Fall 2010
Music as a Mirror of the Times, Part II
Jeanette Coviak
Dates/Times:
Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: During these classes we will view the tapes presented by Robert Greenberg, Ph.D., a well-known composer, teacher, lecturer, and pianist from the University of California-Berkeley. We will use digitally recorded musical passages throughout the course to illustrate Professor Greenberg's points. These sessions will begin where we concluded Music as a Mirror of the Times, Part I. It is not necessary to have attended the previous classes. We will present a brief summary of Part I at the beginning of Part II. The classes in Part II will include an in-depth discussion of the Protestant Reformation and its ongoing impact on the music of northern Europe, as well as the birth and rise of opera, Baroque sacred music, and the develoment of purely instrumental forms. Brief examples of music will include those of Rossini, Beethoven, Verdi, Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, and Bach. Jeanette Coviak is a long-time Elderwise member and has served on the Curriculum Committee for over ten years. She is a former piano teacher and says that, although she is not an "expert," she has a deep love for all kinds of music.
A Smorgasbord of Fall Edibles
Ellen Elliot Weatherbee and Ms Heidi
Dates/Times:
Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: In their typical academic-but-playful atmosphere, Ellen Weatherbee and Ms Heidi, her canine assistant, will emphasize tasty fall edible wild plants and mushrooms, as well as other interesting medicinal, poisonous, and showy plants. For this class, the inquisitive plant seeker will enjoy both a classroom slide lecture (September 9) at Cleary University and an outdoor field trip (September 16) to Waterloo State Recreation Area, which is approximately a 45 minute drive from Ann Arbor. Participants will provide their own transportation to Waterloo, and should be prepared to pay a $6 entrance fee. A map and other destination details will be provided with registration confirmation. The Waterloo hike will be about 15 minutes from the parked cars. Please wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and sturdy shoes!
Ellen Elliott Weatherbee, M.A., is an instructor and former director of the Adult Education Program at the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. She is also a wetland and protected plants consultant, and the author of "Guide to Great Lakes Coastal Plants", and "Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking."
Film: Is There More Than Meets the Eye
Terry Gates
Dates/Times:
Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Thursday, September 23, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: This course is a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famous film director Akira Kurasawa. Kurasawa was born on March 23, 1910, in Tokyo, Japan. He died there of a stroke on September 6, 1998. As a director, screenwriter, and author, Kurasawa was revered for films that combined Japanese culture and folklore with Western technology. He is credited with bringing Japanese films to the world's attention. Kurasawa loved literature, especially the works of Dostoevsky and Shakespeare. A number of his films are loosely based on those works - such as "Ran" which we will view and discuss in this class. Kurasawa won many awards, including several from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Venice Film Festival. He was named Best Director and awarded an Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. "Rashomon," also on the list for this class, was named Best Foreign Language Film in 1951. As is customary in this class, we will approach Kurasawa's films from their literary aspects: plot, theme, and character. And, the houselights dim ...
September 7 - "Red Beard" (Akahige), 1956, starring Toshiro Mifune
September 16 - "Rashomon", 1950, starring Toshiro Mifune
September 23 - "Ran", 1985, starring Tatsuya Nakadai.
Terry Gates is an alumna of Marygrove College, the University of Detroit, and the University of Michigan. Her intense interest continues to be literature of the world and, in particular, the literature of Eastern Europe with a special focus on Russia. She is also interested in the field of psychology. Terry has taught at Henry Ford Community College, Washtenaw Community College, and recently with the Departmen of English at Oakland Community College. In addition, Terry also is the founder and CEO of her family business, Landscape by Design. She says of herself that she is recently un-retired!
Mindfulness, Stress and Well-Being: Thriving in Difficult Times
Mike Murray
Dates/Times:
Monday, September 13, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, September 20, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, September 27, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: Numerous studies show that people who practice Mindful Meditation handle stressful situations better. Mindfulness has been shown to enable people to bounce back from adversity, to recover faster from illness or surgery, and to find meaning and purpose in their lives, regardless of circumstances. In this class we will examine why mindfulness is such a powerful antidote to stress. Participants will have several opportunities to learn how to meditate and to discuss their own experiences. Recommended (but not required) reading for this class is: "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Bantam Dell, Delta Book trade paperback, 2005). Mike Murray is a licensed clinical psychologist. His speciality is positive psychology and he has practiced Western and Eastern methods of meditation for over 50 years.
