FALL CATALOG2022ONLINEEDITION
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
n a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in late July, I asked OLLI staff member Ms. Demetra Lafayette, “what do you think about when you hear September?” And she said, “it reminds me of my daughter’s birthday, football, tailgating, the fall season and the beautiful fall colors!”
You all make OLLI what it is, and I personally thank each of you, along with the OLLI volunteers and staff for all you have done and will do for OLLI at WMU.
As we prepare to head “back to school,” I want to take a moment to thank all those who work hard to make OLLI at WMU strong and sustainable. I applaud our dynamic OLLI volunteers who keep us going, and we are blessed to welcome new staff and returning student employees to our team in the OLLI office. I also want to recognize the work that our WMUx marketing team is doing as they continue to help elevate OLLI through social and electronic media and print.
Fall 2022 Director’s Message
There are many things to be excited about as we head into this fall 2022 semester. In addition to 40 new courses that will be taught by new and returning instructors, the OLLI Michigan Collaborative will again be offered for OLLI members beginning in September! Most importantly, I am excited because you are returning for another year of OLLI courses, trips and events. Welcome to the start of your new OLLI at WMU fall semester!
Toni DirectorWoolfork-Barnes
1 OLLI at WMU Table of Contents ODirector’s Message 1 What Our Members Say 2 Contact Information 3 Civility Statement 4 Membership Information 4 General information & Policies 5 Course Locations 6 Registration 7 Course Calendar 8 Course descriptions 11 History 11 Health & Wellness 14 Arts: Written, Visual & Performing17 Culture & the Sciences 19 MI OLLI Collaborative Courses 21 Special Interest Groups 21 Events 21 Meet the Instructors 22
Most of us would agree that September also brings about fond memories of the first days of a new school year when we were growing up. Personally, I loved the start of the school year because it meant re-connecting with friends and class mates I had not seen during the summer months. It also meant returning to school, new classes and teachers, and looking forward to all that fall had to offer, including the holidays. The start of a fall OLLI semester is a lot like the beginning of the “back to school” years we experienced growing up!
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register. 2 WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY “ “ “ “ “ ” ” ” ” ” Very inspiring and interesting. I would us e the word fun! OLLI gives us an opportunity to share what we know, learn from others, and meet new people. It’s allowed me the ability to learn anything I want, anytime I want and at my own pace.It’s good for your health. It’s good for your mind.
3 OLLI at OLLIWMU AT WMU OVER THE YEARS Classes o 969 ver th + e last ten years 41 Instruc 0 tor + s over the last ten years T 99 rips over th + e last ten years 1000+ Members in ten years 60+ Events in ten years Phone: (269) 387-4157 Fax: (269) Osherwmich.edu/olli387-4226LifelongLearning Institute Western Michigan University 1903 W Michigan Ave Kalamazoo MI 49008-5230 USA Contact Information
There are many benefits to an OLLI at WMU membership, including:
• 15% discount for most events at Miller Auditorium
• 10% discount for most items at the WMU Bookstore
From music to history or the arts to the sciences, the opportunities to expand your worldview and broaden your horizons are endless with OLLI at WMU!
Western Michigan University Civility Statement
OLLI Membership Fees
Memberships fees are $50 per year and are nontransferable. Our annual renewal date is July 1. Joining OLLI is simple – just head to our website at wmich.edu/olli. If you have questions about membership, call us at (269) 387-4157 or email wmu-olli@wmich.edu
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU is membership-based and open to anyone 50+ with a passion for learning. There are no tests, no grading and no academic credit. Your annual membership fee helps defray costs not covered by our low course fees.
Why Bec ome an OLLI Member?
Benefits of an OLLI Membership
Freedom of thought and expression may create conflict, strong emotions, and divergent ideological positions. While these effects are expected and welcomed, all members of the community have a responsibility to behave in a manner that does not harm others nor creates a hostile environment. Behavior that attacks, humiliates, belittles, or conveys hatred towards others diminishes our thriving and safe university environment.
Western Michigan University is committed to creating and sustaining an environment that honors the inherent dignity and worth of all members of the WMU community. Respectful behavior expressed verbally, textually, visually, and physically should be the norm in all university communications and venues including classrooms, meetings, offices, workplaces, forums, events, social media and residential communities.
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• Access to Special Interest Groups which are member directed
Each member of our academic community is encouraged to be thoughtful and sensitive in their choice of words and behaviors. We should be aware of how our behavior affects others. Furthermore, we carry a responsibility to challenge those who communicate intolerance, hatred and bigotry. Words and actions matter. Everyone is asked to do their part in creating a healthy and positive university community and a culture that truly values each member’s uniqueness experiences, and perspectives.
As an institution of higher education, we welcome a diverse range of perspectives and opinions and uphold the importance of civil debate. We fully support the free exchange of ideas and beliefs, as well as the expression of provocative or unpopular ideas. It is through this process that we generate knowledge and deepen our understanding of humanity.
Intellectual discovery, personal growth, and social engagement are proven to enrich one’s quality of life, boost health, and contribute to one’s overall happiness. Those who are open to new experiences, actively involved in their communities, and cultivators of curiosity often lead more purposeful and productive lives.
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
• Member-only events and tours
• 25% discount for most events at the Gilmore Theatre Complex
• Enrollment fee waived at West Hills Athletic Club
Keep us growing by becoming a member and by telling your friends about OLLI at WMU! The gift of an OLLI membership also makes an excellent present for friends, family, and colleagues.
If Western Michigan University classes are canceled for any reason, such as inclement weather, OLLI in-person classes are also canceled. It is the participant’s responsibility to consult the WMU website, OLLI website and/or local media regarding weather or other closures.
Please let the office know if you already have a WMU permit or a disability parking placard/license plate, as you will not need a parking permit. If no handicapped parking spots are available when you arrive, you may park in any available space with a valid disability placard/license plate, including metered spots (except reserved parking).
When you participate in OLLI at WMU activities (courses, trips, events, etc.) your photograph may be taken and utilized to promote the Institute. Your photo may be used on the website, in our e-newsletter, in brochures, flyers, catalogs or elsewhere. If you do not want your photo to be used it is your responsibility to step out of pictures that are being taken.
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Your Photo
Information and Policies
Parking Information
For in-person courses held on WMU’s campus, OLLI at WMU pays for your parking. Other course locations do not require permits. Parking permits are emailed or mailed by USPS (upon request) one to two weeks before the first session of your course.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The Foundation supports a lifelong learning network for mature adults through their Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, which can be found on the campuses of 120 colleges and universities nationwide.
Withdrawals: You may withdraw from a course by contacting the OLLI office. Non-attendance or notifying solely the instructor is not an official cancellation.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Western Michigan University (OLLI at WMU) takes pride in providing intellectual and cultural stimulation, personal growth, and social engagement for adults 50+ in an informal, lively educational atmosphere. Over the last 10 years, over 1,000 members have participated in over 969 courses taught by 410+ volunteer instructors at nine different locations, in addition to over 60 events and 99 trips.
Trip Registration and Fees
Register by calling AAA Nebraska directly at (402) 390-1000. Press 1 from the menu and enter 203 for Dave or 204 for Michelle.
