Greetings! Since we are not printing our course brochure or our fall newsletter, we wanted to offer you a back-to-school report containing OLLI news and updates. So with a lot of help from the University College marketing director and wonderful contributions from our editor Bettye Dew, we are happy to present our first digital newsletter! What do you think?
The photos were all taken in January when we were still on campus. It is a bit strange to see them now, but they remind us of what we have to look forward to.
We had our first online Zoom Annual Meeting back in June. Interim Dean Heather Corcoran explained that facing the coming uncertain school year, the provost was making a huge effort, aided by a 300-person team, to create a structure for all university components to have a safe campus. Three committees were busy developing standards for critical dimensions of campus reopening: public health, facilities, and communications.
We heard reports from Steve Radinsky, Marketing Chair, and David Brown, Curriculum Chair. We elected new Executive Committee members (Ellen Boone and Joe Schlafly) and a new Vice-Chair, Kelly Jordan. We thanked Dan Ellis and Cathy Riedesel, for their service on the Executive Committee. Dan came onto the Executive Committee after serving as the Curriculum Chair and was a great support these past 4 years. Cathy Riedesel has always generously shared her technical knowledge—first as an online registration mentor and now as a co-host for online classes.
Joan McDonald was applauded for her service as the Chair of the Executive Committee. Joan has been a stalwart pillar of OLLI for many years—always willing to step up when needed, especially when I was sick last year. She embraced change cheerfully, even a new name! She will be a huge asset as our Past Chair.
Don Cohn was also recognized as being another great support for 6 years--having gone through the lottery, the transition to the online registration system, the parking crisis! He was fully on board when we became an Osher LLI.
Julien Worland, who is the secretary of the Executive Committee, has done a fine job of writing the minutes of our meetings in a very timely and efficient manner and we appreciate it.
David Brown, our Curriculum Chair, deserves a special thank you because he has volunteered to serve another year! He has done a terrific job and has been a huge help during this time of transitioning to online classes.
We managed to provide a four-week online summer term and “Boomers became Zoomers”! Almost 250 OLLIers registered to take one or more of 12 courses, one “email only” course, and a special program. Now we are on the verge of our first entirely online fall term. Offerings include 26 Zoom courses, 2 “email only” courses, and four special programs. Hats off to our wonderful volunteer facilitators and moderators.
During this period of working and learning remotely, I have endeavored to stay connected to you all with my twice-weekly newsletters. I will continue to do so. Denise and I both appreciate your forbearance and good humor during all the changes of the past year. Thank you and I hope to see you all before too long!
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Steve Radinsky Assumes Leadership of Executive Committee |
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For enthusiasm and drive, few can outshine Steve Radinsky, the new chair of OLLI’s Executive Committee. When he and his wife, Myra, moved to Clayton 11 years ago, they became avid OLLI students, with Steve sometimes signing up for classes five days a week.
“In college, I had to concentrate on my pre-med studies,” he said recently. “I missed a lot.” Among his first OLLI courses was “The Universe,” facilitated by Bob Cortinovis. “It was my introduction to the vastness of the universe, leading me to think about stars and galaxies for the first time.”
One of Steve’s important contributions to OLLI has been coordinating the speakers for the special series of talks presented on Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m. “I comb Washington University’s Record publication, as well as Outlook magazine, looking for information on cutting-edge researchers,” he explained. “Then I usually set out to meet and talk to them at Wash U events. All have readily consented to speak at OLLI.” His efforts have brought a variety of research topics to the Friday series: for example, curing diabetes in mice, using skin cells transformed into stem cells to grow cartilage (the future of knee and hip replacements) and, apropos to current concerns, new tests that will drive specific treatments in virology.
During his tenure as chair of the Executive Committee, Steve hopes, first, to help guide OLLI through the bumpy period of the COVID-19 crisis, when classes must be presented through Zoom, yet expenses remain the same. Overall, his goal is to ensure OLLI’s existence well into the future.
Twenty-two years ago, after Steve retired from his career as a diagnostic radiologist, he began volunteering at FOX2 News Call for Action. He also became a volunteer fundraiser, bringing in impressive amounts of money for causes such as the American Cancer Society, the United Way, and the Siteman Cancer Center. About the rejection that comes with fundraising, he said, “If you don’t ask, you can’t know. Just call me persistent.”
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Kelly Jordan, Vice-Chair of Executive Committee |
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During her busy career as a CPA, Kelly Jordan traveled much of the globe as a corporate international tax specialist. When she took early retirement, however, she longed to be a student again. She had heard about OLLI, but there was a problem: she did not meet the minimum age requirement (then 55).
