OLLILife
A community of learners over 50
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March 2022 | Vol 2, No. 5 |
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FROM THE DESK OF MARY ETTINGER |
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Spring – and the Promise of Good Things to Come
The old adage that March comes in like a lion seems to have a somewhat different meaning this year as the winds of war come mixed in with the usual March winds. But here in Tampa, the warmer weather and blossoming trees already are arriving as usual, and the stirring of new life and activities seem even more promising than usual, as so many people are starting to cautiously emerge with the hope of COVID abating.
Our OLLI starts its spring half of the winter-spring term today. If you haven’t taken a good look at the classes and activities for March and April yet, check out the catalog and you might find a gem you hadn’t noticed waiting there.
For updates since the catalog was printed, see the Calendar on OLLI’s website, usfseniors.org. (Click on “About Us,” then on “OLLI Calendar”) Spring classes are on pages 22-30 of the catalog, with Broadway productions at the Straz on page 4, Encore classes on page 21, OLLI lectures on pages 36-37, and University of Tampa courses on page 31.
Because March always brings changes, I’ve just updated my calendar with some of the big dates. I’ll share them with you so you can see them coming: The beginning of spring is on March 20; the season of Lent starts tomorrow; Daylight Savings Time begins March 13; and of course there’s the fun of St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, which has a bonus of a full moon rising that night.
Looking Back and Looking Forward
Here’s a reminder to recommend someone for an OLLI volunteer recognition award, to sign up as a volunteer yourself, or to apply to join the OLLI Board of Directors or recommend someone else. Please see the articles below for details and deadlines.
I’ve recently discovered that our OLLI storage room holds many copies of a book published in 2013 in celebration of OLLI-USF’s 20th anniversary. The book is full of OLLI members’ creations – stories, poems, and artwork. Copies are available now by contacting Charise or other staff members. Their contact information is on page 2 of the catalog.
The OLLI staff and many volunteers already are preparing for our summer term. The course lineup is almost set, and the summer catalog is in the final writing and proofreading stage.
Our recent member survey shows that many people want in-person courses but also that many others want Zoom courses. As a result, there will be plenty of each, and a hybrid or two are also scheduled. Plans are being made for the Summer Open House in May – possibly in person!
I recently saw a cheery little quote in my email that said, “Spring will come and so will happiness.” May it be so for you!
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Tuesday, March 8: Virtual Wine Tasting
Friday, March 11 :
Deadline for Volunteer Awards nominations;
Utah National Parks - Virtual Presentation
Friday, March 25: Volunteer Information and Orientation session.
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What's Going On?
Gain Insights Through FREE Class From University of North Florida
Building Resiliency to Address
the Impacts of a Changing Climate
Wednesday, April 20 and Friday, April 22,
9:30-11 a.m.
Two sessions on Zoom
Ever wonder what the heck is going on? Tornadoes in the winter! Wildfires year-round! Roads that flood when it rains!
Understand the basic principles of the changing climate. Discover the health risks it poses and how to protect yourself and your loved ones. Learn what is currently underway to build resilience in the decades ahead. Gain insights to reduce your greenhouse gas footprint and save money. Your curiosity is all that’s required to participate in an open discussion with an expert.
Instructor Todd Sack speaks nationally and internationally on climate change, energy policy and health. He edits My Green Doctor, a free practice management publication for medical offices and outpatient facilities in 61 countries and 43 U.S. states. The bimonthly newsletter brings environmental sustainability topics to more than 220,000 health professionals in addition to patients and families. Sack chaired the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board, served on the Florida Energy Commission and chaired the Florida Legislature's Climate Change Advisory Group. He co-led the topic of environmental justice for the Jacksonville City Council’s 2021 Special Committee on Resiliency.
This class is being offered to OLLI-USF members through our sister OLLI at the University of North Florida (UNF). Click here to register for this free class, or call Charise at 813-974-5848. |
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FREE Virtual Presentation:
Utah's Mighty National Parks
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: 10 a.m.
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Premier World Discovery and OLLI-USF’s Travel Opportunities Committee invite you to a special virtual presentation about Utah’s Mighty National Parks and the exciting travel tour that begins October 7.
Please join us for a free educational presentation about the Utah parks on the tour and enjoy the scenery of the landscape. There is no obligation to sign up for the tour. A representative from Premier World Discovery will answer any questions you might have about it.
