SHARE:  
Maine Senior College Network news & updates

February 2023

Welcome to the February issue of the Maine Senior College Network news. We have something for everyone this month, from Romance Fraud to UFOs! (Thank you, Lewiston Auburn SC and SAGE). And, courtesy of OLLI, we also have "The Teachable Moment: OLLI 2023 Teacher Forum," a free course for current and potential instructors across the network. The Teachers Forum is a fascinating confidence-building experience for anyone who feels they have never been taught how to teach! 


You also have the opportunity to study "Heterodox Economics (Modern Money Theory)" with Penobscot Valley SC. PVSC is delivering this course in simulcast Zoom sessions that will link up with the Renaissance Society, a west coast Senior Educational College affiliated with the California State University, Sacramento. 


Anne Cardale

Program Director

Maine Senior College Network

Wikimedia Image:

"Fox Hunt"

Winslow Homer

Newsletter Menu

Please scroll down the page to see each article!


Lewiston-Auburn SC

"FRAUD is in the air!"

----

York County SC

Gary Sullivan Lecture Series

Winter 2023

---

SAGE at UMPI

present two out-of-this-world offerings

---

OLLI Social Events & Popups!

---

Penobscot Valley SC present

"Heterodox Economics (Modern Money Theory)"

---

OLLI at USM invitation:

"The Teachable Moment: OLLI 2023 Teacher Forum."

(Free course)

---

MSCN Winter 2023

Links to online catalogs

----

Book Review

by Pat Davidson Reef:

Folly Cove Sketches, Remembering Virginia Lee Burton

by June Vail


Stay up to date!


Click on the blue box links below!

What's Happening?
Visit our website
Find a Senior College
Contact MSCN
Join the MSCN website!Download PDF Guide
Subscribe to the MSCN Newsletter

Lewiston-Auburn Senior College


FRAUD is in the air!

Wednesday, February 14, at 11:00 AM

Soon it will be Valentine’s Day -

What better time to talk about Romance Fraud?


Lewiston Auburn Senior College is excited to invite Grace McCarthy back for the third in a trio of presentations about fraud sponsored by AARP Maine.


As a former police officer selected to attend the FBI National Academy, she developed her fraud-fighter skills early on in her adult life. Grace moved to Maine with her husband and soon began a career with L.L.Bean in Security. She retired after 23 years as a senior analyst, having spent most of her time investigating internal/external fraud. She is a member of the Bowdoinham Committee on Aging, a volunteer for People Plus in Brunswick, and a presenter from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.


In November, Grace gave us some general information on the most popular schemes, but this time she will focus on a topic that is prevalent all year but especially timely on Valentine’s Day: Romance Fraud.

Registration


Grace will speak with those who wish to attend in person in room 170 at USM Lewiston/Auburn, 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. For those who prefer Zoom, we will be putting out a link to sign in from home.

To attend, please email Lewiston-Auburn Senior College by Feb. 13 at noon.

If you wish to be part of the Zoom audience, please give your name and the program you wish to attend. You will receive a link on the morning of the 14th.


Lewiston-Auburn Senior College


Artwork for Lewiston-Auburn SC by Judy Hierstein

York County Senior College present


GARY SULLIVAN LECTURE SERIES

WINTER 2023

(All lectures to be presented via ZOOM, on Wednesdays at various times)

YCSC Gary Sullivan Lecture Series 2023 via ZOOM.


Four lectures remain in this excellent lectures series

These lectures will be on Wednesdays in February and March at varying times of the day.


For more details about each lecture plus registration, please go to YCSC Course Storm.


The registration fee is $25 for the entire series!

February 8th 4:00 PM    

Artist/Author Robert Shetterly shares his newest book "Portraits of Earth Justice"


February 15th 7:00 PM   

Jack Kupp & the "Coastal Winds" clarinet ensemble demonstrate the clarinet's versatility in a musical program


March 8th 7:00 PM       

Maine Lobstering – Robert Danzilo, a Maine tour boat operator specializing in educating guests on lobster biology, fishery techniques, equipment, and regulations, will share his knowledge and experience with us.


March 15th 4:00 PM 

The Dalai Lama, Reincarnation, and the Future of Tibet-China Relations with Professor Allen Carlson

Images Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The 7th Dalai Lama

York County Senior College

SAGE at the University of Maine in Presque Isle (UMPI)

present two out-of-this-world offerings:


SAGE at UMPI 

The Aleutian Islands

with Dave Hobbins

Feb 7, 2023 at 1 pm

"These Four Mountains in Alaska's Aleutian Island chain look suspiciously like an alien world" - Nasa Photo


The Aleutian Islands is a 1200-mile-long active volcanic island chain that runs from the Alaskan peninsula to Russia. They separate the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The Unangan people first inhabited these remote islands some 6000-8000 years ago. Later, Russians discovered its rich fur resources. Home to enormous seabird colonies, it houses the largest wildlife refuge in the U.S. Today, its people practice subsistence living and exploit its marine resources. This talk will cover some geography and natural history and introduce you to its people, past and present.


