Remember to vote for your OLLI Board of Directors. Ballots must be received by noon, Fri, May 20.
Lunch and Laughter (1006BT) scheduled for noon to three on May 20 has been cancelled.
OLLI’s summer-term ad will be displayed periodically through May 24 on the Mason marquee on Braddock Road. The ad highlights our 25th anniversary. The OLLI website address is also shown for more information. Look for the OLLI ad and tell your friends to do so as well. Summer is coming and so is another great selection of OLLI classes for all of us to enjoy!
The Humanities and Social Sciences Program Planning Group will meet Wed, May 18 at 10:00 in the Tallwood Annex. All OLLI members are welcome.
The Science, Technology, and Health Program Planning Group will meet on Wed, May 18 at 1:00 in the Tallwood Annex. Please come join us and share your thoughts on planned and potential courses for the upcoming OLLI terms.
A new between-term event, Lunch and Laughter, is offered as 1006BT. The event takes place Fri, May 20, at noon in TA-1. Sign up via the member portal.
Summer term registration begins Mon, May 16 and ends at noon, Mon, May 23.
OLLI Honored by Mason for Town-Gown Relations By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications AssociateThe perfect capstone for its 25th anniversary, OLLI Mason was honored May 5 with the Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations. The award is provided by George Mason University to nonprofit, individual or business entities that serve as leading forces in fostering mutually beneficial relations between the university and the community.“It couldn’t be otherwise,” said Mason President Angel Cabrera as he presented the award to Executive Director Jennifer Disano at a Board of Visitors meeting last week. Over its 25 years, OLLI has been the conduit for Mason faculty to touch thousands of individuals from Northern Virginia through lifelong learning, he asserted.President Cabrera offered strong accolades to OLLI, including the executive director and OLLI Board, for advancing Mason’s strategic goal of extending its learning missing to the local community. OLLI also paints a positive image for Mason at the local, state and national levels with members representing retirees' positions on government commissions and association conferences. And OLLI is well noted for drawing the community back into Mason with members auditing classes, using facilities, serving on university boards, donating scholarship monies and providing mentoring support to students.
The Jack Wood Award is offered annually in honor of the former Fairfax mayor (1953-1964) who led efforts to facilitate stronger town-gown synergies by establishing George Mason University on land abutting the city. Jack Wood Awards were also presented to five other recipients ranging from students to local business leaders.
Fun Facts to Celebrate OLLI's 25th Anniversary By Ray Beery, Member, Board of Directors
LRI held a five-year celebration party on April 13, 1996, at The Virginian, a retirement community in Fairfax.
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.
Would you like to know more about how your OLLI program is created? Then come join us as the subject area groups gather to map out future terms. You’ll enjoy hearing all the fascinating ideas, and you can have a say in which courses we’ll all enjoy in future terms. All OLLI members are welcome. We hope you’ll put these dates on your calendar:
Reston Planning group—Tuesday, May 17, 12:30 at Hunters Woods Community Center
Humanities and Social Sciences group—Wednesday, May 18, 10:00 at Tallwood
Science, Technology and Health group—Wednesday, May 18, 1:00 at Tallwood
Literature, Languages and Theater group—Thursday, June 9, 10:30 at Tallwood
Double Your Donation to Our Gift to OMS Your donation of $100 or more to the 25th anniversary gift to the Mason Office of Military Services will be matched by a generous benefactor. Donations may be made online via the member portal.Here is where we currently stand regarding donations to this important initiative.
Computer Club to Explore Federal Agency Digitization
By Paul Howard, Program Chair PATCS
The Computer Club (OLLI Personal Computer User Group, or OPCUG) will meet with its partner, the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), on Saturday, May 21 at Tallwood. Join us at 12:30 for soft drinks and socializing in the social room. Presentations will begin at 1:00.
