July 2009

July 2009 Newsletter of the
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State University

Welcome
We are very happy to announce that we have received a grant for the second year from the Bernard Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  The Institute is very happy with the programming that we are currently providing and plan to provide in the future.  A letter will be in the mail this month to those who were members last fiscal year and those on our current mailing list about new membership benefits.  If you don’t receive a letter, information will be added to our Website later this month about the benefits and how to become an OLLI at ISU member.

If there is something that you would like to see in the newsletter or need more information about Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State University, please contact:

Jump to:
OLLI at ISU Events
Introduction to a volunteer and/or staff
Introduction to an instructor
Student testimonial
Course highlight
Sneak peek at Fall 2009 class list
Community events
Interesting Web sites

OLLI at ISU Events

The Fall 2009 OLLI at ISU course catalog will be in the mail and online the first week of August.  

Fall 2009 Preview is Thursday, Aug. 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the ISU Alumni Center.

Classes begin on Monday, Sept.14.  

Introduction to a volunteer and/or staff
Each month this section will be dedicated to featuring one of the many volunteers who serves on a committee or holds an office, along with three different staff members.

OLLI at ISU Curriculum Committee Member:  Carol Alexander Phillips

My participation began the fall of 2006 when I retired from the ISU Child Development Lab School. I became an avid supporter of the College for Seniors program after completing the Great Decisions class, a class focused on discussion of “hot topics” throughout the world. It was just what I was seeking! I also volunteered to work in the Scheman office and became familiar with the philosophy and structure of the organization. After joining the Curriculum Committee and developing courses, I have helped ensure that a diverse offering of courses is available for the eight weeks of fall and spring and four weeks in winter. Each of the Curriculum Committee members is expected to create a minimum of two courses each academic year. We are currently considering how to better schedule course offerings to meet attendee needs, for example, offer one or two day courses, schedule field trips, offer study groups, etc. Feel free to offer your suggestions to committee members and staff.

As a Curriculum Committee Co-Chair, I have the good fortune to share chair responsibilities with Sam Wormley. This type of arrangement has worked well for us. We both serve on the Board of Directors and were involved with the transition to OLLI at ISU. In the quarterly Board meetings, we seek approval of courses for the next term, report on course concerns and enrollment for the current term, and participate in Board decision making. During this time, we welcomed Jerilyn Logue, Program Coordinator, whose efforts are funded by OLLI and focused on the program.

It’s been a pleasure to work with so many interesting and talented people. As a believer in the value of lifelong learning, I’m delighted to participate in the OLLI at ISU. I’d be remiss in not thanking each of you who have contributed to the process, especially our outstanding course instructors. I urge you to become more involved by volunteering, creating a course, teaching a course, or proposing an idea. We welcome your input!

Introduction to an instructor
Each month this section will be dedicated to featuring one of the many wonderful volunteer instructors who give their time and share their passion for learning.

There are several computer teachers who have taught recently or who will teach fall semester.  It only seems fitting to introduce the entire team of computer instructors.

JoAnn Brown
I began my involvement with the OLLI at ISU (formerly College for Seniors) computer classes in 2002 as a helper in a computer class. The next semester I began teaching classes, and I have taught two or four classes each semester for six years.  I am also the computer class coordinator.

I grew up in Stanley, North Dakota, and graduated from Minot State University with majors in music education and business education.  My first experience using a computer was in an adult education class when I was 53 years old. I enjoyed reading manuals and learning on my own, and I looked for jobs that allowed me to use a computer.  I worked as a secretary at ISU for 10 years before retiring in 2002. My other job experiences have been elementary music teacher for 3 years, part-time church music coordinator for 25 years, and part-time painting/wallpapering professional for 10 years.

I enjoy teaching adults and preparing materials for teaching. It is rewarding to see students excited about learning. Their appreciation of our teaching efforts and handouts are what keep me continuing to teach year after year.  We have expanded from offering two levels of classes to now offering 3 levels, plus an Internet class and a class on working with digital photos.

Our teachers and our dedicated helpers (one or two in each class) have been the key to the success of our computer classes. 

