OLLI@DU / 2023 FALL / MEET OUR FACILITATORS

Ed Friedman-

Dr. Ed Friedman is an award-winning expert on astrophysical space telescopes. During his 50-year career, he consulted for NASA and the National Academy of Sciences, authored four optical engineering books and 79 professional journal articles. He was successful guiding the work of two aerospace engineering PhD candidates. He lectures on cosmology to adult education students at both The University of Denver and Colorado State University, on cruise ships and to community groups. He is writing a book on cosmology for intelligent non-scientists. He last taught this course at DU OLLI in the winter semester of 2020.

Christopher GarciaChristopher M. Garcia serves as an Assistant Professor, faculty advisor, and the program director for the Master of Science in Information and Cyber Security degree program at Regis University. For 40 years he served as a certificated command pilot, flight instructor, mainframe automation programmer, and as a career air traffic control tower and RADAR specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired from 35 years of civil service as the Chief Information Security Officer and the Director of the US Department of Transportation Security Operations Center of Excellence, specializing in the design, implementation, and management of Security Operations Centers of Excellence. He is a graduate of Regis University, Vanderbilt University, Villanova University, the Brookings Institution and Valley Forge Military College.

Wayne Gardner-

Wayne Gardner’s family has been involved in music his entire life. He is an amateur music historian, musician, and lover of most musical genres. Wayne plays guitar, ukulele, mandolin, and bouzouki. He spent time early in life as the manager of a talented singer/songwriter and recording artist. He has recorded numerous songs.

Stuart Gentry-

Stuart Gentry has degrees in Chemistry and Physics. He spent the first 20 years of his professional career in the chemical industry. He then switched directions and became a professor of chemistry at La Salle University in Philadelphia. His passion is linking the fundamentals of science to the practical technology that we experience in the world around us.

Glenn Gravlee-

Glenn Gravlee is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Anesthesiology at CU Anschutz Medical Campus and a Master Facilitator. He has facilitated a number of courses for OLLI at DU, most of which were co-facilitated with Paul Simon. Several have 20th Century music or culture, e.g., 1960s Music (Parts 1 and 2), 1950s Music, British Invasion, and a Zoom-based version of America’s Love Affair with the Car, all of which received favorable reviews. Others include Royal British Navy under King George III, Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall, and Elvis the King (the latter with Larry Tannenbaum).

Shellie HochstadtShellie Hochstadt graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in history and a minor in political science. She was a divisional merchandise manager for a department store until 1994, when she returned to her core interest and passion for world history. She taught AP World History, AP Government, and economics until her retirement in 2010. She combines her interests in history, travel, and reading into her teaching, where she endeavors to bring a thoughtful global perspective.

Carri HolmanCarri’s career was in IT beginning as a computer programmer and ending as the owner of a computer consulting company. She took up painting as a hobby to get on the “other side” of her brain and was in a cooperative gallery for 6 years. She loves to travel and circumnavigated Africa last year and went on a cruise around the British Isles, Norway and Iceland in the summer of 2023. She continues to paint and love her two cats. She’s fostered about 20 kittens. She loves to share her knowledge about cats with others. She’s facilitated several classes at OLLI over the years including the history of food.

Barbara HolmeBarbara Holme graduated from Stanford and was a Colorado State Senator, 1974-84. She represented East Central Denver and served as Democratic Caucus Chair and Democratic Assistant Minority Leader. Barbara was appointed by the governor to the Supreme Court Nominating Committee and to the Metro Air Quality Commission. She worked for 12 years for AIMCO, a Denver-based Real Estate Investment Trust. She served as president of the Denver Association of Gifted & Talented, member of the Common Cause board, Planned Parenthood Advisory Committee, and numerous other volunteer positions.

Michael HolmesDr. Michael Holmes worked in public education for 37 years. He has taught the game of bridge for over 18 years and is a Certified ACBL Online Bridge Teacher & Audrey Grant Bridge Teacher, Gold Life Master, ACBL Certified Club Director and ACBL Certified Tournament Assistant Director, and board member of the American Bridge Teachers Association (ABTA).

Charles Holt-

Charles F Holt, an OLLI Platinum Facilitator (facilitated over 50 classes) is a retired engineer, with over 34 years in R&D management for several international organizations. Charlie is an avid reader with a strong interest in science & technology and the impact on culture. Additionally, he has a strong interest in history and diplomacy focusing on the personalities shaping that history. He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois, and an MS, and BS in Aeronautical Engineering, from Pennsylvania State University. He has served in the US Army in Vietnam and at the US Army Foreign Science and Technology Center in Military Intelligence.

Colleen HopeColleen Hope was an educator with Jefferson County Public Schools for 32 years. After learning how to play American Mahjongg, it was a natural progression to teaching the game to others. She currently teaches and plays at Golden Rec Center. It is her passion to share this social and stimulating game with as many people as possible.

