NewsletterFall 2008

Non-Profi t Organization

U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 112Casper, WY 82601

Volume 2, Issue 1Page 4 www.caspercollege.edu/olli

at Casper College

Fall 2008

OLLIs Avoid Brain Freeze at OLLI Ice Cream Social

LLI

LLI

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OLLICasper College125 College DriveCasper, WY 82601

at Casper College

OLLI at Casper College is proud to have received a Casper College Foundation grant to bring speaker David Grimland here as a guest lecturer for the OLLI program. Mr. Grimland has worked for the U.S. Foreign Service for over 20 years, serving six tours of duty overseas. Five of his tours were in countries with Muslim majorities or politically signifi cant Muslim minorities. Due to these tours of duty Mr. Grimland is uniquely qualifi ed to lecture on the West’s relations with Muslim countries.

Islam and the West is a two-day series of fi ve lectures that is FREE for all OLLI members. Please plan to attend this dynamic series and learn about the historic context of the West’s relationship with Islam. You will also learn about the diff erence between the Sunni and Shi’ia sects of Islam; what motivates a jihadist to commit acts of terrorism, and why the country of Turkey is important to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Call 268-3401 for more information.

David Grimland Comes to Casper College as OLLI Guest LecturerIslam and the West • October 23 & 24, 2008

Photo courtesy of www.davidgrimland.org

WOW! Look at What’s Coming

Up for OLLIs this Spring!

• More “In the Neighborhood” classes

• “A History of Early Exploration and Miningin Wyoming”

• “Get Along Little Dogies:

A Musical History of the Cowboy in Wyoming”

• “An Examination of the Holocaust I & II”

• “Hidden Art of Casper College”

• OLLI Spring 2009 Social:

A Celebration of Robert Burns’ 250th Birthday

David Grimland Comes to Casper David Grimland Comes to Casper

NewsletterAbout 85 OLLIs attended our OLLI Ice Cream Social July 9 in celebration of National Ice Cream Month. OLLI members and their guests reconnected over fi ne ice cream and tea punches on the lawn between Robert’s Commons and the Goodstein Foundation Library while enjoying music by local bluegrass band, Anastasia’s Fault.

� e attendees learned how they can prevent “brain freeze” by becoming OLLI members and signing up for the many interesting classes OLLI will off er in the coming academic year. In keeping with the learning component of OLLI the attendees received free OLLI yo-yos and a lesson in yo-yo tricks from local yo-yo man, Zack Schultz. Our members then went forth into the community to impress their children and grandchildren with their newly acquired yo-yo skills.

OLLI Knowmads’ Castle Gardens TripContinued on page 2

Page 3www.caspercollege.edu/olliPage 2 www.caspercollege.edu/olli

Our OLLI at Casper College Knowmads took their fi rst extended fi eld trip for four days this past July. We chartered a bus to Santa Fe, N.M. to take in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Falstaff ” at the world famous Santa Fe Opera.

In addition to attending the opera, OLLI Knowmads enjoyed a pre-opera buff et and a behind the scenes tour of the historic Santa Fe Opera house. � e OLLIs also attended two lectures presented by opera buff , Curt Litteral ; one lecture was about the history of the Santa Fe Opera company and the other was about the composer, Giuseppe Verdi.

Our OLLIs stayed at the beautiful Hotel Santa Fe, the only Native American owned hotel in the country. � ey enjoyed visiting galleries and museums, fi ne dining and shopping until they dropped!

If you missed out on the Santa Fe Opera Experience this past summer don’t despair, the OLLI Knowmads will revisit Santa Fe again in the summer of 2010. Meanwhile, stay tuned for information about our Summer 2009 OLLI Knowmads Experience – details of which will be revealed this December!

OLLI Membership Reaches 265!Many of our OLLI members have inquired about the status of our membership and

whether or not we will be able to meet our membership goal of 250 new or returning members by the end of 2008. As of now there are 265 OLLI members! Remember, it is not too late to join as a one-year member and take advantage of our many interesting classes for fall. If you miss out on the fall semester you can sign up for spring and summer membership. If you are a past member, please renew your membership so we can count you as a member for this academic year.

Be sure to tell your friends about OLLI and encourage them to sign up as members. If you belong to a civic or community group to whom you would like OLLI to make a presentation, please contact Vicki at 268-2097.

