WELCOME TO OUR FIRST QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Might
you be interested in joining other OLLI members in an international
travel/learning experience?
Vote
here
in this Web poll and instantly see the results of your vote. Check back
anytime during the week to see how the online membership has voted.
A new question will be posted each Friday, for your
voting pleasure. Back
to top.
- You're taking OLLI--The courses
- You're reading OLLI--The electronic newsletter
- But ... have you seen OLLI--The movie?
If not, watch it
on your
computer, or borrow a DVD or videotape of the 13-minute Story of OLLI from the office
|
Say hello to
Diana
Richards,
OLLI's new staff assistant.
Read
about Diana.
|
 By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI
E-News staff writer
EVERY SPRING THE NATION CELEBRATES Bring
Your Child to Work Day. You may feel left out. After all, if you
are no longer working, how can you bring your child to work? Besides,
your child is probably busy bringing her child to work.
At
OLLI, every day is BRING A FRIEND TO CLASS DAY.
|
What to do? As usual, OLLI provides an answer.
Bring a friend to class. You don't have to wait until spring. At OLLI,
every day is Bring a Friend to Class
Day.
The procedure is simple. Check in advance to be
sure that there are extra seats in the class your friend would like to
attend. When you bring your friend, stop in the office to pick up a
nametag. The name tag is a signal to members to make your friend feel
welcome. The famous OLLI hospitality, combined with a stimulating
class, may well turn your friend into a new member. Back
to top.
 By
Gordon Canyock, OLLI News editor and Publications
Committee chair
THE EDITORIAL STAFF of OLLI
News and OLLI E-News
is always looking for new material of likely interest to our members.
We do not have a set word limit, although anything over 600 words
covers an entire printed page and tends
to lose the readership.
If you would like to try your hand at writing, feel
free to submit via email your article to both Rod Zumbro and me. If
we
decide not to use your article, we promise to explain why. We also
promise
to coordinate editorial changes with you. Please realize that there are
overall
limits on how much we can include each week. Sometimes I have to cut an
article
so that it will fit in the space available for it on a page. Moreover,
if
it is not time-sensitive, we may hold onto it for a subsequent issue.
TRY YOUR HAND AT WRITING.
|
And
remember, the staff is looking for assistant editors.
|
For time-sensitive announcements, my deadline is
now 5 PM on Wednesday for the OLLI
News print issue distributed the following Monday. Should
something arise that cannot wait another week, the deadline for OLLI E-News is Thursday at 7 PM for
the issue emailed the next day (every Friday). Anything urgent that
arises after that deadline will be sent by email as an OLLI Brief. Please send these
urgent
announcements to Rod
Zumbro and to me, with a copy to Jennifer
Maloney.
If you are traveling, taking a term off, or do not
have access at home to the Internet, OLLI
E-News is also routinely posted on the OLLI Website's What's New
page concurrently with its email distribution each Friday and is
available in
most public libraries throughout the nation.
Finally, the staff is also looking for at least two
assistant editors for OLLI News
and OLLI E-News. Duties
include brainstorming ideas for articles, finding writers, monitoring
their progress, and editing the drafts. Back
to top.
 By Jane Tombes, OLLI E-News staff writer
MANY OF YOU HAVE ATTENDED PERFORMANCES
at Mason’s Center
for the Arts
over the years  since the
Center first opened in 1992. You have certainly received season
brochures and are aware that you can buy tickets when available
throughout the season.
Perhaps you don’t know that by subscribing, you can
receive valuable price discounts, ticket exchanges and discounts on
extra tickets. As subscribers, you can receive these benefits with the
purchase of just four tickets in the fall or three in the spring.
However, with the outstanding array of choices this season, you
may very
likely opt for more!
The Center’s seasons always involve a marvelous variety
of productions. Fall programs include stimulating drama f rom the Theater of the First Amendment (September 15 –
October 2) and the return of old favorites such as the Virginia
Opera and the Canadian Brass. Exciting new productions feature
blues legend John Mayall; the Flying Karamazov Brothers; Chi, a Shanghai acrobatic troupe; and Alison Brown, an internationally acclaimed banjo
artist.
One of the exciting new productions this fall is
the October 1 performance of the Ballet Hispanico, a group recognized as the
preeminent dance interpreter of Hispanic culture in the United States.