Remembering the American Musical
Bob Southgate
Shirley Southgate
Dates/Times:
Monday, September 13, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Monday, October 11, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Monday, November 08, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: From the Elderwise video archives we have selected three American musicals that are uniquely representative of the Golden Age of American musical theater. We will explore together why these musicals were so popular and why their music and lyrics were such an important part of our lives. Even now, 50 years later, these musical stories reveal their influence on an entire generation.
September 13 - "Showboat" (1927)
October 11 - "Oklahoma" (1943)
November 8 - "South Pacific" (1949.
Bob and Shirley Southgate are long-time members of the Elderwise community. Bob has an enduring interest in theater as an avocation, and is a retired teacher and counselor from the Plymouth/Canton school system. Shirley pursues a variety of musical genres, attends wide range of musical performances, and is an acitve participant in the "Voices of Harmony" chorus.
The Mysteries of Migration
Dea Armstrong
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Bird migration - the seasonal movement of birds between their breeding grounds and their wintering grounds - is perhaps one of the most spectacular, physically demanding, and mysterious of wildlife events. Please join us as we look at the science and the wonder of how birds manage their incredible journeys. Dea Armstrong received her master's degree from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and environment in 1998, and since then has been working with the Natural Area Preservation (NAP) unit of the City of Ann Arbor. Dea also is a continuing member of the Board of the Washtenaw Audubon Society and, more recently, has been serving as a Scio Township Land Preservation Commissioner. She is passionate about birds, and about opportunities for ecological conservation.
Creative Writing
Jane Bridges
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: This class is for anyone who likes to write or who wants to be inspired to write. We plan to do a writing exercise during each class session. Please bring ten copies of a sample of your writing to the first class. You may choose to write memory pieces, stories, or poems. During class, your work will be discussed in an honest and helpful manner. Jane Bridges previously taught writing in both private and public schools. She is now retired and draws on this experience and expertise to present her many ideas on how to begin writing and improve writing skills, and to offer suggestions for writing projects.
The Changing Landscape of Local Media
Mary Morgan
Dates/Times:
Friday, September 17, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: It has been more than a year since the "Ann Arbor News" closed its doors. How are you navigating the new media landscape? What additional changes can you expect in the future? Mary Morgan, an award-winning journalist and publisher of the online journal "The Ann Arbor Chronicle", will lead a wide-ranging discussion about where to find the news you need, and how changes in the industry are creating both opportunities and concerns. Mary Morgan was formerly with "The Ann Arbor News", where she served as editor and columnist for more than 12 years. Mary and her husband, David Askins, launched "The Ann Arbor Chronicle", an on-line publication, in 2008.
From "Snow White" to "Shrek": The Evolution of Animated Children's Films
Ian Wojcik-Andrews
Dates/Times:
Friday, September 17, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Using clips from past and present movies, this class will examine the evolution of children's animated films since the late 19th century. We will look at the origins of animation and then pay particular attention to the emergence of the Walt Disney Studios in the 1920's. We will also examine the way the diversity movement of the 1960's and 1970's shaped children's animation in the latter half of the 20th century. We will note especially the reemergence of the Disney Studios in the 1990's, and the equally powerful influences of the Pixar, Dreamworks, and Ghibli studios in the early 21st century. Ian Andrews is a professor of literature and teaches in the English Department at Eastern Michigan University. His interests broadly include literature, chidlren's literature, and films of all kinds.
Best Seller Book Club
Jeanette Coviak
Dates/Times:
Monday, September 20, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Monday, October 18, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Monday, November 15, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: Using prepared questions and our own observations, the discussion each month will explore a book currently on the "best-seller" list. The selected books for these three months are "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, and "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford. Please read "A Reliable Wife" before the first class on September 20. Jeanette Coviak has been a member of Elderwise for more than 12 years. She was the organization's original secretary. Since retiring from that position she has served continuously on the Elderwise Curriculum Committee. Jeanette's love of reading provides the impetus for bringing together and facilitating the Best-Seller Book Club.
