On Friday, April 19, President Lillian Brooks opened the OLLI Board of Directors meeting at 10:00 with 14 Directors, Jennifer Disano (Executive Director) and 17 OLLI members/staff in TA-1 and on Zoom.
Our coffee event in Reston was an informative talk with Loudoun and Reston members. We are still investigating places to continue having classes in the Loudoun area and are looking into engaging the Loudoun library system for OLLI sponsorship. The Fairfax library system has renewed their OLLI contract for another year.
The Teacher Appreciation Breakfast on Friday, April 12 at the Fairfax Country Club was very successful. Mason President Gregory Washington spoke about our common interests and relationships, and Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read talked about the city supporting the arts.
President Brooks and Executive Director Jennifer Disano have been very active and successful in working with retirement communities to provide them classes and support to assist in recruiting new OLLI members. Additionally, on Monday, April 29, beginning at 5:00, OLLI is hosting the opening of a lending library at The Mather Retirement facility in Tysons Corner as they are opening their doors to new residents.
The Election Committee has identified five very qualified and talented candidates for the Board of Directors. The potential candidates will be speaking to OLLI members in person in TA-1 and on Zoom at the OLLI Annual Meeting May 3 at 10:00.
The OLLI Website Committee has been working diligently to make our website easier to navigate, more attractive to new members, and easier for our current membership to find things and re-register. Additionally, we have been making film clips of interviews, and short movies featuring life at OLLI and other club activities, for the website and outreach talks.
The OLLI Travel tour to Iceland in December for ten members was most successful. We would like to have more members this year for group travels to Albuquerque, NM, for the Balloon Festival, and to Japan and on to South Korea.
See you at the OLLI Annual Meeting in Tallwood TA-1 and on Zoom at 10:00 on Friday, May 3, to Meet the Candidates.
Make Plans to Meet Your Board of Directors Candidates
By Marilyn Harriman, 2024 Nominating Committee Chair
Have you marked your calendar for this year’s important membership assembly on Friday, May 3, at 10:00? If not, you’ll want to join other OLLI members to meet and learn about your 2024 OLLI Mason Board of Directors candidates. The meeting is a notable yearly experience for our organization and will be held in classroom TA-1 at Tallwood and via Zoom. You’ll have a unique opportunity to directly engage with the candidates, asking them questions about their views and vision for our organization. The full agenda for the meeting will include:
Reports from the OLLI President and Executive Director
Board of Directors Candidate Forum including:
1. Candidate responses to questions posed by the Nominating Chair
2. Candidate responses to questions posed by OLLI members
To join via Zoom, click here.
Meeting ID: 814 0285 6349
Passcode: 619159
Dial-in: 301-715-8592
Online voting for candidates begins after the candidate forum ends and extends from noon, Friday, May 3, through noon on Friday, May 17. Every active OLLI member will receive an email with a voting ballot and instructions on how to complete and return it by email.
To learn more about each candidate at the candidate page of the OLLI website, click this link.
Our Annual Meeting and Candidate Forum occur on the same day as our annual picnic. If you haven’t already, plan to spend the morning and early afternoon at OLLI’s Tallwood campus to learn and ask questions about our organization’s future and stay for the festive Cinco de Mayo celebration and annual picnic.
If you have questions about the election process, please get in touch with Marilyn Harriman, the nominating committee chair, at Mlwharriman74@gmail.com.
It’s time for our annual spring picnic. This year, the event falls on Friday, May 3, just two days before Cinco de Mayo. We’ll gather at our main campus, Tallwood, 4210 Roberts Road—TA-1, the annex, and outdoors, 1:00-2:30. Enjoy tacos (meat or vegetarian) provided by our OLLI administrators, as well as each other’s potluck contributions.
In addition to enjoying each other’s company, we’ll have festive celebration music, a free dance lesson from a professional dance company, and a chance to whack a pinata filled with sweet treats. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate spring and sample your OLLI friends’ food offerings.
You must register if you haven’t yet signed up for the event and want to join the fun. It’s easy! Go to the member portal and enter Event 1104: 2nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration & Picnic. Follow the prompts through check out.
Registration for this event closes on April 30. All participants must sign in at the check-in table.
Each guest is asked to bring a Tex-Mex dish to share based on your last name in the alphabet:
A-H: Side dish I-R: Dessert S-Z: Salad
To mitigate germs, all potluck items must be served using tongs, serving spoons, serving forks, or toothpicks. Please bring a serving utensil for your shared dish.
This is a great time to mingle with your OLLI friends, have a delicious lunch, and enjoy Mexico’s history and heritage. Hope to see you there!
The OLLI History Club will meet by Zoom on Wednesday, May 1, at 4:00, for a presentation by Ambassador Doug Silliman titled “Sargon to Saddam (and a bit more): The Histories and Cultures of Iraq.” Mr. Silliman was a career ForeignService officer who served as the United States’ Ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2016 and the United States’ Ambassador to Iraq from 2016 to 2019. He received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2018 and currently serves as President of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C. He knows the Middle East intimately and will be able to share his unique insights into the history of the region.
By Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch, Co‑Moderators
Continuing our Wednesday Conversations series, Team Bloch (Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch) will moderate the OLLI Zoom discussion on May 1 at 4:00. Topic for May 1: What does Spring Cleaning mean today?
