March 2021 www.usm.maine.edu/olli

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

IN THIS ISSUE

[Hint: Click on these to

jump to their page.]

Senior Moments

Advisory Board

Reflections

Launch

Submitting Your

Work to

Reflections

OLLI Events

March at SAGE

How About Uke?

Walking Club

O L L I N E W S L E T T E R

USM

An OLLI Trip to Iceland

COVID has made us all firmly focused on home and our adapta-

tions to the challenge of remote learning. However, with the

vaccine rollout moving along, our attention has turned to resuming

OLLI’s international travel program. Along with our partners at

AAA Travel, a trip is being planned for May 2022 to Iceland—a

place to which OLLI has not yet ventured.

This trip will be a bit different from other trips OLLI has organ-

ized. It will be a trip that matches the rugged landscape of Iceland:

We’ll have hikes to waterfalls, coastal paths, and on black sand

beaches; there will be cruises onto Atlantic waters to see glacial

fields and wildlife; we will explore geysers and lava tubes; and we

will walk where the continental plates from North America and

Europe are gradually pulling away from each other. We’ll have a

walking tour of Reykjavik, its museums, and sites; consider the

turbulent history of Iceland’s settlers; spend time walking around

farmsteads associated with the sagas (Iceland’s literary treasures);

and float in thermal springs, including the famous Blue Lagoon.

There will be free time in the evening to explore, relax, shop, or

perhaps meet with friends from the University of the Third Age in

Reykjavik. Our trip will

take us to significant

sites on the southern

and southwestern side

of the island.

Because of the uncer-

tainty of our times, we

are working with Col-

lette Tours, who will

offer a no-questions-

asked complete trip

refund up to 24 hours

before departure. The

core trip will take place

from May 14 through

May 23, and the timing

and details of a trip

extension will be shared

in the next month. We

are also arranging a (Continued on page 2)

Reykjavik

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Senior Moments

Bob Greene

OLLI member and instructor Bob Greene has been contributing his expertise on Black history with

articles and a video published in the Portland Press Herald and Sunday Telegram and on the com-

pany’s website.

Articles

February 14 (updated February 16): “A missing piece:’ Maine’s connections to slavery are hidden

in plain sight.”

February 20: “Black History Month: Maine’s Black history should not be forgotten.”

Video

Last year on April 20, Bob narrated one of the installments of “On this date in Maine History,” an

account of three court cases between Quock Walker, an enslaved person, and his owner, Nathaniel

Jennison.

Bob graduated from Portland High School and spent many years as a journalist and historian. He

was profiled by Don King in the OLLI Newsletter of April 2013.

Blue Lagoon Photo by Ivan Sabljak

OLLI Trip to Iceland (Continued from page 1)

post-trip excursion that may include horseback riding, more nature hikes along fjords and into natural

areas, and other adventures for intrepid travelers.

To ensure that we will have the best experience of Iceland, we will arrange a pre-trip course and

bring along geologist Irwin Novak and a literary scholar from Hartwick College. The immersion in

Icelandic history, literature, art, and geology will make this OLLI trip truly unique.

As you think ahead about resuming your own travel, we ask that you consider this special OLLI trip.

Specific details and costs will be shared in March, and we are planning trip registration to take place in

April (virtually).

—Donna Anderson, Director

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WEB SITES

Maine Senior College Network

www.maineseniorcollege.org

OLLI National Resource Center

www.osher.net

OLLI at USM

www.usm.maine.edu/olli

ADVISORY BOARD

Sue Jennings, Chair

Steve Schiffman, Vice-Chair

Peter Curry, Secretary

Pamela Delphenich , Chair, Teaching

and Learning Committee

Anne Cass & Karen Day,

Co-Chairs, Membership and

Administration Committee

Gael McKibben & Elizabeth House-

wright, Co-Chairs, Social Relations

Committee

Chair TBA, SAGE Committee

Star Pelsue, Chair, External Relations

Committee

Matt Goldfarb Georgia Koch

Steven Piker Penny Davis-Dublin

Bob Greene David Morton

Ruth Parker Ronnie Wilson

OLLI members are invited to

attend Advisory Board meetings.