Refunds: You will be eligible for a refund if you withdraw from a course at least two weeks before the first session. If you withdraw from a course less than two weeks before the first session, fees will not be refunded.
GeneralWMU
About the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Western
Scholarships
In addition, hundreds of volunteers have been an integral part of committees and leadership, helping to guide the success of OLLI at WMU. Courses and activities are developed by OLLI members with the support of the staff of WMUx. Members also volunteer as planners, instructors, committee members or advisory board members.
An individual may apply for financial assistance to pay for one course per semester. The application is short and confidential. Please email us at wmu-olli@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-4157 for more information.
Cancellations, Withdrawals, and Refunds
Cancellations: Instructors reserve the right to cancel a class and will notify course participants accordingly. The instructor will work with class members to arrange a make-up session. If you registered for a course and it is canceled, you may receive a refund or apply your course fee to another course if space is available.
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn. If you are unable to pay for courses, but want to experience what OLLI at WMU offers, why not take advantage of our robust Scholarship Fund?
Trips will be announced in the monthly newsletter and on our website. Dates and costs vary on a case-by-case basis. Trips are categorized as Easy, Moderate, or More Strenuous based on how active the adventure will be.
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Volunteers are the Heart of OLLI!
Teach a Course!
Throughcourses.WMU’s
Support OLLI at WMU
Visit our website for more information about how you can support OLLI with a financial gift.
Are you eager to make a significant impact on your community? Do you want to utilize the skills you have developed over a lifetime or discover new ones? Would like to make new friends and social connections? If the answer is “yes” to any of the above, please consider volunteering with OLLI!
Zhang Portage Community Senior Center 203 E Centre Avenue Portage, MI 49002
Zhang Legacy Collections Center 1650 Oakland Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008
College of Health and Human Services Western Michigan University - East Campus Cass Street (South of Oliver from Oakland Drive) Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Friendship Village of Kalamazoo 1400 N. Drake Road (between W. Main and Ravine Road) Kalamazoo, MI 49006
Connect with us on Facebook
Air Zoo 6151 Portage Road Portage, MI 49002
OLLI at WMU is a membership- and volunteer-driven organization. Even though instructors are unpaid volunteers, the Institute incurs other costs related to course offerings. Subsequently, membership and class fees do not cover all costs associated with operating the Institute. There are also people in the community who are committed to lifelong learning but cannot afford the cost of our
Stay up to date by liking and following us on Facebook! Search for OLLI at WMU (@WMULifelongLearning) on your Facebook account. Our posts include thought-provoking articles, upcoming details for courses, trips, and events, as well as reviews and photos from programs that have already taken place. You can also use our page to connect with fellow OLLI members, post comments, and share interesting information!
University Advancement and Alumni Relations Office, we accept donations to either our Operating Fund to support the day-to-day operations of OLLI at WMU, or our Scholarship Fund, which provides free or reduced course registration to individuals who are not able to otherwise participate otherwise.
Course Locations
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
You do not have to be a current or past instructor to teach a course! We welcome past and present instructors from public schools and colleges as well as members of the general community who are passionate about a topic and wish to share their knowledge with others. Got an idea for a topic? Contact us via email at wmu-olli@wmich.edu.
Oakland Hills Portage Clubhouse Oakland Hills Circle Portage, MI 49024
Heritage Community of Kalamazoo 2300 Portage Street Kalamazoo, MI 49001
StoryPoint 3951 W. Milham Aveue Portage, MI 49024
Course Fees
CHECK OUT
Please note that there will be limited “phone-in registration” for the Fall 2022 semester. Registering online is the quickest way to secure your spot for the courses you want to take. If you need assistance doing so, email us at wmu-olli@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-4157. If you have a visual or auditory disability, please make the OLLI at WMU office aware and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Online registration is not available for trips. After a trip has been announced, you can register by calling AAA Nebraska directly at (402) 390-1000. Press 1 from the menu and enter 203 for Dave or 204 for Michelle. The mailing address for AAA Nebraska is 815 N 98th St, Omaha NE 68114.
Ways to Register
For virtual courses, online access links will be sent to you prior to your course start date
Click the ‘Click Here to Register ’ button
When you finish making all your course selections, click Cart to Checkout
Registration for the Fall 2022 semester opens Tuesday, August 9 at 10 a.m. Courses are offered both in-person and online; course descriptions will indicate delivery method.
Sign in to AccountExisting
Online Call the OLLI office at (269)387-4157
*Remember, Members enjoy the lowest course fees and other benefits. Add a Membership to your cart if you have not yet renewed your annual membership.
Create a New Account
Online BrowseRegistrationthisCatalog
If you register by mail, over the phone, or online you will receive registration confirmation and a receipt of payment via email. If you do not have an email address on file, you will receive your confirmation by postal mail upon request.
Click Here to Register Sign in
Visit room 1530 in Ellsworth Hall on Western’s main campus
Course Selection
Current fees are based on $10 per session for members and $20 for non-members. Other fees may apply.
RegistrationWMU
Browse for your desired course and click the ‘Add to Cart’ button
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Checkout and complete your transaction
For on campus classes, parking passes will be emailed a week before your course start date, if needed
Under Courses, click on the link for the appropriate starting month for your desired course
ADD TO CART
12 Friday
MI OLLI Collabrative Course: Diego Rivera and His Detroit Industry Murals
Thursday
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register. 8
The Sense of Aging - Empathy Dining Experience, Section 1 15
Technicians of the Sacred: The Secret History of the Manhattan Project 11
Why is Michigan So Square?
We’ve Come A Long Way BABY - Hearing Aids for Babies 19
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Getting Your Ducks in a Row 14
Fall 2022 Course Calendar
Tuesday
Understanding U.S.-Iran Relations 19
Seven Dimensions of Religion 19
Putin’s Russia: “How We Got to Now” 12
The Many Phases of Personal Finance 14
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“We Cannot Solve Problems with the Same Thinking...”
Monday Page #
Air Zoo: Preserving Family Artifacts
KSO Plays Music Expressing Fate, Feelings, and Folktales 17
Women’s Military Organizations, 1870-1900
Starting in September
Air Zoo: Women in Air and Space
Rules of Football 20
our
Forman Brown: The Michigan Years and Beyond 17
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Wednesday
Scams - Or Wednesdigins, Types, Workings,
Tuesday
Wednesday
Some New Tricks for Old Dogs
MI
17
The Stories Behind the Hit Songs, 1957 - 1967
20
Mindfulness for Health and Well-Being
Banned Books 101
Identification and Prevention 16
15
The Sense of Aging - Empathy Dining Experience, Section 2
John Codman Ropes and Theodore Ayrault Dodge
17
ay
9 OLLI at WMU
Monday Page #
Starting in October
The History and the Literature: The Lincoln Highway
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Beginning Mah Jongg 20
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OLLI Collabrative Course: Grand Rapids Most Haunted Presentation 21 Thursday Rem Thurember thsday e Ladies 12 Why Parties? What’s Wrong - and Right - with Political Parties in the United States 20 The Joy of Intergenerational Scrapbooking 15 Friday Sit Do Fridaywn! The Story of the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936 - 1937 12
Fall 2022 Course Calendar
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Conversational Spanish for Travelers
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Visit wmich.edu/olli to register. 10 Starting in November Starting in December Monday Page # The Great Pianists-Composers and Their Music 18 Tuesday A Conversation with Roger Sherman - Patriot Extraordinaire 13 Th Tue Sense of Aesday ging - Empathy Dining Experience, Section 3 15 MORE Iconic Photographs and the Rest of the Story 18 Caldin Gill and Bertha Barbee, the Motown VelvettesWednesday COVID-19: Where Are We In 2022? 16 My Journey 18 MI OLLI Collabrative Course: Caldin Gill and Bertha Barbee, the Motown Velvettes 21 ThursdayThursday Five Wishes 16 FridayFriday Ordinary Men - Extraordinary Deeds, Two Kalamazoo Men in WWII 13 Wednesday OLLI Collabrative Course: To Be Announced 21
Click To register
Why is Michigan So Square?
