Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Across Vermont

with Valerie A. Abrahamsen

The roots of Western civilization lie in Greece and the Roman Empire. In this lecture, we will use both literary and archaeological evidence to examine those roots from the perspectives of polytheism, Judaism, and the early Jesus movement. In the first century Before the Common Era (BCE) through the fifth century of the Common Era (CE), a vast amount of literature was produced that allows us to know a great deal about the Empire, its people and its deities. The literature was, in general, however, created by elite men. Professional archaeological excavations throughout the Mediterranean and Europe over the past century help fill in the gaps of those traditional treatments, including the importance of pagan deities and the lives of more “hidden” people such as women, slaves, and children. We will see that some of the extant literature, including the writings of St. Paul and other documents of the first few centuries CE, have been misinterpreted and misused, to the detriment of many. Using photos taken on-site, we will learn about liberating themes that can enhance our current lives in the West, including the involvement and leadership roles of women in paganism, Judaism and early Christianity and the positive contributions of same-sex missionary pairs. A packet of resources will be available to attendees, and there will be time for questions.

with William Holiday

Holiday will present what eyewitnesses and researchers have told him about the JFK assassination. He wrote a book detailing those experiences, titled, The JFK Assassination – What They Told Me.

with Emily Monosson

Blight is about the devastating impacts of emergent (or relatively new) fungal pathogens across species. Wildlife, crops, forests and humans too – are all potential hosts for deadly fungal pathogens.Following readings of selected chapter excerpts there will be plenty of time for more in-depth discussion of the problems of fungal pandemics and epidemics and possible strategies for prevention, resurrection or protection of susceptible species.

Linda Radtke – Singer and Historian

In period garb, Radtke celebrates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1919 and traces, also, the movement’s alignment with other social justice initiatives. Through songs and stories, Radtke highlights Vermonters’ efforts from 1840-1921, as they lobbied in churches, at “parlor meetings,” at town halls, and at the State House for total enfranchisement.

Christine Melicharek – Central Vermont Council on Aging Information Specialist

The federal Medicare insurance program has grown in size and complexity since it was created 50 years ago. There are now many drug plans, supplementary plans, and more recently Medicare Advantage plans advertised broadly. Melicharek will help us understand the pluses and minuses of these various plans.

Garrett Graff – Author and Historian

In the first serious narrative history of humanity’s hunt for alien life, Graff has created a thrilling story of science, the Cold War, atomic anxieties, the space race, and much more as he traces the long history of our quest to understand one of the most profound and popular questions of all time: whether or not aliens exist.

Professor Anthony William D’Amato

Threats to northern forests from climate change, invasives, and other issues call for strategies to increase resilience and adaptive capacity. Dr. D’Amato will discuss current approaches to sustaining our forests and provide a historical backdrop of tree species migration and human influences over time.

Executive Director Stephanie Young of The 251 Club of Vermont

The 251 Club of Vermont, established in 1954, is a nonprofit organization of Vermont enthusiasts whose objective is to visit all the towns and cities in Vermont. Young will provide an overview of the Club, what it means to be a member, and share some stories and trivia.

Coordinator George Moltz and Participant Margaret Gibson

We will learn about the history of the Vermont branch of the National Senior Games and how it carries out its mission of promoting healthy athletic activities for all over 50. We will hear about the experiences of participants as they pursue the group’s motto “fun, fitness, and fellowship,” while competing at the state and national levels.

Rob Mermin – Circus Smirkus Founder

Mermin, a student of Marcel Marceau, presents a program of Mime Therapy demonstrating his work adapting pantomime and circus techniques to help people with Parkinson’s (PD) cope with movement limitations in a joyful way.

Ben Koenig – Book Expert

When Dorothy Canfield Fisher died in 1958, she was respected and admired not only for her writing, but also for a life of activism. Then, in 2019, the Vermont Department of Libraries removed her name from the children’s book award named in her honor. Koenig will examine this action and present his opposing view.

Produced in the period before the Motion Picture Production Code was enforced, this early rom-com is considered a Lubitsch masterpiece with inventive complicated plot lines and, of course, a love triangle.

This classic romantic comedy is set in Budapest and involves a couple played by James Stewart and Maureen Sullivan who fall in love as pen pals and have to reconcile their letters with an in-person relationship.

