Flowers and plants, some shown here, were in focus recently when the OLLI Photo Club’s monthly trip destination was the U.S. Botanic Garden. The Photo Club meets the second Friday of each month with a field trip the following third Friday. All OLLI members are welcome. Photos by trip participants.
Congratulations, Winter Program Stars By Ray Beery, PresidentPlease join me in thanking these 58 members who taught and facilitated courses last term. I am proud to add their names to the President’s List for Volunteer Appreciation.Don Allen, Melvin Axilbund, Michelle Blandburg, Jan Bohall, James Boyter, Leo Brennan, Ann Campbell, Karen Carter, Dorsey Chescavage,
Caroline Cochran, Lou Coglianese, Roxanne Cramer, John Dalby,
Jan Dewire, Patrick Diehl, Dan Feighery, Emmett Fenlon, Pamela Garcia, Conrad Geller, Ligia Glass, Ben Gold, Sheila Gold, Steven Goldman,
Suzanne Goldstein, Stephen Greenhouse, Susann Hamilton,
Elizabeth Hammer, Carol Henderson, David Heymsfeld, Johnnie Hicks, Edward Janusz, Fred Kaiser, Richard Kennedy, Mirtha King, Jean Klaus, Beth Lambert, Alana Lukes, Mike McNamara, Jeff Milstein, Katie Mitchell, Michael Nephew, William Parsons, Martha Powers, Jeff Rosendhal,
Nancy Scheeler, Stan Schretter, Karen Singer, Marvin Singer,
Alvin Smuzynski, Russell Stone, Joel Ticknor, Joelle Torreele,
Mark Weinstein, Catherine Weir, Kathie West, Barbara Wilan,
Richard Wilan, Elisabeth Wolpert.
OLLI Members: Be a Candidate for the Board of Directors
By Terri Feldmayer, Chair, Nominating Committee
Have you enjoyed some amazing classes? Have you had a chance to meet new people in the various clubs and activities? Have you enjoyed coffee and cookies just about everywhere? If so, sounds like you are a fan of OLLI.
Do you think outside the box? Do you have a head for figures? Do you love public relations and working with the public and GMU administration? Do you want to use your professional or personal skills to impact a terrific organization? Then you may consider becoming a candidate for the 2017 OLLI Board of Directors election.
The Board elections will be held May 5-19. Candidates for open positions must be identified this month (March) so they can become known to the membership in April. If you are interested in being a candidate for this year’s Board of Directors election, please contact me, and I will be delighted to answer any questions you may have. Contact: Terri Feldmayer, 793-725-9627, or via email at Tfeldmayer@gmail.com.
OLLI' has grown dramatically over the last several years. Your contribution can help us meet the exciting new challenges and opportunities this growth presents. Remember…it’s YOUR OLLI!
Do you enjoy gardening? Would you like to learn more about pruning, watering, feeding, and the overall care of trees and plants? Would you like to learn which plants thrive in certain soils or in our Virginia climate zone? Or would you like to just get outdoors more often and volunteer for OLLI while getting some healthy exercise?
If your answer is yes to any of the above, you might want to consider joining the OLLI Landscaping Committee, fondly referred to as the Dirty Knee Club, or the DKC. If you found yourself admiring some of the nine named gardens and some of the colorful and interesting trees and shrubs on the Tallwood campus, then you were observing the results of the efforts of about 15 DKC members. Working as a team, they all come together to address landscaping issues on a few work days called call-ups, primarily in the spring and fall. During the summer, DKC members partner in pairs to form a team to water, weed, and maintain the gardens during the growing season. Each two-member team is assigned one week about every five weeks. The next call-up will be in April.
To see a book on the history and horticultural magic of the DKC, click this link.
If interested, contact coordinators Sigrid Carlson (bigsig@cox.net) or Sally Berman (skberman77@gmail.com) for more information. And remember, gardening expertise is not required (however, you will gain some), but willingness to get a dirty knee is!
By Michael Kastle, Member, Loudoun Program Planning Group
If you have not noticed, there is a German theme to some of the classes at Loudoun this semester, and this will be continued in the Summer Semester. Lederhosen and dirndls are optional. Please look for these classes:
L115 German Romanticism in Art
L425 Movies with a German Accent
L428 German Expressionism in Film
959 Charlemagne
970 Life is a You-Know-What, Ol’ Chum: Come and See Cabaret
978 Lunch at Euro Bistro Restaurant
1102 Kaffe and Kuchen—Köstlich!
To revive an old ad slogan, “Reach out and touch someone!”
The 2016 member survey showed that most want OLLI to grow. Advertisements, open houses, and newspaper stories are important, but OLLI members are the organization’s best communicators. “Friends telling friends” is vital, with members personally recruiting friends and acquaintances by showing them the rewards of OLLI.
