Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Refresh, Regenerate, Reach Out!

The Tufts University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) has begun a new and exciting chapter with the Community Ambassadors Program (CAP). Recogniz-ing the great resource of our study group leaders and the need for community outreach, Osher has begun to build the foundation for a successful relationship between local commu-nity groups and YOU. We are rely-ing on you as potential study group leaders, as participants and as Com-munity Ambassadors. The success of CAP will invigorate our Osher LLI and enhance our relationships across the greater Boston area. Our Community Ambassadors will act as formal agents to bring to-gether shared goals and world views. The service that an Ambas-sador provides is not out of egoism or pride but with the altruistic goal of finding common ground. You can serve that role as Osher LLI seeks to expand its outreach to local com-munities. This is an opportunity to refresh the image of Osher LLI, going beyond our academic confines to share what we have developed. Refreshing the image of Osher will be a benefit for both the participants and the greater community. Through CAP we can also make an effort to regenerate

membership and new thinking. The structure of success at Osher is already in place with excellent courses, amazing discussions, and fabulous Study Group Leaders. In reaching out to the community we can expand structure with an injection of new ideas for

courses and new members. As Community Ambassadors, indi-viduals will also be able to improve upon their knowledge and experi-ence through outreach. As the world deals with a financial crisis, we can look to the past to see how to react. Should we become insular and protective? Can we ig-nore the crisis and wait for it to pass? Or should we take the oppor-tunity to reach out, expand beyond what we have built? It is impossi-ble to answer that question for each individual. However, we know the great benefits that from engaging

with the world, beginning right here in our local com-munities. Take the time to consider the lively and welcoming community that Osher has built and you will realize the need to share that experience with the broader commu-nity. All of us have the opportunity to further the goal of refreshing, regenerating, and reaching out: Carpe diem!

by Ivan Rasmussen

In This Issue

Refresh, Regenerate, 1 Reach Out Director’s Corner 2 An interview with Barbara 3 Rubel, Community Relations

An

Osher Outlook 3 Global Outreach: A Spanish 4 Idyll

The Scholar-Marathoner 5 Book Review 5

Co-leading 6 Ambassador for a Day 7 Osher Comment Board 7 Brookhaven Events 8

MAY 2009, VOL 19

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Boston, MA

Permit No. 1161

Tufts University

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

039 Carmichael Hall

Medford, MA 02155

www.ase.tufts.edu/lli Osher’s new initiative: Community Ambassadors Program

seeks to engage local community groups by building rapport with study group leaders.

Summer Events at Brookhaven

JUNE 2009

June 2 Classical Concert: Archie Richards, pianist (7:30 pm)

June 4 Four-Hand Piano Duo: Donna Gross Javel and Bonnie Anderson (7:30 pm)

June 9 Lecture/Demo with Jane Blair of Art Matters: Leonardo DaVinci (11:00 am)

June 9 Classical Concert: Miyuki Otani, pianist (7:30 pm)

June 10 Brookhaven Lecture: Robin Wilkerson, Horticulturist: Garden in the Woods (8:00 pm)

June 11 Habitat Lecture with Barbara Bates: Birds and Bugs (1:00 pm)

June 14 Piano Recital: Students of the Jane Winchell Studio (3:00 pm)

June 15 Semafor Lecture: Jerry Elkind – First Decades of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center Innovating Personal

Computers (10:30 am)

June 17 Jack Craig Music Program: Topic – TBA (7:30 pm)

June 18 Arthur Rosen Lecture: Religion of the Romans, Part Two (11:00 am)

June 22 Semafor Lecture: Betsey Williams – Development of the Eye (10:30 am)

June 23 Boston Duo & Friends Concert: Ellina Blinder (pianist), Lilia Muchnik (violin), and Zoe Shereshkova (cello)

(8:00 pm)

June 24 Brookhaven Lecture: Barbara Wheaton, Schlesinger Library – French Cuisine (8:00 pm)

June 25 Outdoor Concert: Indian Hill Big Band (7:30 pm)

JULY 2009

July 8 Lecture: Professor Gary Hylander, Stonehill College. Topic: TBA (7:30 pm)

July 15 Jack Craig Music Program: Topic – TBA (7:30 pm)

July 16 Four-Hand Piano Concert: Feodor Veselov & Irina Ovsyannikova (8:00 pm)

July 28 Concert: Kammerwerke Woodwind Trio (7:30 pm)

Director’s Corner

May 2009 May 2009

Page 2 Page 7

Community Outreach: What Can You Do?

