Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

ENews8-14

Print a condensed .pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.
Board of Directors meet, March 21

March 28, 2014


Editor of the Week: Sheri Siesseger
Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices


Correction: The Tallwood Trio will present their spring concert with vocalist Nancy Riley on Sat, Mar 29 from 12:00 to 1:00 in TA-1. See details below.

F653 Foundations of Moral Theory will extend class one week. The final course day will be May 5.

Handouts provided by Vee Johnson at her special presentation on Credit Cards--Protecting your Information, have been posted at the DocStore. All members are urged to review this important material. Click here: Vee Johnson March 18 presentation

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Notes from the Board of Directors' March 21 Meeting

by Janet Cochran, Member, Board of Directors
 
The OLLI Board of Directors met Fri, Mar 21 at Tallwood. On behalf of the Board, President Martha Scanlon thanked Paul Howard and the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society for their generous contribution of $250 to the Friends of OLLI Fund. The president announced the appointment of Steve Canner as the new chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
 
Executive Director Jennifer Disano reported that the summer 2014 catalog is scheduled to be sent to the printer on Thu, Apr 24. She also noted that the piano on the Loudoun campus would have to be relocated to Tallwood after the spring term because of space limitations at the new Loudoun campus.
 
Glenn Kamber, chair of the Nominating Committee, announced the candidates running for election to the Board in May: Wendy Campbell, Steve Greenhouse, Irene Osterman, Martha Powers, Corky Rainey, Martha Scanlon, Nancy Scheeler, Stan Schretter and Joel Ticknor.
    
The Board voted to rescind the previous policy on hiring practices that had prohibited OLLI members from applying for jobs at OLLI. The Board also approved the placement of a plaque, “Debbie’s Kitchen,” in the cottage in remembrance of Debbie Halverson who, in addition to her many other contributions, established the kitchen and cooking program at OLLI.  
OLLI Board Elections to Begin May 2 – Nine Candidates Announced
 

By Glenn Kamber, Nominating Committee Chair
 

Nine OLLI members are running to fill six vacant seats on the Board of Directors, it was announced at last week’s Board meeting:
 
Wendy Campbell
Steve Greenhouse
Irene Osterman
Martha Powers
“Corky” Rainey
Martha Scanlon
Nancy Scheeler
Stan Schretter
Joel Ticknor. 
 
The election will be held May 2-15.    
 
OLLI members will have two opportunities to meet the candidates, hear brief presentations, and ask questions –
 
  • Reston Candidate Forum – Mon, Apr 21, 11:50 – 1:15 at United Christian Parish
  • OLLI Annual Meeting – Fri, May 2, 10:00 at Tallwood (video cast live to Loudoun)
Over the next several weeks, look for brief biographies and pictures of each candidate in the OLLI E-News, on a special election web site, and on poster boards at each of the three OLLI campuses. Candidates will be wearing special OLLI name tags until the election and will be recognized by liaisons in spring term classes.
 
Election ballots, both electronic and paper, will be available starting the morning of the May 2 Annual Meeting. Voting, either on the OLLI web site or by by placing paper ballots in ballot boxes that will be available during class and activity hours at each OLLI campus. Voting closes on May 15 at 4:00. One vote per member will be recorded.
 
Any additional OLLI member(s) wishing to run for the Board of Directors must submit a nominating petition signed by at least 5 percent of the membership, or 55 current members, to Glenn Kamber, chair of the Nominating Committee, no later than 5:00 on April 25.  
 
Welcome New Site Assistants to Reston!

By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications Associate
 
Change is in the air at OLLI-Mason’s Reston campus. Two new site assistants have been hired over the past few months, and both are welcome additions to the OLLI family! 
 
Anyone who attends classes at Reston already must have seen or met Nick Wenri. Nick joined OLLI in September and has been busy ever since tending to the various audio-visual, administrative and site-specific needs. You will see him in action during term on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
 
Born in Philadelphia, Nick was raised a Floridian, attending Manatee Junior College and University of Florida where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. Nick has worked extensively on engineering, procurement and computer system development with the US Navy, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Defense Information Systems Agency.
 
