Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Denver Fall 2010

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The OLLI South facilitator roster always commands respect; this term is no exception.

As members know, there wouldn’t be much of a program without the generosity of a few exceptional people who are willing to go the extra mile to provide brain tingling classes that capture our attention and introduce us to new fields of study.

A special welcome to facilitators Raina Powell, Ruth McGregor, Dix Morris, Tom Van Egeren, Dick Greenwood, Julie Hansen and Deanna Manchion who are offering their first classes at OLLI South.

OLLI members are urged to consider facilitating a class in their interest area, or an area they’d like to pursue, with an eager group of students. The rewards are many for all involved. Please contact any member of the Curriculum Committee (p.4) if you’d like more information about facilitating a course in the spring or next year.

Facilitators Enhance Peer Learning

Fall facilitators: Front row: Raina Powell, Ruth McGregor, Dix Morris, Samera Baird, Carolyn Kallemeyn, Pat Paul, Tom Van Egeren. Back row: Charlie Holt, Ted Atkinson, Jerry Wischmeyer, Dick Greenwood, Dale LeNoue. Not pictured: Koz Badiozamani, Julie Hansen, Deanna Manchion, Ira Rifkin, David Williams

Bring A Buddy to ClassThere’s no better way to understand what OLLI is all about than to visit a class. The OLLI South Curriculum Committee encourages you to Bring a Buddy to Class so he/she can experience OLLI firsthand. As a courtesy, please let your facilitator know in advance that you’ll be bringing a guest.

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OLLI South hosts the October 15th Hot Topic Luncheon: Anatomy of a Disaster: the BP Blowout – What Happened and Why?Presenter: L. Paul Teague, retired Western Region Vice President for Texaco USA in charge of Texaco’s Gulf of Mexico offshore drilling.

O LLI members will have a unique opportunity to learn about the disastrous 2010 blowout in the

Gulf of Mexico without hype from reporters, govern-ment officials, or BP executives. Mr. Teague’s career has spanned technological advancements from the time when companies could drill only in shallow waters to current methods when robots are used to drill to depths of over 5000 feet.

Mr. Teague will explain the assumptions and mis-calculations made by BP that resulted in one of the biggest disasters in the history of the oil industry. And he will discuss the ramifications of the blowout not only for the oil industry, but for the environment in the Gulf, future regulations, lawsuits, and the costs associated with them.

THE DETAILSFriday, October 15, 2010

11:30 -1:30

Holiday Inn Select - Cherry Creek (Cherry Creek Drive and Colorado Blvd.)

455 South Colorado Blvd., Denver CO, 80246

$17.00 per person

Your cancelled check is your reservationRSVP by Oct 12

Please indicate if a vegetarian entrée is desired.

Make checks payable to OLLI and note,“Hot Topic” Luncheon.

Mail to: OLLI, 2211 South JosephineDenver, CO 80208

Winter Preview of ClassesW i nter term of 2011 is rapidly coming together

as the Curriculum Committee finalizes the course offerings and prepares the catalog. The selection of classes is outstanding – something for everyone!

Gandhi & Churchill: the Epic Struggle for Indian Independence

Settling Colorado: Who, When, How & Why?

What do Poets Think About

Writing Your Memoir

Lest We Forget: Preserving Family History

Notorious Trials in Fact and Fiction

Eye Witness to Power

Jane Austen and the English Novel

Aviation for the Curious – Facts vs. Fiction

Exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls

Our Night Sky

The Question of God – C. S. Lewis vs. Freud

Capturing the Essence of Your Travel Experiences

The winter term catalog will be posted on our website October 29.

OLLI members may register for classes offered by any OLLI DU program – OLLI Central, West and South.

Course offerings are on the website and may be found by clicking on each program. www.universitycollege.du.edu/olli

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What’s It All About – OLLI?

F or many, OLLI is becoming a household term as we pursue lifelong learning in the Denver

metro area. Where does OLLI originate and how does it relate to the University College at the University of Denver?