Lowell Mathison
I worked 36 years for ISU at the Ames Laboratory's Environment, Safety, and Health Group and retired in 1997.  In 2001 I was asked to teach a beginning computer class which was in the early stages of being developed and organized by the curriculum committee. I have taught two to four classes a year since.

I grew up on a farm in western Wisconsin. I graduated with a Broad Area Science degree in secondary education from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and started work at Iowa State. I have worked with com¬puters in one form or another since 1962, when I had my first experience with a computer.  I took a Basic class in which we learned to write a simple computer program and, using punched cards, entered the program and data into the computer.

Other interests that I have include digital photography, constructing and flying radio controlled model airplanes, amateur (Ham) radio, gardening, and singing in my church choir.

Lois Kapfer
I am a retired kindergarten teacher. I received a two-year teaching certificate from The University of Northern Iowa in 1957 and completed my degree at Eastern Michigan University in 1971. My husband was a Lutheran pastor, and we lived in New Hampshire, Illinois, Michigan, and various cities in Iowa.  I have been a class assistant or teacher of OLLI computer classes for several semesters.  I also volunteer at Memorial Lutheran Church as a teacher of English as a second language.

Belinda Lyons
I retired from teaching kindergarten and primary age children in the Ames schools. I began working with computers in my elementary classroom and have continued the interest as a retirement hobby. Typical of our generation, I came to the computer age as an apprehensive adult. I confess that I fled from my first computer class at break time, never to return! Fortunately, my understanding children provided some tutoring, and I have actually completed several classes! The computer classes I have taken through College for Seniors (now OLLI) have been very informative — and non-threatening.

Kathie Oulman
I worked over twenty years at ISU as a program assistant and program coordinator in several departments. I was introduced to microcomputers in 1979, and I continue to enjoy working with them and having them work for me.

Terry Smay
I taught Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State for 29 years before retiring in 1997.  I have been a serious photographer and darkroom addict since the early 70's, and I moved into the digital photo world about ten years ago.  I photographically document our motor home travels and offer landscape and wildlife prints for sale through Gallery 319 in Ames (Gallery319Ames.com).

Nathan Tosten
I look forward to teaching computer classes this fall.  I have taught adult education computer classes at Ames High School for a number of years. I enjoy seeing the excitement when adults see how they can use the computer as a useful tool to perform tasks for their lives (acquire information, organize, and communicate with others).

I was born in Decorah, Iowa, and raised in Cresco. When I was 15, my family moved to Minneapolis. I graduated from Richfield High School and went to Mankato State, graduating with a BS degree in Elementary Education. I earned my MS degree in Effective Teaching from Drake University in 1988. I taught fifth grade in the Ames Schools for 33 years. I retired from teaching to find a different kind of job and was employed by McFarland clinic for 8 years as a system specialist and tech trainer.

Student Testimonial
Each month this section will be dedicated to featuring one of the many students who participate in the classes to continue their passion for learning.

Jerry Pierce

I took 3 of the courses offered this spring by the College for Seniors at Iowa State (now known as OLLI at ISU).  Two or three years ago I took one on the religions found in Iowa.  We had speakers from the various religions (Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam) and toured their religious facilities in the area.  I hope they will repeat this class in the near future.  This spring I took the ones on the Middle East, the CIA-KGB spy wars that have been going on since before World War II, and one on touring the local industry businesses in the Ames area.

The Middle East class was fascinating because it gave a different perspective than what we would normally get from our news sources.  Some of our instructors had lived in the area for several years, and it was made clear to us there are many different cultures in the region that affect the region and what people do there.  The CIA-KGB class was intriguing because I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about spying; and some of them were frightening to me because of my personal travels I have gone over the years to the former Soviet Union in 1997 and the Ukraine in 2003 that I was asked to do because of being named the 1995 Iowa Teacher of the Year.  It is a little disconcerting to be told in 2003 by my Ukrainian-English translator that the man who just got off the bus out in the middle of nowhere was his grandfather who was the head KGB agent in England in the 1950’s.  It was also a little shocking that after the late 1950’s that the recruitment of spies changed from being based on ideology to people who just dropped in to visit a foreign embassy as I had done in the mid 1970’s.  And the tour of the industry businesses in the Ames area was very educational.  To learn what those businesses do every day that I didn’t know about was enlightening.  Everyone should have a chance to take such a tour.  You will learn a lot about what is going on in your own backyard.  I hope they repeat all of these classes.     

