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OLLI
E-News
#36-11 of September 23, 2011
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Issue #36-11 of Sep 23, 2011
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FLU SHOT CLINIC: Tallwood, Fri, Oct 7,
1:00-3:00. Sign up in the Tallwood office, or contact the office
(703-503-3384 or email).
>
NEW EXHIBIT:
OLLI Photography Club
photos in the Tallwood
social room annex.
>
MEMBER HANDBOOK: For your light reading, the new 2011 edition of
the Member Handbook is
now available at this link
(pdf).
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THE
CULTURE OF OLLI
From the executive director
AT THE SEPTEMBER 16 RECEPTION recognizing
our 20th anniversary, it was evident to me why OLLI-Mason has been so
successful. We had 165 members in attendance, which was a great turnout
considering it was the last Friday prior to the beginning of our fall
term. Regardless of the turnout, one could not help but be impressed by
the powerful message we heard from our past and present leadership.
That message was loud and clear: it is the tremendous dedication,
foresight and passion for learning of our members that has enabled us
to grow.
Our numbers have increased from fewer than 100
in 1991 to almost 1,000 in 2011. Our program offerings continue to
expand both in quantity and in variety, with more than 400 courses and
special events each year. We now offer classes on three main campuses
and in several off-site locations. None of this would have occurred if
the OLLI members themselves had not taken the initiative to organize,
lead and teach.
I enjoyed the comments from our past
presidents in the video produced by Rod Zumbro. Their intelligence,
humor and intellectual acuity were obvious, and their messages were all
on the theme of deep interest in continual growth for the Institute.
Back to top
Last Friday's Board of Directors meeting
THE
OLLI BOARD OF DIRECTORS met
Friday,
September 16 at Tallwood (the Board did not meet in August). The Board
approved President Manny Pablo's appointment of Wendy Campbell to fill
the vacancy on the Board; Wendy then joined the Board and will serve as
director until June 2012 (our Organization page
has photos and profiles/bios of all Board members).
There was brief discussion of a recent
Executive Committee decision taken in early September to donate $1,000
from Friends of OLLI funds to the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Music
Endowment Fund with the understanding that this amount would be
deducted from our 2012 scholarship funds for Mason's School of Music.
Our $1,000 donation is expected to be matched by an equal amount from
other private gifts.
Executive Director Thom Clement reported that
OLLI has 972 members. Through August, $24,174 has been donated this
year to Friends of OLLI (used for items such as classroom
enhancements and scholarships to deserving students in Mason
departments supporting the OLLI program). Thom noted that this included
$7,500 recently
donated to the Lilyan and Abe Spero Memorial Fund, of which $5,000 came
from
the estate of the late Lilyan Spero,
OLLI Founding Member and third
president. Friends of OLLI has a balance of $18,430 after obligations.
Treasurer Dave Mason reported that OLLI is in
"pretty good shape financially" at present but that 2012 will be a
"tight year" and a dues increase may be needed to avoid a risky
drawdown in working capital ;
the current thinking is for a $10 dues increase to $360. The Finance
Committee will be meeting soon to finalize the proposed 2012 budget for
presentation to the Board at the October 21 meeting (10:00, Tallwood).
All OLLI members are invited to attend.
Back
to top
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Dave Ryan
Photo by
Gordon Canyock |
THIS
“RED DOT” WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!
Profile of committee chair Dave
Ryan
By Carolyn Sanders, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
DAVE
RYAN HAS BEEN AROUND OLLI
only a short time—he's still a "Red Dot"—but he's already volunteered
to be the first chair of the OLLI Public Relations Committee and to put
his professional experience in public relations at the U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency to good use. Now that's the OLLI spirit!
Dave wants you to have his email address ( daveryan1@cox.net) and telephone
number (703-593-1008) at your fingertips so you can share ideas with
him, make suggestions and volunteer to help get the word out about OLLI.
