Reminder: Computer Club (Personal Computer User Group) meets Saturday, May 18 (tomorrow!), at 1:00 in TA‑1; social activities begin at 12:30 in the Annex.
The OLLI catalog for the summer term (June 24–August 2) is out and available online here. Priority registration begins May 21 at 9:00 and ends May 29 at noon.
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published May 31; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, May 28, at 6:00.
With Appreciation for More Than 15 Years of Service, OLLI Thanks Leonard JustinianAppreciating Leonard Justinian By William Parsons, Watercolor Class Member When I retired eight years ago, a good friend and OLLI member encouraged me to consider taking classes at OLLI Fairfax. I was skeptical because I had a long list of things I wanted to do in retirement and wasn’t sure I’d have time for what he was suggesting. But he came to my house with the latest OLLI catalog, and I thumbed through it right to the page that listed a watercolor painting class—watercolor was number one on my retirement list!So began my return to painting and drawing, friendships with fellow OLLI artists, and the pleasure of working with Leonard Justinian, OLLI’s watercolor teacher for the past 15 years. Leonard paints wonderful detailed landscapes that glow with color and light, in the true spirit of traditional transparent watercolor. It’s very likely hundreds of OLLI students have kindled or rekindled their own love of painting through Leonard’s encouragement. Many have watched and learned from him and gained the confidence to develop their own unique painting styles, always celebrated by Leonard’s inspiration and cheering.On May 16 Leonard Justinian taught his last watercolor painting class at OLLI, as he moves on to another chapter. I know I speak for many of his students in wishing him well and thanking him for showing us how to create the magic of making an image, glowing with color, appear on a sheet of white Arches cold-pressed paper. We will miss him...but NOT his goofy jokes!
Legacy of Leonard Justinian By Suzanne Goldstein, Watercolor Class Member
OLLI thanks Leonard Justinian for his 15 years of outstanding teaching. He has inspired, encouraged, and challenged his students through his watercoloring class. It is due to his influence that OLLI has a watercolor program in Loudoun and Tallwood as well as an art club.
Leonard’s career started at the age of 10, selling pencil sketches to his neighbors. By 12 he was painting with oils and later watercolors. His background also includes pen & ink, charcoal, pastels, block printing, metal sculpture welding and acrylics. Leonard entered his first art show in 1971, and from that time on he has painted only in watercolor.
He is presently a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. He is a past member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society, the Watercolor Society of Louisville (Kentucky), The Vienna Arts Society, The Art League of Alexandria, and the Arts Council of Fairfax County. Leonard has won numerous awards in various venues ranging from honorable mention to best in show. In 1996 he won the Grumbacher Gold Medal Award in watercolor. In addition, he has produced more than 50 television shows on “Painting Watercolors with Leonard” on Fairfax Access Cable TV10.
It is through the dedication of teachers like Leonard that OLLI is able to offer excellent classes. OLLI and the hundreds of students that took his class thank him for his time, insight, support, positive attitude, and love of teaching art. He will not be forgotten, but he will be greatly missed.
Were You There? By Ben Gold, OLLI InstructorOLLI is interested in repeating a very exciting and well-received class, last held in 2009. It was titled “I Was There” and, as the title suggests, individual presenters discussed events that they witnessed or participated in.Some of the topics presented were: Early Women Pilots, WAF Opportunities; The Gulf of Tonkin Incident; The Berlin Wall: Its Building and Tearing Down; The Cuban Missile Crisis; Central H.S., Little Rock, Arkansas 1957; and D-Day Preparation for Invasion.Our members have had many unique experiences, participating in or being close observers of significant events. We are seeking volunteers to present their stories in one class session, or two presenters, each for half a class session. If you have such an experience you would be willing to share, please contact Ben Gold at mailto:bennettgold@verizon.net.
The May 2019 Photo of the Month theme was Emotion. We selected Tom Simpson's photo "Glee," 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
1st Annual Trip to Contemporary American Theater Festival:
According to Ed Herendeen, founder and artistic director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), tiny Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is "where the future of American theater spends the summer."
Peggy McKeown (photo by Jane Hassell), in our OLLI class on May 8, told us that in 1991 when Herendeen was looking for a place to produce and develop new American theater, Shepherd College generously offered him their campus. She described the venue as a bucolic setting and a safe place where playwrights and actors get to try out different things—often with many do-overs—without coming under the oft‑times critical glare of, say, a New York critic ready to squash them. After a months-long selection from a hundred-plus manuscripts, six plays have been chosen to run in repertory during the month of July.
OLLI members will travel to the Frank Center on Sunday, July 28, to see two of the plays. The first, My Lord, What a Night, is a compelling historical drama that tells about the lifelong friendship between Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein and will feature her music. The other is Support Group for Men, a timely comedy that hilariously dissects the ever-changing role of gender in today's culture and shows that understanding is sometimes found in the least likely places.
The cost of the tickets is $49 and $37, respectively. We will also watch a set changeover between the plays, participate in an audience discussion, and meet with either Ed or Peg for an OLLI group discussion. We are working on arranging dinner and transportation by van for our group. If you have any questions or are interested in joining us for this one-day trip, please email njreck@cs.com.
On Air - A Musical Premiere:
On Sunday, May 26, OLLI members and guests will return to Creative Cauldron to see a 2:00 matinee performance of On Air. In the 1920s, two unsung radio pioneers, Frank and Flora, established the first radio station in their garage in East Pittsburgh. On Air follows their love story and how radio became a constant soundtrack of our lives over the past century of American life. I'm sure a few of us can remember the many hours we spent listening to the radio.
Tickets are $28/senior rate or $20 if we have a group of ten or more. Optional dinner after the show will be at Panjshir. If you and any guests would like to join us, please email njreck@cs.com ASAP.
on a spring night
when something
quietly calls
to open the curtain,
so you can see
warm white petals
on dogwood trees
soaking up
the moon’s
lustrous light
adorning
a dark world
with strands of pearls
For tickets for either Center for the Arts Concert Hall (CFA) or Hylton Center, 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 Hylton Centerticket purchase page.
Gallery Exhibit: David Barr
Apr 2 – May 18
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.
The Buchanan Partners Art Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00.
Manassas Ballet Theatre: The Sleeping Beauty
Fri, May 17 and Sat, May 18, 7:30
Sat, May 18, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $65, $55, $45, $35, $25. Gallery Exhibit: Jordann Wine
May 19 – July 9
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.
Gallery Reception: Thu, May 23, 6:00.
Gallery receptions are free and open to the public. Please RSVP to smeyer3@gmu.edu.
McKinney Boyd High School Bands Concert
Mon, May 20, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $10.
OBCO Goes to Broadway
Sat, May 25, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20 Adults; $15 seniors.
Northern Virginia Ballet: 2019 Recital
Sun, May 26, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $28 Adults; $20 seniors.
Manassas Chorale: Silver Salute (to the Red White and Blue)
Fri, May 31, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20, $18.
Virginia National Ballet: Spring Recital
Sat, Jun 1, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $25.
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 for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming 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, kick-off coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat May 18
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Personal Computer User Group–TA-1
Mon May 20
10:00am
Nominating Committee–TA-2
Wed May 22
11:00am
1:00pm
1:45pm
New Board Member Orientation–TA-2 Special Events Committee–Annex
Bridge Club
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Linda Randall, Tom Appich, Roz Stark,
Jane Hassell
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: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week's issue (Monday, 6:00, 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 Ben Gold, OLLI Instructor