Course Highlights

Computer Class

We are very fortunate to have a team of great instructors for the various computer courses. This fall they will be offering Level 1 (formerly Introduction to Computer), Level 2 (formerly Beginning Computer), Level 3 (formerly Intermediate Computer), and two sections of a brand new class called Editing, Manipulating, and Printing Digital Photographs. 

Photo of JoAnn Brown by Bridgette Rourick.

If you would like to see more pictures of one of the computer classes taken by Bridgette Rourick, please view our online photo gallery.

Sneak peek at our Fall 2009 Course list

Below is a list with just the titles of the courses to be offered this fall.  Keep your eye on the Website for detailed class information later in July. 

1.  America’s Rails:  Past and Future
1a. Railroad Museum Tour to Council Bluffs and Omaha (anyone can take this trip)
2.  Changing Patterns of Energy
3. Listening to Music Beyond the Sound
4. Great Decisions
4a. Great Decisions Study Guide (Optional)
5. Photography Field Trips
6. Digital Photography—Point and Shoot Basics
7. Digital Photography—Advanced dSLR Level
8. Regional Cultures in Early America and Their Origins
9. Famous Operettas
10. A Brief Look at Eleven Decades of Movie Directors
11. History of Iowa State Athletics
12. Life in the Thirties
13. Animal and Human Interactions
14. Iowa as the Early “Wild West”
15. Ames Water Supply and Source
16. Reminiscing About Your 4-H Experiences
17. Fresh Approach—Cooking for One or Two
18. Bridge—The Clubs Series
19. Bridge—The Hearts Series
20. Bridge—The No Trump Series
21. An Introduction to Native Plants of the Midwest Region
22. Calligraphy:  Spencerian Script—Lettering Elegance with Sweeping Flourishes
23. Computers—Level 1 (formerly Introduction to Computer)
24. Computers—Level 2 (formerly Beginning Computer)
25. Computers—Level 3 (formerly Intermediate Computer)
26a. Computers—(Tuesday) Editing, Manipulating, and Printing Digital Photographs
26b. Computers—(Wednesday) Editing, Manipulating, and Printing Digital Photographs
27. Art:  Visual Thinking—Inside Out (Des Moines)

Community Events

Story County Genealogical Society members are continuing their Help sessions in the new Genealogy and Iowa Lounge section of the Ames Public Library to the right of the Information desk during July for family history researchers -- both beginners and those needing just another head to work on a "Brick Wall".  Volunteers will demonstrate HeritageQuest online service available through the Ames Public Library, other web resources as well as show you how to use the newspaper microfilms we have or access books and periodicals in the collection.  Come and join the fun. No registration is necessary for this free service. Just drop in the Ames Public Library on one of the scheduled dates. 

Mondays: July 6; July 13; July 20 and July 27, 1-3 p.m.
Wednesdays: July 8, July 15, and July 22, 5-7 p.m.
Saturdays: July 11 and July 25, 1-3 p.m.

November 12th at Stephens Auditorium— Hal Halbrook in “Mark Twain Tonight!”  For those of you who were lucky enough to be a part of Keith Carlson’s class last winter about Mark Twain, you were able to see a portion of a DVD with Hal Halbrook as Mark Twain.  Now you have the opportunity to see him in person!

Interesting Web sites

The Web site http://www.history.com/content/fourthofjuly has a lot of interesting links on the left side of the screen: History of July 4th, Did You Know?, Fourth of July Video Gallery, Maps of Early America, and others.  In the video gallery you can download and watch short videos last usually don’t last more than 3 minutes.  They are Fourth of July History, Jefferson Writes Declaration of Independence, July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest, The Naked Underground:  Founding Father’s Death Wish, Modern Marvels:  The Origin of Fireworks, Fourth of July Barbecue, and others. 

Continue to check out the Iowa State University Extension page http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ each month for information about your yard and garden as well as food, nutrition and health.