Please register here for the free event. If you attend the presentation on March 11 and register for the tour by the next Monday, March 14, the required deposit to hold your space will be only $150 instead of $300.
The flyer on the Utah’s Mighty National Park tour can be reviewed here. No problem if your travel partner is not an OLLI member. They are welcome to join in on the fun. ....Karen Wright & Pat Dodge
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Virtual Wine Tasting:
The Three Most Important Wine Regions in France and Their Grape Varieties
Tuesday, March 8
Zoom Social time 6:15 p.m
Tasting begins 6:30 p.m.
We’re back! Bill Stobbs, sales manager for ABC Wine and Spirits, will lead us in a virtual wine tasting. He thinks all wine lovers should be educated on French wines.
Domaine Gueguen Bourgogne Cotes Salinas (Chardonnay from Burgundy)
Domaine des Bouzons Cotes Du Rhone La Felicite (Syrah from the Rhone Valley)
Chateau Lansac la Richarde (Merlot/Cabernet Blend from Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux)
Order early to ensure you can find the wines. ABC Wine and Spirits offers online ordering with curbside pickup at the seven locations in Hillsborough County. ABC Wine and Spirits also offers a FedEx option. Drizly.com and Saucey.com are online liquor stores that will deliver from ABC Wine and Spirits. DoorDash.com also delivers.
Sign-Up Genius and Zoom invitations will be sent prior to the event.
...Judy Hanna
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Help Us Recognize an Outstanding Volunteer!
Our 250-plus volunteers are the lifeblood of this organization. Their efforts keep OLLI available and affordable to all of us. Every year, OLLI-USF recognizes three of our outstanding volunteers with the following awards:
- Award of Excellence
- Above and Beyond
- Lifetime Achievement
You can help us recognize outstanding volunteers by nominating them for an award.
Nominations are reviewed and determined by members of our Volunteer Management Committee.
The winners will be announced this spring. They will be feted on our Facebook page and in our fall catalog and profiled in OLLILife.
The deadline for awards nomination is Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m.
Please click here to submit a Volunteer Awards nomination.
...Diane Russell
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Judith Page-Lieberman
2021 Award of Excellence
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Diane White
2021 Above and Beyond Award
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Jane Applegate
2021 Lifetime Achievement Award
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We travel to Explore, Enrich and Enjoy—Help the Travel Opportunities Committee Plan Exciting Trips. |
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Do you know some old-timey Florida spots for OLLI members to explore and enjoy? Do you like to organize projects from start to finish?
The Travel Opportunity Committee (TOC) needs three volunteers to work collaboratively to create enriching day trips for summer 2022, fall 2022, and winter/spring 2023. These temporary assignment volunteers would possibly be working with travel vendors to help choose destinations and coordinate transportation, prices, meals, registration and funds collection.
The TOC also needs a volunteer in a temporary capacity - five months, more or less - to find new vendors for day trips and domestic and international travel. If you want to learn some of the inside secrets of the travel business, this is the spot for you!
For more information email Pat Dodge. |
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Volunteering with OLLI Lets You Follow Your Passion!
Attend a free, no-obligation volunteer information and orientation session to learn more about how your knowledge, skills or experience can help OLLI!
The next session will be held on Friday, March 25, at 1 pm.
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Discover OLLI-USF's Inaugural Podcast
OLLI members and non-members can now get a firsthand preview of upcoming OLLI activities through a brand-new podcast.
OLLI-USF's first-ever podcast was created by OLLI instructor Pete Terzian and OLLI member Louise Kienast.
It began when Pete taught “Podcasting 1,2,3!” during the fall 2021 semester. Louise, a member of the class, had the idea to create an OLLI podcast and discussed her suggestions with Pete.
Pete agreed to do the technical work while Louise coordinated the content and contacted potential candidates for interviews. Then they conducted four interviews, recorded their first podcast, and posted it on RSS.com for free. Congratulations to Pete and Louise!
You do not need to create an account or log in to listen to the podcast. Just click on the podcast episode's arrow, listen and enjoy!
Click here to link to the podcast.
...Kathy Palmer
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Saturday's Social Lives On |
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Once we realized the pandemic might go on longer than a few weeks, OLLI leaders met to decide how we were going to persuade members to join us online.
Most of our members were not familiar with Zoom, and some were openly hostile to it; stories abounded about Zoom bombers and privacy matters.
