Construction at Tallwood continues. The original ramp to the entry for TA-3 has been repaired/replaced. The integration of the TA-2 porch and the new ramp to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been framed out.
Regarding preparation for conducting classes in hybrid mode (combining in-person and online presentation), the Audiovisual Support committee and staff have been learning how the new auto-tracking podium camera works. We plan to test a hybrid class/event with the Investment Forum team on August 28.
In preparation for a return to the classroom, state requirements for Mason affiliates (that’s us) have been approved and returned to the university. Mason is refining the final requirements to send to OLLI. The requirements will be given to the ad hoc health committee for preparations for approval by the Board of Directors and implementation by the OLLI staff.
By Barbara Wilan, Loudoun Program Planning Group Co-chair
Loudoun’s Program Planning Group needs your ideas for courses, suggestions for teachers, and enthusiasm for OLLI. We’re meeting on Zoom for now but will soon meet in person at OLLI's Signal Hill location at the Mason campus in Sterling. Contact me at [email protected] to get on our meeting contact list or to suggest a relative, friend, neighbor, former work colleague, doctor, or casual acquaintance who might give us an interesting presentation. Thanks!
By John Olsen and Edward Marion, Photography Club Coordinators
The OLLI Photography Club welcomes photographers of all skill levels regardless of equipment, whether digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, point-and-shoot cameras, or cell phones. We foster a learning environment with monthly guest speakers who present their photos and experiences. We share our own photos from organized field trips as well as other photos we have taken. Periodically a member will share an interesting photographic experience or teach a new technique. More experienced photography club members are available to mentor anyone looking to learn more.
We have a special opportunity in September and can use your help if you like to photograph people and/or sports. The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO) will take place September 18‑30 in our area. The OLLI Photography Club has once again volunteered to take photographs of these activities. However, there is such an abundance of events we can’t cover it all alone. The sports range from such traditional sports as cycling, diving, swimming, tennis, and track, to recreational activities such as cornhole, jigsaw puzzles, and sudoku. You can learn more about the NVSO at nvso.us. These photos are wonderful souvenirs for the participants, and past senior Olympians loved having their efforts captured. The NVSO also uses the photos for promoting the events. It is fun for the photographers too, meeting new people and seeing what fun these senior Olympians are having. If you’d like to help out with this activity, please contact John Olsen at jgolsen12@gmail. Thanks!
The First Love Songs they Will Ever Hear
Jack A. Underhill
"To audiences of children a hidden chorus
Of caregivers fills the night with song.
They sing lullabies."
Hannah Reyes Morales. "Songs to Soothe." National Geographic. December 2020.
Mothers around the world
Sing soothing songs to their babies.
It gives both mother and child
A sense of community and love
Even in spite of danger and even death.
Lullabies are as ancient as song itself
A long tradition of caring and love.
They are sung to children
Across the world.
In Ulaanbaatar
In Monrovia
In warn-torn Syria
In Brockton, Massachusetts
Lullabies express not just our
Greatest fears, but in the same breath
Our hopes and prayers.
Lullabies are the first love song
Children will ever hear.
No Performances until September (but note ticket sales below)
By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer
Virtual Performances
Although Mason’s Fairfax campus is shut down, online entertainment and events at the Hylton Center continue for us to access and enjoy(https://hylton.calendar.gmu.edu/). 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 website,Mason Arts at Home, which has a calendar of online events and access to many past performances.
All Mason Arts & Music events are postponed until September. But note that tickets for fall 2021 performances are now on sale at both the Mason Center for the Arts and the Hylton Center at: https://cfa.gmu.edu and https://hyltoncenter.org.
By Darden Purcell, D.M.A., Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice at Mason’s Dewberry Family School of Music
Join the Mason Jazz Faculty for an evening of jazz standards and original compositions at Jammin Java Music Club and Café, 227 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA, Sunday, August 29, at 7:00 (doors open at 5:30). Jammin Java exists to offer the best live music and the finest concert experience in an all-ages community environment and believes in the power of live music of all types to bring people together, to enlighten, and to enrich.
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 Aug 28
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Mon Aug 30
9:30 am
11:00 am
What’s in the Daily News?
Poetry Club
Tue Aug 31
9:30 am
4:30 pm
Annex Art
Tai Chi Club
Wed Sep 1
10:00 am
10:30 am
2:00 pm
Mah Jongg Club
Tom Crooker Investment Forum
Memoir and More Writing Group
Thu Sep 2
11:50 am
4:30 pm
All the News
Tai Chi Club
Fri Sep 3
9:30 am
11:00 am
Craft and Conversation
Homer, etc.
Sat Sep 4
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Mon Sep 6
(OLLI closed)
Labor Day
Tue Sep 7
9:30 am
4:30 pm
Annex Art
Tai Chi Club
Wed Sep 8
10:30 am
Tom Crooker Investment Forum
Thu Sep 9
11:50 am
12:15 pm
4:30 pm
All the News Special Events Program Planning Group Meeting
Tai Chi Club
Fri Sep 10
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
2:30 pm
Photography Club
Craft and Conversation
Homer, etc.
Cooking Club
Tallwood Book Club
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
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.
We have a special opportunity in September and can use your help if you like to photograph people and/or sports. The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO) will take place September 18‑30 in our area. The OLLI Photography Club has once again volunteered to take photographs of these activities. However, there is such an abundance of events we can’t cover it all alone. The sports range from such traditional sports as cycling, diving, swimming, tennis, and track, to recreational activities such as cornhole, jigsaw puzzles, and sudoku. You can learn more about the NVSO at 
