Summer-term catalogs have been mailed and should also be online soon. Priority registration for summer term will be May 15–23.
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published May 4; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, May 1, at 6:00.
Annual business meeting and picnic will be Friday, May 4, at Tallwood. Meeting is at 10:00. Picnic starts at 11:00; register for special event 1307 and bring a dish based on your last name: salad (A–G), side dish (H–O), dessert (P–Z).
Election for Board of Directors positions, May 4–18. Hear from the candidates at the May 4 business meeting, 10:00. See article below.
Due to major maintenance and tree trimming, the Tallwood facility will be closed to staff and members from May 21–25. Make-up classes will be held as scheduled at other venues in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Reston. Please submit your summer‑term registrations by mail to OLLI; do not come to campus.
The OLLI Board of Directors met April 20, 2018, at Loudoun. Board President Ray Beery opened the meeting, thanking the outgoing Board members–Michelle Blandburg, Emmett Fenlon, Martha Powers, Norma Reck, and Bill Taylor for their commitment and service on the OLLI Board. Ray, who has served as president of the Board for two years, expressed his appreciation to the Board for supporting him in this role. He looks forward to serving the Board as an ex officio past president.
Terri Feldmayer, chair of the Nominating Committee, introduced seven candidates for the 2018 Board of Directors: Michelle Blandburg, Lillian Brooks, Marguerite Johnson, Norma Reck, Charles Silver, Diane Stanley, and Bill Taylor.
Executive Director Jennifer Disano reported that, as of April 9, 2018, total membership is 1,177 (annual membership is 1,133 and term membership is 44). OLLI has bounced back from a dip in membership last year and is now thriving. She expressed her gratitude to the members and all those who helped with this endeavor. This spring OLLI members enjoyed a record number of course offerings, events, trips, courses, socials, and special programs. Jennifer also reported that Mason facilities staff will be trimming trees at Tallwood the week of May 21–25. All make-up classes and clubs scheduled for that week will be moved to other venues. Members are asked: Please, DO NOT come to campus during May 21–25.
Under new business, the Board tabled an amended resolution to reduce the number of directors on the Board from eighteen to fifteen over a three-year period. Under old business, an amended resolution, that neither OLLI/Mason resources nor access to OLLI/Mason members shall be used for fundraising of monetary assets for outside organizations or causes, failed.
Last Opportunity to Meet the Candidates for Board Election By Terri Feldmayer, Nominating Committee ChairReminder: Candidates for the OLLI Board of Directors will be making a last appearance at Tallwood at the annual membership meeting and picnic, Friday, May 4, at 10:00. This is your chance to meet these OLLI members and share your thoughts and questions. Voting begins on that day (May 4) and extends through May 18.To view candidates’ biographical information and statements, click here.
History Club Meeting By Beth Lambert, History Club CoordinatorThe next meeting of the History Club will be held on Wednesday, May 2, at 2:15 in TA-1. Our speaker will be Skip Beale describing “Two Very Great Americans.” Who are they? Come to the meeting and find out. Skip will delineate the qualities that make one “great” and then discuss the two individuals he has selected. Anyone who has had Skip in a class will know that the presentation is sure to be an enlightening one.This is the last meeting of the History Club until October, so if you have always intended to come to a meeting, this is your last chance for this session and season. All OLLI members are welcome and are welcome to bring a guest. Hope to see you there.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,
Now We See You Where You Are! By John Nash, E-News Editorial Team MemberOn a brisk Friday night, April 20, nearly 30 OLLI members ventured out to the Roll Top Observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls to learn about and even see some celestial bodies. Arriving just after dusk, the OLLI group began in the control room with a presentation by Dr. Jeffrey Kretsch, a member of the Analemma Society that voluntarily staffs the facility. He explained the positions of stars and planets in the evening sky and basically educated the group on some elementary aspects of astronomy.The group then went out to the open-air courtyard where additional members of the Analemma Society explained the use of the telescopes and what to look for. A good view of a cloudy Venus, a close-up look at some of the moon’s craters, and even a lock on the four major moons of Jupiter generated a big “wow” factor from OLLI observers.The OLLI group came back inside to warm up and listen to a presentation on meteors. Pete Gural, another society volunteer, explained the best ways to view and photograph meteor strikes, indicating the most prolific display is the Perseids meteor shower in August. These meteors will be most visible between midnight and 4:00 on August 11–12 when the Earth passes through the trail of debris from an ancient comet, Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years.
The Analemma Society offers free viewings through their telescopes each Friday evening. Classes may be scheduled for modest fees. More information about the organization is available at www.analemma.org. (Photos by John Nash)
Performances, April 27 through May 8By 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
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Bach and Chopin - A Musical Kinship
Sun, Apr 29, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
Gallery Exhibit: CINZA 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
Friday, Apr 27, 10:30 and 11:45
Saturday, Apr 28, 10:30 and 11:45
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $10.
Pied Piper Theatre: Disney's The Little Mermaid
Saturday, Apr 28, 2:00 and 7:00
Sunday, Apr 29, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $15; children (12 and under) $12 through 4/25/18. After Apr 25, Adults $20;
children $15.
Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra: ¡Acompáñanos!
Sat, May 5, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20.
InTune Music Studios: Spring Recital
Sun, May 6, 1:00 and 4:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults $10; seniors $5.
Youth Orchestras of Prince William: Flow
Sun, May 6, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $12.
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 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
Fri May 4
10:00am
Annual Meeting and Picnic–TA-1/TA-3
Sat May 5
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed May 9
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
Tallwood Book Club–TA-1
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Thu May 10
2:15pm
Reston Book Club–UCP
Fri May11
9:15pm
9:30am
9:30am
11:00am
11:00am
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Photography Club–TA-1
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
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.
The OLLI Board of Directors met April 20, 2018, at Loudoun. Board President Ray Beery opened the meeting, thanking the outgoing Board members
Terri Feldmayer, chair of the Nominating Committee, introduced seven candidates for the 2018 Board of Directors: Michelle Blandburg, Lillian Brooks, Marguerite Johnson, Norma Reck, Charles Silver, Diane Stanley, and Bill Taylor.
On a brisk Friday night, April 20, nearly 30 OLLI members ventured out to the Roll Top Observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls to learn about and even see some celestial bodies. Arriving just after dusk, the OLLI group 
began in the control room with a presentation by Dr. Jeffrey Kretsch, a member of the Analemma Society that voluntarily staffs the facility. He explained the positions of stars and planets in the evening sky and basically educated the group on some elementary aspects of astronomy.The group then went out to the open-air courtyard where additional members of the Analemma Society explained the use of the telescopes and what to look for. A good view of a cloudy Venus, a close-up look at some of the moon’s craters, and even a lock on the four major moons of Jupiter generated a big “wow” factor from OLLI observers.The OLLI group came back inside to warm up and listen to a presentation on meteors. Pete Gural, another society volunteer, explained the best ways to view and photograph meteor strikes, indicating the most prolific display is the Perseids meteor shower in August. These meteors will be most visible between midnight and 4:00 on August 11–12 when the Earth passes through the trail of debris from an ancient comet, Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years.
The Analemma Society offers free viewings through their telescopes each Friday evening. Classes may be scheduled for modest fees. More information about the organization is available at 