Maine Senior College Network news & updates

May 2023

Welcome to the May newsletter. It's hard to believe that we are already moving into the summer months. (Especially as it is still a little chilly and damp in Maine.)


The summer is a creative time for senior colleges. Though there are fewer summer classes, boards will be meeting to plan for the next academic year; instructors will be preparing new curricula, and publicity committees are thinking up new ways to spread the word about their senior college classes.


This issue carries the announcement that the Maine Senior College Network is returning to a count of seventeen active colleges across the state. Downeast SC is preparing to return in grand style in the spring of 2024! Please see the article below for more information about Doweast SC at Woodlawn, Ellsworth.


Read on for more news items from the network. And last but not least, do stay tick-free as Maine warms up! Remember to tuck your pants into your socks when you go into the beautiful Maine outdoors!


Anne Cardale

Program Director

Maine Senior College Network

Wikimedia Image:

Daffodils in a Vase

John Singer Sargent (1937)


Newsletter Menu

Please scroll down the page to see each article!


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Special Announcement!

Downeast Senior College reopening in Ellsworth, Maine.

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MSCN Summer Offerings

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OLLI Popups for May!

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St. Johns Valley SC report on two successful events

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OLLI members participate in USM research project finding:

"We can make decisions before we are aware of what we think."

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Acadia Senior College Members' Art Show Opens

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“Tick Free ME:”

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

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Shy: The Alarming Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

By Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green

Book Review

by Pat Davidson Reef:



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Special Announcement!

Downeast Senior College is reopening in Ellsworth Maine

Meet

Downeast Senior College at Woodlawn


While many exciting things are brewing across the network, we have one very special announcement! The Downeast Senior College in Ellsworth had to suspend operations during Covid. This was a painful decision, especially for its interim board president Linda Hayman. Linda worked tirelessly to keep things going; she even held meetings in wintery Ellsworth car parks as she fought for the college's future in the Covid winter of 2020.


So, it is with great pleasure that MSCN can now announce that the Downeast Senior College is being revived! Classes will return in the spring of 2024! The Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth has generously stepped forward as the new host for this much-loved senior college.  


Downeast Senior College at Woodlawn is a dream location for the revived senior college. A new education center, known as "The Barn," has been built in the museum grounds. The Barn will be providing classes for the local community and museum visitors, not to mention classroom space for senior college classes!


If you live in the area and you are interested in finding out more, or if you are willing to step forward and become a board member at this exciting college, please send a message to Kathy Young, the Director of Woodlawn, and let her know! Kathy will add you to her mailing list, and she is looking forward to recruiting a board to support her senior college planning.


In the meantime, if you are driving in the area in the summer, drop by and visit the historic Black House, take a walk on one of the beautiful trails around the property, or watch a croquet tournament!


Woodlawn, Ellsworth Maine

MSCN Summer Offerings

Summer events are listed below.

The list below reflects information available at the time of posting this newsletter.


Acadia SC 

2023 ASC Members' Art Show

May 1 - 27, 2023

During library hours

Northeast Harbor Library, Mellon Room


Augusta Senior College

22nd Annual UMASC Meeting and Luncheon

May 23. 12:00-2:00 pm

The Fireplace Lounge, Randall Hall• UMA Campus


Belfast Senior College

The Healing Power of Laughter

A celebration of life for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones.

Saturday, June 10. 9:30 am.

United Farmers Market.10 Spring Street, Belfast

Jazz & Blues with Ezra & Jessica.

Laughter with cancer survivor & humorist Izzy Gesell


Coastal Senior College

CSC Annual meeting May 22


Gold LEAF Institute 

Talk & Tour at Wolfe's Neck Farm with Andrew Lombardi

May 16, 2023, at 9 am

Plus, classes and discussion groups, and games.


Lewiston-Auburn Senior College

Taking the summer off!


