• From the Advisory Council
• Getting to Know You: member responses and guest contribution
• Donor Spotlight
• The Buzz: News from the Classroom and Beyond
• Link to members' photo album on Facebook
• Thank you, OLLI volunteers
• Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
• Photo Credits for this Issue
• About Us

Unless otherwise noted, all content in this issue was compiled or written by members of the eNews Committee.

It’s wonderful to see so many of you back in the classroom and coffee room! After years of teaching archaeology, I’m wearing a new hat as the Chair of OLLI’s Advisory Council, a group of seasoned volunteers who advise our Director on programs and policies. One policy we are due to revise will clarify how interested members can join the Council.

A recent membership satisfaction survey indicated that members want more trips and to know how donations to OLLI are spent. Both issues will be addressed, but you can already see (and hear!) the result of one substantial donation: the upgraded technology in the Osher Classroom. 

A special welcome to new members!

Sarah Wisseman

Sarah Wisseman, Chair

On behalf of the OLLI Advisory Council:

Kendall Rafter, Vice Chair

Frank Modica, Secretary

Beverly Herzog, Council Chair Emerita

Sally Anderson

John Bennett

Ann Campbell

Frank Chadwick

Barbara Jones

Paula Kaufman

Claudia Reich

Jerry Soesbe

Sharon Williams

Elizabeth Abraham

In a few ways, COVID changed my behavior permanently; I wash my hands more frequently, and I really, really lather up when I do; also, I stay home when I think I may be on the brink of illness. I am so much more aware of how illness is passed amongst us, and I actively try not to be a vector. Alas, I suspect that I am less social now, post-COVID, avoiding groups of possible vectors, some of whom may not lather as they should!  

Barry Ackerson

During COVID I decided to reconnect with community theatre. I had done some acting in my youth but gradually became too busy with professional life and family responsibilities. When COVID restrictions were lifted, I started auditioning and have been fortunate to be involved in several productions. I have also become more active in volunteer work at the Station Theatre.

Sandy Camargo

The activity that comes to mind the most is that, all of a sudden, since we were in lockdown and Martin wasn't going into campus, I had to make lunches as well as breakfasts and dinners. This is something that I continue to do since we've retired. I guess I don't mind too much, most of the time. Being the dietitian is what gets me down, but Martin makes suggestions now and then, and that helps.

Ann Campbell

During COVID, I started a weekly Zoom call with 9 old high school friends. We have continued the weekly call, which is always lots of fun both reminiscing from over 55 years ago and catching up with family news, politics etc. Callers are in Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Inverness, Huddersfield, Seattle, Victoria BC, and Champaign!

An interesting side note about my Edinburgh high school is that a famous alum is Muriel Spark, the author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Two of my friends were extras in the film version of the book, starring the late Maggie Smith.

Lori Choquette

I learned to play the ukulele and continue to do so now. I play regularly with the CU Uke Jam which meets weekly at the Phillips Recreation Center in Urbana. 

Marsha Clinard

During the pandemic four of my grandchildren gave me Storyworth and I spent that first year writing stories through this program. A question is sent every week and sometimes I wrote about those, like "What did you take for lunch in high school?" But you could choose your own stories to tell such as "Death in the Family." In addition to writing the stories, you could add photos to them. It was a fun project and at the end Storyworth created a book of your stories. I was able to give each of my grandchildren a copy of the book. I so enjoyed it that I signed up for another year and have continued to write stories of various kinds.

Linda Coleman

As it became clear that COVID was going to restrict our usual activity and our interactions as a community, I turned to walking as a way of feeling less confined and also connected. Like a drunken sailor, I avoided contact even with friends, crossing the street and settling for a wave.

Because my trusty iPhone has a terrific camera, I also began a ritual of taking a photo a day of some sighting, a flower, a pond, a neighborhood pup or kitty. I posted these on Facebook and found people appreciated and looked forward to the little traces of beauty. At one point after things opened up again, I decided to make my postings more random but then found myself returning to sharing a daily photo. I'm pretty sure I’ll continue!