An Overview of the Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative
Tom Rieger will discuss the cooperative effort to develop common digitization guidelines for historical and cultural materials that can be reproduced as still images including textual content, maps, photographic prints and negatives. The program’s goal is to enhance the exchange of research results and encourage collaborative digitization practices and projects among federal agencies.The program will also work to establish a common set of benchmarks for digitization service providers and manufacturers. Tom will demonstrate tools being developed to measure and monitor image quality.
Tom Rieger is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology and has worked in the imaging field for over 40 years. He is a member of the Technology Policy Directorate at the Library of Congress, where he is manager of Conversion Support Services.
Learn 30: Google Docs
Geof Goodrum will demonstrate the features and discuss the limitations of Google’s cloud-based word processor. Learn whether it can replace your desktop word processing application.
See full details of these meetings by clicking here. For information on the Computer Club, see the OPCUG website.
Can't make the meeting in person? Dues-paid club members may attend via Zoom's cloud meeting service, beginning at 12:45. Send a message to webinarhosts@patacs.org if you plan to attend in this way. Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/130726723
Zoom Meeting ID: 130 726 723
Language, Literature and Theater Planning Group to Meet
By Rala Stone, Program Planning Group Co-Chair
The Language, Literature and Theater Planning Group (LLT) will meet Thursday, June 9 at 10:30 in the Tallwood annex. LLT is the group responsible for planning those wonderful classes that you have been taking related to literature, various languages and theater in all three OLLI locations. Your input is essential in enabling us to provide a variety of top-quality classes that appeal to many of our members.
We invite OLLI members who are interested in these areas to attend our June meeting where we will welcome feedback regarding classes held this spring, will preview classes and enrollment for the summer and most important, will begin planning courses for Winter and Spring 2017. Your ideas are what make OLLI special! Perhaps you would like to teach a class or know of someone who would make a great instructor.
If you cannot attend the meeting, please feel free to contact one of us. Your feedback and new ideas are important to us.
The Theater Lovers' Group (TLG) will meet Friday, May 20 at 10:00 in TA-1.
TLG has established a relationship with Helen Pafumi, the Hub Theatre's artistic director. She is offering OLLI members and staff a special code to purchase half-price tickets for any of their next eight shows. OLLI folks can purchase tickets online or at the door by using the code SAYTHEWORD. For more information, go to thehubtheatre.org.
TLG is also offering OLLI members an opportunity to meet Wolf Trap performers who are studying and performing at Wolf Trap this summer. You may volunteer to host performers by providing a private room and bath in your home. To find out more about this opportunity, go to opera@wolftrap.org or phone 703-255-1935.
French Conversation Class Bids Adieu to Madame Persell
Several members of the French Conversation class showed off small French flags on the final day of Madame Persell’s tenure. The class participants saw a French film about the life of Edith Piaf and had a French lunch with quiche, fromage, a baguette, salade aux fruits, salade verte, patisseries and Orangina.
Dr. Harvey Schwartz presented a four-week class called Arthritis, Rheumatology and Other Related Conditions. He discussed possible causes and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Lyme disease, scleroderma, osteoporosis and gout.
William Reader. We are saddened to learn that Bill Reader has passed away. Services will be held next Friday, May 20 at 11:30 at Unity of Fairfax at 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Fairfax, VA. There will be a reception immediately afterwards at Neighbors Restaurant located at 262 Cedar Lane, Vienna, VA. All who wish to celebrate his life and legacy are welcome.
Mr. Reader joined OLLI in 2008 and was a member of the OLLI Board of Directors for two terms from 2010-2016. He was a popular teacher, presenting classes on topics including American social and cultural history, history of the media, technologies and inventions that changed history, America between the world wars, and the origins and consequences of World War II. He will be missed.
He played the violin well, and sadly
Played the horses, too, but badly.
After late night shows ‘til two or three,
At noon he’d wake and money me
Out to our midtown city street
To get the morning line’s scratch sheet:
For horses at Belmont and Pimlico
And races at tracks I didn’t know.
Then over eggs at the kitchen table
He’d look at each horse, jockey and stable
With an eye that seeing from afar,
Like some lawyer at some courtroom bar,
He’d turn and ask me to pick and choose.