After spending two years taking a variety of classes at UMSL, she finally “aged into” OLLI. “I went from being the oldest to the youngest in the class,” Kelly said, enjoying the irony. It was a happy day for all concerned, and three years later, she is serving as the new vice-chair of the Executive Committee.
Kelly caught the spirit of OLLI from the beginning. She became an active and loyal member of both the Wall Street Journal and The Economist classes, as well as, intermittently, Current Events. In addition, she has enjoyed volunteering as the secretary of the Curriculum Committee. “That way, I get to learn about all the different courses,” she commented.
After OLLI facilities closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly’s classmate Jim Miller asked if she would be willing to host a Zoom version of the Wall Street Journal class. Her job would be to keep the electronic session running smoothly, leaving the facilitators free to concentrate on the class itself. True to form, she set out to learn how.
“Students have done an excellent job adapting to Zoom,” she said. “Even in large classes, people like to participate. They are getting the hang of raising their hands electronically, preparing their comments (about homework assignments) beforehand, and observing the time limit for speaking.”
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Ellen Boone, New Member of Executive Committee |
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Four years ago, when Ellen Boone was planning her move from Ohio, her St. Louis daughter scoped out OLLI and other organizations likely to interest her. Once resettled, she wasted little time signing up for OLLI courses, choosing Memoirs and The New Yorker. With those courses came new interests and new friends.
“So many people of goodwill and talent! I felt at home,” Ellen said. Before long, though, Ellen’s own talents began to surface. In her second Memoirs course, she was asked to join Rudy Yanuck as co-facilitator, replacing the late Lois Atnip. “Writing memoirs was challenging for me, because I had done mainly academic and professional writing,” she said, referring to her Ph.D. studies and career as a clinical psychologist.
Ellen’s leadership skills were called upon in a new way when she took on the job of chairing a multifaceted committee assembled to compile, edit, and publish a book showcasing OLLI student writings and artistic endeavors. After months of work, the book, titled Potpourri 2020, was published in mid-June. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic and the closing of OLLI and Washington University, sales and distribution of the book had to be postponed. Of the experience, she remarked, “It is amazing what good people working together can accomplish.” She hopes that all OLLI students and others too can soon enjoy the happy results.
Ellen is fulfilling another retirement goal through her volunteer work with K-3 schoolchildren. After originally tutoring students at their school, as part of the St. Louis Oasis program, this past summer she began to tutor them online. In a venture co-sponsored by Oasis and local libraries, she was able to virtually share and read books with five different students each week.
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Joe Schlafly, New Member of the Executive Committee |
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After starting out as a lawyer at a well-known St. Louis firm, Joe Schlafly switched gears. He joined Stifel, an investment banking, venture capitalist company, where he enjoyed a 40-year career. And now OLLI is pleased to welcome him as a new member of the Executive Committee.
When he was considering retirement, Joe heard about OLLI from an enthusiastic member, Wendy Olk. Thanks to this word-of-mouth, our most effective recruitment tool, his interest was piqued. It was Harry Truman, though, who spurred him to take the next step: enrollment. “Truman is one of my interests,” he said, “and he turned out to be the subject of my first OLLI class.”
His follow-up courses have also proved stimulating. He described his New Yorker class as being full of “informed students from many different backgrounds who bring their experience to the discussions.” The articles chosen for discussion, he said, are not only diverse but “almost universally thought-provoking and well written.” And with several well-versed classmates to explain some of the more ambiguous examples, he is even warming up to the poetry. Eliciting equal enthusiasm is his class in The Economist, with its intellectually curious participants, well-researched articles, and international slant. As a Francophile, he looks forward to taking some of Anna Amelung’s classes.
Eight years ago, Joe co-founded Arch Grants, a business non-profit that extends grants to young, innovative companies around the world. The winners of the competition are given $50,000 in support and are expected to relocate here to build their business. “It is so important and positive to have a nucleus of companies growing in the St. Louis area,” he said.
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Freedman Fall Address: ‘Kent State and
the Failure of First Amendment Law’
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Fifty years have passed since the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, when Ohio National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of unarmed students, killing four and injuring nine. Images from that tragedy remain seared in the memories of many Americans who lived through that volatile time of anti-war protests.
In delivering the Henrietta and Rudolph Freedman Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Fall Address on Sept. 2, Prof. Gregory P. Magarian evoked Kent State as “a dark watershed in our government’s suppression of free speech.” He described it as almost perfectly bisecting the First Amendment century, referencing an era that began in 1919, when, in a series of cases, the Supreme Court ruled against dissidents of WWI. But by writing dissenting and concurring opinions that eventually prevailed, Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis laid the foundation for First Amendment law.
