Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Enews13-15

About OLLI E-News

OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.

Editorial Staff
Chief Editor/Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor:
Weekly Editorial Team: Pat Bangs, John Nash, Paul Van Hemel, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere
Proofreaders: John West, Gordon Canyock, Susan Van Hemel Backup Chief Editor: Sheri Siesseger

Submissions. Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles and photos. Submit material to: [email protected].
Deadline – 6:00 pm Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 pm Monday for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words.
Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by "site:olli.gmu.edu/" without the quotes.

OLLI E-News April 24, 2015
Print a condensed .pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.
Super Salad Social in Reston on April  17th

April 24, 2015


Editor of the Week:  Pat Bangs
Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

● All OLLI members are invited to attend the annual business meeting at 10:00, Friday, May 1 at Tallwood followed by a potluck picnic lunch. Please register for the event (Event 983) on the OLLI member portal.
● Indulge your sweet tooth at the Spring Fling/Ice Cream Social, 1:00-3:00 May 22 at Tallwood. Register (Event 993) on the OLLI member portal.
 

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Board Meeting Summary



By Glenn Kamber,  Board President




The OLLI Board of Directors met on April 17 in Loudoun. Candidates for the Board were introduced; the election will take place May 1-15. Biographies and photos of the nine candidates are posted on the OLLI website at olli.gmu.edu.
The Board approved the use of Friends of OLLI funds to print our literary publication: OLLI Ink. Also the Board honored Paul Howard’s outstanding work on the AV Committee by renaming it the Paul Howard A/V Committee. Paul’s term on the Board ends in June.
 

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OLLI Welcomes New Loudoun Site Assistant



By Jennifer Disano, Executive Director


We are so pleased to welcome Leigh Knox as the new site assistant at OLLI Loudoun. Leigh received her bachelor of science degree in medical technology from Auburn University. She worked in hospitals and reference laboratories for a number of years early in her career. In the past 27 years, she also has moved around the globe with her husband Bart, a career Navy dental officer. During that time she offered her volunteer service to Navy and civilian communities. Leigh is an avid quilter and spends much of her free time making quilts for charity. She lives in Oak Hill with her husband Bart and their teenage son, Joe. She also has a daughter, Erin, who lives in Alabama with her husband and 18-month-old son.
Former Loudoun Site Assistant Maria Buczek has decided to pursue her passion for wellness learning and coaching, full time. We are sorry to see Maria go, but happy to report she will be available as on-call staff from time to time.


 

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Executive Director Participates in County Podcast

OLLI Executive Director Jennifer Disano recently participated in a 50+ Podcast organized by the Fairfax County’s Division of Adult and Aging Services.  The County produces these podcast interviews as part of an effort to promote local programming for older adults in Northern Virginia. Click this link to hear the interview in its entirety:  
 

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Notice of Annual Meeting and Election
 
The annual membership meeting will be held on Friday, May 1, 2015, 10:00 at Tallwood. The agenda for the meeting will include:
 
  • Reports from the OLLI President and Executive Director
  • Brief speeches by the candidates for election to the Board and opportunity to ask questions of the candidates, moderated by the Nominating Committee chair
  • Opportunity for questions and answers
 
The election for Board of Directors will take place from Friday, May 1 through Friday, May 15, 2015.

Election Procedure:
 
Recognizing the accuracy, convenience and efficiency of electronic balloting, the bylaws allow for electronic transmission and members are encouraged to use this method of voting. On April 27th, directions on How To Vote For BOD Candidates will be emailed to the OLLI membership, mailed to those without email, included in the OLLI E-News and provided as a handout in classrooms to comply with the bylaws.
 
Any OLLI member who requests a paper ballot will receive one by mail with an addressed envelope marked BALLOT ENCLOSED.  Please notify the OLLI office to request a mailed ballot. Use this ballot to vote for up to six candidates; you can mail the ballot to OLLI or drop it in a ballot box at Tallwood, Reston or Loudoun.  Since you do not sign the ballot or return envelope, your vote remains completely anonymous.  To be counted, all ballots must be received by noon on May 15, 2015.
 
