Dr. Stephen Ruth, Mason Professor of Public Policy,
Examines Artificial Intelligence in his 2023 Fall-term Course:
Artificial Intelligence: Blessing or Curse? September 18-October 2
You’re Invited to a Party!
By Marilyn Harriman, Diversions Chair
Hosts Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby (aka Marilyn & Tony Harriman) and the Diversions Team, invite you to a Halloween party at Tallwood Campus on Friday, October 13, 3:00-5:00, for a rousing good time.
Refreshments, including savory and sweet snacks, and assorted non-alcoholic beverages, will be served. Guests are encouraged (but not required) to dress in costume. Three cash gift card prizes will be awarded to the best in Halloween costumes, with awards determined by your fellow guests.
As you enjoy the company of your OLLI friends, a caricature artist will be available to draw your portrait. Each guest will be given a lottery ticket, and those chosen from a hat will be invited to a five-minute sitting. Caricature participants will take home their portraiture.
Other entertainment includes:
An opportunity for a selfie snapshot with a celebrity, including George Washington, Audrey Hepburn, and Elvis
Pumpkin decorating in the Annex
Pinata whacking for a chance at a candy stash
Karaoke music sing-along
Bring a friend or spouse!
If you haven’t yet signed up, register for Event #1101 by October 11 in the member portal. Admittance is free (no cost). The event will be held in TA-1, the Annex, and TA-3.
Science, Technology, and Health Program Planning Group Meeting October 19 By Michele Romano, Science, Technology, and Health Program Planning Group Co-Chair
Save the date: October 19—You are invited. If you have an interest in the fields of Science, Technology, and Health (STH), there will be an OLLI STH Program Planning Group meeting on Thursday, 10/19, from 1:15-2:15, via ZOOM only. Look for the link in your OLLI Daily Schedule email. Let us know if you have any suggestions or requests for classes. If you would be willing to teach or know of other possible instructors, we would love to have you attend even more.
Please join us for the meeting and consider joining the group. It is as simple as adding your name to the list. There is no pressure to be any more involved than you want to be. We need your advice and your input. Just email Mary Kornreich, co-chair, (mkornreich2@gmail.com), or Michele Romano (tufax2@gmail.com).
We look forward to seeing you (virtually) at the meeting.
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 October 11. The topic for Wednesday, October 11: What Brings You Joy?
Many of us OLLI members are retired and one of the pluses of that is that we often have more time to engage in activities that bring us joy! Some folks like to walk, or paint, or garden, or read, or write their memoirs, or exercise, or listen to music, or cook, or do crafts, or golf, or volunteer. The list goes on.
What do you do to enjoy the so-called leisure time that we are privileged to have? A few weeks ago, we talked about having a bucket list and actually changing that to a life list—things that get us out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm to accomplish those activities. Plan to share those with us this Wednesday.
Check your daily schedule for the Zoom link on Wednesdays and plan on some social time with Team Bloch on October 11.
This past weekend, supporters of Mason and members of the community had an opportunity to see and hear Renée Elise Goldsberry in concert at the Center for the Arts. Goldsberry won an Emmy as a central character in Hamilton, the block-buster musical. Her performance was part of the annual Arts by George! program that raises scholarship money by highlighting student performances from the various departments of the Mason College of Visual and Performing Arts. If you missed the event—and especially the concert—you missed one of the major presentations at Mason.
Arts by George! is just one example of the rich artistic presentations offered at Mason. In addition to professional performances offered at the Center for the Arts, there are many student and faculty presentations in drama, dance, and music that often rival those in major venues like the Kennedy Center. For example, coming up the last of October is the student presentation of 9 to 5—The Musical, based on the hit movie of the same name, and the annual Jazz for Justice, a traditional “big-band sound” on October 14 that raises money for legal support.
We in this area are fortunate to have so many opportunities to enjoy such presentations, often for free or nominal cost. Reminders of many presentations are shown in E-News where Shelly Gerston lists performances at both Mason Fairfax and Manassas campuses. Periodic articles by Norma Jean Reck, chair of the OLLI Theater Lovers Group, highlight local and distant performances, often organizing groups to attend them. OLLI and community residents can also register to receive monthly newsletters from the School of Music advising of future student and faculty performances, again many of which are free or a nominal cost.
So, start developing your “Arts Calendar” if you haven't already done so. You'll enjoy one of the major benefits of living in our area. The Arts are alive...and waiting for you!
