PRESIDENT'S CORNER
President’s Corner, October 23, 2015
I have a simple philosophy: Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches. [Socialite Alice Roosevelt Longworth]
Another interesting thought from the Charlotte Osher Conference: an interesting Breakout Session was on the topic of “The Stories of Olli.” Here’s a bit of the program description: A number of Osher Institutes are exploring the power of storytelling and tapping their OLLI members to collect and tell their personal stories… Session speakers told of OLLI groups that have successfully used storytelling techniques to find out what it was about participating in an OLLI, as instructor, student, or volunteer that made their lives better or even changed their lives in unforeseen ways. I really like this idea, so here’s a challenge for you…
Think about how our OLLI at WVU has made a difference in your life. Then, send me a good healthy paragraph describing your experience Jim.Held@mail.wvu.edu or drop it in my box in our office. I would love to share some of these stories with the members through this column so make sure to tell me if you do NOT want your story published. This can be an on-going project, so do it as the spirit moves you…OK? I’ll be brave and start…
I started teaching for OLLI at WVU in 2006 and am now teaching my 27th OLLI class. I resisted joining the Board or doing other volunteer work until I retired in 2013, and then joined the curriculum committee. My first couple of classes were attempts to teach about 4-6 playwrights in a 6-week term, one playwright per week. I very quickly discovered that these old folks loved to talk and discuss, would do their homework, even if I didn’t assign any, and that ONE playwright was ample for 6 weeks! I also discovered how much you all love films, so I learned to teach classes where I could share one or two complete plays by the dramatist covered in class…and to make sure we had plenty of discussion time. What has this all meant to me? One day in 2012, I had a revelation that I was having MUCH more fun teaching OLLI students than 20 year-old university students who would rather build scenery or act than read plays and history! I knew it was time to retire…to OLLI! You all have changed my life. I have made so many new friends and have been given the opportunities to explore topics I never claimed to have thoroughly mastered—but would like to—and to scratch many itches. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Your turn…
Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is. [Jimmy Carter]