(To parlay the blame when we would lose--)
And lose we did, through thick and thin
You could bet your shirt we’d seldom win.
The moral here of course is
Keep well away from racing horses;
And tell your betting Dad, to, “Just say no.”
Then take him to a Burlesque Show.
Mike Mc Namara
Editor's note: This is the third of the three award-winning poems entered by OLLI members in the Poetry Society of Virginia contest. The poem received an honorable mention.
Performances, May 13 through May 30By 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 page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Sat, May 21, 8:00
Beethoven: "Leonora" Overture No. 3
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4, featuring Andrew Tyson, piano
Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Pre-performance discussion at 7:00 by David Ginder of WETA 90.9FM with conductor Christopher Zimmerman and special guests.
Concert Hall
Admission: $58, $46, $34.
Mason Student & Faculty Performances
(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)School of Music Honors Recital
Sat, May 7, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
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.
Third Annual Juried Exhibition
May 16, - July 10
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Gallery Reception: Thu, May 19 from 6:00 to 8:00. RSVP to jconnor8@gmu.edu.
Admission: Free.
NOVA Youth Ballet: Peter and the Wolf plus Paquita
Fri, May 13, 7:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $30; seniors, $20; children, $15.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra: Musical Titans
Sat, May 14, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $16.
Matinee Idylls: Beau Soir Ensemble
Tue, May 17, 12:30 lunch, 1:30 concert
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $43 (lunch and concert); $20 (concert only).
Manassas Ballet Theatre: Cinderella
Fri, May 20 and Sat, May 21, 7:30
Sun, May 22, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $65, $55, $45, $35, $25.
Virginia Dance Center: Dancing Through Oz
Sat, May 28, 12:00 and 4:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $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 May 14
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Mon May 16
10:00am
10:00am
What’s in the Daily News cont’d–TA-1 Program Planning Committee–TA-2
Tue May 17
9:30am
Cottage Art–Cottage
Wed May18
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am10:30am
1:00pm
Bridge Club–TA-3
Mah Jongg–TA-2 Humanities and Social Sciences Program Planning Group–Annex
Tom Crooker Investment Forum–TA-1 Science, Technology and Health Program Planning Group–Annex
Fri May 20
9:00am
10:00am
10:00am
11:00am
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Theater Lovers' Group–TA-1
Homer, etc–Annex
Sat May 21
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Computer Club–TA-1
Mon May 23
10:00am
What’s in the Daily News cont’d–TA-1
Tue May 24
9:30am
10:00am
Cottage Art–Cottage
Spanish Club–TA-2
Wed May25
10:00am
10:30am
Bridge Club–TA-3
Tom Crooker Investment Forum–TA-1
Fri May 27
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
12:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Homer, etc–Annex
Photography Club–TA-1
Religious Studies Club–Cottage
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.
By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications AssociateThe perfect capstone for its 25th anniversary, OLLI Mason was honored May 5 with the Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations. The award is provided by George Mason University to nonprofit, individual or business entities that serve as leading forces in fostering mutually beneficial relations between the university and the community.“It couldn’t be otherwise,” said Mason President Angel Cabrera as he presented the award to Executive Director Jennifer Disano at a Board of Visitors meeting last week. Over its 25 years,
OLLI has been the conduit for Mason faculty to touch thousands of individuals from Northern Virginia through lifelong learning, he asserted.President Cabrera offered strong accolades to OLLI, including the executive director and OLLI Board, for advancing Mason’s strategic goal of extending its learning missing to the local community. OLLI also paints a positive image for Mason at the local, state and national levels with members representing retirees' position
Y
Several members of the French Conversation class showed off small French flags on the final day of Madame Persell’s tenure. The class participants saw a French film about the life of Edith Piaf and had a French lunch with quiche, fromage, a baguette, salade aux fruits, salade verte, patisseries and Orangina.
Dr. Harvey Schwartz presented a four-week class called Arthritis, Rheumatology and Other Related Conditions. He discussed possible causes and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Lyme disease, scleroderma, osteoporosis and gout.