JACKIE ROBINSON DAY . . . AND WENDELL SMITH

O n Friday, April 15, many major league baseball players will be wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie R o b i n s o n ’ s b r e a k i n g t h e color barrier in Major League Baseball on that day in 1947. Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, hired R o b i n s o n a s second baseman on the condition that Robinson agree to calmly “turn the other cheek” to the racial insults that would follow his debut as the first African- American player in American baseball. Robinson agreed, and played so well that he was named Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year that year. Robinson’s joining the Dodgers ended the racial segregation that had kept black baseball players out of the Major Leagues since the 1880s. He famously played for the Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. Robinson went on to be named a six-time

All Star, to be the 1949 National League batting champion, to play for the 1955 World Series champions, to be National League stolen base leader twice, and to be a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century team. Jackie Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on the first ballot in his first year on the ballot. Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, in 1919, the youngest of five children in a sharecropper family. When the family later moved to Pasadena, California, he attended Muir High School, Pasadena Junior College, and UCLA, where he was an outstanding athlete in football, basketball, track, and baseball. He served in the US Army as a second lieutenant during WWII, eventually playing in the Negro Leagues after his discharge. In retirement, Jackie Robinson was a TV analyst, and then vice president of Chock Full O’Nuts Coffee, an unusual position for a black man at that time. He was active in the civil rights movement and served on the board of the NAACP, founded the Freedom National Bank of Harlem, and established the Jackie Robinson Construction Co. to provide housing for low-income families. But wait—there’s a Montgomery Place connection to this story. Who suggested Jackie

MONTGOMERY MESSENGER

The Newsletter of the Residents of Montgomery Place Retirement Community

5550 South Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60637 April 2016, Vol. 26, No. 4

Jackie Robinson, no. 42

continued p. 2

page 2 APRIL 2016

Jackie Robinson from p. 1

Robinson’s name to Branch Rickey? None other than the P i t t s b u r g h

Courier sports-writer, Wendell Smith, husband of our present r e s i d e n t W y o n e l l a Smith. A t a g e 1 9 , Wendell was a p r o m i s i n g p i t c h e r w h o had been told

by a Detroit Tigers scout that he would like to sign Smith but could not, because he did not have the authority to hire a black man. After Smith graduated from West Virginia State College, he pursued his sportswriting career with the Courier covering the Negro Leagues, and he hoped he could help to remove the barriers that denied black players entry into professional sports. In the years that followed, Smith helped to organize tryouts for black players. After the Dodgers signed Robinson, they asked Smith to accompany him on the road, because the team stayed in segregated hotels. Smith did this throughout the 1946 and 1947 seasons, to offer support and counsel. The 2013 movie 42, about Jackie Robinson’s career, shows Wendell Smith’s contributions in detail. Smith eventually came to Chicago to work for the white-owned Chicago Herald

American, and in 1948 he was voted into the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, the first African American accepted. Smith joined WGN in 1964 as a TV sportscaster. He died in 1972, just a month after Jackie Robinson’s death.

Wendell Smith, sportswriter

In 1993, Wendell Smith became the first African-American recipient of the J. G. Spink Award for meritorious baseball writing. His w i d o w , W y o n e l l a , accepted the a w a r d a n d d on a t e d h i s papers to the Baseball Hall o f F a m e ’ s a r c h i v e s , p r o v i d i n g r e s e a r c h m a t e r i a l o n integration in baseball. In 2014, Smith posthumously received sports journalism’s Red Smith Award.

Barbara Wilson

Wyonella Smith

NEW YORKER READERS

T he New Yorker Readers will meet on Saturday, April 16, at 2 p.m. in the

LLLC. The article to be discussed is “The New Koch—the Rebranding of t h e B i l l i o n a i r e Brothers,” by Jane Mayer. Bill Barron w i l l l e a d t h e d i s cus s ion . The ar t ic le i s in the January 25 issue. If you need a copy of the article, please call me at 4647.

Dorothy Scheff, Chair, New Yorker Readers

APRIL 2016 page 3

OUT AND ABOUT

Editor: Carma Forgie

Contributors: Laurieann Chutis, Alex Elwyn,

Carma Forgie, Paula Givan, Phil Hefner, Kyoko Inoue,

Leah Kadden, Evi Levin, Gerry Martin, Muriel

Rogers, Dorothy Scheff, Marilyn Weigensberg,

Barbara Wilson, Anne Zeidman

Staff Contributors: Sheila Bogen,

Chaplain Julianne Buenting

Artwork: Nate Kalichman

Layout: Carolyn Allen

Production: Dino Celik

Proofreader: Phil Hefner

Calendars: Carma Forgie, Barbara Wilson

Editor Next Month: Evi Levin

Mandel Hall for Wolf’s Italian Serenade in G Major; Janáček’s Quartet No. 1, Kreutzer Sonata; and Beethoven’s Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, Razumovsky. Tickets required.

