OLLILife

A community of learners over 50

June, 2023 | Vol 3, No. 8

Click here for a special song for Dads!

Hello Summer! 

We have made it to the halfway point for 2023!! There is so much to celebrate at OLLI-USF – great courses, phenomenal instructors, superb staff, and many magnificent volunteers.

I am thrilled that we are into our third month of the #OLLI2K Membership Campaign. We are continuing to welcome new members who will join the fun as lifelong learners. I want to emphasize our strategy for every member to invite another member... an OLLI membership would make a lovely Father’s Day gift!  

Our Summer Open House was vibrant, and we had nearly 200 members attend. The new venue and keynote speaker were met with warm applause. We were delighted to welcome the USF Alumni Association who gave out some swag to our members.

This term we will welcome several new instructors who will host classes virtually and in-person across the Tampa Bay area. In addition, we have finalized an agreement to serve as official partners of Hillsborough County government. We will seek to provide courses in the county's senior centers for future terms. 

I imagine as the summer season approaches, many of you will be embarking on much-needed vacations. Wherever your travels take you, enjoy yourself, and stay curious. 

Jun 20 - Zoom trip presentation: The Memorials of WWII

Jan. 31, 2024 - Membership Drive Competition ends.

Emailing Articles

We are very thankful for all the articles and pictures that OLLI members submit for publication to OLLILife. These articles are very helpful in letting our readers know what other members are doing, what is available to them and what else is heading their way. Without the submissions, OLLILife wouldn't be very lively.

The editors do have a request: please send your articles and pictures to ollinewsusf@gmail.com directly and not to the editors' personal email addresses. OLLI news is very important, and we are trying to make sure we don't miss anything. There are times an editor might be out of town and not able to keep up with email (or even able to get connected to the Internet to receive email.) That, sadly, could result in an article not getting into the next issue.

We appreciate your help on this matter, and we're looking forward to more news coming our way!!

--OLLILife Editors Sandy Buckley, Pat Dodge and Kathy Palmer

Kudos To This Year's Volunteer Award Winners!

OLLI-USF volunteers were honored and recognized at the annual OLLI-USF Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on May 2. The Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club was the setting for the event which was attended by over 90 volunteers, staff, and guests. 

The theme for this year’s breakfast was “You Rock so OLLI can Roll.” Hosted by the Volunteer Management Committee, the OLLI annual volunteer appreciation event is designed to thank and congratulate volunteers for their efforts and dedication. Volunteers are the wheels that keep OLLI rolling. 

The 2023 OLLI-USF Volunteer Recognition Awards were presented during the breakfast. The awards honor volunteers who have made significant contributions to the mission and values of OLLI-USF.

Congratulations to the 2023 winners!

The Award of Excellence was presented to Judy Hanna.  Arlene Zimney was the recipient of the Above and Beyond Award. Lifetime Achievement Award honorees were Dr. Joel Fyvolent and Kat Hanscom. 

This year the Exemplary Teamwork Award category was added to spotlight the many volunteers who work tirelessly on behalf of OLLI as part of teams. Two OLLI teams were honored: the Catalog Team and the OLLILife Editorial Team.

The Catalog Team

Under the direction of OLLI Operations Manager Cath Mason, Catalog Team members include Nancy Baily-Williamson, Ashley Bennington, Sandy Buckley, Fran Darrach, Mary Ettinger, Bettina Harvey, Delia Palermo, Diane Russell, Linda Schatz, Ann Sofia, Linda Tournade, and Brenda Uhlich. 

The OLLILife Editorial Team

OLLILife Editorial Team members are Sandy Buckley, Pat Dodge, Kathy Palmer, and Mary Ettinger.

The Faculty Honor Roll

Six OLLI instructors who have taught 10 or more classes were inducted into the Faculty Honor Roll at the event: Joyce Carpenter, Linda Feeney, Brian Noriega, Raymond Paltoo, Ann Paul, and Peter Terzian.

