Remember to vote for candidates for the OLLI Board of Directors. Voting begins May 5 and ends May 19 at noon. Candidate campaign statements may be viewed here.
The annual business meeting and picnic will take place at Tallwood May 5. The meeting begins at 10:00; the picnic at 11:00. Register here for special event 1104; please bring a dish to share based on last name—salad (A‑G), side dish (H-O), or dessert (P-Z).
Space is still available for the bus trip to the Cold War Museum May 12 from 10:30 to 5:00. This event is open to nonmembers, so bring a friend. Register for special event 979.
Copies of the new OLLI Ink will be available at the OLLI picnic May 5.
OLLI President's Message April 28, 2017 By Ray Beery, PresidentDon’t miss this opportunity! Bring a friend to class.For the last week of the spring term, let’s turn on our word-of-mouth machine and put out the latch-string for our families, friends, and neighbors. From Monday, May 8 to Friday, May 12, we invite visitors to sit in on any class (unless size limited by the instructor or requiring a fee) at any campus. Prospective members will receive an OLLI tote bag, summer catalog, and visitor’s badge.
Board Meeting Summary By Rita Way, SecretaryThe Board met Friday, April 21 at the Loudoun campus. President Ray Beery reported that he and Executive Director Jennifer Disano attended the Osher Foundation conference in Dallas, TX on April 3-6. It was very informative and worthwhile. There are 120 Bernard Osher Institutes serving 377 locations.A proposal was made by Ray Beery to address a request by some members who have asked for a reduced membership fee for OLLI members who can only enroll for one term due to travel, scheduling, or “snow bird” status. Board members were asked to give this proposal thought and provide feedback with ideas and suggestions. If the majority approves, Ray will submit a formal resolution to be presented at the June Board meeting.Terri Feldmayer, chair of the nominating committee, introduced the candidates for the Board. They are Evan Douple, Paul Howard, Gloria Loew, Jeffrey Rosendhal, Mel Russell, Dave Ryan, Harvey Schwartz, and Randall Scott. They were also introduced at the Reston Super Salad Social following the Board meeting. Members will get another opportunity to meet the nominees at the annual meeting and picnic on Friday, May 5 at Tallwood.
Membership at OLLI as of April 14 is 1,182 with 1,126 full-time members and 56 introductory members.
Nihad Hedrishi will replace Ken Wade as site assistant in Reston. Work-study students Aquila Ossian and Kendall Ayers, who assisted our Tallwood AV/IT teams, will be leaving.
The issue of installing a ramp at Tallwood for mobility-impaired members is being seriously considered along with ideas to fund the cost.
Ray Beery expressed a sincere thank you for the work and dedication of our outgoing Board members Wendy Campbell, Glenn Kamber, Irene Osterman, Stan Schretter, Martha Scanlon, and Nancy Scheeler.
The Virginia Economy Is Doing Well, Virginia State Senator Marsden Tells OLLI Audience By John Nash,OLLI E‑News Staff Writer“In spite of some pockets of economic problems, the Virginia economy is doing well,” said David Marsden (D), state senator from the 37th district. Speaking to more than 140 OLLI members, Senator Marsden discussed some of the factors contributing to the commonwealth's economic strengths: federal/military-related employment, the Port of Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay, an educated, diverse, and well-trained workforce, agriculture, tourism, and technology.Senator Marsden’s presentation included graphs where he compared the Virginia economy to national averages. The corridor from Northern Virginia through Richmond to Virginia Beach remains the strongest part of the Virginia economy, although this area is still recovering from the recent recession and federal budget reductions. The educated workforce and growing technology base have helped this corridor fare much better than other parts of the commonwealth.Some areas Senator Marsden felt needed attention include:
job creation, especially in the coal industry and other depressed areas of the state.
a rise in the minimum wage above $7.50/hour. For 120,000 Virginians, the minimum wage they earn is simply not enough to provide a decent living.
Medicaid expansion, especially in depressed areas. By refusing expansion, the commonwealth has given up $1.8 billion in federal assistance.
growing transportation problems that could be alleviated through expanding the transportation fund, improving roadways, devising innovative transportation solutions, and widening of Interstate 66 to include toll lanes.
OLLI member Stephanie Trachtenberg arranged the meeting so that OLLI members could hear firsthand the senator’s viewpoints and express their concerns about Virginia’s economic health.
History Club to Learn about Aleutian Islands War History By Beth Lambert, History Club CoordinatorThe History Club will meet Wednesday, May 3 at 2:15 in TA-1. We are looking forward to a very informative presentation by retired Army colonel Stan Johnson on World War II in the Aleutian Islands. While “the Aleutians” may be a familiar name to those of us who have studied (and lived during?!) World War II, we may not know that the fighting there was the first time enemy troops landed and occupied US territory since 1814. Johnson will also discuss the Japanese strategy for taking the islands. Johnson’s presentation will explore Japanese history and the Bushido Code/Samurai Warrior ethic in the context of the epic events that took place on that inhospitable volcanic archipelago.
