The next meeting of the Board of Directors is 10:00, Friday, June 17, at Tallwood in TA-1.
This issue of OLLI E-News is the first one for which Paul Van Hemel is the chief editor, following the able stewardship of Irene Osterman since the fall of 2013. Irene will continue as the technical editor.
Reminder: The deadline for submissions remains 6:00, Tuesday of the week for the Friday distribution of E-News; this is necessary to allow for editing, preparation of the issue, proofreading, responding to proofreader comments, and final distribution. Thanks!
OLLI Staff on the Move! By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications AssociateIf you attended classes at Tallwood lately, you can’t help but notice an increase in staff hires. The good news is that OLLI is thriving, offering more courses, special events, and socials at additional venues; but this has put an additional demand on staff and office workspace has become a premium, particularly at Tallwood.Coming to the rescue, the OLLI Board and Executive Director recently created workspace at the cottage to accommodate more staff. Finance Associate Karen Nash, Communications Associate/Registrar Alice Slayton Clark and Administrative Assistant Shannon Morrow can now be found with Program Associate Beth Davis at the south end of campus where they all breathe easier and enjoy a little more elbow room. The move took place last weekend.Administrator Susan Todenhoft and Site Assistant Bill Walsh remain in the Tallwood back office, where they can spread out and deftly manage the logistics of the Tallwood campus. With Bill in the back, the plan is to create more space near the front desk for OLLI members to conduct membership, registration and other business. There is even more room for the work-study students, who will float between the front office, cottage and classrooms as needs dictate.So if you are looking for Beth, Karen, Alice or Shannon, they are just a phone call away from the front office and, as always, ready to address your every need.
OLLI Philanthropy Making a Difference! By Alice Slayton Clark, Communications Associate Jennifer Disano, OLLI Executive Director; Felicity Kwanthreng and Patricia Miranda-Cortez, winners of the EIP Green Scholarship; and Glenn Kamber, OLLI Board President
Ninety-seven local high school seniors, a panorama of smiles and pride, spanned the stage at the Johnson Center May 27 to receive honors for completing George Mason University’s Early Identification Program (EIP).
The EIP was launched in 1987 to provide free college preparation instruction to help underservedstudents become “first in their families” to enroll in college or university. A five-year commitment from 8th grade through high school requires participants to dedicate weekends, evenings, and summers to workshops on academics, social supports, leadership, and civic service. The program also works with parents, siblings, and grandparents to strengthen family support for learning in the home.
Over the past two decades, the EIP has served 1,200 students, an overwhelming portion of whom are ethnic minorities. Some 90 percent of EIP high school seniors go on to attend institutions like Mason, NOVA, William and Mary, and the University of Virginia.
Scholarships were awarded to 21 participants who distinguished themselves for strong academic performance throughout the program. Felicity Kwanthreng and Patricia Miranda-Cortez won the “EIP Green Scholarship (honoring individuals that exemplify a commitment to environmental sustainability),” financed through a $6,500 donation from the Friends of OLLI fund. The two expressed their deep gratitude to OLLI. Both will be attending Mason in the fall.
According to EIP Director Khaseem Davis, “Due to OLLI's generous gift, the Early Identification Program has been able to provide scholarship support to incoming and current EIP alumni attending Mason. Our students and their families are very grateful for this support and take pride in knowing that they will be Patriots this fall! Again, thank you, OLLI, for your support.”
Fun Facts to Celebrate OLLI's 25th Anniversary By Ray Beery, Member, Board of Directors
Lydia Macdonald presented a proposal to the board in December 1997 for the establishment of a satellite LRI in the western part of Fairfax County. The Board expressed support for the committee’s work, but needed more information. By March 1998, the Board agreed to establish an additional site at Reston, within the existing framework of the Institute. In June 1998, the Board authorized negotiations with the Washington Plaza Baptist Church in Reston for a five-year agreement on rental of space. By the June board meeting, an agreement had been signed. A celebration for the opening of the Lake Anne site in Reston was held at the church on January 14, 1999. Nine classes were held there during the 1999 winter term.
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.
Do you like to bake? Do you have a favorite recipe? We need you for our Christmas-in-July Bake Sale! All proceeds will be donated to Mason’s Office of Military Services to help Mason's veteran students bridge financial gaps. Volunteer bakers please contact Lesley Bubenhofer at labubenhofer@verizon.net.
Not a baker but really like home-baked goodies and want to have some fun? Meet with your OLLI friends, and make new ones at the bake sale on July 15, noon, at Tallwood Annex. Enjoy beverages and your purchased treats. Plus, earn chances for door prizes with your baked good purchases. There will be a silent auction for a special item, the drawing for the OLLI annual registration fee winner, and much, much more, including Santa@Christmas in July.
I joined OLLI to achieve in retirement what I could not accomplish as a wage earner: to become the educated man I hoped someday to be, who could play the piano.
I am not there yet, but I am much closer than I was when I joined OLLI in 2002. And I still cannot play the piano. But thanks to years of Music Sampler, I can know and admire the achievements of those who do. And I have learned to appreciate the performance spectrum of the School of Music. I have come to appreciate history, my worst subject in school; learned the language of Art; and discovered an inner ham, thanks to Readers' Theater and its offshoots.
I was born in Manila but have lived in the DC area since 1950, which makes me more native than 95 percent of people who live here. Having been schooled at Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Catholic U, and employed at Naval Research Lab, Ft. Belvoir, and the Pentagon makes me more local still.