Congratulations to the 2023 Volunteer Awards recipients!

-- Kathy Palmer

-- Photos by Mike Hayes

It was a beautiful day for a picnic on May 5 when about 40 OLLI members came out to enjoy each other's company and an abundance of food provided by the OLLI Membership and Social Events Planning committees. Here are some pictures from the event:

-- Photos by Arlene Zimney and Sandy Buckley

SUMMER OPEN HOUSE

Summertime Learners Bonanza

OLLI-USF Director Veronica Maxwell welcomed some 200 OLLI members and guests to the Summer Open House on May 11 at Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club.

The lively flow of participants enjoyed a morning of continental breakfast treats, socializing, meeting OLLI committee and Shared Interest Group (SIG) representatives and talking with OLLI instructors about upcoming classes.

OLLI Technology Coordinator Jeanne Dyer previewed summer technology class offerings and introduced new instructors who teased the audience with funny and interesting snippets of their upcoming classes for the summer semester.

Jeanne Dyer,

OLLI technology coordinator

Alfred Kindt,

instructor of

Medical Records

and You

Kitty Sullivan,

instructor of the

iPhone Shorts Collection

Why Don't We Know the Names of the Good?

The event's keynote speaker was Howard Kerner, retired professor and respected OLLI instructor. As an esteemed expert on the Holocaust, his passion is researching and sharing uplifting stories of human goodness during that horrific time.

“Goodness is the world’s best secret,” according to Howard. He enthralled the audience with his accounts of six little-known men who rescued thousands of Jews from the Holocaust with their brilliantly orchestrated plans. Carl Lutz of Hungary, Aristedes de Sousa Mendes of Bordeaux, King Mohammed V of Morocco, the Bielski Brothers of Belarus, and Georg Duckwitz of Denmark are not well-known historical figures, but their bold and daring actions saved thousands of lives during those horrendous years.

Additionally, Howard spotlighted 10 men and women whose names are not familiar to most people but who were responsible for similar humanitarian rescue efforts during the Holocaust.

Howard's uplifting stories of the goodness of these courageous people inspire us to look for and celebrate more goodness in our lives.

--Kathy Palmer

--Photos by Mike Hayes

Greetings OLLI Members

May Behind Us, June Ahead. Phew! Early May’s whirlwind activities brought us together for three exciting in-person events: The OLLI Volunteer Recognition Breakfast, the Open House, and the Annual Picnic. How good it was to be with old and new friends in the lively OLLI-USF spirit. 

Summer Classes are in session. Today I’m learning about Living with Alligators! What are you discovering in a class for the first time? What passions are you rekindling from long ago? How has your relationship to technology changed? Were you wary but now wowed by the brains in that 2”x 5” phone attached to your hip? If you have a big aha! moment in an OLLI class, tell us and a friend about it. 

Getting to Know You. OLLI’s Membership Committee wants us to learn more about each other. But we need your help in making this happen. Given OLLI's wide geographical reach, OLLI gathering circles by zip code cluster might be a way forward. Please send any specific ideas you have about strengthening OLLI member connections countywide by contacting pamelahtyler@gmail.com  

#OLLI2K Membership Drive. Bring a friend to class. Gift someone with OLLI membership. Help us grow. 

OLLI-North Input Needed. Are you living in Pasco County? Would you like OLLI to bring classes to Pasco County? What kind of classes would interest you most? What locations in Pasco County do you see as most convenient for taking classes? Would you be willing to attend an informal lunch gathering at a member’s home in Pasco County to brainstorm these ideas? If so, email pamelatyler@gmail.com.

Happy travels for those on journeys this summer. Keep us posted. Why not do a selfie with an OLLI catalog from your exotic location? We’ll print it in the newsletter.

Click here to view the intriguing Membership Campaign Monthly Focus schedule through Jan 31, 2024.

-- Pam Tyler 

An Outdoor Extravaganza!