ATF - Then and Now
Tim Sullivan
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Then and Now: The Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. . .Prohibition . . . Ruby Ridge . . . Waco . . . Oklahoma City . . . Domestic Terrorism in 2010. This class will look at the history of the ATF agency, from its loose inception during the Colonial period through Prohibition in the early 20th century to the present time. As of January 2003, the ATF Bureau was transferred to the United States Department of Justice. We will examine some of the popular myths about ATF, as well as some of the current actualities of its
enforcement work. Tim Sullivan is a retired Special Agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Before retiring, he held the position of intelligence officer and lectured widely in the United States and Canada on domestic
terrorism. He predicted the right-wing paramilitary threat that led to the Oklahoma City bombing. In his retirement, Tim serves as chaplain for the Detroit Field Division of the Bureau of ATF, and as Deacon for Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Plymouth, Michigan. He has been instrumental in organizing outreach programs for the poor and homeless in Detroit.
Move with Ease
Chris Eubank
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $10, Non-Members $20
Description: Are you finding it harder to perform some of your everyday activities? Perhaps it has become more difficult to tend to your garden or visit your favorite museum. Is it more of a challenge to enjoy activities with your grandchildren, or to carry your groceries in from the car? These interactive classes will include the demonstration of simple and safe "at home" exercises designed to make movement easier and to improve overall quality of life. By developing strength and flexibility, we can also improve posture, coordination, and balance. Please come prepared to move! Class participation is encouraged! Chris Eubank is an exercise physiologist and Certified Senior Personal Trainer. He serves as the Wellness Coordinator for the Glacier Hills Senior living Community, providing wellness and fitness services for residents and employees across the campus.
Hail to the Victors (Those Who Can Conquer Clutter!)
Jan Detlefs
Dates/Times:
Friday, September 24, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Bring your clutter problems and questions to this class. Jan Detlefs, professional organizer, will give you tips and ideas for organizing your home, be it a small apartment or a larger residence. This class will focus especially on the
paper trail – what to keep, what to toss. We will look at filing systems for the home office, mail sorting, and other ideas to help you conquer the clutter that is ever present in a home. Jan will also give you tips on closet design for the kitchen and/or bedroom areas. If time permits, we will discuss storage suggestions for the basement, attic, and garage. Jan Detlefs has over ten years experience as an organizer and owns “Jan’s Straighten Up!” which is an organizing business focused on
residential aspects of de-cluttering. She has also designed closet systems for the home and garage. Jan is a member of the Hoarding Task Force of Washtenaw County and has presented previously at Elderwise.
The Joy of Gardening
Keith Germain
Dates/Times:
Monday, September 27, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Join expert gardener Keith Germain for a discussion of what is new in home gardening, and how to cope with a variety of insect pests and plant diseases. This class provides an opportunity to get acquainted with other gardening enthusiasts, and to share your interests, experiences, problems, and questions. All gardeners are welcome. Keith Germain is a Master Gardener with over 50 years of
gardening experience. He plants his own one-quarter acre with vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Keith works with horticulture groups and with several plant and flower
clubs. He has been teaching gardening courses with Elderwise since 1993.
The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest
Tom Collier
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, October 06, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: "Old Ironsides" and victory at sea, blunders and disasters on land, and Andy Jackson's great final victory at New Orleans - all are true enough. But, what happened in our own backyard? A victory at sea, blunders and disasters on land, and a great final victory - all of these took place less than a day's drive from that backyard. In this class you will learn more about these events, and where you can visit their historical sites. Tom Collier is an emeritus professor of history who, for the better part of 50 years, has studied and taught military history at West Point, the University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University. He enjoys sharing those studies with Elderwise.