Do not lose your ballot: No member having lost, damaged or destroyed his/her mailed ballot may receive a second ballot.  Making more than six choices will invalidate your ballot.   Similarly, more than one ballot per envelope, any ballot not in the furnished BALLOT ENCLOSED envelope, or not received by May 15 will be invalid.  If you have questions about the election process, contact any member of the nominating committee: Martha Scanlon (chair), Ted Parker, Toni Acton, Russell Stone, Dave Mason and
Paul Van Hemel.


Click here to view BoD candidate profiles
 

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Wanted: Photos from OLLI History

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By Carol Henderson,
Member, 25th Anniversary Committee


As part of OLLI-Mason's celebration of its 25th anniversary in 2016, we would like to prepare a book on our history to include early and more recent photos documenting OLLI’s first quarter-century. We have some suitable photos, but would be delighted to collect more printed or digital pictures that members might wish to contribute. If you have some photos for consideration, we encourage you to submit them.

Martha Scanlon is coordinating the collection of snapshots or printed photos. If you have such printed photos to contribute, clearly indicate (e.g., attach to each photo) the name of the submitter, the name(s) of any individuals in the photo, and state whether you want the photos returned when we have processed them. Please place them in an envelope labeled "Martha Scanlon" on the front.  You may bring printed copies to your local OLLI office; staff will make sure they are delivered to Martha Scanlon at Tallwood.

If you have digital photo files to submit, simply attach them to an email and send to a special email address we have established:
mailto:[email protected]. If we select one of your submitted photos, we will need, for each photo, to obtain a signed release from any recognizable people in the photo granting OLLI permission to use the image in the book (obviously not possible for those who are deceased), and a signed release of copyright from the photographer authorizing OLLI to use the photo in the book. If this information is unavailable, it may not be possible to use the photo.
We welcome your participation to make this anniversary celebration a success!
 

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Creative Aging Festival Features OLLI Events
 


By Alice Slayton Clark,  Communications Associate, Registrar
 

AARP Virginia and the Fairfax County Arts Council are launching the Creative Aging Festival, a month-long celebration in May to showcase arts programs for seniors in Fairfax County.  This is a great opportunity for OLLI members to have fun and dabble in dance, music, poetry, crafts and wellness programs they never knew existed. 
 
OLLI was honored to be asked to participate in the festival and will be offering four classes and special events that showcase our programs for participants.  OLLI registration will be open to the public for two regular spring term classes, and OLLI has created two new offerings to showcase our talent: 
 
  1. Readers Theater Class, Monday, May 4, 11:50-1:15 (F403).  Festival participants can observe our excellent theater students perform monologues, small skits or scenes from plays.
  2. OLLI Players Group performance of “The Changing Seasons of Life,” Friday, May 15, 1:00-2:30 (Special Event 975). Festival participants can enjoy listening to a story reflecting the lives and memories of the OLLI Players, accompanied by violin and guitar.
  3. Tai Chi class demonstration, Thursday, May 21, 2:15-3:15.  Festival participants can experience meditation in motion as part of a Tai Chi martial arts demonstration by Dr. Jerry Cheng (Special Event 991).  Capacity 100.
  4. Arts Open House, Friday, May 29, 10:00-12:00. Festival participants can visit classrooms at Tallwood, listen to first-rate readings from members of the OLLI Poetry Workshop, the rhythms and sounds of the Tallwood Trio and Recorder Consort Group, and lovely images from the Photography Club and other OLLI artists.   Capacity 85.
 
All of these events are open to Festival participants, so don’t be surprised to see members of the public roaming campus on those days.  And please remember to sign up for any and all of these events via the member portal.  They are part of your wonderful OLLI experience. 
 
To find a calendar of all the events offered at the Festival, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/OlderAdults and click on Creative Aging Festival.  Enjoy!
 

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Special County Events in May
Fairfax County is offering special events for older adults in May. For more details and to register for any of these events, see www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/caregiver.htm or call 703-324-5205, TTY 711.

Legal Tools for Caregivers: Webinar. Wednesday, May 6, 12:00-1:00. As a family caregiver you may need to make legal and health care decisions for a loved one. This free Webinar will cover durable powers of attorney, trusts, guardianship, and advanced medical directives.

Strategies for Managing the Stress of Caregiving, Tuesday, May 12, 7:00-8:30 at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. 

