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OLLI
E-News #31-09 of August 21, 2009
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OLLI IS VERY RESOURCE-FUL!
From the executive
director
THIS
WEEK I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE of sitting in on meetings with some very
RESOURCE-ful OLLI members as they discussed ideas for future courses.
As you may know, our program is developed totally by our members via
resource groups. Each resource group has a chairperson. You can always
identify resource group chairs because they are confused about what
month (or season) we're in! For example, the Philosophy, Religion and
Ethics Resource Group that I met with this week is working on courses
for the 2010 winter and spring terms -- and it's still August 2009!
In addition to the curriculum resource groups,
OLLI also has program-planning groups in Loudoun and in Reston. As is
the case with our Program Committee, these planning groups oversee the
process of providing a balanced program of course offerings and special
events at each OLLI site. I met with the Loudoun group this week, and
they are truly excited about their expanding program, which of course
is available to all full OLLI members. To encourage sharing of ideas
and resources, the Loudoun and Reston program groups have scheduled a
joint meeting for Mon, Aug 31.
It's not too
late to join in on the fun. Each OLLI member is welcome to attend and
participate in one or more of the upcoming resource group meetings.
Each of them meets at 10:00 at Tallwood unless otherwise noted.
- Mon, Aug 24: Science, Technology and
Health
- Tue, Aug 25: History and Current Events
- Wed, Aug 26: Economics and Finance (11:30)
- Thu, Aug 27: Language, Literature and
Theater
- Fri, Aug 28:
Art and Music
- Mon, Aug 31: Joint Reston/Loudoun program
planning (1:30 at Loudoun Mason
building -- a change of venue for the previously scheduled
Reston program planning meeting)
- Wed, Sep 2: Special Events
 FRIENDS OF OLLI: IMPROVING OUR CLASSROOMS
How your donations are being spent
FRIENDS OF OLLI FUNDING IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL to
our ability to enhance the audio/visual resources of the OLLI program.
For example, we recently used $3,000 in Friends of OLLI funds to
acquire an eight-channel mixer, two wireless microphone systems, and a
powered speaker system for use in locations away from our regular
classrooms. This "road show" public-address sound kit (shown in photo at right by Bill Walsh)
not only is ideal for classes at remote locations, such as Christ
Lutheran Church in Fairfax, but also allows us to have panel
discussions, drama presentations, and Webinars (interactive video and
audio links between OLLI campuses). Obtaining these items also freed up
other sound equipment for use in our Loudoun classrooms, which had no
provision for an instructor's voice to be amplified; as a result,
members are better able to hear presentations.
One of the major 2009 outlays from Friends of
OLLI funds now underway will bring Reston classroom audiovisual
capability up to Tallwood standards. A major improvement
will be the permanent mounting of music-quality speakers on the front
walls of the classrooms for music/video presentations and the
installation of public-address speakers in the ceiling of the
classrooms for the amplification of instructor and introducer voices.
New display
screens will allow larger, brighter images to be projected in both
classrooms.
You can see where your contributions to the
Friends of OLLI are being used in every one of our classrooms. We hope that you will continue to make
generous contributions to the Friends of OLLI (a current opportunity
is to donate when you register for fall classes).
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VISIT TO SKY MEADOWS
The Walking Group strays from home base: a
slideshow
Slideshow:
The Walking
Group at Sky Meadows on Jul 26, 2009; framed photos by Don Allen.
PHOTOGRAPHY
CLUB MEETING
Presentation: "The Focal Point ... or Why
I Took This Picture"
THE OLLI PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB WILL MEET
on
Fri, Aug 28, at 9:30 in TA-1. This month's presentation is "The
Focal Point ... or Why I Took This Picture" by Charles Neenan, a
photographer and digital imaging artist who lives in northern Virginia;
he is one of the two experts who provide online critiques for the OLLI
Photo Club.
Charles says that oftentimes we photographers
forget that cameras are essentially dumb, inanimate tools. We humans
see a beautiful flower, a pretty face, a stunning slide into home
plate; the camera "sees" everything in the viewfinder, good, bad, ugly,
and superfluous. There is no one focal point in the camera’s imaging
process (other than the focusing/metering point). So, what do we do? We
crop – either in camera or in postproduction. This talk will be on how
and why we crop ... and when to best do it.
All interested OLLI members are invited to
attend meetings of the Photography Club.
This
notice was contributed by club coordinator Dan Feighery.
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BRUNCH WITH THE BIRDS
An auction event at the Sanders' home
Slideshow:
Six photos by
Dan and Jean Feighery.