Bernard Osher, a patron of education and the arts, is known as “the quiet philanthropist.” He created the Bernard Osher Foundation in 1977 which seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. The Foundation supports a growing national network of lifelong learning insti-tutes for older adults, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

A native of Maine and a graduate of Bowdoin Col-lege, Bernard Osher has pursued a successful career in business, beginning with the management of his family’s hardware and plumbing supplies store in Maine and continuing with work at Oppenheimer

& Company in New York before moving to California. There he became a founding director of World Savings, which was later merged with Wachovia Corporation

Osher and his wife, Barbro

Osher, Consul General for Sweden in San Francisco, are active in the San Francisco area. A serious student of opera, and an ardent fly fisherman, Bernard Osher is personally committed to lifelong learning; he started taking piano lessons at the age of 81.

Bernard and Barbro Osher

Fall Reception

Sandy & Jerry Wischmeyer(l) with Dwight & D’Ann Hopker

Ira and Marilyn Rifkin with Manijeh Badiozamani

NATIONAL WEBSITEThe Osher Lifelong Learning Institute website and the many fascinating programs on campuses across the nation: usm.maine.edu/olli/national/ Of particular interest is the LLI Review (Life-long Learning Institute), an annual collection of articles sub-mitted by OLLI members: usm.maine.edu/olli/national/lli-review.jsp

OLLI - So Nice to Come Home To There’s no need to miss out on an entire term of OLLI classes if you plan to travel. Whenever possible, let your facilitator know in advance about your anticipat-ed absences and jump right back in when you return. Coming home to the prospect of reconnecting with classes and friends is a great way to get back in the swing of things. If you’ll be away a good share of the term, remember to check out the OLLI Plus classes and watch for news about Hot Topics and sympo-siums.

Speaking of OLLI Plus . . .OLLI memberships are good for an entire year. If you want to enroll in an OLLI Plus but are not registering for regular classes, that’s A-OK as long as you’ve been a member within the past calendar year.

Chess, Anyone?Fall finally seems to be settling in - the perfect time to take the OLLI Plus “Intro to Chess” class. Mondays 9:30 to 11 am Class runs for three sessions: October 11, 18 & 25To register contact Jenny: OLLISouth@gmail.com

Don’t Be Left Out!Some may see them as a nuisance but it can’t be denied that emails are the most efficient, cost effec-tive way to stay in touch through OLLI. Please take a minute to open them so you’ll know what’s going on. And if you really don’t want to receive them, you can always opt off the mailing list – but you may miss out on something interesting.

Fall reception – Ruth McGregor, Raina Powell and Suzie Holt

OLLI South Curriculum Committee & Advisory Council

P lease contact any of the people listed below with your questions or suggestions about OLLI

South. Their contact information is in the member-ship directory.

CURRICULUM COMMITTEEKhosrow Badiozamani, ChairSandra Alinger Alice BradburnCharlie HoltJack Hummel Dale LeNoueElli LudvigsenMarti Ostrowski Pat PaulIra Rifkin Floyd Shoemaker David Williams Jerry Wischmeyer

ADVISORY COMMITTEEMary Lou Laubach, ChairSherry AbbinkSandra Alinger Bob Armstrong Bill Baird Jerry Raskin Ira Rifkin Jerry Wischmeyer Lou Zoghby

Beverly Wicks, Bob (Susan Long’s guest), Susan Long, Faye Henthorn & Mary Lynne Koepke visit before Iran class.

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Meet OLLI South Program Manager Jenny Fortenberry

O LLI South is fortunate to have a Program

Manager who began her OLLI experience as an active member and then decided to apply for the Manager position when it became available. Jenny Fortenberry stepped in with a clear understanding of OLLI, a familiarity with many of our members and the qualifications, enthusiasm and vision to get us off on the right track for OLLI South’s second year.

If you have not yet met Jenny, please look for her in the halls, introduce yourself – her enthusiasm for OLLI is contagious! Read on to learn a little about her.

