|
OLLI
E-News #40-09 of October 23, 2009
|
issue #40-09 of Oct 23, 2009
|
REPORT ON THE
SIXTH OSHER CONFERENCE
From the president
 By Emmett Fenlon, President
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY
to report to you and share some thoughts from the Sixth Osher Lifelong
Learning Institutes National Conference, which Thom Clement and I
attended on October 12-14. The conference provided an opportunity to
appreciate both the similarities and the differences of OLLI programs.
There are 120 lifelong learning programs with 86,000 members on
university campuses located in D.C. and all fifty states. All
institutes are committed to providing their members with intellectually
challenging courses and activities. However, in discussions, it soon
became clear that they accomplish this in many different ways.
The institutes vary in operation, number of
students, course offerings, member involvement, use of technology, and
structure. While all OLLIs have some type of university affiliation,
most are located within a university department or office. Very few
institutes are similar to our OLLI, which is an independent corporation.
My impression is our Institute at George Mason
University has faced and met many challenges that some newer/smaller
institutes are now addressing. In conversations during the conference,
I was told by at least two people how their OLLI often referred to the
content of our Web site to obtain guidance. In summary, the conference
had a spirit of contagious enthusiasm from both the presenters and the
attendees.
Related
Web link: Conferences
page of the OLLI National Resource Center's Web site, where you can
view a description of the conference program and sessions (and other
conference information).
WE
WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
From the executive
director
UNLESS YOU ARE A BRAND-NEW OLLI MEMBER, I'm sure you are aware that we are trying
a small but significant change in the daily schedule in Fairfax and
Reston this fall. In order to allow adequate time for a safe and
orderly transition between the daily sessions for OLLI classes, we made
a 15-minute adjustment to the mid-day time slot. Beginning in this fall
2009 term, the mid-day slot is 11:45 to 1:15. This allows 45 minutes
between each of the three time slots at Tallwood and Reston.
OLLI/Loudoun is slated to move to the same schedule beginning in spring
2010. This new schedule also allows for travel time between OLLI
campuses for members who take classes at more than one location.
As we plan for future terms, we'd like to get
your thoughts about the OLLI daily schedule. Please take a few minutes
to complete the survey questions that are found by clicking on this
link (if that does not work, you can copy the following link and
paste it into the address field of your Web browser).
|
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=cwH_2b0Q29XFgQsvJjYuogJg_3d_3d
|
BUS TRIP TO THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY
First-ever trip from Reston
 By John Meier, OLLI member 
"On the way"
by Stan Schretter.
CAPPING A SERIES OF THREE CLASSES, more
than 40 OLLI members and guests enjoyed a comfortable and first-ever
bus trip from Reston to the lower Shenandoah Valley last Friday,
October 16. On the way to the Valley, the group was provided with
overviews of the Civil War during the critical year of 1864 and the
significant Battle of Cedar Creek, which occurred 145 years ago just
south of Middletown, Virginia.
After viewing the battlefield, we toured Belle
Grove Plantation, a finely restored manor house, dating to 1797.
Included in the tour was an excellent description of the battle and how
its favorable outcome for the Union aided Abraham Lincoln's reelection
to a second term. The grounds around Belle Grove were filling with
Civil War reenactors. After an active morning, everyone enjoyed a
pleasant lunch at the Wayside Inn in Middletown.
From there, the group journeyed to White Post,
Virginia, for a tour of Long Branch Historic Home and Farm. The house,
dating to 1811 and fitted with an amazing "flying" staircase, is filled
with beautiful antiques and furnishings. The grounds were being
occupied by various stalls and attractions in preparation for the 14th
Annual Wine Tasting and Balloon Festival. The weather would not
accommodate any balloon launches but throughout the day, no rain fell
on our parade -- at least, while walking! Indeed, this was an excellent
adventure, and you can view the highlights in this
online album of Stan Schretter's photos (click "Slideshow" at upper
left of album to see the slideshow of 21 photos). That this trip was
highly successful is due in no small part to the skillful work of
Tallwood staff members Maria Buczek, Beth Davis and Karen Nash.
Related
Web links--
Back
to top
HORSESHOES ANYONE?
Did you know Tallwood has a horseshoe pit?
Emmett
Fenlon
(left) and Paul Howard enjoy a game of horseshoes during a class break.
Photo by Valerie Braybrooke.