The next evening, October 2, Chanticleer, an incredible choral group of amazing
voices, returns to the Center to present “Earth Songs,” with words of
poets set to music. You won’t want to miss these performances.
For information, call the subscriber hotline at
703-993-2787 or visit the Center’s ticket office Tuesday–Saturday
between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Back
to top.
By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI
E-News staff writer
SOME OF US MAY BE APPROACHING A POINT IN LIFE where our eyes play
tricks on us. We may not see things that are clear to younger people.
Or it may seem as if we sometimes see things that are not there.
For example, these days at OLLI we may be seeing a
lot of red spots before our eyes. Are they real? Yes. In this case,
seeing
red is cause for rejoicing.
The red spots, or dots, signal an unprecedented
number of new members:
Clara Angel, Sandy
Burke, Jim Caputo,
Homer Carhart, Dick Cheadle, Brenda Cheadle, Russ Curran, Karen Custy,
Joyce Delong, Marlene Einstein, Victoria Evans, Mark Evans, Dick
Farner, Phil Feld, Barbara Fink, Peggy Fink, Barry Fink, Ellie Fusaro,
Ruth Ann Henline, Marilyn Herrmann, Peggy Howell, Hyalie Hurwitz, Karl
Ingebritsen, Shirley Ingebritsen, Sandra Kilburn, Kay Kinzie, Karen
Lacy, Suzanne Lamb, Diana Lefcowitz, Carolyn
Lilienthal, Sheila Lingle, Maureen (Mo) Mason, David Mason, Carol
McClure,
Caroline Miller, Fred Mills, Carol Mundt, Kitty O'Hara, Jean Oliva,
Barbara
Ottke, Nancy Page, Suresh Patil, Judy Penniman, Jo Peters, Sylvia
Robinson,
Susan (Sue) Roose, Janet Rowlands, Patti Schacht, Stan Schretter,
Dolores
Senus, Walter Smith, Pamela Spofford, Lori Stone, Kathryn Torpey,
Ilaine
Upton, Jane White, Robert Wiles, Florence Wiley, Peggy Woods, Tom
Worosz,
Jr.
|
Congratulations to our new members, who have
made the wise decision to join OLLI. Congratulations to Debbie
Halverson,
Membership Chair Extraordinaire, for all her hard work. And
congratulations
to all of us for making OLLI the kind of group that so many people want
to join. Back
to top.
By Marvina Munch, OLLI E-News
staff writer
 THOSE WHO SAW THE EXCELLENT
PROGRAM on polar bears by Dan and Jean Feighery know they are talented
photographers. Additional examples of that talent are on display in the
Social Room Annex.
Dan and Jean are active members of the
Vienna Photographic Society, and each had photos juried into this
year’s
photographic exhibition at Meadowlark Gardens Regional Park. At that
event, Dan’s stunning image of a hummingbird won a Sponsor’s Choice
award.
The photo (small version at left, copyright © Dan Feighery) is
featured in the Annex exhibit with a description of how the image was
captured on
film.
Other subjects displayed include a butterfly,
flowers, abstracts, either created in the camera or by nature, and, of
course, polar bears. Back
to top.
 By Debbie Halverson, Membership
Committee chair
AS OUR OLLI MATURES, members will want to offer their ideas and
concerns about its present status and future direction. Mark your
calendars for Friday, November 4th, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM at Tallwood for a
dynamic meeting where a panel presentation about current issues and
future possibilities in many areas will be offered.
Share
your ideas in small-group discussions.
|
Topics to be included will be program development,
facilities, long-range planning, OLLI finances, development, OLLI News,
and membership recruitment. This meeting will also include ample
opportunity for you to share your own ideas in small-group discussions.
Executive Director Dick Chobot will offer his views
following his first two months in the position. More details will
follow as the date approaches. Back
to top.
 By Pat Cosslett, Board member
FIRST, THANKS TO YOU ALL who gave so generously to
make Carol’s f
arewell party the great success that it was. As we said at
the party, it was not so much a farewell as a celebration of all the
outstanding work that Carol has contributed to OLLI over the years.
We had approximately 100 people at the
party, and our thanks go to the Hospitality Committee, headed by Sandra
Driesslein, for organizing the food, as well as major contributions
from Jan Dewire and Eileen Duggan. Many others contributed time,
effort,
and expertise to add that something special to the event and, in
addition,
our thanks go to Jennifer and Ann in the front office for all of their
hard work, including the banner and the photo collage.
