OLLI Mason Photography Club Photo Exhibit at Fairfax County Government Center Summit on Living Well, Aging Well, April 16; other photos of the summit at this link
If you wish to make a donation for OLLI's 25th anniversary gift to benefit the Mason Office of Military Services (OMS), you can do so in one of three ways:
1) Click here to link to a flyer with a form you can fill out and return to the
OLLI office with donation payment;
2) Buy raffle tickets to win a full-year OLLI membership. Look for signs
indicating when Development Committee members will be selling them
around the campuses. Sales will continue through July 15. Proceeds from
the sale go to the 25th Anniversary gift;
3) Click this link to donate directly online through Friends of OLLI.
The Seniors' Prom event scheduled for Fri, May 20 is canceled.
OLLI's Annual Meeting and Picnic is scheduled for Fri, May 6, at Tallwood. Candidates for the Board of Directors will speak at the meeting; the picnic will follow the meeting. All members are welcome, but please register at the member portal on the website.
Fun Facts to Celebrate OLLI's 25th Anniversary By Ray Beery, Member, Board of DirectorsIn 1992, LRI was listed in the Elderhostel directory of learning in retirement institutes throughout the country. In early 1993, George Mason University’s new telephone book recognized LRI for the first time.OLLI is celebrating its 25th year of classes for seniors in 2016. We'll be publishing fun facts and interesting milestones about the Institute each week that OLLI E-News is published from now until the end of the fall term, 2016.
Miss your OLLI pals? Need a fun afternoon between OLLI terms? Then BYOLunch and join us for this light-hearted special event Fri, May 20, from 12:00-3:00 in TA-1. We’ll enjoy a half-hour of lunch and socializing time, and then at 12:30 we’ll start viewing an amazing array of hilarious video clips featuring Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, Betty White, Johnny Carson, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, and many more famous funny faces. Sign up today for 1006BT – space is limited!
By Rala Stone, Literature, Language, and Theater Co-Chair
Attention French speakers!!!
We are looking for someone who can teach Beginning French in the fall and Conversational French in the spring. These are fun classes with enthusiastic Francophiles who are eager to learn how to speak French and who want to improve their conversational level. Past participants have loved this class both for what they have learned and for the camaraderie which has developed over the course of the term. If there is anyone out there who would like to take over these classes, please contact Beth Davis at edavish@gmu.edu or Rala Stone at Rala.stone@gmail.com.
Three OLLI poets recently received awards at the annual Poetry Society of Virginia contest. In a ceremony traditionally held during April, National Poetry Month, the long-standing organization honors area poets who have written and submitted exceptional poems. This year Martha Powers, Susan Bennett, and Mike Mc Namara walked off with honorable mentions: Martha for her limerick, “Yep, It’s A Cat Poem,” one of 26 entries in that category; Susan for her poem honoring women, “Tribute Due,” one of 89 entries; and Mike for his poem on overcoming adversity, “Handicapping with Dad,” one of 59 entries. All three winners are current members of the Poetry Workshop, which Mike moderates with Jan Bohall. Watch the Poet’s Corner to enjoy these poets’ fine poems.
If we have inadvertently omitted the names of other OLLI members who were winners in the 2016 contest, let us know at jbohall@verizon.net and we will recognize you in a future issue.
French People Portrayed by Members of French Conversation Class
By Beverley Persell, French Conversation Instructor
Several famous French people appeared at OLLI Monday, including Lafayette, Coco Chanel, Josephine Bonaparte, Marie Curie, and Charlemagne. Madame Persell’s French Conversation class members each dressed and spoke to us in French about the French person of their choice. Here are pictures of Lafayette as portrayed by Dorothy Chiarantona and Coco Chanel as portrayed by Gerry Ann Strube.
The History Club will meet on Wed, May 4, at 2:15 in TA1. Jo Seeley will give a talk titled: “The Rhineland Crisis of 1936—Last Chance to Stop Hitler?” She will discuss the factors behind the failure of the British and French military and political leaders to mount an effective response to this military aggression. This promises to be a most informative presentation, and Jo will argue that the answer to the question she poses is “yes.”
All OLLI members are invited to History Club meetings; come, learn, and discuss.
Yep, It’s a Cat Poem
Oh pity the poetry judge
Who must wade through the raw verbal sludge
About cats and their cuteness
Their purrs and astuteness
And how from warm laps they won’t budge.
— Martha E. Powers
Answers to your pressing questions about OLLI etiquette
By Ms. Ollie Ettakit,
OLLI E-News Manners Expert
Gentle readers: One of the OLLI staff was recently approached by a member who was distracted by another OLLI member knitting or doing needlepoint during class. The staff member wondered, "Is that an OLLI etiquette 'no'?"
Ms. Ettakit confesses possible bias on this question, because during her college experience (albeit at a college for women) knitting was viewed as acceptable behavior during class if the professor had okayed it. Given that one can knit and still pay attention, knitting may not be a problem in itself. But knitting in the front of the room may be distracting to the instructor or other students. Quiet knitting, in the back of the room, respecting the personal space of those around you, should be fine. Needlepoint is even less "active" than knitting, and Ms. Ettakit sees no problem with it. If you would like to do needlework of any kind in class, you should check with the teacher at the first class of the term, and be sensitive to the reactions of those around you. By the way, at OLLI's Crafts and Conversation group at Tallwood or the Knitting and Needlework club at Reston, you can stitch in good company every week.
Ms. Ettakit here reminds readers that we are dependent on maintaining the good will of our volunteer instructors and must ensure that our behavior reflects respect and thanks for their efforts. She trusts that it should not be necessary to remind readers that they should avoid behaviors that may distract others during class.
For 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 page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Awadagin Pratt, piano Sat, Apr 30, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion at 7:00: Join David Ginder of WETA 90.9FM with Conductor Christopher Zimmerman and special guests.
Concert Hall
Admission: $58, $46, $34.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Musical Pictures
Sun, May 8, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $40, $34, $24.
Land Beyond the Water, Peter Stern, Artist
Mar 21 - May 15
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thu, 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances.
Admission: Free.
Shakespeare Opera Theater: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sun, May 1, 8:00
Fri, May 6, 8:00
Sat, May 7, 3:00 Falstaff
Fri, Apr 29, 8:00
Sun, May 1, 3:00
Sat, May 7, 8:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: single show, $45, double show, $75.
Clifford the Big Red Dog® – LIVE! A BIG Family Musical
Sat, Apr 30, 2:00 and 5:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $30, $20.
Pied Piper Theater: Mary Poppins
Sat, May 7, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, May 8, 3:00
Admission: 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 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 30
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed May 4
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
2:15pm
Mah Jongg–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3 Special Events Committee–Annex
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/Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor: Sheri Siesseger
Weekly Editorial Team: Jean Boltz, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Nancy Michel, Marilyn O'Brien, Susan Van Hemel, Lorna Moran
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.
Several famous French people appeared at OLLI Monday, including Lafayette, Coco Chanel, Josephine Bonaparte, Marie Curie, and Charlemagne. Madame Persell’s French Conversation class members each dressed and spoke to us in French about the French person of their choice. Here are pictures of Lafayette as portrayed by Dorothy Chiarantona and Coco Chanel as portrayed by Gerry Ann Strube. 