Dates and Time: Fri. 9/16, 9 to 11 a.m.
If you have noticed the rectangular pattern of main roads throughout much of Michigan, you may wonder how that came to be. And you may also have noticed on state maps how not only are the roads rectangular but so are most of the counties and the townships within the counties. This all dates to the federal land survey that began in Michigan in the 1820s. This course will explore that Michigan land survey, as well as how it came to be.
Course Cancelled
Instructor: Thomas Dietz
Instructor: April Bryan
The first session (9/6) will focus on some of the earliest stories of women in aviation. These would include the Wright brothers’ younger sister and silent partner, Katharine Wright, the first female licensed pilot, Harriet Quimby, the courageous woman the press called “the only race aviatrix,” Bessie Coleman, known as the first black and Native American female pilot. This session would build to the men in World War II including the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), Rosie the Riveter’s contribution to air power. The second session (9/7) will focus on the timeline of women’s progress in air and space following WWII to the present. Featured women would include Mae Jemison, Patty Wagstaff, Christina Koch, and highlight the contributions of Air Zoo co-founder Sue Parish, and other modern pioneers.
Location: Air Zoo
Dates and Time: Tues. 9/6 and Wed. 9/7, 1 to 3 p.m.
Technicians of the Sacred: The Secret History of the Manhattan Project
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1035
Location:ESTOnline via Webex
Courses: History
Dates and Time: Tues. 9/6, 9/13 and 9/20, 2:30 to 4 p.m.
Air Zoo: Women In Air and Space
Course CancelledcoCntArN ibCutEioLLE ns oD f wo
In this course we will use primary documents to uncover the suppressed and rather remarkable purpose of the Manhattan Project. Upon completion of the lecture series, it will no longer be possible for course participants to believe that the atomic bomb was created to hasten the end of WWII by preventing a prolonged Allied invasion of Japan, or as a corollary, that the bomb somehow saved American lives. We will also be dismantling the myth that the atomic bomb was meant to send a diplomatic signal to the USSR, a signal meant to curb the post-war expansion of the Soviet empire. This course will particularly appeal to those broadly interested in WWII history, global politics, science fiction, theology, the still looming threat of nuclear conflict, and the bloody intersection between technology and war.
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Instructor: Andrew Sivak
Dates and Time: Fri. 10/14, 10/21 and 10/28, 9 to 11
Russian communism came crashing down in 1991 and with it the end of the Cold War. But now, 30 years later, tensions with Russia have reemerged and we are in crisis as Russia has invaded Ukraine. How did we get to this point? What does Vladimir Putin intend to do? What can the international community do to respond? Join us for this two-session discussion of this turning point of our time.
Remember the Ladies
Instructor: Lynne Houghton
Dates and Time: Thurs. 10/6, 10/13 and 10/20, 10 a.m. to noon
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
“Remember the ladies,” said Abigail Adams in a letter to her husband John. Women have played a role in the history of this country, this state and this community. Over the years, more and more of their histories and stories have come out into the open for all to discover. This course will focus on the contributions of a wide variety of Kalamazooarea women, some known and some unknown who played an important role in the life and development of this area. Collections and resources from the WMU Archives and Regional History Collections located in Zhang Legacy Collections Center will be integrated in the presentations. Two of the sessions will be at the Zhang. The last session will be a walking tour around downtown Kalamazoo looking at sites that relate to the history of women in this community.
Instructor: Thomas Dietz
Location:a.m.College of Health and Human Services, Room #1035
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Instructor: Gary Mitchell
Location: Zhang Legacy Collections Center
Sit down! The Story of the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936-1937
:Online :In Person
In late 1936, workers at a General Motors factory in Flint staged a sit-down strike refusing to work and sitting down in the plant. The strike generated national attention, lasted nearly six weeks, and ended when GM agreed to recognize the United Auto Workers. The strike was not only a key moment in Michigan history but in the rise of industrial unions in the United States. This class will trace the background of the strike, explore the leaders of the strike, and trace its impact on the American labor movement.
Women’s Military Organizations, 1870-1900
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1093
When women were allowed to enlist in the US military in 1917, the decision was universally applauded. Such an undertaking would have been impossible in 1870. Women were felt to be emotionally and psychologically unfit for military service. Somehow, in the intervening years, public attitudes shifted. The story of how America came to view women’s military capabilities differently is the subject of this course. Long forgotten by history, women’s military organizations of the 19th century were critical to overcoming the last barrier to universal suffrage.
Putin’s Russia: How We Got to Now
Dates and Time: Thurs. 9/29, 9 to 11 a.m. EST Location: online via Webex
Instructor: Scott Lingenfelter
Dates and Time: Tues. 9/27 and 10/4, noon to 2 p.m.
• Why at least three persons publicly DISSENTED against the Constitution
• Why Jefferson proposed that John Adams COMPOSE the Declaration
Click Here to Register
History continued
Location: Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse Keystone
• How James Madison authored Washington’s First Inaugural Address AND then wrote the Response to the Address
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1024
• Why the Articles of Confederation FAILED - miserably
• Why 20% of the content of the original Declaration was EXCISED before being approved
Ordinary Men – Extraordinary Deeds, Two Kalamazoo Men in WWII
Location: Online via Webex Ropes (1836-1899) and Dodge (1842-1909) are two of America’s most distinguished Napoleonic scholars. Ropes co-founder of the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray and founder of the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts, wrote “The First Napoleon” (1885), based on lectures at Boston’s Lowell Institute, and “The Campaign of Waterloo” (1892), one of the best and most readable histories of the battle. Dodge, who fought in the Civil War and was severely wounded at Gettysburg and remained in the Army afterwards, wrote “Great Captains: A Course of Six Lectures” (1889), also delivered at the Lowell Institute, and then a series on the history of the art of war, including four volumes on Napoleon (1904-1907). Both men lived in Boston and Dodge made use of Rope’s extensive personal library on Napoleon Bonaparte. While they both also wrote on the Civil War, we will focus on their Napoleonic work and reflect on their careers.
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/25, 10 a.m. to noon EST
• Why Thomas Jefferson should NOT have written the Declaration of Independence
Dates and Time: Fri. 11/11 and 11/18, 3 to 5 p.m.
