THE VILLAGE VIEW - Penn's Village
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JANUARY 2021
THE VILLAGE VIEW
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JANE ELEEY Independence
Foundation Grants
Dear Members and Friends,
Executive Director Jane Eleey reports
Connecting. Engaging. Thriving. These three words aptly de- that in December we received notifica-
scribed Penn’s Village a year ago, as we enthusiastically wel- tion that the Independence Foundation
comed 2020 and anticipated an exciting new year. Then, a scant has awarded Penn’s Village a new grant
two months later, as we were forced by an emerging pandemic for $5,000 to support our Inclusiveness
to plan for winding down all face-to-face interactions with each and Diversity effort and renewed our
other, we found ourselves in uncharted waters. $5,000 challenge grant. Congratula-
tions to Jane for pursuing and writing
We initiated a schedule of frequent emails and website postings to keep Village these grant proposals and kudos to our
members up-to-date on the latest pandemic information and ways to cope. inspiring Inclusiveness and Diversity
But what to do about our robust Program Schedule? And our growing Interest Committee for coming up with the
Groups? Not only are programs and groups the place where Penn’s Village comes ideas that impressed the Foundation.
together on a regular basis to learn, be entertained, and enjoy fellowship, they
have also proven to be a good way to introduce ourselves to potential members
and volunteers.
And then, there was ZOOM! Not the old familiar zoom, zoom, zoom Mazda com-
mercials, but ZOOM as in the video conferencing app. It is ZOOM, along with
dedicated Penn’s Village Volunteers/Members and Staff, that have allowed our
programs and groups to not only survive, but to reach new audiences and expand.
Technical and logistical support has played a huge role in our ZOOM success sto-
ry. We have posted detailed instructions for Zoom users that are easily accessible
from the Welcome Page on the PV website. It also takes a lot of behind-the-scenes
work to keep things on track— scheduling ZOOM meetings, managing reserva- Save the Date!
tions, admitting participants, working with presenters, troubleshooting during the 2021 Zoom Town Hall Meeting
meetings, facilitating small-group discussions. Donna Murphy, our Membership Wednesday, February 3 • 5:00 pm
and Data Base Manager, and Molly Clifford, our Operations Manager, joined the
Details Coming Soon!
PV staff last spring as we were beginning to deal with the pandemic; they arrived
just in time to help make our dive into ZOOM so successful. And, three of our IN THIS ISSUE
most tech-savvy members, Yoav Zohar, Tom Newman, and Brian Wengenroth,
keep stepping up to make each meeting run smoothly. 2 Active Aging: Two’s Company. . .
3 Introducing: Mario Oropeza
Connecting. Engaging. Thriving. After a year mostly defined by the COVID-19
pandemic, these three words are as apt as they were a year ago; it is with hope and 3 Book Review: Parisian Lives: Samuel
enthusiasm that we look forward to an exciting 2021. Beckett, Simone de Beauvoir and Me
Happy New Year, 4 Meet Donna Murphy
5 All Around Town
6 January Calendar of Events
7 January Programs
ACTIVE AGING
Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd
by Harriette Mishkin
Ten months into this pandemic, I miss bers of the Penn’s Village group lament other local classical music ensem-
seeing my friends and family, going their inability to go out and do things ble groups. Virtual lectures and
to the theater and concerts, shopping they had looked forward to as retirees. classes are also widely available.
trips and eating out, in-person volun- They try to keep busy with knitting,
teer experiences, and a good night’s movies, and, in leading up to the elec- 2. Attend programs and join inter-
sleep. My recent big once-a-week event tion, home-based activities for getting est groups through Penn’s Village.
was getting free coffee at WAWA. And out the vote. They miss seeing their The Program Committee offers a
then there was the election and its children and grandchildren and use wide range of programs via Zoom
aftermath, producing more stress and Facetime and Zoom to keep connect- each month, free to members
anxiety – as if we needed more! There’s ed. and volunteers. Current interest
a little bit of Ebenezer “grumpy” groups include a Spanish group, a
Scrooge in my household as I write Developing ways to stay calm and men’s group, a writer’s group, and
this. So, how are you doing? protect your mental health are key to a history book club. See page 8 for
counteracting pandemic fatigue and information on new groups that
The holidays in December exacted staying safe while waiting our turn for are currently being formed.