I have served on the Board in the past for two terms, including a stint as president. My wife, Kathleen, is also a member of OLLI, and we have two sons, a grandson, and two cats. The cats enjoy watching me cut grass. I do not. I am trying to teach them to volunteer. Perhaps I will have better luck with OLLI members.
Bring your grandkids to Tallwood on Monday, July 11, for “Kids ‘n’ Critters” (Special Event 1101), so they can learn about a variety of animals, including therapy dogs Teddy (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, below left) and Abby (Shetland Sheepdog, below right).
We’ll also have two retired racing greyhounds, the K-9 team from Mason’s police department, and hopefully some smaller animals from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. The event takes place from 1:00 to 3:00, and registration of both yourself and your grandchildren is required. Please join us for an afternoon of educational animal fun!
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, June 18, at Tallwood. Join us at 12:30 for soft drinks and socializing in the social room. Presentations will begin at 1:00.
Windows 10: To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade? Tom Gutnick
Actually, that is more than one question. Microsoft’s deadline for free upgrades is looming (July 29), so we’ll give you the information you need to make an informed decision. Why might you want to upgrade? Should you upgrade your particular system? What steps should you take in preparation for the upgrade? And how can you mitigate the learning curve after the upgrade? You may well have more questions, and we’ll address those too.
Tom Gutnick has worked in the computer industry for most of his adult life. He started out as a programmer, has managed software development projects and data centers, and has worked as a system performance analyst and information security analyst. Now, through Sunny Banana IT Consulting, he helps small businesses and home offices that don't have their own IT departments. He also teaches personal technology at Arlington Adult Education and information technology at Northern Virginia Community College.
Learn 30: Google Maps – Geeks on Tour Chris and Jim Guld visited us in May 2015. Using their tutorial videos, this session will explore some of the basics about Google Maps, including operations on computers, smartphones, and tablet devices.
PC Clinic in the Annex (Club Membership and Registration Required)
Get hands-on help with your computer problems from OPCUG and PATACS experts. Bring in your computer, and we'll help you lose the 'blues' - system slowdowns, unwanted programs, viruses, and malware. We can help install new RAM, optical drives, hard disks, and software. Be sure to read the Clinic Rules – click this link: http://patacs.org/clinicpat.html
See full details of these meetings by clicking here. For information on the Computer Club, see the OPCUG website. OPCUG dues of $5 for 2016 will be collected at this meeting.
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/631300536
The OLLI Book Club will meet on Monday, June 13, at 10:00 at Tallwood. The book for discussion is I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. It is the story of the author, a Pakistani girl (born in July 1997) and her family, advocates for education, especially the education of girls. In October 2012, while returning home from school, she was shot by the Taliban. She made a miraculous recovery and continued her education and her advocacy work. At age 16, she addressed the United Nations General Assembly, and at age 17, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest recipient ever. In 2015, a documentary telling her story, He Named Me Malala, was released.
After the book discussion, we will take a short break and then watch and discuss the film.
All OLLI members are welcome. We hope all who are able will join us.
The book for discussion in July is A House of My Own by Sandra Cisneros, this year's winner of the Fairfax Prize at Fall For the Book.
By 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
Air Force Band 75th Anniversary Concert
Sat, Jun 11, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Free
Arirang Korea: 11th Annual Asian & Pacific Island American Festival
Sat, Jun 18, 6:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $58, $48, $38
Third Annual Juried Exhibition
May 16 - July 10
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
School of Classical & Creative Dance: Puck's New Adventure
Fri, Jun 10, 7:30
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $10
South Riding Dance Academy: Cruisin
Sat, Jun 18, 11:00 and 4:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $25
Showcase Dance Studio: Enchanted
Sat, Jun 25, 2:00 and 6:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20, $16
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 Jun 11
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Mon Jun 13
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
What’s in the Daily News, cont’d–TA-1
Bridge Club–TA-3
Book Club–TA-2
Fri Jun 17
9:00am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex (Note new time.) Board of Directors Meeting–TA-1
Homer, etc–Annex
Sat Jun 18
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Computer Club–TA-1
Mon Jun 20
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
What’s in the Daily News cont’d–TA-1
Bridge Club–TA-3
Mah Jongg–TA-2
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Travel Club–TA-2
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc–Annex
Photography Club–TA-1
Religious Studies Club–TA-3 Member Services Committee–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: 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 AssociateIf you attended classes at Tallwood lately, you can’t help but notice an increase in staff hires. The good news is that OLLI is thriving, offering more courses, special events, and socials at additional venues; but this has put an additional demand on staff and office workspace has become a premium, particularly at Tallwood.Coming to the rescue, the OLLI Board and Executive Director recently created workspace at the cottage to accommodate more staff. Finance Associate Karen Nash, Communications Associate/Registrar Alice Slayton Clark and Administrative Assistant Shannon Morrow can now be found with Program Associate Beth Davis at the south end of campus where they all breathe easier and enjoy a little more elbow room. The move took place last weekend.Administrator Susan Todenhoft and Site Assistant Bill Walsh remain in the Tallwood back office, where they can spread out and deftly manage the logistics of the Tallwood campus. With Bill in the back, the plan is to create more space near the front desk for OLLI members to conduct membership, registration and other business. There is even more room for the work-study students, who will float between the front office, cottage and classrooms as needs dictate.So if you are looking for Beth, Karen, Alice or Shannon, they are just a phone call away from the front office and, as always, ready to address your every need.
