News & Views Volume 16 – Number 5 L L I INSTITUTE NETWORK ifetime earning nstitute The Elderhostel Member of Established 1996 May 2012 May LLI Forum Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at 10 a.m. (Social Time at 9:30 a.m.) Vision Health — Now and in the Future Learn about the latest clinical trials and research for treating and, someday, preventing eye diseases Dr. Matthew McMahon, Senior Advisor for Translational Research at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, has worked on some very innovative projects to combat blindness. Before coming to NIH, Dr. McMahon was a senior scientist at Second Sight, which was developing retinal prosthesis for the blind. Now at NIH, Dr. McMahon brings together scientists, biomedical engineers, eye doctors, and drug researchers to combine their knowledge on vision projects. Opportunities are emerging to advance small molecules, gene and cell therapies, medical devices, and novel therapeutics. The Director of the National Eye Institute, Dr. Paul Sieving, has said that relational research “has led to new and novel treatment insights.” Take advantage of free NIH publications about vision health and participate in the question and answer portion of the presentation. Please Note: Parking is in parking garage ($1/hour). Parking in B and C lots is by permit only. If no garage parking slots are available, a $6 daily permit for the B lot is available at the office to the right just inside the entry gate. Lunch Bunch John Bogart [email protected]Reservations for lunch after the May 2 Forum have been made at the Silverado Restaurant, 7052 Columbia Pike, Annandale. Phone is (703) 354-4560. This restaurant welcomes our group and has a good reputation for food and service. Directions from NOVA: Take Rte. 236 to Annandale. At the Hess gas station, turn left onto John Marr Drive and proceed to Columbia Pike. Turn right onto Columbia Pike then an immediate left into the shopping center. The Silverado is located at first entrance to shopping center. Wanted: Holiday Party Volunteers LLI NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO SUPERVISE PLANS for the Holiday party scheduled for December. Much of the promotion has already been completed. Colletta Hammond and other past coordinators are available to assist in this endeavor. Contact Merry Macke, 703-451-3248 or [email protected], if you are interested.
Transcript
News & ViewsVolume 16 – Number 5
LLI
INSTITUTE NETWORK
ifetime
earningnstitute
The Elderhostel
Member of
Established 1996
May 2012
May LLI Forum
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at 10 a.m.
(Social Time at 9:30 a.m.)
Vision Health — Now and in the FutureLearn about the latest clinical trials and research fortreating and, someday, preventing eye diseases
Dr. Matthew McMahon, Senior Advisor forTranslational Research at the National Eye Institute,National Institutes of Health, has worked on somevery innovative projects to combat blindness. Beforecoming to NIH, Dr. McMahon was a senior scientistat Second Sight, which was developing retinalprosthesis for the blind. Now at NIH, Dr. McMahonbrings together scientists, biomedical engineers, eyedoctors, and drug researchers to combine theirknowledge on vision projects. Opportunities areemerging to advance small molecules, gene and celltherapies, medical devices, and novel therapeutics.The Director of the National Eye Institute, Dr. PaulSieving, has said that relational research “has led tonew and novel treatment insights.”
Take advantage of free NIH publications aboutvision health and participate in the question andanswer portion of the presentation.
Please Note: Parking is in parking garage ($1/hour).Parking in B and C lots is by permit only. If no garageparking slots are available, a $6 daily permit for the B lot isavailable at the office to the right just inside the entry gate.
Reservations for lunch after the May 2 Forumhave been made at the Silverado Restaurant,7052 Columbia Pike, Annandale. Phone is (703)354-4560. This restaurant welcomes our groupand has a good reputation for food and service.
Directions from NOVA: Take Rte. 236 toAnnandale. At the Hess gas station, turn leftonto John Marr Drive and proceed to ColumbiaPike. Turn right onto Columbia Pike then animmediate left into the shopping center. TheSilverado is located at first entrance toshopping center.
Wanted: HolidayParty Volunteers
LLI NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO SUPERVISE PLANS forthe Holiday party scheduled for December. Much ofthe promotion has already been completed. CollettaHammond and other past coordinators are availableto assist in this endeavor. Contact Merry Macke,703-451-3248 or [email protected], if you areinterested.
To be assured of receiving important noticesconcerning classes and trips, please remember tonotify the LLI office as soon as possible of a newe-mail address as well as a change in mailingaddress and/or telephone number. Notify the officeby phone at (703) 503-0600, or e-mail [email protected]. Humor Corner
I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had twobypass surgeries, a hip replacement,new knees, fought prostate cancer anddiabetes. I’m half blind, can’t hearanything quieter than a jet engine, take40 different medications that make medizzy, winded, and subject toblackouts. Have bouts with dementia.Have poor circulation. Hardly feel myhands and feet anymore. Can’tremember if I’m 89 or 98. And I’ve lostall my friends.