Rick Ertel

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I taught high school math. The spring semester was moved to online classes, which was doable. However, no grades could be lower during this period, and credit would be given for work done before COVID-19. Many students did not attend online classes after that.

The following year, we taught online four days a week, with Wednesdays meant for helping struggling students. I worked long hours and had one-on-one Zoom meetings helping students. My website contained all lectures and homework assignments so all students could miss classes and still catch up. I was working long hours and getting farther behind. 

The next year, we taught classes for students of many different abilities because some students kept up, and many still needed to do so. We also tried to help students with mental health problems. It became more difficult to converse with parents. I retired with one year left on my three-year retirement contract. I had lost the desire to face another year of teaching.

Robin Goettel

I teach chair yoga at many locations throughout C-U. Once the pandemic hit, I could no longer teach in person, and I was quite disappointed. I am also a student of another yoga teacher, Rachel, who started using the Zoom platform so we could practice from the comfort of our homes.

In 2020, I decided to try this instructional approach and reached out with an invitation to many yoga students who had previously shared their contact information with me. I had to make some adjustments with my pedagogy since it was not face-to-face. But it worked well for my students and for me! Now, four years later, I am still teaching chair yoga on Zoom one day a week and typically have 4-8 yogis and yoginis join me. We check in with each other at the beginning of each class and have become a loving community.

Beverly Herzog 

The Girl Scout camp I worked at in the 1970s has reunions every few years for everyone who worked there. When the 2020 reunion was canceled, we started Zoom meetings every week for anyone who was interested. The core of about 10 people, including me, still attend every week and another dozen or so show up periodically. I’ve become close with some people I didn’t work with and have become closer to those that I did know well. It’s been a great experience.

Paula Kaufman

Just before lockdown for COVID was declared, I began to keep a daily journal, something I hadn’t done since I was a tween (although we didn't use that term back then). In it I reflected on international and national news, sometimes on my own perspectives, sometimes on my own feelings, and sometimes I offered a diversionary thought or even a badly-written poem. 

Major themes:

·      Progression of the pandemic

·      Fears – global and personal

·      Daily routines, boredom, too busy, finding the right balance

·      Loneliness, losses

·      Friendship and family

·      Nature

·      Politics 

·      The future of the U.S. – threats and opportunities

·      Passage of time

I’m sorry to say that I haven’t kept at it with any diligence since life returned to more “normal” routines.

Eileen Kohen

Our daughter gave Bill and me subscriptions to Storyworth, which emailed a question-of-the-week related to our lives. Questions spanned a variety of topics, including the following: What is your first, most vivid memory? What have you thrown away in your life that you wish you haven’t? What are some of the most beautiful or interesting places you’ve been? What’s the hardest/best thing about growing older? We customized some questions to discuss family’s genealogy—another interest that flourished during the pandemic. We connected and shared stories online (and post-pandemic in person) with distant relatives.

At the end of the year, we each created a book that included our weekly answers, along with many photos. Although we have more to share, we’ve procrastinated in writing more stories—too much else to do post-pandemic.

Barbara Meyer

I discovered a rich world of distance learning over Zoom, and am astonished at how quickly people embraced the technology.  Participating in meetings, coffee hours, lectures, classes, tours, weddings – all from the comfort of home – kept us safe during the pandemic and now continue to extend our world.  I’ve been able to tour Italy, deserts, wetlands, cemeteries, and rivers. I’ve learned about topics from artificial intelligence and architecture to zoos and zoonotic diseases. I was able to attend my niece’s wedding in San Francisco and meet relatives from Chicago, Milan, and the Czech Republic. I met their pets too, and I made new friends around the world. Zoom, or something like it, is here to stay. 

