December 2024

Midcoast Senior College

Recorded Courses & Lectures

Image: Quiet by James Tissot

If things are quiet over the holiday break and you miss your senior college classes, here is a great antidote: Visit Midcoast's excellent Recorded Courses & Lectures web page.

Enjoy these free classes courtesy of Midcoast Senior College!

Recorded Courses & Lectures

Winter 2024

• Beginning to Learn About the Abenaki by Doug Bennett
• Climate Science: A Quick Tutorial by Kerry Emanuel

• Budapest Blackout: The Diarist as Witness to the Holocaust by Jim Oberly
• Viewing Technology Options for Folks Newly Interested in Astronomy by Craig P. Snapp

WINTER 2023

• The Ether Controversy by Richard Neiman
• A Tale of Two Italys: The Country's Historical and Longstanding North-South Divide by Dan Possumato
• Born With A Bullet in the Heart: Brief Lives of Seven Great Russian Poets by George Young

• Future Cities in Architecture and Literature by David Spurr

SPRING 2021

• Albert Camus' The Plague: Conversations with Bill VanderWolk

FALL 2021

• African-Americans: The Civil War and Aftermath with Gardner Shaw

Midcoast Senior College

Lewiston Auburn Senior College

meet Maine artist Robert Shetterly at his exhibition

Americans Who Tell the Truth

Photo: Robert Shetterly with LASC members

Americans Who Tell the Truth

We were excited to have Maine artist Robert Shetterly, a longtime activist and humanitarian, share his story with us as at the Bates Mill Atrium.

His exhibit of 275 portraits will run through Dec 15. Open every day except Sunday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.



You can learn more about Robert and his work by visiting:

Americans Who Tell The Truth 

Lewiston Auburn Senior College

Acadia Senior College

presents the

2^nd Annual Clunan Lecture

Photo: Ambassador Anne Hall

On September 19^th, Acadia Senior College presented the second in their annual Clunan Lecture Series, established last year, to honor the memory of our founders, Jim and Dorothy Clunan, who were career Foreign Service officers. Fittingly, this year's speaker was Ambassador Anne Hall, an expert in Central European affairs. She spoke to the group of 150 ASC and community members about the important role our Baltic States allies play in the current uncertain landscape of Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine. Ambassador Hall, who grew up in Orono and now lives in Blue Hill, is Chair of the Board of Advisors for the University of Maine's Graduate School of Policy and International Affairs.

Article written by Ann Caswell, Acadia Senior College. The November Newsletter. Please take a look at the full article on Acadia SC's website.

Acadia Senior College

Western Mountains Senior Players

Photos of WMSC Senior Players

Gould Academy McLaughlin Center Auditorium.

The Senior Players of Western Mountains Senior College, Bethel, performed in four plays. Three of the plays were written by cast members. The performances were held at Gould Academy’s McLaughlin Auditorium, Bethel, on Friday, November 22, and on Saturday, November 23.

Western Mountains Senior College

Winter Classes 2025

The following colleges have posted their Winter 2025 Class offerings.

Acadia SC 

Winter 2025 Classes

17 Classes: 8 In-Person, 4 Zoom, 5 Hybrid

Belfast SC

Winter 2025 Classes

Winter Semester classes begin January 20 (most are 4 weeks long).

Coastal SC 

Winter 2025 Classes 

7 Classes. 3 in-person, 4 Zoom

Gold LEAF Institute 

Winter 2025 Classes

10 Classes. 6 in-person, 4 Zoom

Midcoast SC 

Winter Wisdom Free Lecture Series

7 in-person lectures

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 

Winter 2025 Classes

27 classes plus 10 workshops:

8 in-person classes, 3 in-person workshops

17 Zoom classes, 6 Zoom workshops

2 Hybrid classes, 1 Hybrid workshop

(Classes are open for MSCN member registrations on January 2nd; please contact the OLLI office to register.)

​​

Penobscot Valley Senior College 

Winter 2025 Classes

8 Classes. 7 Zoom, 1 Hybrid

​

Seniors Achieving Greater Education (SAGE) 

Winter 2025 Classes

5 Classes, all available on Zoom

​

Please visit the MSCN Course Catalog web page for an updated list of winter classes from the network

Three Children's Books for the Holidays

Reviewed by Pat Davison Reef

Books - The Ideal Gift by Thelma Cudlipp.

Children’s books are a refreshing holiday gift for all ages. Parents and grandparents enjoy them as much as the children who receive them. Children’s books never grow old. They just get better as we share them with the next generation. They give joy and a sense of discovery to children as they introduce new ways of understanding. Here are some exciting children's books published in 2024.

My Wonderful Christmas Tree

by Dahlov Ipcar.

Tilbury Publishers Re-printed 2024 ($16.95) Hardcover

Dahlov Ipcar, the well-known Maine artist, once said,” A child brought up without art is like a child brought up without love.” Dahlov wrote 40 children’s books and believed her art brought museum-quality art into every child’s home. Dahlov died at age 99 in 2017 after a long and creative life. However, Tilbury Publishing has just reprinted her delightful book, “My Wonderful Christmas Tree” with a new afterword by Carl Little, well known arts writer in Maine. The quality of color in the book is excellent with her distinctive style in design. Images of wildlife appear on a Christmas tree that teaches counting of animals in a creative way. This children’s book is for kindergarten through second grade. The quality of colors on the hardcover jacket including the exciting endpapers inside are works of art in themselves for children as well as art lovers of all ages.

Sunny Bear and the Secrets of Sunflowers

by Patsy Baldus

Pub. Maine Authors Publishing 2024 ($18.99) Paperback

A new children’s paperback book of outstanding merit focused on the love of nature is titled “Sunny Bear and the Secrets of Sunflowers” by Patsy Baldus published by Maine Authors Publishing. This book is a juvenile science book for elementary school children. The author stated it would be suitable for children between the ages of 2- 4 or 5 and 6 because of the vocabulary…The story focusses on a lovable stuffed animal called Sunny Bear who learns about the secrets of sunflowers. Sunny Bear learns that sunflowers are good food for birds. He also learns that bumblebees pollinate them and sunflower roots help purify the earth by absorbing radiation found in the land. The book defines the Latin name for sunflower which is helianthus because the author expects children to learn accurately adult terms dealing with nature. The illustrations are cheerful and bold and tell the story while the poetry makes large vocabulary words understandable. A teacher/ parent guide is part of this creative book. The author is a school teacher who understands the power of repeated words in poetry to teach ideas about nature.

The Leadership Journey; How Four Kids Became President

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Pub Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 2024 ($18.99) Hardcover

Another wonderful new book for older children is titled “The Leadership Journey;How Four Kids Became President,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This book is for young people in grades 5,6, and 7. It is adapted by Ruby Shamir and Amy June Bates from Goodwin’'s book “Leadership in Turbulent Times.” It covers four biographies of famous American presidents; two Republicans, Abe Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and two Democrats, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

Sidebars make this book unique for young people. Many sidebars explaining interesting topics of the period include such topics as: Women’s position in the Civil War, Mental health during Lincoln’s period, The difference between Republican and Democratic parties, and The emergence of the stock market.  

One quote dealing with World War II, which we senior citizens are familiar with, says, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” by Franklin Roosevelt. It was said many decades ago but is relevant today.  Goodwin’s book shows that democracy is filled with struggles from both parties and reveals the importance of freedom to select all. It unites American history and shows young people the nation’s strong ability to survive difficult times. Children’s Books are always an excellent gift for the holidays.