We all remember the ritual of spring cleaning from our childhoods. Beds were stripped, curtains were washed as well as windows, rugs hung outside to air, and other tasks completed that were difficult to accomplish during the winter. What does spring cleaning mean to us today? Do you have annual rituals saved for the spring? Or is it merely the time of year that you switch your closet around and take wool to the dry cleaner?
Join us Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 on the 24/7 Chat Line to share your thoughts.
Over the years, many of us have likely been a part of a Wolf Trap audience, but looking out from that stage toward the seats and beyond offers a whole different perspective! This spring, 46 excited OLLI members entered Stage Door Right at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts for an outstanding tour led by Park Ranger Will Rifenbark.
Ranger Will took us through the backstage area, stopping along the way to describe how the stage is adapted for various performances and to name some of the many productions and performers who have appeared on that stage. Did you know that there is a maze of hallways and rooms downstairs where there are dressing rooms, a cafeteria, pool tables, and a lounge where performers can relax? The hallway walls display some of the many famous personalities who have appeared on the Wolf Trap stage.
Following the tour, members had the opportunity to enjoy lunch together at the Bear Branch Tavern in Vienna. In all, it was an enjoyable morning!
World turns soft, calm, mysterious
Lone walker, in nature's embrace
Purple martins, swirling in the sky
Descend into tree branches
Chittering voices fall silent
A moment of rest and reset
A glimpse into the unknown
Time to reflect, rebirth new ideas
The day is gone, night is yet to unfold
Dream of adventures ahead
Listen to the whisper of the soul
Plan to bring the whisper to life
October the golden month
Imagine epic journeys,
Over land and sea,
Basking in warmer climes
Promise of a tropical buffet.
For tickets for either Center for the Arts Concert Hall (CFA) or Hylton Center, call 1-888-945-2468. You can also buy tickets online through the event calendar (see the CFA ticket page link below) or visit the venue's box office. For more information, see the CFA ticket page or the Hylton Center ticket purchase page.
Dr. Linda Apple Monson produces a periodic “Notes from the Director.” This email is full of information on interesting online performances by the students and faculty of the School of Music. If you would like to receive these bulletins, just sign up at this link to stay in touch. 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.
Bamberg Symphony with Hélène Grimaud
Sat, Apr 27, 8:00
A pre-performance discussion will take place in the Center for the Arts, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Concert Hall
Admission: $75, $65, $45.
Brian Ganz: A Chopin Recital
Sat, May 4, 8:00
A pre-performance discussion will take place in the Center for the Arts, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
The Hylton Performing Arts Center’s 14th Anniversary Gala
Sat, Apr 27
6:00 Reception in the Didlake Grand Foyer
7:30 Dinner, Honoree Tribute, and Auction
9:00 to 11:00 Desserts and drinks
Admission: $350.
The New Dominion Choraliers Ceili: An Irish Music Festival
Sun, Apr 28, 5:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra: Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! Featuring Doreen Ketchens
Sat, May 4, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $30.
Northern Virginia Ballet: Cinderella
Sun, May 5, 2:00 and 6:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $35 Adult, $25 Senior.
Please note: OLLI Meetings and Clubs may currently take place in several formats: some are in person only, some are online only, and some are hybrid, meaning that they take place in person and are accessible online simultaneously. OLLI events and activities meeting online bear the identification "Z" in their course or event number (except clubs; you may need to check the OLLI calendar and daily schedule email for location and other event information). Refer to the university's coronavirus website for official university updates.
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 27
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club – online
Mon Apr 29
9:30 am
What’s in the Daily News? – online
Tue Apr 30
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Board Game Club
Bridge Club
Memoir and More Writing Group – online
Mah Jongg Club – online
History Club – online
Spanish Club – online
Conversation with Team Bloch – online
Thu May 2
11:50 am
4:30 pm
6:00 pm
All the News
Tai Chi Club – online
Ethnic Eats Club – online
Fri May 3
10:00 am
1:00 pm
1:00 pm
2:30 pm
Annual Business Meeting
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Stay Active and Independent for Life – online
Caregivers Group – online
Sat May 4
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club – online
Mon May 6
9:30 am
4:00 pm
What’s in the Daily News? – online
Family History/Genealogy Club – online
Tue May 7
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club – online
Wed May 8
1:30 pm
1:45 pm
1:45 pm
4:00 pm
Tallwood Book Club
Bridge Club
Spanish Club
Conversation with Team Bloch – online
Thu May 9
11:50 am
4:30 pm
All the News
Tai Chi Club – online
Fri May 10
9:30 am
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
1:00 pm
Mah Jongg Club
Photography Club – online
Crafts and Conversation
Classic Literature Club – online
Homer, etc. – online
Cooking Club – off-site
Stay Active and Independent for Life – online
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, Martha Kossoff, Anne Hartshorn, Bonnie Becker, Carol McManus
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: ollienewseditor@gmail.com. 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. 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.
free dance lesson from a professional dance company, and a chance to whack a pinata filled with sweet treats. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate spring and sample your OLLI friends’ food offerings.
The OLLI History Club will meet by Zoom on Wednesday, May 1, at 4:00, for a presentation by Ambassador Doug Silliman titled “Sargon to Saddam (and a bit more): The Histories and Cultures of Iraq.” Mr. Silliman was a career ForeignService officer who served as the United States’ Ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2016 and the United States’ Ambassador to Iraq from 2016 to 2019. He received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2018 and currently serves as President of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C. He knows the Middle East intimately and will be able to share his unique insights into the history of the region.