IT WAS
MIDMORNING ON TUE, AUG 3, when
Carolyn and Al Sanders welcomed to their home the winners of the silent
auction item "Brunch with the Birds:
Brunch while
sitting on the old church pew at the antique table overlooking bird
feeders and Al's garden." While Carolyn (with daughter,
granddaughter and
great-granddaughter) completed preparations, guests gathered in the
screened porch for wine, juice and appetizers. Al then showed the
guests around the lovely terraced yard and brightly colored flower
beds. Afterwards the fortunate auction winners gathered in the living
room, where they admired artifacts and heirlooms from a by-gone era
while savoring the aroma wafting from the kitchen.
When everyone was seated and had joined hands,
Al led the
blessing. Then the scrumptious meal started to arrive. There were
homemade breads, jellies, salads, gazpacho, egg dishes, quiche, and
much more ... followed by thin pancakes (two kinds) with fresh berries,
fruit and whipped cream as well as tea and coffee brewed to order.
Conversation, during which we learned more about each other, and
watching the birds (from woodpeckers to a hummingbird) just outside the
dining room window -- all combined for an unforgettable experience. By
mid-afternoon it was time to return to our own separate worlds,
thankful for the wonderful day provided by Carolyn and Al.
-- Dan and Jean Feighery, OLLI members
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THREE NOTICES
New Maps page; archive of catalogs
complete; Senior Olympics
NEW MAPS PAGE
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ARCHIVE OF CATALOGS
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SENIOR OLYMPICS
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Our Web site features a NEW maps and
directions page, with some new maps, to help you locate and drive to
all our sites
as well as to our occasional classroom locations. The revision was in
response to a request from an OLLI member for better guidance to sites.
Check it out
by clicking here. |
With assistance from OLLI Historian Palmer McGrew and
the office staff, Webmaster John West has now archived pdf catalogs for
all
known LRI/OLLI terms since 1991.
Visit
"DocStore"
(click Document Storage/OLLI
Catalogs) to look into the
past and see the wonderful offerings available years ago! |
OLLI members regularly compete and win at the Northern Virginia
Senior Olympics. In 2009 these Olympics are being held during a
two-week period from Sep 12-23. Your registration must be postmarked by Fri, Aug 28 (on-site registration
is not available for many events).
A request:
If you
participate this year, let the editor know and send photos for a future article in
this newsletter!
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PROFILE
OF BOARD MEMBER
Meet
newly appointed
director Suzy Jampoler
By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
IN JUST
ONE YEAR AS A MEMBER of OLLI in Loudoun, Suzy
Jampoler has taken on an impressive number of jobs. She is a member of
the Loudoun Program Committee, which coordinates the work that
individuals do to bring courses from idea to execution. This spring she
took on the role of Loudoun Coordinator and is organizing groups to
work on communications, volunteer coordination, technical support,
membership, community outreach, and OLLI development. Suzy is offering
her home on October 1 for a potluck lunch for members to learn about
"Let's Eat Out" and the Classic Fiction Book Club and to launch
additional clubs. She has been pleased at the members' enthusiastic
response to the 40 Loudoun summer courses and expects that additional
clubs will give members increased social opportunities.
Recently, President Emmett Fenlon appointed
Suzy to fill a vacancy on the Board specifically because he saw the
importance of a Loudoun voice to complete the full integration of our
three sites. With all that Suzy does, including teaching or
coordinating a course each term, and the cooperation she has received
from the Loudoun membership, our newest site is prospering.
In the past, Suzy served as executive director
for the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science and
the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association, non-profits that
provide members with opportunities to cooperate on research and other
common intellectual interests. She also founded and operated
GeoKnowledge, Inc., a geographic technical education business, in which
she developed course materials for companies and government agencies.
Finally, at the university level, she designed and implemented courses
in geographic information systems technology -- including, for example,
the GIS Certificate Program through Mason's Office of Continuing
Education.
Suzy is president of the Loudoun Beekeepers
Association, and in the fall she will be offering the course
"Beekeeping for the Non-Beekeeper" in Loudoun. Five years ago, using
Suzy's honey, her granddaughters (then 9 and 11) founded a non-profit
corporation, Hives For Lives. They, and a growing number of teenagers
mentored by Suzy, are beekeepers and run the business that sells honey
and beeswax candles at farmers' markets, in stores (including Whole
Foods), and on the Internet. So far they have donated $160,000 for
basic cancer research at a number of hospitals and universities.
So often we hear, "What interesting people you
meet at OLLI!" Certainly that can be said of Suzy.
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).
