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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine |
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Director’s Message
“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” —Hafez
There is nothing more invigorating than moving from cold dark winter into the glories of spring. As you unpack bright outfits and luxuriate in late spring flowers and sunshine, it’s time to make sure that you add the special energy that an OLLI class or workshop can bring into your life.
This May OLLI members can embrace a few choices for the future:
· Registration for summer courses and workshops opens on May 24, with classes starting on June 20.
· The portal for teaching at OLLI is open until May 11—now is the time to step forward and share your passion and experience with OLLI members for the Fall Session.
· On May 17, we will have a free member event at USM’s own Southworth Planetarium (find our more below).
I’m here in the office or available via email if you have an idea you’d like to discuss. Our full return to campus in the Fall session means that we have expanded capacity for you to teach and learn on campus and via Zoom.
Let's celebrate the return of the hummingbirds to Maine in May!
—Donna Anderson, Director
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In this edition . . .
- Director's Message (above)
- Update from the OLLI Advisory Board Chair (below)
- Free Planetarium Show for OLLI members May 17
- SAGE on May 2
- Plan for Summer registration on May 24
- May Pop Ups
- Trivia Column
- Photography SIG
- Trail Steppers SIG
- OLLI Singers SIG
- Trivia Column Answers
- Passages--Myrna Higgins
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Explore the universe on the USM campus--Sign up for a special member event
On Wednesday, May 17 at 10AM, the Southworth Planetarium on USM's Portland Campus will host a special member event called "Hubble Vision 2." Learn about the planetarium and its unique programs as planetarium manager Edward Herrick-Gleason guides us through the show.
"Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided incredible images in unprecedented detail to astronomers, and made an astonishing array of discoveries — from nearby objects in the solar system to the most distant galaxies at limits of the observable universe. We’ve taken the best and most exciting Hubble images and woven them into an engaging story of cosmic exploration, bringing the wonders of the universe to audiences everywhere. HUBBLE Vision 2 is a fascinating tour of the cosmos — from Earth orbit."
Members should register by going to this link:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/vigSDVT
Seats are limited, so registration is required; we will start a waitlist as well.
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SAGE in early May
Join this last SAGE Webinar of the spring session, 9:30–11:30 a.m. via your laptop or alternative device, accompanied by your favorite chair and coffee.
Ford Reiche, owner and restorer of Halfway Rock Lighthouse
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May 2. Ford Reiche’s passion for Maine and its history stems from his family’s many generations in the state. He has acquired and restored several buildings on the National Register of Historical Places, including houses, a railroad station, and most notably, Halfway Rock Lighthouse—a complex, hands-on, extensively researched undertaking. The Maine Preservation Association recognized the project with its 2016 Preservation Award, and in 2017, the American Lighthouse Foundation presented Reiche its highest award, “Keeper of the Light,” honoring his “contribution to the preservation of America’s lighthouses and their rich tradition.” Also, this restoration was the subject of a one-hour documentary on the Discovery Channel. Ford, who lives in Freeport, is a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, and the University of Maine School of Law.
SAGE ZOOM webinars are on Tuesday mornings beginning at 9:30 a.m., with a ten-minute break and conclusion at 11:30 a.m. Digital admission to individual programs can be obtained for $10 by contacting the OLLI office at (207)780-4406 no later than Monday morning, May 1. Attire is lounge casual!
You can register by using this link:
https://usm.maine.edu/osher-lifelong-learning-institute/registration/
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Plan for summer registration now!
Our summer session catalog is available online--click here to explore our offerings:
OLLI's Summer Session Catalog
Registration for the summer session will open on May 24. Scholarship requests and faculty registration submissions should be sent to the office by May 15.
Don't hesitate to contact the office if you have any questions--we're here to help at 207-780-4406, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4 PM.
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Sign up for May Pop Ups
Trivia Game Night (Zoom)
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.
Monday, May 8 and May 22| 7:00 p.m.