There was a small surplus of funds remaining after
all expenses had been met, and after gaining Board guidance,
I contacted Carol and asked for her preference in this matter. She
indicated that she would like the surplus money to be donated to a
charity of
her choice.
With Carol’s retirement we have lost a
valuable contributor to the day-to-day workings of OLLI, though we
shall continue to see her (and tap her expertise) in her new role as
member!
The entire organization owes Carol a huge debt of
gratitude. Back
to top.
By OLLI's staff expert on OLLI etiquette
DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME that you stood up in front of a group of
strangers and gave a speech? No matter how many times we may have done
this, most of us still experience a certain amount of apprehension and
nervousness.
So it is with our instructors. Many of
them come to OLLI for the first time, not quite knowing what to expect
from the sea of faces they encounter. They are receiving no
compensation, have worked hard to put together material, and hope for
an appreciative audience. For the most part, that is what they receive
here and why they enjoy coming.
WALKING
OUT because you don't like a class is POOR MANNERS.
Occasionally, however, members sign up for a
class and it turns out to be a disappointment. Either the instructor
or the content is not what was expected. In those situations, it is
tempting to get up and walk out.
This can be unnerving and even devastating to an
instructor. At the least, it is poor manners. All of us on occasion
have the need to leave a class either for a bathroom break or because
of a previous commitment. Leaving because you don’t like the class is
another matter. Common courtesy dictates that you sit through the class
and then if you wish, go to the office and fill out a drop form. Who
knows—if you give the course a chance, you may even like it!
Editor’s Note: Ms. Ollie
Ettakit will be
pleased to reply to letters addressed to her through the Editor in
future editions of OLLI News. Back
to top.
|
By Jane Tombes, OLLI E-News staff writer
THE FRIENDS OF THE
CENTER FOR THE ARTS (FCFA) is an
organization of arts advocates whose primary goal is to support the
Center’s programs through their contributions. A recent illustration is
the generous gift from the FCFA to complete the purchase of the new
Steinway grand piano. Membership in
the Friends, which totaled more than 500 households last season, made
it possible for the organization to play a major role in this
acquisition for the concert hall.
 An FCFA membership
also provides benefits that focus primarily on enhancing members’
enjoyment of the Center’s events. An example is the opera brunch, a
popular annual activity that coincides with a Virginia Opera
performance.
A $75 contribution will give you other
basic advantages such as free coffee at the Friends-only refreshment
bar and invitations to Friends-only social activities. Depending on
your level of giving, you can also receive reduced-rate or free parking
deck passes. Each spring Friends receive an exclusive invitation to
a “sneak preview” of the next year’s performances.
Several OLLI members serve on the FCFA
board. Ida Portland (vice president for programs) and I (vice
president for membership) are on the executive committee. Pat Carroll,
Eileen Duggan, and Susanne Zumbro continue on the board along with this
year’s new board members: Gordon Canyock, Lynn Gramzow and Joan White
(profiled in the
Friends' summer 2005 newsletter).
The FCFA’s first major reception will be held on
Sunday, October 23, after the Martin Hamlisch concert, with the artist in
attendance. Join the Friends today and you will receive an
invitation!
For more information about the FCFA, email either myself
or Megan
Thornton (Megan is on the staff of the Center for the Arts, and
supports the FCFA). Back
to top.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
|
A select group of actors
from OLLI's
Readers' Theatre troupe has been asked by a Virginia playwright to
perform a public reading of a play he has in development. The play,
entitled Oh, Frank, will be
directed by OLLI member Lynn Gramzow, and will star OLLI members Sandy
Lisiewski and Charles Duggan, with supporting roles played by OLLI
members Susanne Zumbro, Eileen Duggan, John Dietz, and Gordon Canyock.
This OLLI event will be held Saturday, November 5--open to all members.
Details will be announced in a future edition as
they become known. Back
to top.
|
AFTER AN
APPEAL FOR LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR in the first fall issue of OLLI News, the Editorial Staff
was both surprised and elated at the response, even though most
preferred to remain anonymous. Their identities shall be as securely
hidden as that of Deep Throat. I look forward to receiving more emails
and letters from the membership. Please keep them
coming. -- Gordon
Canyock, OLLI News editor
|
OLLI's Liability for Pothole Accident?