Inside
OLLI-MasonVolunteer to Help Produce Our OLLI Course CatalogThe Publications Committee needs YOU if you are able and willing to edit, co-edit or proofread future course catalogs. Please see the inside front cover of the summer catalog for how the process works. For additional information about working on the catalog, please contact Publications Committee Chair Sheri Siesseger, sheri.siesseger@gmail.com.The summer catalog is now online. Watch your mailbox for the printed copy coming soon!Thanks to the production crew for this issue: editor Leti Labell, proofreaders Joan Axilbund, Karen Murphy, Martha Powers, Susan Van Hemel, and our super staff Leigh Knox, Beth Davis, and Alice Slayton Clark.
As the spring semester is rapidly coming to a close, we will be cleaning out the lost and found box in the Tallwood social room. As in the past, we will donate eyeglasses to the Lions Club, telephones to the police so that they can be given to victims of domestic abuse, and general material to Goodwill.
The spring semester ends May 12. The lost and found box will be emptied the week of May 15 to be donated as above. If you have lost something, please check the social room prior to that time.
Invitation to an Evening with American Novelist Richard Ford
By Matthew Davis, Founding Director of The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center at George Mason
On Thursday, May 4, the Alan Cheuse International Writers’ Center at George Mason University will present acclaimed American novelist Richard Ford. One of the preeminent writers working in the United States, Ford will engage in conversation with Maureen Corrigan of NPR's Fresh Air about his new memoir, Between Them: Remembering My Parents. The event will begin at 7:30 in Dewberry Hall North on the George Mason Fairfax campus and is free and open to the public.
At 6:00, you are invited to meet Richard Ford. Ford was a good friend of Alan Cheuse, and he will help celebrate the Cheuse Center with a meet and greet in the Johnson Center Gold Room. This event features hors d'oeuvres and drinks. A contribution of $40 is required, with proceeds going to the Cheuse Center to continue to expand its programming.
To register for both this pre-event and the public conversation, click here.
Theater Lovers' Group Visits Gilbert and Sullivan Exhibit
By Ed Rader, TLG Member
On Friday, March 21, members of OLLI’s Theater Lovers’ Group attended an exhibition at Mason’s new Fenwick Library: “Oh Joy Unbounded…” A Celebration of Gilbert and Sullivan. We were honored to have David Stone personally conduct our tour of his Gilbert and Sullivan collection that took forty years to amass and that he recently donated to Mason.
The exhibit features memorabilia from all fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan operas, individual compositions of both W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, and personal items from each of their lives. The exhibition is part of a larger celebration of the famous duo that the University Libraries and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) are coordinating at Mason through 2017. The exhibit is free and open to the public during Fenwick Library’s operating hours.
A full-day forum, A Celebration of Gilbert and Sullivan, will be held on Saturday, April 29. The forum will include noted scholars, a guided tour of the exhibit, and lunch; a Friends of Music dinner, and a performance of Iolanthe. Iolanthe will also be performed on Sunday, April 30. For more information and tickets, go to https://cvpa.gmu.edu/gands.
Thanks to Kathleen Kehoe, director of development for University Libraries and Norma Jean Reck, TLG chair, for organizing this outstanding event for OLLI.
Photo by Ed Rader; front row—Sherry Hart, Martha Powers, Thelma Weiner, Norma Jean Reck; back row—Sandy Hoch, Vonnie Herczogh, Seymour Metz, Marianne Metz, Ed Rader, David Stone, Kathleen Kehoe, Suzanne Brooks.
Spanish Class Members Attend Play By Joyce Weinstein, Class MemberSeveral members of the Spanish Conversational Forum honed their language skills while enjoying a matinee performance of Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony Award winning musical In the Heights. The play, entirely in Spanish with supratitles, is currently at the GALA Theater in Washington, DC. Class members attending included Marvin Singer, Melissa Fitzgerald, Joyce Weinstein, Janey Mink, Wini Schleffer, and Alice Svenson.Photo by Shalev Weinstein.
My computer is feeling a tad brackish
slow to start and slower still to connect
you might even say unresponsive
without coaxing and threats too direct.
My geek murmurs o’er it with a warning
lays hands on its innards and sighs
suggests I delete a good deal of its load
to lighten its burden, avoid its demise
then perhaps it might last, on a note of good cheer
no guarantees, but just maybe, to the end of the year.
Performances, Apr 28 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
Martha Graham Dance Company
Fri, Apr 28, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Inspiring the Next Generation with the Fairfax County All Stars Youth Orchestra
Sat, Apr 29, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Join David Ginder of WETA and conductor Christopher Zimmerman
Concert Hall
Admission: $65, $53, $39.Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: The Genius of Chopin
Sun, Apr 30, 7:00
A pre-performance concert by young artists will be held in the lobby.