Jean Paley

Before the pandemic, I never used face masks, not even at the height of flu season. Neither did anyone I knew. Never saw them in grocery stores, convention centers, or on trains, busses, airplanes, in movie theaters, or concert halls. COVID made me a believer pretty quickly. I now carry a few fresh ones in my carry-on when I travel or plan to be in crowded spaces. Makes sense.

Bob Rauber

My wife and I started assembling jigsaw puzzles to pass the time during COVID. We still put one together every month or two.

Jerry Soesbe

1)  Binge-watching TV series

2)  Amazon purchasing

3)  Most importantly, reconnecting with my much younger sister––now with daily email and occasional FaceTime.

Casey Sutherland

In the early days of the pandemic lockdown, we were taking a lot of outdoor walks for socially-distanced exercise. On one such walk, I was about a mile from home when I felt a pop in my left foot. It was painful to walk, but I really didn’t have a choice as to how to get home. Fast forward in time, and after seeing two podiatrists and trying all of the standard treatments (short of surgery) for the neuroma I was diagnosed with, I realized that this was something I was likely going to have to deal with for the rest of my life.

Walking for exercise is off the table now, so my primary care doctor suggested I swim instead. I was on a swim team as a kid, so I have fond memories of the feeling of my body moving through water. I discovered the Wellness Center at Clark-Lindsey and took my first-ever water aerobics class. I immediately fell in love with this age-appropriate exercise option and have been doing it 3-4 times a week ever since.

Kathy Valdes

During COVID I did a lot of knitting, which was not a new skill, but I definitely had more time for it. While in lockdown I learned the art of sourdough bread baking, heddle loom weaving, and of course sewing masks and gowns before medical grade masks were widely available. I have not revisited the words that I wrote, but I also wrote a pandemic journal. Of course there were the Zoom groups, meetings, and classes, some of which have gone to the wayside, but Zoom is still very much in my life. I continue to knit quite a bit, but the other activities faded. Sometimes the urge hits to start sewing and weaving again or to revive my sourdough starter to do some baking, but I have not had the fortitude to revisit that journal. It will be some time before I will be able to bring myself to read the words that bring back the darkness of those times. 

Jean Weigel

I discovered the 92nd Street Y in New York -- and all the concerts, lectures, interviews, and classes they make available online through their regular website and through another site called Roundtable. This is a source much like OLLI but many times more extensive (and, unfortunately, more expensive). I continue to enjoy several of their offerings almost every week.

Chris Whippo

I took full advantage of being at home and tried new exercise videos, attended spiritual retreats, listened to many operas offered by the Met and stories told by professional storytellers from the International Storytelling Center. 

The following were new to me and offered great Zoom programs, and I have continued my affiliations with them: the American Writers Museum, the Champaign Public Library Cover-to-Cover Book Group, and the Yiddish Book Center. 

Sarah Wisseman

Since I missed my painting classes, I switched from in-person to online at Artefacto and Terracotta. Terracotta (the more professional option) requires payment upfront. Artefacto offers free webinars to lure you into a paid class. Once you commit, your payment shows up in rubles! I have enjoyed these classes so much I continue to take them.

The eNews Committee invited new OLLI instructor Kelli McQueen to weigh in on this issue's question: What new activity did you start during the pandemic, and have you continued doing it?

Foreword:

We welcome Kelli McQueen to OLLI’S faculty.  Her course in Early Music History takes us from ancient Mesopotamia and Greece up to the Baroque. Students are also treated to the history of music notation and examples of unique historical instruments.

Kelli grew up in Urbana, went to Urbana High, Parkland, and then to the U of I with a major in Music History.  After getting her Bachelor’s degree, she spent ten years teaching violin, piano, and guitar and playing viola with both the Champaign-Urbana and Danville Symphony Orchestras. But higher education called, and she then earned an MM (Master of Music in Music History and Literature) at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and a PhD in musicology and medieval studies at UIUC.  Her dissertation title is "Starstruck, Lovesick, Poet-Musicians: Troubadours and Cultural Significance of Music in Medieval Society."