Check with the Chair for time and

place, or if you wish to address the

Board.

OLLI NEWSLETTER OLLI Office:

Wishcamper Center 210

P. O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

Phone: 207 780-4406 or

1-800-800-4876

TTY 1-207-780-5646

Fax: 207 780-4317

E-mail: ollinews@maine.edu

Tim Baehr, Editor

Don King, Editor Emeritus

Mogens Ravn, Layout Editor

Please send newsletter material to

the OLLI Office, via our e-mail.

Deadline for the April

issue is March 15.

OLLI STAFF

Donna Anderson, Director

Rob Hyssong, Program

Coordinator

Megan Saul, Administrative

Assistant

Advisory Board

A year ago this month OLLI, as an organization, had no inkling

of what the coming year would bring. We had a spring term

planned and ready to go. We had a wonderful time starting off

President Cummings’s year of looking at and improving race rela-

tions at USM with our “Wrinkle in Time” program on “The His-

tory of Racism in America.” We were the first group at USM to

read and discuss How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram Kendi. Presi-

dent Cummings spoke at our program, as did a multi-racial panel

of USM students.

Then everything changed. The handful of virus cases turned into

a pandemic and the university was closed down. But unlike some

other OLLIs and senior colleges around the country, OLLI at USM

decided to stay open. Staff, teachers, board members, SIG leaders,

and, really, all members rose to the occasion. We improvised a

two‑part spring term to be run remotely on ZOOM. Luckily, as

part of our ongoing strategic planning, we had already started to

think about remote learning methods and possibilities. Classes

were held to train teachers and students how to use the new tech-

nology. It was not easy, but by the time we got to the second half

of spring term classes, things were going pretty smoothly.

Where are we today? Our membership is down, only 65% of the

number of members since that time last year, but those who are

have been an active bunch: 95% of our members are involved in

classes, workshops, and SAGE lectures for the coming spring. We

have great online discussion groups, games, and even music to lis-

ten to as we sip a cocktail. “Meet and Mingles” continue with op-

portunities for us to meet and talk with new members in small

groups online. Where possible, many SIGs continue to meet.

It now looks likely that we will continue to have remote learning

through the end of 2021. But what about after that? The Advisory

Board, especially through its committees, will be spending the time

over the next few months to identify things that we have learned

from this year that we could continue to use and to build upon. We

will explore new technologies and new formats that are emerging

from other senior colleges/OLLIs and other external organizations.

We will be planning how we can bring back our on-site learning

and social experiences and create a robust hybrid environment.

AND we will count on all members to help OLLI to continue to

attract existing, former, and new members.

Lots of work—but it will be exciting. The Board really needs

your ideas to plan the best “new normal” services provided by

OLLI. Let me know of your reactions to your experiences this past

year, as well as your ideas for future activities. My e-mail address

is jensusa10@gmail.com —Sue Jennings, Board Chair

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Zoom Helps Us Launch Reflections

The pandemic might be presenting challenges, but it offers new opportunities as well, if we look for

them. And OLLI surely did as it planned and produced the 20th anniversary issue of Reflections.

Director Donna Anderson arranged for the inclusion of additional pages, which made for an especially

handsome journal of art and literature by OLLI members. So how to get it distributed in a time of

distant membership? The back cover was reformatted for an unusual and complicated mailing that

began in December. It’s also available online this year:

https://usm.maine.edu/sites/default/files/olli/Reflections%202020_v4.pdf

The Reflections team then realized it could take real advantage of Zoom to

have a virtual launch party. On Tuesday, February 9, scores of OLLI members

joined in. First, we celebrated the publication’s evolution and, by name, the

founders and early workers. As the issue’s look-back essay reveals, Keith

Sherburne, who brought many enduring innovations to USM’s Senior College

(later the first OLLI), put forth the idea of an art and literature journal and led a

number of dedicated individuals through Reflections’ formative years. It was a

delight to be able to have some of Reflections’ pioneers Zoom with us that day.