The son of a U.S. Air Force pilot, Dave was
born in Brazil and
went to 1st and 2nd grades in Japan. He has both a BA and an MA in
advertising from Michigan State University. This slim,
in-very-good-shape man likes to run and enjoys reading. His
favorite book is Mario Puzo's The
Godfather.
Dave first heard about our wonderful
organization from his wife, Nancy Scarborough – an OLLI member since
2007. He loves to travel and spend time in his Ocean City condo. Dave
likes to cook, but also enjoys ethnic eating out. He has two sons and
three grandchildren.
Be sure to look for Dave and help him get OLLI
in the media's attention. We will all benefit.
Back to top
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
1991 – 2011
 By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
Cakes at
20th anniversary
reception; photo by
Dan Feighery.
NOSTALGIA AND
MEMORIES ABOUNDED as
OLLI members gathered at the Church of the Good Shepherd last Friday
afternoon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of OLLI. They heard Carol
Ferrara, first staff/program director/woman-Friday tell tales of our
beginnings in one classroom/office within a local Fairfax City building
in 1991. In a well-done video, former OLLI presidents—including early
leaders Kathryn Brooks, Shirley Fox and Lilyan Spero—gave individual
reflections on the growth of our Institute over the years. Other
highlights:
- Members from
the early days of OLLI were introduced, including Helen Lapitsky of
Arlington, Marjorie White of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and current
member Audrey Markham of Vienna.
- Kathie West
directed the OLLI Players in three vignettes illustrating pitfalls in
romance.
- Three OLLI
poets, Claire Hasselbeck, Nancy Jarvis and Margaret Trent, read samples
of their work, ranging from humorous to poignant.
- Two mounted
collages of photos of the Mason campus taken by members of the OLLI
Photography Club were unveiled; they will be presented to President
Alan Merten and Provost Peter Stearns on October 21.
- A
representative of the Mason Office of Military Services acknowledged
OLLI's upcoming gift of $20,000 from our recent 20th anniversary fund
drive that will aid veteran students at Mason.
- The student
Brass Quintet from Mason played while attendees sampled a buffet of
tidbits from the Swiss Bakery.
Appreciation was extended to longtime
member/former president Jan Dewire, 20th Anniversary Task Force Chair
and planner of this reception, who was unable to attend due to her
recent surgery.
Emcee/current president Manny Pablo brought
the afternoon to a close by leading members in a rousing rendition of
"Happy Birthday to OLLI," after which members lingered to reminisce,
enjoy cake and look to the future with new plans.
The
"Reflections of Former OLLI Presidents" video is available online; click
here to see it at the OLLI Video News page. To learn more about
OLLI Founder Kathryn Brooks, click here to visit her
page on our site.
Back
to top
BUSTING THE MYTHS
Dispelling the rumors about the OLLI
Walking Group
 By Doris Bloch, Walking Group
Co-Coordinator
Members of
the OLLI Walking
Group at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, May 2009.
a
pack of seniors strolling around the environs of Tallwood or read the
occasional articles in OLLI
E-News about a mysterious "Walking Group" ... and might have
said to themselves, "What's with
that?"
It's time to rediscover the truth about the
OLLI Walking Group: let's bust the following Five Myths.
1 All OLLI Walking Group members use walkers.
This is false; hardly any of the walkers use
artificial aids. Artificial hips, artificial knees, artificial
shoulders, artificial teeth, sure, but not walkers. (The group is not
currently nicknamed "OLLI Walker-Users Group.")
2 All OLLI Walking Group routes are the
equivalent of Iron-Man competitions in length and difficulty.
One only needs to look at a photo of the group
to dispel this myth.
3 All OLLI Walking Group outings end up at
the same place.
This is related to the myth that the OLLI
Walking Group gets lost on every outing. Not counting the time that we
bushwhacked through thicket in Sky Meadow State Park and the time that
we got lost in Hidden Pond Park, there are no instances of the OLLI
Walking Group ever being lost. This is proven true by the fact that we
always return to somewhere, usually where we are parked. We have never
been permanently lost, only temporarily misplaced.