Alice Howard-

Alice Howard is a long-distance OLLI member having joined three years ago from Charlottesville, Virginia. She has taken courses in History, Public Affairs, Literature and Music. She is a retired academic information technology support specialist at University of Virginia.

Ralph Hughes-

Ralph got his start studying economics and business forecasting at Stanford. He worked for 30 years as a consultant in business analytics systems and has published three books on technical project management. He now teaches political economy, runs local political chapters for groups such as Represent.Us and Braver Angels, and performs as a horn player in a jazz standards band. He and Alec Tsoucatos have facilitated discussion classes on political economy for several years now and thoroughly enjoy the lively conversations that such topics stimulate.

Fred Johnson-

Dr. Fred L. Johnson III earned his Bachelor of Science degree in History & Teacher Education from Bowie State College (now University) in Bowie, Maryland, and his Masters and Doctorate degrees at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. In 2015, he graduated with his Masters of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Prior to teaching at Hope College, Dr. Johnson served in the United States Marine Corps as a CommunicationsElectronics Officer and as an Infantry Officer in the Marine Corps Reserve. After the military, he worked as a Production-Scheduler for Packard Electric Division of General Motors; an Operations Specialist for Continental-Page Telecommunications; and as a Corporate Trainer for Goodyear Aerospace Corporation (now Aircraft Braking Systems). While at Hope College, Dr. Johnson has earned numerous awards including the Hope College Favorite Professor Award (2002 & 2013), the Hope

Outstanding Professor Educator [H.O.P.E] award (2005), and the Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award (2013).

Stewart JonesStewart Jones is an Episcopal priest and a Systems and Software Engineer. He was a parish priest for 11 years and worked for Martin Marietta for 22 years and Gates Rubber for 9 years.

Ben KempinenBen Kempinen taught at the University of Wisconsin Law School for more than four decades until his retirement in 2018. He graduated with a BA in Clinical Psychology from UW and received his JD from the Law School at UW. His focus was criminal law and professional responsibility. His teaching included both traditional classroom teaching and experiential learning, where law students gained experience by working on actual cases under the supervision of faculty. While at the Law School, he was a member of several legislative committees and a frequent speaker at continuing education conferences.

Since 2018 he has served on the Wisconsin State Bar’s Standing Committee on Professional Ethics and currently chairs the committee.

Tom KleinschmidtTom Kleinschmidt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kearney (Nebraska) State College, now known as the University of Nebraska-Kearney and an MBA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Tom worked for Caterpillar, Inc. and its dealers for over 35 years arranging financing for equipment and projects. He spent the last 15 years arranging financing for power generation projects in the United State and eleven other countries. A life-long history buff, Tom has read extensively in eighteenth and nineteenth century American history.

Ronald KnoxRon Knox’s education was completed at Colorado State University with a BS in Mathematics (major) and a Chemistry (minor). He had a 40+year career leading/ managing teams in the development of computer software and data systems for the banking, telecommunications, military aerospace contractor, government, electronics, computer, and utilities industries. He completed systems for Arrow Electronics, Honeywell Test Instruments Division, Citicorp Diners Club, AT&T Telecommunications, Information Handling Services, and McDonnell Douglas Systems.

Timothy Krueger-

Timothy J. Krueger studied musicology at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music, the University of Colorado, Boulder, the Universität Hamburg, Germany, and the University of London’s Royal Holloway College, where his doctoral dissertation was on the sacred music of Charles Villiers Stanford. He studied conducting with Dr. Paul Wiens and privately with Dennis Keene of the Voices of Ascension in NYC. He has sung professionally with the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Chicago A Cappella, the Vox Early Music Ensemble and the Ars Nova Singers, as well as several Episcopal cathedral choirs. In 1994 he founded St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, Denver’s first all-professional choral ensemble. Krueger also served as Chorus Director for the Boulder Bach Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Boulder Philharmonic. He is an Affiliate Faculty member in the Music Department of Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is Choirmaster of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, overseeing one of Denver’s finest classical church music programs.

James KunkelJames R. (Jim) Kunkel (BSCE, M.S. & Ph.D.) is a semi-retired professional hydrologic engineer (P.E.) with over 50 years of domestic and international experience in hydrology and water resources. He has worked on water resources projects in 32 states and 22 foreign countries. He has lived in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Chile during his career. His academic experience includes 17 years as an adjunct associate professor at Colorado School of Mines, where he taught graduate hydrologic engineering courses in the Department of Geological Engineering. He has given presentations, professional technical lectures and short courses to news media, government agencies and professional societies related to water rights and water use in the USA, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and México. Dr. Kunkel’s recent work has been as an expert technical witness for environmental attorneys representing large environmental organizations in the USA.

