March 2020 page 1

continued on p. 2

A Home of His Own

V incent Van Gogh (born March 30,

1853): If he could only see himself

now, as we near

his birthday. The way the

world knows him by his

first name. In his

poverty, his isolation,

and longing for a simple

and work-driven life with

a loving wife and family,

he could not foresee the

millions his work would

fetch at auction, his

worldwide fame; that

young people would

wear T-shirts bearing

only his signature—

Thank God for Theo, his brother, an art dealer

who believed in him and was willing to keep

him afloat. But Vincent couldn’t make a

living, and he was strange. Maybe it was his

deep religiosity that led him to identify with

workers and poor farmers. His bourgeois

family thought him an embarrassment. Even

artists of the time lived a bourgeois life. They

wore suits and fit into polite society with a

little bit of edge. Maybe he lacked social

skills. As far as I know, he never sold a

painting in his lifetime, and he carried deep

guilt about his dependence on Theo.

The Newsletter of the Residents of

Montgomery Place Retirement Community

5550 South Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60637

March 2020, Vol. 30, No. 3

Never at a loss for words

https://montgomeryplace.org/independent-living/

Montgomery Messenger

When he got to the South of France, Vincent

was hoping his friend Paul Gauguin would

join him. He thought that perhaps he could

develop an artists’

community of sorts.

He rented a small

house in Arles, which

he turned into “a

home of his own.” It

was a yellow house

with a whitewashed

interior. It would have

no pretension, but

would be filled only

with objects having

character. It would be

“an artist’s house,” he

said.

He thought about each thing he purchased and

why it was needed and “right.” He wrote to

Theo about everything, with illustrations. His

enthusiasm and hope for the project and the

future was clear and sustained. His thoughts

and actions concerning his home, his

bedroom, and Gauguin’s bedroom, moved me

newly as the work always does. His pleasure

in creating an environment that expressed his

taste that others would find inviting is

something I think all artists share to a greater

or lesser degree. Even those who keep things

rough and funky may pin magnificent insect

specimens to the wall, or fill shelves with

page 2 March 2020

things picked up for their beauty, oddity or

character. They are set out to be viewed—

admired—or wondered at.

To entice Gauguin to come to Arles, Vincent

created two large paintings, called “The Poet’s

Garden,” to hang over the walnut furniture in

Gauguin’s room. The paintings were filled

with references to Petrarch and Gauguin being

poets.

The small, spare bedroom would be almost

“elegant,” like a lady’s boudoir. He would fill

the small room with flowers. He first

envisioned six to 12 large paintings to fill the

room with sunflowers, which he felt were

symbolic of the region. He actually did four,

which must have exploded the room with

sunshine and joy. He was imagining yet-

unknown guests who would come and stay,

enjoying their surroundings full of meaning

and beauty. Gauguin would feel at home.

As we know, Gauguin did come to stay. As we

also know, the visit did not end well. Neither

did Vincent’s life. But what a legacy he has

left us.

Lois Velek Baron

League of Women Voters

T he League of Women Voters will meet

Thursday, March

19 at 1:30 p.m. in

the East Room. This is a

very important year. The

Illinois primary election

is March 17 and the

general election is in

November; everyone is

focused on voter information and turnout.

Van Gogh, continued from p. 1

Another vitally

important event

is the 2020

census. Why?

Because the census determines representation

in the US House of Representatives, as stated

in Article I, section 22 of the Constitution,

political representation is at stake. It also

determines how federal funds are apportioned

among the states. The census determines who

gets the power and the money. For each person

who goes uncounted, Illinois loses

approximately $15,000, meaning there is less

to fund schools and healthcare and fix roads

and bridges—money we need, but won’t get!

Starting March 17, every household in Illinois

will receive an invitation to participate in the

census. A citizenship question requested by the

president will not be on the questionnaire. The

information people provide is private and not

shared for 72 years; the results create a record

of every person living in the US, regardless of

their citizenship status. Every effort must be

made to count everyone eligible.

Census-taking in Illinois will begin in late

March. The chance of an undercount is great

among hard-to-count groups, who amount to

about 16% of the state’s population. Many who

are hard to reach include non-English speakers,

low income folks, and children. Nationwide, it

is estimated that 10 million children under age

5 were not included in the last census. Illinois

will lose as much as $1.2 billion of federal

funds if we miscount the population.

Many respondents need help, so many helpers

are needed. Volunteer, if you can. It is so

important that we all participate in the census.

Come to the meeting March 19 and learn more.

Dorothy Scheff, Chair, League of Women Voters

March 2020 page 3

Out and About

continued on p. 4

Editor: Kyoko Inoue

Contributors: Barbara Asner, Bernice

Auslander, Lois Velek Baron, Laurieann

Chutis, Paula Givan, Phil Hefner, Betty

Hodges, Edgar Krentz, Renée Lubell, Stan

Moore, Richard Muller, Dorothy Scheff,

Bernard Strauss, Alex Veliko, Anne

Zeidman

Staff Contributor: Deborah Hart

Calendars: Barbara Wilson

Layout: Carolyn Allen

Production: Creshanna Henry

Editor Next Month: Paula Givan

Contributors this Issue

H ere is the list of outings scheduled for

March. Don’t forget to sign up in the

Trip Book for any event you wish to

attend, and arrive promptly for the bus. Times

listed are when the bus leaves. “Tickets

required” means that you are responsible for

getting your own ticket. Ask the concierge if

you need help.

