President’s Corner: April 15, 2016

Isn’t this Tax Day? Sorry if I made any of you weep…

More important, next Monday, April 18, is the first day of our Spring OLLI Term! Trees are blooming and/or putting out fresh green leaves, lawn mowers are beginning to buzzzzz in the neighborhood, and there are only a couple more weeks left in the WVU spring term, so another class of grads is about to be launched upon a waiting world.

There is a certain kind of carefree that returns to you in old age, different from the carefree of youth when you didn’t know any better. It’s more like being free of caring. It isn’t joyous at all, as it was in youth, but it is a kind of freedom, and all kinds of freedom are precious in some way. [Director Federico Fellini]

I hope each of you has registered for the courses you want to take at OLLI.  And for you instructors or potential instructors, Bob Craig would want you to know that proposals for the summer term are due by April 29. In the summer term, we’re allowed to present lighter fare, shorter classes, or longer ones…realizing that many folks are hitting the road for travel and other fun stuff. I will be putting together a summer Film Forum series that will include some newer films that just never played here. If you have requests, let me know.

Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do…For me the conception of Hell lies in two words: “too late.” [Composer Gian-Carlo Menotti]

Speaking of opera, tomorrow we’ll have the MET in HD presentation of Gaetano Donizetti’s “Roberto Devereux,” at 12:55 PM at the Regal Hollywood cinema. This is the third of the Tudor queens to be presented in one season featuring the great Sondra Radvanovsky, playing with Matthew Polenzani, Elina Garanca and Mariusz Kwiecien. Running time is 3 hrs, 30 min. New production directed and designed by Sir David McVicker. It is stunning…I’m a designer so trust me on this one.

Our new director, Jascenna Haislet, will officially start on May 2, joining the board meeting that day for a get-acquainted session. She will also be out keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting in June.

And my last treat for today…we have our 500 members plus some!  We had 27+ responses from the mailing we sent out to former members and instructors and at least as many from the reception and articles in the DP.  Thanks to all of you that helped.  Let’s NOT rest on our laurels, though…let’s keep building.

Jim Held, President