Midcoast SC 

Summer Wisdom 2023

Four Free lectures

May 16, 23, 30 & June 6, 2023, from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick


Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

Summer 2023 Classes


South Coast Senior College 

Watercolor Workshop for Beginners with Judy Gaudet (In person)


Sunrise SC

Summer 2023 offerings

A range of one-day offerings.


Wikimedia Image

Vétheuil in Summer by Claude Monet


OLLI Popups for May

Free to OLLI and members of the Maine Senior College Network


Click here to open the PDF list of fabulous offerings!


Join us!

Consider joining us at OLLI this month for one of these fun events!


Free!

The Zoom Pop-ups and Social Activities are FREE for OLLI and MSCN members (and their pets). You must register online under the "Special Events/Pop-Ups" section in the online registration system.



OLLI Popups - Registration

NOTE: Please register no later than two days in advance of the event you plan to attend. This gives hosts time to get the e-mail addresses and send everyone a Zoom link.

How to register for the free OLLI Popups:

Go to the OLLI at the University of Southern Maine registration page to register. (Select Returning Customer or New to OLLI.)

*Please provide your contact details if you are new to OLLI!


Need help signing up?

Send OLLI an email or call 207-780-4406


OLLI at the University of Southern Maine

Wikimedia Image

Fun in the Park


St. Johns Valley Senior College


SJVSC report on two successful events

Helen Nadeau

Quill-shaped cirrus cloud

You are invited to send in reports on successful events held at your senior college. These reports are very useful to the network as they give other colleges ideas for future talks and classes. In addition, these reports bring well-deserved attention to the excellent presenters who are donating their time to share their knowledge and expertise.


This month we have a report from Helen Nadeau at St Johns Valley Senior College.

 

On March 14, we had an event with James Fernald, a licensed Funeral Practioner from Bangor who spoke on ‘Cremation Services’. James Fernald and his wife, Holly Smith, complete almost 1200 cremations a year. James Fernald ZOOMed in, and some of the topics discussed were the guidelines and laws guiding the cremation process, scattering cremation remains, what to look for in choosing a crematory, the differences in boundaries between burial and cremation services, pre-planning services and more. 32 people attended.

Presenter: James Fernald of Brookings & Smith,133 Center St. Bangor, ME

 

On April 4, we had an event with Jack Cashman, a Maine author from Hampden who spoke to our group about creative writing and how it has been proven to help one communicate more effectively; a skill that is exceedingly important in all areas of life. Jack discussed his latest book, “American Valor”, about love, faith, and survival of a family in Aroostook County. Jack Cashman had his book available for sale at the class and signed the book for anyone interested. 18 people attended.

Presenter: Jack Cashman. Jack is willing to do presentations at other Senior Colleges in the state.

Contact Information: Email Jack Cashman


St.Johns Valley Senior College 

Wikimedia Image:

Quill-shaped cirrus cloud by W. Carter


Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)


We can make decisions before we are

aware of what we think.

Four years ago, Professor Shedletsky (right) ran a study with OLLI students as participants. Participants were asked to decide as quickly as they could if a statement was “Bullshit” or “Not Bullshit.” In addition, they filled out a survey that measured their belief in four ideologies. This gave us data to determine if people can make the decision to “call bullshit” at high speeds without conscious deliberation and if their decisions are related to their ideologies. The results turned out to suggest that we can make decisions before we are aware of what we think.


Professor Shedletsky’s research was featured in Newsweek


Additional reading: Seeing Bullshit Rhetorically: Human Encounters and Cultural Values  (Essay location USM Digital Commmons.)


Wikimedia Image

In My Thoughts by Svetlana Yakova



2023 Acadia Senior College Members' Art Show

May 1 - 27, 2023

2023 ASC Members' Art Show

May 1 - 27, 2023

During library hours

Northeast Harbor Library, Mellon Room

The annual ASC Members' Art Show will be held during the month of May at the Northeast Harbor Library. The Art Show and Reception are generously sponsored by Camden National Bank.


Over twenty-five talented artists have interpreted the theme in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil paintings, mixed media, wood carvings, photographs, and fiber art.