"Alive Inside" Movie and Discussion, Saturday, May 16, 10:00 -12:00. This free movie focuses on the Music & Memory program’s ability to combat memory loss and restore meaning to the lives of those with Alzheimer’s disease. Insight Memory Care Center, 3953 Pender Dr., Ste. 100, Fairfax.

Medicare 101. Get the facts about health insurance for older adults at Fairfax County’s free presentation on Tuesday, May 19, 3:00-4:30 at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, 10360 North St., Fairfax. 

Learn about Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage and receive expert assistance in choosing and signing up for a plan for you or your loved one. Wednesday, May 20, 3:00-4:30 at Martha Washington Library, 6614 Fort Hunt Rd., Alexandria.

Independent Living Project Series (Sessions are 8 weeks). Programs start Friday, May 1, 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Kingstowne Library, 6500 Landsdowne Centre, Alexandria and Friday, May 22, 10 a.m.-12:00 at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 8601 Wolftrap Rd., Vienna.
 

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Ask Uncle Olli



By Uncle Olli, Driver Safety Consultant 



Uncle Olli has lived in Northern Virginia most of his lifetime, and has encountered every traffic problem. But sometimes the little problems seem so trivial you are embarrassed to admit them. Easy. Ask Uncle Olli at [email protected]. He is embarrassed by nothing!

I CAN TAKE THE DRIVING COURSE ONLINE? REALLY?
Good news and bad news.  The good news: AARP’s Driver Safety course can be taken online in four-, six-, and eight-hour versions. The bad news: for now, only the eight- hour classroom version is eligible for an auto insurance discount. But here’s more good news:  driver clinics are available through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles as well as the AAA. Just double check that the clinics are eligible for the insurance discount, which in Virginia is good for three years.
 

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Poet's Corner
Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, on January 27th, 1945 *
 
Who thought we’d sit Shiva for hope back then
In many new-grown towns that rose, encased
In wiregrey shadow at their railway ends?
Who’d heard the fatal names of Sobibor,
Or Sachenhausen, Belsen and the rest?
The words that since speak of evil to the world.
 
Remembering the dead without the rites,
So difficult in such a lethal place:
We had no mirrors to be draped, of course,
Our clothing, torn beyond the cuffs, lapels       
And pockets. Shoeless often too, outside,
The wrappings off when well within the huts.
No one could stop his work, no Minyan, no.
But praises for the dead, some Kaddishim,
Were whispered by the few who still had breath.
                          
Those few were there that January day
To see the resurrection of the hope
We’d mourned alone for all those captive years.
Some miracles occur, and some take time.
Remember that, children, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
 
                                                Mike Mc Namara
 
 
* The date was designated by the UN General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
 

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Arts & Music at George Mason

Performances, next ten days

By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

For tickets for either CFA or Hylton, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue's box office. For more information see the CFA ticket page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues

BBC Concert Orchestra
Fri, Apr 24, 8:00
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Walton: Crown Imperial
Vaughn Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 in E minor
Britten: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell
Pre-Performance Discussion: member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $60, $51, $36.

Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra: An Evening with Doc Severinsen
Sat, Apr 25, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.

MOMIX: Alchemia
Fri, May 1, 2015 and Sat, May 2, 8:00
Pre-Performance Discussion: Dan Joyce; GMU School of Dance professor.
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.

 

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Mason Student & Faculty Performances
(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)

Mason Opera: Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance
Fri, Apr 24, and Sat, Apr 25, 8:00
Sat, Apr 25, 2:00
Sun, Apr 26, 3:00
Pre-Performance Discussion: 7:15  on Apr 24 in the Choral Room.
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $15.
 
The Annual Ten-Minute Play Festival
Fri, Apr 24, and Sat, Apr 25, 8:00
Sat, Apr 25, 2:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Adults, $15; seniors, $10.
 
Faculty Artist Series: Brass Area
Tue, Apr 28, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
 
Chamber Music Concert: String and Piano
Wed, Apr 29, 8:00
Laski 3001
Admission: Free.
 
A Capella Ensembles Concert
Wed, Apr 29, 7:00
Johnson Center Bistro
Admission: Free.
 
Mason Cabaret Performance
Thur, Apr 30, 6:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Free.
 