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Instructor: John Geisler
Instructor: Tom Vance
Roger Sherman (CT) was the only person who approved, voted for and signed the four most important documents in early American history: 1. The Association (Declaration and Resolves), 2. The Declaration of Independence,
This two-session course will follow the experiences of two Kalamazoo men during WWII. The first session, “H-Hour+03 - First in on D-Day” follows William Culver, who as a young naval officer lead a Naval Combat Demolition Unit (now called Navy Seals) in the first wave of the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. The second session, “Thunder in the Skies, Flying with Mogin’s Maulers”, follows Robert W. Collins, who flew 89 combat missions over Europe in a P-47 Thunderbolt. This course will draw on the personal diaries/logbooks of both men, accounts of American and German military personnel, historical photographs and records, and documents from their military records.
John Codman Ropes and Theodore Ayrault Dodge: A Story of Napoleonic Scholarship
Dates and Time: Tues. 11/1, 9 to 11 a.m.
3. The Articles of Confederation and 4. The Constitution of the United States. His insights regarding the development and compromises involved in producing these documents are worthy of note.
A Conversation With Roger Sherman: Patriot Extraordinaire
He will also provide stories of his life and comments on the following controversial topics:
Instructor: Don Schmidt
• Why Rhode Island FAILED (originally) to ratify the US Constitution?
Air Zoo: Preserving Family Artifacts
:Online :In Person
Dates and Time: Thurs. 9/22, 10 a.m. to noon
Dates and Time: Every Wed. 9/7 through 10/26 10 a.m. to noon EST.
Location: StoryPoint, Media Room
Do you think you have your Life’s Papers and Plans in order? Is nothing pulled together? Or are you somewhere in the middle? This system of vital record and document organization and management (both physical and electronic) covers the following areas over 8-weeks and can help you fill in or create your system from scratch. Take the burden of your incapacity or end-of-life off those you care about when you get your ducks in a row.
Do you have treasured family artifacts that you are interested in preserving? Spend time with the Air Zoo’s Collections Department to learn how to best care for these family treasures. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a round table experience, bringing artifacts and questions from home and learning how the Air Zoo preserves the artifacts in their extensive collection. You will also receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the archival collection and an overview of the Air Zoo’s history highlighting major collections of the museum.
Instructor: Christy Kincaid
Weekdocumentation6-MyEstate – estate planning and documentationMy Things – home inventory
Week 8 - My Roadmap & converting the entire system into a communication device - Additional questions
Week 1 - System Introduction - Security – physical & electronic - Storage – physical & electronic - Binder set up or folder system
Weekinformation3-My Health – health, medical and wellness records
14 Health & Wellness
Getting Your Ducks in a Row - Personal Record and Document Organization, Management, and Communication
Location: Online via Webex
Week 7 - My Plans – preparedness for every day and in the event of an emergency - My Memories – memorabilia
While Personal Finance begins with a budget and zsocial security, retirement planning, long-term care planning, and estate planning. This course will emphasize the advanced stages of personal finance but will touch upon some of the early phases as well. The facilitator plans to review the importance of investing for the future, utilizing social security, understanding retirement planning, and preparing for long-term care and estate planning.
The Many Phases of Personal Finance
Location: Air Zoo
Week 2 - My IDs – identification records and documents - My Contacts – address book, in case of emergency (ICE)
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
Week 5 - My Finances – finance and property
Instructor: Judy Rough
Instructor: Frances Kubicek
Dates and Time: Tues. 9/13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Week 4 - My Insurance – policies, identification cards, and more - My Taxes – receipts, current, and past tax returns
Mindfulness for Health and Well-Being
Calling all photo enthusiasts from 9 to 90! Can you imagine the joy of scrapbooking while learning about interesting activities of a family member? Or the sheer enjoyment of looking at photos of your grandchildren as your daughter or grandchild sits right there beside you? Imagine the dialogue, fun and laughter as you share interesting facts of your younger days with a friend who might be attending this class with you. And, YES! This is just the class for you! Some of the loose photos that you have stored away in shoeboxes or envelopes can be arranged on a page to tell a story. “Generations of Conversations” would be a good subtitle for this class. You will gain many ideas of how to organize, implement and produce a great photo scrapbook.
Instructors: Barbara Rider and Fred Sammons, Dates and Time: Mon. 10/17, Wed. 10/19 and Fri. 10/21, 10 a.m. to noon.
Location: Rider/Sammons home, 2622 Winchell Ave, Kalamazoo, 49008
Maybe “old age ain’t fun”, but there are many ways to make it easier. In this course, you will be able to try out various assistive devices and share strategies that minimize disabilities. Various home modifications will be discussed. The class will meet in Barb and Fred’s home which they built to be accessible for persons with disabilities. Strategies for safe driving will be presented. Participants will have the opportunity to check their brake reaction time and visual acuity for driving.
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/4, 10/11, 10/18 and 10/25, 1 to 3 Location:p.m.Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse
SECTION 3: Tues. 11/1, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Location: StoryPoint, Blue Activity Room
SECTION 1: Tues. 9/27, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Some New Tricks for Old Dogs
Instructor: Sharon Landman
Dates and Time:
Health & Wellness Continued 15 OLLI at WMU
Join us to engage in an Empathy Dining Experience, we will part-take in a five-course meal while using aging simulation devices to allow the participants to recognize and hopefully empathize with our senior loved ones’ perspectives. There will be some laughter, possibly tears, and hopefully, an ah-ha moment as you view dining through another’s eyes and come to appreciate your senses even more and enjoy a delicious meal.
Instructor: Diane Jones
Location:p.m.StoryPoint, Media Room
The Sense of Aging - Empathy Dining Experience
Mindfulness practice has become very popular over the past decade because of its effectiveness in reducing physical and emotional suffering. In this four-session course you will learn the essential mindfulness and compassion practices that have been tested by science and proven effective in reducing stress and anxiety, while increasing attention, emotional balance, resilience, selfcompassion and relationship harmony. Just like physical exercise, which strengthens the body, mindfulness exercise strengthens mental, emotional and physical balance. If you want to enjoy each day more and reduce stress, this course is for you.
Click Here to Register
The Joy of ScrapbookingIntergenerational
SECTION 2: Tues. 10/18, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Instructor: Eric Nelson
Keystone
Dates and Time: Thurs. 10/6, 10/13 and 10/20, 1 to 3
The COVID-19 pandemic, although predicted by many, found us, nationally and globally, unprepared and left many of our community values shattered. We shall explore the challenges, both scientific and cultural, that we have experienced addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in this country.
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1035
Instructor: Brendan Merians
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/25 and 11/1, 1 to 3 p.m
Five Wishes
Location: StoryPoint, Media Room
Participants in this course will be introduced to a variety of topics that one might wish to address in preparing for the eventuality of death. Rather than approach this as a taboo or morose topic, the course will focus on identifying important topics/issues that one wishes to be honored both before and after dying. These topics include legal documentation and might also include if one wants a service and, if so, what kind of service. Does one want to write their own obituary? Are there people one hopes to be present when near death? Or are there people one does not want present at that time? Overall, the theme is to create an inventory of what is important and begin work on addressing each item in one’s inventory.and war.