Wednesday, March 4, noon. Lyric Opera,

Madama Butterfly. The geisha Cio-Cio-San

loses her heart to an American naval lieutenant

and marries him. After he leaves Japan, she

waits three long years for his return. Her joy

when he returns turns to utter despair when

she realizes that he’s married an American

woman and has come to take his young son—

Cio-Cio-San’s child—back with him. Puccini

lost his heart to his heroine, and so will you.

Tickets required.

Wednesday, March 4, 1 p.m. Steppenwolf

Theatre, Bug. In a seedy Oklahoma motel

room, a lonely waitress begins an unexpected

love affair with a young drifter. And then they

see the first bugs. Tracy Letts’s mind-bending

cult classic roars back to Chicago for its

Steppenwolf debut. Tickets required.

Friday, March 6, 12:30 p.m., CSO Series

B. Herbert Blomstedt returns to conduct

Brahms’s radiant Second Symphony. French

pianist Bertrand Chamayou makes his CSO

debut with Mozart’s delightful Piano

Concerto no. 23. Tickets required.

Friday, March 6, 7 p.m. Mandel Hall.

Chicago Presents Chamber Music. This

season the Musicians of Marlboro bring a

program of classic chamber works, plus one

written in the last decade. The work of

performer-composer Kate Soper parallels

Handel’s cantata, where the singer watches

his beloved Phyllis sleep, while she dreams of

another. Piano trios by Schubert and Brahms

bookend the program. Tickets required.

Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m. CSO Young

Artists Competition. Violin, viola, cello and

double bass. The Crain-Maling Foundation

CSO Young Artists Competition identifies

one young musician to be featured as a soloist

in a Chicago Symphony Orchestra School

Concert. Finalists compete onstage in

Orchestra Hall, accompanied by the Civic

Orchestra of Chicago.

Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. Auditorium

Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. The

Ailey dancers are known for their artistry and

mastery of modern, ballet, hip-hop, and other

dance techniques. The program will feature

page 4 March 2020

works from Judith Jamison and Lar Lubovitch,

as well as the beloved Alvin Ailey’s

Revelations. Tickets required.

Monday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. Chicago

Sinfonietta, Sight + Sound. Take an

introspective journey through the world of

visual art, with music as your guide! A world

premiere from composer Courtney Bryan,

created for violinist Jennifer Koh, Syzygy

celebrates artists Frida Kahlo, Maya Lin, and

Alma Thomas, and their cultural contributions

to society. The concert also offers

Schoenberg’s Finding Rothko and

Ravel’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Tickets

required.

Friday, March 13,

11 a.m. Chicago Botanic

Garden Orchid Show. The

2020 show offers a new

take on orchids via light,

reflection, and a kaleidoscopic

effect. Brilliant color outshines the winter

blues. Admission $11 for non-members.

Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. Met Live in

HD, Der Fliegende Hollander. François Girard

unveils a new vision of the composer’s tale of

a cursed sea captain doomed to sail the open

ocean for eternity. Valery Gergiev conducts a

cast led by bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as the

Dutchman, with German soprano Anja Kampe

making her Met debut as the devoted Senta,

whose selfless love is what the Dutchman

seeks. Tickets required.

Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. TimeLine

Theatre, Kill Move Paradise. Playwright James

Ijames describes his play as “an expressionistic

buzz saw through the contemporary myth that

‘all lives matter’.” Inspired by the ever-

growing list of slain unarmed black men and

women, Kill Move Paradise is a portrait of

those lost—not as statistics, but as heroes.

Tickets required.

Out & About from p. 3

Sunday, March 15, 1:30 p.m. Mandel Hall,

The Pirates of Penzance. This beloved Gilbert

and Sullivan comic opera unleashes its

rollicking band of inept pirates and bumbling

policemen for the seventh time on the Mandel

Hall stage. Tickets required.

Thursday, March 19, 7 p.m. Court Theatre,

The Lady from the Sea. When a sailor returns

to fulfill his promise, a lighthouse keeper’s

daughter must choose between her landlocked

marriage and the mesmerizing allure of the

sea. Ibsen’s play dissects issues of duty,

marriage, and agency. Tickets required.

Friday, March 20, 1 p.m. Illinois Holocaust

Museum. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times

of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This exhibition is a

vibrant exploration of Justice Ginsburg’s life

and her numerous, often-simultaneous roles as

a student, wife, mother, lawyer, judge, and

women’s rights pioneer. It tells Ginsburg’s

story, using a dynamic array of gallery

interactives, listening stations, archival

photographs and documents, historical

artifacts, and contemporary art. Free day.

Wednesday, March 25, noon, lunch outing.

Russian Tea Time,

reopened after a

period of renovation,

offers dishes from the

diverse regions of

Eastern Europe and

Central Asia. The $25

prix fixe lunch menu offers an ample choice of

classic dishes, as well as an a la carte menu.

Diners may also choose from an extensive

assortment of vegetarian dishes.

Thursday, March 26, 1 p.m. Goodman

Theatre, Molly Sweeney. Having lost her sight

at infancy, Molly agrees to an operation that

could restore her fifth sense. But is it she who

benefits most—or her hopeful husband, or her

ambitious doctor? Tickets required.

Bernice Auslander

March 2020 page 5

Sue (or Suzanne; she answers to either)

Allender moved into apartment 710

(phone 7427) on November 5, 2019. Sue

was born and grew up in Detroit, where her

father taught math at Wayne State

University. Her mother’s family was from

the South Side of Chicago and Sue’s family

drove into Chicago to visit frequently. Sue

studied music, and played the violin and

French horn, from elementary school

through college.