an emotional toll on many of us. The the vaccine—help is on the way! Here
virus spoiled so many of our social are some ways to keep busy at home 3. Create your own Zoom account
and vacation plans, to say nothing of and feel more connected to others to socially connect with others. It’s
holiday family traditions. And ac- while helping to prevent the spread of free! Each week, I connect with
cording to a study from AARP’s Social COVID-19. It also helps to establish a eight friends for forty minutes of
Policy Institute, “Socially isolated older new routine that anchors you in time idle chatter and catching up. Over
adults are at greater risk for poor health and gives shape to your day. the Thanksgiving holiday week-
and death than their well-connected end, I zoomed three times with
counterparts….By examining Medicare 1. Develop a hobby – find a creative three different sets of friends and
spending data, this study found that activity. One of my friends com- relatives. Read more about getting
a lack of social contacts among older pletes large 1,000-piece jigsaw puz- assistance to connect via Zoom in
adults is associated with an estimat- zles. Here’s one completed by Linda the Executive Director’s letter on
ed $6.7 billion in additional federal Heiberger, called “Lamp Shop”(art page 1.
spending annually.” (https://www.aarp. by Susan Brabeau).
org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2017/10/ 4. Practice Mindfulness. This is a
medicare-spends-more-on-socially- meditative practice that helps
isolated-older-adults.pdf) us live in the moment and focus
our attention on the present. It is
As the president of the Foundation getting lots of notice as a way to
for Art & Healing, Dr. Jeremy Nobel reduce stress and depression. It
suggests, “loneliness is not the same as may also be helpful for physical
being alone, which can be positive. We problems such as pain manage-
even have a fancy word for it – soli- ment, and has been shown to
tude.” He believes it’s okay to say, ‘I’m lower elevated heart rate, even well
lonely’, and urges us to stay connect- after an active session. Both Penn
ed and get creative (https://www. Another friend bakes cakes and Medicine and Jefferson Health
nextavenue.org/dr-jeremy-nobel-be- cookies, while a third takes art offer classes in mindfulness.
lieves-its-okay-to-say-im-lonely/?utm_ classes online. Others garden,
source=share&utm_medium=e- take morning walks, play bridge 5. Join a virtual exercise program like
mail&utm_campaign=email_article online, knit, subscribe to podcasts, Zumba or take a yoga class. You can
share). Eileen Glass, a retired social read, listen to audiobooks, watch find free and low-cost programs
worker who leads the Penn’s Village free or low-cost virtual concerts via Google. You can also re-read
Support Group, echoes the concerns by The Philadelphia Orchestra two 2020 articles in the website ar-
about loneliness and isolation. Mem- (read more about this in the ALL chives that were written by physical
AROUND TOWN column) and Continued on page 4
Page 2 The Village View January 2021
INTRODUCING
Mario Oropeza
by Sherrill Cresdee
Everyone (especially Los Angeles County’s Transportation transportation planner,” Mario reflects,
those who are locked Commission and the San Diego re- “but all of my now-hobbies give instant
down) has a list of gional planning agency, twice for both gratification.”
where they’d like to of them years apart, and did stints at Keeping busy doesn’t stop with hobbies.
travel, though unlike the Dallas (TX) Rapid Transit Agency Mario volunteers to give back, learn
most, Mario Oropeza (DART) and the Houston regional about people, and help. Working with
is well on the way to planning agency, which is somewhat Families Forward at 30th Street Amtrak
On The Move getting through his: mind-boggling when you learn that at Station, he’s been the “ask me” person
working cattle drives the time he didn’t own or drive a car. at the Information Kiosk where the top
in Idaho, exploring La Paz and the three questions are: “Where’s the bath-
Egyptian pyramids, and studying art in Believing that “keeping busy keeps
room?”, “Where is Rocky?”, and “How do
Florence. And, having been to for- you young,” after Mario moved here
I get on the subway?”
ty-six countries and losing count of the in the fall of 2008 with his partner,
cities, he’s still got “A” and “B” list cities they’ve taken up gardening and bee- For Penn’s Village, Mario is a volunteer
remaining. keeping. While no longer planning companion and heads up the Program
actual transportation hubs, Mario has Committee in developing and imple-
Building “cities” of plastic and wood in an impressive model train set at home, menting ideas as to what might be inter-
his backyard growing up in California builds architecturally correct birdhous- esting programs. Like most things in this
provided an early glimpse into what es, and constructs [really nice] leaded year of the Coronavirus, that has been
Mario’s career would be. Focusing on glass windows of works à la Vincent more challenging in terms of creating
transportation and regional planning van Gogh’s Starry Night or Bedroom live, in-person energy via ZOOM. Re-
at the University of California-Fresno, at Arles, Pablo Picasso’s Guitar and a gardless, the response to PV’s programs
he learned to build cities on a different portrait of Frida Kahlo. “There wasn’t continues to be outstanding.
scale. In his home state, he planned for much immediate gratification as a
Keep on movin’!