The art show is open for in-person viewing in the Mellon Room of the Northeast Harbor Library during library hours except during times when the Mellon Room is booked for private use. Please check the library website for hours and for the availability of the exhibit. 


Acadia Senior College

“Tick Free ME:”

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Beware, with warmer weather on the way; tick activity is increasing in Maine. We all need to use proper protection methods against ticks and the germs they may carry. This May’s Lyme Disease Awareness Month theme is “Tick Free ME” This theme reminds each of us to focus on proper tick bite prevention techniques every time we enjoy the outdoors to stay tick free.


Ways to stay “Tick Free ME:”


  • Know tick habitat and use caution in areas where ticks may live.


  • Use an EPA-approved repellent like DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.


  • Wear light-colored clothing that covers the arms and legs, and tuck pants into socks.


  • Perform tick checks daily and after any outdoor activity.


Visit Maine.gov for more helpful information.


Wikimedia image

Roy Thinnes The Invaders 1968



Shy: The Alarming Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

By Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green

Published by Farrar, Straus,& Giroux 2022

Pages 459 Price $29.69.00 Hardcover $20.00 paperback



Reviewed by Pat Davidson Reef


This sharply humorous and deeply poignant memoir by Mary Rodgers, daughter of Richard Rodgers, the famous composer of musicals, reveals that appearances are often misleading. The book is written from notes by Mary Rodgers, who died in 2014, and Jesse Green, chief theater critic of the New York Times from 2013-2017.


Shy: The Alarming Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers is so well written that Mary Rodgers seems to be still alive and talking directly to you. The footnotes added to the bottom of every page complement the text with specific facts, places, and times.


The book establishes that Mary Rodgers had a great talent for writing popular music and creating entertaining scripts for television as well as writing children’s books. However, she was never appreciated by her father, Richard Rodgers, who was, in her own words, “egoistical, a perfectionist, an alcoholic, and a womanizer.”


Some things in the book are painful to discover about a famous person, like Richerd Rodgers, who gave us so much joy in his musicals on Broadway and whose music still lasts today in summer stock, films, and Broadway revivals. However, the reality of growing up in a creative aristocracy was not fun for Mary. It was competitive and lonely. Yet, she was a survivor, and her personal struggle to survive creatively, plus her insight into people she meets in the entertainment world, are fascinating.


Mary was born in 1931 and went to Wellesley College but left college to get married in 1951. She writes with candid honesty and sharp humor about her unhappy marriage but moves on to be a creative person.


In 1957, Ms. Rodgers went with Stephen Sondheim to Washington, where “West Side Story,” for which he had written the lyrics, was opening. At a dinner, she met the show’s composer, Leonard Bernstein. He hired her to help write and produce the television shows of Bernstein’s New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts, a job she held for more than a decade. She mentioned in the book that Bernstein told her that he was afraid to do a television show for children because he knew nothing about children. She encouraged him to do it and helped write it. The young people's concerts on television were a great success. Bernstein was a natural teacher, and he came to love the series.


Mary Rodgers was not only a creative person in her own right, but she also had the ability to nurture other artistic people. That takes a special generosity of spirit and can be seen in this special book which focuses on the genius of creativity. Mary Rodgers was the author of the novel, “Freaky Friday.” She wrote the music for the Broadway play “Once Upon a Mattress” as well as many screenplays and several children’s books including, “A Billion for Boris” in 1974 and “The Rotten Book” in 1969.


Her friendship with famous people in the arts throughout her life, including her love for Stephen Sondheim, was moving and spellbinding.


Mary not only was a screenwriter, children’s book author, and musician, she was an executive and director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, on the board of ASCAP, and at one point, the chairman of the Juilliard School.


She said about herself in an interview in The New York Magazine, ”I had a pleasant talent but not an incredible talent.” She was, however, an incredible human being who helped others express their talents. If you love Broadway musicals and enjoy books about creativity and the struggle to succeed, you will love this book. I recommend it highly.


The Maine Senior College Network is a program of the