In addition to her faculty responsibilities, Kelli sometimes plays viola with the Flatland Consort, providing music for the English Country Dancers. Kelli and her spouse have a house in Homer that they share with two kittens.

Response:

I love to cook and eat good food. During the pandemic, I discovered my current favorite recipe for chicken pie that I bake in my cast-iron skillet. I also enjoy making crafts with recycled products—some folks like to call it "upcycling." For example, to have more options for hanging out in my backyard while practicing social distancing, I made a swing out of an old wooden door left on the side of the road. I also crochet plastic grocery bags into sturdy reusable bags. 

The OLLI Development Committee is profiling member Millie Davis in this issue. Millie has been attending OLLI classes and other offerings since 2018, and she shares her enthusiasm for our community and her reason for being a donor.

I love OLLI! In fact, I’m one of those people who couldn’t wait to retire so I could attend OLLI classes. OLLI has given me so many opportunities to learn and so many new friendships with fun, smart people. It’s not surprising that learning is vital to me since I’m a former English teacher who spent the bulk of my career on staff for the National Council of Teachers of English. There, I enjoyed my days spent working with English teachers and their local NCTE organizations, advocating for good teaching practice, working with young researchers, and, as head of the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center, much time defending challenged books.

Currently, though, I’ve enhanced my career-long focus on writing, literature, and pedagogy with OLLI’s science and philosophy courses, subjects I mostly avoided before now. I relish watching the Illinois Marathon run by my house each spring so I can cheer on the runners. No longer running, I spend time walking my Urbana neighborhood with my dogs and enjoying the lovely flowers. I give to OLLI because it’s just such a great thing for me and for others, and I know from talking with people across the country, we have a superlative OLLI here—which I’m proud both to donate to and be a part of!

Millie Davis

Lots of OLLI members travelled far and wide this summer, but we also had fun here in Central Illinois! We have two Buzz entries for this issue, written by members of the eNews Committee, with photo credits below.

OLLI Trivia Thursdays in the Illinois Room

For three Thursday afternoons in July 2024, OLLI members and guests enjoyed a fun-filled two hours playing team trivia in the Illinois Room. This was the third iteration of this popular OLLI offering. There were approximately 20 to 25 participants each week, with 3 tables of up to 8 people each. Most of the teams had a returning group of core players, but there were new people who joined in the “competition” each week.

Sponsored by the OLLI Membership Committee (who also provided the delicious snacks), and supported by Kathryn Williams, participating teams answered questions on a wide variety of topics. Teams were given up to 3 minutes to think about and discuss their answers with their group. After each day's competition, many gathered at a nearby watering hole to continue the conversations and fun. 

Weeks 1 and 2 were won by The Boomers, with the Happy Wanderers landing in first place for week 3. All winning teams had their photo included in the OLLI Weekly.

Participants are especially grateful to the volunteer MCs for their hard work in coming up with the questions ahead of time, as well as their patience and good humor during the events. Many thanks to members Renee Potter, Casey Sutherland and Bev Herzog  for acting as hosts this summer. 

The Boomers discussing an answer on July 12.

Renee Potter hosted on

July 12.

Host Casey Sutherland on July 19.

Bev Herzog hosted on July 26.

OLLI's Folksinging Interest Group Brings Joy to its Participants

The OLLI folksinging group, led by Sarah Wisseman, began in May 2024. Sarah noted, “This was after a little nudge from our Director, Kathryn (who is herself a guitar player!). I was hesitant to start this group since I’ve never been a song leader, and my guitar skills are minimal. But, as I had hoped, stronger singers and instrument players have emerged and, together, we are more than the sum of our parts.”

The goal of the group is to have fun singing, and everyone is welcome regardless of prior experience. “We’ve settled into a comfortable routine, going around the circle to choose songs and singing some without accompaniment if the guitar chords are too complicated,” said Sarah.