♦ Wednesday, April 13, at 9:45 a.m. the bus will go to the Art Institute for Van Gogh’s famous bedrooms. Tickets required. ♦ Friday, April 15, at noon the bus will go for lunch to Moon Palace, an Asian cuisine restaurant. ♦ Saturday, April 16, at 11 a.m. the bus will go to the Met Live in HD to see Donizetti’s Roberto

Devereux featuring soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as Queen Elizabeth I, forced to sign the death warrant of the nobleman she loves.Tenor Matthew Polenzani plays Devereux. Tickets required. ♦ Sunday, April 17, at 2 p.m. the bus will go to the South Shore Cultural Center for the Winter Quartet in an All Access concert that includes Raimi’s Duo for Violin and Viola, Schnittke’s String Quartet No. 3, and Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131. Free, but tickets required; see Concierge Dino for tickets. ♦ Wednesday, April 20, at 1 p.m. the bus will go to the U of C Service League to hear Joanne Dill speak about “The Chicago River: Turbulent History and Recent Renewal.” Free. ♦ Friday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m. the bus will go to Symphony Center where Riccardo Muti conducts two dramatic Tchaikovsky overtures inspired by two of Shakespeare’s greatest works, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. Completing the concert is Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, featuring soprano Rosa Feola. Tickets required. ♦ Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. the bus will go to Logan center for the Pacifica Quartet. Mozart’s Quartet in G Major, the first of the Haydn

Quartets, was dedicated to the composer’s friend and mentor. The Shostakovich Quartet No. 11 is dedicated to the second violinist of the Beethoven Quartet. The massive Beethoven Quartet in

♦ Friday, April 1, at 12:30 p.m. the bus will go to Symphony Center for a CSO B Series concert. Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki conjures Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, represented by a dazzling solo violin. The violin takes center stage again as Gil Shaham plays Bartók’s folksy Violin Concerto No. 2. Debussy’s Gigues, based on the well-known English sailor’s chorus The Keel Row, rounds out this colorful program. Tickets required. ♦ Saturday, April 2, at 11 a.m. the bus will go to the Met Live in HD with Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly directed by Gary Halvorson with Kristine Opolais as Butterfly and Roberto Alagna as Lt. B. F. Pinkerton. Tickets required. ♦ Tuesday, April 5, at 11:50 a.m. the bus will go to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for an organ concert. Free. ♦ Friday, April 8, at 7 p.m. the bus will go to Mandel Hall for the Artemis Quartet. The peerless performers from Germany bring their new member, Chicago native Anthea Kreston, to

continued on p. 4

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE

page 4 APRIL 2016

Out & About, continued from p. 3

PASSOVER 2016

M ost years we have the celebrations of the Jewish holy days of Passover and the Christian Holy Week and Easter Sunday close on the calendar. Not so in 2016, since Lent and Easter were early this year in the Christian calendar. The 50 days of the Easter season began on March 27 and conclude with Pentecost on Sunday, May 15. Passover begins almost a month after Easter, on the evening of April 22, and continues until April 30. Passover offers a rich commemoration of the Jewish people’s exodus from enslavement in Egypt, with seder meals telling the story, sharing foods that commemorate aspects of the story, and having an extra glass of wine ready for the great prophet Elijah, should he pop in to join the festivities. Our annual community seder, on Wednesday, April 27, at 4 p.m. in the Dining Room, i s hosp i t ab le and inc lus ive , an opportunity for all to share in the celebration. We will welcome a guest speaker from Unity Hospice to our Coffee, Tea, and Death (with the Vicar) series. The topic will be “Palliative Care and Hospice Care: What’s the Difference?” The date for this event will be determined shortly. I hope you can join us and wil l find the information helpful. Peace and blessings to all!

Chaplain Julianne Buenting

T he long winter months are finally receding, and signs of spring are vying for our attention. New life is evident in the parks, on the sidewalks, and especially on the trees. The magnificent pink and white blossoms always fill me with joy, and the wonder of renewal fills me with awe. Montgomery Place is also enjoying the new season; the new chillers for the air conditioning system will soon be installed. Keep an eye out for a big crane and heavy-duty equipment, but don’t be alarmed; the installation shouldn’t take long. The canopy over our front door is due to be replaced. We plan to add our full street address to avoid the confusion first-time visitors may experience. In addition, I am sure you will be delighted to learn that we have requested bids on an illuminated sign to be mounted on the lawn adjacent to the parking garage entrance. The sign will indicate that the entrance to the building is located around the corner. I would like to commend both residents and staff for the way everyone came together during our Dining Room flood. Residents were so gracious about being served meals in the East Room and Lounge, and the entire staff pulled together to ensure the best possible outcome. Special thanks to Barbara Harrison, president of the Residents’ Association, who organized an appreciation lunch for the staff. The atmosphere at the event was just amazing, as staff and residents expressed gratitude to one another. On behalf of Fred Saviano, CFO, and me, thanks to Mike McGarry, president of the Board of Directors, and his entire board, for their guidance and sage advice during this time of transition. We appreciate their vote of confidence in us. And my thanks to all the residents who have expressed their support for our efforts in running Montgomery Place day to day. We are here for you—please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

Sheila Bogen, Director of Operations/Administrator

MUSINGS FROM SHEILA

C-sharp minor concludes the concert. Tickets required. ♦ Tuesday, April 26, at 11 a.m. the bus will go to the Loop stopping coming and going at the Cultural Center and Water Tower Place. Free. ♦ Saturday, April 30, at 11 a.m. the bus will go to the Met Live in HD with Richard Strauss to see Elektra. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts. Tickets required.