Tufts University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Marilyn Blumsack, Director: marilyn.blumsack@tufts.edu

Lisa Verdile, Program Coordinator: lisa.trapasso@tufts.edu

Graduate Students: I. Rasmussen, E. Mahaffy, E. Graber

Dottie Burstein, David Young, Marilyn Blumsack, and Ken Fettig are Ambas-sadors for a Day in Sarasota, Florida! (Reprinted from Tufts Alumni Weekly.)

Dear Friends,

Summer brings sunshine,

opportunities to relax

and renew the spirit and

body and after the most

grueling winter in recent

times and no spring at

all, it is most welcomed.

A colleague, Ara Rogers,

Director of the Osher

Lifelong Learning

Institute at the University of South Florida suggested

to her members recently that Gwendolyn Brooks in

this quotation stated that older age can be about em-

bracing the necessary and discarding the extraneous;

“As you get older, you find that often the wheat,

disentangling itself from the chaff, comes out to

meet you.” For me and seemingly all of you it’s

learning that is fundamental to our well being and

spirit. We thrive on meeting new people, discover-

ing new ideas and having new experiences and our

inner world seems to expand as we engage in life

and learning.

Almost ten years ago our programs were organized

around the premise that third agers (us) require intel-

lectual stimulation, physical activity and social en-

gagement and that learning is for the sake of learn-

ing. It was intended that in each Osher LLI class you

would cultivate your mind as you participated in

spirited discussions with fellow students and that

you would forge many new friendships through par-

ticipation in the our program. Ultimately, as mem-

bers from all walks of life we would talk, learn,

share and grow together. The design was that

through the efforts and energy of many extraordi-

nary people we would offer a plethora of challenging

and fascinating study groups each term and enter-

taining and enriching activities in an EDventure of

your choice.

Those original goals still serve us well, as our mem-

bers now number over 500 -- men and women of var-

ied backgrounds and experiences. Our members come

from all over the United States and many foreign

countries particularly because of our E-Learning

Courses. Each member has his or her own story to

tell; with every new member comes another learning

opportunity. There is something here for everyone.

Our mantra was and will always be to ensure the

Tufts Osher LLI program remains relevant, interest-

ing and above all, fresh. There isn’t any chaff here;

it’s all wheat. Enjoy!!

Marilyn Blumsack

Director

May 2009

Tel: 617-627-5885/5699

Fax: 617-627-6507

http://ase.tufts.edu/lli

Osher Session Schedule

2009-2010

Fall 2009

September 14 – November 9

(no classes on October 12)

Winter 2010

January 11 – February 8

(no classes on January 18)

Spring 2010

March 15 – May 10

(no classes on April 19)

Summer 2010

June 1 – 10

Ambassador for a DAY

With the recent move towards nationwide service particularly targeted towards ‘third agers’, Osher seeks to

reach out to local communities. The Ambassador for a Day Program was initiated when several Osher

members and prominent Tufts alumnae offered a full day, peer learning event in Sarasota, Florida.

The event consisted of two, two-hour long peer learning

sessions, conducted by experienced study group leaders.

First, “The Period Between the Wars” conducted by

Ken Fettig, examined the highlights of the administrations

of the presidents of the US, American social and political

movements and the events in Europe that precipitated

WWII. Comparisons between the events leading to the fall

of the stock market in the 1920s and the present were

also discussed. A question and answer period followed.

After lunch, Dorothy Burstein, presented “George

Gershwin,” his (abbreviated) complex life, music and

contemporary celebrities, and the nature of his work

relationship with Ira, his brother and lyricist. The group

tapped their feet, sang along, and enjoyed the popular tunes of the 20s and 30s and even some of the social

movements that gave the music its excitement and verve.

Reaching out to the community has been facilitated by the Ambassador for a Day Program!

OSHER COMMENT BOARD “Let me tell you that my experience at Osher Institute for the last one month was wonderful, and it was my delight to meet and communicate with the group members who both encouraged and challenged me in and outside class.”

“I enjoyed participating in the course very much … the SGL’s comments were very helpful and I particularly enjoyed interacting with the others in the course. I look forward to taking the course again and definitely believe it has a place in the Osher Curriculum.”

“… the SGL is very responsive to each individual with exploitations and questions that catapult you forward in your writing experience … I would highly recommend this course to every friend interested in writing.”

“I loved my class and I love the program.”

