OLLI at UMass Boston - 2022 Winter Programs
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OLLI at UMass Boston - 2022 Winter Programs
The OLLI office is creating opportunities for all members (and future members!) to stay engaged during the
winter. The programs will be held via Zoom. Most programs are free. If there are any costs associated with
an event, it will be noted in the program description. Zoom links are sent out a day prior to each event.
Members are encouraged to use the OLLI online registration
system to sign up for these events. Winter events and programs
are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please click here
and use your OLLI username and password to sign into the system.
Once you are logged in, all winter events are listed under SPECIAL
EVENTS. Your username and password are still active even if your
membership has expired. Not an OLLI member? Please email the
OLLI office (ollireg@gmail.com) your requests (program titles) and
we will register you so you can experience OLLI this winter.
Winter Programs At-A-Glance
More details for each program listed below can be found within this document.
January 10 – Monday Morning Coffee Chats (through February 28)
January 10 – Getting to Know Van Gogh
January 11 – OLLI Winter Film Series: Father of the Bride (1950)
January 12 – A Journey through America’s National Park System
January 13 – The Battle for Burma, 1944-45
January 18 – OLLI Winter Film Series: The Wedding Banquet (1993)
January 19 – Book Reviews and Recommendations
January 20 – OLLI Trivia Event – Fundraiser for OLLI
January 24 – Dimension, Distance, and Space: The art of drawing in perspective
January 25 – OLLI Winter Film Series: Everybody's Fine (2009)
January 27 – The Design and Implementation of “Operation Magic Carpet”
January 27 – Divining Bette Midler: Queer Lives, Gay Icons, and Diva Worship (5 Thursdays)
January 31 – A Trip Down Memory Lane
February 1 – OLLI Winter Film Series: Sounder (1972)
February 2 – Beyond the 54th
February 7 – Gesture Drawing: Capturing the movement of people
February 8 – OLLI Winter Film Series: A Family Thing (1996)
February 9 – The Great Depression: An Alternative Assessment
February 10 – T he Music, Life and Legacy of Jimi Hendrix
February 14 – Love is in the Air
February 15 – OLLI Winter Film Series: Still Walking (2008)
February 15 – How a Mother/Daughter Team Made Emily Dickinson a Household Name
February 17 – Only Hope: My Mother and the Holocaust Brought to Light
February 22 – OLLI Winter Film Series: Short Term 12 (2013)
February 24 – Trail Favorites in Our Western Parks
Monday Morning Coffee Chats – Starting January 10 through February 28
9:00–10:00 a.m.
Here is your opportunity to connect with other people over your morning cup of coffee!
Every Monday in January and February (except Jan. 17 & Feb. 21).
Getting to Know Van Gogh
Monday, January 10, 12–1:00 p.m.
Although the artist Vincent van Gogh was relatively unknown during his
lifetime, he has since become one of the most famous artists of the 19th
century. This program takes a closer look at the life and art of Van Gogh,
featuring works from the museum’s collection. Van Gogh’s expressive use
of color and thickly applied brush strokes have become a recognized
hallmark of Post-Impressionism, and offer a window into the world of a
brilliant but troubled artist. Presenter: Arielle Levine of the Cleveland Art
Museum teaches students all around the world during video conferences in
the museum’s Distance Learning Program. She has a degree in art history
from Case Western Reserve University and has been with the museum's
education department for over 15 years.
OLLI Winter Film Series: Father of the Bride (1950)
Tuesday, January 11
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
When beautiful Kay Banks (Elizabeth Taylor) announces her engagement to Buckley
Dunstan (Don Taylor), her doting middle-class father, Stan (Spencer Tracy), must
contend with a variety of problems, ranging from money issues to wedding planning
difficulties. As things get hectic, Stan's wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), tries to be the calm
in the center of the storm. At the heart of the comedy, though, is Stan's emotional
tie to his little girl, and his realization that she has indeed grown up.
A Journey through America’s National Park System
Wednesday, January 12, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
This program will feature the presenter’s inspiration to visit all 423 National Park Service units; a centennial
project to say thank you to park personnel, and how the adventure became a book. Memorable
recollections from the parks illustrate various system-wide themes and observations. Presenter: David
Kroese left a 25-year career in the corporate world to pursue his personal interests, becoming one of about
fifty people known to have visited all 423 National Park Service units. Over the past decade, David has
logged over 1,500 visits and hiked thousands of trail miles in NPS sites across the country. David wrote of
his experiences in the first published narrative through all the NPS sites, The Centennial: A Journey through
America’s National Park System. David shares his enthusiasm for our park system in speaking engagements
across the country and is currently working on his next book, Amidst the Icons: Hidden Gems of America’s
National Park System.