Members of the OLLI Outdoors SIG gather for a group photo on May10 for an end-of-the-year Potluck Extravaganza Celebration at Lettuce Lake Park. The event began with a 1 1/2 mile 'gater crawl along the park's boardwalk followed by a potluck lunch and trivia contest with prizes for the winners.

Flatwoods Ride Ends Bike Group Season

The OLLI Outdoors Bike Group had their last scheduled ride of the season through Flatwoods Park in two parts: Tues., Apr. 25, and Mon., May 8, to accommodate as many members as possible. Members rode seven-plus miles or 11-plus miles in small groups that matched their pace.  

This ride is one of the favorites for the Bike Group regulars.  



During June, July, and August, rides will be impromptu, planned by members and communicated by email.

For more information on the Bike Group, email Judy Hanna.

OLLI Goes To The Opera

Members and friends of the OLLI Operatunity SIG met at Regal Cinemas at Citrus Park Mall on May 20 for an afternoon broadcast of the MET Opera’s LIVE in HD production of Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni. 

Following the production, the group adjourned to a nearby restaurant for dinner and additional conversation which included personal impressions of the stunning production. 



--Ed Benedict 

Sizzlin' Seniors

LongHorn Steakhouse on Fowler Avenue in Tampa was the restaurant of choice for the recent Conviviality and Celebrations May luncheon.

This group of OLLI members and guests meets once a month for lunch at various eating establishments in the Tampa area to celebrate and recognize birthdays and other special occasions. All are welcome to join in the fun.

The June luncheon is scheduled for Tues., Jun. 27, at 1 p.m. at Michael’s Grill in Carrollwood, 11702 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa. Email Kat Hanscom for details and more information.

They're Eating "C" Food

The ABC Cooking Club got together on May 26 for a feast of foods starting with the letter C. Beginning with corn chowder, the meal was followed by a host of mouthwatering main courses, vegetables, and croissants, and then topped off with a variety of desserts, each one created by the club members.

The cooking club is an activity of the Food! Glorious Food! SIG. Each month club members bring dishes to the meeting based on a letter of the alphabet. Dishes in June will begin with the letter D.

The poll “How Do You Dress Your Dogs” was a nail biter. Having lived 50 years outside of Chicago, I naturally voted for the Chicago Dog and kept peeking at the poll results to see how it was comparing to the other dogs in the race. The numbers in the poll kept bouncing back and forth between two favored dogs. One day it was one dog in the lead and then the other dog would bounce ahead, and the pattern kept rolling back and forth keeping the suspense of which one was going to come in as Number 1. But finally the results are in. Hot diggity dog, it is a tie between Chicago hot dog and New York hot dog!   

As a reminder here is how those two hot dogs are dressed: 

• Chicago Dog: mustard, pickle spear, chopped onions, relish tomato, pickled peppers, and celery salt - no ketchup.

• New York Dog: mustard, sauerkraut and onion cooked in ketchup. 

Perhaps we need to have a barbecue sometime with OLLI members and serve these two style dogs. Then vote to see which one is really the Hot Dog of all dogs.

The rest of the votes are: Not on my list of foods (16%); Cincinnati (14%); plain or mustard/ketchup (12%); Coney Island (10%); Atlanta (6%); Jersey (2%); Phoenix (0%).

Thanks for the numerous poll entries. The more votes, the more interesting it is.

---Pat Dodge

TRAVEL

Here Are The OLLI-USF 2023 Travel Preference Survey Results

Nearly 60 OLLI-USF members took the opportunity to Tell OLLI Where To Go by completing the OLLI Summer 2023 Travel Preference Survey during the May 11th OLLI Open House at Temple Terrace Country Club.

OLLI members used the survey to express their preferences for travel destinations and to suggest activities they would enjoy on future trips. Seeing natural wonders and spectacular scenery ranked highest. U.S. national parks were once again popular, as was western Europe. There was also a significant increase in interest in “emphasis on physical activity,” which the Travel Committee will take into consideration.