Sue attended Sarah Lawrence for two

years, spent a year in Europe with her

family, and transferred to Roosevelt

University, where she got her bachelor’s

degree in education. She met her husband,

Skip, in Chicago; they lived in Hyde Park

and raised their two daughters here. Skip

worked in the travel industry while Sue

taught, worked as Program Director of the

Hyde Park/Kenwood Community

Conference, and worked with the

Independent Voters of Illinois. Skip was an

artist; check out his paintings in the

corridor outside 710.

In 1978 the family moved to a kibbutz in

Israel. They had planned for the move to be

permanent but after a year they decided to

return to Hyde Park. Sue and Skip started

their own business in promotional products

(think Montgomery Place mugs and IBM

“Think” signs) and ran it for 25 years. Sue

rode her bike to their office in the West

Loop.

After the girls were on their own, Sue and

Skip decided to escape Chicago weather

and petty crime by moving to Prescott,

Arizona. They enjoyed the Arizona climate

and small town life for 17 years while

continuing to run their business. After

New Arrivals retirement, they returned to the South Side in

2013. Skip was suffering from advanced

Parkinson’s disease and it was good to be

closer to family. Skip died in 2015.

Sue wanted to downsize and investigated

Montgomery Place, where several of her

friends lived. She decided it was a good fit for

her. She’s having a good time here learning the

many wonderful stories of the residents. Plans

are for her to become chair of the Dining

Committee in the summer.

Sue sings in two choirs, the Sounds Good

Choir and the KAM Isaiah Israel volunteer

choir. She serves on the board of KAM Isaiah

Israel Congregation. She’s an avid reader, mah

jongg player, and cyclist. She’s had one knee

replacement since she moved here and hopes

to be able to get back to biking after her second

knee replacement in May.

Daughter Jessica and grandchildren Coral, 7,

and Martin, 4, live in Hyde Park and are

sometimes seen in the Dining Room. Daughter

Laura lives in Arlington, Virginia, with

grandchildren Shoshana, 14, and Matan, 13.

Matan came to the US from China and Sue

will be attending his bar mitzvah this month.

We’re happy to have you here, Sue!

Paula Givan

page 6 March 2020

outage. Staff is looking into how the doors

could be added to emergency power on the

generator.

Our team did a fantastic job planning for and

executing this disaster drill. Project teams

continue to consider everything, from what the

generator should power, to the creation of

“readiness bags,” with key equipment and

information for the command center. We are

testing and expanding a new emergency alert

system for our staff. Communication is critical

and needs to be easy during an emergency.

The Disaster Response Team has key

responsibilities assigned to managers in areas

such as transportation, triage, patient care,

liaison with external agencies, dealing with the

press, technology, and safety. We are cross

training, because we know real disasters will

likely not happen when everyone is here.

Disasters happen when you are least ready.

We will practice more disasters in the coming

months. It is important to prepare for events

that are probable, like extreme cold weather,

power outage, water supply shortage, and

influenza outbreak. We must also plan for

events that are less likely, such as tornados,

earthquakes, cyber attacks, or terrorism. Some

practice sessions will be fullscale drills. At

others, called desk drills, we talk through the

event without practicing things like patient

evacuations, or involving our local support

agencies such as the fire or police departments.

For you, the drills will generally have no

impact. But we want you to know that we are

practicing and preparing for possible events.

Your safety and security are important.

The most important thing to remember is that

in all cases, your responsibility is to shelter in

place and wait for instructions from staff and/

or emergency personnel.

Deborah Hart, CEO/Executive Director

Disaster Planning

O n January 30, 2020, Montgomery Place

participated in a disaster drill as part of

our requirements of operating a nursing

home. It was more than just checking off a box

of compliance with regulations. We understand

our responsibility to the residents and staff who

are here every day to know how to handle

disasters.

The drill, created by Collaborative Healthcare

Urgency Group, was quite far-fetched. We

pretended that an ice storm had hit, leaving an

inch of ice on the streets, preventing staff from

getting to work. A diesel delivery truck had an

accident just outside, taking out an electrical

line and power to our building. It also hit a fire

hydrant, leaving us with low water pressure and

even more ice in the streets. Our challenge was

to pretend that we had power failures for more

than 12 hours, and to deal with water mixed

with diesel fuel seeping into our basement.

As part of the drill, we took down power,

causing our generators to come on. This worked

very well. The generators came up without any

difficulty. We know it caused you some

challenges in your apartments, as we discovered

issues related to our television system. We are

evaluating our discoveries and are exploring

options to improve in the future.

We know that our generator will not operate the

entire building during a power failure. It is

unreasonable to assume that it could ever do so.

We did find a few things that, if put on the

generator, would make a power failure

somewhat more bearable. One item is that the

front doors do not operate when there is a power

March 2020 page 7

Significant Old Testament Figures in Early Judaism and the New Testament

A ll are invited to a six-week

course on Adam, Abraham,

Moses, David, Elijah, the

servant of the Lord, wisdom, etc. in

March and April.

Early Judaism (200 BC to 200 AD)

developed such key Old Testament

figures, giving them new features and

new significance, by interpreting them

in new ways. The writers of the New

Testament books knew and used these

Jewish developments in interesting

ways.

We will examine these interpretations

in key Jewish and New Testament

texts over six classes, beginning

Thursday, March 5 at 2 p.m. in the

Lounge. No preparation needed. Just

come, listen, question, and disagree.

Next fall I plan to do a series on

ancient Greek drama, as a couple of

people have suggested.

Edgar Krentz

Friday Night Speakers

T he Friday Night Speakers programs

start at 7:15 p.m. in the East Room,

and usually run for one hour.

Everyone is invited to attend the programs.

Audience questions and discussion follow

each presentation. The schedule for March

includes speakers from Hyde Park and the

College of DuPage.