Carma Forgie

APRIL 2016 page 5

NEW ARRIVALS

McKim Marriott—he likes to be called Kim —has moved into apartment 908 (phone 4600). He arrived at Montgomery Place on December 16, 2015, and then had several bad falls which necessitated prolonged stays on the second floor. Kim is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Chicago. He was also professor of social sciences in the College and known most for his and his many students’ studies of Hindus in rural India. He has also been concerned with indigenous sociologies and psychologies of Japan and many other societies. Fascinated since childhood by the cultures of East Asia, he crammed written Japanese to translate military messages, which he had to do from India. At the end of the Pacific war, India was still part of the British Empire and closed to most Americans. As soon as Kim was released from the Army at the end of World War II, he went back to academia, applied to and was accepted by the U of C to start studies for a PhD in anthropology which, as a rare exception, included all requirements for a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Kim had finished high school language requirements in Latin, French, and German, and later completed field training in India of the Hindi, Urdu, Braj, and Marathi languages. With fellowships from the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, Kim was able to pursue fieldwork in the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra states of India (with his family of four in tow), and by mathematical modeling, graphing, and classroom game simulations to test their results. His work pursues the assumption that every independent human society has its system of categories and logics, and that there may thus be many new useful social sciences waiting to be found. Kim’s son and three daughters were all born and raised in Chicago; three of them still live here.

continued on p. 6

For the past 14 years, Kim has been married to Barbara, a real estate agent here in Hyde Park. For his 90th birthday, Kim was honored with a Festschrift at the Smart Museum. The volume includes contributions from Kim’s talented grandchildren plus dedications and essays from some of his colleagues and students from Canada, Germany, Israel, India, and New Zealand, as well as from professors of universities in Minnesota, Chicago, Brandeis, Appalachian State, and Alaska. We welcome Kim Marriott and hope he will enjoy our many interesting community activities!

Evi Levin

Nescafé Alegria moved into the Café/Library (no phone, sorry) on February 26, 2016. You’ve probably already made the acquaintance of the Alegria, but if not, stop by absolutely any time! Unlike most new arrivals, the Alegria doesn’t sleep, shower, or talk on the phone. Instead, at the touch of a button, it makes and dispenses eight different hot drinks for residents and their guests, 24 hours a day, every day! The eight drinks are: ♦ Black coffee ♦ Black decaffeinated coffee

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New Arrivals from p. 5

♦ Espresso (strong black coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee) ♦ Cappuccino (coffee made with nonfat sweetened milk that has been foamed with pressurized steam; contains about 6.5 grams of sugar) ♦ Decaffeinated cappuccino ♦ Latte (coffee made with espresso and steamed nonfat sweetened milk; contains about 6.5 grams of sugar) ♦ Mocha (steamed nonfat sweetened milk with Nescafe Danish chocolate and espresso; contains about 11 grams of sugar) ♦ Hot chocolate (nonfat sweetened milk and Nescafe Danish chocolate; contains about 12 grams of sugar) Note that all the milk used in the drinks is sweetened with sugar. Half-and-half and various sweeteners are provided for your individual doctoring. The Alegria replaces the urns from which coffee was previously dispensed. Because it is connected to the water supply and heats the water when it makes a drink, it solves the problems of coffee running out and getting cold during the day. The Alegria can be a trifle persnickety. It can’t cope with a cup that is taller than the supplied 8-ounce cups, or multiple cups stacked up. (Sleeves to protect your fingers are provided so you won’t be tempted to stack multiple cups.) Human intervention is required to load coffee, milk, and chocolate; the waitstaff is doing that at regular intervals, but if the machine should ever tell you it’s out of something, just tell the waitstaff or, at night, the security officer at the Concierge Desk and they’ll take care of it. And…enjoy!

Paula Givan, Chair, Dining Committee

FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKERS

T he Friday Night Speakers programs start at 7 p.m. in the East Room and usually run for one hour. Everyone is invited to attend the programs. The schedule for April features four outstanding speakers, and there may be a fifth. ♦`April 1, John Mearsheimer, political science, U of C, “US Middle East Policy: One Disaster after Another.” Presenter, Alex Elwyn. ♦`April 8, Jason Riggle, linguistics, U of C, topic to be announced. Presenter, Lauriann Chutis. ♦ April 15, Andrew Long, physics, U of C, “Dark Matter Demystified.” Presenter, Alex Elwyn. ♦ April 22, Mark Swanson, Islamic studies, Lutheran School of Theology, “Islam around the World.” Presenter, Phil Hefner. ♦ April 29, to be determined. Audience questions and discussion follow each presentation.