Set in war-torn Warsaw and starring Carol Lombard, Jack Benny, and Robert Stack, this madcap comedy features actors, disguises, and romantic escapades.

with Dr. Meg Lowman

Dr “Canopy Meg” Lowman, National Geographic Explorer and Director, TREE Foundation, will share her stories as the world’s first global arbornaut (treetop explorer), ranging from Ethiopia to Australia to the Amazon. She designed a tool kit for whole-tree exploration and has climbed trees in over 40 countries. Her challenges as a woman in science, plus her discoveries in the 8th continent (her affectionate term for the canopy) will be the focus of this talk. She will sign her new book, The Arbornaut, after the talk.

with Lila Bennett

Lila Bennett, Executive Director of the Journey to Recovery Community Center and author of two self-help books, will focus on addiction and how it often starts, what it looks like in daily life for the person, for family members, and for the community. Addiction is not only drugs or alcohol, but also food, relationships, or gambling. All of these may impact mental health or mental illness. The program will end with a conversation about why mental health, both as a concept and in practice, is important to every single one of us, and why mental and emotional awareness of trauma is not a sign of weakness.

with Lois Price

Lois Price, Educator and Musician, will share examples of beautiful music that emerged from some of the most horrendous conditions resulting from the Nazi realization that control of the arts was an important element in their overall scheme of domination. While the Nazi regime labeled the music it banned “forbidden music,” many people incarcerated in ghettos and concentration camps found music to be a solace and a means of expressing their despair, sorrow, and fear, as well as their endurance, resistance, and hope.

with Dr. Lindsay Varner, Executive Director of the Rokeby Museum

Dr. Lindsay Varner, Executive Director of the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, will share Rokeby’s abolitionist history and the stories of the Freedom Seekers who sought self-emancipation on the Underground Railroad. The Robinson family who lived at the site were radical abolitionists and leaders in the national anti-slavery movement. They also kept very good records of their activities. Thus, Rokeby has been designated as one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the nation.

with Dr. Cheryl Casey

Dr. Cheryl Casey, Professor of Communication and Media, Champlain College, will focus on the rampant scourge of dis- and misinformation – hardly new players in the information environment, but transformed in scope and impact by computer networks and algorithmic code. With communication technologies rapidly evolving, we are faced with greater challenges than ever to be intentional and effective seekers, consumers, and producers of information. Dr. Casey will provide some information skills and critical awareness for taking back our very freedom of thought from those who would hijack our information landscape in the name of power and profit.

with Dr. Elizabeth Sherman

How is it that the United States, arguably the most science and technology centered country in the world, routinely lags behind many other countries in the acceptance and understanding of science? Various polls have suggested that a substantial percentage of Americans think that the seriousness of human-induced climate change is exaggerated, that vaccines cause autism, that humans did not evolve from earlier forms of life, that genetically modified foods are unsafe for humans to ingest, and that wearing magnets can ease arthritis and Prevagen can improve memory, in spite of evidence from scientists. In this talk, Dr. Elizabeth Sherman, Professor of Biology, Emerita, Bennington College, will explore how scientists do science, limitations and all, and the consequences of science denial.

with Laura Rice

Laura Rice, Executive Director of the Children’s Literacy Foundation, believes that early literacy skills are a key predictor of future success in life and learning, yet over two-thirds of fourth graders from under-resourced families in Vermont and New Hampshire do not read proficiently. During the pandemic, the achievement gap has only widened for children at higher risk of developing low literacy skills. Our communities must address these disadvantages through a shared commitment to comprehensive literacy programming. All children deserve to experience the power and the joy that reading and writing can deliver.

with John Wehse/Stowe Mountain Rescue

Jon Wehse, Team Chief of Stowe Mountain Rescue, will present a lively description and photo montage of Stowe Mountain Rescue – the team, its training, and some mission reviews. Stowe Mountain Rescue is an elite mountain rescue team focused on technical rescue, search, and swift-water/flood response.

with Former Governor James Douglas

Former Governor Jim Douglas will present a program and discussion regarding Vermonters who have made contributions to the nation’s history. With this being the 100th anniversary of President Calvin Coolidge’s swearing–in as US president in his Vermont home, it is an extremely timely topic.

with Steve Costello

Steve Costello will explain his transformation from journalist to wild life photographer. His work to help restore endangered species has sparked this transition. His goal is to use the illusion of proximity, so the subject is “right there” with the viewer, creating a sense of intimacy with wildlife.

with Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges

Six months in office, Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges will share how things are going in our small city, re-capping some of the highlights and challenges of his administration. He will discuss steps that are being taken to build Rutland’s economy in these challenging times.

with Cynthia Bittinger

It has been 100 years since Calvin Coolidge was sworn in at his Vermont homestead. With Coolidge historian Cynthia Bittinger let’s look back at the Roaring Twenties, a time of great economic growth, but intense cultural conflicts. The era is worth studying, as it set the tone for the American century.

with Helen Mango

The geologic history of Vermont covers more than a billion years, and involves the formation of just about every kind of rock. In this talk, Helen Mango, retired Castleton geology and chemistry professor, will show how mountain-building events, erosion, and glaciation all combined to create the landscape and resources we see today.

with Scott Kaufman and Eric Mallette

NOTE: This presentation will be held at the Paramount Theater, 30 Center St, Rutland.