Although retired from federal service for five years, Nick is hardly unemployed. In addition to his work for OLLI, he is an active member of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church and of the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society. When not supporting OLLI, he likes to travel with his wife or, as he says, work on “getting rid of a lifetime collection of obsolescent audio/video/computer treasures.”     
 
If it is Tuesday during term at OLLI-Reston, Reggie is your go-to gal. Regina Kilner joined the OLLI staff this month as the part-time site assistant, filling in on Tuesdays for all site-specific needs.

Regina is a writer/editor by profession with extensive experience at DB&A, Lenox Softworks, and the National Institutes of Health. She also has taught a composition class at Northern Virginia Community College and currently provides tutoring for children grades 4-12. And, we are excited that she is a Mason graduate!
 
Mom to Blair and Grace (senior and freshman at Oakton High School, respectively), and wife to Chris, Reggie makes note that she hails from a family of unisex names. She prefers to be called Reggie, but she often uses Regina to help avoid confusion over her gender in emails.
 
We are thrilled to have Nick and Reggie as our new Reston team! Welcome aboard!

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Swing into Spring with a Special Concert
by The Tallwood Trio and
Vocalist Nancy Riley
Saturday, March 29, 12 Noon, Tallwood
 
The Tallwood Trio (l-r) David Hirsch, Alan Wenberg, Eric Henderson; Nancy Riley

The Tallwood Trio, well known to OLLI regulars, is pleased to present Swing Into Spring, an homage to a season of renewal and welcome relief from the ravages of winter. Our jazz repertoire will be featured in this upbeat, toe-tapping performance. Nancy Riley, who first appeared with the trio at the recent holiday party, will join us once again for her Tallwood debut.

The concert will be held in TA-1, and is expected to conclude at 1:00. Please sign up at any OLLI office or by clicking here.

Spring will swing this year!

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Reminder: Sign up by Fri, April 4 for the Hearts, Shamrocks & Daffodils Party
 
RSVP:   ollirsvp@gmu.edu
Saturday, April 12th
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Church of the Good Shepherd
 
Please come and join us for ice cream, prizes, and a unique talent show!
 
To register for this event, please send an email to:  ollirsvp@gmu.edu no later than Fri, Apr 4.
 
PLEASE NOTE:  We need everyone to re-register for this event. If you had registered for the Valentine’s Day or Hearts & Shamrocks parties (both of which were cancelled due to inclement weather), please DO register again. 
 

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Welcome New Members

By Wendy Campbell, Member Services Chair


A special welcome to our new members. I hope you have enjoyed your first week at OLLI and found your classes without too much difficulty. If you are lost, please know that our New Members Committee members are designated by a happy face sticker on their name tags. Any one of them would be glad to help with anything you are finding difficult.

I hope you attended today’s New Member Coffee. If you missed it, we have one at the beginning of each term and you are welcome to attend the next one. There is always good food and conversation. You might also stop by the office to sign up for the Hearts, Shamrocks and Daffodils party planned for Sat, Apr 12 from 1:00 to 3:00. As you can see by the name, this party has been postponed twice due to inclement
weather, but we are carrying on no matter what. I'm sure by this time that you have found the coffee and cookies offered along with good fellowship at each of our campuses. You will find that OLLI is full of fascinating lifelong learners who are always interested in discussing practically any topic. I hope to see you all around campus. 