Our own Reflections launch innovation involved both having readings (by

Eileen Griffin, Tana Leonhart, and Eric Jensen) of poetry and prose, and―with

Zoom’s technology―being able to enjoy fascinating, informative visits to the workplaces of three

artists represented in the 2020 issue. Molly Morell, David Little, and Eric Edmonds showed various

examples of their work and explained how in the past year the pandemic or other circumstances are

influencing their processes. The ensuing kudos for the visits with these six contributors to Reflections

will encourage us to repeat this feature for our next launch, of the 2021 edition.

One of the previous heads of Reflections is Domenica Cipollone, who could participate on February 9

via Zoom from her current home in Florida. In part, she e-mailed: “What a wonderful presentation

overall, and individually by each of the writers and artists I enjoyed and learned from, each minute…. I

am glad, and not surprised, to see the OLLI village thriving.”

If you had to miss the launch or would like to revisit it, the event was recorded and appears on the

OLLI site as a link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/x1dqC2fe3oQ

The co-chairs for 2021, Rob

Petrillo and Elsa van Bergen,

look forward to discovering

writers in our next issue who

can, in the next launch, also

delve with us all into the fine

points and challenges behind

their creativity. Now the hope is

that you will check out the

instructions on submissions (in

this issue of the newsletter) and

feel inspired in the next two

months to share your own

words and images!

—The Reflections Team

First Reflections

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Do You Know? You can click on “Events” on OLLI’s Facebook page; and, just maybe, you will find an activity to

spark your interest!

Go here: https://www.facebook.com/OsherLifelongLearningInstituteatUSM

You can also visit our OLLI Online Registration Website. To find a current list of Special Events,

sign in and then click on “Special Events” under “Osher Lifelong Learning Institute” on the left-hand

side. Once there, be sure to click on the DATE of the event, and then “Add to Cart.”

—Social Relations Committee

Submitting Your Work to Reflections 2021 Deadline: April 1

Current OLLI members are invited to submit their creative works to the 2021 edition of Reflec-

tions: A Journal of Art and Literature.

Please follow the guidelines below. The submissions manager can usually fix anything that’s miss-

ing, or get in touch with you with any questions. (But do your best to follow the rules.)

1. Create your written or visual work (or find it on your computer). You may submit up to two

items in each of the four categories (see Step 4). Your work must be entirely yours, original,

and not previously published.

2. If you haven’t done so already, save your work on your computer as a document or image file.

3. Do not put your name anywhere on your work. If it’s on your artwork, cover it up.

4. Start an e-mail. Put Reflections in the subject line.

Type in the following in the body of the e-mail:

Your name as you wish to see it in the credits

The name of the work as you wish to see it in the Table of Contents

The category of what you’re submitting: Art, Photo, Poetry, Prose

Your phone and e-mail address

A short (35 words max.) bio starting with your name (e.g., “Mary Jones….”)

For all artwork, photos, etc., add a brief (20 words maximum) statement of what inspired

your creation. Include the medium — photo, oil, watercolor, pastels, ink, pencil, sculp-

ture, etc.

For artwork, including sculpture, take a digital photo and send that in. The PhotScan app

from Google Photos is very useful and is available for both Android and iPhone devices.

5. Attach the electronic version of your work to the e-mail.

6. Send the e-mail to Tim Baehr, the Submissions Manager, at tim.baehr@gmail.com.

NOTE: This is a new e-mail address and is not the same e-mail address as in

prior years.

Repeat this for each item you send. If you send three items, you’ll send three separate e-mails.

Submissions will be acknowledged starting sometime in March.

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March at SAGE Forest Fires, Pandemic Vaccines, and Business Entrepreneurship

SAGE webinar lectures begin on Tuesday morning, March 16, from 9:30 to 11:30. Each program pro-

vides the opportunity for audience members to participate in Q&A dialogue with the speaker. Here are

the three March programs.