(See SAGE registration information in the next section.)


Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Alaska's Aleutian Island


SAGE at UMPI 

"UFOs with a Side of Astronomy"

with Jim Stepp

Feb 7 - 28th, 2023

Tuesdays for 4 weeks from 6:30 - 8:00 pm

This class was developed at the request of the SAGE students in last year's astronomy class. During this class, we will discuss the history of UFOs, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, where extraterrestrial life may come from, and what extraterrestrial life might look like.



How to register for SAGE at UMPI offerings

SAGE/MSC membership is REQUIRED for enrollment in this class.


Please let us know if you are a member of one of Maine's Senior Colleges. Send an email to SAGE with your information, and we will contact you.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Science-Fiction Art 1955 UFO

SAGE at UMPI

OLLI at USM

OLLI Social Events & Popups!

Free to attend, but you must register.

For a list of February 2023 social activities, please visit the MSCN What's Happening web page.

You will be able to access a pdf list showing all the wonderful offerings!

How to register for the free OLLI Popups: 

Step 1: 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

Image rendered in DALL-E 2

"Pop-art style food & coffee."

Penobscot Valley Senior College presents


Heterodox Economics (Modern Money Theory)

Instructor: Mark Dempsey

PVSC Assistant: Bill Fackenthall



Wednesdays 1:00-2:30 PM (EST); 10:00-11:30 AM (PST)

February 15, 22, March 1, 8, 15, 22

Heterodox Economics and Modern Money Theory (MMT) predicted the Great Recession. Orthodox, economists from the right (Mankiw) to left (Krugman) did not. MMT offers some surprising remedies to current social problems, providing seldom-heard solutions for National “Debt.”

So, it’s not about business as usual.


Reading Material

Participants will get about 60 pages of material (maximum 20 pages of reading per class, usually much less), for class discussion background. [Mark will send a link to the pdf of the reading on Dropbox)

People who have taken the seminar and/or read the material have said, “I’ll never look at the economy the same way again.”


Simulcast with the Renaissance Society

The Seminar is via Zoom only and will be held as a simulcast with the Renaissance Society, a west coast Senior Educational College affiliated with the California State University, Sacramento. Each session will be recorded and emailed to students for later viewing.


Instructor’s Biography:

A former technical writer, Mark Dempsey has a passion for economics and has studied several economic theories, including Heterodox economics which he believes is the way things really happen in modern economic society. He has taught this seminar several times at the Renaissance Society in California and one time at Penobscot Valley Senior College. He will be visiting us again with a joint session that should interest all Maine Senior Colleges who want to know how the real world of economics works.


Registration is open for all PVSC and MSCN members for Penobscot Valley Senior College Winter courses - all on Zoom.

If you are a current member of a MSCN college, please email Sheila at pvscmaine@gmail.com if you wish to take a course or One-Day Presentation. Leave your name, mailing address, email, phone number and name of your college so that the membership fees can be adjusted. You will then be able to register online or mail in a check. All courses are $30. 


Penobscot Valley Senior College


Image rendered in DALL-E 2

OLLI at USM


"The Teachable Moment: OLLI 2023 Teacher Forum."

Mondays, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, March 13 - April 17 

This course is free and open to members of the Maine Senior College Network


OLLI's Teaching and Learning Committee will host a Teacher Forum this Spring (meeting every Monday, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, March 13 through April 17). This course is free and open to Maine Senior College Network members. 


The Course is titled "The Teachable Moment: OLLI 2023 Teacher Forum." Subjects discussed will include 


March 13: 

"Myth Busting. What it is to teach at OLLI: no Ph.D. Required, just a Passion for a Subject"

by Donni Tamblyn and Buck Benedict


"Running a Zoom Classroom: Teach the Class You Want to Teach and Don't Let Zoom Get in the Way"

by Anne Cardale


March 20:

"Planning a Teaching Moment: Creating Space for Discussion"

by Mike Lynch


"Visual Risk Taking: Opportunities and Challenges of Using Images and Videos in Your Class"

by Donna Anderson


March 27:

"Creating a Safe, Comfortable, and Inclusive Classroom Atmosphere"

by Anne Cass


"Asking Reflective Questions,"

by Joan Chadbourne


April 3:

"Teaching in a Non-traditional Classroom: Structuring Film Class Discussions"

by Rob Hyssong and Pat Reef


"Teaching in a Non-traditional Classroom, The Arts and Beyond: Panel Discussion"

by Mary Tracy and Tim Beahr


Monday, April 10 and 17

Open Sessions for Questions and Professional Dialogue.