But, thank God, I still have my driver’slicense!
— Page 3 —
President’s Message
You will note elsewhere in this newsletter thatwe have identified the candidates for boardmembership and officers for the upcomingyear. This search has been conducted with
due diligence and we are grateful for theseoutstanding candidates and for their willingness toserve.
Although I appreciate the confidence placed in me tobe selected for three terms, the fact that we haddifficulty finding a replacement candidate was asignificant factor. The board set about this yeardoing everything possible to find a suitablecandidate for president and, fortunately, EdMcKnight has agreed to run for this position.Furthermore, we will have a vice-president who hasagreed to be considered as a follow-on candidate forpresident. Thus we again are in good hands withChuck Hulick. The secretary and treasurer havedone excellent jobs and we are pleased they arewilling to serve another term. We look forward toparticipating to their inauguration in June.
Before the last forum we had a new memberreception. By all accounts it was an outstandingsuccess and we are pleased with the participation bythe members. We look forward to their continuedparticipation in the activities of LLI.
I will be away on a trip to Israel next forum and EdMcKnight will assume my role. I look forward toreturning for our annual meeting in June.
In May, our food collection will benefit theAnnandale Neighborhood Food Sitelocated at the Immanuel UnitedMethodist Church, Annandale.This will be the second year wehave helped this program whichhas been in existence for onlythree years. Two churches inthe Annandale area havejoined together to provide asupplemental feeding program for families intheir neighborhood. Each Thursday evening,between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m., families orindividuals can come to the church forperishable and non-perishable donated foodwhich come from the community as well as theinvolved churches. The families are workingpoor and/or immigrants who are veryappreciative and very much in need of theseitems. This is a site that accepts folks on awalk-in basis, no referrals required. With theongoing economic downturn, the number offamilies served each week continues to rangefrom 45-75.
Currently, the greatest needs are personal careitems such as shampoo, toothpaste andbrushes, deodorant, diapers, and householdsupplies such as toilet paper, soap, ordishwashing liquid. And, as always,non-perishable food items are needed. CarolWeber will deliver the food this month.
Thank you as always for continuing to supportour monthly food collection program. InFebruary, 95 pounds of food were delivered byMarianne Moerman to the Arlington FoodAssistance Center.Volunteer Opportunities
LLI still needs volunteers to supervise plans for theLLI Picnic scheduled for June 19. Please contactBonnie Hopler at (703) 978-9381 or pbhopler @cox.netif you are interested. And, as mentioned elsewhere,there is a critical need for Holiday Party volunteers.
Forum Greeter Coordinator: Colletta Hammond,703-866-6159, [email protected]
Speaker Forum Committee: Joseph Pincus,703-569-0973, [email protected]
ReminderOur monthly newsletter is generally availableon the LLI website earlier than you will receiveit through the mail. In light of recent extendeddelivery delays by the Postal Service, you maywant to keep http://lli.nova.org in mind. Anypictures and/or graphics will also be in coloron the website.
Location: Smithsonian American Art MuseumReynolds Center (Date & time are not confirmed)Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage — charts a newdirection for one of America’s best-known livingphotographers. Unlike her staged and carefully litportraits, the photographs in this exhibition weretaken simply because Ms. Leibovitz was personallymoved by the subject. The exhibition covers herphotographs of the homes of Thomas Jefferson,Emily Dickinson, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pete Seeger,Elvis Presley; and places such as Niagara Falls,Walden Pond, Old Faithful and Yosemite Valley. Shelet her instincts and institutions guide her to relatedsubjects — hence the title Pilgrimage. For furtherinformation, contact Donna Trogler.
May Play Dates: Friday, May 25, andWednesday, May 30 (note the radical change inMay dates due to travel conflict).
June Play Dates: Wednesday, June 20, andThursday, June 28 (again note shift in June datesdue to travel conflicts).Bring a bag lunch. You do not need a partnerbecause we rotate partners so you will play witheveryone. We are always looking for new players,and all levels of players are welcome in this veryfriendly game. Please call or email me if you wouldlike to attend (or for more information) so that wecan provide sufficient card tables.
Recent Results — The top six players (four tablesplaying) at the game on March 15 were: NateRosenbaum, Mindy Rojhan, RaymondBurmester, Lynda Brittain, Doug Johnson, andDonna Trogler. The top four players at the game onApril 5 were: Raymond Burmester, NancySherman, Carole Compton, and VictoriaBlackman. Congratulations to all.
