OLLILife
A community of learners over 50
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FROM THE DESK OF MARY ETTINGER |
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Here Comes Summer – And a Hot New Semester!
Here we go into our OLLI’s brand new summer term! The summer catalog has been mailed – if you haven’t received yours yet, you can read it on the OLLI website, www.usfseniors.org. A lot is happening this week – registration opens Monday, May 2, and the OLLI Open House is set for Tuesday, May 3. Don’t miss the Open House! You can read all about it in the article below.
Our registrar, Charise Dixie, is ready to take registrations for classes and lectures by phone starting early Monday morning. She is great at answering any questions and helping with the registration process. Online registration also opens May 2.
About half the summer classes will be in person and the other half will be online. But there are many things besides classes to sign up for. Be sure to read the article below telling you all about what’s in the catalog.
Sometimes a new class is added after the catalog goes to press or later in the term. When that happens Joseph McAuliffe, our liberal arts programming manager, announces it to OLLI members in an eblast email. Or Jeanne Dyer, our technology course manager, sends tech class news out by email. So be alert for any messages from them.
The only added class I’ve seen so far for summer is on May 25, Multicultural Café: A Taste of Jewish Heritage. The cultural café classes are in person, and you can sample the tastes, sounds, art and history of the ethnic cultures in them.
Did you know that OLLI-USF is one of about 120 OLLIs in America? They all are part of a national organization, which holds an annual convention and several regional conventions each year. Our OLLI has been active in the national organization for many years, sending OLLI leaders to the conventions to learn from and teach others.
Our director, Ara Rogers, and our operations manager, Cath Mason, spent the last week of April at the national convention and probably will have a lot to share when they return.
If you haven’t heard yet, Ara, our wonderful director, is planning to retire around the end of this year. She has been our director since 2001, giving so much of her talent and her wisdom and her caring heart to leading OLLI-USF to become the great organization it is today.
The search to find a new director goes through USF, which has now posted the position. So let’s enjoy Ara while we still have her leading us. And if you don’t know her yet, I hope you will get to meet and know her soon.
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SUMMER OPEN HOUSE COMING UP |
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Fulvia Fiorani Will Introduce Us To The Universe
Our first face-to-face Open House since January 2020 is almost here!
Please save the morning of Tuesday, May 3, at 10 a.m. for the OLLI Summer Open House. We're meeting at the beautiful and historic Centro Asturiano de Tampa, our friend and partner for well over a decade.
If you are a newer member, we invite you to arrive at 9:30 a.m. for a brief new member orientation and welcome.
The Summer Open House is also our Annual Membership Meeting. We will have a little OLLI business to conduct, namely electing two members to our advisory board.
As a special treat, we’re pleased to feature Fulvia Fiorani (pictured above) as our keynote speaker. Fulvia is an extremely popular lecturer in astronomy, and she’ll be discussing new means for viewing and examining our universe. Fulvia’s talks are punctuated with breathtaking imagery and mind-blowing information about what we are learning about the universe post-Hubble.
If you’ve never attended an Open House, here’s what you can expect:
- Conversation
- Coffee and tea
- Networking with other OLLI friends old and new
- Summer instructors ready to answer your questions about their upcoming classes
- OLLI volunteers from throughout the organization, including representatives of Travel Opportunities, Membership and other groups.
You can register today for the Summer Open House by clicking here. |
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Monday, May 2 - Summer Registrations Opens
Tuesday, May 3 - OLLI Open House
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Get Ready For A Treat!
By now, most if not all OLLI members have received the Summer 2022 Class Catalog. If you have glanced at it, you probably saw the many available opportunities. If not, you have a treat waiting for you.
Thirteen new instructors will teach in the summer, in addition to our seasoned instructors. They will be teaching a total of 58 liberal arts classes and 20 technology classes. (Those technology classes help keep us up to date on our electronics, so we don’t need to keep asking our grandchildren for guidance.)
And there is more, including eight free Friday Lectures in a variety of interesting topics. Plus, 30 OLLI Encore recorded classes you can view anytime and anywhere.
But that isn’t all: Don’t miss the listing of all our SIGs (Shared Interest Groups). Wow, what a choice of joining in on more fun. And let us not forget to glance at travel - day trips in the Tampa area offered by Don Clark, and longer trips offered by the Travel Opportunities Committee.
You may want to sit down with paper and pencil and list all the opportunities the Summer 2022 Class Catalog has to offer and start registering as some classes sell out fast.
Registration starts May 2. And be sure to attend OLLI's Summer Open House on May 3 to meet the instructors and learn more about the classes (see the article above).
---Pat Dodge
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Book Lovers’ Happy Hour is Back!