March 16. Raging forest fires devasted much of our western states from late

spring into the fall. For 34 years Kelly Martin, retired Chief of Fire and Aviation

for Yosemite National Park and the National Park Service, had critical manage-

ment responsibilities fighting such fires. Kelly also has been a mentor for the next

leaders in fire management. With women comprising only 10 percent of the work

force in fire, Kelly wanted to give more women the opportunity to receive hands-

on training to further their leadership careers. In recognition of her efforts, in

2017 Kelly received the Women Who Dared Gratitude Award, which honors

those who have taken a personal risk to further the advancement of equal oppor-

tunity and status for women. Kelly will have much to share with our SAGE audi-

ence about her up close and personal experiences with forest fires as well as a ca-

reer working in a man’s world.

March 23. Theft of our personal ID is not only expensive; it also can cost lots

of time and effort to fix the many problems created in our financial accounts. Ed

Myslik, Principal Investigator for the State Bureau of Consumer Credit Protec-

tion and Maine’s resident expert on ID theft, will share with our SAGE audience

what he is seeing right in our own communities. Be prepared to learn how to be-

come vigilant regarding your own family’s financial transactions, and what to do

if you unfortunately become a victim of the bad guys.

March 30 will feature USM Business School Professor Richard Bilodeau.

Richard enhances learning through optimizing neurobiology in his School of

Business courses in entrepreneurship, creative strategies, sustainability, and mar-

keting. He also serves as lead faculty in USM’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and

for eight years he managed the USM student business plan competition. Owner of

a direct marketing business for alternative health and a TV station, Richard joined

the School of Business after getting those businesses on firm ground.

All eight SAGE lectures will be provided on line in a webinar format. When you register for a lecture

or to subscribe to the series, you will receive a link to access the webinar. You must be an OLLI mem-

ber to purchase an eight-lecture subscription for $50. The cost for each individual lecture is $10; mem-

bership is not required for individual lectures, but you must register four days in advance to receive an

access link. As with OLLI classes, you can register on line for SAGE subscriptions through the month

of March, and for individual lectures. To begin the process, visit https://www.enrole.com/usmmaine/

jsp/index.jsp?categoryId=10025

Nondiscrimination Notice

The University of Maine, including USM, is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race,

color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disabil-

ity, genetic information, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following

person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101

North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

March 2021 Page 7

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How About Uke?*

Thanks to one of our members, Kip DeSerres,

OLLIUKES! has been ZOOMing along every

two weeks. Admittedly it is less than ideal, but it

is very reassuring to see our participating mem-

bers’ smiling faces! As simultaneous singing is a

cacophony, we each summon our courage to sing

solo parts of the selected songs. Songs are se-

lected ahead of time by a member who volun-

teers. We have been averaging 10 folks each

meeting and have even added a new member.

This model is getting us through, and it even al-

lows us the company of a member who winters in

Florida! We all look forward to being together in person again.

—Cheryl Eling

[* Editor’s note: How About Uke? was a famous album by jazz ukulele

artist Lyle Ritz, issued in 1957 and reissued in 2007. Available here:

https://www.amazon.com/How-About-Uke-Lyle-Ritz/dp/B00014AUJ6 ]

Walking Club

The Walking Club will hit the trails again in March for

two more snowshoe outings. On Wednesday, the 10th, we

will visit the Spear Farm Estuary Preserve in Yarmouth,

where we have not snowshoed for several years. It offers

nice views of the Royal River along the route. On the Web:

https://rrct.org/preserves-trails/spear-farm-estuary-preserve/

On Monday, the 22nd, we will try a new spot, Hawkes

Preserve, in Gorham. On the Web:

https://www.prlt.org/hawkes-preserve

For both outings, you should wear grippers if you are not

on snowshoes, and bring your poles. The

terrain underfoot is always questionable

at this time of year, and there is some

elevation at both sites.

The areas offer sufficient parking, and

we will meet at the locations at 10:15

a.m. More information will be sent closer

to the dates.

—Rae Garcelon

Walkers enjoyed Cherry Hill Farm in Gor-

ham and the unusual bear carved by Tim

Pickett of Elliot from a pine tree stump.

Hardy walkers on a snowshoe

outing at Twin Brook in

Cumberland

Arlene Handschuch signing in

for contact tracing, as we do

before each walk

OLLI Ukes at Wishcamper - Feb. 2019