Calmness could have been the name of this anonymous small oil painting,
the cow not only distant but
Indistinct, her grazing form belonging
To the field, blending with the rough
Grass along the stream and that hazy
Light descending through great oaks.
It might be good, I thought, to
spend an afternoon within its frame,
Seated on a low rock over to one side,
Inconspicuous and almost out of sight,
Or standing on the other side of the stream, a figure in brown, unnoticed
By the cow, belonging and blending in,
Also anonymous.
—Caroline McNeil
Eric Henderson peacefully passed away on September 26, at the age of 89. He had been an OLLI a member for many years beginning in 2001 and a founder and familiar pillar of the Tallwood Trio. He was born and grew up in Bridgeport, Ohio, moved to the D.C. area in 1962, and lived in Reston, VA for 45 years.
A life-long lover of music, Eric played jazz bass with several Potomac River Jazz Club bands and with the Tallwood Trio, a group he helped form, and one that played occasionally at Vinson Hall, the retirement community where he and his wife of 64 years lived. As a certified wine specialist, at OLLI he taught wine courses and led trips to wineries, among many other activities.A celebration of life in Eric’s honor will be held at a later date to be announced.
Eric’s wife Carol sent the following message, noting that “OLLI was such a big part of both our lives. Eric passed away on September 26, 2023. It was peaceful and I was with him. He had been in hospice care for just three weeks. But he had been essentially bedridden in the skilled nursing portion of our retirement community since February, after a couple of medical emergencies. While he had multiple physical problems, he was mentally alert, made his own decision to go into hospice, and I think he was ready. We had recently celebrated our 64th wedding anniversary. He was 89 and had a good long life.”
More information and several photos are available at this link.
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 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 link to 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.
Virginia Opera: Siegfried
Sat, Oct 7, 7:30
Sun, Oct 8, 2:00
BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE: learn about the context, music, and production you are about to see and hear. A pre-performance discussion featuring Virginia Opera Resident Scholar, Joshua Borths, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
AFTER THE SUNDAY PERFORMANCE: Joshua Borths will lead a post-performance discussion with the artists in the Center for the Arts main lobby.
Concert Hall
Admission: $110, $70, $40.
David Amoroso: Belleza Brutal
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Through Nov 4
Admission: Free.
Prince William Little Theatre: The Westing Game
Fri, Oct 6, 8:00
Sat, Oct 7, 8:00
Sun, Oct 8, 2:00
Friday, Oct 13 at 8:00
Saturday, Oct 14 at 2:00
Saturday, Oct 14 at 8:00
Sunday, Oct 15 at 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $25 Adult; $20 senior, student (ID required), and military; $18 group (eight or more); $15 youth (12 and under).
KC Dance Center: Kollywood Night 2023
Sat, Oct 7, 5:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $25.
GFour Productions: Menopause The Musical 2—Cruising Through ‘The Change’®
Sun, Oct 8, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $55, $50, $45.
Coco in Concert
Fri, Oct 13, 7:00 A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance. Merchant Hall Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Manassas Chorale: The Places We’ll Go! Sat, Oct 14, 4:00
Merchant Hall Admission: $25 Adult, $23 senior.
Please note: Although some physical meetings for clubs and activities are canceled, some may be meeting in person or, in a hybrid mode, both in person and online. 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., 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 7
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Oct 10
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Tai Chi Club
Wed Oct 11
11:00 am
1:30 pm
1:45 pm
4:00 pm
Spanish Club
Tallwood Book Club
Bridge Club
Conversations with Doris & Brenda
Thu Oct 12
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Fri Oct 13
9:30 am
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
1:00 pm
3:00 pm
Mah Jongg Club
Photography Club
Crafts and Conversation
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
Cooking Club
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Halloween Party
Sat Oct 14
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Oct 17
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Tai Chi Club
Wed Oct 18
1:45 pm
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm
Bridge Club
Memoir and More Writing Group
Mah Jongg Club
Spanish Club
Conversations with Doris & Brenda
Thu Oct 19
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
Reston Book Club
Tai Chi Club
Fri Oct 20
9:30 am
10:00 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm
Crafts and Conversation Board of Directors Meeting
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
Stay Active and Independent for Life
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
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.
, and the annual Jazz for Justice, a traditional “big-band sound” on October 14 that raises money for legal support.
Eric Henderson peacefully passed away on September 26, at the age of 89. He had been an OLLI a member for many years beginning in 2001 and a founder and familiar pillar of the Tallwood Trio. He was born and grew up in Bridgeport, Ohio, moved to the D.C. area in 1962, and lived in Reston, VA for 45 years.