At the meeting, Rich Kennedy offered to host a Saturday social gathering on Zoom. Informal Zoom training could be provided, and Rich had enough of a following that many members could conceivably become acquainted with Zoom painlessly, through a favorite teacher.
So it has been, most every Saturday morning since. Dozens of members have gathered every Saturday on Zoom to catch up and discuss the affairs of the day, and the group has grown. Members couldn’t get enough. It was a lifeline for some of us, stuck at home, worried, isolated.
Rich is moving on (he will be teaching for us in the early summer term). But the Saturday Social lives on! Several OLLI members have agreed to help facilitate Saturday socials with an open chat time followed by a more structured discussion around the news of the day.
We are so grateful to Rich and our other OLLI techies for helping us bridge the seemingly insurmountable task of moving our classes online.
Want to join the Saturday Social? Email Rich here and ask him to put you on the list. You will receive a link with readings on Friday.
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Meet Bharat Pathakjee:
He's Expressing His ‘Inner Nerd’
It seems that for the past seven years, Bharat Pathakjee has been omnipresent in the OLLI-USF catalog.
This semester, he’s teaching four courses. Last semester, he taught two. Over his time at OLLI, he estimates he’s taught nearly 20 courses.
And although they’re all usually science- or history-related, each class touches on a different subject, each requiring weeks of research and preparation for teaching.
This is not work to Bharat, however. Instead, it’s a way to satisfy his curiosity about so many things while sharing what he’s learned with other people.
“I enjoy the work,” he says. “It appeals to my inner nerd.”
Bharat was a cardiologist for 33 years in Green Bay, Wisconsin, before moving to Tampa. He became an OLLI instructor in 2015, shortly after joining the organization.
His first class focused on the history of the Nobel Prize and its winners. Since then, he has taught classes on the British East India Company, the history of sex, the science of aging, the history of wars in Afghanistan, the human genome, and so many more.
Getting Ideas
His ideas come from conversations with friends or topics in the news. His curiosity will be aroused and the research will begin. He’ll spend hours in the library, looking up information on YouTube and Google, and taking on-line courses. Then he boils down the information into class-sized lessons, with copious PowerPoint slides.
His biggest challenge, he says, is tailoring the class to a wide audience.
“We have so many people from different backgrounds taking the classes. So my challenge is that someone who has taught high school English and also a retired physicist will find something of interest,” he says.
But that variety of students is also what makes teaching so satisfying for Bharat, he says.
“Teaching these classes gives me a chance to meet people from different walks of life,” he says. “When you’re working as a physician, you don’t have a chance to do that. You’re not going to get to know an aeronautical engineer, someone doing drama, or a poet. It’s such a nice way to meet people.”
...Sandra Buckley
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Conviviality and Celebrations
met for their February luncheon at Jasmine Thai Restaurant in Carrollwood. This group of OLLI members and guests meets for conversation, camaraderie and lunch monthly to celebrate birthdays and other
special occasions. Birthday honorees choose a restaurant in the area for their celebration. The next luncheon is scheduled for 1 p.m., March 23, at the Cracker Barrel at the northwest corner of Bearss Ave. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun. Email Kat Hanscom for more information.
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Visiting The Manatees
Forty-six members of the OLLI Outdoors SIG were recently treated to the sight of some 400 manatees basking in the warmth of TECO's discharge canal at the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach. Environmental Specialist Lauren Gomez gave a brief talk and then led the group on a guided tidal tour. The trip also included a 1.7-mile nature walk.
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Lunch with the Lunch Bunch
"Simply Wonderful!” was the most mentioned phrase from the “Food! Glorious Food! Lunch Bunch, which met on the outdoor patio of Cafe European on February 22. Many thanks to Arlene Zimney who suggested we do a “pop-up” lunch since the weather has turned so lovely. Arlene took reservations for a group of 10, and the table filled within 90 minutes, with several members on the waiting list. This indicates that OLLI members are ready and willing to get together once again. A lovely Florida spring, coupled with diminished Omicron numbers, made this possible.
...Jane Applegate
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OLLI Shutterbugs At Tarpon Springs
OLLI Shutterbugs met at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks for their monthly outing on February 15. Fifteen attendees showed up to participate on a cold February morning, walking up and down the Sponge Docks and taking many excellent photos while a variety of activities were going on - sponge boats, pelicans, vendors, food, and much more! The group then met at Rusty Bellies on the waterfront for a delicious lunch and socialization. (You must try their hushpuppies)
Our next outing is scheduled for Friday, March 25, at the Clearwater Museum to see the Clyde Butcher exhibit, then take photos of downtown Clearwater - and of course, meet up for lunch or dinner. Details will be sent out closer to the outing.
