The OLLI Ink literary journal is available on the OLLI website; for access, click here.
Annual membership meeting and first day of voting in Board of Directors election, Friday, May 7; detailed information is available at this link.
Note: A brief obituary for OLLI member Waverly “Corky” Rainey was published in the April 2 E-News (here). More information, including details on a funeral service May 4 at 10:30 at St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax, VA, is now available in an external obituary at the Washington Post.
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, April 30; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, April 27, at 6:00.
From the Desk of the Executive Director–Fairfax Volunteer Service Awards
By Jennifer Disano, Executive Director
On April 20, OLLI Program Co-chair Kathryn Russell (pictured at right) received an honorable mention award at the Fairfax Volunteer Service award ceremony. Her commendation recognized her service as follows:
"With her positive leadership, OLLI’s extensive programming team works in unity, ensuring balance, quality and abundance across all sites and subjects. Adept in serving preferences, she introduced new teaching concepts like study groups and inter-disciplinary courses. Importantly, she led her team to quickly pivot to online learning spring 2020 when pandemic conditions threatened to shutter OLLI, safeguarding a critical lifeline for older Americans in Northern Virginia."
The award ceremony also acknowledged OLLI Mason’s member volunteers as a group, noting that:
“Hundreds of member volunteers donate thousands of hours each year serving on the Board of Directors, leading programming and administrative committees, and teaching in OLLI classrooms. They set policy, budgets, and goals; they keep the campus and facilities (beautifully) landscaped, safe, and updated with state-of-the-art technology; they design newsletters, manage the website, edit publications, and author literary journals; they provide outreach to attract new members and in-reach to develop community amongst members; they program first-rate curriculum and recruit outstanding teachers. They do this all on their own, for free, with the support of a small part-time paid staff.”
See these citations at this link. It is a pleasure to acknowledge our members' ongoing contributions; thanks to all of you whose volunteer efforts make OLLI great!
In 2021, OLLI celebrates its 30th year of classes for seniors. This feature provides fun facts and interesting milestones about our institute each week that E-News is published throughout the year.
April 23
April 8 was the opening date for the first term of classes at Learning in Retirement Institute (LRI), in spring 1991, when 13 classes and three forums (the early name for special events) were offered to 96 members, who paid annual dues of $200.
President Paul Howard opened the meeting recognizing and thanking departing Board members. Michelle Blandburg and Bill Taylor are completing two terms and Lillian Brooks, Marguerite Johnson, and Diane Stanley are completing one term.
He also recognized and thanked Pat Carroll, Rosemary Lubinski, Marianne Metz, and Bill Taylor for their years of service as committee chairs. There are now openings for the University Liaison, Historian, and chairs of the outreach and strategic planning committees. Please get in touch with Paul if you have an interest in any of these critical committees.
Debbie Engelson, Terri Feldmayer, and Dave Talaber were thanked for volunteering on the Ollizoomhelp member assistance team and for helping members with Zoom and their devices. Nick Wenri has joined the team, which needs help in the Apple ecosystem, particularly in the Mac arena.
President Paul Howard and Executive Director Jennifer Disano met at Tallwood with the Mason design team on April 12th. They reviewed the designs for the ramp between upper and lower levels, improved stairwells, and redesigned kitchen cabinetry. There remain maintenance and repair items to be discussed. The design team has not yet released a timeline for completion of all items. Members are requested not to visit Tallwood until all construction is completed.
Executive Director Jennifer Disano reported that OLLI has a total of 1,053 members, of which 1,041 are full members and 12 are introductory members.
By Rita Way, Board Member and Nominating Committee Chair
The Annual OLLI Business Meeting is quickly approaching. We want to remind and invite all members to register and attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about programming and operations, as well as hearing from the candidates for the Board of Directors.
The meeting will be held virtually on Friday, May 7, at 10:00. Please register for Event 1103 if you plan on attending.
Talk with OLLI friends at any time on this 24-7 open ChatLine. Arrange a time to meet friends online or drop in for an organized discussion. We have scheduled a few specific times and topics for chats this week, including:
Monday, April 26, 4:30-5:30 Topic: Hybrid Cars, Electric Cars, Self-Driving Cars: your thoughts, pro and con. Should I buy an electric car? Or should I wait for improvements in range, price, reliability? Etc.
Wednesday, April 28, 4:30-5:30 Topic: OLLI Class Recordings. Have you accessed them? Are they easy to use? Are they helpful? Should we continue to record and post them even after we return to some classroom participation? How might they be improved? Etc.
Look for links to this and any future ChatLine events in your inbox as part of the daily schedule email. Have feedback or an idea on a time/topic? Click here to email Doris Bloch.
Virtual Performances
Although Mason’s campus is shut down, online entertainment continues for us to access and enjoy. Dr. Linda Apple Monson produces a periodic “Notes from the Director.” This email is full of interesting online performances by the students and faculty of the School of Music. If you would like to receive these bulletins, just send an email to Brianna Schoen at[email protected]. Also, the Center for the Arts has a websiteMason Arts at Home, which has a calendar of online events and access to many past performances. Information can also be found atCFA ticket purchase pageor theHylton ticket purchase page.
Please note: Physical meetings for clubs and activities are canceled until further notice in accordance with Mason’s guidelines. OLLI is conducting its classes and activities online. Refer to the university's coronavirus website for official university updates and check the OLLI calendar for revised information.
The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office. The list is accurate as of mid-week but for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming 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, kick-off coffees, etc. (bolded below). The OLLI office has sent (or will send) emails with links and meeting passwords to club members; you may also log in at the member portal and click on ZOOM CLASS LINKS.
Sat Apr 24
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Mon Apr 26
4:30 pm
ChatLine: Hybrid/Electric/Self-Driving Cars
Tue Apr 27
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Wed Apr 28
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
Spanish Club
ChatLine: OLLI Class Recordings
Thu Apr 29
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
Reston Book Club
Tai Chi Club
Fri Apr 30
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
Craft & Conversation
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Tom Appich, Roz Stark, Jane Hassell
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: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week's issue (Monday, 6:00, for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Search E-News: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News at ENews Archives. To search the content within issues, use Search or enter your search term(s) in Google followed by “site:olli.gmu.edu/” without the quotes.
On April 20, OLLI Program Co-chair Kathryn Russell (pictured at right) received an honorable mention award at the Fairfax Volunteer Service award ceremony. Her commendation recognized her service as follows:
The Annual OLLI Business Meeting is quickly approaching. We want to remind and invite all members to register and attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about programming and operations, as well as hearing from the candidates for the Board of Directors.