“This was my first Osher LLI class. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was GREAT. It exceeded my expectations!”

“I just loved this course, the book, the handouts, my fellow students and Fred (Laffert). A super experience. Thank you !”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Fran (Lanouette) is an interesting speaker, who combined her love of the subject with her great sense of humor. I would highly recommend this class.”

“This course was very successful as it represents the best in lifelong learning because it had a well informed SGL, an interesting subject, created an incentive to do independent research and an opportunity to discuss the subject with an active group of class members”

“This was an excellent study group. The SGL was informative and the class participation was perfect. I would recommend class to anyone.”

May 2009 May 2009

Page 6 Page 3

Ken Fettig and Chuck Staples: Joining Forces for ‘Between the Wars’ Ken Fettig and Chuck Staples are longstanding Osher members that know the program well, including the bene-fits of co-leading a seminar. They combined forces to tackle the crucial and highly debated historical period be-tween World Wars I and II. The historical content of this period is rich, but Ken took significant lessons beyond the chronicles of history. He found that:

The co-leading experience has been interesting and reward-

ing to me, and I hope useful to the program. Preparing and

delivering a course is hard work and takes a lot of time since

the courses are not subjects which I specialized in throughout

my career. I did find them rewarding at the conclusion and

hope our learners did as well. The opportunity to co-lead al-

lowed me to share the work and the experience with another

person and to get deeper into the subjects because I had to

prepare for a smaller portion of the course. Chuck, my

co-leader, and I also familiarized ourselves with that portion

of the sessions we were not leading to assist each other with

details and were able to add to each others’ presentations. It

was sort of double coverage and occasionally we would

disagree on points which facilitated discussion among the

learners. We also had different perspectives on some subjects

which I believe helped the class to understand some of the

complexities of the subjects. All in all it was a worthwhile

experience.

When attempting to tackle difficult historical and current issues, a plurality of opinions and perspectives is vital. What Ken and Chuck offered was the opportunity to contrast different ideas and viewpoints. Not only did this enrich the course, but it also allowed the pair of SGLs to explore major subjects with more depth and breadth than usual. The experience embodies the Osher goal of intel-lectual fulfillment.

Fred Laffert and Bob Pride: ‘What IF’ You Co-lead? As Osher LLI courses are based on the participation of Study Group Leaders from our own knowledge base and participant group, it was only fitting for Bob Pride to join forces with Fred Laffert to co-lead the successful course ‘What IF’. In the process, Bob was able to gain valuable insight into how to lead an Osher course at the same time as being able to share the logistical burdens of the seminar. Co-leading a course can be the perfect segue into your first SGL experience. For Bob, it was important to be able to work with Fred because they played well off one another in each class. They agreed to split the time into two sections based on two articles. Both SGLs were prepared to inject some questions to keep the dialogue vibrant. It was amazing to see how the seminar became participant-focused rather than a more historical lecture. It is not sur-prising that Bob was glad to “not be on the stage all the time,” encouraging class participation to facilitate scintil-lating discussion. Even planning for the seminar, “What IF”, was collabora-tive. Bob and Fred met a few times to discuss the structure of the course. Together, they came up with a focus on counterfactual cases in American history from the Civil War to the Watergate Affair. The co-leading effort in this one class may even have spillover into other similar Osher courses such as “Great Decisions”. It is exciting to see how, through the spirit of community and mutual support, individual efforts can combine and be magnified! In the end, co-leading not only allows an SGL to share the responsibility of an Osher course, but it also helps to know that you have a friend to back you up when in class. In fact, being a SGL serves the social advantage of truly getting to know a wider range of Osher participants. Most importantly, the opportunity to co-lead a seminar was truly an educational experience. Bob felt he learned more dur-ing his time co-leading than even in previous classes where he was a participant but not an SGL. It may be cliché, but in co-leading you get out of it what you put in, and you know that you are going through the experience with the support of a peer and friend.

Editor Spring Issue:

Marilyn McCaffrey Ivan Rasmussen

Layout and Photographs:

Ivan Rasmussen Lisa Verdile

Staff Writers:

Ken Fettig Tania Friedman Fred Laffert Elizabeth Mahaffy Bob Pride Ivan Rasmussen

Osher Outlook, the newsletter of Tufts University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is published four times a year: fall, winter, spring, and summer.