BOOK REVIEW
Parisian Lives: Samuel Beckett, Simone de Beauvoir and Me: A Memoir, by Deidre Bair
reviewed by Dick Levinson
By the time you finish this wrote to Beckett and to her amazement, Simone de Beauvoir was a fascinating
book, Deidre Bair, a gifted the cultural icon responded quickly, figure who struggled to avoid being
biographer who once encouraging her to move forward. entombed in her own legend by the time
taught at the University of This development surprised—and Bair met her. An intellectual giant, the
Pennsylvania, will feel like enraged—the almost exclusively idea that anyone should attempt to limit
a neighbor and friend. At a male corps of professional literary or to label her sexual adventures abso-
time when many of us feel biographers, who couldn’t believe lutely enraged her. But readers are left
helpless, she reminds us just that a woman—and an amateur—had to wonder if she would have paid such a
how much one determined woman can snagged such an important prize. high price for them had she been male.
accomplish. This book was conceived
Bair quickly discovered why so many How did Bair balance the demands of
as a memoir, but since the eighty-four-
biographers choose to devote them- this project with the needs of her family
year-old Bair died last April, it has now
selves to subjects who can no longer and the continuing challenge of fund-
become a kind of last testament.
criticize or complain. Beckett proved ing regular research trips to Paris? Bair
Bair was a struggling academic who had to be at the center of a vast universe explains how she did this in an era when
never read a biography when she de- of friends, relatives, hangers on, and “Go Fund Me” pages did not exist. Her
cided that, since the distinguished Irish lesser literary figures, all of whom were comments about her Penn experiences
playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett eager to meet her, while many of them may give pause to many of our readers
had never been the focus of a major bi- worried that she posed a threat to Sam’s who were either educated at or worked
ography, she would write it herself. Bair peace of mind and reputation. for the University of Pennsylvania.
The Village View January 2021 Page 3
Multiple Tasking: The Key to Success
Village View Editorial Board by Donna Murphy
Editor: I joined the staff of Penn’s with NASPGHAN began to out-grow
Marianne Waller Village as the Database my part-time schedule, I began to ex-
Manager just before the plore new opportunities.
Design and Layout:
pandemic took charge of
Linda Karp Earlier, my full-time professional career
all our lives last spring.
included project management for phar-
Contributors: When my children,
now fifteen and twelve, entered kinder- maceutical marketing programs, as well
Patricia Callahan
garten, I re-entered the work force as a as positions with a web development
Sherrill Cresdee company, an accounting firm, and a
part-time worker. I discovered that the
Dick Levinson flexibility that came with a part time commercial real estate agency.
Harriette Mishkin position allowed me to be involved in my
Our family life revolves around the
Donna Murphy children’s schools during the week and
kids. I’ve enjoyed volunteering with the
to use weekends for activities instead of
PTA and PTO. For eight years, I helped
Newsletter Editorial Board: errands. Working at home this past year
to plan the assembly programs for my
Sherrill Cresdee has helped me manage the home/work/
kids’ schools; I was also involved in
life balance even more effectively.
Kristin Davidson creating a BINGO night fundraiser and
Linda Karp Prior to joining Penn’s Village, I was the running a silent auction for the kids.
Dick Levinson membership manager for NASPGHAN Outside of school, my children and I
(North American Society for Pediat- became involved in Scouts BSA, where
Harriette Mishkin
ric Gastroenterologists, Hepatologists I successfully met the challenge of be-
Marianne Waller coming comfortable with camping!
and Nutritionists), where I learned the
ins and outs of the iMIS membership
During the past year at Penn’s Village, I
Join Penn’s Village database. I worked on recruitment and
have particularly enjoyed meeting and
To become a member, visit www. retention of members; processed dues,
working with members and volunteers
pennsvillage.org and click on registration, and donation payments;
from so many different places and with
“Join.” There you will find our managed vendor relationships, and
such diverse professional backgrounds.
membership information. worked with event staff. When my role
Continued on page 7
To become a volunteer, visit www.
pennsvillage.org and click on ACTIVE AGING
“Volunteer.” We have a variety
of volunteer opportunities to Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd Continued from page 2
suit different interests, skills, therapist, Rachel Maher, from Excel Physical Therapy. One is in the October
talents, and schedules. 2020 issue of The Village View, and the other in the April 2020 Community Blog.