Read any good books lately?
History. Romance. Mystery. Suspense. Science Fiction - whatever your passion, you can share your favorite book or author at the next OLLI Social hosted by Robyn Cheung, Judy Hanna and Linda Feeney on Tuesday, May 17, 4-6:30 p.m. on Zoom.
If you email your book/author info to lafeeney@gmail.com before May 14, she will prepare a handout for everyone.
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Are You 66-72 Years Old?
Study Seeks Participants To Help Further Computer Sciences
OLLI-USF is part of a Research I University, where research is central to the university’s mission. Sometimes OLLI members have the opportunity to participate in faculty or student research and contribute to that mission.
Now USF is offering OLLI members ages 66-72 years old an opportunity to be part of a National Science Foundation study with Dr. Tempestt Neal, USF assistant professor in computer science and engineering (pictured).
The study will investigate age-aware user authentication methods in home settings. User authentication is important for protecting you against unauthorized use of your personal computing devices, such as laptops and smartphones.
Probably you already use an authentication method like a password or face recognition. However, these methods are not always easily usable for people of different age groups. This study will collect data to help develop new user authentication techniques that support people of all ages.
As a study participant, you will be asked to participate in four sessions, total. The first session is completely virtual where a member of the research team will review the informed consent form, which details the study procedures, and answer any questions you may have. This first session will last about 15 minutes.
You can then decide if you want to participate in the next three sessions. These sessions will be held in-person in the lab on three separate occasions for data collection. Each session will last approximately one hour.
During that time, you will perform a set of everyday tasks like watching short YouTube videos and typing on a computer. As you complete these tasks, the research team will use software they've developed to collect various types of data characterizing your interaction with the devices you will be using, including but not limited to video, audio, physiological data (e.g., heartbeat), keystroke, and touchscreen gestures.
You will be expected to commit to all three sessions, and you must also agree to comply with all COVID-19 safety measures as outlined in the consent form. You will be compensated with a $35 e-gift card for each completed session.
Please contact Dr. Neal at tjneal@usf.edu if you're interested in participating. Thank you for helping make OLLI a valued partner in research at USF!
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New SIG Liaison Needed
Shared Interest Groups are a vibrant part of the OLLI-USF program. The position of SIG liaison will soon be available, and we are looking for someone who loves our SIGs and sees the value in promoting them. Maybe it’s the volunteer opportunity for you!
Some of the activities that the liaison might perform include:
· Collect and distribute information about SIG activities, including providing content for the SIGnificant Events calendar in OLLILife and compiling attendance results to share with the board and membership.
· Assist with the SIG application process and attend organizational meetings.
· Represent SIGs on the OLLI Advisory Board and the Program Planning Committee.
· Review membership rosters regularly
· Convene an annual meeting of SIG leaders to share experiences and best practices.
· Other interesting and fun activities.
· One year commitment; approximately four hours per week.
If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Cath Mason.
--Anne Haywood
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HOLLAND WINDMILLS, WATERWAYS AND TULIPS RIVER CRUISE - April 26, 2023 |
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FREE Virtual Presentation
Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m.
Register online from May 2 here or call Charise Dixie at 813-974-5848.
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Fly overnight from Tampa to Amsterdam, meet your tour guide and enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel on the first night. Then board the MS Amadeus Queen for seven nights cruising down scenic waterways past homes on the intricate canal systems while taking in the Dutch countryside. You’ll make stops in quaint villages known for their windmills, wooden shoes, gothic and medieval churches and cities with rich history. You will also visit the famous Keukenhof Gardens, the world’s second largest flower garden with 7 million bulbs planted annually, a showplace for the tulip growers of the Netherlands.
EXCURSIONS/TOURS
- Amsterdam Canal Cruise Tour
- Zaanse Schans Visit
- Arnhem City Tour & WWII History
- Kinderdijk & Windmills Visit
- Bruges City Tour
- Antwerp City Tour
- Keukenhof Flower Gardens
The flyer and registration form can be viewed here. |
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HISTORIC COLORADO TRAINS TOUR - August 4, 2023
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ALL ABOARD! Come on aboard and enjoy the scenery on six different rail excursions and experience the beauty of three national parks. Colorado's Historic Trains Tour is being offered by OLLI’s Travel Opportunities Committee and Mayflower Cruises and Tours. All this excitement is pulling out of the train station from Denver, Colorado, where you can sit back and relax.
Experience SIX scenic rail excursions following historic routes of the Old West:
- Travel along the Arkansas River Valley aboard the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - America's most spectacular narrow-gauge steam railroad and voted one of the Top Ten Most Exciting Rail Journeys in the World
- Ride through the Rockies aboard the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- Ride the Royal Gorge Route Railroad across the famous Hanging Bridge
- Relive the gold mining days aboard the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
- Climb 14,000 feet on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Interested in riding the rails and going to National Parks? Look here for detailed information on the trip and how to register.