The Co-Leading Perspective: Sharing Knowledge Together

Barbara Rubel, Director of Community Relations at Tufts University, works with neighbors, agencies, organiza-tions, elected officials and municipal government offices to build strong partnerships between Tufts and its host communities. In our conversation on April 16, she spoke of her 35 years of work with Community Relations at Tufts as well as the new role of Osher LLI in these efforts.

What is the history and purpose of your position at Tufts?

In the 1970s, Tufts President Jean Mayer created the Office of Community and Governmental Affairs as a vehicle for Tufts to engage with its host communities. Four main objectives established for the new office are still our goals today: (1) Find out who our neighbors are; (2) Learn what they care about; (3) Support students who go out and do community service; (4) Foster two-way communication so that Tufts and citizens can learn what is hap-pening in each other’s community and promote mutual engagement.

How do you go about doing that?

Tufts has learned much about being a good neighbor, meeting our needs and the communities’ needs simultane-ously. The challenge is to earn the trust of the communities by making contacts and being involved in the cities. I read the newspapers, meet with elected officials, and sit on community boards, nonprofit boards, and the Cham-ber of Commerce. Trust earned slowly over time now lets me call people and ask “What do you think about this?” or “Have you heard about this?” and get their opinions. People appreciate your coming to them for advice and it becomes a mutually reinforcing network where they feel comfortable approaching us. It is essential to make the community welcome at Tufts events. I love seeing families from Medford and Somerville at our sport-ing events, plays and concerts.

How do you think Osher Lifelong Learning Institute can help Tufts outreach into the community?

The Community Ambassadors Program that Osher LLI has begun is a terrific way to involve Osher in the com-munity. Many community people, whether or not they are college graduates, are interested in lifelong learning. I think the Ambassadors program will make it comfortable for them to enrich their lives intellectually, coming to learn, to teach and to share -- all within walking distance of where they live. I look forward to these new ways of outreach into the communities and maybe pilot a joint Community Relations and Osher LLI open house or small program. That would be great!

Barbara Rubel's responses are a mix of paraphrase and direct quotes.

REMINDER: Our offices are temporarily

located in the Mayer Campus Center

(Rooms 207-208) on 44 Professors Row!

A

JUMBO

NEVER

FORGETS!

Interview with Barbara Rubel by Elizabeth Mahaffy

May 2009 May 2009

Page 4 Page 5

Book Review by Tania B. Friedman

This novel reveals the underbelly of Indian society. It is a stark contrast to the rise of a middle class, which is a result of their developing technology industry. Although these developments are changing India’s image as a nation of poverty, much still exists. This book is hated by many Indians and has been banned in parts of India.

Balram Halwai narrates his story which he titles The Autobiography of a Half-Baked Indian, by writing to Premier Wen Jiabao of China, who will be visiting India. Balram’s father was a rickshaw puller, poor, but a man of honor and courage. His mother died when he was very young. They lived in the town of Laxmangarh, which the people of the town refer to as “The Darkness,” because this is where the poor and lowly live without shelter, wa-ter, good health or money. “The Light” refers to the areas where those who hold the power live, the wealthy and unscrupulous landlords.

Balram has succeeded in spite of his minimal schooling. He had been a bright student and was offered a scholar-ship. However, his family needed money so he was pulled out of school. Under their system, you can’t go to school if you are needed to earn money, making it almost impossible to complete your education. He has tri-umphed by moving to Bangalore where he became a chauffeur for Mr. Ashok and his wife Pinky Madam. At first, Blaram sends money home to his grasping grand-mother, Kusum. In time, he weighs what is best for him-self against his loyalty and duty to his family. He is determined that he will not be a victim and looks to the

future. His motto is if you can see beauty in the world, you are not a slave.

The night his inebriated mis-tress, Pinky Madam, takes over the driving of the car and leaves Balram by the side of the road we feel Balram’s vulnerability with poignant clarity. He is bereft of any security and is completely and totally dependent on his masters. He has nothing without them. Pinky Madam comes back for him. To make matters worse she has killed a child. His master’s solution is to tell Balram that he is a member of their family, therefore he will ‘own up’ to being responsible for the accident. The accident is not reported so nothing comes of it. Even-tually Balram kills Mr. Ashok and takes the bag of payoff money Mr. Ashok was giving to a politician for a favor.

Balram becomes successful after fleeing to Delhi. He bribes the police to overlook that he is a wanted man and establishes a taxi service for workers in the tech-nology field. In this dog eat dog and corrupt part of society, he has become morally ambivalent but he can at last feel that he is not a servant/slave.