Do you know that talking about Now, the good news is that we have started this new year with renewed hope for the
Penn’s Village to family, friends, coming months. Vaccination of healthcare workers is underway here in Philadel-
and strangers is the best way to phia and across the country and will continue to be rolled out for the rest of us in
grow Penn’s Village? the months ahead. Our job in 2021 is to NOT GIVE UP on keeping safe and to get
Connect with Penn’s Village vaccinated when the vaccines become available for us.
215-925-7333 Here’s to a great 2021! Here’s to a safe and effective vaccine.
info@pennsvillage.org Here’s to us: Neighbors together, looking ahead with hope.
www.pennsvillage.org
201 South 21st Street Don't forget to read our Community Blog on our website.
Philadelphia, PA 19103 Penn’s Village welcomes and actively encourages an inclusive and diverse community
Follow us on social media: of members, staff, Board of Directors and volunteers. Inclusiveness and diversity means
welcoming all and excluding no one because of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orien-
tation, social-economic status, physical abilities, religious beliefs or political beliefs.
A very sincere thank you to The First Presbyterian Church for generously
providing space to Penn’s Village and for always being there for us.
Page 4 The Village View January 2021
All AROUND TOWN
We’ve all learned a thing or two during The Metropolitan Opera’s Nightly Met TV/Public Television (PBS)
these past ten months about how to Series enters 2021 with a week-long sa-
stay occupied and connected during lute to the late Luciano Pavarotti. Free
a pandemic. We now know things like streams are available starting at 7:30
how to order groceries online, arrange pm each night at MetOpera.org.
a physically distanced walk, ask a friend
or neighbor for help, and even navigate Macy’s Center City Christmas Light
a program on Zoom. We could each fill Show and Concert. There’s still time
a notebook on ways to fill our days and to watch this spectacular sound and
nights (see ACTIVE AGING on page 2 light show. https://youtu.be/sCW5Ok-
for even more ideas.) p199Y. If you are looking for even
more post-holiday cheer, you can In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl
But it is so important to remember that go behind the scenes to learn about highlights best of live performances
we are not out of the pandemic woods. Secret Santas, LEDs, and tons of pipes: from the past ten years at the Bowl
In-person programs at theaters and https://billypenn.com/2015/12/03/se- and is hosted by LA Philharmonic’s
museums are not yet available. Region- cret-santas-leds-tons-of-pipes-behind- Music and Artistic Director Gustavo
al theaters such as 11th Hour Theater, the-scenes-at-the-center-city-macys- Dudamel. Concerts begin at 9:00 pm
Ego Po, the Wilma, Theatre Exile, and holiday-show/. on Friday, January 15, on WHYY
McCarter, are digitally presenting their (Channel 12 in Philadelphia) and can
productions; specifics can be found on be viewed on Friday evenings through-
their websites. Check with the Barnes, out the month. Featured performers
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Museum are Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth,
of the American Revolution, etc., for Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Brian
their reopening plans. In the meantime, Stokes Mitchell, and more.
here is a small selection of quality pro-
grams for your TV or digital device. Community Blog
Visit our website to read our latest
Virtual Programs Community Blog by Clare Novak
Art of Aging Well, a PBS documentary Tyler School of Art and Architecture, on the Shanksville Flight 93 Memo-
that features practical tips, real-life suc- Temple University. Conjuring Cane: rial. Visit the burial site of ordinary
cess stories, and the latest from leading Art of Colonial Jamaica, presented by people who made a dying choice to
medical experts on aging, gives older Dr. Rachel Grace Newman, Assistant save others on September 11, 2001. A
adults the insights and inspiration they Professor of Art History. Thursday, sacred place…a museum and Tower
need to live healthier, more satisfying January 14, 12:00 pm. You will not of Voices. Our heroes of nearly twenty
lives. It originally aired in September. want to miss this free virtual opportu- years ago.
https://www.pbs.org/video/art-of-ag- nity to examine art that was produced
ing-well-sljdvt/. in Jamaica between the late 18th and
early 19th century, comparing works
The Philadelphia Orchestra has created by artists who sought to erase the
a digital stage with concerts for $17 brutality of enslavement and others
(philorch.org.). Performances include who highlighted the lives of enslaved
Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Gershwin, Africans through their art. Register at
and more. There are also free online con- http://alumni.temple.edu/Newman21.
certs performed by small ensembles that
are recorded without audiences at Black-
owned businesses and iconic cultural
locations throughout the region (http://
philorch.org/our-city-your-orchestra).
You can also listen on demand (philorch.
org/ondemand) or hear podcast conver-
sations (philorch.org/HearTOGETHER).