Tours planned for 2024 include:

• Athens and Classical Greece (March 17 - 11 days)
• Memorials of War: London, Paris, and Normandy (Apr 19 - 10 days);
• Ireland: Traditions of the Emerald Isle (July 10 - 11 days);
• Black Hills, Badlands, Mt. Rushmore (Sept 4 - seven days);
• Christmas on the Danube (cruise - Dec 2 - eight days).  

Registration materials and additional information for the above trips can be found at the OLLI-USF website: 

Also watch for news of informational OLLI travel seminars being scheduled in person and on line in the coming months.

Everyone who participated in the Summer 2023 Travel Preference Survey became eligible for a drawing for a beautiful National Geographic Journeys of a Lifetime coffee table book. The winner was Cynthia Mikos, shown here after receiving her prize at a recent OLLI class.

Congratulations Cynthia, and thanks from the Travel Committee for “telling OLLI where to go!”

Free Zoom Trip Presentation on June 20:

The Memorials of World War II

Departing Apr 19, 2024

Register here for a free zoom presentation on this April 2024 trip to commemorate D-Day.

The trip will highlight London and Paris World War II-focused city tours including Portsmouth, the D-Day Story Museum, an English Channel Crossing, Juno Beach, the Caen Peace Memorial Museum, Arromanche-les-Baines, Longues-sur-Mer, an apple cider farm visit, the Normandy American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, the Airborne Museum, Utah Beach, Giverny Gardens, and a Seine River dinner cruise.

Embark on a reflective journey through the myriad reminders of June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, a watershed event in world history. Discover the memorials, museums, and landmarks that stand in dedication to the heroic soldiers. Registration ends Aug 20 for this trip.

The deadline to register for the Zoom presentation is June 19.

More details on the trip can be found here.

Meet Jeanne Dyer:

The Teacher Who Failed At Retirement

Olli is an organization largely run by volunteers. But behind the scenes is a small cadre of professional staff under the leadership of Director Veronica Maxwell who help keep the organization running and on track. For the past few months, OLLILife has been introducing you to those staff members. We end this series with this profile.

Technology Coordinator Jeanne Dyer is the person behind all those OLLI classes that teach us how to use our phones and computers and to understand the technological changes around us.

She is in charge of finding the tech teachers and providing assistance for them, setting up class schedules, and ensuring space for in-person classes.

She also teaches many of those classes herself. In fact, this summer you will find her teaching 10 tech classes.

She’s busy. But as a person who has twice turned retirement into active careers, that’s nothing new for her.

Career Number One: The Local Teacher

Even as a little girl growing up in West Tampa, Jeanne knew what she was going to do when she grew up.

“All my life, I wanted to be a teacher. As a child, I would get together with my cousins and I would be the teacher,” she says.

And that’s what she did for 41 years, right after earning a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from USF's Charter Class and a master’s in chemistry education from Morgan State College in Baltimore.

After a short teaching stint in Maryland, Jeanne returned to Tampa to teach chemistry at Plant High School.

Four years later, she moved to King High School, where she taught physics and chemistry and took on the role of department chair. While there, school officials talked her into coaching the girls’ basketball team, a job she was not really prepared for, she says.

“I didn’t know much about girls’ basketball at all. But I learned,” she says. “It was a challenge, but I thrive on challenges,” she says. “I did it for two years, and the second year, our team went to the state tournament, and I was named Girls’ Coach of the Year by Hillsborough County.”

Over the years, Jeanne taught science and served as department chair at Gaither and Sickles high schools and as a part-time instructor at Hillsborough Community College.

But teaching kids wasn’t her only role: she also provided numerous workshops on teaching and on scientific topics both locally and at national conventions of education and science professionals.

For her efforts, she’s won numerous awards. Among them, she’s been named Outstanding Alumni by the USF Chemistry Department, Outstanding Chemistry Teacher by both the Florida Division and the Southeast Region of the American Chemical Society, Teacher of the Year for Hillsborough County, and many others. She was also selected as Hillsborough County’s first Fulbright Memorial Fund participant to Japan.