March 6, Anne Rorimer, art scholar and

curator. “Michael Asner: Laying the

Foundation of a Site-Specific Art,”

Introduced by Lois Baron.

March 13, Roberta Bernstein, Hyde

Parker. “Somewhere in Europe: The World

War II Letters of My Father, Sam Lesher.”

Introduced by Alex Elwyn.

March 20, William Wisenhunt, College

of DuPage. “The Russian Revolution:

American Eyewitness Experience.”

Introduced by Stan Moore.

March 27, to be determined.

Phil Hefner for the Friday Night Speakers Committee

March Hare

page 8 March 2020

How to Make Important (Scientific) Discoveries

I once read a letter of recommendation

that said in essence, “This guy is so

bright, why hasn’t he been more

productive?” It illustrates that smarts

aren’t enough. I don’t know the origin of

the data, but a survey of Nobel Prize

winners concluded that they were all

smart, but not extraordinarily so.

Something else is required.

One factor is plain courage. You have to

remain convinced in the face of derision.

A personal example: many of her

colleagues, myself included, thought Janet

Rowley was off the deep end in her belief

that chromosome changes caused some

cancers. She was right and stuck to it. We

were wrong.

Perhaps the most

important thing is not to

know too much, or at

least not to care if some

facts don’t fit. Consider

Watson and Crick, and

Louis Pasteur. In his

memoir, What Mad

Pursuit, Francis Crick describes how he

and Watson knew that their model for the

DNA structure couldn’t possibly explain

how DNA was replicated. According to

everything that was known at the time

(that is, the facts), there would be too

many mistakes made every time the

structure was duplicated for it to possibly

explain the stability with which

reproduction occurred. However, the

structure seemed too elegant to be wrong,

so they just ignored the “facts” and went

ahead. About a decade later, after it was

clear that their structure was correct, it was

discovered that there were mechanisms to

remove mistakes, so after all it was okay

for the proposed structure to be correct.

About a century earlier, there was a huge debate

between Louis Pasteur and his (many) critics.

The question was how those little bacteria

arose. Were they living things that came only

from a living forebear, or were they

spontaneously generated from the complex

muck in which they were often found? For both

scientific and religious reasons, Pasteur knew

they came only from living things, and he

proved it. That is, he sort of proved it.

Pasteur claimed that if he boiled a medium and

kept dust particles out, no living things

emerged. His opponents claimed that if they

boiled their medium and kept dust particles out,

the medium soon swarmed with life—ergo:

spontaneous generation. Pasteur won the day as

a result of courage (some would say chutzpah)

and ignorance. There was to be a public

demonstration, except his opponents failed to

show.

In fact, both sets of experimenters were “right.”

Pasteur’s opponents used a hay infusion

containing spores that were not killed by the

boiling. Pasteur didn’t know about spores; no

one did at the time, and his medium didn’t

contain them. But he was “right” in claiming

that life arose only from living things.

Of course, there is a problem. There must have

been spontaneous generation at least once.

However, as a professor of mine once said, it

may be an intellectual necessity, but he

wouldn’t accept any evidence for spontaneous

generation obtained by our class!

So here is the recipe for discovery:

1. Be smart, but not too smart,

2. Be courageous,

3. Don’t worry if not everything fits. There are

probably things no one knows (yet),

4. Scientists can be divided into clarifiers and

muddifiers, who delight in complexities. Be

a clarifier.

Bernard Strauss

March 2020 page 9

Hewson Swift Concerts

C ome to the Lounge on

Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. You

will hear an hour of glorious

recorded music on CD or DVD.

March 4, Barbara

Asner presents In Search

of Mozart, a film by Phil

Grabsky, narrated by

Juliet Stevenson, DVD,

part 1.

March 11, Barbara

Asner presents In Search of Mozart,

DVD, part 2.

March 18, Renée Lubell presents

a CD of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no.

23 in A major, performed by the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with

Maurizio Pollini, pianist, and Karl

Boehm, conductor. CD of Mozart’s

Symphony no. 40 in G minor, by the

Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Hans

Graf, conductor.

March 25, Ed Krentz presents a

BBC recording of Igor Stravinsky’s

The Song of the Nightingale,

Symphony in C, and Symphony in

Three Movements, BBC recording.

If you would like to contribute or

share your recorded music on a

Wednesday evening, please contact

Barbara at 4618 or Renée at 4591.

Barbara Asner and Renée Lubell,

Co-Chairs, Hewson Swift Concerts

Newspapers in the Library

T he Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago

Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and the

New York Times are provided daily in

the Library reading room for all residents’

enjoyment. For that reason, these papers should

never be taken from the Library.

If a resident wants a paper saved for them, they

should write their name and apartment number

on the desired section of the paper, and that

section will be put in their in-house mailbox

when the paper is recycled.

The schedule for recycling is as follows:

Next morning: Sun-Times, Tribune, Wall

Street Journal (except weekend)

Third day morning: New York Times

Sunday morning: New York Times

Magazine, New York Times Sunday

Review, New York Times Book Review

Monday morning: Wall Street Journal

Weekend

Tuesday morning: New York Times Science

Section

If you notice a resident taking papers out of the

Library, please remind them of these longtime

practices.

Barbara Wilson

page 10 March 2020

Peace Corps Week

J an and I were posted to

the Czech Republic by

the Peace Corps shortly

after Slovakia declared

independence from the Czech

provinces. The government of

President Václav Havel, the

former dissident writer who

came to power in the Velvet

Revolution of 1989, invited

Peace Corps teachers and

business and environmental

experts to the Czech Republic

in 1990. Jan and I taught

English at the Technical University of Liberec,

where English was displacing Russian as the

newly favored second language.