Linda LangeVoracious reader of mystery and science fiction, enthusiastic gardener, and amateur tai chi practitioner, Linda S Lange is retired from teaching finance and accounting at Regis University. She created the first Mysterious Places class in 2019 to enthusiastic response and has built the series from there choosing different themes each term and occasionally revisiting a popular theme to update author choices.

Michael Levin-

Michael Levin is a Denver native with a BA from Grinnell College and an MA from the University of Colorado, both in math. He retired from Raytheon in 2006 as a Senior Principal Systems Engineer. Michael has been engaged in Great Books and adult Jewish education since the mid 1980’s. He inherited leadership of a southeast Denver Great Books group in 2008. Michael has facilitated OLLI short story and Jewish text discussions.

Elaine Levy-

Elaine Levy, a retired senior, was born in Youngstown, Ohio. She has lived in Colorado since 1970 when her family moved to Breckenridge for 8 years. She has been a skier and hiker for over 50 years. She was a distributor of products for small businesses including accounting systems, printed forms, and personalized promotional products. Elaine has served as a board member for women’s’ business organizations, Aurora Chamber of Commerce, and genealogy groups.

Barbara Lilly-

Barbara Lilly has facilitated more than a dozen OLLI at DU courses, primarily in the Public Affairs area. She is an avid reader, a mystery buff and a pragmatic political junkie.

David Lindsey

David Lindsey is retired from the US Geological Survey. He spent many field seasons doing geologic mapping and research in the Rocky Mountain West including the desert mountains of western Utah and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. He loves exploring new places and sharing his discoveries with others. He has led geology field trips over Trail Ridge Road for OLLI and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and has facilitated geology classes for OLLI.

David Lippman-

David Lippman earned degrees in the social sciences from the University of Southern California and the University of Chicago. He began his career doing social science research in legal areas for the American Bar Foundation. David spent most of his career in school textbook publishing, where he directed the development of texts in many subjects including science, literature, government, and history.

John Lungerhausen-

John Lungerhausen joined OLLI soon after he retired from CenturyLink in 2016 where he enjoyed a 17-year career (including US West and Qwest) as a software developer, team lead, and development manager. Prior to his career at CenturyLink, he and his brother, Rich, owned a software development and consulting business in Golden. John and his longtime partner, Dixie, have been living in Golden with their bevy of cats since 1987. They have collaborated in putting together a number of film classes for OLLI and share a deep enjoyment of foreign films, which offer a far more engaging perspective than most of the typical Hollywood fare. John received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.

Bob Magnani-

Bob grew up in Brooklyn, went to Brooklyn Tech then Columbia on scholarship, getting an AB, BSEE and MSEE, and did all the coursework toward a PhD at NYU. He joined Bell Laboratories in 1962 in systems engineering. After 13 years designing 911 service, cellular telephone, and other switching projects, he moved to product management at AT&T (running an $850 million/year product line) and, 10 years later, into data processing systems. Bob took a voluntary retirement plan in 1990 and moved to Colorado, into information systems development at US West, where his group engineered data communications for the new DIA airport. Bob and his wife Kathy (both widowed and remarried) have a combined family of 6 children and 10 grandchildren. Retired, Bob has facilitated over 50 OLLI classes in Chess, Acting, Oscar Movies, Art of Making Films, and Comedy at 4 OLLI locations and On-Line.

Bob Manning-

Bob has been painting for over twenty years primarily because it makes him feel good. He finds value in the doing and is consistently fascinated by the learning possibilities within the world of the creatives. For the past three years Bob has been a volunteer with the Justice Arts Coalition communicating via leTer with incarcerated artists, supporting their study and curiosity, learning how and why it’s done under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Larry MattenLarry Matten has facilitated seventeen film courses. He is an enthusiastic movie buff and wants to share his enthusiasm with other OLLI members. His career was spent as a professor of Botany at Southern Illinois University and as an Elder Law attorney in Englewood, Colorado.

Mac McHughMac McHugh, platinum facilitator, joined OLLI Denver in 2011. Mac spent 38 years with the Department of Defense in the areas of accounting, auditing, and systems development. He is a lifelong movie buff.

Jerry MercureJerry Mercure was a Systems Engineer in the defense industry and a Friend of Asian Art with the Denver Art Museum. He’s always been an art and music lover. He’s been collecting Asian art and decor since the early 1980’s. Since retirement, and because of his love for Chinese and Japanese art and aesthetics, he devotes time to studying and admiring this art and volunteering at OLLI. He landed in Colorado in 1998 and enjoys hiking, biking, skiing and OLLI classes.

Sydney MyersSydney Myers, OLLI Platinum Facilitator, is a former retail executive who lived in Mexico for seven years. She returned to Denver in 2006.