Look for RED DOTS on name tags and welcome these new members (listed alphabetically by last name) who joined OLLI-Mason this term.
Janice Abrams, Herndon
Pat Bangs, McLean
Brenda Bloch-Young, Alexandria
Lillian Brooks, Springfield
Olga Burns, Fairfax Station
James Coile, Burke
Steven Colyer, Oak Hill
Margaret Corley, Ashburn
Robert Deans, Reston
William Evans, McLean
Caroline Finberg, Burke
Sigrid Fishpaw, Reston
Sara Gripman, Fairfax
Anna Maria Hoeflinger, Woodbridge
William Hoeflinger, Woodbridge
David Jessee, Reston
Ann Kettles, Reston
Michael Kostrzewa, Fairfax
Maryann Lallo Hutt, Reston
Evelyn Lappalainen, Ashburn
Virginia Lin, Vienna
Lynda MacGregor, Springfield
Carol Malzahn, Alexandria
Jim Mangi, Annandale
Edmund Matricardi, Jr., Springfield
Vernette Molloy, Clifton
Cornelia Newbold, Vienna
Richard Orlin, Centreville
Roz Rakoff, Reston
Claudia Samper, Great Falls
Janice Sasaran, Fairfax
Kathleen Schmidt, Annandale
Gloria Smith, Fairfax
Stephen Sokol, Fairfax
Margaret Teich, Burke
Gail Terry, Fairfax
Victoria Wyatt, Annandale

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Want to Look Younger?
 
By Norma Jean Reck
 
ColorConnections.com says that wearing your best colors can make you look younger and even healthier. To find out more about the new fashion colors for this spring and summer, don’t miss OLLI-Mason’s Fashion Show and Luncheon on Tue, May 20 at the Country Club of Fairfax. Effie Elkorek, personal shopper with Bloomingdale’s at Tysons Corner, with the help of OLLI’s very own male and female volunteer models, will walk us through the top fashion colors for this spring and summer. She’ll also give us tips on how different styles can flatter our figures.
 
This classy event will start with a social at 10:30 while we enjoy listening to Alan Wenberg of the Tallwood Trio tickling the ivories. The fabulous Capitol Reunion Quartet will follow with their very entertaining barbershop-style singing. You’ll want to sing along. After the fashion show, we’ll enjoy our choice of lunch: Chicken Florentine, Grilled Salmon, or Vegetable Napoleon. And there’s more: each attendee gets a free ticket for the door prizes donated by our local businesses. And even more: tickets for a Grand Prize will be available for purchase, and you won’t have to be present to win.
 
All this is just $55 per person. You can register now with either cash or check at the OLLI locations.
 
If you would like to model or help with the show, please email Norma at njreck@cs.com.  We’re putting the FUN in fundraising.
 
History Club Examines Eastern Europe
 
By Beth Lambert, History Club Coordinator 
 
The History Club will meet on Wed, Apr 2 at 2:00 in TA 1. Ed Janusz will be speaking on “Three Battles in Eastern Europe that Framed our Times.” Ed’s classes on Eastern Europe during World War II give us a different outlook on the way Eastern European peoples were affected by that war. Ed poses the big question of the 20th century which, he notes, has not disappeared in the 21st century:  “Who is on the right side of history?” Is it liberal democracy or despotic centralism? Given the recent events in the Crimea, this is an issue that is very much on our minds.
 
All history club members are welcome; please come and bring a friend.
 

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Poet's Corner 
Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

Rude Awakenings

I open one eye
and the sky seems to glow,
the moon is still high
as the sun starts to show.
A new day commences
with the fragrance of dawn,
I fill up my senses
and wake up with a yawn.
But the race has begun,
I must shake off the dew,
there’s a job to be done
though the day is still new.
So I rise with a start
not a moment too soon,
say hello to the clock
and good-bye to the moon.
 
Debra B. Adler
 

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Arts & Music at George Mason
 
Performances, Mar 28 to Apr 8
 
By Sheri Siesseger, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

For tickets for either CFA or Hylton, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue's box office. For more information see the CFA ticket page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: The Romantic Music of Chopin
Sun, Mar 30, 7:00
Admission: $38, $30, $19
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
Moscow Festival Ballet:
     Romeo and Juliet & Chopiniana. Sat, Apr 5, 8:00. A pre-
     performance discussion by Alexander Daev, Ballet Master, begins at
     7:15
**************************************     
     Ballet Favorites. Sun, Apr 6, 4:00. A pre-performance discussion by
     Alexander Daev, Ballet Master, begins at 3:15
Admission for each performance: $56, $48, $28
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
 

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Mason Student & Faculty Performances

