September, 2025 | Vol.5, No.11

CIRCLE GATHERINGS:

The Circle gatherings are back! You can get all the details in the Membership Corner further down this page.

Sept. 3 - OLLI at St. Leo University Open House

Sept. 10 - OLLI-USF Open House

Sept. 15 - USF St. Petersburg's Open House

Sept. 22 - Amazon Tour

Oct. 15 - Port Of Tampa Tour

Check out more OLLI events here:

OLLI Calendar

Let's Celebrate!

As we step into a new season of fall, I am filled with excitement for all that lies ahead at OLLI. Our fall term is now underway, with classes offered at USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg, and Saint Leo University. This is always a special time of year when we see our community of lifelong learners reenergized, reconnecting with one another, and diving into new opportunities for growth.

I also want to personally invite you to join me at one — or all three — of our upcoming Open Houses. These events are a wonderful way to celebrate our community, showcase the work of OLLI, and recognize the partnerships that help us thrive. As a fun touch, I invite everyone to wear your Tampa Bay Buccaneers colors on Wed., Sept. 10, for our USF Tampa Open House.

This past month, I had the honor of representing USF as a panelist with the Temple Terrace Uptown Chamber of Commerce, presenting at the National Osher Resource Center, and participating in their webinar on membership growth. Thank you to all who supported and/or attended these efforts. It makes my heart smile to see our fabulous members at these special times.

On another note, please keep our registrar, Charise Dixie, in your thoughts as she recovers from a health situation. I am deeply grateful to everyone who registered online — many for the very first time — and to our amazing staff, advisory board, my supervisor Mark’s team, and all of the volunteers who stepped in to prepare for this term in her absence. We are continuing to rally around Charise and step up in new ways so that our great work continues. Your support and teamwork mean so much.

Finally, on a personal note, I just attended my first-ever U.S. Open tennis tournament, and I am forever changed! It was such a special gift, and now I’m ready for Wimbledon. A special hello to any fellow tennis fans in OLLI: I know we’ll have plenty to chat about.

Here’s to a season filled with connection, discovery, joy, and the incredible spirit of lifelong learning that makes OLLI so unique.

The photo is of me and Mac Ritchie and Richard Baker at the Temple Terrace Uptown Chamber community event.

--Veronica Maxwell

OLLI-USF Tampa Open House

Our next Open House will be on Sept. 10, and the keynote speaker is Brian Ford (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer). Besides his exciting talk, we will hear about other programs OLLI is offering.

Membership Prices To Rise

Membership prices will increase on Sept. 22. The new prices will be $60 for an annual membership and

$150 for a three-year membership.

Renew now at today's prices of $50 per year and $125 for three years. Those prices are only good before Sept. 22.

Two More OLLI Open Houses Coming Up

OLLI at St. Leo University and at USF St. Petersburg are also coming up.

St. Leo University's Open House will be held Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 10 a.m., at St. Leo Wellness Center, 12338 Priory Circle, San Antonio. Click here for more information and to register

USF St. Petersburg's Open House will be held Monday Sept. 15, at 10 a.m., at the University Student Center, 200 6th Ave. South, St. Petersburg. Click here for more information about the Open House and classes being offered on that campus.

She’s Granny, The Diva and OLLI’s Dulcimer Maven:

The Many Sides of Karen Brown-Blonigen

OLLI Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Karen Brown-Blonigen calls herself an "OLLI creation." Here's how that came about and how it's benefitted so many other members of OLLI.

A Word from Kathryn Alyson, Membership Chair

Membership Chair Kathryn Alyson reports a change of plans for Drop-in Tuesdays.

Read her Membership Report for the latest updates from the Membership Committee

Meet Linda Weldon

Welcome to OLLI, Linda.

From a career beginning at Macy's in Kansas City, Missouri, to the director of education at a private college in Chicago, to establishing a foundation in Florida to raise scholarships for the Florida Association of Post Secondary Schools and Colleges, read about Linda’s impressive career and love of travel that ultimately landed her in the Tampa area.

