Program Committee Chair
IF THESE HOT "DOG DAYS" are
dragging you down, here's a suggestion for beating the summer doldrums:
Grab a glass of cold lemonade and the exciting new OLLI catalog,
arriving in your mailbox soon. But if you just can't wait for the mail,
click the catalog cover at right to see the entire catalog now. Be
prepared, though, to spend a considerable amount of time reading as you
get ready to make some tough choices among 103 courses and 35 special
events.
All the OLLI sites offer many tantalizing
possibilities, so be sure to check out all three locations. Among the
Fairfax courses you'll find several new offerings:
- "Beginning
Italian" (F501)
- "Art in
Vienna"
(F105)
- "The Energy
Crisis" (F802)
- "OLLI Faculty
Development" (F902)
[Note participants can register separately for each session]
At the Fairfax site you'll also find a wealth
of ongoing or repeated courses: "The Year 1610, Part II" ( F652),
"Avoid Identity Theft" ( F202),
and "Climate and Society" ( F806),
among many others. Then you can add a Saturday class, "From Page to
Stage" ( F411),
taught by Mason's dynamic Professor Howard Kurtz. In Reston you won't
want to miss the very popular "Meet the Artists" ( R114),
as well as "The Supreme Court: Current Cases" ( R706).
And if Loudoun is usually off your beaten path, do plan to explore this
wonderful facility to experience some very tempting courses, including
"Windows on the 19th Century" ( L318)
and "Seven Voices, Seven Faiths" ( L605).
If you like choosing courses in your favorite
subject area, you'll find more than enough to fill your schedule.
History enthusiasts will not be disappointed by yet another
mind-boggling lineup of courses on politics and current events, as well
as every imaginable era of history. And avid readers will be thrilled
to explore great literature in courses such as these:
- "Evelyn
Waugh: Brideshead Revisited" (F401)
- "Thomas
More's Utopia" (F406)
- "A John
Updike Sampler" (L418)
- "T. S. Eliot:
From The Waste Land to Cats" (F410)
As you can see, our dedicated program planners
have worked hard to bring us yet another sterling array of courses. Get
ready for a fabulous fall at OLLI.
Back
to top
For new members (and the rest of us)
THE
FALL 2011 CATALOG presents
a tantalizing menu of offerings, but the registration process may be
confusing for new members. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Location. Courses at Fairfax (i.e.,
Tallwood) begin with an F, at
Reston (i.e., Lake Anne) with an R,
and at Loudoun
with an L. Directions to each
location are online here
and on the
last page of the catalog. Each campus has its own personality and
great offerings. You
may initially want to try the location(s) near where you live, but over
time we urge you to visit the other campuses. (Caveat: Allow sufficient time if you want
to take courses on two campuses the same day.)
- Schedule Page. The schedule page (pdf),
also on page 43 of the catalog, lists all courses by
location and date, with the number of sessions in parentheses. An
asterisk (*) means the course is being offered at an
unusual location or time. Whatever classes you pick, check the times, because they vary
from campus to campus, and check the
dates because the number of course sessions can vary.
- Registering Online. Registering
online is easy at the OLLI Member
Portal. First-time users must create a user account; on the Portal,
click "Get a User Account" and follow the
instructions, or see page
41 (pdf) of the catalog.
Please contact the staff by email or
phone (703-503-3384) if you need assistance in setting up your user
account.
- Filled Classes. You will be asked to
list your classes by priority. When the demand for a class exceeds the
available seating, spaces are allocated by a random selection process
that gives precedence to people who gave the course highest priority. It does not matter when you
get your registration in as
long as you do so on or before the last
day of registration. If you wait until after registration closes, you
will not get in any classes that are already filled.
Confused?
Remember if you have any questions, the staff in the OLLI office will
be happy to help you. Just stop by or call 703-503-3384.