Length: 1 hour
Hosts: Star Pelsue and Elizabeth Housewright
Calling all librarians! (Zoom)
We last got together a couple of years ago and shared some stories and some laughs. It’s time to do it again, and possibly we can also use our skills to help with a project at Wishcamper: rethinking and revitalizing the library!
Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Length of event: 1 hour
Host: Elizabeth Housewright
Pictionary Game (Zoom)
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.
Thursday, May 11 and May 25| 3:30 p.m.
Length of event: 1 – 1.5 hours
Host: Star Pelsue
Coffee Klatch - (Zoom)
Bring your favorite beverage and let’s chat. You choose the topics.
Saturday, May 13 and May 20| 9:00 a.m.
Length of event: 1 hour
Host: Star Pelsue
Podcast Chat – (Zoom)
The Women Behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott
We've all heard about Rosa Parks and her crucial role in the Montgomery bus boycott. But Parks was just one of the many women who organized for years to make that boycott a reality. In this episode, the women behind the boycott tell their own story.
Monday, May 15| 3:30 p.m.
Length of event 1 hour
Host: Star Pelsue
Aging Series: (Zoom)
Health concerns: Aging can be tough on your body and your mind— let’s talk about what you’re experiencing and any ways you may have found to deal with it.
Tuesday, May 23rd at 7PM
Length: 1 hour
Host: Elizabeth Housewright
Staycations in Maine (Zoom)
We will share some of our favorite weekend getaways or mini vacations. Where do you like to go to get away in Maine? You may learn about some interesting and unusual places to visit this summer.
Wednesday, May 24 at 10 A.M.
Length: 1 hour
Host: Star Pelsue
Songburst 50s & 60s
We will play in teams, using breakout rooms. The goal is to finish the lyrics of songs that were popular in the 50s & 60s. You will only receive a few words that you will need to finish, if unable to figure it out the play continues to the next team who will receive a couple more words in the lyrics. Play continues.
Monday, May 29 | 3: 30 p.m.
Virtual Book Exchange (Zoom)
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!
Wednesday, May 31 | 7:00 p.m.
Length of event 1 hour
Host: Anne Cass
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By Faye Gmeiner
Do you have some favorite trivia questions that you’d enjoy sharing with others who are curious? We’ve begun to incorporate questions from Trivia Night participants from time to time, and it’s been fun!
We invite you to join us for Trivia Nights in May; bringing your own questions is optional. You can sign up by going to the OLLI Registration Page and choosing the link to Special Events/Pop-ups.
Here are our choices for the best Trivia Night questions this past month. The first was one shared by Laurie. You can find the answers later in this newsletter.
1. Which has more genes: a mouse, a human, or a tomato?
2. How many days after the Watergate break-in did Richard Nixon resign?
3. What does the Fujita Scale (FS) measure?
4. What country borders Denmark to the south?
5. What tear-jerker hit song by the Everly Brothers includes the lyrics, “There goes my baby with someone new?”
Answers to the trivia questions can be found below.
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Connections
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
[NOTE: In this and future editions of the OLLI Newsletter we will be featuring descriptions of some of the many Special Interest Groups at OLLI, starting this month with the Photography Club the OLLI Singers, and the Trail Steppers.
SIGs are open to any OLLI member. They are listed in the OLLI Summer Course Catalog, along with contact information, on pages 24 and 25.]
Photography Club
By Paula Johnson, Social Relations Committee
. . . the beginning . . .
It all began when she was ten years old and her parents gave her a camera; then, her private love of snapping pictures began. Let me introduce you to Sharon Roberts, OLLI’s Photography Club facilitator.
It was a day like any other day in 2011. While attending a photography class at OLLI, Sharon Roberts found that her passion for photography was greater than she even knew. The class inspired her to shed her private shutterbug life. As the class term ended, she immediately stormed the OLLI office and requested the forms to organize a photography SIG. And the rest is history.
. . . 12 years later. . .