YES,
COURTESY OF THE LANDSCAPING COMMITTEE, OLLI
members can play horseshoes during class breaks, as our president and
chief Swiftie (i.e., head of the Tom Swift Squad or Audiovisual Support
Committee) are shown above doing.
Where, you might ask, is the horseshoe pit
located? Well, it's in the southwest corner of the Tallwood property;
walk south between TA-2 and Stallwood to the round picnic tables and
chairs of OLLI's Picnic Terrace,
then walk west down the steps, and voilà, you're there.
 OLLI
SPIRITWEAR
|
|
|
DEPARTMENTS
|
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
(Note: 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
Back
to top
MASON ARTS AND
MUSIC
Upcoming Mason performances, Oct 23-Nov 1
By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS, call
1-888-945-2468 (phone orders are handled by tickets.com)
or visit the Center for the Arts Box Office, Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00. More
info on tickets at the CFA tickets page.
GMU
Players Mainstage #1
Ah,
Wilderness!
written
by Eugene O’Neill
directed
by Howard Vincent
Kurtz
Fri, Oct 23, Sat, Oct 24, 8:00
Sat, Oct 24, 2:00
Also Oct 29, 30, 31, 8:00
Oct 31, Nov 1, 2:00
This comedy, a departure for O’Neill, is set in an idyllic Connecticut
town in 1906 and gives a glimpse of small-town family values, teenage
angst and young love. Richard Miller, a young poet who rebels against
the conformity of his middle-class life, is intent on exploring the
mysteries of life through forbidden pleasures.
(Note:
The Oct 24 performance is OLLI Special
Event F961. You are invited to stay for a post-performance
discussion with the director and members of the company.)
Admission: $8 seniors/students, $12 other adults
TheaterSpace (Lower level of
Performing Arts Bldg, next to Black Box Theater. From Level 2 of
Parking Deck take the bridge. Enter first door on left and follow
hallway; go through gray doors and down stairs.) |
L.
A. Theatre Works
War of the Worlds and
The
Lost World
Fri, Oct 23, 8:00
America’s premier radio theater company re-creates Orson Welles’
chilling broadcast of War of the
Worlds from 1938, followed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s comedy, The Lost World, the story of a
hair-raising scientific expedition into the Amazon.
Admission: $36, $28, $18
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion on Grand Tier III.
GMU Opera Review
An
Evening of American
One-Act Operas
Fri, Oct 23, Sat, Oct 24, 8:00
Two
operas will be presented, Gallantry
by Douglas Moore and The Telephone
by Gian Carlo Menotti.
Admission: $15 seniors/students, $20 other adults
Harris Theater |
Shaolin
Warriors
Sat, Oct 24, 8:00
Sun, Oct 25, 4:00
The
group brings the skill, dramatic movement and imagery of the ancient
art of Chinese Kung Fu to the stage. The artists are trained from a
very young age in mental and physical exercises and are known for their
discipline and ferocious martial arts skills.
Admission: $44, $36, $22
Family Friendly: Youth grade 12 and under, half-price with an adult. (Note change from "age 12 and under" last
season.)
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion on Grand Tier III. |
National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts
Highlights of Classical Chinese Theater
Mon, Oct 26, 7:00
China's National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts will perform these
highlights, including excerpts from some of the most famous Peking and
Kunqu Operas--forms of traditional Chinese theater that combine music,
vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics with vibrant makeup and
costumes. Peking Opera has been performed for more than 200 years and
Kunqu Opera, often called the mother of Chinese Opera, has been
performed for more than 600 years. ( See pdf flyer.)
Prior to the concert at 6:15 pm in Harris
Theater there will be a video on Chinese Opera.
Harris Theater
GMU Symphony and Chamber Orchestras
Fall
Concert
Featuring
GMU Choirs
Tue, Oct 27, 8:00
Admission: $10 seniors, $15 other adults, students free
Concert Hall
|
Freedom Without Walls: A Gala Commemoration
Thu, Oct 29, 8:00
Join students and faculty from across the University for a gala concert
commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The
performance features an original movement piece performed by Artists in
Action; readings and songs; and as grand finale, the exciting choral
movement from Beethoven's majestic 9th Symphony-- the same work chosen
by Leonard Bernstein for a performance in Berlin in 1989 to celebrate
the Wall's demolition. Light refreshments will be served at a reception
following the performance.
Admission: Free, no ticket required
Concert Hall |
MOMIX
Best
of Momix
Sat, Oct 31, 8:00
Choreographer/director Moses Pendleton has led these dancers through
works of “delightful inventiveness and physical beauty,” including
floating them through extraterrestrial terrains and hurling them like
baseballs. This collection offers unpredictable and sometimes bizarre
performances.