Concert Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
Lab Ensemble Concert
Fri, Apr 28, 12:30
DeLaski - Room 3001
Admission: Free.Guitar Ensemble Concert
Fri, Apr 28, 8:00
DeLaski - Room 3001
Admission: Free.Ten-Minute Play Festival
Fri, Apr 28 and Sat Apr 29, 8:00
Sat, Apr 29, 2:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $10.Mason Opera: Iolanthe
Fri, Apr 28 and Sat Apr 29, 8:00
Sun, Apr 30, 3:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $15.International Jazz Day Concert with the Mason Jazz Ensemble
Sun, Apr 30, 2:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $12; seniors, $8.
Mason Jazz Vocal Night: Celebrating Ella
Tue, May 2, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $12; seniors, $8.
GMU Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Celebration
Wed, May 3, 7:30
Concert Hall
Admission: Free.
Dance Innovations
Fri, May 5, and Sat, May 6, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults, $15; seniors, $10.
Scholarship Benefit Concert: Soloists with the Mason Orchestra
Sun, May 7, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $15.
Post-show desert reception: $15 (RSVP to Alice Magelssen-Green at 703-993-1593 or amagelss@gmu.edu).
Gallery Exhibit: Gilbert and Sullivan Memorabilia
Through May 27
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00; Thu, 10:00-8:00; and two hours before performances.
For more information, visit https://cvpa.gmu.edu/gands.
Admission: Free.
Pied Piper Theatre: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Sat, Apr 29, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Apr 30, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $20; children, $15.New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players: H.M.S. Pinafore
Thu, May 4, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Merchant Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.Virginia National Ballet: Snow White
Fri, May 5, 7:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $35; children, $17.Mariachi Los Camperos
Sat, May 6, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.InTune Music Studios: Spring Recital
Sun, May 7, 1:00 and 4:00
Gregory Theater
Admission: Adults, $10; seniors and children, $5.
Youth Orchestras of Prince William: Let it Bloom!
Sun, May 7, 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 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 29
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed May 3
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
2:15pm
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3 Special Event Committee–Annex
History Club–TA-1
Fri May 5
10:00am 11:00am
Annual Business Meeting–TA-1
Homer, etc.–Annex
Sat May 6
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed May 10
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
Tallwood Book Club–Annex
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Fri May 12
9:15am
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: 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.
By Ray Beery, President
By Rita Way, SecretaryThe Board met Friday, April 21 at the Loudoun campus. President Ray Beery reported that he and Executive Director Jennifer Disano attended the Osher Foundation conference in Dallas, TX on April 3-6. It was very informative and worthwhile. There are 120 Bernard Osher Institutes serving 377 locations.A proposal was made by Ray Beery to address a request by some members who have 
asked for a reduced membership fee for OLLI members who can only enroll for one term due to travel, scheduling, or “snow bird” status. Board members were asked to give this proposal thought and provide feedback with ideas and suggestions. If the majority approves, Ray will submit a formal resolution to be presented at the June Board meeting.Terri Feldmayer, chair of the nominating committee, introduced the candidates for the Board. They are Evan Douple, Paul Howard, Gloria Loew, Jeffrey Rosendhal, Mel Russell, Dave Ryan, Harvey Schwartz, and Randall Scott. They were also introduced at the Reston Super Salad Social following the Board meeting. Members will get another opportunity to meet the nominees at the annual meeting and picnic on Friday, May 5 at Tallwood.
By John Nash,OLLI E‑News Staff Writer“In spite of some pockets of economic problems, the Virginia economy is doing well,” said David Marsden (D), state senator from the 37th district. Speaking to more than 140 OLLI members, Senator Marsden discussed some of the factors contributing to the commonwealth's economic strengths: federal/military-related employment, the Port of Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay, an educated, diverse, and well-trained workforce, agriculture, tourism, and technology.Senator Marsden’s presentation included graphs where he compared the Virginia economy to national averages. The corridor from Northern Virginia through Richmond to Virginia Beach remains the strongest part of the Virginia economy, although this area is still 
recovering from the recent recession and federal budget reductions. The educated workforce and growing technology base have helped this corridor fare much better than other parts of the commonwealth.Some areas Senator Marsden felt needed attention include:
By Beth Lambert, History Club CoordinatorThe History Club will meet 
Several members of the Spanish Conversational Forum honed their language skills while enjoying a matinee performance of Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony Award winning musical In the Heights. The play, entirely in Spanish with supratitles, is currently at the GALA Theater in Washington, DC. Class members attending included Marvin Singer, Melissa Fitzgerald, Joyce Weinstein, Janey Mink, Wini Schleffer, and Alice Svenson.Photo by Shalev Weinstein.