Mason Players: The Rover
Fri, Mar 28, 8:00
Sat, Mar 29, 2:00 and 8:00
Thu, Apr 3 - Fri, Apr 4, 8:00
Sat, Apr 5, 2:00 and 8:00
Sun, Apr 6, 2:00
Note: The 2:00 performance on Sat, Mar 29 is OLLI-Mason Special Event 983.
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors $15
TheaterSpace
George Mason University Dance Company 2014 Gala Concert
Fri, Mar 28 – Sat, Mar 29, 8:00
A reception on Grand Tier III follows the Saturday performance.
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $12
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
Mason Symphony Orchestra Open Rehearsal
Mon, Mar 31, 7:30
Admission: Free
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
.

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At the Hylton Center

Youth Orchestra of Prince William: A Night at the Opera
Sun, Mar 30, 4:00
Admission: Adults, $15; seniors 62+ and students, $12
Merchant Hall
Mason Symphony Orchestra with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra
Wed, Apr 2, 8:00
Admission: Adults, $15, seniors and students, $10
Merchant Hall
Moscow Festival Ballet: Swan Lake
Fri, Apr 4, 8:00
A pre-performance discussion by a member of the company begins at 7:15
Admission: $56, $48, $40
Merchant Hall
Ebb & Flow by Hannele Lahti
Continues through Sat, Apr 12
An exhibit of landscape photography featuring water. 
Admission: Free
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
 

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For further details on any of the above events, please see the CFA event calendar and the Hylton Center event calendar

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Mason Highlights

Other Mason events, next two weeks

By Helen Ackerman, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

Health & Fitness Expo. This popular event features interactive health education activities, participatory demonstrations, and fitness instruction and challenges. Community and on-campus organizations provide health information on topics such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, alternative therapies, and healthy self-care practices. Thu, Mar 27, 10:00 to 3:00. Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall. Free.

Visiting Filmmaker: Let the Fire Burn. Director Jason Osder has crafted a found-footage film that unfurls with the tension of a great thriller. On May 13, 1985, a longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and the controversial radical urban group MOVE came to a deadly climax. Using only archival news coverage and interviews, Osder has brought to life one of the most tumultuous and largely forgotten clashes between government and citizens in modern American history. Sat, Mar 29, 7:30. Johnson Center, Cinema. A Q&A with filmmaker Jason Osder follows the screening. Free.

Lecture: Executive vice president of the Cato Institute David Boaz talks about capitalism and socialism.  Boaz has played a key role in the libertarian movement. He is a provocative commentator and a leading authority on domestic issues such as education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism. Mon, Mar 31, 5:30, reception, 6:00 lecture. Johnson Center, Room D. Free.

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Meetings & Clubs


The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but to check anytime for the latest information, please view the latest forecast of upcoming 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, Kickoff Coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat Mar 29 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue Apr 1 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club–Panera, Herndon
Wed Apr 2  1:30pm
 1:45pm
 1:45pm
 2:15pm		 Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Special Events Committee–Annex
History Club–TA-1
Fri Apr 4  9:00am
10:00am
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
iPad User Group–Reston UCP 113/114
Homer, etc–Annex
Ulysses Book Club–TA-1
Sat Apr 5 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue Apr 8 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club–Panera, Herndon
Wed Apr 9  1:30pm
 1:45pm		 Book Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Fri Apr 11  9:00am
 9:30am
10:00am
10:30am
11:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Photography Club–TA-1
Craft and Conversation-Cottage
Loudoun Program Planning Group-Rm236
Homer, etc–Annex
Ulysses Book Club–TA-1

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About OLLI E-News

OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.

Current Editorial Staff
Chief Editor/Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor:
Weekly Editorial Team: Paul Van Hemel, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Proofreaders:  John West, Gordon Canyock, Susan Van Hemel
Backup Chief Editor: Sheri Siesseger

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 – 6:00 pm Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 pm Monday 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.

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OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

4210 Roberts Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384
Fax: (703) 503-2832
Email: olli@gmu.edu

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