...Jean Nixon
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SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FOR MARCH 2022
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For more information on OLLI Shared Interest Groups, see the full list here. Most SIGs are meeting on Zoom; some are starting to organize small group outings. To visit a SIG, email the contact(s) by clicking the links listed with the SIGs below.
Do you share an interest in a topic or activity with a handful of other OLLI members? Did you recently take or offer a class that might lead to a Shared Interest Group? If you have an idea that you might want to float to other OLLI members, contact SIG Liaison, Anne Haywood, and we may include it in a future issue of OLLILife.
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China SIG
Will meet next in April. For more information about the China SIG, please contact Nancy Stuart.
Community of Readers and Writers
Food, Glorious Food!
Mon., Mar. 28, at 10 a.m. Join an open discussion on Zoom about food-related media and the local restaurant scene. We have had some wonderful speakers recently, so now will be the time to talk about what we have learned, enjoyed, tried and shared. All are welcome. For more information and the Zoom link, contact Jane Applegate.
Ici on parle français!
Mon., Mar. 7 and 21, at
Games
Thurs., Mar. 10, at 3:30 p.m. To play Scattergories, email Kathy Palmer for the link.
German Conversation
Write Time for Poets
Thurs, Mar, 10 and 24, at 2 p.m. Email Cath Mason for more information.
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Shutterbugs
Fri, Mar. 25. View the Clyde Butcher exhibit at the main Clearwater Library with a photo shoot and lunch downtown. For more information, please contact Jean Nixon.
OLLI Outdoors
Thurs., Mar. 10, Withlacoochee River Park
Mon., Mar. 21, Circle B Bar Preserve
Fri., Mar. 25, Virtual tour of Florida Botanical Gardens with Wendy Wilber.
Mon., Mar. 14, at 9:30 a.m. Bike Ride on the Upper Tampa Bay Trail. For more information and to RSVP, contact OLLIOutdoors@gmail.com.
Operatunity,
P-SIG
Wed, Mar. 9, at 1 p.m. Email Doug Dallio for more information
Talking Movies
Fri, Mar. 18, at 1:30 p.m. Watch a movie and then get together on Zoom to talk about it. Movie selection to be announced. For more information about this SIG, contact Kathy Palmer.
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We never know what will appear on our doorsteps to give us great satisfaction. Something occurred for our lovely OLLI member Beryl Byles recently that did just that. While attending an OLLI class, “The Great Library Series,” taught by Diane White, Beryl learned that a library card opens various opportunities for learning and pleasure. But one specific topic caught her interest - How local authors can submit their books to be included in the Hillsborough County Library Cooperative system.
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Before retirement, Beryl specialized in leadership development by facilitating change and growth toward greater individual and group effectiveness. In 2011, as a culminating exercise at the end of her career, she organized the learnings from her clients into a self-published book entitled Authentic Leadership: An Inside Job!
So when she learned about submitting books to the library, she took action. Easily downloading the submission form from the website, she simply completed it and took it with a copy of her book to her local library.
Beryl is very proud that her book has been accepted and is in the process of becoming a part of the HCPLC collection.
Beryl may never have discovered this bit of information if she hadn’t taken the OLLI class. She stated, “The benefit of OLLI is to learn and take courses; we learn things that make a difference in our lives.”
Local Writers: Do You Have A Book for the Library?
The purpose of the local author collection is to support and encourage content creation, entrepreneurial achievement, and community prosperity, and to encourage local authors to meet and share their work and experiences. Authors may submit a physical book as well as an ebook, if available.
Submissions are welcome from local authors who live in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota, Manatee or Polk counties). All local authors must have a valid Hillsborough County Public Library card or be a reciprocal borrower.
...Pat Dodge
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Carolyn Clark is our Goodwill Ambassador, sending notes of support, congratulations and comfort on our behalf. If you or another OLLI member have a significant personal event, please let Carolyn know. |
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Send Us Your News
OLLILife wants to share topics of interest that pertain to OLLI-USF and other OLLIs in the country.
Send your article to ollinewsusf@gmail.com to reach your editors Pat Dodge, Mary Ettinger, Sandy Buckley, Kathy Palmer and Ara Rogers. If possible, please send a picture along with the article as pictures help tell the story.
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