OLLI Photo Club Learned from Stan Schretter, OLLI Instructor for Various Photography Courses, about Photography with Ultra-Wide Lenses of the Kind Often Found on Newer Smartphones, January 12
By Camille Hodges, OLLI Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events Committee Co-Chair
Forbes Health Advisory Board has four top resolutions for 2024. Make OLLI part of your list.
Improve fitness: Join OLLI Walk and Talk and Tai Chi clubs and enjoy friendships, too!
Improve finances: Sign up for OLLI courses on financial literacy which offer information in a comfortable environment.
Improve mental health: Enjoy interactive OLLI courses and/or join an OLLI book club; both feature lively discussions.
Lose weight: Join the OLLI Walk and Talk and Tai Chi clubs.
Here’s number five to consider for your list: Increase your OLLI involvement by teaching a class at OLLI that supports the Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events (HSS/CE) program—e.g., analysis of How to Know a Person by David Brooks, or more information on guardrails for artificial intelligence. Chances are you are not alone in wanting to hear more in-depth information about a particular topic or a topic not yet covered. If you know, or can suggest, someone to teach an HSS/CE course, please contact any of the OLLI program committee chairs or send your potential speaker the course proposal form (see link below). It could be you!
The HSS/CE Program Planning Group is now accepting course proposals for fall 2024. The deadline for submission is April 8. See the OLLI Mason course proposal form at this link.
The Dirty Knee Club (DKC) has created a Shutterfly coffee table book showing how the gardens at Tallwood have changed over the past 10 years. The book follows the general format of the one created by Valerie Brayburn documenting the first 10 years of landscaping at OLLI.
The Landscaping Committee, or DKC, is always looking for new people to join our little team of gardeners. No expertise required, but a willingness to get dirty knees is.
Arlington Cemetery Interment Ceremony for Former OLLI Member Gordon Canyock
By Doris Bloch, Program Committee Co-Chair
Gordon Canyock was a very active long-time OLLI member, teacher, and leader, whose contributions to OLLI over the years included leading the Great Decisions class, founding the bridge club, helping launch OLLI E-News, and serving a total of nine years on the Board of Directors. His wife has just notified us about his burial to take place at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday February 1, 2024, with the ceremony to begin at 9:00. Friends and family attending should meet at the administration building at 8:15. Note that a photo ID is required to access the site.
There will be a breakfast at the Patton Community Club at Fort Myer following the ceremony. Access to Fort Myer via Hatfield Gate (just off Route 50) is greatly facilitated for those without military ID cards if you request a pass online 4-14 days prior at https://pass.aie.army.mil/jbmhh, OR, on arrival at the Hatfield Gate. To avoid inconvenience at the gate, an advanced pass request via the online link is strongly advised. For further information, please contact Doris Bloch (dbloch50@hotmail.com) or Judy Canyock (jcanyock@icloud.com.) Also please notify Judy if you plan to attend the breakfast so that the caterer has an estimate of the number of guests expected.
By Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch, Co‑Moderators
Continuing our Wednesday Conversations series, Team Bloch (Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch) will moderate a Zoom discussion on January 24 at 4:00.
The topic for January 24: Equality and What it Means to You. We are purposefully leaving this as a wide-open topic, which can be approached from quite a number of different aspects, including "non-equality." The recent publication of a book titled Equality, which was reviewed in the Washington Post, inspired this topic. Has anyone read the book yet?
Check your Daily Schedule for the Zoom link on Wednesday January 24 and participate in a conversation with Team Bloch.
Join Fellow Theater Lovers this February for Two Fabulous Theatrical Treats
By Norma Jean Reck, Coordinator, Theater Lovers' Group
Shakespeare in Hollywood on Sunday, February 4, at 2:00
"Mischievous magic of moviedom sparkles in this hilarious romp." Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood imagines the loopy love triangles that Shakespeare's Oberon and Puck of A Midsummer Night’s Dream fame might conjure up playing themselves while making a Hollywood movie. The Theater Lovers' Group (TLG) will go to the Vienna Community Center to see the Vienna Theatre Company perform Shakespeare in Hollywood on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at 2:00 matinee. Tickets are $16. Please purchase your tickets online at viennava.gov/webtrac.
We will have lunch at Bear Branch at 12 noon before the show. Please email Norma (njreck@cs.com) to let her know you will be joining us for a light-hearted, fun afternoon with some of OLLI's theater-loving friends.
The Who's Tommyon Sunday, February 11, at 2:00
The musical's themes are hope, healing, and the human spirit. The TLG will go to the Workhouse Arts Center Theater to see The Who's Tommy, a Tony award winner on Sunday, February 11, at 2:00. This one-of-a-kind-theatrical cultural event tells the story of the evolution of a traumatized young boy to an international pinball superstar. Please purchase your group-rate tickets online. Tickets are $27 and may be purchased at this link https://secure.workhousearts.org/11395/11406/?Promo=OLLI24.
We will have lunch before the show at a nearby restaurant. Please email Norma that you will be joining us at njreck@cs.com.
All OLLI members are invited to join us for our TLG outings and to bring guests who do not have to be OLLI members. Everyone is welcome! If you have any questions, email Norma at njreck@cs.com.
The January 2024 Photo of the Month theme was open. We selected Bob Kelberg's photo "Morning Mist Smokies" at Smoky Mountains National Park, which may also be viewed at this page. To view other photos by members of the Photography Club, visit the club's photo website.
-- By John Olsen and Ed Marion, Photography Club Coordinators
Everyone tightens their mouth as they write
Each word escapes slowly, some alight
on the page—we can see they are there,
some still imprisoned, a poet’s despair.
For tickets for either Center for the Arts Concert Hall (CFA) or Hylton Center, 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 pageor 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 linkto 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.
Mason Cabaret: Over the Rainbow: The Music of Judy, Ella, and Barbra
Fri, Jan 26, 8:00
Sat, Jan 27, 2:00 and 8:00 Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults $30, seniors $15.
12th Annual Prince William County Public Schools Student Exhibition
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Continues through Feb 17
Admission: Free.
ARTfactory’s Pied Piper Theatre: Guys and Dolls
Sat, Jan 20, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Jan 21, 2:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $25, seniors $20.
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Sat, Jan 27, 8:00
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
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. 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 Jan 20
10:30 am
1:00 pm
Tai Chi Club
Personal Computer User Group
Mon Jan 22
4:00 pm
Family History/Genealogy Club
Tue Jan 23
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
7:00 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Tai Chi Club
Trivia Club
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:ollidev2.earthcare.com/" without the quotes.