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UTAH'S MIGHTY NATIONAL PARK TOUR
October 7, 2002
Twenty-four OLLI-USF members are registered and would love for you to come along.
Seats are going fast! If you have been thinking about going on this tour, now is the time!
Register from May 3 to May 9 and pay a reduced deposit amount of $150. Flyer and registration information can be found here, and the virtual presentation for this tour is right here.
It would be great to fill the tour with OLLI-USF members! We will travel along Scenic Byway 128, referred to by locals as the River Road and one of the most beautiful and breathtaking drives imaginable. We'll travel through canyons carved by the Colorado River and see the iconic Fisher Towers, towering cliffs and mesas, incredible rock formations, beautiful ranch resorts, painted canyons and enough red rock to overload the senses. And there’s more…
EXCURSIONS/TOURS
- Roundtrip flight from Tampa to Grand Junction, Colorado
- Scenic Byway 128 from Grand Junction to Moab Utah
- Five nights in Moab
- Colorado River Cruise
- Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park
- Monument Valley
- Goulding Museum
- Arches National Park
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Meet Steve Specter:
He’s Opening Up The World of Viruses
Over the past two years, as the world has reeled from the COVID-19 pandemic, many OLLI members have turned to an expert to understand the how and why of what’s happening.
That expert, Steven Specter, PhD, USF professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology, has opened the world of viruses to OLLI members through the classes he teaches.
Steve actually began teaching OLLI classes in 2018, shortly after retiring from his positions as associate dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Development and Alumni Affairs and professor of molecular medicine.
Almost every semester since then, Steve has taught a variety of OLLI classes on the numerous types of viruses and how they function, the specific characteristics of corona viruses, immunology, vaccines, and pandemics.
He also serves on OLLI’s Board of Advisors and is chairman of OLLI’s Development Committee, the organization’s fundraising arm.
You’d think that would keep him busy enough. But the self-described “doer” and lover of teaching has a lot of other things on his plate.
He continues to teach classes at USF’s Judy Genshaft Honors College, mentors clinical research students at the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital, and serves as an interviewer for the medical school’s Admissions Committee.
He also helps lead the American Society of Microbiology (ASM). And every year, Steve helps organize the annual meeting of ASM’s Clinical Virology Symposium, a prestigious gathering in Florida of top scientists from around the world, which Steve, himself, established in 1985.
Then there’s his work for his religious community. Steve is actively involved with Hillel Academy of Tampa Bay, the Tampa Jewish Federation, and his synagogue.
His Two Passions
All of these activities are a result of his two passions: teaching and fundraising to enable educational endeavors to flourish.
Over his 39-year career at USF, he estimates he’s taught more than 4,000 medical students, close to 1,500 undergrads, and a few hundred graduate students. He’s seen generations of families pass through his classroom. The physicians who treat him now are his former students.
“For me, it’s been about the students for many, many years,” Steve says. “I have valued teaching students and mentoring them and advocating for them in the school.”
In addition to teaching, Steve also served over a 20-year period as associate dean of pre-clinical education, student affairs, admissions, and development and alumni relations for USF. Through those roles he was able to help establish a number of financial aid packages and scholarships for medical students.
His activism in the Jewish community has helped raise funds for various projects. And now, through his chairmanship with OLLI’s Development Committee, he’s hoping to bring in endowment donations to help our organization thrive and sustain excellence in programming.
These activities not only benefit others, he says, but they also bring him great satisfaction.
“I have been incredibly fortunate in my life. Giving back to others is very important, to me,” he says.
As for teaching at OLLI: “I love to teach. I love having students who are interested in learning for the sake of learning. In OLLI, that’s the only reason students are there,” he says.
---Sandy Buckley
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Fun With The Lunch Bunch
The True Food Kitchen in Midtown was the setting for a recent Lunch Bunch gathering, where over a dozen OLLI members enjoyed great food and even better company. At right is one of two tables taken up by the Lunch Bunchers.
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Conviviality and Celebrations
This group of OLLI members and their guests met for lunch on April 7 at Luis’s Garden Grill in Tampa to celebrate April birthdays. Conviviality and Celebrations meets monthly to recognize birthdays and other special occasions. The next luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, at 1 p.m., at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse at 8002 Citrus Park Dr., in Citrus Park All are invited to join in the fun. Contact Kat Hanscom for more information.