What she likes best about photography is seeing the world in a different way. She loves composition, shooting, and sharing, which brings us to the OLLI Photography Club, which meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. The club is looking forward to resuming in-person meetings at Wishcamper in the fall.
. . .club activities. . .
Members continually share their art and expertise with each other. They also go on field trips, and plans are afoot for field trips to Old Orchard Beach, the Old Port, and to Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, which boasts a field of daffodils. Laurel Hill is an historic cemetery established in 1844 and is one of the first garden cemeteries established in the United States.
. . .12 years and beyond. . .
Sharon and her colleagues love what they do, and they have fun. If she became a professional photographer, she said it would then be a “job and not fun.” Sharon can often be seen on a neighborhood walk near her home with her camera in hand, and she does not know what will catch her eye. Sharon has contacts with the Portland Camera Club and has taken photography classes offered outside of OLLI; and, of course, she shares with the club what she has learned and knows. She also plans to submit some of her art to OLLI’s Reflections art and literature magazine, to be published this fall. She is hopeful one or more of her photographs will be selected for the magazine.
. . .in conclusion. . .
If you are a shutterbug and want to have fun, you may contact Sharon at sharonlh@gwi.com to join the Photography Club. There is no charge; OLLI membership is your entrée to the group.
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Statue on High Street lawn at Portland Museum of Art.
Sharon sees the above figure as “trying to rise up, carrying a heavy burden, not on his shoulders, but inside, in his soul.” If she gets it right, “Yes, the image tells a story…. Not all of them do, some are just pretty pictures; but that’s the goal, to evoke a response in the viewer.”
More of Sharon’s photos are shown below. What do you, the viewer, see?
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Trail Steppers
This walking group strives to get OLLI members outdoors in the Portland area on easy to moderate walks that promote good health, social mixing, and understanding of our natural environment and our cultural heritage.
For more information email David von Seggern at vonseg1@sbcglobal.net.
Here is a photo of Trail Steppers SIG enjoying the first real warm day in Portland on Thursday, April 13, at Jewell Falls in the Fore River Sanctuary. Jewell Falls, the City of Portland's only waterfall, lies in the background. Photo by Patricia Jones.
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OLLI Singers
By Amy Liston
They may be elders, and part of a group that has been around for decades, but the OLLI Singers are definitely young at heart. Their regular Friday afternoon rehearsal is an occasion for singing, sure, but also for laughter and give-and-take. “When life gets in the way, they can come and share some joy,” says OLLI Singers director Bob Swerdlow.
The Singers, an OLLI Special Interest Group (SIG) of 28 mixed voices at full complement, are gearing up for their May 5 performance, “Sentimental Journeys,” at Wishcamper. They will also sing at Park Danforth on May 2.
The group sings all styles—popular, folk, show tunes, jazz, sacred, and more—from their library of more than a hundred sheet music arrangements. Current members are mostly women, with a handful of men.
Gunhild Gross, a longtime member, calls the group, and the singing, a gift: “It speaks to my soul,” she says. Molly Oehrlein, who joined after her recent retirement, is ebullient: “After 35 years of singing in the shower, I look forward to rehearsal every Friday!”
The Singers welcome new members in all voice parts as they grow toward what Bob calls “a full sound.”
Bob’s wife, as it happens, is also his partner in music: Vicki Swerdlow has been accompanying the Singers on piano since 2018. “I expected there might be some tension between us, but it’s relaxed, and I’ve been able to build the accompanist’s role this year.”
Bob and Vicki both began singing in their early years; they both now sing with the Portland Community Chorus, and they are both affiliated with the Maine Pops (she: percussionist; he: president, and manager of two woodwind ensembles). Bob also composes for a marching band.
The upcoming concert program covers a lot of musical ground. It features classic tunes like “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” as well as more recent songs, including “Happiness” from the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and “Those Were the Days.” Ralph Vaughan Williams contributes “Linden Lea,” and John Rutter offers “A Gaelic Blessing.”