All who have signed up for theCommunity Theater Group should
have a listing of theater offerings for the currentseason. Members have an opportunity to select andhost a theater date and possible after-theatersocializing at a nearby restaurant. If you areinterested in joining the group, send your name andemail address to Norma Hughes [email protected].
Location: Small Conference Room, Mason DistrictGovernmental CenterThe Current Events Group meets monthly forcontinued interesting and educational discussions.Topics reflect the current social, political and worldlyevents surrounding the time of the meeting. Pleasejoin us to share your ideas and/or learn more aboutcurrent events — whatever is your pleasure. Formore information, please contact Marian Jacknow.
Date/Time: Thursday, May 17,11:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.
Location: Braddock District Governmental Center(King’s Park Library building)In our May meeting we’ll discuss Girl in Translationby Jean Kwok. Kimberly Chang and her motheremigrate from Hong Kong to horrendous squalor inBrooklyn. This young girl lives a double life as abrilliant student daytimes and, in the evenings, aworker in illegal sweatshops in Chinatown. Theauthor details the anguish of the struggle to succeedin America, to provide for her mother, and to meether own personal desires, while her language andnew world are only half understood. She eventuallymust choose between two worlds and two futures.This is a novel of the tensions and culture shock ofAmerican immigrants and is also a coming of agestory, making it appealing to teens as well as adult.
Date/Time: There will beno meeting in May.Location: Braddock District Governmental Center(King’s Park Library building)All are welcome as this is a wide-ranging topic, noholds barred, discussion group. Bring your questions(and maybe some answers). See you then andthere. For more information, contact Doug Johnson.
Location: Small ConferenceRoom, Mason District GovernmentalCenter
Under the guidance of our teacher, Al Brothers, wewill review Leçon 7 in the French in Action program.Members wishing to join should contact SallyReynolds.
Location: Small Conference Room, Mason DistrictGovernmental CenterThis group meets monthly to enjoy and share alltypes of needlecrafts. Please bring a small project ofany type to work on. New members are alwayswelcome. For more information, contact BevPortman.
Location: Braddock District Governmental Center,(King’s Park Library building)Since many of the members of the PhotographyGroup will be on the LLI trip to Spain and Portugal,the Group decided to cancel the May meeting.Members have a wide range of photographic abilitiesand interests and share a common desire to honeexisting skills or learn new ones. Meetings center ona specific topic, area of interest or theme decided bythe group. New members are always welcome.Meetings are held on the third Friday of every monthfrom 10 a.m. — 12 p.m. We meet in the BraddockHall Meeting Room, Braddock District Supervisor’sOffice. The room can also be accessed from insidethe Library. For further information, contact BuckMyers.
May 4: (Note time change: 11:30 – 12:30) AccotinkPark. Meet at the carousel and park in the lot belowthe pavilion (Highland entrance) or the parking lot offof Heming Ave.
May 18: To get to Burke Lake, if coming east orwest on Braddock, take Burke Lake Rd. to Rt. 123.Turn left and look for park entrance. Take a right andlet’s meet where boats are launched, by the parkinglot closest to the water. See map on Park’s website.If directions are unclear, contact me for clarification.
June 1: Hunter Mill Rd. CCT. Take Rte.123 inVienna, and go north (left turn) on Hunter Mill Rd.Continue until the intersection with Hunter StationRd. Park there. We will proceed South on the W&ODTrail and go through Tamarack Park.
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Deadline for theJune newsletter
is Friday,May 11, 2012.
— Page 6 —
MembershipRenewal Reminder
The mailing label on each newsletter includes yourmembership renewal date. You must renewand be a member in good standing in orderto register for courses and to participate inLLI’s many other activities. Completethe membership form (last page inthe current course catalog), check“renewal,” indicate any newinformation, and mail it to the LLIoffice with a check in the amount of$110 for each person wishing tocontinue membership with LLI.Please print clearly to help ensure that yourinformation is entered correctly. It is important toinclude the form with your check, for ease increditing your membership renewal in ourdatabase.
LLI 2012 Scholarship UpdateThe Scholarship committee met with muchexcitement on Friday March 30 to review the 2012applicants. We had received the applications at ourhomes by mail and had carefully studied them all,and now we met to discuss each in detail and todecide whom to interview. The students whoapplied were quite varied: male and female; olderand very young; and domestic as well asinternational from Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, andLebanon. They applied for both the Knox SingletonLeadership scholarship and the (need-based)Academic scholarship.