You can create your own power of medical attorney. The Five Wishes is similar to a Living Will that talks about your personal, emotional and spiritual needs as well as your medical wishes. I will walk you through the booklet with suggestions to help you make decisions that work best for you. You will also be provided with the additional paper needed for the state of Michigan. You will be able to create this document without an attorney present!
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
How do they really start? Why they are successful? How we enable scammers? How to identify scams, prevent deter scams & what to do if scammed. The role of deception, disinformation, misinformation and being informed.
Dates and Time: Wed. 11/2 and 11/9, 10 a.m.
Instructor: Susan Caulfield
Dates and Time: Thurs. 11/10, 9 to 11 a.m.
Dates and Time: Wed. 10/19 and 10/26, 2 to 4 p.m.
Instructor: Gillian Stoltman
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Location:ESTOnline via Webex
COVID-19: Where Are We In 2022?
The more you know about scams and how they operate, and the more careful you are in how you respond to money or personal information requests, the less likely you are to be a victim. Survey of types of scams including at least: phone & online Scams (including robo calls), COVID-19, cryptocurrency, romance scams\sextortion. Scams aimed at individuals and scams aimed at businesses (banking, infrastructure, military). Will also explain how scams work: social engineering scams, ransomware, phishing scams, bogus websites, robocalls, etc.
to Location:noon.
:Online :In Person
Scams: Origins, Types, Workings, Identification, and Prevention
Instructor: Charlie Olszewski
Planning for Death: Leave No Stone Unturned
College of Health and Human Services, Room #2089
17 OLLI at WMU
Keystone
KSO Plays Music Expressing Fate, Feelings, and Folktales
Have you ever wondered why orchestra music can move our emotions intensely? Have you been curious about the composer’s thoughts and musical tools which create these evocative sounds and melodies? We will explore the works of three composers being performed by the Kalamazoo Symphony. Using listening maps, historical information, and listening excerpts, we will explore (1) Tchaikovsky’s riveting Symphony No. 4 which is filled with powerful melodies and thoughts of fate, (2) Ravel’s short overture Shéhérazade depicting a magical Russian folktale, and (3) James Lee III’s Emotive Transformations, a piece prompted by the loss of his father. These compositions will be performed by the Kalamazoo Symphony on Saturday, September 24, 2022. Attendance at the KSO’s Sept. 24 performance is strongly urged for the full experience (tickets: 269-387-2300 or www.KalamazooSymphony.com).
Instructor: Diane and Stanley Henderson
Dates and Time: Mon. 9/19, 1 to 3 p.m.
In addition to two class sessions, you are invited to attend a Kalamazoo Symphony rehearsal at 7:15 PM on Sept. 21 or 22 (date to be determined).
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Zhang Portage Community Senior Center, Meeting Rooms 1A/1B
Instructor: Jane Rooks Ross
Dates and Time: Mon. 10/10, 1 to 3 p.m.
Keystone
Forman Brown: The Michigan Years and Beyond
to Location:noon Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse
Forman Brown is known in the literary world as the author of Better Angel, published in 1933 under the name Richard Meeker. Better Angel, a semi-autobiographical novel, depicted homosexuality in a positive light and had a happy ending. Brown, who wrote other books and composed musical scores, went on to be one of the founding members of the Yale Puppeteers. Most are not aware of his West Michigan origins. This one-session program will focus on his boyhood in Otsego and his contributions.
Historical novels tell interesting stories about a time and its people, requiring authors to do extensive research so their writing accurately reflects the history. Using “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles as the launching point, this class will offer a one-hour look at the history of United States in the 50s, as the country confronted the cold war, embraced TV and rock and roll, and engaged with civil rights. We will continue with a discussion of the novel as contemporary literature. Readers and history buffs welcome! Participants should read “The Lincoln Highway” before class.
Banned Books 101
The History and the Literature: “The Lincoln Highway”
Location: Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse
Instructor: Karen Trout
We will review the history of book censorship in school and public libraries; explore some of the common--and not so common--reasons for banning books; and talk about what happens when a title is challenged.
Arts: Written, Visual & Performing
Click Here to Register
Instructor: Sharon Carlson
Dates and Time: Mon. 9/19 and Wed. 9/21, 10 a.m.
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #2089
There were a lot of great songs between 1957 and 1967 and some of them have fascinating back stories. How did they came to be written? How was it the artist came to record it? Was success sudden or gradual? With lots of videos this class will tell the story of a dozen songs from this era! (Note: parts of this class were presented in 2017)
Zhang Portage Community Senior Center, Meeting Rooms 1A/1B
Keystone
My life’s 77-year journey, including being an awardwinning author, publishing senior executive, music industry senior executive, rock performer & songwriter, university educator, Grammy nominated record producer, mail order video company owner, Times Square tourist business owner, consultant to multiple companies, actor and more. Be inspired to chase your dreams no matter what age you are.
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
Instructor: Sam Grossman
MORE Iconic Photographs – and the Rest of the Story. 2
The Great Pianist-Composers and Their Music
This is mostly a new course modeled on the class taught last year. Many of us are familiar with photographic images that have been repeated in print and other media over the years--the explosion of the Hindenburg, the aftermath of the Kent State shootings, Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blowing up. Behind many of these iconic photos are often interesting stories about the model, the photographer, the occasion, and/or the photo techniques. The course will examine about 20 images and their backstories. Some images you may recognize, some may be new to you. A few images discussed last year may be repeated.
My Journey: My Life and Unique Experiences in the Music & Publishing
There’s scarcely a composer who hasn’t written music for the piano. That magnificent, versatile instrument is irresistible. It can do it all--soulful melodies, rich harmonies, compelling rhythms, myriad sonorities from exquisite to bombastic--and those who are virtuoso pianists themselves know the instrument intimately. How do these pianist-composers take advantage of the piano’s special qualities and take them into new realms? How does their music both reflect and shape the world around them? What are the technical and interpretive demands they make of the performer? We will explore solo works and concertos by some of the greatest of these: Mozart and Beethoven; Chopin and Liszt; Debussy, Ravel and Bartok. Their music continues to enrich our lives. No musical training is required; a love of music is essential.
Industries from 1956 to 2022
The Stories Behind the Hit Songs, 1957-1967
Instructor: Rick Bleiweiss
Dates and Time: Mon. 11/7, 11/14 and 11/21, 10 a.m. to Location:noon. Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse
Instructor: Zaide Pixley
Instructor: Randall Schau
18 :Online :In Person
Dates and Time: Tues. 11/8 and 11/15, 10 a.m. to Location:noon.
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/18, 10 a.m. to noon
Dates and Time: Wed. 11/9, 5 to 7 p.m. EST Location: Online via Webex
Location: Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse
Keystone
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
Instructor: Robin Skitt
The Seven Dimensions of Religion is an introduction to Comparative Religion using the cross-cultural categories developed by Ninian Smart, one of the 20th-century pioneers of the field. In this course, we will briefly survey the history of the field; discuss the differences between Comparative Religion, theology, and philosophy; and take an engaging tour through the world’s religions through the lens of Smart’s seven dimensions.