Electric Trolleys of Washtenaw County
Martha Churchill
Dates/Times:
Friday, October 01, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Learn how electric rail transportation caught on in the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area during the 1890s. These systems expanded in the early 1900s to include Jackson and Kalamazoo to the west and Detroit to the east. Who paid for the electric rail systems, called “interurbans”? Why were they so popular in the early days? Why did they lose popularity and close down before 1930? These are some of the questions (and answers) we will explore in this class. Martha Churchill is a graduate of Ann Arbor High School and the University of Michigan. Today, she is a practicing attorney
in Milan, Michigan. Martha became interested in the interurbans after exploring the cement embankments north of Milan that were created by interurban developers for railroad bridges over streams and brooks. She is the co-author of Trolleys of Washtenaw County and the author of Milan, both published by Arcadia Publishing.
Classic American Autobiographies, Part II
Robert Rann
Cecilia Donohue
Kevin Eyster
Dates/Times:
Monday, October 04, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, October 11, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, October 25, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: Join Madonna University faculty members in the continued reading and discussion of the life writing of key American literary and historic figures. You need not have attended the Spring session to enjoy the Fall sequence. The text for this class is the anthology "Classic American Autobiographies", edited by William L. Andres (New York, Signet Classics, 2003; ISBN 0-451-52915-4; $7.95 U.S.).
October 4 - "A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson," pp 19-69. (Robert Rann)
October 11 - "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Part II)," pp 135-228. (Cecilia Donohue)
October 25 - "Zitkala-Sa's "Four Autobiographical Narratives," pp 413-462. (Kevin Eyster)
Robert Rann is an associate professor of humanities in the Department of English and Communication Arts (ECA) at Madonna University. He teaches courses on Japanese language and literature, and on the history of the Western humanities.
Cecilia Donohue is a professor and Chair of the English and Communications Arts department. She has authored the book "Robert Penn Warren's Novels: Feminine and Feminist Discourse" and currently teaches courses on literature and cinema. Kevin Eyster is a professor in the ECA department and teaches a variety of courses, including critical writing, literary analysis, and American folklore.
Introduction to Ham Radio
Dan Romanchik
Dates/Times:
Monday, October 04, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Many people think of amateur radio, a.k.a. “ham radio,” as a quaint hobby reminiscent of a bygone era. This image could not be further from the truth. Today, there are more than 700,000 licensed radio amateurs in the United States. These amateurs provide emergency and public service communications, push the state-of-the-art in communications technology, enhance international goodwill, and enjoy their own camaraderie. In this introductory session Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, will show us how and why amateur radio is still relevant, demonstrate some of the latest amateur radio technology, and tell us how we can get a license and start having fun. Dan Romanchik has been a ham radio operator for 39 years, obtaining his first ham radio license at age 16. Ham radio was his entry into a high-tech career. After obtaining a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Detroit, he worked as an electronics engineer for 12 years. Later, he served as a writer and editor for an engineering trade magazine, and now is a freelance Web site developer. Dan currently serves as station manager for WA2HOM, the amateur radio station at the Hands-On Museum in Ann Arbor, and teaches ham radio classes there.
East Asia Brush Painting
Wendy Holden
Dates/Times:
Tuesday, October 05, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Some of the world's finest works of art have emerged from the rich artistic traditions of East Asia. Like counterpart traditions in the West, the East Asian traditions were fluid and often subject to the influences of social and political change. Chinese painting changed dramatically at the end of the 13th century with the fall of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) and the establishment of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368 AD). In this class we will learn about the stylistic differences between the courtly paintings of the Song and the ink paintings of the Yuan. We will also learn how the artistic styles then traveled to Japan and influenced generations of scholarly Japanese artists from the 15th century on. Wendy Holden earned her M.A. degree in 1986 from the University of Michigan, specializing in the field of East Asian painting. She has previously provided oversight for two nonprofit slide distribution projects: the Asian Art
Photographic Distribution Project and the American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Color Slide Project.
She has been responsible for all functions of the Asian Art Archives, a photographic archive of 200,000 images at the University of Michigan.
