LEADERSHIP PROFILE
"I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT a way to turn him down," said Garrett Cochran, when President Manny Pablo asked him to be OLLI's new Facilities Committee chairman. Garrett was already a member of the Facilities Committee and is also a member of the Audiovisual Support Committee. As Facilities chair, he will support the Board as it makes decisions concerning OLLI's classroom space needs. He's not worried about getting the help he'll need – "People are good about responding," he said.
     Garrett has been an instructor at all three OLLI sites, giving courses that have drawn upon his 35 years of experience at the Central Intelligence Agency. One course was on weapons of mass destruction and the decision to go to war in Iraq; another was on intelligence problems, co-taught with another CIA alumnus; and a third was on the early days of the spy satellite program – which he also gave at two other local lifelong learning institutes. Now he's developing a course in another area: the logging industry in post-Civil War Pennsylvania. That's a subject he is pursuing so he can better understand some documents his great-grandfather wrote.
     Garrett joined OLLI 12 years ago after a neighbor recommended it. Like many of us, he has enjoyed everything about his OLLI experience: volunteering, taking courses (he likes history, science and current events) and meeting people. The most surprising thing about his life, Garrett said, is that Janet agreed to marry him. Janet is a member of OLLI's Board of Directors and is serving her second term as OLLI secretary.
     Garrett grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. He earned a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. The CIA hired him from the MIT campus and kept him in Washington for his entire career except for a two-year tour in the Army and a year as a mid-career fellow at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. As an intelligence analyst for the Agency, he followed the development of strategic weapons in the Communist countries and systems used to monitor Soviet compliance with arms treaties.
     Outside of OLLI, Garrett and Janet enjoy international recreational biking, traveling, and visiting their four children and eight grandchildren in California, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia.

Upcoming Fairfax performances, Oct 7 - 16

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.

The Mason Players: Studio Series Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park   Fri, Sat, Oct 7, 8, 8:00 Sat, Sun, Oct 8, 9, 2:00      The playwright's first Broadway smash, this zany comedy celebrates the liberating force of spontaneity. Admission: $8 seniors/students/groups, $12 other adults TheaterSpace (Lower level of Performing Arts Bldg, next to Black Box Theater. From Level 2 of Mason Pond Parking Deck take the bridge. Enter first door on left and follow hallway; go through gray door and down stairs).	The Goddess Diaries Fri, Sat, Oct 7, 8, 7:30      Milestones in the lives of girls and women age 11 to 65, from a first visit to the gynecologist to surviving an abusive relationship, these short narratives tell compelling stories. Music and dance performances are interspersed to express the female journey. All proceeds go to the Mason Victims of Violence Fund. Admission: $20, $15 for groups of 10+ purchased together Harris Theatre	Mariinsky Orchestra Valery Gergiev, conductor Sat, Oct 8, 8:00      Formed more than 225 years ago, this orchestra remains one of Russia's most revered ensembles. The orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg (formerly the Kirov Orchestra) will present an all-Tchaikovsky performance, including his Symphony No. 5 and Piano Concerto No. 1. For details and video, click here. Admission: $60, $52, $30 Concert Hall Come at 7:15 for a pre-performance artistic discussion on Grand Tier III.
Aquila Theatre Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest Sun, Oct 9, 7:00      This British-American touring company will present Wilde's timeless comedy of the escapades of two members of the British upper crust. To escape their dull country lives, they invent wild tales of an imaginary Ernest and Bunbury. Their deceptions eventually threaten their romantic pursuits. The performance will be sign-language interpreted. Admission: $40, $32, $20 Concert Hall Come at 6:15 to a pre-performance artistic discussion on Grand Tier III.	Hamed Nikpay Live in Concert 2011 Sun, Oct 9, 7:30      Mr. Nikpay’s passion for and solid knowledge of Persian music enriches his performances. He combines Rumi's poetry with Persian melodies, and will be accompanied by musicians on soprano sax, flamenco guitar, tabla (a pair of small hand drums) and bass. For details and video, click here. Admission: $60, $40 At the door/Night of show $65, $45 Harris Theatre	Virginia Opera Aida Fri, Oct 14, 8:00 Sun, Oct 16, 2:00      Verdi's grand opera, set in ancient Egypt, unfolds the tale of a bitter love triangle caught within two warring nations. Aida is an Ethiopian princess who is enslaved, but secretly loves the military commander, Ramades. When her father is captured, Ramades must choose between his love for Aida and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Click here for full info at Virginia Opera website. Admission: Fri, $86, $72, $44 Sun, $98, $80, $48 Concert Hall Come 45 minutes before each performance for an artistic discussion on Grand Tier III.