The Village View January 2021 Page 5
Page 6 The Village View January 2021
JANUARY PROGRAMS
The Program Committee, under the leadership of Mario Oropeza, announces the schedule of programs for January. Self
Registration is now available; please review the Self-Registration Instructions on the website. You can also register by
emailing info@pennsvillage.org or calling 215-925-7333.
All programs are offered as ZOOM Teleconferences; members who register will be sent login information a day or so
before the event. Check the website for any up-dated information or more detailed descriptions, as well as for additional
programs scheduled for January.
Wednesday, January 6, 2:00 pm. The Aging Brain. Jay Pomerantz, MD, will review what happens to the human brain as
we age, both when we remain healthy and when disease strikes. Some interventions such as physical exercise, proper diet,
adequate sleep, etc., will be discussed.
Tuesday, January 12, 2:00 pm. What Makes a Movie Great: A Critical Discussion of Film Making.
Dr. Victoria Kirkman, Professor Emerita, Romance Languages, at the University of Pennsylvania, will
lead a discussion on techniques that make a movie superior or inferior. Prior to the Zoom program,
participants will individually obtain and view Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City (1945), using a
guide emailed upon registration. The film can be rented from Amazon or the Criterion Channel and
is free on Kanopy with a Free Library card. Check the program flyer for additional details.
Wednesday, January 13, 4:00 pm. Why Do We (Still) Have the Electoral College? And What – if Any-
thing – Can We Do About It? Historian Howard Green will lead a discussion of why we have an Electoral
College, some of the controversies that have surrounded it, and some of the contemporary proposals to
address the weaknesses.
Tuesday, January 19, 2:00 pm. Getting to Know You. We see a lot of faces on Zoom, but do we really know the person
behind the face? This program will provide an opportunity to meet other Penn’s Village members and volunteers on a
more personal level. We will meet via Zoom and break into separate discussion rooms, then meet again in a larger group
to discuss what we have learned.
Saturday, January 30, 2:00 pm. Panel Discussion on the History of Seabrook Farms and
Japanese Americans. Edmund Masaru Nakawatase, Keynote Speaker, and a panel of mem-
bers from the America Japan Society of Greater Philadelphia will discuss the history of the
imprisonment of Japanese/Americans during World War II and how thousands were spared
through employment by the enlightened management of Seabrook Farms in Bridgeton,
New Jersey.
CALENDAR NOTES Multiple Tasking: The Key to
Success Continued from page 4
Did you know that on Jan 31, there will be fifteen more minutes of daylight in
Philadelphia than on Jan 1? I have also enjoyed finding ways to
optimize the Club Express database
The Village View Calendar (see page 6) now includes sunrise and sunset times and am hoping to develop some
for the first and last day of the month. of the underutilized aspects of the
database to offer our members more
With 2020 and the Winter Solstice behind us, let’s celebrate the returning daylight as online resources and opportunities
we look forward with hope to the availability of the new COVID-19 vaccines. for engagement. And, I also look
forward to continuing to help Penn’s
Village grow and expand its reach in
the community.
The Village View January 2021 Page 7
INTEREST GROUPS
Introducing Penn’s Village Chat
Tomorrow, January 5, twelve members members and volunteers. If you are PV volunteer Nicole Phipps is helping
of a new interest group, Penn’s Vil- not a member but are interested in us get the ball rolling, and we have
lage Chat, will hold their first virtual joining, please go to pennsvillage.org chosen Southernmost by Silas House
meeting. Facilitated by Penn’s Village for information, or call 215-925-7333. as our first book. Our initial meeting,
member, Eileen Glass, the group plans at which we will both discuss the book
to meet every other week for an open Intergenerational Fiction and talk about how we want the group
discussion about an agreed upon topic. Book Club Forming to operate, will be on Wednesday, Jan-
Calling all readers and their friends and uary 20 at 4:00 pm via Zoom. If you
If there is sufficient demand, we will family— both young-er and old-er— to are interested in joining, or have any
consider adding a second Chat group. join us as we form the Penn’s Village questions, please email Molly Clifford
This is a group for Penn’s Village Intergenerational Fiction Book Club. at mollyclifford@pennsvillage.org.
l IN MEMORIAM l
January - December 2020
David Auten Karen Stevens Saul Winegrad
Louise Beardwood Ron Thompson Frank Worts
Kathi Ferber James Trimble
May Their Memory Be a Blessing
l l • l l
THANK YOU TO OUR BUSINESS SPONSORS
Please support all our business members. See www.pennsvillage.org for a complete list.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA
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