We exchanged visits from time to time with

our Peace Corps friends in Hungary and with

younger colleagues in other parts of Bohemia,

Moravia, and Slovakia, and shared stories of

our adventures. For us, this was a return visit:

in 1968, with two young kids, we were

camping our way through Eastern Europe and

Russia and missed by a month the Warsaw

Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia to put down

the Czech Spring.

Chicago and other cities will begin celebrating

Peace Corps Week on March 1, the date in

1961 when President Kennedy created the

Corps in an executive order. Sargent Shriver,

the President’s brother-in-law, was appointed

first director. His initial task was to convince

skeptical senators, especially Southern

Democrats, to fund the project. In 1957,

Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota had

introduced the first bill to create a peace corps.

In the presidential campaign of 1960, Kennedy

touted the Corps, especially in his iconic

speech at the University of Michigan on

October 14, 1960. Kennedy acknowledged, as

a predecessor of the Corps, Operation

Crossroads for Africa, founded by the

Reverend James H. Robinson,

who became an advisor to the

Peace Corps.

Recruitment began in July

1962 and achieved an early

peak of 15,000 volunteers in

1966. President Nixon, who

was initially critical of the

agency, put it under an

umbrella agency. Jimmy

Carter, whose mother, Miss

Lillian, had had a positive

experience as nurse in India in

the Peace Corps, made it an autonomous

agency again. After 9/11 President Bush

suggested doubling its size.

Montgomery Place resident Bill Kruse was

recruited by Sargent Shriver’s staff to help lay

the groundwork for the Peace Corps. He was a

community organizer in Chicago before

becoming an Episcopal priest. He was sent to

Ethiopia to prepare for the arrival of 303

volunteers. Three young doctors also came as

Peace Corps volunteers, and with the

cooperation of tribal elders, inoculated all of

the tribespeople in the country against

smallpox.

Emperor Haile Selassie enthusiastically

supported the Peace Corps, and threw a

welcoming garden party. The emperor

approached Bill and asked him what he

missed most about being away from home.

“My dog,” responded Bill. And shortly, the

emperor sent him a dog. Bill later moved to

Nigeria as deputy country director under

William Saltonstall. A famine in Ethiopia in

1973 and a coup in 1975 ended the reign of

Haile Selassie, who was executed, but the

Peace Corps is still in Ethiopia.

To date, 142 countries have hosted the Peace

Corps. More than 240,000 volunteers have

served. Currently, 7,334 volunteers and

trainees are working in 61 countries. The

March 2020 page 11

average age of volunteers is now 26; 65% are women, 34% are minorities. The

Peace Corps continues to address challenges in agriculture, community economic

development, education, environment, health, and youth development.

According to the Chicago Peace Corps Office, the Peace Corps remains committed

to promoting world peace and friendship by pursuing three goals: to help interested

countries by sending trained men and women, to help promote a better understanding of Americans,

and to help Americans gain a better understanding of other peoples.

Stan Moore

The Shape of Truth Reflecting on our present challenge

When the chips are down, where does truth stand?

Does it sketch the contours, the lay of the land?

Does truth like the judge in the court set forth the rules?

Does it stand aloof, our struggles just the work of fools?

Or with humorless prosecutor’s bite,

will it press itself upon us until we get it right,

allowing no shades of meaning, but like a hound,

pursue with no relenting until we fall to ground?

Truth is a plea—taking our defense with passion.

We seek a proper way, often against the fashion

of the wider path, where men of wealth and power

hold successful cards and bask in fame’s shower

of acclaim. Against prevailing winds that overturn

our craft, truth remains loyal, through waves that churn

before the fragile vessel in which we stand.

Truth stays with us even when the fearsome band

of falsehood’s shameless horde seems to gain

the upper hand. Truth may come as gentle rain

as often as it wields the sure swift sword of wrath.

Truth may stay unseen, though always present on our path—

not one to flaunt itself in garish garb, or parade

with boastful swagger. While liars practice their charade,

though it may seem weak, even dead upon the ground,

truth knows resurrection and will go for yet another round.

Phil Hefner

page 12 March 2020

John Quincy Adams

O n March 4, 1830, John Quincy Adams

was elected to the House of

Representatives, where he served eight

consecutive terms. He was the only former

president to continue his political career in the

House. Adams, though unsuccessful as

president, had a distinguished career as a

representative.

Adams was probably the most well-prepared

person for the presidency in American history.

The son of John Adams, he had been a

professor, a Senator, a diplomat, and as

Secretary of State he had negotiated the Treaty

of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. Yet

historians agree that his presidency was

unsuccessful. As a transitional figure, he did

not understand how American politics was

changing.

In the late 18th century, the upper ranks of

society styled themselves as an aristocracy and

expected, and largely received, deference from

the lower ranks. The leading political figures

in the revolution were accustomed to this

deference and often thought of themselves as

men of talent and virtue, qualities they thought

should characterize political leaders in a

republic. In their view, the president should

govern in a nonpartisan manner, aiming at the

national interest. Adams had absorbed this

view.

At the turn of the 19th century, there were no

organized political parties, only two loose

coalitions of prominent political figures, the

Federalists, led by John Adams, and the

Democratic-Republicans, who supported

Thomas Jefferson.

By 1812, the Federalist coalition was

collapsing and the next eight years, under

President Monroe, seemed to confirm the view

that a nonpartisan president was a realistic

possibility. During the first two decades of

19th century, Americans increasingly

abandoned deference and began to assert

themselves. American society became more

individualistic and (for white males, at least)

egalitarian, and citizens from the lower ranks

began to participate successfully in politics.

