August, 2022 | Vol 2, No. 10

It's Back-To-School Season!

Up north, August is a favorite for its lingering warmth and lazy days. In Florida, August may be the least favorite month, as we suffer through the heat and humidity. But happily for us at OLLI-USF, August is back-to-school season.

We love the idea of featuring some of OLLI’s best lecturers and presenters at our Open House, and this fall, we are delighted that Rich Kennedy has agreed to be the keynote speaker.

Rich’s topic will be “The Erosion of Trust.” RSVP now for the live Open House to be held Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Centro Asturiano.

The fall catalog is now at the printer, filled with classes, lectures and activities for our large fall term. We mail it in mid-August with the expectation that it is delivered to you by the end of the month. Either way, on Reveal Day, Aug. 19, you will be able to read it online at our website, www.usfseniors.org. Fall class registration opens Aug. 29.

A Retirement

Our technology coordinator, Jeanne Dyer, will be retiring in December, after many years of managing and building our excellent technology department. We will miss her.

Planning is underway to determine the direction and future of the OLLI technology community.  Did you know that computer courses came first at the beginning of our organization in 1993? You can read a short history of our OLLI, including a Tampa Bay Times article, at our website, here.

A great way to help OLLI is to volunteer. We have two new volunteer opportunities. Maybe one could be a fit for you:

• Be a part of the team that distributes OLLI catalogs to specific locations around Tampa Bay; read more about it below. 
• Help organize food and drinks to be served at the Open Houses and more, working with caterers.

Don't Forget To Vote

Here’s a reminder that the midterm elections start this month. Primaries are on Aug. 23, and the general election is on Nov. 8. Voting remains one of our best opportunities to express our opinions about how we think our country should be run.

There are so many huge issues this year, including our economy, climate change, reproductive issues, decisions about the voting process itself and so many more. It’s scary that we often hear that this election could determine the fate of our whole democracy going forward. If you want your opinions to be heard, don’t forget to vote!

Aug. 19 -Virtual presentation on Colorado's Historic Trains Trip

Aug. 19 - Reveal Day! Fall Catalog on line

Aug. 29 - Fall class registration opens

                PROFILE OF THE MONTH

Meet Susan Northcutt:

She Brings An International Focus To OLLI

The Korean War was raging, and while most 10-year-old girls were playing with dolls, Susan was paying close attention to the far-away war. She was both intrigued and fascinated, following the war’s progress in the newspaper and on the radio. She even got a map to chart the campaign’s progress.

Thus began Susan Northcutt’s passionate interest in international affairs, a passion that led her to earn a doctorate in political science and to spend 35 years teaching international studies at the University of South Florida. She also served as associate dean of USF’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

While at USF, Susan proved to be a gifted teacher. Students and faculty honored her about a half-dozen times with outstanding teacher awards.

Susan is also a prominent member of the International Studies Association and a founder of the ISA’s Women’s Caucus. Her work has taken her to every continent but Australia.

It’s been a rewarding career so far. But though she’s been retired for over a decade, her work is far from over.

OLLI’s Turn

Now it’s OLLI’s turn to benefit from her energy and experience.

Susan joined OLLI in 2005 and started taking a variety of classes. After a lifetime of focusing on international politics, she wanted to explore new topics. She learned to paint with watercolors and to write imaginative pieces so different from the academic papers of her past. She’s also taken a lot of tech courses.

But ultimately, the student became the teacher. Relying on her extensive teaching experience, Susan helped organize the Faculty Support Team. Out of that team, the class “A Course Is Born” was created to help OLLI instructors hone their teaching skills.

“Most of the OLLI faculty are not teachers. They may know their subjects very well, but they need help in presenting it. Our job is to help them develop those skills,” she explains.

“A Course is Born” is offered once a semester. Numerous instructors have taken it, enhancing their skills and experiences in the classroom.

“I’ve actually taken the course,” Susan says. “It was a lot of fun.”

Since then, Susan, herself, has offered a number of courses and Friday lectures that focus on her favorite topics: women’s history and international studies.

For the past two years, she’s facilitated the Great Decisions class, a seven-week course in which students read about and discuss foreign policy. The class will be offered again in the fall semester.

The Stakes are High

Why such a focus on international politics?

“It’s human behavior, a slice of life that I choose to focus on,” she says. “I like the ambiguity of it. There are no easy answers. Things are always subject to change, and I like to try to find out why.

“There are fewer norms or rules in the international sphere,” she says. “The stakes are higher because of the possibility of war. And the stakes of war are much greater now with the presence of weapons of mass destruction.”

As for OLLI, it has become one of her passions as well.

“I love the classes, the people, the connections, the stimulation of ideas. I love learning new ideas, especially outside my field of specialty,” she says.