DON'T
FORGET MASON VETS AT REGISTRATION TIME
It's easy to contribute when you
register
 
By John Woods,
Development Committee Chair
FALL
REGISTRATION
WILL BEGIN Wednesday,
August 16. As always, we have a wonderful selection of
courses and activities from which to choose. So, next month you have
to decide what to sign
up for. But also – for this upcoming
term only – you have to decide whether to make a donation to the "OLLI
Supports Our Vets" campaign when you register. It's a quick and
easy task since there's a specific place
on the online
registration page and
on the paper registration form (see
image above) where you can make an initial or
additional donation to this important campaign –
paying by credit card when registering online or by credit card or
check when registering with the paper form.
As you know, the OLLI Board of Directors
launched this special fundraising campaign to thank George Mason University for the 20 years the
University has hosted and supported us;
the campaign goal is to raise $20,000. The
recipient of OLLI's
20th anniversary gift will be Mason's Office of Military Services,
which
is providing valuable assistance to the 1,575 military veterans,
active-duty service members and family members who are enrolled at
Mason. This office supports the lifelong learning of the
people who have served our country so gallantly.
| If we achieve our goal, our
gift will fund a Veteran Transition Coordinator, whose job would be to
help and guide these military-associated students through the many complex details involved as they go through the process of enrolling in
college and dealing with the Veterans Administration for their
scholarships. This person will also serve as
the link between the students and Mason offices such as counseling
services and admissions, assisting students in their difficult
transition from military life to being a college
student. Thus, our donations will have a significant impact on military
veterans, active-duty service members and family members who are
attending Mason. |
If each OLLI member
contributed one dollar for every
year OLLI has existed – i.e., only $20.00 – we would meet our goal. As of Wednesday,
July 27 we have raised $17,448 – 87
percent of our
goal, so reaching it is clearly achievable ... with your
generous
assistance. We hope that each of you
will consider contributing to help us push this
campaign over the top. Thank you!
Online
resources (click to view)—
- Video message to
OLLI members from Jennifer Connors, Mason Office of Military Services
- OLLI member
David Mason's video
interview
of veteran Jim Miller
- OLLI
campaign
flyer (pdf) with tear-off credit card/check/cash donation form that
can
be given to staff at any site or mailed to OLLI ... or donate when you
register for the fall term
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to top
WILLING TO BE A CLASS
LIAISON?
|
 Check the "L" box!
New members:
you may want to take classes for a term before volunteering so you can
first observe our liaisons at work. After that, jump right in! It is a
great way to begin volunteering at OLLI.
-- By Martha Scanlon,
Member Services Committee Chair
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DIRECTOR
PROFILE
Gordon Canyock – new
Board member and 'A Man For All Seasons'
By Barbara Kyriakakis, OLLI E-News
Associate Editor
CAMBRIDGE
DICTIONARIES ONLINE defines
a man for all
seasons as
"a man who is very successful in many different types of activity."
Gordon Canyock—newly elected OLLI Board member, Communications
Committee chair, Finance Committee member, Bridge Club founder and
co-coordinator, Readers' Theatre actor, teacher, student, theater-goer
and genealogist—is such a man. His life is a windstorm of activities,
all of which are done with enthusiasm and much success.
Raised in Long Island, New York, Gordon
received his BA in Political Science from Cornell University and his MA
in Soviet Area Studies from the University of Kansas. Commissioned in
the Army in 1961, he studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute
in Monterey, California and graduated from the US Army Russian
Institute in Germany. After a career in military intelligence with
posts in Germany, the USSR and Vietnam, he retired as a colonel in
1991.
When Gordon joined OLLI in 1997, he was struck
by the breadth and diversity of the program. He still finds these
facets of OLLI the most enjoyable part of being a member. After
attending classes for several years, Gordon jumped in and—with no
previous teaching experience—taught a class on current events ... then
presented his "Confessions of a Cold Warrior" and moderated "Great
Decisions." He has been teaching and moderating classes ever since.
A bridge aficionado,
Gordon has taught this difficult game to OLLI members in the past, and
he is again teaching it to beginners for the third time this fall. His
many other volunteer positions have included Board member for six years
(2003-2009), during which time he held office as OLLI secretary and
treasurer; Ad Hoc Bylaws Revision Committee chair; Facilities Committee
chair; Communications Committee chair (since 2005); Readers' Theater
coordinator; and editor of OLLI News
(the print-only newsletter that preceded OLLI E-News).