Phil Hefner for the Friday Night Speakers Committee

APRIL 2016 page 7

HEWSON SWIFT CONCERTS

T here are four Wednesdays in April when r e s i d e n t s c a n a t t e nd concerts on CDs or DVDs in the Lounge at 7 p.m. We will hear the following variety of mus ic , p re sen ted by our residents from their interesting CD/DVD collections: ♦ April 6, Stephanie Butler will present a DVD of Herbert von Karajan conducting the V i e n n a P h i l h a rmo n i c O r c h e s t r a i n Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The DVD was recorded in 1984. ♦ April 13, Judith Hansen presents An Evening at the French Ballet with music from Delibes’s Coppelia and Sylvia, Adam’s Giselle, and Gounod’s Faust. ♦ April 20, Ed Krentz will introduce Franz Liszt: Concertos 1 and 2 plus Totentanz played by the Dresdner Philharmonie with Michel Plasson, conductor, and pianist Nelson Freire. ♦ April 27, after our seder dinner in the Dining Room we can walk over to the Lounge to listen to Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah presented by Evi Levin. Please join us for these music presentations every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.

Evi Levin, Chair, Hewson Swift Concerts

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

4/3 Mildred Brantley 4/24 Bernie Greenberg 4/29 Neva Hefner 4/30 Mary Gauger

DEEP DOWN With gratitude to Gerard Manley Hopkins.

There's a deep-downness in things, A cantus firmus that undergirds the whole. We lift our voices and it rings Through the years, the very soul Of what enables us through the toll Of our days to journey on. Whatever The path, the boulder we must roll Becomes a labor of hope that may waver, But in its rugged climb bestows a favor, Reveals a worth and a meaning That despite our fears will not sever Itself from us. It is like a gleaning. The days provide scraps of dreaming. Even when we fear the sun will never break Through the clouds, when victory, seeming To be forever lost, is a thing we take As fantasy. The scraps though small make Us understand that dreams take root in deep Soil. The daily flow of love and hate as well leaves a wake, A surprising freshness for us to reap, A freshness that goes on and on and never stales.

Phil Hefner

PLAYREADERS

P layreaders will take place on Tuesday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the East Room. A play called Trifles, by Susan Gaspell, will be read.

Anne Zeidman, Chair, Playreaders

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THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

O n April 24, 1800, President John Adams signed an act moving the nation’s capital from Philadelphia to newly-created Washington, DC. Attached to this move was an appropriation of $5,000 to buy books, which were ordered from London. The collection of 740 books and three maps was housed in the new capitol, becoming the nation’s first Library of Congress. During the next 200 years, the Library suffered three devastating fires. The first occurred when British troops burned Washington during the War of 1812. Thomas Jefferson then offered to sell his personal collection of 6,487 books collected over a period of 50 years, as the basis for rebuilding the library. Surviving two other fires, the Library has steadily grown. Today, the Library of Congress, consisting of three large buildings, is the world’s largest research library, and serves not only Congress, but also researchers from the entire world. Its current holdings include 32 million cataloged books and other printed matters in 470 l a nguage s , and more t ha n 61 m i l l i o n manuscripts. It holds the largest rare book collection in North America, including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible, and even six Stradivarius violins. The Library serves as a legal repository for copyright registration, and two copies of every copyrighted book are sent there. Nearly 22,000 new books arrive every business day. The Lib r a ry o f Congre s s i n sp i red t he establishment of the National Diet Library in Japan. In 1947, barely two years after the end of World War II, the Japanese government requested the American occupation forces to send a delegation from the Library of Congress to advise them. The following year, using the collections of national libraries established during the Meiji era, the Japanese established the National Diet Library in a building owned by the Imperial Household with a collection of 2.05

million books. In 1968, a large new library was built in the vicinity of the National Diet in Tokyo; eventually another building was constructed, which now has the capacity for 12 million items. One unusual part of the collection is the first national library of children’s books, called the International Children’s Library. I have many happy memories of spending hours at the Diet Library doing research.

Kyoko Inoue

MUSIC IN THE EAST ROOM

W e will celebrate the first month of spring with a somewhat diverse set of programs, including pianists and vocalists, ♦ Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m. Elizabeth Newkirk, pianist, in recital. ♦ Sunday, April 3, at 7 p.m. piano students of Laura Fenster present their spring recital. ♦ Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m. a vocal program by s tudent s o f the Chicago Col lege o f Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. ♦ Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. pianists Donna Lee and James Fackenthal return to present a program of music by Debussy and Poulenc.

Muriel Rogers, Chair, Music Committee

DRAMA IN THE EAST ROOM ♦ Sunday, April 17, at 2 p.m. dramatist Martina Mathisen presents a dramatization of Antonia Fraser’s book Marie Antoinette: The

Journey. ♦ Thursday, April 21, at 2 p.m. ShawChicago presents G. B. Shaw’s The Man of Destiny.