The OLLI Board is dedicating itself to helping members with personal recruitment efforts in the following ways:
-- Stocking OLLI classrooms and offices with OLLI business cards, brochures, catalogs, and other informative materials. Many OLLI members have found it convenient to carry business cards in their wallets and purses, always at the ready when a conversation about OLLI arises. I also keep in my car a couple of course catalogs, the best public relations tool we have. Whether the catalogs are up to date or not, people can’t believe that a relatively small nonprofit can offer such a large and diverse program.
-- Encouraging members to invite non-members to sample a class or event. We have a long-standing policy allowing nonmembers to sample two classes for free. Just check beforehand with the Tallwood office (703-503-3384 or olli@gmu.edu) to make sure there’s space.
-- Encouraging members to submit articles to their homeowner-association newsletters expressing what OLLI means to them. The Outreach Committee has a generic article that you can customize for your local situation. For a copy of the “Outreach Letter for Members' HOAs,” go to “forms and other docs” under “Docstore” on the OLLI website (ollidev2.earthcare.com) or click the following link: Forms & Other Docs. For more information, please contact Dave Ryan at dryan6@gmu.edu or phone 703-593-1008.
The March 2017 Photo-of-the-Month theme was Cityscapes. We
selected Carolyn Kazemi's photo "Reflections," which may also
be viewed at this page. To view other photos by members of
the Photography Club, visit the club's photo website.
-- Submitted by Angela Talaber, Photography Club Coordinator
Performances, Mar 17 through Mar 27By 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
Danú: St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Fri, Mar 17, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Benny McCarthy, an original member of Danú.
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.Tu Bhi Nachle 2017:Indian Classical and Fusion Dance Competition
Sat, Mar 18, 6:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $20.Russian National Ballet Theatre: Chopiniana and Carmen
Sat, Mar 18, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Alexander Daev, company ballet master.
Concert Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.Russian National Ballet Theatre: The Sleeping Beauty
Sun, Mar 19, 4:00
Pre-performance discussion: Alexander Daev, company ballet master.
Concert Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.
Korean Art Songs Concert
Sun, Mar 19, 5:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $20.
Virginia Opera: Turandot
Sat, Mar 25, 8:00
Sun, Mar 26, 2:00
Pre-performance discussion: Glenn Winters, Dr. Opera.
Concert Hall
Admission: $110, $90, $54.
Mason Student & Faculty Performances
(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)
Mason Symphony Orchestra & Virginia Chamber Orchestra
Wed, Mar 22, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $12; seniors, $8.Faculty Artist Series: Dr. Amy Horn
Sat, Mar 25, 3:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.Faculty Artist Series: John Kilkenny
Sun, Mar 26, 3:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
Gallery Exhibit: Betty Ganley: Petals and Reflections
Mar 7 - Apr 15
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thu, 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances.
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Admission: Free.
Russian National Ballet Theatre: Giselle
Fri, Mar 17, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.
Prince William Little Theatre: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Fri, Mar 17, and Sat, Mar 18, 8:00
Sun, Mar 19, 2:00
Fri, Mar 24, and Sat, Mar 25, 8:00
Sun, Mar 26, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $17.
Manassas Chorale: Voices United: Honor and Majesty
Sat, Mar 18, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20, $18.
The Jason Bishop Show: Magic
Sat, Mar 25, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Piedmont Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s 9th
Sun, Mar 26, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $40, $30.
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 Mar 18
10:30am
1:00pm
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Computer Club–TA-1
Wed Mar 22
1:45pm
Bridge Club–TA-3
Thu Mar 23
2:15pm
Reston Book Club–UCP
Fri Mar 24
9:15am
9:30am 11:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
Photography Club–TA-3
Sat Mar 26
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed Mar 30
1:45pm
Bridge Club–TA-3
Fri Mar 31
9:15am
9:30am
10:00am10:00am
11:00am
1:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex Reston Program Planning Committee–Hunter Woods Rm. 1
Theater Lovers Club–TA-1
Classic Literature Club–TA-2 Art & Literature Program Planning Group–TA-1
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.
had a chance to meet new people in the various clubs and activities? Have you enjoyed coffee and cookies just about everywhere? If so, sounds like you are a fan of OLLI.
The Board elections will be held May 5-19. Candidates for open positions must be identified this month (March) so they can become known to the membership in April. If you are interested in being a candidate for this year’s Board of Directors election, please contact me, and I will be delighted to answer any questions you may have. Contact: Terri Feldmayer, 
If your answer is yes to any of the above, you might want to consider joining the OLLI Landscaping Committee, fondly referred to as the Dirty Knee Club, or the DKC. If you found yourself admiring some of the nine named gardens and some of the colorful and interesting trees and shrubs on the Tallwood campus, then you were observing the results of the efforts of about 15 DKC members. Working as a team, they all come together to address landscaping issues on a few work days called call-ups, primarily in the spring and fall. During the summer, DKC members partner in pairs to form a team to water, weed, and maintain the gardens during the growing season. Each two-member team is assigned one week about every five weeks. The next call-up will be in April.
