Maine Senior College Network news & updates | |
|
Welcome to the September issue of the Maine Senior College Network newsletter, and welcome back to Fall classes! The senior colleges offer an epic range of in-person, online, and hybrid courses across the state.
Many people in the network will be sad to hear that Nancy Roe, former board chair of SAGE in Presque Isle, passed away in August. Nancy had many talents and was always ready to learn something new. She eagerly joined a small group of MSCN Zoom testers in 2016. We were trying out the application to bring classes to those who could not attend a senior college event in person. Little did we know that a few years later, Covid would come along, and we would all find ourselves housebound and dependent on Zoom for meeting up with each other. Nancy assisted the network by taking on the tech support role for many online classes statewide. She was still helping with Zoom a year before she died at the grand age of 92.
This newsletter also has information about an extraordinary intergenerational/international course addressing climate change called "Caring for the Future." Bert Cohen of the South Coast Senior College was one of the original course creators; he is now one of the facilitators of this exciting global offering.
Read on to read more news from the network!
Anne Cardale
Program Director
Maine Senior College Network
Wikimedia Image:
by George Bellows - 1916
| |
|
The Maine Senior College Network
says "goodbye" to our Zoom Queen, Nancy Roe
November 18, 1930 - August 6, 20233
| |
|
Nancy Priest Roe, 92, passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2023, in Presque Isle, Maine. Nancy was born in Washington, D.C., on November 18, 1930, the daughter of Verner Warren Clapp and Dorothy Ladd Clapp. She was left-handed and proud of it!
At the age of 5, Nancy survived mastoiditis with the aid of blood transfusions - penicillin and other antibiotics not having been discovered at that time.
She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C., in 1948 and from Vassar College in 1952, with a major in chemistry. At Vassar, she was president of a synchronized swimming group called the “Swupper Club” (swimming and supper), where she was able to continue her love of swimming that she developed as a child at her family’s camp on Wilson Pond in Wayne, Maine.
Following graduation, Nancy spent the summer in Denmark as a member of The Experiment in International Living. This experience began her lifelong interest in Denmark, and late in life, she became passionate about genealogy, particularly as it involved her great-great-grandfather, Ludvig Verner Helms of Denmark.
On June 6, 1953, in Washington, D.C., she married Joseph H. Roe, Jr., whom she had met while on a blind date at Yale University. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
They raised their four children primarily in Reston, Virginia, where Nancy was a community volunteer and was instrumental in the creation of the Reston branch of the Fairfax Library system, as well as the Reston Nature Center. As her children got older, Nancy returned to school and graduated with a Master’s degree in Library Science from Catholic University, Washington, D.C.
In 1979 the family moved to Presque Isle, where Nancy worked for 25 years in the Library at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) as a Technical Services Librarian (Cataloger) and the Special Collections Librarian. She was on the board of the Mark and Emily Turner Library, was an active member of the Presque Isle Congregational Church, AAUW, and the Presque Isle Garden Club, and served as chairperson of SAGE (Seniors Achieving Greater Education) at UMPI. She was also in a Senior College Network group that beta-tested the Zoom platform in 2016 to expand the reach of education for seniors in Maine.
She was active in the Girl Scouts both in Virginia and Maine, and was proud to be a Lifetime Member, beginning as a Girl Scout in the 1940s, and taking on many roles with them over her lifetime.
Nancy can best be described as “Remarkable.” She was an always curious life-long learner, a voracious reader and devotee of books and libraries, a lover of words and maps, a family historian who relished the stories of her courageous ancestors, and a mom and friend who went out of her way to make thoughtful connections to the people she cared about. From sending “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” texts to friends and family on the first day of each month to curating a family genealogy book for her mother’s side of the family, she was a storyteller at heart. In recent years, she cherished a small monthly memoir-writing group inspired by Maine author Elizabeth Peavey. The group included people from around the state and was, of course, held over Zoom.
She was ahead of her time in many things, from the importance of recycling and conservation to being an early user of technology and the “strange new world of email" to becoming a champion of Zoom (way before any of us knew how important it would become) as a way of bringing people together. She was never afraid to lead the way.
She is survived by her husband, four children, Judith, Rebecca, Peter, and Jennifer, and eight grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
| |
|
Caring for the Future
10:00- 12:15 (EDT) 17:00-19:15 (Israel)
Tuesdays Oct.17th - Dec. 5th 2023
Online via Zoom
| |
|
Maine Senior College Network members are invited to join this unique international Caring for the Future course for free. The original inspiration for this educational opportunity was a small class taught by Bert Cohen and Glen MacWilliams at the South Coast Senior College in Wells, Maine, in 2019. This was an in-person course with five students, followed by a course in Fall 2020 via Zoom with six students.