Mason Jazz Ensemble: International Jazz Day
Thur, Apr 30, 8:00
Merchant Hall*
Admission: $10
 
Contemporary Classics & Improv Comedy, Together Again!
Mason Cabaret and the Mason Improv Association
Thur, Apr 30, 8:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Pay what you can ($5 increments).
 
Scholarship Benefit Concert: Concerto Winner Soloists with Mason Symphony Orchestra
Sun, May 3, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $20.
 
A Tribute to Cultural Heritage: A Black History and Asian-American Concert Celebration
Mon, May 4, 7:30
Concert Hall
Admission: Free.
 
Mason Jazz Vocal Night
Mon, May 4, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
 
* Merchant Hall and Gregory Theater are on the Manassas campus

 

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At the Hylton Center

Manassas Senior Center Art Exhibit
Tue, Apr 21 - May 10
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Gallery Reception: Thurs, May 7 from 6:00 to 8:00. RSVP to [email protected].
Admission: Free.
 
Pied Piper Theatre: Shrek the Musical
Presented by Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory
Sat, Apr 24, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Apr 25, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $15; children, $12.
 
New Dominion Choraliers: A Broadway Adventure
Sat, Apr 25, 7:30
Sun, Apr 26, 3:30
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $15.

NOVA Youth Ballet: Sleeping Beauty
Fri, May 1, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $35; seniors, $25.
 
Arts Alive 2015!
Sat, May 2, 12:00 - 4:00
32 indoor and outdoor performances.
Hylton Center
Admission: Free.
 
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
Sun, May 3, 4:00
Brahms: Sextet in G-Major, Op. 36
Shostakovich: Prelude and Scherzo for String Octet, Op. 11
Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Pre-Performance Discussion: Violinist, Harvey de Souza.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.

 

 

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For further details on any of the above events, please see the CFA event calendar and the Hylton Center event calendar

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Mason Highlights

Other Mason events, next two weeks

By Helen Ackerman, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

Exhibit. Pirates of Penzance Collection. University Libraries' Special Collections and Archives is currently exhibiting original materials from The Pirates of Penzance. These items are on display in conjunction with Mason's School of Music production of The Pirates of Penzance. The exhibit traces the musical’s history from its earliest productions to the present day. Pirates received its official American premiere on Dec. 31, 1879.  Fenwick Library, 2nd Floor, Wing A. Apr 24 to May 1. Check http://library.gmu.edu/ for library hours. Free.

Forum. Exploring Entrepreneurship: A Conversation with Dr. Ernst Volgenau. Dr. Volgenau will be talking with Peter Pober and discussing questions about entrepreneurship, ethics, and values. 9:00 - Registration and Continental Breakfast. 9:30-11:00 – Forum. RSVP: [email protected]. George Mason Center for the Arts. Thursday, April 30.

Lecture. New Horizons: Mission to Pluto. Dr Michael Summers will give an update on the progress of the New Horizon’s mission, which reaches Pluto in July. He will show the latest available photos of Pluto, from closer to the dwarf planet than ever before.  Following the talk, and weather permitting, a tour of the observing facilities including a look through the primary telescope will be available. Popular targets this season are Venus, Jupiter, and the moon. In the event of inclement weather, which may be as mild as 20 mph wind or 50% cloud cover, the observatory may postpone the event until the following Monday. If the event is rescheduled, an announcement will be posted at https://cos.gmu.edu/observatory/calendar/ by 3:00 the day of the event. Research Hall, Showcase and Observatory.  Mon, May 4, 8:00 to 10:00. Free.
 

 

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Meetings & Clubs


The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but to check anytime for the latest information, please view the latest forecast of upcoming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, Kickoff Coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat Apr 25 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue Apr 28 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club–Panera, Herndon
Wed Apr 29  1:45pm Bridge Club–TA-3
Fri  May 1 10:00am
10:00am		 Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Annual Meeting and Picnic–TA-1
Sat May 2 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue May 5 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club–Panera, Herndon
Wed May 6  1:30pm
 1:45pm
 1:45pm
 2:15pm		 Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Special Events Committee–Annex
History Club–TA-1
Fri May 8  9:00am
 9:30pm
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am
 2:00pm		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Photography Club–TA-1
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc–Annex
Member Services Committee–TA-1

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OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

4210 Roberts Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384
Email: [email protected]

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