The Benefits of Music Therapy
Normal Nichols
Dates/Times:
Thursday, October 07, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: In this class we will discuss the definition of music therapy and the history of music therapy as a healthcare profession. We will also learn how music therapy is utilized in nursing homes and in the hospice setting, and how residents and their families benefit. We will explore how music interventions promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain, express feelings, enhance memory, improve communication, and regulate breathing. Throughout the class, members will have the opportunity to participate in, and experience, many different types of “live” music intervention demonstrations. Norma Nichols is a Board Certified Music Therapist. She received her music therapy degree from Eastern Michigan University. She has worked with a variety of clienteles, including children and young adults with special needs. Norma also has worked with the elderly population in several nursing homes across southeastern Michigan, including Heartland Hospice of Ann Arbor. She is a professional pianist and is proficient in guitar, voice, improvisation, and composition.
Taking Apart the News
Al Chambers
Dates/Times:
Thursday, October 07, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Thursday, October 21, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Thursday, October 28, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: This continues to be an extremely active and perplexing period for our nation and the world, as well as a challenging time for the media covering the news and for the media business itself. "Taking Apart the News" each week looks at what has happened and how the media has reported and debated the news. We also look for the "page 16" items - those situations that are about to become news. This highly interactive class is known for its lively and informative discussions. Al Chambers is in his sixth year of leading Elderwise classes with an emphasis on news media and public affairs. His professional career spans decades as a journalist and corporate communications "maven". His is semi-retired but still dables in his one-man counseling busienss serving a few large companies with communication and reputation analysis.
Watchers of the Sky
Philip Hughes
Dates/Times:
Friday, October 08, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Friday, October 15, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Friday, October 22, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: Galileo's first telescope launched a revolution in our perception of the Universe - a revolution that will continue through the completion of the Synoptic Survey telescope in the year 2015. The Synoptic Survey telescope will catalog, for the first time, more celestial objects than there are humans on Earth. To put this in context, we will study how telescopes work, then explore existing and future "Great Observatories." No scientific background is assumed! Philip Hughes teaches in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Michigan. His current research interests include relativistic flows and wavelet analysis, with an emphasis on simulation and imaging.
Making Important Decisions
Tom Murray
Dates/Times:
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $30
Description: We all face numerous decisions every day, from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to sleep at night. Some of these decisions aare fairly ordinary, but many have a significant impact on our lives and on the lives of those who are close to us. Such decisions may be absolutely crucial and should be made very carefully. Helping you to make better decisions in important situations is the goal of this class. You will learn about typical decision-making mistakes and how to avoid them. You will also engage in a variety of learning activities designed to provide insight into the decision-making process and how it can be improved. Tom Murray earned his Ph.D. in communication at the University of Michigan. He has held teaching and administrative positions at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin, and at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). After more than 50 years of study and teaching, Tom is now retired as an EMU emeritus professor. His principle areas of research, teaching, and consulting include communication theory and communication and conflict, as well as interpersonal, group, organizational, and community communication.
Great Decisions
Eric Hammar
Dates/Times:
Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Thursday, October 21, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Thursday, October 28, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Thursday, November 04, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: This discussion group focuses on international policy issues and features video presentations and readings on topics selected by the nonpartisan Foreign Policy Association. During Fall Term, we will cover these topics:
October 14 - The Global Financial Crisis and Its Effects. As financial markets and governments continue to react to the fallout from the Great Recession, what might the future hold?
October 21 - Europe's "Far East". The expansion of NATO and Western influence deep into Eastern Europe has provoked a sharp backlash in Russia. Should the United States challenge Russia's interests or back off?
October 28 - The U.S. and the Persian Gulf. Iran, Iraq, oil, and terrorism remain top priorities for U.S. foreign policy. What will be the approach of the new Obama Administration?
November 4 - Enhancing Security through Peacebuilding. How to facilitate, support, and sustain peace are increasingly important elements of our foreign policy and national security.
Eric Hammar is a long-time member of the Elderwise learning community. He has facilitated Great Decisions discussions for many years, generously sharing with us his wide range of knowledge and his interests across critical policy issues and current events.