For her outstanding contributions to OLLI, Susan was presented in May with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. We thank Susan for her work on behalf of our organization.

----Sandy Buckley

OUT AND ABOUT WITH OLLI

Just Say “Opa!”

Members of Instructor Sylvia “Jerry” Noland’s Memory Wall short stories class recently celebrated Jerry (second from left) at Acropolis Greek Restaurant in Brandon, one of her favorite eateries in the area.

Lunch followed the final class of the six-week session at Hillsborough Community College at the Regent in Brandon.

Jerry will be offering more on author Anthony Doerr in her class on his “Cloud Cuckoo Land” novel in the Fall. 

Ring It Out!

Meet the recent graduates of the Basic Handbell Techniques class.

The group of beginner bell ringers gathered weekly for four weeks at the First United Methodist Church in Plant City under the leadership of Instructor Nancy Wisgerhof (far right).

Affectionately named "the Dingalings," they learned several musical pieces along with the history of English handbells and care and handling of the bells. Most of all, they had fun!

Appropriately, their final musical accomplishment was “Pomp and Circumstance,” perfected for Graduation Day.

A Yummy Good Time

Conviviality and Celebrations opted for Chinese cuisine at Yummy House China Bistro on

East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa for their July luncheon.

This group of traveling culinary connoisseurs makes the rounds in the local area, choosing a different restaurant each month to celebrate and recognize birthdays and other special occasions.

Their next luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 1 p.m., at Tiki Docks, 10704 Palmetto Street, in Riverview. All are invited to join in the fun. Email Kat Hanscom for more information.

Have you taken a class or participated in a SIG that you would like to share with OLLI members? Everyone likes to hear about the different classes and activities offered by OLLI. If so, please submit a review to OLLINEWSUSF@gmail.com. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Join the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease

If there was a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, would you try it? 

The University of South Florida study, Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT), needs healthy volunteers to join the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

The study focuses on using computerized brain training exercises with the hope of reducing dementia risk.

The USF PACT team is seeking 3,000 healthy volunteers aged 65 and older with no signs of cognitive impairment, dementia, or neurological disorders. Once accepted into the study, participants will begin their exercises at a PACT location such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Lakeland or Winter Haven.

“We are very grateful to the 1,800 volunteers from Tampa Bay who have already joined our fight against Alzheimer’s disease by enrolling in PACT,” said principal investigator Jerri Edwards, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Reducing The Risk

Past research shows that computerized training can help maintain mental and physical function. Healthy older adults who were prescribed 10 sessions of such training had a 29 percent lower risk of dementia after 10 years. Those completing additional training benefited even more: they were 48 percent less likely to show signs of dementia 10 years later.

Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 6.2 million Americans, including one in nine people aged 65 and older, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million by 2060. African Americans and Hispanics are especially encouraged to enroll in PACT, as they are nearly twice as likely to suffer from dementia.

As of today, there are no proven cures or treatments to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. The few medications on the market provide only short-term management of symptoms for those who already have dementia. This is why studies like PACT are so important.

If you or a loved one are interested in more information, please visit the PACT study website, pactstudy.org, or call (813) 974-6703.

Catalog Distribution Volunteers Needed

Enthusiastic volunteers willing to distribute OLLI fall catalogs to residential living facilities and community centers scattered around the Tampa Bay area are needed during the period of Aug. 23-Sept. 2.

Catalogs with sites for distribution will be bundled for each volunteer and available for pick up in the OLLI office during specific time frames. Every effort will be made to link distribution sites to volunteer zip codes.

Please send your name/email and zip code to OLLI Membership Chair

Pam Tyler.  Call or text Pam with any questions at 575-779-1382. Thanks in advance for your support!

COLORADO HISTORIC TRAINS TRIP 

August 4, 2023

Come aboard for a nine-day trip following historic routes of the Old West, enjoy the scenery on six different rail excursions, and experience the beauty of three national parks.

Highlights include Rocky Mountain National Park; the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park; the red sandstone formations in the Garden of the Gods; and the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. For detailed information and how to register for the trip, click here.

Please join us for a FREE VIRTUAL PRESENTATION by Mayflower Cruises and Tours and OLLI-USF's Travel Opportunities Committee on Friday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m.

Not only will you learn more details about the trip, but also have a chance to ask questions. Please register to join fellow OLLI members regarding this trip.

SIGnificant EVENTS FOR AUGUST 2022

Kathy Palmer, SIG Liaison

PEOPLE NEWS

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 Sandy Buckley, Pat Dodge, Mary Ettinger, Kathy Palmer and Ara Rogers. If possible, please send a picture along with the article as pictures help tell the story.