About 21 people showed up the first time, but over the summer, they've averaged 10-12 singers. “I think that's pretty good,” said Sarah, “considering all the summer travel and the competing schedules of busy people.”

“Charlie and I used to have a regular potluck and singalong with five other couples until the year when one couple moved away, and two others divorced! We found other groups over time.” Sarah has kindly donated 10 copies of Rise Up Singing, Vol 1, so OLLI will always have a minimal library of songs. “As we resurrect old favorites and learn new ones,” Sarah remarked, “I’m discovering many songs that were relevant when we were young still resonate today.” 

One of the folksingers, Rick Mouche, said, “I joined this OLLI interest group because I enjoy singing. It is a fun social event, and I get to learn songs I may not have heard before, as well as lead songs that I do know while playing the ukulele or mandolin.”

Another singer, Dee Breeding, noted, “I have fond memories of singing folk music in my high school and college days, so when Sarah proposed this group, I was very interested in checking it out.” She added, “It's wonderful to sing some of my favorite songs from the past. Since we all take turns picking songs, I also enjoy learning new songs that are favorites of the other singers.” One very cool outcome of being part of this group is that Dee is now considering picking up the guitar again after 25 years or so...if her fingers/hands will cooperate.

The other OLLI folksingers echo Dee’s sentiment that we love singing…and singing with others is just the best! Please join us—this semester, every other Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

For this issue, we asked OLLI members to submit a photo that they took this summer. Above are some of the submissions; the full photo gallery can be found in our Facebook album.

NOTE: You do not need to have a Facebook account to follow the link above and view the photo gallery. Depending on the device you are using to view the photos (desktop computer, phone, tablet, etc.), you may have to click the "Not now" option when prompted to log in to Facebook, in order to clear that message and proceed to the photo album.

Our sincere thanks go out to members who facilitated a study group during our summer 2024 session!

And we very much appreciate the members who acted as fall course hosts, sharing important announcements and helping to keep the cell phones muted during their class!

Finally for this issue, thank you to the folks who Zoomed in from home and assisted the other Zoomers to have their questions answered.

• October 28: Fall courses end

• November 4: Fall study group session begins (6 weeks)
• November 4: Spring course proposals final deadline
• November 15: Winter study group proposals due
• November 25–29: no OLLI activities
• November 28, 29: OLLI Office closed for Thanksgiving

• December 4: Winter study group schedule posted
• December 9: Spring half-year memberships available
• December 9–13: Fall "Taste of OLLI"
• December 11: Winter study group registration begins (9:00 a.m.)
• December 15: Spring course schedule posted
• December 20: Fall study group session ends

Chris Clark, Sarah Wisseman, Eileen Kohen, Sarah Stierch, Amazon, Wikimedia Commons, Cecile Steinberg, Sara Balgoyen, Kathryn Williams, Sam Reese, Casey Sutherland, Robin Goettel, Kandra Miller, Fred Christensen, Janet Summers, Frank Chadwick.

OLLI at Illinois is a member-driven community of adult learners that is supported by the Bernard Osher Foundation, the University of Illinois Office of the Provost, and the generous donations of OLLI members and friends. It is part of a network of 125 OLLI programs across the United States, and there are more than 170,000 members nationwide.

OLLI at Illinois was launched in the fall of 2007 and, since then, it has offered hundreds of programs to engaged residents of Central Illinois, fifty and older, representing a wide range of educational opportunities developed by OLLI’s volunteer Advisory Council and committees. In addition to courses in the fall and spring semesters, OLLI offers a dynamic schedule of programs and activities that have included lectures, study groups, member-led interest groups, educational travel opportunities, and collaborations with the Illinois campus and the communities in and around Champaign-Urbana.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois

217-244-9141 – web: olli.illinois.edu – email: olli@illinois.edu