The Battle for Burma, 1944-45
Thursday, January 13, 12–1:15 p.m.
Private Chinese citizens are building statues and museums to honor General Joseph Stilwell and American
soldiers who fought with the Chinese to stop the million-troop-strong Japanese invasion of China that
began in 1937. The new statues are ironic given the bellicose rhetoric between leaders of China and the US
today. They’re also ironic because there are no memorials to Stilwell in the United States. This talk will look
at America's significant support for China’s beleaguered Nationalist government in World War II. The focal
point of support was a military supply route through Burma (now Myanmar) that involved America’s only
infantry troops in mainland Asia in WWII. I will also discuss how this is a personal story to me. This is the
third lecture in my series on Forgotten Battles and American Memory. Presenter: Doug Smock is a retired
newspaper reporter and magazine editor who is writing a book on “Forgotten Battles: Remembering
History”. The book exhumes six battles and discusses how we often choose to forget history and remember
it incorrectly. Doug has presented twice for OLLI in the past year: “The Weston Colony: Curse or Gateway?”
and “Young George Washington and Braddock’s Defeat.”
OLLI Winter Film Series: The Wedding Banquet (1993)
Tuesday, January 18
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) and his boyfriend (Mitchell Lichtenstein) live happily as a
gay couple in New York City. Wai-Tung has not been open about his sexuality with
his Taiwanese parents (Sihung Lung, Ah-Leh Gua), and decides to acquiesce to their
wish for a traditional Chinese union by marrying Wei-Wei (May Chin), a struggling
artist desperate for a green card. But the simple arrangement turns into a lavish
debacle when Wai-Tung's parents plan an extravagant wedding banquet.
Book Reviews and Recommendations
Wednesday, January 19, 10:00–11:30 a.m.
Curious to learn about what others are reading this winter (or have read during the summer and fall)? Did
you get a great book over the holidays? Need a break from the computer screen and looking for a good
book to pick-up? This event allows participants to share book titles and quick, personal reviews to help
others build their winter reading lists. Don’t have a book to share? No problem! Join and listen to
recommendations that might inspire you to check them out.
OLLI Trivia Event – Fundraiser for OLLI
Thursday, January 20, 10:00 a.m. – noon
The Friends of OLLI Committee invites you and your
friends to join in on the fun with OLLI’s virtual fundraising
event! Come test your knowledge and meet OLLI members
as we host a trivia game on Zoom!
Participants will be randomly assigned to groups of 5
participants, and will use breakout rooms to discuss and
decide their answers to trivia questions. The winning team will receive prizes!
Event cost: $20. Event fee is tax deductible and all proceeds go toward the Friends of OLLI fund, which
keeps OLLI vibrant! Membership fees and interest from the Osher Foundation endowment finance a large
part of the program, but they do not fully fund our costs. The Friends of OLLI funds go toward events,
scholarship assistance, OLLI Scholar stipends, and other needs that OLLI has throughout the year.
Participants can mail a check made out to “Friends of OLLI” to the OLLI office: OLLI at UMass Boston, 100
Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125. An secure online payment link will be available soon!
Dimension, Distance, and Space: The art of drawing in perspective
Monday, January 24, 1–3:00 p.m.
This workshop is for anyone interested in enhancing drawing skills. We will learn about 1-point and 2-point
perspective through analyzing photographs and drawing exercises. Knowing the fundamental concepts of
drawing in perspective, students’ drawings will have a clear sense of three-dimensional space such as an
interior room or a landscape. Students will have plenty of time to practice technique as they learn about
perspective. All levels are welcome. This workshop is taught entirely online through the Zoom platform. A
list of art supplies needed for this workshop will be sent to participants a week prior to the workshop.
Presenter: Kate Nordstrom is an artist and teacher based in Barrington, Rhode Island. Her true love of art
started when she was a young child. She considers herself a lifelong learner who seeks out opportunities to
be a student whenever and wherever she can. Subjects of interest in her own work continue to be the
California landscape and architecture, the ruggedness of the New England coastline, and the concepts of
light and space. She is thrilled to be teaching at OLLI.