Happy OLLI Days Returns! Help Us Grow Our

Membership By Giving an OLLI Membership.We will launch our second

OLLI Days Membership Campaign on November 17, 2008. Once again we will be selling OLLI Spring/Summer Membership Gift Certifi cates for $30 ($45 value). If you have someone on your gift list who is 50+ and has an interest in lifelong learning, this is the perfect gift for him or her. By giving and OLLI gift membership you will promote lifelong learning and will help our program continue to grow! Please contact Karen for information about purchasing gift memberships at 268-3401.

On January 24, 2009 OLLIs will once again gather to celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Rabbie will be 250 years old and, as Scottish tradition dictates, we will honor him with readings of his poetry, toasts, fi ne food, laughter, music, and a “wee taste of haggis.” Last year’s Burns Dinner was a sold out aff air so you will want to get your name on the list for tickets early this year.

� is year’s event will once again feature Celtic music selections from Anastasia’s Fault and will highlight various traditions associated with Burns Night Dinners that are celebrated in Scotland and around the world by expatriate Scots. � e dinner will be catered by Bullwhip Catering and will feature a traditional Scottish dessert prepared by the Food Dude, Jim Logue. � e dinner will be held at the Nicolaysen Art Museum and will begin at 6 p.m.

On January 24, 2009 OLLIs will once again gather to celebrate the birthday of

OLLIs to Celebrate “Rabbie’s” 250th Birthday

Teach for OLLI

Want to make some extra money and provide a valuable service to your fellow OLLIs? Consider teaching for OLLI at Casper College. We are always looking for interesting classes to off er our members and you may have an idea or a passion that would be of interest to our members.

You do not have to have prior teaching experience to be an instructor, just a willingness to share your expertise with fellow OLLIs. � e college provides a classroom, any equipment you need, and assistance with preparing class materials and handouts.

Volunteer for OLLI

Now that OLLI is growing we need help with some of our events and open houses. If you would like to help please call Vicki at 268-2097.OLLIs Kick Off Fall Semester at

Bighorn Polo ClubOn August, 23 OLLIs were guests at the historic Big Horn Polo Club where they

learned about the game of polo and watched two polo matches. In addition to taking in the beautiful scenery of the club, which is located at the base of the Bighorn Mountains, the OLLIs took part in a traditional divot stomp at half time. For the uninitiated, divot stompers replace the chunks of grass knocked loose from the playing fi eld by mallets and polo ponies. Divot stompers must diligently avoid stomping anything that is not grass!

� e pre-match lecture was given by Roger St. Clair, president of the Flying H. Polo Club, who talked about the unique history of polo in Wyoming. During half-time the OLLIs also met and talked with a polo match referee about the game. At the end of the fi rst match, the OLLIs were treated to a wagon ride over to the site of the next game.

� e OLLIs had such a wonderful time that they have requested this become a yearly event to begin the OLLI fall session.

OLLI Knowmads’ Santa Fe Opera Experience Hits a High Note

If you belong to a civic or community group to whom you would like OLLI to make a presentation, please contact Vicki at 268-2097.

And the OLLI Membership

Contest Winners are...First place: A tie between

Al Metz and Margaret ShearerSecond place: Karen WyattThird place: Kathy OrrFourth Place: Leanne Woodfi llFifth Place: Ron & Penny Cutts

� anks to everyone who participated. OLLI is now

265 members strong!!!To claim your prize, please call

Vicki at 268-2097.

OLLI Knowmads’ Castle Gardens Trip Recently our intrepid OLLI Knowmads took part in two fi eld trips to Castle Gardens

near Moneta, Wyo. to learn about the paleolithic petroglyphs that are in abundance there. Prior to the fi eld trips the OLLIs attended two classes about the geography of the region, the climate, the migration patterns of the game animals, and how all of these factors combined to make this an important site to stone age humans. Our OLLIs enjoyed two wonderful Wyoming autumn days at the site, photographing, sketching and discussing the petroglyphs. We also discussed the modern day graffi ti at the site and ways that the site should be protected. Over all it was an enlightening and informative experience for everyone, even Laura and Vicki, who drove the vans on both days – they will be happy to share the locations of all the road kill between Casper and Moneta with you should you feel the need to ask.