This page turner not only gives insights into present day India but it is different, humorous and raises many questions, from who is benefiting from India’s eco-nomic growth to where does one draw the line between what one has to do for oneself and for one’s family.

The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga Free Press 2008. Paper 2008, 304 pp.

by Dot Dudley, Osher Travel Guide Extraordinaire

Having just returned from Barcelona and Mallorca, the most recent travel adventure of our Osher LLI members, I’m happy to share some of the highlights of the trip with our readers. In Barcelona, we sampled the architecture and history of the city in a variety of walking tours. A visit to Guell Park, a fantasyland of Gaudi design, provided gorgeous birds-eye views out over the city to the sparkling Mediterranean. Then, the Old City (Barri Gotic) re-vealed its Roman past in surprising ways: in an outcropping of the original city wall or in ruined columns tucked into the courtyard of a 19th century structure. The labyrinthine streets conjured spirits of medieval Barcelona’s religious life and commercial importance as we made our way through narrow passages to the cathedral of Maria del Mar, to the Picasso Museum, and on down to the Ramblas and the Boqueria (market), before ultimately arriv-ing at the busy port, updated and modernized for the 1992 Olympics. Our hotel was well placed in the Eixample district that featured posh shops and La Pedrera, Gaudi’s remarkable moderniste apartment building, rivaled only perhaps by his stunning — yet unfinished — church, La Sagrada Familia. In addition to Barcelona’s attractions, our journey included a day trip to the Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat. Perched on a rocky ledge, carved from the mountain, the monastery is reached by a cable gondola that requires a real “leap of faith” as it swings out over the abyss and slowly makes its climb to the mountaintop. The emotional mixture of awe and wonder touched us all as we pondered the contemplative lives that had been spent in such iso-lation. Then, giddy perhaps from our cable ride back to terra firma, we gave in to total indulgence and made our way to the ancient town of Cardona for lunch in a 9th century castle, where we were treated royally, indeed. Yet another day trip took us to the town of Girona, a beautifully preserved medieval town that boasts a magnifi-cent cathedral and a substantially intact Jewish quarter. A museum of Jewish life and culture in medieval Girona brought the past to life for us. After an al fresco lunch in a sunny square, we ensured our return by kissing the lion statue at the edge of town. (This may sound simple enough, but the lion is placed high on a pole, and re-quires another “leap of faith” to reach!) Several of our merry band accomplished the feat—others took pictures that are worth 1,000 words. Our next stop was the Salvador Dali Museum, full of fun and fantasy, including the famous portrait of Abraham Lincoln, composed of many smaller paintings for a “pixelated” effect, the optically elusive portrait of Mae West, and Dali’s wildly decorated 1937 Cadillac. At last, bidding adieu to Barcelona, we flew to the island of Mallorca, for our vacation-within-a-vacation. Once away from the activity of the big city, we relaxed in the quiet village of Soller, nestled in a valley among fragrant citrus groves. Our hotel featured such breathtaking views of the mountains above that we were reluctant to break away for excursions to Palma de Mallorca, the capital city; to Valldemossa, where Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838-39; and to the village of Deia, where author/poet Robert Graves lived and died--all spec-tacular visits! For those who wished to relax in the village, a quaint little tram made the 10 minute jaunt past trees, heavy with oranges and lemons, from the village down to the port of Soller with its small but picturesque harbor and shops. Our Spanish idyll ended all too soon—but the return to chilly March reality was softened by wonderful, warm memories of good food, good times, and great friends.

Global Outreach: A Spanish Idyll

Musings of a Scholar Marathoner

SGL and recent Fletcher grad Abby Lindsay describes the Boston

Marathon:

Favorite moment #1: The Tufts parents and friends that made a

huge welcome for us at Mile 9…

Favorite moment #2: Seeing my parents at Mile 17 holding a big

sign and my dad running ‘bandit’ with me up heartbreak hill...

Favorite moment #3: The little kids that held out fruit and such

for us and all the crazy spectators...

Favorite moment #4: The feeling of accomplishment I have now,

and, even more importantly, the amount of love and support I felt

along the way—THANKS! Abby and her ‘bandit’ dad at mile 22

Don’t Miss the Opportunity to Join

Dot this Fall in England!

September 7—13, 2009

“From Beowulf to Virginia Woolf”

A custom-designed adventure exploring

Cambridge and East Anglia

Register now at: www.ase.tufts.edu/lli