Dr. Theodore C. Dumas, Mason biomedical scientist and author, discusses foods likely to disappear in the near future because of climate change, September 20
From the Desk of the Executive Director Kudos to You!
By Jennifer Disano, Executive Director
OLLI is a member-run organization with hundreds of volunteers giving their time, talent, and wisdom to support, improve, and run our non-profit. Along with a small, effective, and dedicated staff, OLLI volunteers are core to OLLI's now 30-year success.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, OLLI is strong and vibrant due to the efforts of member volunteers contributing in various ways: teaching, program development, outreach, technology, catalog editing, e-news communications, Board service, and so much more. The OLLI Tom Swift club (Audiovisual Committee) has spent countless hours to find solutions to implement hybrid technology in our classrooms, which will benefit every OLLI member. The OLLI program teams design program offerings and recruit teachers who build the wonderful curriculum enjoyed by all.
Additionally, OLLI members serve as ambassadors in service to the wider community through leadership on boards at Mason (Arts/Music/Economics/Humanities/Health) and as volunteers via Volunteer Fairfax, Britepaths, CERTS, and numerous other impactful organizations. Recently, OLLI Players participated in an awareness project for Fairfax County’s Channel 16, acting in skits for courtroom simulations; and the OLLI photography Club, once again, stepped up to volunteer at the Senior Olympics. THANK YOU for all you continue to do, on behalf of OLLI and for the community in which we live!
If you would like to learn more about volunteering at OLLI, email olli@gmu.edu with the subject line “Volunteer at OLLI.”
By Nancy Klein, Communications and Program Associate
Join us in bidding farewell to Dallas Joder, our Reston site assistant, who departed OLLI at the end of summer term. We will certainly miss Dallas’s interest in scientific bias and artificial intelligence!
Please join us in welcoming Richard Hoback and Brenton Abrams, our newest OLLI staffers serving as site assistants, as they support your OLLI classes over fall term.
Richard Wesley William Hoback V is the middle child in a family of three kids. Richard is a military brat, so he has lived all over the US, moving with his family. He is currently a student at NVCC, studying Visual Arts. Richard enjoys movies, music, art, coffee, computers, fashion, and games. His favorite medium to use for traditional art is pen and ink.
Brenton Abrams is a 25‑year-old of Jamaican heritage, with a passion for music, and plays bass guitar, trumpet, and piano with a focus in music production. He has traveled to many countries and has lived in Venezuela and Spain. Brenton's experience ranges from facilitating and instructing swim lessons to music engineering.
By Kathie West, OLLI Instructor and OLLI Players Director
It is 1890 and I can't find my little boy. Have you ever ridden on a polar bear on a carousel? He was riding the carousel. He has blond hair, and he is wearing a dark blue overcoat. On his legs are gaiters, laced at the sides, and he has a dark blue Tam O'Shanter on his head. He was on the polar bear. Please look for him, he is missing and is all I have. Oh, his name is Willie.
Plan to attend the OLLI Players presentation of The Haunted Carousel on Friday, October 15. Maybe you’ll discover what happened………..oops, better not tell! You should attend if you want to find out what happened on The Haunted Carousel.
The Tallwood Book Club meets via Zoom on the second Friday of each month at 2:30. The selection for October 8 is Sigga of Reykjavik by Solveig Eggerz. Solveig has agreed to join our group for this discussion. Join us; the Zoom link and other information will appear in the OLLI Daily Schedule email.
Special Meeting of the OLLI Personal Computer User Group
By Paul Howard, Treasurer and Program Chair, OPCUG: OLLI Personal Computer User Group
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The OLLI PC User Group and our partner the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS) are presenting a special session about this topic on Wednesday, October 6. While Bob Gostischa, our presenter, will be appearing via Zoom, we'll also be meeting in person at the Carlin Hall Community Center, 5711 S. 4th Street, in Arlington, at 7:00.
Is Cybersecurity Really Important? Paying attention to cybersecurity is more important today than it has ever been. COVID-19 has exposed many more vulnerabilities than in prior years. More of us are now working from home, many children are learning from home, and many of us have added more "internet of things" (IoT) devices to make our lives easier. These devices present their own dangers which need to be addressed.