Please tell us about your background and your education:

I was born and raised in New Orleans and got my BA in education at the University of Louisiana. I taught at the elementary level until my husband Sheldon, an engineer with Chevron Oil Co., was transferred to Tripoli, Libya. We later moved to Nagoya, Japan. We loved the Japanese people for their kindness, generosity, and respect for tradition (but not the food)! Upon returning to the States, we made our home in Louisiana where I earned master’s degrees in Guidance and Counseling and in Administration and Supervision. I worked as a guidance counselor and later as a public school administrator. Before my

husband’s retirement we lived in Caracas, Venezuela where we made lifelong friends among the Venezuelans. We returned to the states and moved to our “location of choice”, Colorado. We have called Castle Rock our home for the past 11 years and have loved every minute.

What do you consider your best job?

Being manager of OLLI South is the best job I’ve ever had! As I have said, with OLLI all of our students are smart, curious, and

want to learn, our teachers are all volunteers, and we have no “parents” to deal with!!! It’s the BEST!!!

What OLLI classes have you taken?

I’m currently enrolled in Joseph Campbell’s Mythos I and II, Acting for Non Actors, and Fundamentals of Investing. I’m enjoying myself immensely and have met lots of new friends in the process. I took classes every term last year - all great courses!

What is your vision for OLLI South?

I want everyone who is retired or semi-retired in the South Metro area to know about our program. I see great potential for our campus becoming one of the most vibrant OLLI programs in the country. We will be on the cutting edge of lifelong educational programs by using our local resources and talents to offer exciting, and diverse programs for our students.

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Cheri Murphy, Emily & Dale Lenoue, Raina Powell, Koz Badiozamani

Carolyn & Piet Kallemeyn

Where Curious Minds Gather

Top: Sherry Abbink ponders Versailles TreatyRight: Charlie Holt discusses the technology revolutionLeft: Dwight Hopker, Jim Florey and Herbert Bowman in Global Economy class

N E W S F R O M D U C E N T R A L

2010 OLLI International Symposium “Turkey: A Lost Ally?”

P rofessor Joseph Szyliowicz, Josef Korbel School of International Studies at DU,

will be the presenter for this year’s Bill Beaney Annual OLLI International Symposium. His topic, “Turkey: A Lost Ally?,” will be presented in two parts. The morning session, “From Empire to Republic,” will delve into the following: “Who are the Turks?,” “Ataturk and the Creation of the Turkish Republic,” “The Rise of the Ottoman Empire,” and “The Sick Man of Europe.”

Following lunch, Dr. Szyliowicz will move on to “Turkey’s Politics and Policies” and will discuss “The Coming of Democracy,” “The Rise of Islam,” “Revolutions and Constitutions,” “The EU - Acceptance or Rejection?,” “Turkey, Israel, and Iran,”

“The September 23 Referendum,” and “Implications of US Policy.”

The full-day symposium will be held December 3 at Sturm Hall on the DU campus. The cost for the full-day program, including lunch and parking, is $40 for members and $60 for guests. You may make your reservation by sending a check (made payable to OLLI International Symposium). Confirmation packets (including a parking pass) will be sent to each participant.

Mail to: OLLI, 2211 S. Josephine St. Denver, CO 80208 before November 23.

Participation is limited so register early.

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The Future and OLLI at DUby Dick Wisott (former OLLI Central Advisory Council Chair) A fter 15 years, now with three sites covering

the Denver metro area, serving over a thousand members and providing close to 200 classes each academic year, OLLI at DU wants to expand its vision for the future. Someday, in the not-too-distant future, we want to have the resources to have complete, state-of-the-art teaching technologies throughout our campuses. And we want to embellish our learning experiences by bringing renowned experts from around the country to enhance our class offerings. Additionally we hope to someday acquire our own dedicated OLLI classroom facilities.

These goals are not out of our reach if we all play a role in making it happen.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, we can accept “planned giving” and “memorial” gifts from our members. These gifts can be for a specified purpose, such as the scholarship fund OLLI Central members Gil and Jane Hermann’s family established to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary. Or they can be accumulated in our general fund to assure that OLLI at DU will be here for many years to come.

