Reminder: Super Salad Social, Reston, Rose Gallery, Community Center, Lake Anne, April 20 (today), 12:30 – 2:30. All OLLI members welcome; candidates for Board election speak and take questions. See article below.
Reminder: Computer Club meeting, Tallwood, Saturday, April 21 (tomorrow), TA‑1, at 1:00 (socializing in the Annex at 12:30).
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published April 27; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, April 24, at 6:00.
Election for Board of Directors positions, May 4 – 18.
Board of Directors Election 2018: Meet the Candidates By Terri Feldmayer, Nominating Committee Chair
Candidates for the OLLI Board will be making appearances at Reston and Tallwood including brief statements and Q and A. You may also meet them in the social area at Loudoun. This is your chance to meet these OLLI members and share your thoughts and questions. The schedule is:
Today, April 20: 9:30-10:00 in the Loudoun Social area; 12:30-2:30 at the Reston Super Salad Social (Lake Anne, Rose Gallery)
May 4: 10:00-12:00 at the OLLI Annual Membership Meeting and picnic at Tallwood.
Voting begins on May 4 and extends through May 18.
To read candidates’ biographical information and statements, click here.
By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications/Program Associate
As outside temperatures soared, so did the accolades last Friday at the OLLI annual teacher appreciation breakfast, where some 150 instructors and program planners were celebrated for outstanding contributions to OLLI programming.
A record 426 instructors and speakers graced the OLLI classrooms in 2017, leading 583 classes and events on many topics. Recognizing this milestone, Provost Emeritus Peter Stearns, keynote speaker (pictured below), praised the teachers and OLLI for their commitment to higher education and intergenerational conversations with the university. Program Planning Chair Kathryn Russell echoed his accolades, thanking instructors for the countless hours spent preparing first-rate classes as a real “labor of love.”
Instructors representing each of OLLI’s teaching communities (members, Mason professors and outside experts) also gave their thanks. Brad Berger of the US Park Service acknowledged the professional growth and relationships he has achieved leading OLLI classes, and member Michelle Blandburg revealed how teaching music, African culture and movie and theater courses has been “empowering.” Jack Censer, retired dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, summarized, “Teaching at OLLI is a pleasure and a challenge because the students are sharp, have high expectations, and are not afraid to challenge the instructor. . . in a way that encourages discussion. We faculty are lucky to be in OLLI classrooms.”
During the event, Friends of OLLI scholarships were awarded to 28 Mason students representing university faculties and the numerous departments that sent teachers to OLLI classrooms in 2017. Another grant was awarded to Mason Libraries. It will be used both to help library students develop professional skills outside the classroom, and to facilitate another oral history project related to 1968 and the civil rights movement.
By Marianne Metz, Co-Chair for Music Program Planning
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) cordially invites OLLI members to help celebrate its 60th anniversary. On Saturday, May 12, starting at 8:00, the FSO joins with soprano Danielle Talamantes, tenor Carl Tanner, the Fairfax Choral Society, and the Music and Arts Chorus to present beloved arias and duets from great operas. From the majesty of Aida, the tenderness of La Bohème, and the romance of Turandot, experience an unforgettable evening filled with music from Verdi, Puccini, and Bernstein. The FSO is offering $50 discounted tickets for prime seating in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall on the Mason campus. OLLI attendees can sit together in the same vicinity. To reserve your tickets, go to the member portal and register for
Special Event 1019, “A Night at the Opera with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra.” You’ll be glad you didn’t miss this special 60th anniversary celebration concert!
Fairfax County International Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force One Visits OLLI By Carolyn Kazemi, OLLI Member
OLLI members greeted representatives of the world-renowned Fairfax County International Urban Search and Rescue Team’s Virginia Task Force One with awe and admiration last Friday, as team members gave a behind-the-scenes look at their training, readiness, and capabilities to deploy locally or globally, leading and assisting rescue and medical efforts during man-made and natural disasters.
Team members include emergency managers and planners, physicians, paramedics, and specialists in various fields such as structural engineering, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, and canine and technical search. When the task force is deployed, team members must be ready to leave their families and their everyday lives in less than three hours from the moment they receive their call to action.
Our presenters were accompanied by one of their canine rescuers, Angus, a black Labrador retriever specifically trained to identify trapped or lost humans who are alive. As part of their presentation, team members, with the help of several OLLI attendees, used highly-sensitive listening devices located outside of our main building to hear whispers from within our T‑3 classroom, demonstrating the crucial importance of the use of technology, humans, and canines in search and rescue efforts. To view the Task Force One website and learn more about its history and operations, visit www.vatf1.org.