OLLI Winter Film Series: Everybody's Fine (2009)
Tuesday, January 25
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
Eight months after the death of his wife, Frank Goode looks forward to a reunion with
his four adult children. When all of them cancel their visits at the last minute, Frank,
against the advice of his doctor, sets out on a road trip to reconnect with his
offspring. As he visits each one in turn, Frank finds that his children's lives are not
quite as picture-perfect as they've made them out to be.
The Design and Implementation of “Operation Magic Carpet”
Thursday, January 27, 10:00–11:30 a.m.
“Operation Magic Carpet” was a massive undertaking to bring some 10 million soldiers home from the
Second World War. It is the largest movement of humanity in world history. It took virtually thousands of
trips back from some 56 war zones throughout the world and arriving at such ports of arrival as Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Norfolk, VA, San Francisco, and San Diego. It involved more than 600 ocean going
vessels most doing numerous round trips to accomplish this unprecedented task, and took two full years
just to organize the complex logistics and planning and then complex organization of getting all of these
soldiers from coastal ports of call, by railroad to hometowns, to be greeted by millions of grateful citizens at
train stations throughout our entire nation, only to be followed by massive efforts to search and secure
millions of jobs, provide education and training opportunities for eager veterans to take part in a booming
economy and as they would become what historians would call “The Greatest Generation” You will also
learn about the several hundred thousand happy English brides sailing aboard the Queen Mary to start a
new life in America. Presenter: Dan Leclerc taught history for 20 years in the Chelmsford, MA and Hingham,
MA Public Schools, and was a senior administrator for 12 years and retired as Assistant Superintendent in
the Ashland, MA Public Schools. He holds a Master’s Degree in History from Northeastern University. He
has presented to numerous historical societies and libraries and currently teaches in the OLLI (Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute) at UMASS Boston.
Divining Bette Midler: Queer Lives, Gay Icons, and Diva Worship
Thursday, January 27 – Thursday, February 24, 3–4:30 p.m.
**Note: this is a 5-week course being offered through OLLI at University
of Pittsburgh. Photo by Bob Deutsch. Used with permission.**
Since the late 19th century, gay men have been drawn to certain female
performers with a fervor that goes beyond mere entertainment. Artists
like Mae West, Ruth Etting, Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, Barbra
Streisand, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Patti Labelle, Donna Summer,
Madonna, Lady Gaga — and Bette Midler— among others, have
generated powerful responses from gay men, connections characterized
by an intensity largely absent between other performers and their straight fans. Why? That question is at
the heart of this OLLI course. Presenter: Tim Ziaukas is a professor emeritus of public relations at The
University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and has written dozens of articles for popular and academic journals. He
has earned an MA and MFA from Pitt in English and writing.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Monday, January 31, 12–1:15 p.m.
Sharing stories and memories is something we all do. It helps us relate and connect to one another and give
insight to who we are. This program is about encouraging the sharing of funny or uplifting stories. Those
memories that give our spirits a lift when we need a smile or laugh. Join us as we gather online to enjoy the
positive experiences shared by participants. Attendees can also simply listen and enjoy an hour free of
stress and worry.
OLLI Winter Film Series: Sounder (1972)
Tuesday, February 1
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
The Morgans, a family of poor black sharecroppers in the Depression-plagued
South, struggle to find enough to eat despite the help their hunting dog, Sounder.
When father Nathan (Paul Winfield) resorts to stealing food, he is captured by
police and sent to prison, and his wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), is left to care for
their son, David (Kevin Hooks). Though Sounder has run away, David never gives
up hope that his dog will return, just as he believes that he will see his father
again someday.
Beyond the 54th
Wednesday, February 2, 10–11:30 a.m.
Many people know the story of the 54th
Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War:
one of the most celebrated regiments of black
soldiers that fought in the Civil War and
became famous after the heroic, but ill-fated,
assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. But have you ever wondered what happened after 1865? Join us as
we delve into the stories of some of the men who served and learn how many continued to fight for
equality for all. Presenter: Jocelyn Gould has been a National Park Ranger at Boston National Historical Park
since 2005. Focusing mostly on the stories of the “regular” person during history, she has had the great
fortune to meet many individuals who participated in World War II in the military and civilian workforce.
Gesture Drawing: Capturing the movement of people
Monday, February 7, 1–3:00 p.m.
This workshop is for anyone interested in learning how to draw the human figure in motion. Through quick
“gestural” drawings, students will focus on capturing the essence of the figure in motion while paying
attention to accurate proportions. This is a fast-paced workshop where students are challenged to draw
quick studies ranging from 1 minute to 15 minutes in order to capture general gestures and movement.