Our Native Michigan Natural Habitats
Jeremy Emmi
Dates/Times:
Monday, October 18, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Jeremy Emmi returns to Elderwise with a rich overview of Michigan's natural habitats, ranging across a wide array from sand dunes to prairies, and pine barrens to bogs. Michigan has an exceptional variety of natural habitats, in part because of the region's proximity to the Great Lakes, and also because it straddles important climate zones. Jeremy Emmi holds a B.S. degree in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University. In 2001 he became the Executive Director of the Michigan Nature Association. Jeremy is passionate about the stewardship of our natural resources.
Twelve Orphan Antique Trucks
Marcia McCrary
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: If you like unusual vehicles, or research on automotive topics, you will want to attend this class. Marcia McCrary will discuss the identification, history, and specifications of 12 trucks made by companies that are no longer in business: Atlas, Clydesdale, Differential, Duplex, Garford, Gary, Graham Brothers, Hug, Moreland, Standard, and Twin Cities, as well as the Gotfredson Truck Company of Windsor and Detroit. We will also learn about the availability of research facilities, and where we can obtain important information about antique trucks. Marcia McCrary graduated from Eastern Michigan University, earned her master's degree from the University of Michigan, and then served as a librarian for the Ann Arbor schools. After retiring from that position, she became the Curator at the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti. She is also president of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County. Marcia and her husband proudly own seven antique trucks, many tractors, and an 1860s hearse.
Grit and Glitter: American Culture in the 1930's
Pringle Smith
Elsie Orb
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, November 03, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: Most of us think about the 1930's as the period of the Great Depression. In this class we will certainly look at the dark side of the decade - desperation, despair, and bread lines. But, we will also look at the bright side - hope, happiness, and chorus lines. We will view films and documentaries that characterize this remarkable transitional era. Pringle Smith is a retired journalist and editor. Elsie Orb is a former history teacher and research administrator. Both Pringle and Elsie focus on the difficult decisions embedded in the critical issues of social and political change.
Eastern Michigan University Theater: Hamlet
Lee Stille
Dates/Times:
Friday, October 22, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $19, Non-Members $29
Description: William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark dramatizes Prince Hamlet's revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering Hamlet’s father, the previous king, and for succeeding to the throne and marrying Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores, among many others, the themes of treachery, loyalty, honor, grief, vengeance, love, incest, and moral corruption. Lee Stille has been teaching at Eastern Michigan University since 1996, as a specialist in the fields of
interpretation and performance studies and voice and dialects. His research interests focus on the theoretical and applied intersections of diverse historical and international performance training methods, with special emphasis on text analysis and its relation to performance preparation. His professional experience includes more than 20 years of voice/speech/dialect work with actors, performance artists, comedians, teachers, and lawyers. Dr. Stille is an accomplished stage director. He was awarded EMU's 2007 Artistic Recognition Award for his Shakespeare projects Measure for Measure and The Tempest.
Play (Hamlet) is at Eastern Michigan Theater on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 3 p.m. One ticket to the play is included in the course fee. Extra tickets are available at $9 each.
The Three B's, Part II : The B's and the New Music of the 19th Century
Joseph A. Labuta
Dates/Times:
Monday, October 25, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: After a quick review of material covered in The Three B’s, Part I (Winter Term, 2010) we will move on to compare the music of Brahms and the "New Music" romanticists: Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Liszt. Joseph Labuta is a professor emeritus of music, a former associate chairman of the Department of Music at Wayne State University, and a former director of Wayne State Music Education. Joe Labuta also is an accomplished trumpet player and performs with the Saline New Horizons Band and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.
North Korea: The Bad Guys of the Orient
Roger Crownover
Dates/Times:
Friday, October 29, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: In this class we will discuss current United States relations with Korea, both North (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and South (the Republic of Korea). We will also cover the historical background of those relations from the Korean War to the present time. Roger Crownover holds a Ph.D. in military history and is currently Chair of the Department of History at Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. He is the author of The United States Intervention in North Russia – 1918, 1919: The Polar Bear Odyssey (2001). Roger served as the consulting historian for the 2009 PBS documentary Voices of a Never Ending Dawn, the heroic story of the American Polar Bear forces in arctic Russia during World War I.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula
George Stewart
Dates/Times:
Monday, November 01, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, November 08, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Monday, November 22, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: These two 19th century novels are the progenitors of the modern horror tale, in print and on film. But we continue to read them, not for their historical interest, but because they are great stories and because they have something to say about the condition of humankind. For the first class, please read the first half of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein".