- President:
Emmett Fenlon
- Executive
Director: Thom
Clement, phone 703-503-7866
- OLLI Office, phone
703-503-3384
- Tallwood
Administrator/OLLI Registrar: Maria
Buczek, phone 703-503-3384
- Board
members: See Organization page
(to send an email to the entire Board, send it to the office or the OLLI
E-News editor, and your
message will be forwarded to all members of the Board)
- Committee
chairs, resource-group chairs: See Organization
page
- Suggestions: Online
suggestion box
- Letters to
the editor or letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit
(etiquette
matters): OLLI
E-News Editor Rod Zumbro,
phone
703-569-2750
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Mason events
 By Helen Ackerman, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
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- Organic Gardening Workshop. If
you’re interested in growing plants, fruits, and vegetables in an
environmentally sustainable way, this workshop is for you. Instructor
is Tanya Amrhein Paull of the Belle Meade School and Farm, an
operation that uses only sustainable and chemical-free garden
practices. Sat, Aug 29, 9:00 to 12:00, Smithsonian's Conservation and
Research Center, Front Royal. Offered as part of the Smithsonian-Mason
Global Conservation Studies Programs. Register online by Aug 26. $70
($55 for Friends of the National Zoo).
- Cinema
Series: Boondock Saints. Two Irish
brothers believe they have a calling to eliminate members of the mafia
in this 1999 action crime drama. Fri, Sep 4, 6:00 and 9:00, Sat, Sep 5,
6:00 and 9:00, Sun, Sep 6, 3:00 and 6:00. Johnson Center, Cinema. Mason
students w/ID, free; Mason faculty and staff w/ID, $1; general public,
$3.
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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 master calendar maintained by the office (see Upcoming
Non-Class Events to view the real-time OLLI online calendar used by
the office). Note: Board,
committee, resource-group and 'membership-type' meetings/events below
are highlighted
in bold. OLLI members are
welcome at all Board, committee and resource-group meetings (except
during executive sessions).
Fri Aug
21 10am
Recorder Consort - TA-2
11am
Homer Group -
Social
Room Annex
Mon Aug 24
10am Science,
Technology and Health Resource Group - TA-2
10am Online
Registration Help Session - Tallwood
10am Bridge Club - TA-3
Tue Aug 25
Knitting and Needlework Club - Lake Anne
Coffee
Shop
10am History
and Current Events Resource
Group -
TA-1
Wed Aug 26
10am Online Registration Help Session - Loudoun
10am Investment Forum
- TA-3
11:30am Economics and
Finance Resource
Group -
TA-3
Thu Aug 27
10am Literature,
Language and Theater Resource Group - TA-2
Fri Aug 28
9:30am Photography Club - TA-1
10am Art and Music Resource
Group -
TA-3
10am Recorder Consort
- TA-2
10:30am Classic Fiction Book
Club - Cascades Library
11am Homer Group -
Social Room Annex
Mon Aug 31
10am Bridge Club - TA-3
1:30pm Joint Reston/Loudoun Program Planning
Meeting - Loudoun GMU campus
Tue Sep 1 Knitting and Needlework
Club
- Lake Anne Coffee
Shop
Wed
Sep 2
Fall
Registration Ends
10am Special Events Resource
Group -
Annex
10am Investment Forum
- TA-3
Fri Sep 4
10am Recorder Consort - TA-2
11am Homer Group -
Social Room Annex
Mon Sep 7
OLLI Office Closed - Labor Day
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OBITUARY
Former OLLI member Al Smith
 FORMER OLLI MEMBER AL SMITH
(photo
at right)
died on Aug 6. Al's wife Annette Smith is a member of OLLI. Al was profiled in OLLI E-News in Apr 2007 as a member
of "The Greatest Generation" (click here
to view the article) and he contributed an article in Oct
2007 entitled "An Unforgettable Experience" (click here
to read his article).
The following death notice appeared in the Aug
8 issue of The Washington
Post.
Alfred E. Smith: On Thu, Aug 6, 2009
at his residence in Fairfax, VA. Beloved husband of 50 years to
Annette; loving father of Ronald J. (Susan), Thomas J. and Dr. Alfred
W. Smith. Alfred is also survived by two grandchildren, Therese and
James Smith. Visitation will be held on Sun, Aug 9, from 2 to 4 and 6
to 8 pm at FAIRFAX MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, 9902 Braddock Rd., Fairfax,
VA. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Mon, Aug 10, at St. Mary
of Sorrows Catholic Church, 5222 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax, VA at 1 pm.
Interment will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Fairfax Station, VA. In
lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Capital Hospice, 6565
Arlington Blvd., Suite 500, Falls Church, VA 22042 or Fairfax City Fire
and Rescue Department, 4081 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030. |
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About OLLI E-News and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
John West
Deputy
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
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Review Team: Gordon Canyock,
Michael Coyne, Barbara Kyriakakis, John West, Susanne Zumbro
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis; Photo
Editor: Michael Coyne
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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 our
archive of all past issues by date or issue number.
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Updated: August 21, 2009
Copyright © 2009 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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