On Monday, April 9, the top candidates wereinterviewed. Winners will be introduced at the JuneForum, at which time LLI members have anopportunity to meet these wonderful students. Thecommittee thanks the membership very much fortheir generous support of the scholarship program.
The Honor Circle
In recent years, DorisBalinsky has made a veryvisible contribution to LLIthrough her outstanding
leadership of the ScholarshipCommittee. She beganchairing the committeearound 2004, graduallyincreasing its size to thepresent nine members as thenumber of scholarshipsawarded increased from oneat the beginning of theprogram to the current 6-9annual awards. Over the years, she has worked withNOVA’s Dean of Liberal Arts, Bruce Mann, toensure that the availability of the LLI scholarships isbroadly advertised on campus. Additionally, shehas solicited for donations to the scholarship fundand made it her mission to help the students.However, because she has recently moved toBethesda, Maryland, she is giving up thisassignment after serving as a hardworking,outstanding chair for 9 years. Doris will be a hardact to follow.
Some current LLI members may not know of Doris’scontributions in the early years of LLI as chair of theCurriculum Committee. She took on nearly everytask the committee does — establishing thecurriculum; ensuring minimal overlap of courses;typing and editing the catalog; and collaboratingwith our desktop publisher to prepare the catalogfor printing. No wonder she could only do this for acouple of years! She enjoyed the process because shebelieves that the classes are the heart of theorganization, and she has continued to serve on theCurriculum committee for many years whilecarrying out her duties as Scholarship chair.
Doris also taught classes, led wildflower walks, andgave travelogues of her trips abroad. Now, becauseof her move to Bethesda, she completes her dutieswith the pleasant task of awarding scholarships todeserving students at the June Forum. LLI applaudsher accomplishments, greatly appreciates her manysignificant contributions to the growth anddevelopment of the organization, and gives heartfeltthanks for her willingness to volunteer her time andtalents in so many ways over so many years.
Hopefully, traffic-willing, Doris will return oftenbecause her competency and enthusiasm will besorely missed.
Doris Balinsky
Cancellations Due toInclement Weather
If the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) cancel school forthe day due to inclement weather or other emergency, all LLIclasses, Forums, and other activities, except trips, are cancelledregardless of class location. LLI morning classes are cancelled ifthe FCPS announces a 2-hour delay in class openings; LLIafternoon classes are cancelled if the FCPS announces earlydismissal. Trips are cancelled at the discretion of the trip leader.
— Page 7 —
Lifetime Learning Instituteof
Northern Virginia
Budget for Fiscal Year 2013(July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013)
of the War of 1812Spaces are stillavailable for the LLIday trip to Baltimoreon Friday, June 15. TheMaryland HistoricalSociety is assembling aspecial exhibit on theWar of 1812 where wewill start our day with
a docent led tour with time available to view themany other interesting exhibits at the Society. Afterlunch on your own at the Inner Harbor, you canstroll along the waterway and view some of the 40tall ships that will be anchored in and near the InnerHarbor. We will then board the Spirit cruise for aone hour tour of the harbor, passing by the tallships, Ft. McHenry, and other sites of interest. Theregistration form was in the April LLI newsletterwhich you can also access on line at http://llinova.org.
One of the benefits of LLImembership is makingfriends. We like to showsupport for fellow membersby sending a card to anyonewho is ill or has suffered aloss. If you would like a cardsent to an LLI member or
spouse on behalf of the LLI membership, pleasecontact Pat Harrison. Be sure to include sufficientinformation so an appropriate card can be selected.
LLI’s Annual PicnicTuesday, June 19
Fort Hunt Park, Pavilion A
Directions and MoreFrom the Beltway: Driving the Beltway outer loopto Alexandria — take Exit 177A-B, Alexandria/FortBelvoir (the exit immediately after Telegraph Road).Stay to your left on the exit ramp toward OldTown/Alexandria. At the traffic signal, go rightonto Franklin Street. Follow Franklin Street to thenext traffic signal at South Washington Street. Goright (south) onto South Washington Street, whichbecomes the George Washington Parkway, andfollow the Parkway south for 5 miles; exit to theright at the sign marked “FORT HUNT ROAD/FORT HUNT PARK.”
From Ft. Belvoir: Go North on Route 1 (RichmondHighway) and turn right onto Mt. Vernon MemorialHighway (across from the entrance to WoodlawnPlantation). When you get to Mt. Vernon, go aroundthe circle onto the George Washington ParkwayNorth. Approximately 3 miles from the circle followthe right exit to Ft. Hunt. At the second stop signturn left toward the Park.