APRIL 2016 page 9

THE STORY OF HENRY MEYER, SECOND VIOLINIST OF THE LASALLE QUARTET

O n April 29, 1945, the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau was liberated by the

American troops of General Eisenhower. One of the inmates of the camp was the 22-year-old violinist Henry Meyer, who made a successful escape after a musician-friendly camp doctor (!) switched Henry’s identity with that of a corpse from the Dachau hospital. The emaciated Henry headed west in order to reach the advancing American troops, and give himself up. Henry told the American soldier who found him that he was born and raised in Dresden, but had from an early age also lived in Prague and Vienna, studying the violin. The American soldier alerted a friend in his army unit who was also from Dresden. When he started speaking to Henry he said, “Oh, so you are the prodigy son of the Meyers who owned that wonderful toy store in Dresden?” This miraculous incident, which saved Henry’s l ife, was reported to General Eisenhower, who took an interest in the young violinist and sent him to his headquarters in Paris. The Americans provided accom-modations for Henry Meyer, who soon met up with famous performers of the day. One of the first friends Henry made in Paris was the violinist Nathan Milstein, who gave Henry one of his own violins. I remember that Henry played this same instrument when I met him three years later in New York in 1948, and introduced him to Wal t e r , who immedia te ly go t h im a scholarship at Juilliard as a member of the LaSalle Quartet! Henry played Milstein’s violin until the LaSalle Quartet was given a set of four matched Amati instruments in the early 1950s.

Evi Levin

ENCORE CHORALE

E ncore is pleased and excited to come to the Chicago area! Under the leadership of well-known Chicago area choral conductor Jonathan Miller, Encore is poised to launch several Encore Chorales in the spring of 2016.

The Chorale, designed for adults 55 ye a r s a n d a bo ve , a n d i s b o t h educational and enjoyable. Anyone is welcome; you don’t have to be able to read music; you don’t have to have a trained voice. Participants learn proper breathing techniques and how to improve their voices through correct tone production as the conductor guides them through weekly rehearsals in three- and four-part singing. The first two Chorales in Chicago will begin in April, one in Evanston and one in Hyde Park. Starting April 13,

with a 6-week introductory session, the Hyde Pa r k g r oup p r a c t i c e s a t Montgomery Place on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the East Room. There is a charge of $50 for each singer, to cover the costs of music, professional conductor, and teacher. Call Lauriann Chutis at 4538 if you would like to sign up. The group will give a free community concert on Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. at Montgomery Place.

Carma Forgie

page 10 APRIL 2016

narrated by Peter Coyote. An introduction to the life and work of legendary singer and songwriter, Woody Guthrie. 1 hour 30 minutes. Presenter to be arranged. Foreign Language Film:

♦ April 28, The Diving Bell and

the Butterfly, 2007. Director: Julian Schnabel. Jean Dominique Bauby, editor of Elle magazine, suffers a stroke at age 43. He is alive, but is almost totally paralyzed except for the left eye, which will be the way to tell his story. Presenter: Phil Hefner.

Leah Kadden for the Film Committee

APRIL FILMS

M ovie fans will enjoy a variety of fascinating films presented by ou r d i s c e rn i ng commi t t ee members on Mondays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Lounge and on Channel 4. And, of course, popcorn and lemonade will be served on Mondays. MONDAY FILMS:

♦ April 4, The Moon is Blue,1957. Director: Otto Preminger. Starring David Niven, William Holden, Maggy McNamara, Tom Tully. Two aging playboys are both after the same attractive young woman who maintains she will remain a virgin until her wedding night. The men are determined to find ways around that. 1 hour 30 minutes. Presenter, Sheila Elwyn. ♦ April 11, The Eye of the Needle, 1981. Director: Richard Marquand. Starring Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Stephen Mc Kenna. A German spy carrying information that will reveal the target of Operation Overlord is stranded on an isolated island off the Scottish coast, where passion betrays him. 1 hour 52 minutes. Presenter, Phil Hefner. ♦ April 18, Guys and Dolls, 1955. Director: Joseph Mankiewicz Lyricist and composer: Frank Loesser. Starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine. In New York, a group of gamblers setting up a craps game makes a bet about who will take a cold, female missionary to Havana, using the money to make it happen. 2 hours 30 minutes. Presenter, Alex Elwyn. ♦ April 25, Gorky Park, 1983. Director: Michael Apted. Starring William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy. A Moscow police officer finds three bodies and while investigating the case stumbles upon a high level political conspiracy within the local government. 2 hours 8 minutes. Presenter, Evi Levin.

Documentary:

♦ April 7, Woody Guthrie: Ain’t Got No

Home, 2006. Director and writer: Peter Frumkin;

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

T he League of Women Voters will meet on Thursday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m. in the East Room t o d i s cu s s Ch i cago ’ s r e cyc l i ng program. The mayor instituted a new plan of garbage and recycling pick up soon after his election. There have been changes in his efforts to make the process fiscally and environmentally sound for the city and the residents. At present the city uses a “single system” format. Residents do not sort their recycling items, but collect them as a mixed bunch. They are then taken to a reprocessing plant and sorted. Plastic bags are not to be used. Is the plan working? Are changes needed? Please join us to evaluate the system. Everyone is welcome.