Bert’s nephew in Israel joined the Fall Zoom class and brought along two other Israelis. Bert, his nephew Larry, and Larry’s friend Morani formed a small team to bring Caring for the Future to Israel. From this small start, we now have the third Caring for the Future course sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Education.
This third course has been expanded to include an intergenerational, international audience to accelerate and scale the movement towards a climate-safe planet. Learn more about this unique opportunity by downloading the attached "Caring for the Future" pdf. Note the pdf includes the course registration link.
| |
|
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
OLLI's Sage Lectures for September
| |
OLLI's Sage Lectures for September
Attend in-person or online via Zoom.
Cost - Individual lectures $10 each.
Download PDF Brochure
Tuesday Mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 am.
September 12
A Vision for the Future of the University of Southern Maine
PRESIDENT JACQUELINE EDMONDSON, PH.D., 14th President of the University of Southern Maine
September 19
The Impact of Global Migration on US Domestic Refugee Resettlement & Maine’s Unique Challenges & Opportunities
TARLAN AHMADOV
President, Azerbaijan Society of Maine; Former Maine State Refugee Coordinator; Expert on Refugee Resettlement & Migration
SEPTEMBER 26
Lifeflight of Maine: Primary Provider of Critical Care Air & Ground Transport in Maine
TOM JUDGE
Executive Director, LifeFlight of Maine
OLLI Registration Information
Register by phone. Call the OLLI office at 207-780-4406.
OLLI at the University of Southern Maine
| |
OLLI September Social Events/Pop-Ups |  | |
September Social Events/Pop-Ups
Trivia Game Night - Zoom
Monday, September 11 | 7:00 p.m.
Monday, September 25 | 7:00 p.m.
With Star Pelsue and Elizabeth Housewright
Use those fun facts you have stored in your gray matter. Join us for some laughs and interesting questions that will have your brain scanning your mental files for what some may call trivial information. You provide your own snacks and beverages. We provide the questions! You are one click away from an evening of good company and laughter. Make sure to mark your calendars and register for this fun time.
Pictionary Game "Night" - Zoom
Thursday, September 14 | 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 28 | 3:30 p.m.
With Star Pelsue
Are you the Picasso of stick figures? Maybe your bear looks more like a mouse. You don't need to be an artist to play this drawing game. Be prepared to laugh and enjoy yourself for the hour. This game not only entertains, but it also teaches you to use the Zoom Whiteboard feature.
Barbie: A Cultural Icon and Controversial Figure (Zoom)
Wednesday, September 6th | 7:00 p.m.
With Star Pelsue
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that delves deep into the heart of pop culture with a focus on the June 2023 Smithsonian article titled "The Past is Prologue, Loved and Loathed: Barbie Stirs Fresh Controversy at Age 64." This engaging talk will not only dissect the article but also explore the broader implications of Barbie's legacy, her role in modern society, and her connection to feminism in our ever-evolving world.
We'll explore the complex relationship between Barbie and feminism. How has Barbie evolved over the years to address changing ideals of beauty, identity, and gender roles? Is Barbie a symbol of empowerment, a reflection of societal pressures, or both?
Aging series: Staying Current in a Changing World: Bridging Generational Gaps - Zoom
Thursday, September 21st | 7pm
With Elizabeth Housewright
In our fast-paced, ever-evolving world, it's common for individuals of different generations to feel out of touch with each other. This can touch various aspects of life, from music, and social media to television and books. Should we stay at least somewhat current? If so, how?
Podcast chat: The Joy of Play: Unleashing the Health Benefits of Playfulness in Adulthood - Zoom
Wednesday, September 18 | 7:00 p.m.
with Star Pelsue
Rediscover the magic of play at our engaging discussion on "The Health Benefits of Play." While play is often associated with childhood, the need for play remains an intrinsic part of our lives, regardless of age. Join us as we explore why play is essential for adults, how to incorporate it into our busy lives, and the fascinating world of play personalities. We will listen to the NPR Podcast Life Kit together before the discussion.
Virtual Book Exchange - Zoom
Wednesday, September 27 | 7:00 p.m.
with Anne Cass
Bibliophile? Looking for the next book to read? Join in and share a title or two. Leave with the title of the next book to add to the stack!
