Kevin Rose, NOVA District Biologist, Addresses Research on Recovery of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker for Class on Safeguarding Wildlife in Virginia, Tallwood, March 27, 2017
Battle of Gettysburg field trip, open to the public as well as members, Thursday, April 13; leaves at 7:00 and returns at 5:00. Click here to register yourself or a non-member guest for Event 976.
The 2017 election for new members of the OLLI Board of Directors is coming up May 5‑19. For pictures and biographical information on Board candidates, visit on the OLLI website at this link.
Tallwood Book Club By Ceda McGrew, Book Club CoordinatorThe Tallwood Book Club will meet on Wednesday, April 12 at 1:30 in the Tallwood Annex. The book for discussion is My Brilliant Friend by acclaimed Italian author Elena Ferrante, the first in her series of Neapolitan novels. It is the story of the lifelong friendship of two girls who grew up in the 1950s in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. All OLLI members are welcome.
The reading selection for May 10 is The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse.
The Computer Club (OLLI Personal Computer User Group, or OPCUG) will meet with its partner, the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), on Saturday, April 15 at Tallwood. Join us at 12:30 for soft drinks and socializing in the social room. Program activities begin at 1:00.
Creating Month-per-Page Photo Calendars - Presentation by John Krout
Awash in photos? Consider creating a month-per-page photo calendar. Bring a year of smiles to your family. Take a break from tax prep and learn how! John's presentation compares three different approaches for creating these calendars: web services, commercial software, and do-it-yourself with general presentation software (e.g., Microsoft Powerpoint, OpenOffice Impress). He addresses the economics and time demands of the approaches, and demos his free JK Calendar Creation Kit file to create full-page month tables for January and February 2018. He will show inexpensive hole-punch and binding equipment, and feature past calendars.
John is a software engineer and employee of a major manufacturer of automated fingerprint identification systems, working now as a tech writer. He was Grand Champion twice in the annual Arlington County Fair photo contest, and won dozens of blue ribbons over 25 years.
Learn in 30:Highlights of the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show - Geof Goodrum
Geof will summarize the latest consumer technology trends and gadgets in photos from the January 2017 International Consumer Electronics Show.
See full details on this meeting by clicking here. For information on the Computer Club, see the OPCUG website. OPCUG dues of $5 for 2017 will be collected at this meeting.
Can't make the meeting in person? Dues-paid club members may attend via Zoom's cloud meeting service, beginning at 12:45. Send a message to webinarhosts@patacs.org if you plan to attend in this way. Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/477933188 (Zoom Meeting ID: 477 933 188).
Holocaust Survivor Speaks at OLLI Event By John Nash, E-News Weekly Editor TeamIf you missed it…you really missed it! On March 31, courtesy of the Special Events Planning Committee, holocaust survivor Rubin Sztajer, 92 years old, spoke to a crowd at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Said one OLLI attendee, ". . . one of the most moving and important events I’ve heard."
Part of the introduction by Toni Acton:
“On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began, German soldiers marched into a small Polish village and the quiet life of a 13-year-old Jewish student named Rubin Sztajer was changed forever. His education ended and the torment his family of eight suffered was awful beyond anyone’s imagination."
“After the German occupation, Rubin first lived with his family in horrific conditions in a ghetto for Polish Jews, and then was separated from them at age 16, sent to a concentration camp as a slave laborer. He also spent three years in various “death camps,” including the infamous Bergen-Belsen. While he survived, his parents, two younger sisters and a younger brother were killed by the Germans."
“After the war, Rubin, along with his surviving older brother and sister, came to America in 1943. He settled in Baltimore where he went to night school to learn English and begin his education. He is retired from a career in sales and now lives with his wife of 63 years, Regina, in Ashburn, Virginia. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.”
Rubin detailed his daily life while in the concentration camps saying that hope was the only thing that kept him alive. At the end of his talk, which was greeted with an emotional standing ovation, Rubin admonished each of us to always appreciate the freedoms and opportunities we have in this country. “The United States is truly the land of opportunity; just look at me,” he said. (Photo by John Nash)
And so I ask you, how did it go? Did they love you? Do you know? Did you love yourself enough to grow wise and humble? Did you throw caution to the wind and show love for others? Did you love others? Did your “us” include “them,” as sisters, brothers?
Benny Allen Meyer Benny Meyer, an OLLI member since fall 2002, died on March 28, 2017. He was an active participant in the Tom Crooker Investment Forum. Benny was the subject of an interesting side note in the 25th anniversary OLLI Mason history book, The Story of OLLI, relating how he reconnected through OLLI with a fellow veteran of service in Vietnam. Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00, Friday, April 7, at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA. More details are available at this link.
Paul Andino Paul Andino, an OLLI member from spring 2001 through fall 2006, died near the end of March, 2017. He was an active member, writing for the OLLI literary magazine, Fairfax Ink, and serving to design OLLI catalog covers. Both he and his wife Margaret enjoyed music classes. He was the subject of an OLLI E‑News profile in 2007, available here.
Performances, Apr 7 through Apr 17By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff WriterFor tickets for either Center for the Arts (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 pageor the Hyltonticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues Gogol's Nose and Other Strange Tales from the City
Fri, Apr 7 - Sat, Apr 8, 8:00
Sat, Apr 8 and Sun, Apr 9, 2:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Adults, $25; seniors, $15.The 7 Fingers of the Hand: Cuisine & Confessions; Circus and Theater Meets Onstage Cooking
Sat, Apr 8, 2:00 and 8:00
Sun, Apr 9, 4:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.Chorale Broadway Showcase
Fri, Apr 7, 8:00
Sat, Apr 8, 2:00 and 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $20, $15, $5
Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Combined Choirs
Mon, Apr 10, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $10; seniors, $7.
Black Grace, New Zealand Contemporary Dance Group
Fri, Apr 14, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Gallery Exhibit: Betty Ganley, Petals and Reflections
Fri, Apr 7 - Sat, Apr 15
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thu, 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances.
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Admission: Free.
Asaph Dance Ensemble: Spring Celebration
Sun, Apr 9, 4:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $30; seniors, $15.
Veterans and the Arts Initiative Workshop: June Forte, The Pentagon Quilts
Thu, Apr 13, 10:00
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Admission: Free.
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 Apr 8
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed Apr 12
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
Tallwood Book Club–Annex
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Fri Apr 14
9:15am
9:30am
9:30am
11:00am
11:00am
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Photography Club–TA-1
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
Sat Apr 15
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Computer Club–TA-1
Wed Apr 19
1:30pm
1:45pm
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Fri Apr 21
9:15am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am
1:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex Board of Directors Meeting–Rose Gallery, Reston
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
Dr. Who Club–TA-3
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor: Sheri Siesseger
Weekly Editorial Team: Jean Boltz, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Lorna Moran, Susan Van Hemel, Polly Johnsen
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 – 6:00 Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 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:ollidev2.earthcare.com/" without the quotes.
Benny Meyer, an OLLI member since fall 2002, died on March 28, 2017. He was an active participant in the Tom Crooker Investment Forum. Benny was the subject of an interesting side note in the 25th anniversary OLLI Mason history book, The Story of OLLI, relating how he reconnected through OLLI with a fellow veteran of service in Vietnam. Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00, Friday, April 7, at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA. More details are available at 
Paul Andino, an OLLI member from spring 2001 through fall 2006, died near the end of March, 2017. He was an active member, writing for the OLLI literary magazine, Fairfax Ink, and serving to design OLLI catalog covers. Both he and his wife Margaret enjoyed music classes. He was the subject of an OLLI E‑News profile in 2007, available 