Dates and Time: Wed. 9/14, 9/21 and 9/28, 2 to 4
Dates and Time: Mon. 9/12, 3 to 5 p.m.
Location:p.m.The
Culture
Understanding U.S.-Iran Relations
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1035
Instructor: Moe Bidgoli
This class will foster a better understanding of US-Iran relations. The topics include: US early missionaries in Iran; US and Iran political and cultural relations during Qajar dynasty; US and Iran relation during Pahlavi dynasty that includes these eras: WWI, Reza Shah, WWII, Mohammad Reza Shah, the 1953 coup, post-coup cooperation, cold war, US military assistance etc.; Iran 1979 revolution and Islamic Republic of Iran eras: Iran hostage crisis, IranIraq war, Iran-contra affair, Iran’s nuclear program, Iran negotiation for nuclear deal, nuclear deal termination; and current issues.
Instructor: Brian Wilson
Early diagnosis and treatment options for deaf or hard of hearing individuals have changed dramatically over the past two decades, however challenges remain. Please join me as I share the historical beginnings and current status of early hearing loss detection and intervention programs in our state and community. Case studies will be presented.
Location:ESTOnline via Webex
Dates and Time: Thurdays 9/8 to 9/29, noon to 2 p.m.
Instructor: Teresa Crumpton
We’ve Come A long Way BABY - Hearing Aids for Babies
19 OLLI at WMU
Dates and Time: Mon. Tues. 9/6, 10 a.m. to noon. Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #1087
Heritage Community, The Memory Care Learning Center
Over the past few decades, many developments in the sciences suggest that our traditional ways of approaching problems will not be successful in our current situation. In this course, we will explore several proposed changes to our thinking that can significantly improve our prospects for success.
Click Here to Register
& the Sciences
Seven Dimensions of Religion
Political parties are thought to be at the core of all that is wrong with our democracy, yet some political scientists argue that democracy can’t exist without parties. Which is it? Can it be both? This class will explore the development of political parties in the U.S. from the founding to the present day. How did we get the ones we have? Why do they work the way they do? Why might some proposed reforms make things worse instead of better?
Conversational Spanish for Travelers
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
Instructor: John Clark
Instructor: Randall Schau
Location: College of Health and Human Services, Room #2060.
Location: Zhang Portage Community Senior Center, Meeting Rooms 1A/1B
Mah Jongg is a Chinese game played with tiles, usually by four people. The object is to collect winning sets or “hands” similar to gin rummy. We will begin with tile naming, and familiarization with the rules card along with strategies for playing the game. Each player needs a new card each year, so participants will need to buy one before the course begins. Mah Jongg sets will be provided for this class. It is a fun game that is very addicting! It is also good exercise for your brain too. Once you learn how to play you will want to start your own group of players to keep up with the enthusiasm and fine tune your skills.
The fundamentals of football are pretty basic but the rules can get very complicated! When is ‘motion’ illegal? What exactly is ‘the neutral zone?’ What is and isn’t pass interference? When do penalties ‘off set?’ These and many other rules will be explained, often with game video to illustrate. The focus will be on high school rules but college and pro will also be discussed.
e
Location: Oakland Hills Clubhouse
The night sky is a source of awe and inspiration for all ages. Bring the young person in your life to learn about th constellations and the stories written in the stars. Handson astronomy activities will be followed by an evening of star gazing using a night sky map and a celebration of the celestial. In the event of cloudy or rainy weather the Star Lab will be used to provide a glimpse of the night sky inside!
Dates and Time: Thursdays 10/6-10/20, 10 a.m. to noon.
Location: Friendship Village, Village Clubhouse Keystone
Beginning Mah Jongg
Why Parties? What’s Wrong - and Right -with Political Parties in the United States
Air Zoo: Stories in the Stars
Rules of Football
:Online :In Person
Instructor: Amy Walker
Dates and Time: Fri. 9/23, 7 to 9 p.m.
Dates and Time: Mon. 10/3, 10/10, 10/17 and Wed. 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10 a.m. to noon
Conversational Spanish for Travelers will give you the basic vocabulary needed to travel to and visit your Spanish-speaking destination. You will practice basic greetings, phrases for securing transportation info and getting around, checking into a hotel, ordering food in a restaurant, changing money, enjoying various tourist activities, including shopping and phrases for emergencies. The course will focus on oral practice.
Dates and Time: Tues. 10/4 and 10/11; Thurs. 10/6 and 10/13, 10 a.m. to noon
Instructor: Jane Duran
Dates and Time: Tues. 9/20 10 a.m. to noon.
Instructor: Jonnie R. Wilhite
Location: Air Zoo
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To Be Announced
Dates and Time: Wednesday, November 16, 2 to 4 Location:p.m.Fetzer Center
Dates and Time: Wed. 10/12, 10 to 11:30am EST Location: Online via Zoom
Diego Rivera and His Detroit Industry Murals
Dates and Time: Wed. 11/9, 10 to 11:30am EST Location: Online via Zoom
For Members only
Special Interest Groups
Dates and Time: Wed. 12/14, 10 to 11:30 a.m. ES Location: Online via Zoom T
Caldin Gill and Bertha Barbee, the Motown Velvettes
Partner OLLI: OLLI UM, Dates and Time: Wed. 9/14, 10 to 11:30 a.m. EST Location: Online Via Zoom
Dates and Time: 3rd Wednesday each month (beginning September) 1 to 3 p.m., location to be determined
OLLI at WMU Senior Readers Theater
Dates and Time: One Tues., Wed. or Thurs. in Sept. Oct. and Nov.
Annual Meeting
Events
Grand Rapids Most Haunted Presentation
MI OLLI Collaborative Courses
OLLI CARES – FILL A TRUNK
21 OLLI at WMU
Dates and Time: Beginning Friday September 9 10 to 11 a.m. ongoing
Parnter OLLI: OLLI Aquinas
Introduction to Film
Dates and Time: October 22, 1 to 3 p.m. Location: to be announced
Western Michigan University, 2251 Business Court,
Partner OLLI: OLLI WMU
German Conversation
Partner OLLI: OLLI SVSU
Author, Publishing Executive, Former Music Industry Executive, University Lecturer, Newspaper & Magazine columnist, and GRAMMY Nominated record producer. At 77-years-old, his first novel, “Pignon Scorbion & The Barbershop Detectives” was published to great acclaim as an Amazon Editors’ Pick, a Debut Mystery Pick by both Barnes & Noble and Publishers Weekly and was voted their Buzz Book by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (among other major endorsements). Bleiweiss started his career in music as a rock performer, producer of over fifty records (including a Grammy nomination), songwriter and record company senior executive in New York City. He worked with numerous music industry legends, including Clive Davis, Melissa Etheridge, the Backstreet Boys, Kiss, U2, Whitney Houston, the BeeGees, and many other superstars. Since 2006 as a publishing company executive with Blackstone Publishing, Bleiweiss has acquired works by bestselling and award-winning authors and celebrities including Rex Pickett (“Sideways”), Robert Downey Jr, Al Roker, James Clavell (“Shogun”), PC Cast (“House of Night”), Gabriel García Márquez (1982 Nobel Prize in Literature), Natasha Boyd (“The Indigo Girl”), Andrews & Wilson (“Tier One”), Ramsey Lewis, Al Di Meola, Catherine Coulter, Heather Graham, Andrew Child, and Nicholas Sansbury Smith (“Hell Divers”), among others. In his latest creative endeavor, Rick has crafted the “Pignon Scorbion” historical mystery series—blending his love of the past with the twisty deliciousness of a whodunit. As fun facts, the author created a video game, theme song, t-shirts and a video trailer for the launch of the book, and was most influenced by his trips to England when developing his Sherlock Holmes-type character and “Pignon Scorbion” book series.