George Stewart likes a good ghost story as well as the next person, and looks forward to talking about these two famous books with like-minded readers.
New World Spanish Poetry in EnglishTranslation, Part II
Leonora Gerstein
Dates/Times:
Tuesday, November 02, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, November 09, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $20, Non-Members $40
Description: This class is a continuation of the New World Spanish Poetry class offered during the Spring Term, and a further exploration of the themes, images, and feelings encountered in 20th century poetry from Central and South America. We will continue to delve into the works of the New World poets, hopefully two in each week of the class. The text is "Twentieth Century Latin American Poetry", edited by Stephen Tapscott (University of Texas Press, 1996). Good used copies, starting at about $18.00, can be found online at amazon.com, abebooks.com, and alibris.com. We will provide photocopies of the poems for participants who do not have the text. Leonore Gerstein moved from Massachusetts to a kibbutz in Israel at the age of ten. She completed her B.A. degree (philosophy and English literature) at Jerusalem's Hebrew University and returned to the United States in 1964. In 1976 she earned an M.A. degree and became a speech and language pathologist. Recently renewing her study of literature, Leonore received an M.A. degree in English literature from the Eastern Michigan University in 2003. Poetry has always been her favorite literary form, and she enjoys sharing her love of poetry with others.
The Art, Artists, and Artistry of Watercolor Painting
Doree Dziobak
Dates/Times:
Friday, November 05, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Have you ever wondered about the artistry of watercolor painting? Let your curiosity about this magical medium bring you to Doree Dziobak's class. Through a slide presentation we will explore a brief history of the art of watercolor painting and the well-known masters of the medium – Albrecht Dürer, John Constable, James Whistler, Frederick Remington, and J.M.W. Turner. Class participants will have an opportunity to hold a brush, dip it in watercolor, and try
to paint a picture. There is no guarantee, however, that you will become an artist! Even the experts consider watercolor to be the most challenging of all media! Doree Dziobak is one of the “founding members” of the Elderwise Learning community, and is a talented watercolor artist. She belongs to two art clubs, has entered many art exhibitions, and meets regularly to paint with other watercolor artists. We are fortunate that Doree takes such delight in sharing her profound love of art with others.
Ancestral England: In Search of Our Revolutionary Forebears
Judy Williston
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: In this program Judy Williston will show us her favorite bits of beautiful Devon, England. She will concentrate on the southern coast where she found her Conant ancestors in the village of East Budleigh. She will also share with us the landscapes of two national parks, Dartmoor and Exmoor. Another part of this county (or shire as the English say) is the stretch along the eastern coast, a part of the Jurassic Coast known for its geology and geographical features. Judy will discuss some of the region's better-known historical events, such as the English Civil War, the Norman Conquest, and the War of the Roses, and show us where those took place. Judy Williston is an emeritus professor with the Department of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Michigan and has taught at the preschool, secondary, and university levels for more than 40 years. One of Judy’s hobbies is genealogy and she has become intrigued with the unusual family members she has encountered in her research. We are fortunate to have her share some of her travels and discoveries
with Elderwise.
The History of the Rouge Plant
Steve Stanford
Dates/Times:
Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: : Here we will explore the history of Ford Motor Company’s mighty Rouge, once the largest, most efficient, and most highly integrated manufacturing complex in the world. We will look at the origins of the factory complex and how Henry Ford fooled both his stockholders and the public so he could buy the land and build the plant. This presentation will include rare film footage of the plant in operation during the 1930s. Steve Stanford is a project manager for Oakland County’s Department of Facilities Management. He is an expert on Michigan’s automotive history, and an active member of the Henry Ford Heritage Association.