If we end up at the same place frequently,
that is because our final destination is very often Tallwood. (Not to
be confused with our final, final,
final
destination – we
are postponing that trip for as long as possible.) Also, it is not true
that certain walking laggards have been left behind, never to be seen
again.
4 OLLI Walking Group members each pay the
group coordinators a $10 initiation fee and $5 every time they walk.
This is, unfortunately, untrue. If it were
true, the coordinators would be living on the Costa del Sol by now.
5 The OLLI Walking Group members are no fun
at all.
This can be readily refuted by the fact that
Walking Group members recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the
founding of the group. With great hilarity and camaraderie, we
commemorated this great occasion by having a communal lunch last month
at a local restaurant – walking about a mile from/to Tallwood for the
event.
The
above article was modeled after the Five Myths feature in The Post's Outlook section. For
photos and details about the OLLI Walking Group, click
here to view its web page.
Selected by the OLLI Photography Club
"Lilium"
by Don
Allen
THIS
MONTH'S
PHOTO
may be viewed in various sizes at this
page.
To view other photos by
members of the OLLI Photography Club, visit the Club's website.
JOINT VENTURE SUCCESS
Climate change lecture at Prince William
campus
Full
house at lecture on
Wednesday, September 21 in Discovery Hall; photo by Thom Clement.
OLLI
and the Lifelong Learning Institute of Manassas (affiliated
with Northern Virginia Community College) jointly sponsored a lecture
and seminar on Climate Change this past Wednesday – presented by Keith
Dixon, research
meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
in Princeton, New Jersey. For details and recommended reading for
members interested in this topic, click here
for the E-News notice about this joint venture.
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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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Window
Dressing
In the
exhibition,
woman in a sari,
yellow, orange, red,
paints what she walks by –
yellow Rajah Bazaar
orange Royal Exchange
red Dollar Plus –
to join her friend in
day glo green illuminating Cricket
Sarah
Munson
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Back
to top
MASON ARTS AND
MUSIC
Upcoming Fairfax performances, Sep 23 - Oct 2
By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS, call
1-888-945-2468 or buy online
(phone and online orders are handled by
tickets.com; a service charge applies) or visit the Center for the Arts
Box Office, Tue-Sat,
10:00-6:00. More info on tickets is at the CFA tickets page.
Michael Feinstein & Marvin Hamlisch
The
Great American Songbook
Sat, Sep 24, 8:00
Two
revered personalities team up to highlight popular music from Broadway
to Hollywood. Mr. Feinstein—vocalist, pianist, musicologist and
foremost interpreter for the Great American Songbook—with his rich
voice has been nominated for five Grammies. Mr. Hamlisch—composer,
conductor and musical director—has won numerous Oscars, Emmys, Grammys,
Golden Globes and a Tony. He is known for his film scores for The Way We Were, The Sting, Sophie's Choice and Ordinary People and for the music
of The Chorus Line. Each
artist will play and sing his own choices, then perform together. For
details and two short videos, click here. This concert
is part of the ARTS by George! benefit ( click here for info).
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a pre-performance artistic discussion on Grand Tier
III. |
 Faculty Artist Series
Philippe
Chao, viola
Tue, Sep 27, 8:00
The
performer, Philippe Chao, is an adjunct faculty member at Mason. With
four other musicians playing viola, two violins and violoncello, he
will perform 18th century music of Alessandro Rolla and Johann
Sebastian Bach, and a composition of Johannes Brahms. For photo and
full program, click here.
