OLLI Observer
August 18, 2019    
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In This Issue
Candle burning

We Remember

Abe Ainspan
August 10, 2019


Please Note
OLLI and the Reuter Center will be closed 
August 23-25, 2019 to all other activities so we may hold the  Paths to Creative Retirement Workshop.
We will reopen on Monday, August 26, 2019,  8 a.m.
Be a Class Rep
Want to be a Class Rep in the College for Seniors classroom?
The upcoming Fall Term would be a great time to volunteer.
Just sign up once in the Class Reps database, and you will be contacted the day your course schedule arrives (August 30).
See the informational flyer  HERE, and then Click here for access to a form to sign up to be a class rep.

OLLI Fall 2019 Registration 
Now Underway


You may come to the Reuter Center to pick up a print copy.


Registration continues through Thursday, August 22, noon.

You may come to the Reuter Center Monday through Wednesday, August 19-21, 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and Thursday, August 22, 8:30 a.m.-noon to get help with online registration. 

Important Dates for College for Seniors (CFS)

Fall 2019
  • Fall registration: August 15 -22, 2019
  • Registration help available: Monday through Wednesday, August 19-21, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day and Thursday, August 22, 8:30 a.m.-noon
  • Scholarship requests for CFS courses are due by Wednesday, August 21, 4:30 p.m. Click here for a Fall 2019 scholarship form.
  • Schedules will be emailed Friday, August 30 by 4:30 p.m. for everyone who requests courses by Thursday, August 22, noon.
  • Last day to request a full refund for Fall 2019 CFS tuition: Friday, September 13, 3 p.m.
  • Fall term dates: September 16 - November 8, 2019
Winter 2020
  • Winter catalog available: November 1, 2019
  • Winter registration: November 6 -13, 2019
  • Winter term dates: January 13 - February 24, 2020
Parking Update
Details Still Pending


You will be able to pay for your decal through OLLI's online registration system.  We will send an email to let you know when you will be able to register your car through the Rydin system and come to the OLLI office to pick up your decal.

The Rydin system is not yet open for registrationand pickup.  We will send an email with complete details when the system is ready. Please don't attempt to sign up for a decal until the system is set up.  Campus police will not be ticketing in the areas adjacent to the Reuter Center until we are distributing decals.
LAS Government Day with
Mayor Esther Manheimer in City Council Chambers

Leadership Asheville Seniors (LAS)
Spaces Still Available 

LAS provides participants with a multi-faceted view of Asheville and Buncombe Count y. Through discussions with community leaders in distinctive venues, newcomers and longtime residents alike can gain new perspectives and consider ways to contribute their diverse experiences and talents for the good of the communit y. Each day of the nine-week program o ffers an inside r 's view of topics concerning our communit y, including histor y,environment, government, food insecurit y,the arts,the econom y,education, health and povert y.
 
When: W eekly sessions, Tuesdays, September 10 - November 12, 2019 (Orientation Monday, September 9)
Cost: $400 (scholarships available up to 75%)

 
Questions? Call 828.250.3871.

LAF Leadership Asheville Forum
Critical Issues Forums Schedule
Leadership Asheville Forum (LAF) encourages its members to become active in the network of community leaders by offering a neutral and focused discussion of important local issues, and by promoting camaraderie and networking among the its members.

The Forum's Critical Issues Luncheons take place 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.   (food service begins at 11:45; program begins at 12:15) at  The  Country Club of Asheville .
The cost is $25 for LAF members, $30 for all others, payable at the door.  Check or cash only.
Please RSVP to Nancy Williams, 828-250-2353
or [email protected] (email preferred), and specify which event you will be attending.

2019 Critical Issues Events

August 28: State of the City and County
Esther Manheimer & Brownie Newman

September 18:  Meet the New Symphony Music Director  Darko Butorac

October 23:  Dogwood Health Trust
Janice Brumit, Lakesha McDay

November 20:  Meet the New County Manager
Avril Pender
 
December 4:  Annual Gala Holiday Party
Biltmore Lake Clubhouse
business_conference6.jpg
  The Forum
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, August 23, 1 - 3 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 205

TOPICS:
  • August 23: Current Events, Meeting held at Earth Fare (Reuter Center closed for Paths Workshop)
  • August 30: Top ten reasons for impeachment: Is any president above the law?
  • Sept. 6: Current events and selection of topics for September
The weekly Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on a wide variety of topics; the group frequently focuses on current events. All OLLI members are welcome to attend.