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A Great Day for Tea and Conversation
A group of 17 OLLI members recently enjoyed High Tea at the Whistle Stop Café in Lutz. Margaret Weatherby, instructor for the Women Rowing North class, organized the event for class members and the Food, Glorious Food SIG. The food was amazing and the conversation steeped in fun. At the beginning of the Tea, each guest told what she liked most about spring. It was refreshing to know that the group shares a love of nature. Kat Hanscom also spoke about her Conviviality and Celebrations group, which goes out to lunch monthly. It all sounds delicious, and they look forward to many more opportunities to get together.
---Margaret Weatherby ---Photo, Kat Hanscom
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Glorious Chinese Food!
Members of the China and Food, Glorious Food! SIGs met for a delicious lunch of dim sum and other Chinese delicacies at Ho Ho Choy restaurant on April 25. China SIG leader Kun Shi (pictured left) discussed the various types of cuisines found in China, and other SIG members from China talked about their food experiences.
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SIG Celebration at Trout Creek Preserve
Leaders and other representatives of the OLLI-USF Shared Interest Groups celebrated their SIGs at a gathering at Trout Creek Preserve on April 6. We got to know one another (in person!) as we wandered on the boardwalk along the creek, partook of tasty Tampa treats, and shared our successes over the two years since we went on Zoom.
In that time, the SIGs held 279 programs, meetings, and events which were attended by 4,105 OLLI members. We learned those programs included a record-breaking attendance for the China SIG presentation on The Flying Tigers, lots of miles covered by the hikers, bikers and kayakers of the Outdoors SIG, and yummy Zoom presentations for Food, Glorious Food! lovers. We heard poetry created during some Write Time for Poets meetings, played a little Scattergories, learned a little German, and so much more!
In Shared Interest Groups, responsibility for the groups' activities is shared by all its members, but it is the group leaders to whom we owe our greatest appreciation. These folks pivoted with the times and kept their groups going, learned more than they ever imagined about Zoom, and are helping their members transition safely back to meeting again in person.
Thank Your SIG Leader Today!
China SIG – Nancy Stuart and Kun Shi
Community of Readers and Writers – Liesse Chable
Food, Glorious Food! – Becky Heimstead and Jane Applegate
German Conversation – Fred Gerlach and Christine Basch
Ici on parle français! – Theresa Sokol and Lise Berube
OLLI Outdoors – Diane White and Donna McGrew
OLLI Shutterbugs – Jean Nixon and Rich Edwards
Online Games – Kathy Palmer
Operatunity – Beryl Byles and Derrie Perez
P-SIG – Doug Dallio
Talking Movies – Richard Rogers with Kathy Palmer
Write Time for Poets – Cath Mason
---Anne Haywood
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SIGnificant EVENTS FOR MAY 2022
Anne Haywood, SIG Liaison
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For more information on OLLI SIGs see the full list here. Most of the SIGs are meeting on Zoom; a couple are starting to organize small group outings. To visit a SIG, email the contact(s) below.
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China SIG
Community of Readers and Writers
Food, Glorious Food!
Thurs., May12, Beer is Food at Southern Brewing and Winemaking in Seminole Heights.
Tues., May 17, Road trip to the Florida Foodways exhibit at the Dunedin History Museum with lunch to follow. To sign up for these events, contact Jane Applegate .
Ici on parle français!
Mon., May 2 and 16, at 1 p.m. For an invitation, contact Theresa Sokol.
Games
Thurs., May 12, at 3:30 p.m. To play Scattergories, email Kathy Palmer for the link .
German Conversation
Write Time for Poets
Thurs., May 12 and 26, at 2 p.m. Email Cath Mason for more information.
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Shutterbugs
Thurs., May. 26, at 9:30 a.m. Meet in Ybor City for a photo stroll of this important area of Tampa's history and have lunch together after. For further information, please contact Jean Nixon or Rich Edwards.
OLLI Outdoors
Thurs., May 12, Lettuce Lake Park end of year recap and nature walks. Summer hiking will be on hiatus June, July and August. If you are interested in learning more about the Outdoors SIG, email
Operatunity,
P-SIG
For information and a meeting schedule, email Doug Dallio .
Talking Movies
Fri., May 20, 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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OLLI Shared Interest Group Possibility:
Spanish SIG
¡Escucha! ¿Hablemos?
Spanish speakers who want or need an opportunity to speak and practice español are invited to get in on the ground floor of a Spanish language Shared Interest Group.
There will be an organizational meeting on Wednesday, May 11, at
6 p.m., on Zoom, where the group will decide how, when, and how often to meet, and who will help manage this shared interest group. For more information, contact SIG Liaison Anne Haywood.
Meeting ID: 897 9035 1197
Passcode: 183395
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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 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.
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