Harris Theatre
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Faculty Artist Series
Kenneth
Law, cello
Visions
and Virtuosity
Thu, Sep 29, 8:00
Kenneth Law is an adjunct faculty member at Mason. With guest artist
Stephen Buck on piano, he will perform compositions of Maurice Ravel,
Robert Schumann and Charles Valentin Alkan. For photo and full program,
click
here.
de Laski Building, Rm 3001 |
Music Faculty Artist Showcase
Fri, Sep 30, 8:00
Various members of the music faculty, many well-known to OLLI, will
present a sampling of their skills, including pianists Anna
Balakerskaia, Kelly Ker-Hackleman, Linda Monson and Patricia Parker;
sopranos Lisa Berger and Kate Hearden; percussionist John Kilkenny; and
Larry Snitzler on classical guitar.
Admission: Free, non-ticketed
Harris Theatre |
School of Music Alumni Concert
Sat, Oct 1, 4:00
A
band/orchestra concert will run
simultaneously with a choral concert as part of Alumni Weekend. Among
the featured conductors for the band/orchestra will be Anthony Maiello,
Mark Camphouse and Brian Wuttke. Featured conductors for the chorus
will be Stan Engebretson and Lisa Billingham. For photos and more info,
click
here.
de Laski Building
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Kings of Salsa
Sat, Oct 1, 8:00
The
young Cuban choreographer,
Roclan Gonzalez Chavez, will bring a spicy blend of street salsa,
Afro-Caribbean hip-hop, contemporary dance and Cuba’s classics: the
mambo, rumba and cha-cha-cha. A nine-piece brass band will enhance the
energetic dancing. For details and video, click here.
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a pre-performance artistic discussion on Grand Tier III
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 HYLTON ARTS AND MUSICUpcoming Manassas performances, Sep 23 - Oct 2
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. Note: Two OLLI
members have advised E-News that tickets for events at the Hylton
Performing
Arts Center in Manassas are also routinely available at the Center for
the Arts box office on the Fairfax campus, open Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00.
Alexandria Harmonizers
Road
to Harmony
Sat, Sep 24, 2:00 and 7:30
This DC-area a cappella-performing
chorus has performed at the Supreme Court, the White House and Carnegie
Hall. They are 2010 bronze medalists of the International Barbershop
Harmony Society (IBHS). They will be joined by Crossroads, the 2009
IBHS quartet champions and Da Capo, the 2011 Harmony Sweepstakes
Champions. Click here to
watch a video on the Harmonizers' website.
Merchant Hall |
Vpstart Crow
The
Mousetrap
Preview event, Thu, Sep 29, 8:00
Fri, Sep 30, 8:00
Sat, Oct 1, 8:00
Sun, Oct 2, 2:00
Fri, Oct 7 and Sat, Oct 8, 8:00
Sun, Oct 9, 2:00
The
Hylton Center’s Resident Arts Partner Vpstart Crow presents the Agatha
Christie murder mystery.
Preview is free, non-ticketed
Admission: Adults $20, Students and Seniors $15
Gregory Family Theater
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Hylton Family Series
Knuffle
Bunny: A Cautionary Musical
Sat, Oct 1, 4:00
Based on a Caldecott Award-winning picture book, this event is
presented in partnership with the Kennedy Theater for Young Audiences
on Tour. The book's author, Mo Willems, an Emmy Award winner, teams
with Michael Silversher, a Grammy Award-winning composer to tell the
tale of a little girl, her father and her favorite stuffed animal. It
could be a nice outing with grandchildren.
Admission: $15 Adults, $5 Children
Merchant Hall
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Kings of Salsa
Sun, Oct 2, 4:00
Acclaimed young Cuban choreographer Roclan Gonzalez Chavez has
fashioned this program with dancers and musicians from his native
country. The performance includes cool street salsa, Afro-Caribbean
hip-hop, contemporary dance and classics such as the mambo, rumba and
cha-cha.
Admission: $30, $38, $36
Merchant Hall
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COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Upcoming non-class events at
OLLI
THE
FOLLOWING LIST covering the next two 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
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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 website 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:
September 23, 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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