SIG Contact: Beth Johnson [email protected]
New Member Welcome
Friday, September 13, 10 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Are you new to OLLI at UNC Asheville and the Reuter Center? Are you returning after being gone awhile? Come to the New Member Welcome to learn about all that OLLI has to offer and about ways to get involved. Meet other members and learn what it means to "grow through life."
Fall Theme Term on Appalachia
Special Programs

OLLI's theme term on Appalachia includes more than 20 courses that examine Appalachia from a variety of perspectives. To supplement these conversations, we have also planned a number of special presentations, two films and two author talks. 

Wednesday, September 18, 7 p.m.: Filmmaker David Weintraub will present and discuss his documentary "Guardians of Our Troubled Waters."

Wednesday, October 9, 7 p.m.: Ethnobotanist David Cozzo will discuss the revitalization of traditional Cherokee artisan resources, particularly river cane.

Wednesday, October 16, 7 p.m.: Affrilachian writer Crystal Wilkinson will discuss her work.

Wednesday, October 25, 7 p.m.: Kentucky writer and activist Silas House will discuss his work

Monday, October 28, 6 p.m.: As part of our Fall Member Social, Rodney Sutton will call a square dance, with live music from the Stoney Creek Boys.

Thursday, November  7, 9-11 a.m. OLLI Community Conversation on the theme term.
Whether you took classes, taught one or participated in other Appalachia programs of OLLI, come and share your experience.

Please mark your calendars to attend these wonderful programs. All programs are free and open to everyone and are funded by our Osher Foundation Endowment.

It's Showtime
New OLLI Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, September 27, 11:30 a.m.
Reuter Center 120
Calling all writers, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, actors for the new SIG in town: It's Showtime!
 
Here is your opportunity to create, perform and have fun with other fun-loving OLLI members. Do you love to write but are too shy to perform? No problem. Plenty of show-offs will love to hog the limelight. The topic of this year's show is aging. We'll make 'em laugh. We'll make 'em cry.
 
If you play an instrument, we want you!
 
This new SIG starts with an organizational meeting, Friday, September 27, 11:30 a.m. in Room 120. Can't make that time but want to be included? Not a problem. We can arrange other times and places after the initial meeting.  
 
SIG contact: Lindsay Leghorn 773-332-3327 [email protected]

Men's Wisdom Works 
Special Interest Group (SIG)

Men's Wisdom Works Special Interest Group consists of small groups, typically around 8-12 men, that meet twice a month to discuss common issues and challenges faced by men living in retirement. Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and other social activities.

Our bottom-line is to enhance the health, well-being, and lifestyle of retired men through friendships and learning from each other to discuss issues of personal importance.  Confidentiality is standard practice.

To learn more or to sign up on our wait list contact:  Patrick Irwin at  [email protected]

OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Asheville City Schools
Give your time and make a difference!

Changing Lives One House at a Time

Energy Savers
Helping Homeowners Reduce Energy Losses
Click here for details

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!


Volunteer Opportunity With 
Read 2 Succeed
The Fall 2019 Training Schedule is available on the Read2Succeed website. Click here.
             
Read2Succeed   Asheville/ Buncombe  is a local  non-profit  whose mission is " to inspire and teach children to read."  The group needs caring, supportive individuals who are interested in tutoring an elementary school student one hour, one to two days a week during the school year. Training and ongoing support are provided. 

  Email:  [email protected]
Phone: 910-619-4313

Dear OLLI Members,
We are sad to report the death of longtime OLLI member Abe Ainspan who recently passed away at the age of 97. It was touching that his obituary included the following note: Abe "participated in the OLLI program at UNC Asheville right up through this spring and even asked, during his last week, when fall curriculum catalog was due to come out.  His enthusiasm for life never waned." Abe also participated in Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila and for his family "provided much glue to maintin connections when bonds might otherwise be loosened." Research confirms the importance of relationships in sustaining long and engaged lives.  We are grateful that Abe spent some of his final years sharing his long and rich life with us here at OLLI at UNC Asheville.