This presentation shows how using the right programs and applications can help keep you safe and secure, as well as reduce your privacy exposure. Using free programs and apps whenever possible to accomplish this goal is an added bonus and this presentation includes information on many recommended free programs. Join presenter Bob Gostischa as he guides you towards secure cybersecurity practices.
Norbert "Bob" Gostischa, after a successful career in banking, enjoys his retirement as an enthusiastic information technology (IT) security expert, most notably for Avast, the creator of Avast Antivirus software. The Avast website has a discussion and help forum where Bob has been helping with security-related and general computer issues since 2004.
Masks and vaccine documentation are required to attend in person or you may attend via Zoom by clicking this Zoom link and use meeting ID: 846 0789 9770; passcode: 458615.
The first meeting of the 2021-2022 sessions of the History Club will take place Wednesday, October 6 at 4:00. This meeting will be on Zoom; the link and other information will be sent in the OLLI Daily Schedule for October 6. The meeting ID is 896 6702 3413 and the passcode is 765266.
Author Ed Linz will discuss the striking and alarming similarities between the years preceding the Great Depression and the current era. Using the research and interviews from his new book, They Never Threw Anything Away, Ed will describe the response of Americans from all socio-economic groupings to the realities and challenges of the Depression. There will be opportunity for questions and discussions.
Ed Linz, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, is the author of four books, two of which are non-fiction, one fiction, and one textbook. He also holds master’s degrees from George Mason University and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
We used to say that non-club members are welcome, but with Zoom, we can dispense with that formality and encourage all OLLI members to attend next Wednesday’s meeting. Join us for this first meeting of the History Club which promises to be an informative one that will give us much to think about.
Poem Making what more can I do with wild words? Mary Oliver
Wild words wander
the savanna of my mind
herds of impies* grazing
sustenance from the fresh grass.
Rapacious lion of an idea
ravenously stalks them
intent on ambushing
just the juiciest one
to satisfy its hunger for meaning. Carolyn F. Wyatt
Mason’s campuses are in the process of reopening. Limited programs at both Fairfax and Manassas campuses, along with virtual performances, are available 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 atbschoen@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.
Gallery Exhibition: Changing Landscapes: The Digital Age, Encroachment, and Eventual Outcomes
Through Sun, Oct 10
Hylton Performing Arts Center, Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Admission: Free.
Prince William Little Theatre: Dial "M" for Murder
Fri, Oct 8 and 15, 8:00
Sat, Oct 9 and 16, 8:00
Sun, Oct 10 and 17, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $20 adults; $17 seniors
Manassas Chorale: The Roaring Twenties – Then and Now
Sat, Oct 9, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $23, $25.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Classics Declassified
Sun, Oct 10, 2:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
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 2
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Oct 5
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Wed Oct 6
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm
7:00 pm
Memoir and More Writing Group
Mah Jongg Club
History Club
Personal Computer User Group Special Meeting
Thu Oct 7
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Fri Oct 8
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
2:00 pm
2:30 pm
Photography Club
Craft and Conversation
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
Cooking Club
Tallwood Book Club
Sat Oct 9
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Oct 12
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Wed Oct 13
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
Memoir and More Writing Group
Spanish Club
Thu Oct 14
1:15 pm
4:30 pm
Science, Technology, and Health Program Planning Group Meeting
Tai Chi Club
Fri Oct 15
9:30 am
10:00 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
2:00 pm
Craft and Conversation Board of Directors Meeting
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
Chatroom: A Dozen Big Ideas
OLLI Players: The Haunted Carousel
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
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, Roz Stark, Jane Hassell
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. Search E-News: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News at ENews Archives. To search the content within issues, use Search or enter your search term(s) in Google followed by “site:ollidev2.earthcare.com/” without the quotes.
serving as site assistants, as they support your OLLI classes over fall term.
rt, coffee, computers, fashion, and games. His favorite medium to use for traditional art is pen and ink.
e was riding the carousel. He has blond hair, and he is wearing a dark blue overcoat. On his legs are gaiters, laced at the sides, and he has a dark blue Tam O'Shanter on his head. He was on the polar bear. Please look for him, he is missing and is all I have. Oh, his name is Willie.