So where did her knowledge of technology come in?

“Watching my dad fix radios and TVs in our garage had a large impact on my subsequent interest in technology. I was actually soldering at a very young age- until my mother found out about it," Jeanne says.

Her first experience with computers was in the late 1970s when she became the first teacher in Hillsborough County to acquire one while working at King High School.

“It was a basic computer system – a Tandy Model 1. Then the county sent me to workshops to learn to help the other science teachers,” she says.

By the early 1980s, computers were showing up in Hillsborough County schools, and Jeanne was providing workshops around the county to help science teachers make the most of them.

Career Number Two: The Traveler

In 2005, she was ready to retire. By then, she had three grandchildren she wanted to spend time with, a garden full of award-winning orchids to tend to, and artistic projects such as warm glass to pursue.

But after three years, those activities weren’t enough. So she became a national certified trainer for ExploreLearning and began traveling around the country training math and science teachers on the company’s Internet product.

And when not traveling, she worked as a consultant for the Hillsborough County school system, coaching novice middle and high school science teachers in alternate ways to teach science and provide classroom management.

She also joined OLLI and started teaching tech classes. She created and served on the Tech Squad and served on OLLI’s Apple Committee and the OLLI Advisory Board.

Career Number Three: OLLI Tech Leader

It was a dark, snowy evening in Chicago, and Jeanne was driving to O’Hare Airport to fly home to Tampa after an ExploreLearning training session. The road was slippery; she could barely see her way through the falling snow. She realized then that it was time to stop traveling and settle down.

Just about that time, OLLI Technology Coordinator Penny Noriega was getting ready to retire. Jeanne applied for the job and was hired.

So in 2015, Jeanne’s third career was launched and she’s been at it ever since. Sure, she’s thought about retiring – again – but it doesn’t seem to happen.

The first almost-retirement from OLLI was to be late 2022. But Director Ara Rogers was retiring, and the loss of two longtime leaders would have been difficult. She agreed to stay until this June. But as June approached, staff members convinced her to stay until next September.

Then Operations Manager Cath Mason asked Jeanne this question: “What will you do if you’re not teaching?” Jeanne was wondering the same thing, she says.

“Then Cath said, ‘why don’t you stay until you don’t want to do it anymore?’ That made sense to me, so I decided to follow her advice,” Jeanne says.

Which may be a long time. As a lifelong teacher, Jeanne can’t see herself not involved in teaching, she says.

“I love teaching,” Jeanne says. “It makes you feel you’re really useful. You’re helping people to learn. And it’s fun too.”

And when she’s not working for OLLI, Jeanne pursues a wealth of activities. Her award-winning garden is filled with begonias, birds nest ferns, orchids and other plants. (To see a video of her garden, click here.) She makes beautiful glass pieces using a method called warm glass. She’s also into Zentangle.

She’s a busy person indeed.



-- Sandy Buckley

SIG Liaison Support Opportunity 

Shared Interest Groups are a vibrant part of the OLLI-USF program. Are you someone who loves our SIGs and sees the value in promoting them?

We are looking for someone to act as a backup for the SIG liaison and assist with associated duties and activities. This is an excellent opportunity to support the SIGs. The commitment would be for one year and could transition into the SIG liaison role.

Some of the activities and duties would 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

• Review membership rosters regularly.

• Schedule recurring SIG meetings on Zoom and provide links to SIG leaders.

• Assist with organizing and hosting an annual SIG appreciation event and meeting.

• Participate in other interesting and fun activities.

If you are interested and would like to learn more about this opportunity, please email Cath Mason. 

SIGnificant EVENTS FOR JUNE 2023

Nancy Baily-Williamson, SIG Liaison

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.

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, Veronica Maxwell, and Kathy Palmer. If possible, please send a picture along with the article as pictures help tell the story.