Remember that Fall 2019 College for Seniors registration continues through Thursday, August 22, noon. We have helpers at the Reuter Center from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday. We will send further instructions for how to register your car and pick up your parking decal.  While you may pay for your first decal through our online system, we will not begin registration and distribution until Wednesday, September 4.  Watch for a special email.

We still have spots open in our Leadership Asheville Seniors program, a signature nine-week program that introduces you to the movers and shakers in our community and gives you a unique perspective on how our community works. Also note that the Reuter Center will be closed on Friday, August 23 for our Paths to Creative Retirement Workshop, another signature program that helps participants make the transition from work to retirement.

Remember that this is your community. If you have questions or suggestions or would like to serve on a committee or volunteer, please let us know by responding to this email,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
CFS Instructors: It's Time for SkillTalks 
Tuesday, September 3, 8:30 a.m. - Noon

Thinking about teaching a College for Seniors course?  Get started now with a series of SkillTalks workshops that focus on planning and presenting a good course proposal, beginning and advanced PowerPoint skills, and tips on class management from other instructors.

This is an excellent opportunity for instructors to enhance their current skills or learn new ones alongside other College for Seniors instructors! Coffee and breakfast snacks will be included.



If you are interested in participating in SkillTalks, please fill out the RSVP & workshop sign up form by CLICKING HERE.

To see what's planned, please Click Here.
Your Chance to Help with OLLI's New Online Community,  OLLIChat
A small group of volunteers is making progress on a successor online forum to OLLITalk. Can you help us?  We are looking for 

 

Volunteer moderators who are:

  • Committed to building our OLLI community  
  • Computer literate - for example: you posted messages to the old OLLITalk site; you know how to copy and paste elements in a document; you are comfortable using multiple tabs on a PC or Mac; you are familiar with Gmail
  • Comfortable writing responses
  • Available an hour a day for a few days/week

An expert in free Google Groups who can advise us on what we can and cannot do in Google Groups.

 

Someone to lead our membership drive efforts who is:  

  • Committed to building community
  • Organized, a quick learner and a self-starter
  • Experienced with online forums, ideally OLLITalk
  • Computer literate - as described above in volunteer moderators
  • Available several hours/week, especially over the next month or two
If any of these describe you, please contact us at  [email protected] , providing your phone number and which role interests you. We'll call you back to fill in details.

Blue Ridge Pride
WNC LGBTQ+ 
Oral History Project
Workshop
Saturday, August 24, 
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Highsmith University Union, 
UNC Asheville Campus

Learn how to conduct oral history interviews and why LGBTQ communities need oral history and archival preservation. 

Join a team of interviewers and researchers. Workshop participants will
 Attend a panel discussion with people representing various LGBTQ intersectionalities
  • Learn and practice interviewing and listening skills
  • Receive an oral history guidebook for contributing to the Western NC LGBTQ Archive Project 
  • Gain experience collecting "needs assessment data" to support LGBTQ communities
  • Be paired with interested interview participants
If you plan to participate register here as soon as possible.


Volunteer Opportunity
 2019 East End/Valley Street Community Heritage Festival
Friday through Sunday, August 23-25
             
The East End/Valley Street Community Heritage Festival needs volunteers August 23-25 in MLK Park. 

Unity in Community! The 2019 East End/Valley Street Community Heritage Festival will include live music, vendors, food trucks, and a children's area. This is an alcohol free, family friendly festival! Come celebrate with us! Everyone is welcome! 

To volunteer and learn more, email  [email protected]
Asheville Community Theatre Presents: Rabbit Hole
By David Lindsay-Abaire; Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman
Through August 25, 2019
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm
             
"A drama that's not just a departure but a revelation" - Variety

A journey from grief to grace. Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want, until the accidental death of their son turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. As they navigate through the unimaginable, they find themselves and each other. In the end, there is always hope. Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize."
High Cost of Rx: A Forum Discussion
Sponsored by AARP
Thursday, August 29, 10 a.m. to noon

If you are worried about affording the medications your doctors prescribe, you are not alone. The price of brand-named drugs continues to skyrocket, outpacing inflation by around 400 percent in recent years.  That is why AARP in the Mountain Region and community partners are hosting a forum to help you reign in soaring prescription drug prices. Learn about strategies to lower your prices and ways we, as voters, can fight for more affordable medications. AARP will be joined by representatives of the NC General Assembly, the Council on Aging of Buncombe County,  and pharmacist at the Mountain Area Health Education Center.