Since you asked members to send you comments, suggestions, and ideas
pertaining our Institute, I have a concern that I would like to
express. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a HUGE pothole as one enters
the swimming pool parking lot at Osher. While it is difficult to miss,
during inclement weather one might drive into the blasted thing. While
I know we don't "own" the lot, where would we be, from a legal
standpoint, if one of our members should do such a thing? Am I alone in
my concern? --Margaret Andino
|
Apparently
not, Margaret.
Here's a comment from another reader:
|
Danger in the Parking Lot
I had hoped when I returned to class this fall that the pool parking
lot would have been resurfaced or at least the holes would have been
repaired. That parking lot is dangerous - many of us don't even want to
park there anymore. I'm told that we pay rent for that space. Why can't
someone talk to their management about making long-needed repairs?
--Anonymous
|
While the
Editor would love
to claim that these letter directly led to immediate action by the OLLI
leadership, the repairs initiated last Monday were coincidental. (See
the President's
Message on this topic.)
On another
note, the intrepid
Anonymous also raised the following issues:
|
How Much Is Landscaping Costing Us?
I read with great interest and appreciation the recent article in the
OLLI news about the wonderful efforts of our gardening committee. They
have done a superb job and are to be commended for their time and
labors. I do wonder, however, how much all of this is costing us, the
dues-paying members of OLLI. Inquiring OLLI minds want to know.
--Anonymous
|
|
The Most Important Thing is, Introduce the
Teacher
What can be done to get the class liaisons to introduce the instructor?
Most of us selected our classes several weeks ago and have forgotten
what we read in the catalog about the instructor, so we really would
like to hear about the instructor's background. --Anonymous
|
And finally, the
most
perspicacious letter
of all:
|
Kudos for Electronic Newsletter, its
Photos and
Colors
I have enjoyed receiving the OLLI News via electronic email [OLLI E-News]. The pictures and the
colors make it much more exciting than the hard copy. Thank you and
your staff for all their hard work. --Anonymous
|
Back
to top.
By
Gordon Canyock, Publications
Committee chair and OLLI News
editor
IN ADDITION TO THE RENOWNED GREAT
PERFORMANCES SERIES at
the Center for the Arts concert hall, GMU offers a host of other
musical events that may be of interest to you. Coming in the next few
weeks are:
- GMU Music Faculty Recital, Glenn Dewey,
doublebass,
Wednesday, September 28 at 8:00 PM. Free, Harris Theater.
- GMU Music Faculty Recital, Kelly Ker-Hackleman,
piano, Wednesday, October 5 at 8:00 PM. Free, Harris Theater
- GMU Players Studio Series, Marat/Sade, by Peter
Weiss, October 7-9, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 PM, Saturday
& Sunday at 2:00 PM. Free, tickets required, Black Box, Tickets
Available September 27.
- Fairfax
Symphony Orchestra, Judith Ingolfsson,
violin, Saturday, October 8 at 8:00 PM. Tickets available September 27
for $60, $55, $45, $35, Concert Hall. Back
to top.
A MEMORIAL SERVICE for Helen Beery, former LRI/OLLI member, will be held
Thursday, September 29 at 11:00 AM at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer.
She will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A reception will be
held at Leisure World in Lansdowne, VA at 2:00 PM. Back
to top.
Rod
Zumbro
Karen Hamilton
|
OLLI E-NEWS
Editor
Proofreader
|
About OLLI E-News. OLLI E-News is
emailed to OLLI members on Fridays. Each issue contains new
content (during class terms, the same content will appear the following
week in the printed OLLI News
distributed in classrooms). We encourage OLLI members and staff
employees to submit news items and write articles. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact the editor or the
Publications Committee chair, Gordon
Canyock.
Note
about HTML graphics. If
you do NOT see photos and
clickable links in this message, you might want to ask your child or
teenaged grandchild to fix things for you. Or you could change your
email settings yourself. Here's how to view html-formatted messages in
three popular email systems:
- Outlook
Express.
Click Tools; select Options; in the Read tab, uncheck "Read all
messages in plain text."
- Yahoo
Mail.
Click Mail Options/General Preferences; under Security, uncheck "Block
HTML graphics in email messages from being downloaded."
- AOL.
Upgrade,
if possible, to an AOL version above 5.0. Back
to top.
|
|