Scott Kaufman, Rutland Historical Society Volunteer Director, and Eric Mallette, Executive Director of the Paramount Theater, will discuss The Paramount’s Past, Present, and Future, followed by a “Theater Magic” presentation on stage.

with Nordic Harmoni

We welcome back Nordic Harmoni , which is a Scandinavian chorus based in Southern Vermont. They enjoy sharing their heritage, music, and traditions, and is a musical event sure to delight.

Kory Rogers,  ‘Francie and John Downing Senior Curator of American Art’ at Shelburne Museum

We will explore the importance of Shelburne Museum’s renowned collection of horse-drawn vehicles and their formative role in the establishment of one of Vermont’s most beloved cultural institutions. From carriages and sleighs to wagons and carts, the collection spans the late 19th and early 20thcenturies and includes a variety of styles and designs. Rogers will highlight key vehicles, their connection to Museum founder Electra H. Webb, and their historical significance.

Ben Boyington, Educator, Writer, Media Literacy Scholar

Like so many headlines today, this program title is clickbait.  It is designed to seize your attention by appealing to your emotions.  This kind of rhetoric infests our news as well as our politics and social media posts.  We will explore how the attention economy and consumerism work to influence our buying (and thus our lives), our politics (the life of the country), and our very sense of self (our mental health).  Through dissection of examples, sharing of facts, and open discussion, we will engage about advertising techniques, the economics of the digital age, and the impact of social media.

Michelle Arnosky Sherburne, Author, Vermont Historian

Learn about courageous Abolitionists who were part of the network of aiding fugitive enslaved people in the years prior to the Civil War. Misconceptions and hidden histories of Vermont and New Hampshire’s roles in the Underground Railroad are revealed. Highlights include Springfield’s UGRR agents Noah and Nancy Safford, fugitive enslaved Ephraim Wright who settled in town as well as southern New Hampshire’s agents and their work for the Abolitionist cause. We’ll explore New Hampshire’s hidden Black heritage, slavery and slave trade, and Vermont’s tumultuous reception of Blacks and Abolitionists in the 19th century!

Bobby Farlice-Rubio, Educator

This Special Halloween program will demystify Monsters through facts and science. Although there are no supernatural monsters in this lesson, we will explore the ways in which real parasites have taken over their hosts, and how they may have inspired monster myths!  Could parasites be responsible for some people’s reckless and dangerous behavior? Could toxins and poisons in nature control people’s minds and make them behave like monsters?

‘Banjo Dan’ Lindner, Musician and member of the Mid-nite Plowboys

We’ll listen to him sing several of his favorite ‘Songs of Vermont’ that he has written and hear the stories and inspirations behind these songs.  During a musical career spanning fifty years, “Banjo Dan’’ has specialized in songs drawn from Vermont’s history, legends, places and personalities.

Mark Breen, Senior Meteorologist Fairbanks Museum

Returning for his 12th Annual Presentation to our Springfield OLLI Group
The weather is always up to something, and recent weather extremes, wide-open discussions through social media, as well as local and major news outlets, bring a great deal of attention to trends, patterns, and changes in weather events. We’ll learn information on where the weather gets its energy, and how this creates certain patterns and events that deliver sunshine or monsoons. Breen will guide us through the information, and the misinformation, and weave together the tapestry of weather patterns.

with Dr. Steve Taubman

Mind Magic combines elements of comedy and mindreading with a healthy dose of psychology and theater, drawing on Dr. Steve’s laser-sharp observational skills and his refined sense of the absurd. All of these are on display in Mind Magic, which is carefully curated to make you laugh, gasp, think, and laugh some more.

with Lucien Hayes and Sherry Scott

A journey from back in the time of the thirteen original colonies to present-day America. We will review some of the customs and practices relating to funeral service. We will also give a brief synopsis of the repatriation process when a National mass disaster occurs.

with Robert Wyatt

A Salute to Ira and George Gershwin

Ira was known as “The Jeweler,” a songsmith whose exquisite craftsmanship allowed him to embed a seamless mosaic of words within the contour of a melodic line. And when his brother George sat at the piano, an endless assortment of tunes came dripping from his fingers.

From their first hit in 1918, “The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag),” along with immortal blockbusters like “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “The Man I Love,” to the heart-wrenching “Love Is Here to Stay,” a song left unfinished by George’s death in July 1937, the brother’s legacy of over two dozen scores for Broadway and Hollywood helped establish musical comedy as an American art form.

