FEBRUARY, 2025 | Vol 5, No.4 | |
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Some Exciting Updates!
I am excited about February! And I’m thrilled to share some exciting updates with you!
Last month, our St. Leo Open House was a resounding success. The turnout exceeded our expectations, and the feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. It was wonderful to see so many of you engaged and excited about the opportunities OLLI offers. Your enthusiasm reinforces our mission to provide enriching lifelong learning experiences, and we’re grateful for your continued support.
Additionally, I had the pleasure to attend a few events to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and met so many new potential partners for OLLI.
Looking ahead, I am delighted to announce the launch of our new partnership with USF St. Petersburg! This collaboration marks an exciting expansion for OLLI, and we’re eager to bring dynamic programming and new learning opportunities to our members in the St. Pete area. Our team has been hard at work preparing for this launch, and we’re looking forward to kicking things off with great enthusiasm. Stay tuned for more details on upcoming courses and events at this new location.
As always, thank you for being part of the OLLI-USF community. Your passion for learning and growth inspires everything we do. Please continue to spread the word about our wonderful organization.
The above photo is of me and Dr. Jane Applegate, a longtime OLLI member and volunteer faculty, at the USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Holiday Lunch.
Lots of hugs!!
-- Veronica Maxwell
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CIRCLE GATHERINGS:
Please read the article under Membership Corner to see if your Circle is scheduled to meet.
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Feb. 28 - Volunteer Information Session
Mar. 14 - Volunteer Awards nominations deadline
(See article below in Volunteering Updates for details)
Check out more OLLI events here:
OLLI Calendar
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He Loves OLLI, But Not Those Hurricanes!
Jeff Berardelli, chief meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA News Channel 8, gave us a look into the past and future of hurricanes when he spoke at last month's Winter Open House. Read what he had to say and see pictures of your OLLI friends at the meeting.
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Continuing To Help Feed-a-Bull
OLLI continues to support the Feed-a-Bull Pantry with food donation collections. Read about the recent effort by the Food, Glorious Food! SIG and ways you can help.
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You Are Invited
In Veronica's message above, we learned about a new partnership with USF St. Petersburg. That OLLI Open House is slated for February and open to everyone. Attached you will find information for the event. You can register for the Open House using the QR code on the information sheet or by clicking here. There will be box lunches for all that register. Free parking will be available in Lot 2 for attendees. This is a great opportunity to see what will be available for our members at the St. Petersburg campus.
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Why We Love OLLI!
We have learned about different OLLI SIGs under this column, and this month we learn about the Talking Movies SIG. Are you a movie buff? Not sure if you are? Read what Arlene Zimney has to say about this SIG. She gives a description of how the SIG came about, the type of movies that are chosen, and where they are viewed. After reading this article, perhaps you will find this SIG on your list of things to do within OLLI.
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Themes From The Life Of Jerry Noland
OLLI instructor Sylvia “Jerry” Noland, focuses on the themes that tie together fiction and real life in her literature classes. At nearly 91 years of age, Jerry has lived a life filled with themes of strife and sorrow as well as joy and redemption. Learn more about this fascinating woman's journey.
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Volunteering with OLLI Lets You Follow Your Passion!
Attend a free, no-obligation volunteer information session to learn more about how your knowledge, skills or experience can help OLLI.
The next session will be held Friday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. Click here to register.
Have a question? Ask Us Anything about volunteering by emailing the Ask Team.
--Diane Russell
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Help Us Recognize Outstanding Volunteers
Nominate a deserving OLLI volunteer for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Winners will be announced at the Volunteer Appreciation Event on Apr. 23.
Deadline for Nominations is 5p.m., Friday, Mar. 14.
Read more for information on Awards Criteria and the link to the Volunteer Nomination Form.
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Circles Experiment is Working
Circles gatherings are increasingly popular and well attended by OLLI members. Pictured are Circle 4 members enjoying lunch at their gathering on Jan. 17 at Liang's Bistro in New Tampa.
Read more for Membership Committee Chair Pam Tyler's Circles update and the positive impact the recent St. Leo Open House had on OLLI North (Pasco County).
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Meet OLLI's Newest Member, Darlene DeMarie
Darlene recently retired from being a professor of educational psychology and the Fulbright faculty advisor at USF.
Read more to learn about this Fulbright Scholar and educator whose impressive career took her from Ohio to Florida and destinations such as South Africa and Budapest before bringing her back to Florida to join the faculty at USF.