There will not be a live model. Instead, students will draw from reference photos projected on the
computer screen. All levels are welcome. This workshop is taught entirely online through the Zoom
platform. A list of art supplies needed for this workshop will be sent to participants a week prior to the
workshop. Presenter: Kate Nordstrom is an artist and teacher based in Barrington, Rhode Island. Her true
love of art started when she was a young child. She considers herself a lifelong learner who seeks out
opportunities to be a student whenever and wherever she can. Subjects of interest in her own work
continue to be the California landscape and architecture, the ruggedness of the New England coastline, and
the concepts of light and space. She is thrilled to be teaching at OLLI.
OLLI Winter Film Series: A Family Thing (1996)
Tuesday, February 8
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
Following the death of the white woman he thought was his mother, a shocked
Earl Pilcher Jr. (Robert Duvall) learns he is half black. Shaken to the core by this
revelation of decades of lies, an impassioned Pilcher travels to Chicago to find his
biological family and meets Roy Murdock (James Earl Jones), his half-brother.
Unfortunately, Murdock refuses to accept the aging Southerner. Desperate for a
connection, the grieving Pilcher struggles to convince Murdock to open his mind.
The Great Depression: An Alternative Assessment
Wednesday, February 9, 1:30–3:00 p.m.
In the late 1990’s author Ed Linz traveled the U.S. to conduct taped oral interviews
with over 50 Americans who lived during the turbulent period of the 1930’s.
Among the social and ethnic cross-section he interviewed were a Black man who
worked in the turpentine forests of southern Georgia; a New Englander who
survived the 1948 hurricane; the daughter of Greek immigrants at age nine in a
tuberculosis sanitarium in Los Angeles; a coon hunter in South Carolina, and a
woman who preferred to be called “The Pie Lady.” Before recounting these
experiences, Linz explains the social, political and economic background leading up
to the Great Depression. He concludes by pointing out the ominous parallels to
present times (international pandemic, stock market gyrations, and political turmoil). The presentation is
approximately 75 minutes followed by Q&A discussion. Presenter: Ed Linz lives in Virginia and Maine. A
native of Kentucky, he has commanded a nuclear submarine, taught public high school Physics for over 25
years, and written a weekly opinion column since 1979 (archived at www.eyesright.us). He has Masters
degrees from Christ Church College, Oxford University and George Mason University. He is the author of
four books ranging from fiction to non-fiction. Linz was the recipient of a life-saving heart transplant
operation in 1994 and speaks frequently on organ and tissue donation and American history. He remains
active in education by teaching Physics at an independent school. His current writing project is titled
Electrical Sudoko.
The Music, Life and Legacy of Jimi Hendrix
Thursday, February 10, 10–11:30 a.m.
Jimi Hendrix is often considered the best rock and roll
guitarist, EVER. Five years in the spotlight (1966-1970), once
he lit his guitar on fire at Monterey Pop. Eric Clapton said
Hendrix changed his life. Rock, blues, jamming, or the Star-
Spangled Banner, Jimi Hendrix changed how music sounds,
and he pushed the limits to places un- dreamed of by The
Beatles or anyone else. In this presentation, we will spend a
lot of our time listening to Jimi’s music, we will learn about
his life, and have a Q&A. Presenter: Robert Berend has been a dedicated fan of Jimi Hendrix since 1967. He
wanted to see him at the Hollywood Bowl, but couldn’t make it, and he’s still sorry about that. Music is an
integral part of his DNA, it’s his passion. He’s seen thousands of rock concerts, been on 15 music cruises (so
far), and countless music festi- vals. For the last 30 years, he’s been running a weekly discussion group, now
on Zoom, with information at the Facebook page Deep Thoughts Lex.
Love is in the Air
Monday, February 14, 12–1:00 p.m.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Cleveland Museum of Art! Using artworks from the museum’s
collection, students will learn about St. Valentine and the history of Valentine’s Day. Artworks will include
depictions of Aphrodite, and other characters from ancient love stories, such as Cupid and Psyche. In
addition, we will see modern artists’ depictions of love. Presenter: Arielle Levine of the Cleveland Art
Museum teaches students all around the world during video conferences in the museum’s Distance
Learning Program. She has a degree in art history from Case Western Reserve University and has been with
the museum's education department for over 15 years.
OLLI Winter Film Series: Still Walking (2008)
Tuesday, February 15
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a
stranger's life, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada) and Toshiko (Kirin Kiki) welcome their
surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) still
feels that his parents resent that he isn't the one who died; his new wife, Yukari
(Yui Natsukawa), is awkwardly meeting the rest of the family for the first time.