Dorothy Scheff, Chair, League of Women Voters

APRIL 2016 page 11

SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS

T he first American Social Security checks were distributed on April 27, 1937. Some history: In June 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, by executive order, created the Commit tee on Economic Secur i ty. The committee was tasked with studying the problems of economic insecurity, especially among the retired, and making proposals for consideration by Congress. The committee made its report in January 1935. It had several provisions for the general welfare, such as unemployment insurance and aid to dependent children, plus what we think of as Social Security—an insurance program that would pay retired workers a continuing income after retirement. After hearings, debates and amendments, the renamed Social Security Act passed both houses of Congress, and the president signed it into law on August 13, 1935. Social Security taxes were collected beginning in January 1937. Monthly benefits were to begin in 1942, with the period 1937-1942 to be used to build up the trust funds out of which benefits would be paid. Amendments passed in 1939 added coverage for dependents and survivors, and moved up the start of monthly benefits to 1940. (Disability benefits were added in 1954.) From 1937 to 1940, Social Security paid lump-sum benefits to people who contributed to the program but not for long enough to be eligible for monthly benefits. The first 53,000 of those checks were cut on April 27, 1937, making it a vital day in American history.

Paula Givan

BOOKLOVERS GROUP

F or the April meeting we are discussing the nonfiction book The Immortal Life of

Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Doctors at Johns Hopkins took Henrietta’s cervical cancer cells without asking her, in 1951. Those cells never died; in fact, they are still being used in experiments today. They launched a medical revolution and a multimillion-dollar industry. More than 20 years later, her children found out. The story tracks the family’s experience as they come to understand what this means to them, and as they learn to trust the author over 10 years of working with her. This New York Times bestseller tells the story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine. Dorothy Scheff will be our discussion leader. Janette Kopacz, Coordinator of the Book Club in a Bag program of the Chicago Public Library has loaned us 10 copies of this book under Anne Zeidman’s library card. Also, nine members of our group receive a digital recording of the book as part of the Talking Book Program of the library. If you are interested in receiving these books, or registering for the Talking Book Program, call me at 4638. Our meeting to discuss to this book and get the book for May will be on Monday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m. in the LLLC. All are welcome.

Laurieann Chutis

Beatrice Jefferson Helen Rice

William Dailey Fred Metz

Marjorie Schroeder

IN MEMORIAM

page 12 APRIL 2016

THE SONG THAT SINGS ITSELF There are really thousands of songs that sing themselves day in and night long, The wolves have a song They sing of the earth, of the numerous white stars above and the big waters all around. The white antelope has a song— It sings of green grasses, of dark forests, of sighs on the wind. The black bear has a song He sings of blueberries on low bushes, of chokecherries, and a huge rock with a cozy den He sings with a heart that beats and thunders through canyons of time. The dog has a song— He sings of a friendly fireplace, a pillow for sleeping, a hunt for rabbits in the waking of dawn, Or the cries in the night. The fish have a song They sing of waters deep and blue, of red and white corals, of seaweeds dark and delicious In the peace before dark. The crickets have a song Repetitive and angelic in chorus A song we love to hear. And at last, I have a song The poem that, singing, follows me Pointing at blue as blue skies, at fields of yellow dandelions, at drifting floating snow soft and white And yes, at the dirty stinging salt under Lexie's feet and mine. These are some of the songs that sing themselves In a Morning Star chorus And a silvery rain at the edge of Time And in the power of the End.

Gerry Martin

Q & A

Residents are invited to submit

questions for this column to Box 704

of the in-house mailboxes

Q: My vision is not as good as

it used to be. I have trouble

reading small print. Is it true

that there is a machine in the

library to help me?

A: Yes, there is a Magnisight E xp l o r e r mach i n e i n t h e northeast corner of the Library, right by the reference books section. There’s a chair to sit on and you can place the desired print (book, magazine, newspaper, correspondence, etc.) on the lower level of the machine. The machine will illuminate and magnify your material and project it onto the screen right in front of your eyes. You can move the material around and get larger or smaller print. You can adjust the brightness and focus as necessary. The directions for use are on top of the machine, but if you need h e l p t u r n i n g i t o n o r a demonstration of how it works, librarians Bill and Dottie Barron will be happy to assist you. Phone them at 4382. Please enjoy reading again!

Barbara Wilson

APRIL 2016 page 13

AN ENCOUNTER OF THE WILD

S peaking of raccoons, and we weren’t, though one of these handsome fellows was recently spotted in our courtyard, I’d like to tell story of a friend of mine. Dan raised his children on a farm near the city. He and his son, Don, and daughter, Monica, used to walk around their land in the early mornings when everything was fresh and green and smelling of rich loam. One spring as they made their rounds, they saw a rather large raccoon, taking its ease on a low tree limb. The raccoon knew they had spied it, but did not take any fright. Later, they saw that the raccoon was about to become a mother. Finally one day she showed them her babies. That is a rare privilege in the course of relations between humans and the wild ones. The children were enchanted. Every day they wanted to find the baby raccoons. Have you any idea how really cute baby raccoons are—in a “bandito” sort of way? The truth is, these were adorable. Toward the end of summer one evening, they heard a scratching at their back door. When they opened it, there was a baby raccoon that clearly wanted in. The kids begged and begged, and finally Dan brought in the baby raccoon. As they started to make appropriate food and a litter box for it, there was another scratching at the back door. Sure enough, another baby raccoon! And then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. Dan became wary, but the kids were insistent so he gave in. The following day on their walk, they discovered that the mother raccoon had been killed on the highway that bordered their farm. At that point in the story I couldn’t help teasing Dan that the mother had instructed her young, “If anything happens to me, that is the door you go to . . .” Anyway, as he tells it the five young ones had food and li t ter boxes in a room made over for them. They behaved all winter, and in the spring the children tearfully let them go. The now fully-grown young ones went off into the woods, and were never seen again.