“Up until 1970,” Magarian said, “the Supreme Court’s First Amendment decisions emphasized protecting political dissidents, social outcasts and campaigners for justice.” In a landmark 1943 case, Justice Robert H. Jackson delivered the decision for West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, saying it was unconstitutional for public schools to compel students to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. As Magarian explained, “Justice Jackson’s opinion made clear that the First Amendment lets social and religious nonconformists challenge our dominant cultural consensus.”
Then, in the 1960s, activists for African American civil rights achieved legal success in New York Times v. Sullivan, a case instigated by the police commissioner of Montgomery, Ala. Delivering the opinion, Justice William Brennan wrote that the freedom of speech protection in the First Amendment restricted the ability of American public officials to sue for defamation. The decision defended free reporting of the civil rights campaigns in the South.
“The antiwar protests at Kent State exemplified what the First Amendment law is all about,” Magarian said. “Kent State and the events in its wake exposed a gaping chasm between our country’s democratic ideals and the state of our public discourse.” From that time, however, instead of focusing on protecting dissent and protest, “the Court began to shift First Amendment law in a different direction, safeguarding advertisers and wealthy institutions.” He said the First Amendment of 2020 is one that Jackson and Brennan would hardly recognize.
Magarian delivered his address via Zoom, speaking to an audience of some 100 OLLI members, which included, in London, Julia Freedman and John Lawrence, endowers of this annual event. He is the Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law.
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Potpourri 2020 Published in June
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For each term, OLLI students with a yen for writing have up to four courses to choose from. The annual curriculum includes Memoirs, Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, or a mix of genres. But what are writers without readers? And so, from time to time, OLLI students (from writing classes and at large), along with a variety of visual artists, go public by contributing to a book spotlighting their creative work.
Potpourri 2020 is the third such publication in OLLI’s 25-year history. It is also the publication with the largest committee behind it, 16 members, chaired by Ellen Boone. After several months of discussion and decisions, followed by additional months of editing, design, and production work, Potpourri 2020 saw publication in mid-June. The book includes 101 selections, the work of 75 contributors.
Because of the pandemic and the closure of on-campus classes, however, the sale and marketing of this new edition of Potpourri had to be postponed. “We are eager to share our book,” Ellen stated. “As soon as possible, we will let OLLI members know how they can obtain their own copies.”
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Obituary
Sally Kopman, Longtime OLLI Facilitator
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Sally Kopman’s avid involvement reflected her love for OLLI. In addition to her 18 years as a facilitator, she served on the Executive and Curriculum committees. She was famous for her homemade chocolate chip cookies, which she always brought to her classes.
For many years, she facilitated a play discussion class that focused on classic plays. In recent years, she collaborated with Barbara Matthews and Gary Cope to offer courses in contemporary theatre. She and her husband, Charlie, journeyed each year to Stratford, Ontario, to see plays presented at the Stratford Festival. They had also recently joined a Yale group that travels all over the country to attend theatre festivals. Their most frequent trips, however, took them East to visit children and grandchildren.
Sally was a people person, and nowhere was that more evident than in the Detective Fiction class she facilitated with Louise Lonsbury and Silvia Madeo. She brought her open and friendly ways to the classroom. People felt comfortable sharing their ideas and, in turn, enjoyed the books and each other. With her charm and knowledge, Sally made a terrific facilitator.
Sally Kopman died in late April.
—Louise Lonsbury
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Charles Kopman
Sally Kopman
Claire Hyman
Shirley Snitzer
David Levine
Janet Aach
Richard Rosenthal
Tribute Gifts
In Memory of:
Charles & Sally Kopman
______JoAnne & Marc Vorih
______The Rivinus Family
______Susan & Robert Levin
______Ken Streett
______Sissy Thomas
______Hazel & Richard Sohn
______Ruth McBrayer
Ruby Quarterman
______Carolyn Quarterman
Janet Aach
______Rita Warren
______Rae Ellen Tash
______Barbara & Nathan Simon
Richard Rosenthal
______Rosemary Rosenthal’s French Book Club:
______David Eidelman
______Emily Guignon
______Hannah Langsam
______Beryl Lemon
______Gloria Lubowitz
______Susan Rava
In Honor of:
Katie Compton’s speedy recovery
______Ben & Radine Borowsky
Gift to the Scholarship Fund
______Ruth L. Siteman
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Editor:
____Bettye Dew
Contributors:
____Katie Compton
____Bettye Dew
____Louise Lonsbury
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