In the presidential election of 1820, four men

sought the office, including Andrew Jackson,

an outsider. To the surprise of most observers,

Jackson received the most electoral votes. He

did not have a majority, however, and as

provided in the Constitution, the House of

Representatives chose the president. Adams,

who had received the next most electoral votes,

won because Henry Clay persuaded electors

committed to him to support Adams.

Failing to understand how American political

life was changing, Adams adhered to his

antiquated views about political leadership and

did not appoint his supporters to government

positions. The exception was Henry Clay,

whom he appointed Secretary of State (which

was viewed as the steppingstone to the

presidency). He proposed an ambitious

program of internal improvements, but without

John Quincy Adams,

official Presidential portrait, 1858

March 2020 page 13

any political allies, his policies were stillborn.

Even his appointment of Clay hurt him, as

Jackson immediately cried foul, pointing to a

“corrupt bargain,” a charge that resonated with

many voters.

In the election of 1828, Jackson won an

overwhelming victory over Adams, partly

because of the “corrupt bargain,” partly

because of his military victory in the Battle of

New Orleans, and partly because of his claim

to represent the common people.

Although a failure as a president, Adams

made his mark in the House of

Representatives by supporting petitions to

abolish slavery (even though he favored

gradual abolition). House rules required it to

accept petitions, but it had adopted a

procedure requiring that such petitions would

immediately be tabled, thus preventing any

discussion or debate of the issues. Adams was

a skilled parliamentarian and devised a

number of successful strategies to circumvent

the rule and enable discussion of their

contents. His tactics encouraged a huge

number of petitions to be filed and discussed,

with the result that far more abolitionists were

able to get their voices heard than would have

if a few petitions had been accepted,

discussed, and then dismissed. In this way, he

redeemed his reputation.

Richard Muller

Rummage Sale — Coming Soon

W e need your help to make

this rummage sale the

best one ever! You can do

this in three ways.

Donate all those great treasures

in your apartment. Call Creshanna

Henry, Concierge/Activities

Coordinator at 4130. She will make

plans to have staff pick up small

items from your apartment. We ask

that large items such as furniture be

moved on the day of the sale to the

East Room. Call me at 4638 ahead

of time so Abel Juarez,

Environmental Services Manager,

can transport these items at the start

of the sale.

Staff the rummage sale. During

the sale, we need people to price,

display, and sell the items in the

East Room. The signup sheet is on

the bulletin board or call me at 4638

to volunteer.

Buy at the sale! In the past, many

people have found great items for

themselves and their families.

The rummage sale will be April 22,

23, and 24. Now is the time to start

collecting items that will make it a

success for everyone.

Laurieann Chutis, Coordinator

page 14 March 2020

Booklovers

T his month we will be reading a book

by Andrea Camilleri, who is

considered one of the greatest living

Italian writers. His

Montalbano crime series

books have been New

York Times bestsellers

and on the WYCC-TV

series. He was born in

Sicily and currently lives

in Rome.

The Revolution of the

Moon is historical fiction

based on the single fact

that the Viceroy of Sicily,

in 1677 on his deathbed,

names his wife, Donna

Eleonora, his successor.

A highly intelligent woman, she applies her

talents to heal the scarred soul of Palermo.

Her changes are not accepted by the old

guard, and she is recalled to Spain after 27

days—one cycle of the moon. Read this

book about a woman whose courage and

political vision is tested at every step by

misogyny and reactionary conservatism.

When you are finished with The Revolution

of the Moon, please return it to me so that I

may share it with our growing group of

Booklovers.

Our next meeting, to discuss this book and

get the next book, will be on Monday,

March 9, at 3:30 p.m. in the LLLC.

Gretchen Falk is our discussion leader. All

are welcome!

Laurieann Chutis,

Chair, Booklovers Group

3/1 Ada Stock

3/5 Pauline Silberman

3/6 Joe Jarabak

3/8 Joyce Swedlund

3/15 Phyllis Booth

3/15 Betty Towns

3/24 Luella Parham

3/25 Caroline Herzenberg

3/30 Bob Orpen

Music in the East Room

T uesday, March 3. Join the

Montgomery Singers singalong at

7:15 p.m. Everyone is welcome;

absolutely no previous experience or skill

needed. No talent scouts will be present.

Saturday, March 7. Patrice Michaels,

vocalist, and her students, will give a

concert at 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 8. Laura Fenster,

pianist, with her students, at will give a

concert at 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 15. Elaine Smith, piano,

and Van Bistro, cello, will give a recital at

2 p.m.

Alex Veliko for the Music Committee

March 2020 page 15

Playreaders

P layreaders will meet on

Tuesday, March 10 at 7:15 p.m.

in the East Room. Several plays

are under consideration. Further

information will be announced when a

play is finally chosen.

Ann Zeidman, Chair, Playreaders

March Art Walk

T he Art Walk is back this month! There

will be three Saturday afternoons

available for visiting some of your

neighbors and sharing tastes in interior décor

and art.

Apartment visits will be March 14, 21, and 28,

from 2 to 4 p.m.

Keep an eye out for

the schedule, which

will be posted the

first week of March.

Bernice Auslander,

Chair, Art Committee

Hills and Trees by Barbara Wilson. November 2019

page 16 March 2020

March Films

C ome to the Lounge at

7:15 p.m. every Monday

and selected Thursdays

for films on the big screen,

introduced by members of the

Film Discussion Committee.