Dan emphasized that they never had a bit of t rouble with them all those dark winter months. Think about it: would you have taken five baby raccoons into your house? What? Not even if they were just so cute, and the kids begged and begged? What if it were your grandchildren begging?

Gerry Martin

ORCHIDS AND ICE

I am not an orchid maven, but because I am the chair of the Garden Committee, many people think I am. The most-asked question is, shall I water my orchids with ice cubes? The answer given by Bruce Rogers, author of The Orchid Whisperer, is similar to mine. He says in the jungle where the orchids grow, he has never seen an ice cube on a branch next to an orchid. I said, “in Florida.” He says elsewhere in his book that he is a m a z e d b y t h e orchid’s will to live. He states that he has seen orchids without roots, orchids that h a v e n e ve r b e e n r e p o t t e d , s o m e burned by the sun, and one that survived being left outside for an entire winter. It is a fact that orchids have a will to survive and do so no matter how mistreated. Back to the cube! Your orchid may survive, but the amount of water that the plant receives from an ice cube is insufficient, the plant becomes dehydrated, and the tissue on which the ice is placed is damaged. There’s even more about being more susceptible to bugs and disease. Love your plant, water by hand.

Marilyn Weigensberg, Chair, Garden Committee

page 14 APRIL 2016

SPECIAL EVENTS IN APRIL

FRIDAY 1 9:00 AM EAST ROOM RUMMAGE SALE

12:30 PM BUS TRIP CSO B SERIES RIMSKY KORSAKOV (P. 3)

7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKER ~ JOHN MEARSHEIMER (P. 6)

SATURDAY 2 11:00 AM BUS TRIP MET LIVE IN HD, MADAMA BUTTERFLY (P. 3)

SUNDAY 3 2:00 PM EAST ROOM ELIZABETH NEWKIRK, PIANO (P. 8)

7:00 PM EAST ROOM MTHP LAURA FENSTER STUDENTS (P. 8)

TUESDAY 5 11:50 AM BUS TRIP LSTC FOR ORGAN RECITAL (P. 3)

FRIDAY 8 7:00 PM BUS TRIP MANDEL HALL FOR ARTEMIS QUARTET (P. 3)

7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKER ~ JASON RIGGLE (P. 6)

SUNDAY 10 2:00 PM EAST ROOM CHICAGO COLLEGE OF PERFORMING ARTS STUDENTS (P. 8)

WEDNESDAY 13 9:30 AM EAST ROOM ENCORE CHORALE REHEARSAL (P. 9)

9:45 AM BUS TRIP ART INSTITUTE (P. 3)

FRIDAY 15 NOON BUS TRIP MOON PALACE RESTAURANT (P. 3)

7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKER ~ ANDREW LONG (P. 6)

SATURDAY 16 11:00 AM BUS TRIP MET LIVE IN HD, ROBERTO DEVEREUX (P. 3)

SUNDAY 17 2:00 PM EAST ROOM MARTINA MATHISEN DRAMATIZATION (P. 8)

3:00 PM BUS TRIP SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER WINTER QUARTET (P. 3)

1:00 PM BUS TRIP U OF C SERVICE LEAGUE (P. 3)

THURSDAY 21 2:00 PM EAST ROOM SHAWCHICAGO, THE MAN OF DESTINY (P. 8)

FRIDAY 22 12:30 PM BUS TRIP CSO WITH MUTI: TCHAIKOVSKY, MAHLER (P. 3)

7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKER ~ MARK SWANSON (P. 6)

SUNDAY 24 2:00 PM BUS TRIP LOGAN CENTER: PACIFICA QUARTET (P. 3)

2:00 PM EAST ROOM FACKENTHAL PIANO DUO (P. 8)

TUESDAY 26 11:00 AM BUS TRIP LOOP TRIP (P. 4)

4:00 PM DINING ROOM COMMUNITY PASSOVER SEDER (P. 4)

FRIDAY 29 7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKER ~ TO BE ANNOUNCED (P. 6)

SATURDAY 30 11:00 AM BUS TRIP MET LIVE IN HD, ELEKTRA (P. 4)

WEDNESDAY 20 9:30 AM EAST ROOM ENCORE CHORALE REHEARSAL (P. 9)

WEDNESDAY 27 9:30 AM EAST ROOM ENCORE CHORALE REHEARSAL (P. 9)

APRIL 2016 page 15

REGULAR EVENTS IN APRIL

PLEASE NOTE:

Any event

listed

without a

specific date

or dates

occurs on

that day of

the week

every week.

Events listed

with specific

dates occur

on those

dates only.