Sharon Carlson
Rick Bleiweiss
April Bryan
Susan Caulfield
Moe Bidgoli
Susan Caulfield taught in higher education for 38 years and recently retired to explore other activities. She recently earned a Master’s degree in Spirituality, Culture, and Health, with a focus on death education. She also has a graduate certificate in Holistic Health and a PhD in Criminology. Susan is also a community mediator and likes to create safe spaces for people to have challenging conversations. Death education is an area where she hopes to create such safe places so that people can address those important topics that might be hard to address with their family or close friends.
John Clark is chair of the Political Science Department at Western Michigan University. He’s been teaching and thinking about political parties for more than three decades--and he’s yet to fully figure them out.
Dr. Sharon Carlson retired from WMU in 2020 after heading the Zhang Legacy Collections Center. She is currently serving as the President of the Board of the Historical Society of Michigan. Her interests focus on regional history.
Tom Dietz is the retired Curator of Local History at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. He has taught numerous OLLI courses on local and regional history. He received a Master’s degree in American History from Wayne State University and taught American history at Wayne State, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, as well as at Western Michigan University.
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Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
Teresa Crumpton
Meet the Instructors
Moe Bidgoli graduated from University of Tehran and University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was professor of computer science and information system for 35 years. He became Emeritus Professor of CS & IS in June 2018. He thought several courses for SVSU and UofM Ann Arbor OLLI programs. He is married and he lives in Ann Arbor Michigan. His hobbies are reading history, playing pickleball, gardening, and travelling.
The Air Zoo’s education programs are focused on creating affordable, interactive educational programs that not only stimulate and engage audiences during their presentation, but also inspire them to continue their exploration of science and history long after the program’s conclusion. This program will be led by April Bryan, the Air Zoo’s Exhibits and Interpretation Manager.
John Clark
A master clinical faculty specialist in WMU department of speech, language, hearing sciences. She teaches courses in the doctoral program in audiology and coordinates the clinical programs in the Charles Van Riper language, speech, and hearing clinic. Teresa has provided clinical audiology services to infants, children and adults for the past 20 years.
Thomas Dietz
Stan and Diane Henderson
Lynn Houghton is the Regional History Curator at the WMU Archives and Regional History Collections. She is the co-author of Kalamazoo Lost and Found and leads the Gazelle Sports Historic Walks around Kalamazoo County held during the summer and fall. She also participated in the PBS Series, “10 that Shaped America.” She has both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Western Michigan University and a master’s in library and information science from Wayne State University.
The Air Zoo’s education programs are focused on creating affordable, interactive educational programs that not only stimulate and engage audiences during their presentation, but also inspire them to continue their exploration of science and history long after the program’s conclusion. This program will be lead by Christy Kincaid, the Air Zoo’s Collections Manager.
Scott Lingenfelter (Ph.D. University of Illinois) has traveled to Russia several times and was there during the aborted coup of 1991. Recipient of an outstanding teaching award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, he taught for 15 years in the Chicago area before joining the history faculty at Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. He is the author of Russia in the 21st Century.
Roger Sherman will be portrayed by Dr. John S. Geisler, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University. Bachelor’s - Adrian College; Master’s and DoctorateUniversity of Toledo, OH
Diane Jones
Christy Kincaid
Gary Mitchell
Jane Duran
A retired KPS School Teacher, with a BA in Elementary Education and MA in Counseling. After having taught school for 32 years, she pursued her interest and hobby as a freelance photographer and scrapbooker. She has been called the great photojournalist, by many of her friends, because her photos always tell a story of what is happening in the interesting ways in which she arranges them on a page--complete with captions. She has volunteered her talents of scrapbooking at a Senior Center as well as with small groups of interested participants.
A retired teacher and entrepreneur. She has been playing Mah Jongg for 25 years and plays a couple of times a week. She has taught Mah Jongg to friends over the years and enjoys the game very much.
John Geisler
Frances Kubicek
Sharon Landman
Scott Lingenfelter
Sam Grossman
Avid readers – Stan reads history, Diane fiction. In other lives, they would have been history and English professors. Now they team up to share their passions with us. Pre-retirement, Stan was the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Life at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Diane was an educational program planner and consultant. Both are currently failing retirement.
Frances Kubicek is a retired business instructor from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. She also has held securities, long-term care, and insurance licenses. Teaching personal finance to young students has been a passion at the College for more than a decade. Life experiences have given her the opportunity to work within the long-term care system and the legal system while caring for family members. She will bring illustrations relevant to the topic and will share insights from interviews with experts in the areas listed above.
A 1975 West Point graduate and lifelong student of military history. An vowed research junkie, who enjoys sharing the fascinating stories he finds lurking in unexplored corners of American history. He has taught coursed for years at his local Osher Institute and is a published author.
23 OLLI at WMU
I am a “reformed” dark room photographer with a longtime interest in photography, esp. black and white. I am a docent at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts. I retired from two careers including college teaching in the humanities.
Senior Business Development Specialist at StoryPoint. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working in senior health care for 10+ years, 5 years with StoryPoint and the other 5+ in rehabilitation & skilled nursing. I’m a Certified Dementia Specialist, passionate about empathy and allowing people to thrive regardless of their limitations and driven to be a lifelong learner and educator.
Lynn Houghton
Meet the Instructors Continued
Eric Nelson
Barbara Rider was Professor and Chair of Occupational Therapy at WMU. Her long career included practice in pediatrics, geriatrics and mental health, including a program using LSD as treatment for alcoholism. She is an active member of the Kalamazoo community and has served on many boards and committees, including elective terms on the Kalamazoo Board of Commissioners and 20 years on the board of the Kalamazoo County Department of Social Services. She also served on the OLLI curriculum committee and advisory board.
Randy Schau has been a high school football referee for the past 14 years (and though recently retired from it, for basketball for 33 years). Until his retirement he was Kalamazoo’s Deputy City Attorney. He has also presented classes on The Beatles, Fascinating Facts about Birds, How the U.S. States Got Their Borders, the Story behind the Hit Television Shows of the 60s, the Rules of Basketball and others.