This month includes Oscar-

winning actors Kirk Douglas, Alec Guinness,

and Forest Whitaker, as well as films from

Vietnam and France. The films are also shown

on TV, Channel 4. Popcorn and lemonade are

served in the Lounge on Monday nights.

Monday Films:

March 2. Ghost Dog: The Way of the

Samurai, 1999. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker)

sees himself as a retainer of Louie, a local

mobster, who saved Ghost Dog’s life years

earlier. While living as a hit man for the

American Mafia, he adheres to the code of the

samurai and its wisdom. 1 hour 56 minutes.

Introduced by Phil Hefner.

March 9. Cat Ballou, 1965. When hired

gun Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin) kills her

rancher father, Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda)

becomes an outlaw set on vengeance. Adding

to the comedic mood of the film are songs by

Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye. 1 hour 37

minutes. Presented by Alex Elwyn.

March 16, Young Man with a Horn, 1950.

Rick Martin (Kirk Douglas) is a young man

with no direction in life until he discovers he

has a flair for the trumpet. He becomes a

popular player in nightclubs. But his love of

jazz and his stubborn nature soon clash with

some patrons while attracting others, such as

highbrow socialite Amy North (Lauren

Bacall). 1 hour 52 minutes. Presented by Leah

Kadden.

March 23, Our Man in Havana, 1959.

British expatriate Jim Wormold (Alec

Guinness) runs a vacuum cleaner store in

Havana, Cuba. When Hawthorne (Noel

Coward) proposes that Wormold become a

paid British agent and recruit other spies, he

accepts, and haplessly embarks on a new

career. Also with Maureen O’Hara. 1 hour 51

minutes. Presented by Shantha Monippallil.

March 30, Deliverance, 1972. Four city-

dwelling friends (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds,

Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) decide to get away

for a week of canoeing in rural Georgia.

Ambushed by unfriendly backwoods locals,

their canoe trip turns into a fight for survival.

1 hour 50 minutes. Presented by Becky Kruse.

Thursday Documentary:

March 5, Echoes in the Canyon, 2018.

This film celebrates the explosion of popular

music that came out of LA’s Laurel Canyon in

the mid-60s as folk went electric and gave

birth to the California Sound. 1 hour 22

minutes. Presented by Shantha Monippallil.

Thursday Foreign Language Films:

March 19, The Well Digger’s Daughter.

France. 2011. Romantic comedy with a

complex plot. A poor working-class woman

and a wealthy Air Force pilot fall in love and

conceive a child shortly before he goes

missing in combat and is thought to be dead.

His family rejects the woman and her baby.

He survives, returns home, and the plot

thickens. 1 hour 47 minutes. Presented by

Becky Kruse.

March 26, The Scent of Green Papaya,

Vietnam. 1993. The story of the romance

between a peasant girl and a renowned concert

pianist. 1 hour 44 minutes. Presenter: Shantha

Monippallil.

Movie Fan for the Film Discussion Committee

March 2020 page 17

Special Events in March

1 Noon-3:00 pm Dining Room First Sunday Brunch

4 12:00 pm Bus Trip Lyric Opera, Madama Butterfly (p. 3)

1:00 pm Bus Trip Steppenwolf Theatre, Bug (p. 3)

5 2:00-3:00 pm Lounge Ed Krentz Class begins: Old Testament Figures (p. 7)

6 12:30 pm Bus Trip CSO Series B, Brahms (p. 3)

7:00 pm Bus Trip Mandel Hall, Musicians from Marlboro (p. 3)

7:15-8:15 pm East Room Friday Night Speaker ~ Anne Rorimer (p. 7)

7 1:00 pm Bus Trip CSO Young Artists Competition (p. 14)

2:00 pm East Room Patrice Michaels Vocal Students (p. 14)

8 2:00 pm East Room Laura Fenster, piano (p. 8)

2:00 pm Bus Trip Auditorium Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater (p. 3)

9 6:30 pm Bus Trip Chicago Sinfonietta, Sight + Sound (p. 3)

12 7:15-8:15 pm East Room Residents’ Association

13 11:00 am Bus Trip Chicago Botanic Garden, Orchid Show (p. 3)

7:15-8:15 pm East Room Friday Night Speaker ~ Roberta Bernstein (p. 7)

14 11:00 am Bus Trip Met Live in HD, Der Fliegende Hollander (p. 4)

2:00-4:00 pm Designated Apartments Art Walk (p. 15)

15 1:00 pm Bus Trip TimeLine Theatre, Kill Move Paradise (p. 4)

1:30 pm Bus Trip Mandel Hall, Pirates of Penzance (p. 4)

2:00 pm East Room Elaine Smith, piano and Van Bistro, cello (p. 14)

17 6:00 am-7:00 pm East Room Illinois Primary Election

19 7:00 pm Bus Trip Court Theatre, The Lady from the Sea (p. 4)

20 1:00 pm Bus Trip Illinois Holocaust Museum (p. 4)

7:15-8:15 pm East Room Friday Night Speaker ~ William Wisenhunt (p. 7)

21 2:00-4:00 pm Designated Apartments Art Walk (p. 15)

25 Noon Bus Trip Lunch Outing, Russian Tea Time (p. 4)

26 1:00 pm Bus Trip Goodman Theatre, Molly Sweeney (p. 4)

27 7:15-8:15 pm East Room Friday Night Speaker ~ (p. 7)