This event is free and open to everyone.

The Autumn Players Readers Theatre
Arms and the Man 
by George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Jim Reid

Sunday, September 1, 2:30 p.m. /  Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Often viewed as Shaw's wittiest play, this is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancee say? The plot, of course, thickens! 

The Autumn Players (affiliated with Asheville Community Theatre) is a troupe of seasoned actors dedicated to taking the theatre experience into the community. Their words jump from the page with conviction and emotion, and these actors make their stories come to life. T ickets are $7 at the door.
The Astronomy Club of Asheville
Thursday, September 5,  7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"The Habitability of Ocean Worlds and NASA's Europa Clipper Mission"
presented by 
North Carolina State University

In 1610, Galileo Galilei turned his crude telescope toward Jupiter and observed four small "stars" revolving around the planet. This quartet of dancing objects, now known as Jupiter's "Galilean moons" in deference to their Italian discoverer, were in fact the largest natural satellites of this giant of all planets. What Galileo could not have known was that one of these tiny diamonds of light, Jupiter's moon Europa, is now a leading candidate for finding microbial extraterrestrial life in our solar system.

Europa is truly a strange world; slightly larger than the earth's moon, it has the smoothest surface of any solid object in our solar system. Covered with cracks and streaks and almost completely devoid of impact craters, previous missions to Jupiter discovered evidence of water geysers erupting from within its surface. Scientists now believe that Europa is covered by an icy crust with a liquid water ocean underneath. Given that water is a prerequisite for all life found on earth, exploration of the icy moon could yield fascinating results.

This is the genesis of NASA's  Europa Clipper mission. With a proposed launch date of 2023, the spacecraft would undergo a series of flybys to study the moon and to prepare for a possible future Europa lander. As a planetary geologist, Dr. Byrne will give insight into why scientists are interested in ocean worlds and how the Europa Clipper mission aims to  provide answers to that eternal question: are we alone?

The Astronomy Club of Asheville meets the first Thursday of each month, from 7- 9 p.m., (except for January and July), with an interesting lineup of speakers and topics. OLLI members may attend club meetings and stargazes, with club members on hand to advise and assist them in the basics of astronomy and the techniques of observing celestial phenomena. Meetings are scheduled for September 5, October 3, and December 3, 2019. For more information on the Astronomy Club of Asheville, visit their website at www.astroasheville.org

Sierra Club
"City and County Efforts 
to Fight Climate Change"
with Brownie Newman and Julie Mayfield

Thursday, September 5, 7 p.m. 
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
1 Edwin Place (corner of Edwin and Charlotte Street in Asheville)

Brownie Newman, chair of the Buncombe County Commissioners and Julie Mayfield, Asheville City Council member, will talk about our community's 100% renewable energy resolutions and how to accomplish them.

This Sierra Club event is free and open to everyone. Contact: Judy Mattox:  j [email protected] or  828-683-2176    

    World Affairs Council
Tuesday , September 10, 7:30 p.m.     
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
"Cold War Redux: Cuba in the Trump Era"
Speaker: Jon Elliston

Jon Elliston is an Asheville-based journalist and historian. The former managing editor of the Mountain Xpress, he's currently the senior editor at WNC Magazine. He's visited Cuba frequently since the 1990s, most recently in May, and has written extensively about U.S.-Cuban relations.

World Affairs Council (WAC) lectures and discussions aim to advance international awareness and foster Western North Carolina's global ties. Meetings offer a lively line up of topics
and compelling presenters. OLLI members receive a discount on WAC annual membership fee. Lectures are free to WAC members and UNC Asheville undergraduate students. All others are $10 at the door. 