Registration

Sign up on or after February 27th

To register for the Teachers Forum, please contact the OLLI office.

Send us an email or call 207-780-4406.


OLLI at the University of Southern Maine


Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Teacher's Pet 

By Zacharie Noterman 

MSCN Winter 2023 Class Catalogs

Acadia SC 

Winter 2023 Term


Augusta Senior College

2023 Winter Lecture Series


Belfast Senior College

Winter 2023 Classes


Bridgton Senior College

Winter 2023 Classes


Coastal Senior College

Winter 2023 Classes


Gold LEAF Institute 

Winter 2023 Classes


Lewiston-Auburn Senior College

Winter 2023 Classes


Midcoast SC 

Winter Session 2023


Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

Winter 2023 Classes


Penobscot Valley SC

One-Day Zoom Presentations & Winter 2023 Classes


SAGE at UMPI

Winter & Spring 2023 Classes


St. John Valley Senior College

Spring & Summer Classes 2023


South Coast Senior College 

Fall 2022 - Winter 2023


Sunrise SC

Winter & Spring 2023 Classes


Western Mountains SC

Winter 2023 Classes


York County SC

Winter 2023 Classes & the Gary Sullivan Lecture Series



Visit the MSCN website for more information.

The MSCN Course Catalogs web page updates as new course catalogs become available.


Folly Cove Sketches, Remembering Virginia Lee Burton

by June Vail

Published by Maine Authors Publishing 2022

Pages 149 Price, paperback $17.95



Reviewed by Pat Davidson Reef


Literature and art are mankind’s greatest achievements. In books, we explore the meaning of existence. In art, we reveal visually what we feel. “Folly Cove Sketches, Remembering Virginia Lee Burton” is a personal memoir about a famous children’s book author and illustrator. The book is written by her niece, June Vail, a Maine author, and is beautifully designed. It is amazing because it gives the background of Burton’s wonderful children’s classics created in 1939 through 1968 but also discusses her support in developing an artist’s cooperative community called Folly Cove. Artists who became members experimented with graphic designs while her husband taught art.


Another topic explored is Burton’s linoleum block prints, which are not as well known as her children’s books but are beautiful, as seen in the book. These works were eventually used for fine fabric designs.


Folly Cove is a geographic location off the coast of Cape Ann in Massachusetts where Virginia Lee Burton and her husband, George Demetrios, lived and founded “Folly Cove Designs,” an art cooperative that explored nature and abstract designs for their own beauty


Many of you have read Virginia Lee Burton books to your children and grandchildren, books such as: “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel”, (1939) ”The Little House,” (1942), and ”Maybelle and the Cable Car,” (1952). If you have not read them recently, try looking through them at your local library and perhaps taking them out for your grandchildren. They have stood the test of time, more than one generation, and therefore are great classics in Children’s Literature. 


Children’s literature is a microcosm of the adult world and reflects our culture and needs. Times change, but children’s books transcend time and reflect our values. 


In her NEW book "Folly Cove Sketches, Remembering Virginia Lee Burton,” June Vail writes about her experiences visiting her aunt Virginia Lee Burton and refers to her as “Aunt Jinnee.” Vail describes a beautiful artistic community located off the coast of Massachusetts. While Virginia Lee Burton created children’s books in this remote location, her husband George Demetrios, an artist, taught art to others,


Descriptions of different children’s books like “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” and “The Little House,” focussing on the creative process of each, are fascinating for teachers, artists, parents, and especially grandparents. These books bring us back to libraries and the appreciation of good, timeless designs. It has been said that a good children’s book appeals to both children and adults alike, and I believe that is true.


Good design appealed to a group of people who formed an art community in the early 1940s in Massachusetts off the coast of Cape Ann. They called themselves the Folly Cove Designers.


Their work was shown in Boston and focused on creating patterns within patterns in a sequence of repeated motifs exploring the beauty of pure design. Many color examples of these unique and timeless designs are found in this book.


Burton’s intricate linoleum block designs were used for placemats, runners, and tablecloths fabrics. Later a printing press was employed. This art medium and the creative community developed over the years under Virginia Lee Burton's and her husband's guidance are hidden treasures.


Burton died in 1968, and her husband died in 1974, but their work lives on in their contributions, and this new and wonderful book by June Vail opens a new window on their creativity.


For those of you who love all forms of art and reading about the creative process, look for this book. It is a gem. It is a uniquely organized book with meticulous notes in large reference paragraphs after each chapter. Placing notes, quotes, and explanations after each chapter makes the book accessible and enlarge its understanding. I recommend it highly.


The Maine Senior College Network is a program of the