Circles Update

Pictured above are members of Circle 6B at their Circles gathering at Falabella's in Wesley Chapel on Aug. 15 as OLLI's Circles begin their second year.

Read on for more Circles information and Circles gathering photos in Pam Tyler's attached Circles report.

Check the Fall Circles Schedule so you don't miss your next Circles gathering.

Pack Your Bags - Many Trips To Take Us On Adventures

Inside The World Of Amazon

...And More

Did you know that America's 250th Anniversary is next year? Two trips have been scheduled in honor of this event and another five for 2026 are awaiting. Click below to find where you can go and all the important information on each trip.

Boat Tour of Port Tampa Bay

Here is chance to sit back on a tour behind the scenes at Port Tampa Bay on the Latitude Lindey II which takes place in October.

Enjoying A Taste Of Old Florida

Twenty-two members and guests from Conviviality and Celebrations dined on a variety of old Florida dishes at Ukulele Brands Bar & Restaurant in Land O’ Lakes on Aug. 13. 

The group was served generous portions of tasty selections from crab cakes to pot roast and enjoyed excellent service from their friendly, attentive wait staff.

Conviviality and Celebrations is a group of OLLI members and friends who meet monthly for lunch at various eating establishments in the Tampa area to celebrate and recognize birthdays and other special occasions.

The next luncheon is scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 18, at 1 p.m., at Bahama Breeze, 3045 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa.

Additional luncheons planned for the Fall are scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 5, at 1 p.m., at Pho Quyen Vietnamese Cuisine at Ross Plaza, 8404 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa; Thurs., Nov. 13, at 1 p.m., at Yuengling Draft Haus, 11109 N. 30th St., Tampa; and Thurs., Dec. 11, at 1 p.m., at Stonewater Grill, 4422 Land O’ Lakes Blvd, Land O’ Lakes.

All are invited to join in the fun. Email Kat Hanscom for further information.

--Kat Hanscom, photos

A Good Time Was Brewing

Fun was on tap on Aug. 15, when 17 members of Food, Glorious Food met for lunch at Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen in Tampa. The group enjoyed a a plentiful variety of food along with beer pairings from the restaurant's brewery. There was good conversation and a great time for all. 

“Lucy in the Sky”… with OLLI Outdoors

OLLI Outdoors recently took a trip out of the universe to a Beatles-themed laser light show.

MOSI’s Saunders Planetarium offered The Beatles Across The Universe, which paired interesting facts about the Beatles with scientific space discovery. 

After a brief presentation in which the Star Dome showed the night sky as it looked during the beginning of the Beatles, iconic Beatles songs emanated from the fabulous sound system set to laser lights. I won’t say who rocked in their seats.

After the show, some people had Firehouse BBQ at MOSI or went to dine at local Temple Terrace locations. 

Do you know the tie to space in the Beatles most iconic song, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”?

The Lucy mission was the first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.

That mission is named after the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin found in Ethiopia in 1974, which was named Lucy by the team of paleoanthropologists who discovered it.

As the story goes, later that night, as the team marveled at their breakthrough, one of the team members played a Beatles cassette that he had packed, and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” came on. Expedition member Pamela Alderman suggested they call the find Lucy, and the name immediately stuck.

So just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into human evolution, the Lucy mission promises to expand our knowledge of planetary origins. And it is forever immortalized by the song “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”

--Diane White

--Group photo, Mike Hayes

A Delicious Trip Through History

Close to 30 OLLI members converged on the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City on Aug. 19 for a tour organized by the Travel Committee.

Beginning as a humble speakeasy in 1905, the restaurant has since grown to 15 dining rooms seating 1,700 patrons. And the OLLI visitors got to see them all.

Among the highlights, the Don Quixote room's majestic chandelier, the King's Room honoring the kings and queens of Krewe Santiago, the spacious, well-organized kitchen, and the tiles and other decorations throughout the restaurant honoring Don Quixote. You could almost sense the ghosts of luminaries who have dined there, such as Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and Babe Ruth.

Following the tour, everyone stayed for a Dutch-treat lunch in one of those beautiful dining rooms that they had been through.

--Photos, Mary Coffeen and Grizelle Aldea

JUST FOR FUN POLL

Love Rollercoasters? Not So Much, Readers Say

August’s Just For Fun Poll was about rollercoasters. Our members were asked if they enjoy riding the coasters or do they classify themselves as the individuals holding riders' bags and watching the facial expressions of those flying above them along with the extraordinary loud screams as the coaster speeds through the twists, turns and loops. 

If you answered that you are a bag holder, you fell into the category of 75% of the answers. Only 25% enjoyed their body being bounced around, their hair flying in the air and the feel of the rush of the coaster as it dipped this way and that way. 

A couple of our members wrote to the OLLILife editors with their thoughts on rollercoasters:

Peter Terzian talks about rollercoasters' enjoyments:

Roller coasters are some masterworks of engineering! It’s fun just to watch them. There are a couple of kinder gentler “family” coasters at Busch Gardens that we still ride. Their newest is Phoenix Rising. Here’s a link to a picture and video. Check it out. Better still, go for a ride! 

Ann Sofia writes about her terrifying ride on a coaster:

"How bad can it be...after all it's Disney," said my kids and husband. "Come on, don't be a wuss." The most terrifying year (it felt like it) followed as we shot through the dark, climbed peaks and plummeted into valleys, all in darkness accented by flashing lights to indicate far-away planets.  

Finally, the nightmare ended and...I could not move. It took two attendants to actually lift me out of the seat. Fortunately, I was much younger and thinner than now, but I was shaking so bad that I was walked to a table and chairs and water was brought to me. Actually funny now, but then...sheer terror! I truly never forgave them for that experience.

Mangia bene, ride spesso, ana molta.

Italian proverb

Translation: Eat well with enjoyment, laugh often, love a lot. In other words....Live!

PEOPLE NEWS

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.

Farewell To A Special Friend!

We are sad to announce the passing of Andy Huse who died on Aug. 20 at the age of 52. If you've ever taken an OLLI class on Florida's food history, the making of a Cuban sandwich, the great ground glass scare, and more, you have met Andy Huse.

A celebration of Andy's life -- “Salud and Happy Days: A Commodore Remembrance of Andy Huse” -- will be held Friday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at The Commodore, 811 E. 7th Ave., Tampa. A private memorial and celebration of life for close friends and family will be held at a later date.

Below, we are reprinting with permission from USF Libraries an article by Zibby Wilder, which ran on the libraries' website:

It is with great sadness that the USF Libraries share the news of the passing of University Librarian Andy Huse. Andy was a longtime colleague and friend and a staple of the Tampa Bay history community. His loss is profoundly felt by us all.

Andy came to the Libraries in September 1998, bringing with him a passion for the rich cultural history of Tampa. His research into the historic Spanish, Cuban, Italian, and Caribbean immigrant communities that arrived with the boom of Ybor City’s cigar factories inspired much of his work. Andy co-authored his first book, Seabreeze by the Bay Cookbook, in 2001, followed by additional celebrated works including The Columbia Restaurant: Celebrating a Century of History, Culture, and Cuisine, From Saloons to Steakhouses: A History of Tampa, and The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers. Most recently, Andy completed a draft of the history of the Tampa Theatre.

At the USF Libraries, Andy oversaw the Florida Studies and University Archives collections. He was instrumental in the establishment of our Florida Environment and Natural History Collection and was also passionate about collecting oral histories, adding hundreds to the Libraries’ collections. He was a major collaborator on the Ybor City dwellings project, now part of the Libraries’ Tampa Through Time portal, and spearheaded the recent effort to resume publication of the Tampa Bay History Journal.

Andy was extremely active in the Florida history community, forging close ties with colleagues locally and statewide.

Andy earned a master’s degree in history from USF in 2000 and went on to complete his MLIS in 2005. He achieved archival certification, was an instructor at both the USF Honors College and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and presented frequently at local and state history and archives events and conferences.

Andy’s impact on his colleagues at USF and in the Tampa Bay and Florida history communities is immeasurable. He is greatly missed.

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.