MONDAY 8:00 AM BUS TRIP FITNESS WALK, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY 9:30-10:30 AM THERAPY ROOM WELLNESS CLINIC WITH WELLNESS STAFF

11 9:30 AM BUS TRIP ROOSEVELT ROAD SHOPPING

18 9:30 AM BUS TRIP HYDE PARK PRODUCE

10:15 AM LLLC POETRY GROUP

11:30 AM EAST ROOM PHYSICAL FITNESS

1:00 & 1:30 PM BUS TRIP LIBRARY & ERRANDS

11, 25 2:15 PM LLLC DINING COMMITTEE

4, 18 3:00 PM EAST ROOM TOWN MEETING

11 3:30 PM LLLC BOOKLOVERS GROUP (P. 11)

4 5:20 PM PRIVATE DR FRENCH SPEAKERS’ DINNER TABLE

11 5:20 PM PRIVATE DR GERMAN SPEAKERS’ DINNER TABLE

7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 FILM DISCUSSION GROUP MOVIE (P. 10)

TUESDAY 9:30 AM STUDIO PAINTING & DRAWING CLASS

5 10:00 AM LLLC ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

10:00 - NOON GAME ROOM HYDE PARK BANK

11:00 AM EAST ROOM MEDITATION

12:15 PM EAST ROOM CARPET BOWLING

5, 19 1:00 PM THERAPY ROOM AUDIOLOGIST KATE HOPKINS

19 1:00 PM BUS TRIP TRADER JOE’S

26 1:00 – 3:00 PM THERAPY ROOM AUDIOLOGIST DR. LATA JAIN

1:30 PM POOL WATER FITNESS

2:00 PM EAST ROOM CURRENT EVENTS

3:30-5:00 PM CAFÉ & LOUNGE WINE & CHEESE SOCIAL

5 7:00 PM EAST ROOM MONTGOMERY SINGERS SINGALONG

12 7:00 PM EAST ROOM PLAYREADERS (P. 7)

26 7:00 PM LLLC SHORT STORY DISCUSSION GROUP

WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM BUS TRIP FITNESS WALK, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY

9:30 AM LOUNGE TAI CHI

6, 20 10:15 AM GAME ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKERS COMMITTEE

6 10:30 AM LLLC MONTGOMERY MESSENGER MEETING

13 10:30 AM LIBRARY LIBRARY COMMITTEE

11:00 AM CHAPEL MIDWEEK EUCHARIST

11:00 AM CAFE MONTGOMERY MARKET

11:30 AM EAST ROOM PHYSICAL FITNESS

1:30-2:30 PM THERAPY ROOM WELLNESS CLINIC WITH WELLNESS STAFF

20 3 PM & 6PM GAME ROOM CAREGIVERS’ SUPPORT GROUP

7:00 PM LOUNGE HEWSON SWIFT MUSIC SERIES (P. 7)

page 16 APRIL 2016

THURSDAY 9:30 & 10:00 AM BUS TRIP TREASURE ISLAND

14 9:30 AM STUDIO ART COMMITTEE

10:00 AM GAME ROOM RESIDENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP

10:00 AM LL ADMIN AREA PING PONG

28 NOON DINING ROOM APRIL RESIDENTS’ BIRTHDAY LUNCH

1:30 PM POOL WATER FITNESS

1:30 PM CAFÉ/LIBRARY COOKIES & CONVERSATION

28 1:30 PM EAST ROOM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS (P. 10)

2:00 PM CHAPEL ROMAN CATHOLIC COMMUNION

2:00 PM STUDIO KNITTING & CROCHETING GROUP

14 2:30 PM LLLC MAINTENANCE/HOUSEKEEPING COMMITTEE

7 2:30 PM EAST ROOM FILM DISCUSSION COMMITTEE

14 3:00 PM EAST ROOM HAPPY HOUR

4 7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 DOCUMENTARY FILM (P. 10)

14, 21 7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 EVENING MOVIE

21 7:00 PM EAST ROOM RESIDENTS’ COUNCIL

28 7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (P. 10)

FRIDAY 8:00 AM BUS TRIP FITNESS WALK, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY

9:30-10:30 AM THERAPY ROOM WELLNESS CLINIC WITH WELLNESS STAFF

10:00 AM LOUNGE/CH 4 DVD SERIES: GREAT AMERICAN BESTSELLERS

8 11 AM-3:45 PM THERAPY ROOM PODIATRIST DR. JOANNE DAVIS

11:30 AM EAST ROOM PHYSICAL FITNESS

1:00-4:00 PM STUDIO OPEN STUDIO

4:45 PM CHAPEL SHABBAT SERVICE

7:00 PM EAST ROOM FRIDAY NIGHT SPEAKERS (P. 6)

SATURDAY 8:45 AM-NOON BUS TRIP KAM-II/RODFEI ZEDEK TRANSPORTATION

10:00 AM LOUNGE SATURDAY MORNING ROUNDTABLE

16 2:00 PM LLLC NEW YORKER READERS (P. 2)

7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 WEEKEND MOVIE

SUNDAY 8:00 AM-NOON BUS TRIP CHURCH/SYNAGOGUE TRANSPORTATION

10:45 AM-NOON BUS TRIP ROCKEFELLER CHAPEL

11:00 AM CHAPEL SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION

7:00 PM LOUNGE/CH 4 WEEKEND MOVIE/ENCORE PRESENTATION