Daughter Chinami (You) strains to fill the uncomfortable pauses with forced cheer.
The Biographers Dilemma: How a Mother/Daughter Team Made Emily Dickinson a
Household Name
Tuesday, February 15, 1:30–2:30 p.m.
When Emily Dickinson died in 1886, her sister discovered an enormous cache of previously unknown
poems. The considerable task of deciphering, editing, and publicizing these idiosyncratic poems eventually
fell to a mother/daughter team, Mabel Loomis Todd and Millicent Todd Bingham. In this program, Tufts
Professor Julie Dobrow, the author of After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America's
Greatest Poet, talks about how these fascinating women helped preserve Dickinson’s work and make her
one of the best known, most beloved poets anywhere around the world. Presenter: Julie Dobrow is the
Tufts University Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, on the faculty of the Eliot-Pearson
Department of Child Study and Human Development, and Senior Fellow at the Tisch College of Civic Life.
She is also a published author and freelance journalist.
Only Hope: My Mother and the Holocaust Brought to Light
Thursday, February 17, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
Before she passed away in 1974, Felicia Bornstein Lubliner wrote about her
internment in Polish ghettos and two Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and
Gross-Rosen. Her powerful stories have recently been published by her son, Irving
Lubliner, an emeritus Southern Oregon University professor and OLLI instructor. He
will share excerpts from “Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust,”
shedding light on his mother’s experiences and indomitable spirit, as well as his
experience as a child of Holocaust survivors and his process in bringing the book to
fruition. The presenter will pause during and after his presentation to invite
questions and discussion. Presenter: Irving Lubliner is an instructor and former
Council member of OLLI at Southern Oregon University (SOU). He retired from
Southern Oregon University in 2014 after teaching mathematics for forty years, working with every grade
from kindergarten through graduate school. He recently edited and published his mother’s writing and oral
presentation transcripts about her experiences living through the ghettos and concentration camps during
the Holocaust.
OLLI Winter Film Series: Short Term 12 (2013)
Tuesday, February 22
10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom
12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom
Short Term 12 follows calm and competent Grace (Academy Award Winner Brie
Larson), a twenty-something staff member at a foster care facility as she reckons
with caring for the teens in her charge and her own past. However, her cool
facade begins to crack in the pressure cooker atmosphere as she and some of the
unruly residents are reminded of past and present abuses. This lovingly realized
film finds truth and humor in unexpected places. Also starring Rami Malek and
Lakeith Stanfield.
Trail Favorites in Our Western Parks
Thursday, February 24, 10:00 a.m. – noon
We will explore through pictures and words some of the author’s favorite hiking experiences within the 423
units managed by the US National Park Service. David focused on day hikes of varying lengths during his
quest to visit all 400+ US National Park Service units, and shares some of the treks that revealed the
extraordinary and spectacular within specific parks. Presenter: David Kroese left a 25-year career in the
corporate world to pursue his personal interests, becoming one of about fifty people known to have visited
all 423 National Park Service units. Over the past decade, David has logged over 1,500 visits and hiked
thousands of trail miles in NPS sites across the country. David wrote of his experiences in the first published
narrative through all the NPS sites, The Centennial: A Journey through America’s National Park System.
David shares his enthusiasm for our park system in speaking engagements across the country and is
currently working on his next book, Amidst the Icons: Hidden Gems of America’s National Park System.
**A note on the OLLI Winter Film Series: Family Matters**
Families love, cajole, shape, nurture, tolerate, and protect us in many different ways. OLLI members and
nonmembers alike will be able to enjoy seven films in January and February that explore the concept of
family, and how members approach and deal with a variety of situations and issues.
The movies will be available to watch over Zoom starting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. Participants may wish
to watch the movies on their own and then join us on Zoom for our lively conversation that will begin at
12:30 p.m.
Learning For The Love Of It! – About OLLI at UMass Boston
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMass Boston is an inclusive, member-
powered organization that offers educational and cultural programs to inspire
adult learned ages 50+. Our non-credit courses are taught by volunteers with no
homework, tests, or grades. The organization is funded by The Bernard Osher
Foundation and is part of a nationwide network of 125 OLLI programs. At UMass
Boston, OLLI is housed in the Gerontology Institute, a part of the McCormack
Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. For more information, please visit
our website or contact our office via email (ollireg@gmail.com).
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