Gordon considers his most important
achievement at OLLI to be the co-founding with Rod Zumbro of OLLI E-News in 2005. He and Rod
spent many hours developing the concept of our electronic newspaper,
which quickly became a slick and informative news medium
that OLLI members have enjoyed weekly for the past six years.
Although it seems impossible, Gordon does have
a life outside OLLI. He is married to Judy, his college sweetheart;
they have one son and one grandson, and they celebrated their 48th
wedding anniversary this year. Gordon's other activities include
genealogy and service on the Board of the Friends of the Center for the
Arts at George Mason, where he holds office as its secretary.
Gordon's long years of service to OLLI, myriad
volunteer work in key positions and invaluable contributions have
helped make OLLI the superb Institute that it is. Gordon Canyock is
surely the epitome of a 'Man for All Seasons.'
SIXTH ANNIVERSARY
OLLI E-News reaches a milestone
THIS
ISSUE IS THE
SIXTH ANNIVERSARY of the
launching of OLLI
E-News in 2005. My continued thanks to the E-News gang—Gordon
Canyock,
Barbara Kyriakakis, John West and, a recent addition, Ernestine Meyer.
Gordon, Barb and John carefully review the draft of each issue,
catching errors and making sure everything is understandable. Associate
editor Barb also coordinates our "staff writer" volunteers who
interview and write profiles of members. Backup
editor Ernestine puts E-News together when I am out of town (as John
did for many years), thereby
assuring that the membership receives its
weekly package of informative news.
Special thanks to everyone who prepares and
submits "content" – the columns, articles, notices and photographs –
for E-News, including regular
contributors Thom Clement and columnists Jan
Bohall ("Mason Arts & Music"), Helen Ackerman ("Mason Highlights")
and Sheri Siesseger ("Hylton Arts & Music") as well as
club/workshop coordinators and numerous other OLLI members, many of
whom send in unsolicited but most welcome material. Because of
their willingness to share, everyone benefits; after all, without this
content, there would be no news to publish!
Back
to
top
GRAND CAMP 2011
A "terrific day" for members and their
grandkids
| Above, participants in Grand Camp 2011,
all saying "OLLI!"; photo by Bill Walsh. Click image above or click here for a
50-second slideshow of Grand Camp photos taken by Dick Young. |
EIGHTY-FOUR
PARTICIPANTS (36
OLLI grandparents and 48 grandchildren) enjoyed the second OLLI Grand
Camp this past Tuesday, July 26. There were classes in Juggling, For
the Love of Guinea Pigs, Origami Creations, Music with Mason, Salut Les Enfants ("Hello Children"
in French), Comic Books, Singing in Rounds, Collage Making, Pirate
Camp, Theatre Games, and "Eat It Up Art," and Fun Stations for Face
Painting, S'mores at the campfire, Beachball Volleys, and a K-9 police
dog and handler. A great day of learning and fun for all!
Back to top
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OLLI
SPIRITWEAR
Click image or here to shop
Order
sweatshirts,
shirts, caps and tote bags with the OLLI/Mason logo
at any time directly from the vendor for delivery to your home. At the
store, click "OLLI-GMU Store" to see the pictures, then click on each
item
to see details. Note: The
pictures do not show our logo but it
will be embroidered on items that you order.