Zaide Pixley’s work as an educator began at P.S. 58, Bronx and continued at Interlochen and the University of Michigan, where she earned a Ph.D. in Musicology. A member of the faculty at Kalamazoo College for thirtyone years, she taught a wide range of courses, from music history and theory to rock and roll, and served as Dean of the First Year and Advising. Named an Outstanding Student Advocate by the National Center for the First-Year Experience, she also received Kalamazoo College’s Lux Esto Award for Excellence and is now Professor Emerita. She was president of the board and executive director of the Kalamazoo Bach Festival. Dr. Pixley is the author of “Great Ensemble,” a history of the first seventy-five years of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1921), and with Jane Rooks Ross has written “100 Years of Great Music: Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra” to celebrate its centenary. She is honored to serve as program annotator for the Gilmore Piano Festival and is a member of the board.
Eric Nelson received his BA and MA, in Social Psychology and Organizational Communication, from Western Michigan University, was a Program Officer at the Fetzer Institute for 22 years, received training in Mindfulness from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and founded Stress Less Kzoo in 2012 which provides courses to reduce physical and emotion suffering and foster health and well-being.
g,y
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Visit wmich.edu/olli to register.
Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing Program (consultin engineering firm) Cleveland, Ohio
Ford Motor Company, Cleveland Ohio, Industrial Metal Products Corp. (Machine tool company) Lansing, MI. Did scams seminars as a contractor for the Michigan Attorne General’s office.
Barbara Rider
Fred Sammons
Judy Rough
Charlie Olszewski
Jane Rooks Ross
Fred Sammons took his shop teacher skills into occupational therapy, where he developed assistive devices for his patients. He built it into a business which is now the largest provider of assistive devices in the world.
Randall Schau
Zaide Pixley
Jane Rooks Ross is the Kalamazoo Symphony’s founding Director of Education. A lifelong educator, she has taught in area schools, WMU, KVCC, Kalamazoo College. She has led workshops, served on grant panels, and created educational materials. She wrote the Listener’s Guide to the Orchestra and co-authoring KSO’s 100th Anniversary book. She holds a M.M. in music education cum laude (WMU). Her honors include 2003 Community Medal of Arts and 2018 YWCA Woman of Achievement awards.
Judy Rough is newly retired and has many years of expertise in the aging services, professional organizing including records and documents, vetting professionals, and providing valuable “quality of life” resources. Since 2007, Judy has given the Ducks in a Row workshop to Senior Planet members, library patrons, and various individuals, groups, and organizations nationwide.
Associate Professor (retired), MS Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, MA Educational Psychology Michigan State University, 24 years in higher education: Associate Professor CIS, Director Regional Cisco Networking Academy, Department chair CIS/GRDN/OIS/ BUSA, 21 years in private sector:
Meet the Instructors
Don Schmidt is a long-time Kalamazoo resident and retired attorney. As a young attorney in Kalamazoo, he practiced law with William Culver. His personal and professional association with William Culver, his experience in visiting Omaha Beach, his acquaintance with the son of Robert Collins, and his reading of Robert Collins’s flight log book lead to his interest in presenting this course. He presented this course previously for OLLI in 2016 and 2017.
Having seen the thinking and decision-making in these processes, I agree with Albert Einstein. We need new ways of thinking to address the current challenges in the world.
Karen Trout
I am also a Life-Long Learner. I retired on a Friday and was in class at WMU on Monday. Since my retirement, I have received an additional master’s degree from WMU and certificates in Design and Innovation Management and Design Thinking. I applied quantitative tools to assist decision-makers at the leading company in three industries during my working career. I supported and improved optimization programs that informed multi-million-dollar consumer product purchases. I constructed models that estimated the impacts of national legislation. I produced a financial model that provided insight into a multi-national merger’s foreign exchange rate impacts.
Gillian Stoltman
Tom, who studied history at Western Michigan University (BS, MA), is a frequent OLLI instructor. He was commissioned from Army ROTC and served on active duty in New York City, Germany and Fort Knox, Kentucky. In the Army Reserve, he was an evening ROTC instructor for ten years at WMU, along with public affairs assignments in Washington, D.C. A lifelong student of Napoleon Bonaparte, Tom wrote “Napoleon in America: Essays in Biography & Popular Culture” (2012), based on lectures delivered at the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts & Letters, and is currently working on, “Francis Bonaparte, A Military Life: An American View of Napoleon II.”
Karen has been with Kalamazoo Public Library for 20 years. As community engagement librarian, she oversees Reading Together, the library’s signature “one book one city” program, and coordinates adult program offerings at KPL locations. Previously, she was the system-wide book selector for the teen collection and later for adult fiction.
Gillian Stoltman has been a frequent OLLI instructor and volunteer. She received her PhD in the study of viruses and her master’s degree in Public Health Policy. She is a former Health Director for Kalamazoo County and former Director of the Division of Communicable Disease and Immunization at the state health department. She is currently an independent Consultant to the state health department on public health policy.
Tom Vance
Don Schmidt
25 OLLI at WMU
Andrew holds a PhD in History of Consciousness with an emphasis in Political Theory. He has won numerous awards related to his teaching and published work. He wrote his dissertation on the political theology of nuclear war. He currently resides in Santa Cruz, California with his dog Aldo and is the proprietor of Bad Animal, a combo bookshop, restaurant, and natural wine bar where he also lectures to the public on a range of subjects on Sunday afternoons.
Andrew Sivak
Continued
Robin A Skitt
A graduate of Western Michigan University with BA and MA degrees in English, French and Spanish, and the University of Grenoble with the First Degree in French, Jonnie Wilhite taught those languages at Purdue University for 1 year and at Kalamazoo Valley Community College for 47 years before retiring in 2015. While at KVCC, she conducted numerous student trips to France and Spain. She continues to enjoy travel to these and other countries in retirement.
A native of Santa Clara, California, he earned a B.S. in Medical Microbiology from Stanford University (1982), and, after three years in the Peace Corps (Honduras, Dominican Republic), went on to earn an M.A. in Spanish from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (1990) and an M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1996) in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Professor Wilson joined the faculty of the WMU Department of Comparative Religion in 1996 and served as department chair from 2001 to 2009. His areas of research and teaching include American religious history with an emphasis on new religious movements and religion in the Midwest. Among his recent books are Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and the Religion of Biologic Living (Indiana University Press 2014) and John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age, both of which won the State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan. Professor Wilson’s latest book, The California Days of Ralph Waldo Emerson, will be available in bookstores this May.
Mary Zoeller
Working with The Medical Team Hospice Mary has seen many families go through tough and challenging times due to not being prepared. Everyone over the age of 18 should have a living will set for an unexpected event. I can help you have this set for you or a loved one without going through and attorney.
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register. 26
Jonnie R. Wilhite
Brian C. Wilson is Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Brian C. Wilson
The Air Zoo’s education programs are focused on creating affordable, interactive educational programs that not only stimulate and engage audiences during their presentation, but also inspire them to continue their exploration of science and history long after the program’s conclusion. This program will be led by Air Zoo educators.
Amy Walker
Visit wmich.edu/olli to register. 27
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 1903 W Michigan Ave Kalamazoo MI 49008-5263 wmich.edu/ollifacebook.com/wmulifelonglearning (269)387-4157 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. WESTERNPAIDPOSTAGEMICHIGANUNIVERSITY
OLLI at WMU is Proudly Sponsored By:
