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(Virtual) Meeting of the Board of Directors October 16

October 23, 2020

Editor of the Week: Sheri Siesseger

Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

  • In an article on Mason’s Jazz4Justice in the E-News for October 16, a link for Mason’s impact statement on the event’s community collaboration did not work; the information may be found at the link below.
J4J Impact Statement (1)(3).pdf
  • Grab ‘n’ Gab Coffee Klatch, Friday, October 30, 9:30-11:00. All OLLI members welcome; click here to register.
  • The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, October 30. Submission deadline is Tuesday, October 27, at 6:00.

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Highlights from the October 16 Board Meeting
By Marguerite Johnson, Secretary

The regular meeting of the OLLI Board of Directors was held via Zoom on October 16. President Paul Howard noted that OLLI office communications on how to sign in for classes have significantly reduced requests for help. The need to get class videos edited and placed on the Vimeo site more quickly has been recognized. We are currently advertising for Mason work-study students to assist with this project.

Executive Director Jennifer Disano reported a current total membership of 1,071 with 930 full annual memberships, 116 promotional annual memberships, and 25 trial memberships.

A closed-caption feature is now available on most classes. Captioning is provided by artificial intelligence (AI). The quality of captioning is sometimes adversely affected by the microphones used and the ambient noise in people’s homes.

Poet’s Corner

Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

Sunset Settee

The funeral was today.
He was the father of a friend.
Just four months ago he laid to rest
His wife of fifty-eight years.

He knew his time was short.
His family offered hospice; he declined.
“This is my home. The land we farmed for forty-three years.
She left from this land. So will I.”

He sipped his after-dinner coffee
At the kitchen table they had shared
And watched the sun’s last rays
On the far side of the pond

Illume the bench they’d rest upon
As sunset settled.
He closed his eyelids, but the scene was vivid still
He felt as close as ever he could be.

They found him, eyes closed, a hint of smile upon his lip.
He was still warm, but the coffee had turned cold.

                        Manuel Pablo

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Arts & Music at George Mason

Performances, October 23 through October 31

By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

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 bschoen@gmu.edu. 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. Information can also be found at CFA ticket purchase page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.

At the Fairfax Campus Venues

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Sun, Oct 25, 7:00
Admission: Free, register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chamber-music-society-of-lincoln-center-with-anne-marie-mcdermott-piano-tickets-122580492553

Mason Student and Faculty Performances

(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)

Gaining Ground: A Celebration of Diverse Voices in Musical Theater
Fri, Oct 23, 8:00
Admission: Free, register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gaining-ground-a-celebration-of-diverse-voices-in-musical-theater-tickets-122604241587.

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At the Hylton Center (Manassas Campus)

Manassas Ballet Theatre: Frankenstein
Sat, Oct 31, 7:30
Admission: $25 (online ticket platform)

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

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Meetings & Clubs

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 Oct 24 10:30 am Tai Chi Club
Tue Oct 27  4:00 pm Tai Chi Club
Wed Oct 28  2:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm		 Memoir and More Writing Group
Spanish Club
Theater Lovers’ Group
Thu Oct 29  4:00 pm Tai Chi Club
Fri Oct 30  9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm		 Craft & Conversation
Grab ‘n’ Go Coffee Klatch
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
OLLI Players Present
Sat Oct 31 10:30 am Tai Chi Club
Tue Nov 3  4:00 pm Tai Chi Club
Wed Nov 4  4:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm		 Mah Jongg Club
Ethnic Eats Lunch Club
History Club
Thu Nov 5  4:00 pm Tai Chi Club
Fri Nov 6 10:00 am Annual Town Hall Meeting
Sat Nov 7 10:30 am Tai Chi Club

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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.

Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel 
Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Linda Randall, Tom Appich, Roz Stark,
Jane Hassell
Backup Chief Editor: Alice Slayton Clark

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.

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