How to register for the free OLLI Popups(PDF)
OLLI at the University of Southern Maine
Wikimedia
Pop Art 2022 Loved You Too
David S. Soriano
|
|
|
Belfast SC presents
"Dedicated To Odin: Norse Mythology And Religion"
Zoom Course
There are open seats - Sign up now!
September 26 to October 31
|  | |
Dedicated To Odin: Norse Mythology And Religion
Six sessions via Zoom
September 26 to October 31
Fall 2023 registration – $40.00
From roughly 800 to 1100 CE, Scandinavian pirates /explorers/ traders/ colonizers exploded out of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden terrorizing people and lands from the British Isles to France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Byzantium, and the Islamic Mediterranean. The Vikings were the last of Iron Age Europeans to resist the rising tide of Christianity and Roman-style governance.
Their outlook on the world centered on a pantheon of gods, first of all, the one-eyed, shaman-like Odin, the god of battle. The gods, champions of order, struggled mightily among themselves and with a panoply of chaos creating giants, elves, trolls, and other supernatural creatures. Life for the gods, as well as for humans, was an unending struggle and fated to ultimate destruction at Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods.
If this scenario reminds you of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or Wagner’s Ring Cycle, it should -- it was their inspiration.
Though Viking culture was oral, its Europeanized successors managed to record much of its poetry, mythology, and sagas while memories were still fertile. In this course, we will read a contemporary retelling of the adventures and antics of the old gods as well as source material. A second focus will be on Viking mythology as the lived philosophy of elite warriors. A third track will be the historical realities of Viking trading, settlements, and colonization.
Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Arlin Larson has taught at philosophy, religion, and history classes at Senior College since 2007. He has also served on the Board of Directors and as president. He holds degrees in religious studies from the University of Redlands and from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Arlin and Sharon now live in Newnan, Georgia.
| |
|
Maine Council on Aging Presents:
The Change AGEnt Summit:
Creatively Building Purpose, Belonging and
Inclusion Into Our New Longevity
September 27, 2023 | 8:00am – 4:30pm
Augusta Civic Center
| Come and say hello at the Maine Senior College Network exhibitor table! | |
|
The Collector by Daniel Silva
Published by Harper Collins 2023
Pages 495 Price $32.00
Reviewed by Pat Davidson Reef
| |
|
Who killed Lukas Van Damme in Amalfi, Italy, and stole his priceless work of art titled “The Concert” by Johannes Vermeer? This is the quest of Gabriel Allon, art restorer and retired officer of the Mossad, the Secret Service of Israel. Allon is called in again to solve a problem in another country. He is asked to find out what happened to the eccentric art collector in Amalfi and where the collector obtained a stolen Vermeer, now missing from his collection and the Gardner Museum of Art.
Gabriel Allon is a world traveler. After visiting the site of the murder in Amalfi, Allon recognizes the description of the stolen Vermeer and flies to Paris to interview Maurice Durand, kingpin of (stolen) art in Europe and an old acquaintance who traffics in stolen art by running a famous antique shop as a cover.
Durand finally tells Allon that he flew from Paris to Dublin, Ireland, to see a work of art. He was blindfolded and then taken to look quickly in the trunk of a car; he thinks he recognizes the painting as a Vermeer. The price was fifty million, and the completion of the deal was in Barcelona, Spain, a week later. Durand then immediately delivered the work to Van Damme in Amalfi and collected a commission. That was all that Durand knew about the missing painting from Van Damme’s collection. He had not known that Van Damme had been killed or that the Vermeer painting was missing.
As usual, Daniel Silver’s plot locations cover the globe, including Italy, France, Ireland, Copenhagen, Israel, and Russia. In this novel, Gabriel Allon uncovers an underground network of art theft professionals and their outlets to wealthy art collectors who do not care where the art comes from.
Allon, does find out through a conversation with Durand that Van Damme had a woman visitor for dinner the evening he was killed. Her name was Ursula Roth. Allon asks Durand to find out about her and whom she might be working for because she has now disappeared.
To find out who killed Lukas Van Damme and if the stolen Vermeer was actually the work known as “The Concert” by Vermeer, which was taken from the Isabella Gardner Museum, you will have to read the book! Those of you who loved “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown will love this book. It is a fast-paced “who-done-it,” and the dialogue is sharp, humorous, and very intelligent. However, there is a certain arrogant manner that Gabriel Allon has in his personality that might turn some people off. Yet art lovers usually forgive him because he is so smart and has become the James Bond of the art world. If you liked the James Bond mystery series and love the topic of art, you will love the adventures of Gabriel Allon in Daniel Silva’s new book “The Collector”
| |
The Maine Senior College Network is a program of the | | | | |