The April 2018 Photo of the Month theme was Curves. We selected George Bradshaw's photo "Remembered," 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 Angela Talaber, Photography Club Coordinator
Singing at DawnSo determined
am I to get going, starting on the day's to-do-list,
checking Facebook and news apps
I forget how to welcome the morning
until a bubbly trill outside my office window
gently pulls me outside
into the woods near the stream.
"O, there you are,'' I whisper
as the winter wren reveals itself
and sends a joyous song soaring
beyond the tops of oak and beech trees
blocking out
all other sounds and thoughts
and filling the woods and me
with one sacred breath after another.
"O, there you are."
An Invitation from Julia Hathaway, Doctoral Student at Mason
Dear OLLI Member:
I am writing to ask for your participation in a research study that I am conducting this semester. Your assistance would be most appreciated!I am a second-year doctoral student at George Mason University. My interest is in learning how to help people better communicate about climate change and other sustainability issues.
This study looks at how adults conceive of “the good life” and how the environment relates to it. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to take part in an interview, which should take no more than 30 minutes of your time. I am happy to schedule the interview at a time and place that is convenient for you.
Please contact me at jhathaw3@gmu.edu to volunteer or ask questions. Thank you in advance for your help!
Sincerely,
Julia Hathaway
Department of Communication
George Mason University
Performances, April 20 through April 30 By 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
At the Fairfax Campus Venues The King's Singers
Fri, Apr 20, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company.
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Connections Through Time
Sat, Apr 21, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Christopher Zimmerman, conductor.
Concert Hall
Admission: $65, $53, $39.
The Hot Sardines
Sun, Apr 22, 7:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company.
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Bach and Chopin—A Musical Kinship
Sun, Apr 29, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
Mason Opera: Albert Herring
Fri, Apr 20 and Sat, Apr 21, 8:00
Sun, Apr 22, 2:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $15.Simone Dinnerstein Piano Master Class
Fri, Apr 20, 9:30am
Center for the Arts - Monson Grand Tier III
Admission: Free.
8th Anniversary Gala Silent Art Auction Exhibition
Through Apr 21
Final bids Apr 14
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.
Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
Fri, Apr 20, 8:00
Gregory Family Theater
Tickets: In advance $25; day of concert, $30.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Beethoven and Friends
Sat, Apr 21, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
Hylton Family Series: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
Sun, Apr 22, 2:00 and 4:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $15; children $5.
Gallery Exhibit: CINZA, works by Javier Padilla
Apr 24 - Jun 2
Gallery Reception: Thu, May 3, 6:00
The Gallery Receptions are free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. RSVP to smeyer3@gmu.edu
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.
Imagination Stage: Balloonacy
Fri, Apr 27, 10:30 and 11:45
Sat, Apr 28, 10:30 and 11:45
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $10.
Pied Piper Theatre: Disney's The Little Mermaid
Sat, Apr 28, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Apr 29, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Purchased by Apr 25: Adults $15; children (12 and under) $12. Purchased after Apr 25: Adults $20; children $15.
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 any time 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 21
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Computer Club–TA-1
Tue Apr 24
11:00am
Loudoun Program Planning Group–Room 208
Wed Apr 25
1:45pm
1:45pm
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Thu Apr 26
2:15pm
Theater Lovers' Group–Reston
Fri Apr 27
9:15am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Theater Lovers’ Group–TA-1
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
Photography Club–TA-3
Sat Apr 28
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed May 2
1:30pm
1:45pm
2:15pm
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
History Club–TA-1
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: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: Jean Boltz, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Shirley Springfloat, Linda Randall,
Gerry Ann Strube
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.
By Terri Feldmayer, Nominating Committee Chair
to OLLI programming.
experts) also gave their thanks. Brad Berger of the US Park Service acknowledged the professional growth and relationships he has achieved leading OLLI classes, and member Michelle Blandburg revealed how teaching music, African culture and movie and theater courses has been “empowering.” Jack Censer, retired dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, summarized, “Teaching at OLLI is a pleasure and a challenge because the students are sharp, have high expectations, and are not afraid to challenge the instructor. . . in a way that encourages discussion. We faculty are lucky to be in OLLI classrooms.”
By Carolyn Kazemi, OLLI Member
