ENews May 1, 2026

May 1, 2026

• Alerts & Notices
• OLLI Members Are Welcome at OLLI Ideas Festival, May 8-9
• Successful First Event for OLLI Hiking Club
• It's a Win-Win-Win-Win Situation
• History Club Meeting
• Poet's Corner
• Arts & Music at George Mason
• Meetings & Clubs
• About OLLI E-News

Alerts & Notices

• Voting for election of five members to the Board of Directors starts after today’s OLLI annual business meeting and continues for two weeks. Candidate statements are available on the website at this link.

• Note the new start time of 11:30 for the annual garden party and picnic at Tallwood, Event 1102F. Register at the member portal.

• The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, May 8; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, May 5, at 6:00.

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OLLI Members Are Welcome at OLLI Ideas Festival, May 8-9

By Lisa Mariam, Executive Director

You are likely aware that we will host our very first OLLI Ideas Festival at Tallwood on May 8–9, 2026. It’s a free, two-day open-house event to inspire continued learning and connection in our adult community. The event will feature sample classes, clubs, demonstrations, and activities to showcase the OLLI experience.

The festival will close with a panel discussion, “Global Perspectives on Longevity,” on Saturday, May 9 at 3:00, featuring experts from Mason. You are welcome to stop by for one session, one day, or both days. Bring a picnic lunch or order lunch from food trucks on site.

We encourage you to share this exciting news with friends, family, and anyone you know who might be interested in exploring new passions and connecting with others. Flyers are available at the main office.

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Successful First Event for OLLI Hiking Club

 

By Kathy Rones, OLLI Hiking Club Coordinator


Six intrepid OLLI members braved raindrops and a few rock scrambles to hike on April 22 from Riverbend Park to Great Falls Park, and back. It was 4 miles total. We had lovely views of the Potomac River - the serene section at Riverbend, the spillway, the old canal portion, and of course the Great Falls. We saw some blooming wildflowers and lots of greenery all along the hike. We heard pileated woodpeckers, saw Canada geese, black vultures (with distinctive white tips on the underside of their large wings), and other wildlife.

If you are interested in joining us on future hikes, please register for this club. In the meantime, you can send an email to [email protected] and I will include you on emails about new hikes. In May, we will go to Shenandoah National Park for a day of hiking.

It's a Win-Win-Win-Win Situation

 

By John Nash, E-News Editor

A “win-win situation” is good but when you hit a four-win sequence, that's remarkable! That's just what happened last week when photographers from the OLLI Photo Club again provided photographic support for the Mason student opera. Each year, OPC photographers take photos of two dress rehearsals of the student opera and provide the digital photographs to the Department of Vocal Studies and the students to download and use as desired.

This spring's performance, occurring April 24 and 25, were two operas by Gian Carlo Menotti: The Telephone and The Old Maid and the Thief. There were two dress rehearsals as each opera is double-cast, allowing performers to gain experience through changing roles.

OPC photographers George Bradshaw, Dan Feighery, Bob Kelberg, and Tom Simpson spent two evenings roaming the Harris Theater during the rehearsals taking unrestrained photos of the performances. “We photographers have a chance to see a bit of the stagecraft that brings the scripts to life: the director's and maestro's instructions; the preparation of the sets and costumes; the work of the stage, sound, and lighting managers, and so much else needed for a successful production,” said George Bradshaw.

So this effort is definitely a four-win situation: OLLI and the OPC are able to give back to Mason for the wonderful support the university provides to OLLI; the photographers gain or improve their skills; the Department of Vocal Studies receives a collection of professional-quality photographs which can be used in promotions, teaching, and archives; and, not least, the students have access to individual photographs they can use as they progress up their professional ladders.

History Club Meeting

 
By Doug Snoeyenbos, History Club Coordinator


The History Club will meet virtually at 4:00 on Wednesday, May 6, to hear from Georgetown University history professor Michael Douma. Professor Douma will present on the life and times of Grant Thorburn (1773-1853), a Scottish immigrant to New York City, who opened that city's first seed store and eventually operated a greenhouse in the city. Thorburn, who lived to be nearly 90, was also known for his reminiscences of early New York. He claimed to have known everyone from George Washington and Thomas Paine to Jenny Lind. Many of the stories he told appear to be based on truth, or at least some truth. His ideas on marriage, bachelors, women, and social mores were published in newspapers across the country. Thorburn was a seed seller, a scribbler, a bit of a historian, a Christian moralist, and above all, an eccentric, an endlessly fascinating man who stood just 4 foot 10 inches, or as some joked 3 foot 6, in stockings. 

Professor Douma is an associate research professor at the Georgetown McDonough School of Business, where he is the director of the Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics. He also teaches courses in the Georgetown history department and the School of Foreign Service. He is the author of four books and editor of four more. 

I have heard Professor Douma present before, and found him lively, learned, and likeable. This will be an entertaining and interesting meeting. Looking forward to seeing you there!

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