American music specialist and Gershwin scholar Robert Wyatt reviews the lives of the Gershwin brothers, from their simple roots, through their Tin Pan Alley apprenticeship, to the glory years that were too short.”

with Theresa Zittritsch

The Constellations – I’ll go over the history of constellations and how they’ve come to be formally recognized. I’ll go over a little of the mythology that has surrounded the constellations, and provide some pointers on how to identify various constellations throughout the year.

with James & Anne Ouellette

James and Anne will share the highlights of their two-week self-driving tour of Iceland. See the natural wonders of the Land of Fire and Ice, to include waterfalls, glacier lagoons, volcanoes, geothermal landscape and more.

with Chester F. Parsons

The program describes the importance of sheep in the history of Vermont, including the famous Merino sheep that were imported from Spain.

with Rob Mermin

Rob has a new memoir, which he will read from and discuss. It is “Circle of Sawdust, A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem & Magic.” Rob will talk about his life as an artist, struggles and successes, and the interesting characters he met along the way. He will also talk about his new play, Act 39, based on his experience with Vermont’s medical aid in dying law.

with Kelly Viens

A look back at St. Albans Recreation – where we’ve come, what we offer. A history of Hard’ack Recreation Area and current offerings. Presentation by Aquatic Director Isaac Bashaw about the year round community programming at Hard’ack Pool. A look at future projects.

Robert Wyatt, Steinway Artist, Smithsonian Lecturer/Recitalist

Dilettante, hedonist, elitist, snob: Cole Porter was called all of them during his glittering yet troubled life. Whatever detractors may have said about him personally, Porter’s reputation as a musical genius has never been questioned. The lecture surveys Porter’s life on Broadway and in Hollywood, covering 40 years that produced 33 stage works and the music for 23 films. Rare archival film clips and recording of original cast members, including Ethel Merman, Fred Astaire, Louis Armstrong, and Bing Crosby are featured, along with Porter himself singing and playing “You’re the Top”—which he was. Through the use of a grand piano and a PowerPoint presentation, the audience will sway with the songs that people enjoy humming, masterworks like “Night and Day,” “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Begin the Beguine,” “I Love Paris” and many, many more. American music specialist Robert Wyatt will walk you through Cole Porter’s dramatic and fascinating life.

Amanda Kay Gustin, Director of Collections and Access, Vermont Historical Society

Vermont has been a featured location in Hollywood movies for nearly a century. It has represented many different ideals during that time, and its portrayal reflects both Vermont’s own history as well as American history. Examining those films provides interesting and fun insights into the hold Vermont has had on imagination in the media age. Amanda Kay Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society will provide background and share clips ranging chronologically from 1919’s Way Down East to 2005’s Thank You for Smoking.

Audrey Winograd, MSW, Program Manger, Patient Choices Vermont

Audrey Winograd will lead an open discussion about end-of-life decision making including medical aid in dying under Vermont’s Act 39. This is an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and share stories. These conversations are life affirming and empowering. People often discuss their experiences with the dying process of loved ones and express their desires for what they would or would not like when they consider their end-of-life choices. Topics will include medical aid in dying, who qualifies, and how it works, as well as the role of hospice and palliative care. Audrey will discuss how to talk to your doctor and recent legislative updates to Act 39.

Charles Fergus, Author

How accurately researched, well-written mystery novels can provide entertainment while teaching important aspects of American history.

Pamela McCann, General Manager, Events Coordinator

Pamela will present a talk about Dog Mountain past and present, its ongoing mission, and show a video followed by time for Q&A.

Sally Fishburn, S. A. Fishburn, Inc.

The program will start with an introduction to historic preservation and a history of the historic preservation work in the United States, with a look to the future of historic preservation. The second half of the presentation will review some of the historic preservation work that S. A. Fishburn, Inc. has completed in Vermont.

Gillian Sewake, Director, Discover St. Johnsbury

When presenter Gillian Sewake was growing up in the St. Johnsbury area, it was hard to find anyone who had a good word about the town.A nd, it did have its challenges! But, St. Johnsbury was then, and remains a hub for creativity, ingenuity, and regional activity. While a hard-fought revitalization is underway, Sewake argues that one of the important factors in this turnaround in the town’s fortune is not necessarily changes to policy or specific projects, but the way people “feel” about St. Johnsbury. She’ll discuss ways to improve a community’s self-perception, and how that intentional effort to build community connections and pride can lead to revitalization.

Kathleen Monroe, Author

Eleven-year-old Jacques Cousteau’s first dive occurred in West Barnet’s Harvey Lake. The author tracked down five Scottish grandfather clocks brought to Barnet, settled by Scots. Each of the five is still ticking. The Hells Angels roared into our bucolic town, intending to build a summer lodge on the banks of Harvey Lake. One of the early investigations by the Bureau of Investigation was underway in Barnet in 1917. A deep dive into the history of Barnet, Vermont, is incomplete without research into the prior claim that the Goodwillie House served as the site of an Underground Railroad. This program offers an opportunity to share in Kathleen’s zeal for the prolific history of this Northeast Kingdom town.