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Circles Luncheon Updates
Don't miss out on your next Circles gathering! Pictured are Circle 2 members catching up at their gathering on Jan. 31 at the Cheesecake Factory in South Tampa.
Read more to check out Circles luncheons planned for February and March.
| The attached zip code list shows the Circle you belong to. | |
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Presented by the OLLI-USF Travel Committee
The 2025 Travel Bucket List has been updated. Take a look to see where you want to travel with OLLI. There are many choices of trips within the United States and elsewhere.
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A Sizzlin’ Start to the New Year
Citrus Park Longhorn Steakhouse was the restaurant of choice for the first outing of 2025 for the Conviviality and Celebrations Group on Jan 13.
Nineteen joyful diners enjoyed delicious menu selections and excellent service from the friendly, patient staff. Plentiful parking was a welcome perk.
Conviviality and Celebrations is a group of OLLI members and guests who meet monthly for lunch to celebrate and recognize birthdays and other special occasions.
The next luncheon is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. at Grand Fortune Restaurant, 1104 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa.
All are welcome to join in the fun. Email Kat Hanscom for further information.
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Motzah ball soup, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, and other kosher delicacies were on the menu on Jan. 20, when 24 members of Food, Glorious Food! visited Jo-El's Kosher Deli in St. Petersburg.
The group was there for lunch and a demonstration by Chef Lana on how to make Apple Sharlotka cake, which served as dessert for the appreciative crowd. While there, SIG members took the opportunity to purchase some of Jo-El's specialties at the deli counter so they could enjoy the food all over again at home.
Pictured above, SIG member Dale Sena (top right) introduces Chef Lana to the assembled group.
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Hablemos At The Gem Of Spanish Restaurants
OLLI’s Spanish conversation SIG, Hablemos, met for lunch at the famed Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City on Jan. 21. The 12 Hablemos members were greeted at their tables by Casey Gonzmart, Jr., a fifth generation member of the Columbia’s ownership family.
Señor Gonzmart noted that the Don Quixote Room, where the lunch was held, was the first air-conditioned room in Tampa. Gonzmart also mentioned that the name of Columbia’s renowned 1905 Salad is slightly inexact by a couple of years because his great-great-grandfather, Spanish-Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., actually opened the Saloon Columbia as a bar in 1903, catering to the local cigar workers.
The Hablemos group enjoyed Spanish conversations, with some English thrown in. The group’s attentive server, Victoria, took the lunch orders in Spanish. Hablemos members savored hot soup full of Spanish garbanzo beans and generous sandwiches made on crispy Cuban bread, supplied fresh daily to the Columbia by La Segunda Bakery.
The Gonzmart family’s flair for great food and fine hospitality for 120 years make it the oldest restaurant in Florida. The family continues to make the Columbia the gem of Spanish restaurants.
--Mike Hayes
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Foodies Visit Feeding Tampa Bay
Nineteen members of the Food, Glorious Food! SIG learned about the work of Feeding Tampa Bay during an enlightening visit on Jan. 27 to the organization’s new headquarters. Opened last May on the 15-acre site of a former drive-in movie theater, the facility is the hub of a program that works to fight food insecurity in 10 counties.
After hearing about the program, 17 FGF members toured the building, including its impressive 200,000-square-foot warehouse that holds food products donated and purchased from supermarkets and other food sources. They also saw space for
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workforce training and community education as well as offices for other agencies, including Metropolitan Ministries, that work alongside FTB to fight food insecurity. Some of the members were able to visit the 11,000-square-foot kitchen, which can prepare up to 10,000 meals a day.
Also on the tour was The Market, offering fresh, refrigerated and frozen food to take home, and The Bistro, a sit-down restaurant offering nutritious meals at little to no cost. At the tour’s end, six FGF members stayed to enjoy a delicious lunch at The Bistro.
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Florida’s “Gentle Giants” at the Manatee Viewing Center
The Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach is the perfect place to view and learn about manatees.
The OLLI-Outdoors SIG visited the center on Wed., Jan. 29. Lauren gave us a presentation and answered all our manatee questions.
Next, on to observe the hundreds of manatees who were huddled together in the water just outside the TECO power plant. One momma manatee had her calf in tow – so cute! Not just manatees are on view. The 31 Outdoors SIG members also observed plenty of shore birds like the white heron. With the low tide, it was easy to identify spotted eagle rays in the shallows and schools of blacktip shark and snook.