28 2:00-3:00 pm Designated Apartments Art Walk (p. 15)

page 18 March 2020

Regular Events in

MONDAY 8:00–9:00 am Bus Trip Fitness Walk, Museum of Science & Industry

9:00 -11:00 am Bus Trip Sounds Good Choir Rehearsal at KAMII

9:30 am Bus Trip Mariano’s Grocery Store

9:30-10:30 am Therapy Room Wellness Clinic with Wellness Staff

10:00-11:00 am LLLC Poetry Group

11:00-11:30 am East Room New Way to Move

11:30 am-Noon East Room Physical fitness

1:00 pm Bus Trip Hyde Park Errands

1:30-3:00 pm Game Room Electronic Gadgets Q&A

2, 16, 30 3:00-4:00 pm East Room Town Meeting

9 3:30-4:30 pm LLLC Booklovers Group (p. 14)

2 5:20 pm Private DR French speakers’ Dinner Table

9 5:20 pm Private DR German Speakers’ Dinner Table

23 5:20 pm Private DR Spanish Speakers’ Dinner Table

7:15 pm Lounge/Ch 4 Film Discussion Group Movie (p. 16)

TUESDAY

10, 17, 24, 31 10:00-11:00 am Bus Trip Jewel Grocery Store

3 10:00-11:00 am Studio Activities Committee

24 10:00am-1:00pm Therapy Room Audiologist Dr. Lata Jain

10:15 am-Noon Game Room Hyde Park Bank

3, 10, 24, 31 10:45 am-Noon East Room Meditation

17 10:45 am-Noon Chapel Meditation

11:00 am-Noon Lounge Sit and Be Fit

3 1:00 pm Bus Trip First Tuesday Walgreens 20% Discount

1:30-2:00 pm Pool Water Aerobics with Kelly

3, 10, 24, 31 2:00-3:00 pm East Room Current Events

3, 10, 24, 31 3:30-5:00 pm Lounge Wine & Cheese

3 7:15-8:15 pm East Room Montgomery Singers Singalong (p. 14)

10 7:15-8:15 pm East Room Playreaders (p. 15)

24 7:15-8:15 LLLC Short Story Group

March 2020 page 19

Please Note: Any event listed without a specific date or dates occurs on that day of the

week every week. Events listed with specific dates occur on those dates only.

WEDNESDAY 8:00-9:00 am Bus Trip Fitness Walk, Museum of Science & Industry

9:30-10:30 am Lounge Tai Chi

11 10:30-11:30 am Library Library Committee

10:45-11:30 am Chapel Midweek Eucharist

11:00-11:30 am East Room New Way to Move

11:30 am-Noon East Room Physical Fitness

4, 18 1:00-2:00 pm Lounge Health Pro Balance Class

25 1:00-2:00 pm Lounge Health Pro Lecture

11, 25 1:00-2:00 pm East Room Race Seminar

TBA 1:30-2:30 pm Game Room Friday Night Speakers Committee

1:30-2:30 pm Therapy Room Wellness Clinic with Wellness Staff

1:30-2:30 pm Studio Open Studio

11 2:15-3:15 pm LLLC Dining Committee

3:00-4:00 pm Game Room Electronic Gadgets Q&A

18 3:30-5:00 pm Lounge Wine & Cheese

7:15-8:15 pm Lounge Hewson Swift Music Series (p. 9)

THURSDAY 9:30 am Bus Trip Hyde Park Errands/Trader Joe’s

12 10:00-11:00 am Studio Art Committee

5 11:00-Noon Game Room Montgomery Messenger Planning Meeting

11:00-Noon Lounge Sit and Be Fit

26 Noon-1:00 pm Dining Room March Residents’ Birthday Lunch

26 Noon Bus Mariano’s Grocery Store

5, 12, 19 1:30 pm Bus trip Mariano’s Grocery Store

1:30-2:00 pm Pool Water Aerobics with Kelly

19 1:30-2:30 pm East Room League of Women Voters (p. 2)

2:00-3:00 pm Lounge Ed Krentz Class: Old Testament Figures (p. 7)

2:00-3:00 pm Chapel Roman Catholic Communion

6 2:30-3:30 pm Studio Film Discussion Committee

12 2:30-3:30 pm LLLC Environmental Services Committee

12 3:30-5:00 pm East Room Happy Hour

12 7:15-8:15 pm East Room Residents’ Association

5 7:15 pm Lounge/Ch 4 Documentary Film (p. 16)

Lounge/Ch 4 Movie canceled this month

19, 26 7:15 pm Lounge/Ch 4 Foreign Language Film (p. 16)

page 20 March 2020

FRIDAY 8:00-9:00 am Bus Trip Fitness Walk at Museum of Science & Industry

9:15-9:45 am Lounge Tai Chi

9:30-11:00 am Studio Drawing and Painting Class

9:30-10:30 am Therapy Room Wellness Clinic with Wellness Staff

10:00-11:00 am Game Room Adapting to Aging Group

10:00-11:00 am Lounge/Ch 4 DVD Series – European History & European Lives

13 11:00 am-3:45 pm Therapy Room Podiatrist Dr. Joanne Davis

11:00-11:30 am East Room New Way to Move

11:30 am-Noon East Room Physical Fitness

1:00-4:00 pm Studio Open Studio

4:45-5:30 pm Chapel Shabbat Service

7:15-8:15 pm East Room Friday Night Speakers (p. 7)

SATURDAY 8:45 am-Noon Bus Trip Synagogue Transportation

21 2:00-3:00 pm LLLC New Yorker Readers

7:15 pm Lounge/Ch 4 Weekend Movie

SUNDAY 9:00 am-1:00 pm Bus Trip Church/Synagogue transportation

11:00 am-Noon Chapel Communion Service

1 Noon-3:00 pm Dining Room First Sunday Brunch

7:15 pm Lounge/Ch 4 Weekend Movie/Encore Presentation