When Bob first took up the baton for the Singers last fall, it was also the first time he had ever directed a chorus. This way of approaching music was wholly new to him, and it required a “much greater depth of understanding.” He notes the technical and the cooperative, social aspects of his role, as well as the necessity to interpret the emotional value of the music. He relishes “conveying the story and the message” of a piece to singers. And while this is a group of folks who are highly intellectually motivated, musical exactitude is not the point. “It’s less important to get the notes right,” he says, “than to get the meaning across. I get excited if they sing with enthusiasm, not upset if it’s not precise.”
Along the way, he teaches a bit about music. At a recent rehearsal, he explained the difference between rallentando and ritardando (both mean “slowing down”; the first is usually more gradual). And when it came to “Sentimental Journey,” the title song for the May performances, he offered a pearl about the seventh chord: “You folks get to create that crunch. That’s the crunch of jazz.”
For more information, email Vicki Swerdlow at vicki@maine.rr.com.
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Reminder: Interested in joining the next Trivia Po-Up? You can sign up on the OLLI website under Special Events.
1. Which has more genes: a mouse, a human, or a tomato?
Answer: A tomato! Botanists call the tomato a fruit; the Supreme Court said it is a vegetable; and research studies have identified its ~35,000 genes. Of mice and men: both have approximately the same number of genes (4,000), fewer than ten of which have been found in one and not the other. This makes mice a valuable resource for research on human biology and disease (think Jackson Laboratories), since they reproduce so rapidly.
2. How many days after the Watergate breakin did Richard Nixon resign?
Answer: 784 (June 17, 1973 to August 8, 1974) Longer than we remembered or guessed!
3. What does the Fujita Scale (FS) measure?
Answer: Tornado intensity. Developed in 1973 by Ted Fujito, a meteorologist at the University of Chicago, and revised in 2007. The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF) has specific criteria, based on wind speed and damage caused, for rating tornadoes from EF0 to EF5. We don’t have many tornadoes in the Northeast, but we have a similar rating scale for hurricanes. You may recall hearing EF scale numbers in news/weather reports of strong tornadoes in other parts of the US and the world. It is internationally accepted.
4. What country borders Denmark to the south?
Answer: Germany. Though Denmark’s southern border with the Schleswig-Holstein state of Germany is only 42 miles long, it is Denmark’s only land border. Denmark’s coastline border is 5440 miles, over 125 times as long!
5. What tear-jerker hit song by the Everly Brothers includes the lyrics, “There goes my baby with someone new?”
Answer: “Bye Bye Love” (1957). The song reached #2 on the US Billboard Pop charts. It was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who had shown it and been turned down over 30 times before showing it to the young (at the time!) Everly Brothers. It was the beginning of a long collaboration, e.g., “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Devoted to You.” It was also the first and biggest hit of the Bryants’ long, successful careers. They had a classic love story of their own that you can read about here:
https://performingsongwriter.com/felice-and-boudleaux-bryant/
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Passages
Myrna Higgins
OLLI member Myrna Higgins died peacefully on March 29 in Kennebunk. She was a longtime volunteer at OLLI, minding the reception desk; she was often the first person members saw when they arrived at the OLLI office.
Her obituary was in the Portland Press Herald:
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/04/04/obituarymyrna-cohan-higgins-2/
In her obituary:
“Myrna was an accomplished artist who had the ability to work in many disciplines including: oils, pencil and ink and fabric. She was also an excellent cook and enjoyed hosting dinner parties with friends and family.”
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Are you considering submitting an article to the OLLI Newsletter? Get in contact with us! | |
Email ollinews@maine.edu
to submit your piece.
Phone:207-780-4406
Tim Baehr, Editor
Don King, Editor Emeritus
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Deadline for the next issue is May15. |
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Maine Senior College Network | | |
OLLI National Resource Center | | |
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Non-discrimination Notice
The University of Maine, including USM, is an EEO/AA employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
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