The hikers went on an optional 1.75-mile hike along the coastal habitat trail to the observation tower that winds through the estuary of Tampa Bay. What treat! If you haven’t been, take your guests, friends, and family. There is always something new, and it’s all free
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What did we learn? Manatees can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 1,200 pounds. Manatees move slowly through inland and coastal waterways at a rate of about five miles per hour. At times, they can travel at speeds close to 15 miles per hour but only in short bursts.
Manatees don’t like the cold, so to stay warm, they keep to waters that are at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything colder than that and manatees risk dying due to cold stress. Each day, manatees eat around 120 pounds of food, or up to about 10 percent of their body weight. Manatees’ favorite foods are different types of vegetation like sea grasses and mangrove leaves.
--Diane White
--Photos, Mike Hayes
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No Bones About It: An Afternoon At The Aquarium | |
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Fun Fact: 90 percent of all animals are invertebrates, meaning they lack backbones. Twelve OLLI members learned that and more in the Invertebrate
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Investigations class at the Florida Aquarium on Jan. 30. After learning how to classify these fascinating creatures, the group paid a visit to the No Bone Zone to see some of the creatures in real life.
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As children, we were taught that reading was very important. That was certainly true as we had Sunday funnies we wanted to read each week. We could hardly wait to see what our favorite funnies strips for the week were up to. The funnies were printed using the same size as the news pages, which made it hard for kids to hold. They not only entertained the kids, but gave the parents something to smile about when you caught them reading them. Nowadays you don’t hear them called funnies - now they are comics.
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What talent it takes to draw the cartoon figures with correct expressions and posture that help tell a story! In the OLLI Connects new monthly magazine, one article written by Diane Russell tells how her dad was a very talented man in many avenues. One of his occupations was cartooning. We wonder if Diane was looking over his shoulder all the time to see what he would create next for the comics.
Currently, the comics have decreased in size and the number available to read compared to the "good old days," but they're still entertaining. Perhaps the little kid never left us and we still enjoy delving into the daily strips, getting a giggle or two.
The Just For Fun poll this month is divided into two parts. First, it asks if you read the Sunday funnies when you were a kid. Secondly, do you still like to read the funnies/comics that are currently in the newspapers?
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| Did you read the funnies when you were young? | | | |  |
| Do you currently indulge into the comics for a laugh? | | | |
Click here for some comics from way back when for your viewing pleasure. | |
For more information on OLLI SIGs, see the full list here. Several of the SIGs meet on Zoom; others are meeting in person and are organizing group outings and events. To visit a SIG, email the contact(s) below. | |
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Community of Readers and Writers
We meet via Zoom for discussion, special events, and our interest in novels, nonfiction, short stories, flash fiction, memoirs, and essays. We encourage feedback partners through group conversation and one-on-one with experienced readers. Our private Facebook site is a resource for developing your storytelling and literary skills. Contact Liesse Chable, facilitator for Readers and Writers at readersandwriters.too@gmail.com.
China SIG
Mon., Mar. 24, at noon. Joint meeting at with the China SIG at Grand Fortune Restaurant for lunch and and a talk by China SIG Co-Leader Kun Shi on regional Chinese cuisines.
The China SIG fosters an appreciation for and understanding of the Chinese people and their cultures. Our group meets at least quarterly, either virtually or in person. We celebrate Chinese traditional holidays and enjoy presentations and videos by a variety of speakers and musicians. For more information about the China SIG, please contact Kun Shi or Nancy Stuart.
Florida Gardening SIG
Gardeners, unite. The Florida Gardening SIG has members of all levels of experience to learn and share more about gardening in Florida. We discuss house plants, balcony/patio gardening, food and butterfly gardening as well as specialized gardening such as orchids, roses or native plants, pesticide and fertilizer use. We have guest speakers, tour public and private gardens, and more. Seasonal weather will impact how and where meetings are conducted (on-line, in person, etc.) Contact us at olliusfgardens@gmail.com for more information and to be placed on the mailing list.
Food, Glorious Food!
Tues., Feb. 24, at 10 a.m., on Zoom. Air Fryers – Tips and Tricks from FGF Members: an Informal Sharing Experience.