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OLLI FACEBOOK GROUP
Click
icon or here to
join
OLLI
members are
encouraged to join the OLLI Facebook group as
a means
of enhancing intra-OLLI communications. Recent articles: how to join;
how to post
photos. (The icon is also under the Quick
Links table
on our Home page and What's New page.) Note: Once you join the OLLI group,
you can access the group from your personal Facebook page by clicking
on "Groups" or "More" in the left-side navigation area. |
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Selected by the OLLI Poetry
Workshop
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The
Wedding
Bride, beautific and serene
Groom, tense and nervous, tells jokes
That are not really funny
Bride's mother in full control
Dad anxiously surveys and grieves
Bridesmaids with bosoms bulging over
Too-tight strapless dresses
Primp and twirl with excess of self-imagined glamour
The brother, sulky, and his sulky girlfriend
Droop and slump and secretly shift into the shrubs
For a silent cigarette puffed and gulped
With deep and secret inhalations
"Until death us do part" seems irrelevant
As is "cleaving unto one another" which has
Obviously been done to excess in recent months
No matter, the bride weaves her dreams on silken
Threads within her cocoon of
Beauty and serenity
Jennifer
Manly
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Back
to top
 HYLTON
ARTS AND MUSICUpcoming Manassas performances, Jul 29 - Aug 21
By Sheri
Siesseger, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS, call
1-888-945-2468 or click "Buy Tickets" at the event listing in the calendar
(phone and
online orders are handled by
tickets.com; a service charge applies) – or visit the box office in the
lobby of the Hylton
Performing
Arts Center on Mason's Prince William Campus in Manassas, Wed-Sat,
noon to 6:00. More info on tickets is at the ticket
purchase page.
 1st Annual Scott Kirby Concert
Fri, Aug 12, 7:30
Folk rock artist Scott Kirby performs in this event which is also a
benefit for the Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center. Kirby has recently
appeared with Jimmy Buffet in Key West, FL and has previously performed
with artists Carole King and Livingston Taylor.
Admission:
$35, $50
Merchant Hall |
COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Upcoming non-class events at
OLLI
THE
FOLLOWING LIST covering the next three weeks is extracted for your
convenience from the master calendar maintained by the office, with
direct Web links added when available. OLLI members are welcome at all
Board, committee and resource group meetings. For more activities
specifically related to the Loudoun
site, see Roberta Sherman's latest Loudoun
Notes (pdf). For
more activities
specifically related to the Reston
site, see Sharon Gilman's latest Eye on Reston (Word
document).
Note:
The below list is accurate as of mid-week but for the very latest
information, please see Upcoming
Non-Class Events to view the
real-time OLLI online
calendar maintained by
the office.
Back
to top
KEY CONTACT
INFORMATION
How to contact OLLI
HERE
IS A READY REFERENCE on how to contact OLLI.
For email
addresses and phone numbers not listed below, please consult the online
Membership Directory (log in to Member
Portal).
About OLLI E-News
and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
Ernestine Meyer
Backup
Editor
Editor
for Aug 19
and
Aug 26 issues
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Review Team: Gordon
Canyock,
Barbara Kyriakakis, John West
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis
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- About
this newsletter.
OLLI's
weekly newsletter, OLLI
E-News,
is
emailed
to
current
OLLI
members
with
email
addresses
on
Fridays.
When
classes
are
in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact Editor Rod
Zumbro or Communications Committee Chair Gordon
Canyock.
- Submissions. We
encourage members
to submit news items, articles and photos for this newsletter. The deadline
to
the editor is 7:00 pm Wed (7:00 pm Mon for letters to the
editor
for which an
OLLI response is appropriate) for that
week's issue; submissions
earlier in
the week are strongly encouraged and greatly appreciated.
Please
limit
articles to about 250 words. Submit material via email to Editor Rod
Zumbro
(email rzumbro@gmu.edu).
- Read the latest
issue early. The
new weekly issue of OLLI
E-News
is posted to the OLLI Web site Thursday evening. Read it by visiting http://www.olli.gmu.edu/pubs.htm#enews,
where
you
will
find
a
list
of
the
last
12
issues;
click
the
latest issue listed.
- Viewing or searching past
issues. Your options for finding items in past issues of OLLI E-News
include viewing the last
12
issues; searching the
content of
ALL issues for any word or words; and searching the
DocStore archive of all past issues by date or issue number.
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Updated:
July 29, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at
George Mason University. Materials in this publication subject to
OLLI-Mason copyright may be reproduced for noncommercial educational
purposes as long as credit is given to OLLI-Mason.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George
Mason University, 4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384; Email: olli@gmu.edu;
Fax:
(703) 503-2832
Original site design and construction by OLLI-Mason member Rod Zumbro. |
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