Selling on eBay
Steve Stanford
Dates/Times:
Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: This two-hour class will deal specifically with selling on eBay. We will talk about what to sell, how to research its value, photographing the item, packing it, and listing different items for sale, on eBay. Some experience with eBay is required, so go to the Internet Web site www.ebay.com and navigate the site before you come to class. You are encouraged to bring an item to the class so we can talk as a group about how to go about selling it! Steve Stanford is an avid aficionado and practitioner of eBay. He enjoys sharing that expertise with the Elderwise community.
Life in the Keeweenaw, Part II
Bob Rann
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $10
Description: Bob Rann returns to Elderwise to tell us more about life in the Keeweenaw. The backdrop for this class is Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, also known as Copper Country. Eight years ago, Bob began recording the biographies of Copper Country residents in an effort to capture the remembrances of a disappearing way of life. Most of the individuals interviewed had lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and the subsequent collapse of the Keweenaw mining industry. Most were, and are, the sons of immigrants, and all embody the grace, dignity, and courage of an earlier era of America’s history. Bob will read from these biographies, and tell us how he came to write his “little books.” Robert Rann received his Ph.D. in Japanese language, literature, and musicology from the University of Michigan. He is an associate professor of humanities at Madonna University, and teaches courses on Japanese language and the history of the Western humanities. His current research interests focus on the history and mineralogy of Michigan’s Copper Country.
Barbershop Music: Holiday Harmony
Lynne Peirce
Dates/Times:
Monday, November 22, 2010 - 01:00 PM
Fee: Members $15, Non-Members $25
Description: Barbershop harmony is an original American musical art form dating back to the mid 1800s. This program will trace the evolution of barbershop harmony, the background of other styles of American music, and the impact of our changing musical tastes on the barbershop style as it is performed today. The program also will include videos, recordings, and live demonstrations, as well as opportunities to participate. Lynne Peirce became the director of the “Voices in Harmony” chorus in January 2005. A “Sweet Adeline” since 1985, Lynne brings an array of experience and an abundance of enthusiasm to her role. She is a certified musical director in both the men’s Barbershop Harmony Society and Sweet Adelines International, is a Regional Quartet champion (Accolades: 1991 and 1993), and currently sings bass with the comedy quartet “Novelty Shop” and Voices in Harmony quartet “Celebration.” In her "day job" Lynne is a manager of organizational and staff development at the University of Michigan Hospitals.
Concert: Holiday Harmony featuring the Voices in Harmony Chorus and takes place at Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building, Towsley Auditorium. One ticket is included in the cost of the course. Extra tickets can be purchased at $10 each.
PTD Productions at Riverside Theater: Table Manners
Lois Kuznets Dowling
Dates/Times:
Thursday, December 02, 2010 - 10:00 AM
Fee: Members $14, Non-Members $19
Description: Table Manners is the first play in Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests Trilogy, and is a winner of the 2009 Tony Award. The play is a fast-paced British comedy set in a dining room, and follows the interaction of six characters over the course of a weekend. Norman, the lead character, is desperate for attention and attempts to seduce his sister-in-law, charm his brother-in-law’s wife, and woo his own estranged wife. The combination of too little food, too much alcohol, and too many secrets make for one highly hilarious weekend gathering. Lois Dowling returns to Elderwise to share with us the inside story of this play, as well as the technical decisions, casting considerations, and unexpected “challenges” that are part of theater life. Lois is an emeritus faculty member of San Diego State University and has been pursuing a "second career" in theater arts with Michigan's PTD (Petie the Dog) Productions for several years. She is deeply involved in all aspects of this important community theater endeavor.
Play (Table Manners) is at Riverside Theater, Ypsilanti, on Sunday December 12, 2010, at 2 p.m. One ticket is included in the cost of the course. Extra tickets are available at $9 each.
Christmas at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum
Bob Southgate
Dates/Times:
Sunday, December 05, 2010 - 03:00 PM
Fee: Members $0, Non-Members $0
Description: Come join in the holiday festivities at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and explore this fine Victorian home so beautifully decorated for Christmas. Our own Bob Southgate will be your gracious host for the tour. On display you will find, among many other delights, the restored Tiffany
glass window and the Christmas tree in the home's former parlor. Refreshments will be served in the Victorian-style kitchen. Driving directions and details on where to gather will be sent with your registration confirmation.