Mon., Mar. 24, at noon. Joint meeting at with the China SIG at Grand Fortune Restaurant for lunch and and a talk by China SIG Co-Leader Kun Shi on regional Chinese cuisines.
To learn more about FGF or to join the SIG, contact Sandy Buckley.
Games SIGs
Online Games:
Thurs., Feb. 13, at 3:30 p.m. To play Scattergories, email Kathy Palmer for the Zoom link and more information.
Board Games:
Thurs., Feb, 20, at 11 a.m., at Seminole Heights Library, 4711 Central Ave., Tampa. Email Robyn Cheung, or text her at 215-880-9212.
German Conversation
Tues., Feb. 11 and 25, at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Christine Basch.
Ici on parle français!
Mon., Feb. 3 and 17, 1 p.m. For an invitation, contact Lise Bérubé.
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OLLI Outdoors
The Outdoor SIG is keeping up the pace with six events planned for February. Resolve to get those steps in, learn, and have fun.
Wed., Feb. 5 - Lizard Tail hiking spree
Fri, Feb. 7 - Dog hike with humans
Thurs., Feb. 13 - Blackwater Creek hiking
Thurs., Feb. 20 - Geocaching
Mon., Feb. 24 - Edward Medard Singing Bluffs hiking spree
Fri., Feb. 28 - Zoom, Florida Institute of Oceanography - Explore the Oceanic World
Visit our website to learn more about us. Ready to have outdoors fun? Sign up here today!
Still have questions, email the SIG Leaders at OLLIOutdoors@gmail.com for details about these events.
Operatunity
New to opera or an aficionado? Join OLLI's opera SIG as we explore ways to expand our knowledge and appreciation of opera. We enjoy lively presentations and discussions about opera that focus on Met in HD Broadcasts. For more information about this SIG, contact Kathryn Alyson.
Politics SIG
The Politics SIG provides a forum for discussion and informal debate on topics related to U.S. domestic and foreign policy. The P-SIG complements and promotes OLLI-USF classes on political science and history and is an adjunct to our weekly Saturday Social, which covers current events of political interest. For more information, please contact Rich Kennedy.
Self-Hypnotherapy SIG
Explore and share many approaches that can be utilized and practiced dealing with stress, unwanted emotions and feelings, and the many challenges that everyday life presents. If interested, please email Anne Haywood for more information.
Prerequisite: Self-Hypnotherapy Class
Shutterbugs
Do you like to take photos of people, places, and things? Join the OLLI Shutterbugs on photo outings to places like farmers' markets, craft fairs, and many other venues in and around Tampa Bay. For more information email Rich Edwards or Jean Nixon.
Talking Movies
Fri., Feb. 21, at 1:30 p.m. Watch a movie and then get together on Zoom to talk about it. Movie to be determined. For more information, contact Arlene Zimney.
Write Time for Poets
Thurs., Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. For more information about this SIG, email Cath Mason.
Hablemos! Spanish Conversation SIG
All levels of Spanish speakers are welcome to join our conversation group. Zoom meeting Tues., Feb 4 and 18, at 3 p.m. At least once a quarter, we meet in person for lunch at restaurants featuring Latin American cuisine. Email olli.hablemos@gmail.com for more information.
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Remembering Dr. Joan Watkins
It is with sadness that we report that Dr. Joan M. Watkins of Tampa passed away on Dec. 12.
Joan will be remembered as a kind, sweet person. The generous gift of her time in moderating Zoom classes will be greatly missed by OLLI.
Inspired by a lifelong desire to work in the medical industry, Joan’s extraordinary career encompassed more than 50 years of professional experience. She was recognized as a diplomate by The American Board of Emergency Medicine from 1983 to 1993 and a diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Occupational and Environmental Medicine since 1993. She was a fellow of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and the International Academy of Independent Medical Evaluators.
Joan served as the president of the Florida Association of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a part of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, from 1999 to 2001. She also served as the corporate medical director of occupational health service with University Community Hospital in Tampa from 1992 to 2006.
Joan served as an associate professor, Affiliate Faculty, in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the USF College of Public Health, and affiliate assistant professor in USF Morsani College of Medicine.
Throughout the course of her career, Joan was featured in a wide range of honors publications. In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession, Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, awarded her the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Joan loved the water and enjoyed sailing, swimming and watching the wildlife play in the mangroves of Tampa Bay.
Private services will be held at a later date.
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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. | |
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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.
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