Here are ways you can be a part of this future:

• Make a gift that also provides you with an income for life through a gift annuity.

• Make a gift in your will or revocable living trust.

• Make a gift of your life insurance, IRA, or retirement plan assets.

• Make a gift from friends or family to remember a deceased OLLI member.

You can contact the OLLI office for further information at 303-871-3090. One of our members will be happy to meet with you to discuss what is involved and how you can participate. We also have professional experts available to work with your lawyers or accountants to properly implement your wishes.

It’s not difficult. And it can be your way of forever being a part of OLLI.

A Word from Our DirectorVonnie Wheeler, Executive Director, OLLI at DU

This just came across my desk and I thought it may be of interest to many of you.

WorldTeach, a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-sectarian organization, has opportunities for members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes to volunteer as teachers overseas. Like the Peace Corps, WorldTeach is interested in older adults who have skills to share. Founded by a group of Harvard Students in 1986 in response to the need for educational assistance in developing countries, WorldTeach sends selected volunteers to serve as educators in year-long programs. This fall WorldTeach is looking for retired, experienced educators who are willing to serve abroad in high-need communities. worldteach.org/volunteers/mid_retired.html/.

Did You Know?Colorado Symphony Offers OLLI

Members a Special Discount

Add the Colorado Symphony to your OLLI membership benefits. Individual OLLI members now can take advantage of group discounts.

Please follow these instructions:

• Go to website: coloradosymphony.org

• Scroll down the screen and select “single tickets on sale Aug. 16”

• Select concert date

• Select “ticket information”

• Enter promo code “OLLI” in upper right corner and click pink right arrow (“login”)

• Scroll to bottom and select “purchase Group Rate Discount”

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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

2211 South Josephine St., Denver, CO 80208303-871-3090

www.universitycollege.du.edu/olli

Endnotes From Our Members

The “Ditch your Laptop, Dump Your Boy-friend” OP-ED article in New York Times (Sept. 25,

2010) caught my attention and even though it was about giving advice to freshmen in college I saw many parallels to OLLI members. The article advised freshmen that “College is your chance to see what you’ve been missing, both in the outside world and within yourself. Use this time to explore as much as you can.”

Isn’t that what we are trying to do at OLLI? To reinforce our knowledge of a topic of interest, or fill the gaps of what we have studied before. We are at a stage in our lives that we are not afraid to admit our lack of knowledge about a topic; we are not trying to impress anyone. We attend classes to learn something new and to enrich our lives. All of us have worked hard to provide a comfortable life for our families and loved ones during most of our adult life, but now is the time to pay ourselves a dividend and do

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M A R K Y O U R

CalendarOctober 15 Hot Topic Luncheon

October 29 Winter term curriculum posted on website

November 4 Fall term ends

November 18 Winter term registration begins

December 3 OLLI International Symposium

January 10 Winter term begins

something for our own enjoyment. I usually ask my class members to tell me the reason for attending OLLI; invariably they say that because of their work and profession they didn’t have time to take classes. Now, with more time, they are ready and eager to pursue their subjects of interest.

Despite their interest and tremendous curiosity, many are hesitant to take classes that are outside of their comfort zone. Those involved in scientific or technical fields are shy about taking classes in humanities and vice versa. Research indicates that to keep our mental agility we must learn something new. And those learning a totally new subject, regardless of topic, increase their chances of retaining their memory by a large percentage point. So, go ahead be daring and take your first acting class, or painting or even physics for non-scientists and see how much you can learn and how much more enjoyable your life becomes while at the same time providing the needed exercises for your brain. And of course, don’t forget, the best way to learn a subject is to teach it.

By Khosrow Badiozamani, OLLI South Curriculum Chair

FYI

OLLI South Program Manager:

Jenny Fortenberry

OLLISouth@gmail.com

720.339.1379

OLLI South classes are held at the

Valley View Christian Church

11004 Wildfield Lane

Littleton, CO 80125