For more details about programs, consult the WAC website, www.main.nc.us/wac/

This year's fall series at the Reuter Center includes the following 
Tuesday, October 1, 7:30 p.m. Dr. Katherine Grenier on "Britain, Brexit, and Beyond"
"Britain, Brexit, and Beyond"

Tuesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m. Consul General Nadia Theodore of Canada's South-Eastern Consulate in Atlanta will speak on "Canada-U.S. Trade Relationship: A 21st Century Partnership"

Tuesday, December 3, 7:30 p.m. UNC Asheville Philosophy Department Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Keya Maitra will speak on  "India: Modi Begins His Second Term"

Wilma Dykeman Legacy 
Lecture and Book Discussion Series
Four Great WNC Memoirs 
and Their Authors!

 Eight evenings
,
September 12- December 12,
7-8 p.m.
West Asheville Public Library
942 Haywood Road, Asheville

Everyone has a story. Many of us attempt to put our story in writing. Some of
us get published. An even smaller number can take credit for having written something of  lasting value.

On eight evenings from September to December, in the West Asheville Public Library  meeting room at 942 Haywood Road just off Patton Avenue, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy  will celebrate four memoirs of lasting value from the mountains of Western North Carolina.
 Through four lectures and four book discussions the  following writers will be featured:

Up from These Hills
Thursday, September 12:   Talk by Michael Lambert, member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a ssociate professor of African studies and anthropology, UNC Chapel Hill, featuring  Up From These Hills, by Leonard Carson Lambert as told to his son Michael Lambert
Wednesday, September 18:  Book discussion of Up From These Hills
 

Hill of Beans
Thursday, October 10:  Talk by John Snyder, former executive director of Morgan Stanley who grew up near  Brevard, NC and with his aunts in Greenville, SC, featuring his memoir Hill of Beans - which  his father told him he would never amount to
Wednesday, October 16:  Book discussion of Hill of Beans, with the author as participant


Fresh Water from Old Wells
Thursday, November 14:  Talk by Cindy McMahon, member of the Asheville School Board, who grew up in Koinonia, Georgia; Cabbagetown in Atlanta; and Celo, NC, featuring her memoir Fresh Water from Old  Wells
Wednesday, November 20:  Book discussion of Fresh Water from Old Wells, with the author as participant

Flat Broke with Two Goats
Thursday, December 12:  Talk by Jennifer McGaha, Lecturer at UNC Asheville,  featuring her memoir Flat Broke with Two Goats
Wednesday, December 18:  Book discussion of Flat Broke with Two Goats

Twenty copies of each memoir are available for advance purchase, with remaining copies
available for purchase at the events, at the following prices: $20 for Up From These Hills and
Hills of Beans as a pair; $12 for Fresh Water from Old Wells; and $12 for Flat Broke with Two
Goats. Plus $5 shipping. Order from [email protected].


About the Wilma Dykeman Legacy
The Wilma Dykeman Legacy is a tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 2012 to
sustain and promote Wilma Dykeman's values by sponsoring workshops, events, and other
programs. The core values of this extraordinary woman from Buncombe County included
environmental integrity, social justice, and the power of the written and spoken word. For
more information, visit www.wilmadykemanlegacy.org.
Start Your Summer Reading to Prepare for a Talk by 
StoryCorps Founder Dave Isay
Thursday, September 19, 7:30 - 9 pm
UNC Asheville Campus, Lipinsky Auditorium

Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps and author of five books, will give a free public talk on Thursday, September 19, in Lipinsky Auditorium. 
Isay's most recent book based on StoryCorps interviews, Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, is summer reading for first-year UNC Asheville students. 

Isay, a radio producer, began what grew into StoryCorps in 2003 with a story recording booth in New York City. StoryCorps, with a mission "to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world," now has story booths in different cities, and mobile story booths that travel the country.

North Carolina State Dinner of the
 Mathematical Association of America 
Friday, September 27, 5:15 pm  -  9 p.m.
UNC Asheville Campus, Sherrill Center,  227 Campus Drive
Ingles Mountain View Room, Room 417
 
The 2019 North Carolina State Dinner of the Mathematical Association of America will feature poster presentations from selected undergraduate students from North Carolina universities and a talk by Jane Hawkins, professor emerita at UNC-Chapel Hill and treasurer of the American Mathematical Society.

Tickets, available for $25.50, must be  purchased online here  in advance.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | [email protected] | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804