Admission: $44, $36, $22
Family Friendly: Youth grade 12 and under, half-price with an adult. (Note change from "age 12 and under" last
season.)
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion on Grand Tier III.
|
MASON HIGHLIGHTS
Other Mason events
 By Helen Ackerman, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
|
- School
of Art
Building Dedication. Join the celebration and hear remarks by
Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, Director of The Phillips Collection. Fri, Oct 23,
2:00. School of Art Building, Gallery. Free, refreshments.
- Veritas
Forum: Os Guinness (bio), Senior Fellow at
the East West Institute, will speak on the topic "How Do We Face Evil?"
Thu, Oct 29, noon. Johnson Center, Cinema. Free.
- Cinema
Series: The Evil Dead. Get your
Halloween goose bumps early with a creepy movie. Thu, Oct 29, 6:00 and
9:00. Johnson Center, Cinema. Mason students w/ID, free; Mason faculty
and staff w/ID, $1; general public, $3.
- Youth
in
Post-Conflict Settings: Toward Healing, Justice, and Development:
Conference. This conference focuses on the plights and prospects
of youth in post-conflict settings. Presented by the Institute for
Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Fri, Oct 30, 9.30 to 4.30. Research
I, Room 163. Free.
- Bike
to Mason Day.
Celebrate the great outdoors and ride your bike to Mason. Enjoy a free
continental breakfast and pick up a free t-shirt and water bottle. Tue
morning, Oct 27, 7:00 to 10:00. Join Vice Presidents Dr. Maurice
Scherrens and Dr. Sandy Scherrens at noon for a bike ride around
Patriot Circle. Gather outside Mason Hall.
- Vocal
Lecture
Recital: Anne O'Dell. Sun, Nov 1, 4:00. Performing Arts
Building, Choral Room. Free.
- Never
Forget: World
War II Veterans. Enjoy a special viewing of the first two
episodes of HBO's Band of Brothers
series. Part of the Never Forget: World War II Veterans series,
remembering the veterans of the Second World War. Mon, Nov 2, 2:00 and
7:00. Harris Theater. Free.
|
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, with
direct Web links added when available. 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 Oct
23
8am
- Special
Event -
F960, It
Smiles Even in its Tears, Bus Trip
9am
Recorder Lessons - TA-3
9:30am Photography
Club - TA-1
10am Drama Club - TA-3
10am Recorder Consort
- TA-2
10am Special
Event
- R968, Concert
of Songs You Love - Lake Anne
10am Board of Directors
Retreat - ICAR
10:30am Classic
Fiction Book Club - Cascades Library
11am Homer Group -
Social Room Annex
Sat Oct
24 2pm - Special Event
- F961, Eugene
O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness!
- GMU
TheaterSpace
Tue Oct 27
11am
Knitting and Needlework
Club - Lake Anne Church
Wed Oct 28 12pm
Special Event - L971, Discussion
with Elderhostel - Loudoun
1:45pm Bridge Club -
TA-3
2pm Special
Event - F962,
Fall
Prevention - Tallwood
Fri Oct 30
9am
Recorder Lessons - TA-3
10am Drama Club - TA-3
10am Recorder Consort
- TA-2
10am Special Event - F963, The
Supreme Court - Bus Trip
11am Homer Group -
Social Room Annex
12:30pm Loudoun Let's Eat Out
- Location
to be Announced
1pm Special Event
- F964, Tea
Seminar and Tasting - Tallwood
Tue Nov 3 11am
Knitting and Needlework
Club - Lake Anne Church
1pm Special Event -
L972, Storytelling
Performance - Loudoun
Wed Nov 4
1pm Cooking Club Planning Meeting - TA-2
1:45pm
Special Events Resource Group Meeting - Annex
1:45pm Bridge Club - TA-3
2pm Special Event
-
F965, Disabilities
at Mason - TA-2
2pm History Club - TA-1
Fri Nov 6
9am Recorder Lessons - TA-3
10am
Town Hall Meeting - TA-1
|
About OLLI E-News and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
John West
Deputy
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
|
|
Review Team: Gordon Canyock,
Michael Coyne, Barbara Kyriakakis, John West, Susanne Zumbro
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis; Photo
Editor: Michael Coyne
|
- 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.
|
|
Updated: October 23, 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. |
|
By 