Parking: Look for Area A (Pavilion) parking lot(the first one you will see). There’s parking for 150cars and easy ground level pedestrian access fromthe parking lot to the Pavilion. There is handicappedparking up close to the Pavilion.
General Information: Because we have the use ofthe large roof-covered Pavilion, the picnic will beheld rain or shine. If the weather forecast is for hotand humid conditions, consider bringing insectrepellent, but we have found in past years that thereis generally a good breeze which helps keep thetemperature down, especially in the pavilion. Wewill be eating at park picnic tables with bench seats.
Wanted:CROQUET SET
The picnic committee needs a croquet set for thisyear's picnic. If you can loan one, please contactBonnie Hopler @ 703-978-9381.
— Page 9 —
LLI June Elections
LLI holds elections annually during theJune Forum to replace those boardmembers whose 3-year termsexpire and who do not wish to
continue their service. The election also replaces thefour officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, andTreasurer) whose 1-year terms expire.
To this end, the LLI’s President appoints a NominatingCommittee chair to form a committee consisting of twoboard members and two non-board members. Thecommittee chair works with the four committeemembers to develop a slate of candidates. This year’scandidates are:
Officer PositionsPresident: Ed McKnightVice President: Chuck HulickSecretary: Arlene GribbenTreasurer: Phil Runge
Short biographies of these individuals are providedbelow:
President — Ed McKnight
Ed currently serves as Vice President on the Board ofDirectors and chairs the Budget and FinanceCommittee. He is also a member of the Curriculumand Scholarship Committees and previously served asBoard representative for the Special Interest Groupsand as a class coordinator for many classes. Edreceived a BS degree from The Citadel and MA andEdS degrees from Appalachian State University. Afterretiring from the Army, he worked on a constructionproject in Egypt and a humanitarian project in Haiti,before settling down to work with various defensecontractors in the Washington area. He enjoysexercising, gardening, reading, travel, and LLI.
Vice-President — Chuck Hulick
A member of LLI since 2009, Chuck currently chairsthe Nominating Committee, co-facilitates the CurrentEvents Special Interest Group, and is working on anupdate to the LLI Strategic Plan. He has also served aschair of the annual LLI Audit team. After a career infederal government acquisitions with the GeneralServices Administration, he worked until January 2009as a senior research consultant for the NationalAcademy of Public Administration. Chuck is alongtime member of the Pennsylvania RailroadHistorical Society and a sailboat enthusiast.
Treasurer — Phil Runge
Phil has been a member of the Board of Directors forthe past 7 years, serving as LLI Treasurer the entire
time. After retiring, he has also taught severalcomputer technology courses for LLI.
Secretary — Arlene Gribben
Arlene joined LLI in 2001 and currently serves as LLIBoard secretary and co-chair of the Forum Hospitalityfunction. She was Book Club Coordinator for six yearsand served on several social committees, whichincluded chairing the 2009 Holiday Luncheon.
Arlene graduated from Penn Commercial BusinessSchool in Washington, PA. After working 5½ years fora wholesale distributor in PA, she moved to NorthernVirginia and began her 31-year career as a civilian withthe US Air Force. When she retired in 2000, she wasChief of the Programs Division for the AF District ofWashington.
One of Arlene’s favorite pastimes is volunteering(through the Fairfax County Public Library) to readstories to 3- to 5-year-olds, primarily in Head Startclassrooms.
New Board Members, 2012: Ray Bednarsky andPhilippa “Phil” Centini
Ray Bednarsky:
Ray joined LLI in 2010 and has been an activeparticipant in the organization’s activities.
A graduate of the University of Hawaii with a degreein Business Administration, he also has a Master’sdegree in Business Administration from MarymountUniversity. After serving as a Marine Corps aviator inaerospace and electronics for 26 years, and in theDepartment of Defense, where he worked for theChairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Chief of NavalOperations, he completed his military career as anassistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
During his second career, he worked for a variety ofcompanies and held positions including VP —Business Development and Line Management inInformation Technology and Healthcare Informatics.
Philippa “Phil” Centini:
Phil has been an LLI member since 2009 andparticipated both in class offerings and attendedForums.
She began her professional career as an elementaryschool teacher but then focused her energies onstudents with speech/language difficulties andpursued a second Master’s degree and boardcertification in speech/language pathology. She retiredin 2003 after 14 years with the Fairfax County PublicSchools.
Phil enjoys reading, plays, concerts, and museums inand around the Metro area as well as travel withregular workouts at the Wakefield gym.
— Page 11 —
From the LLI Scrapbook
Donald Ritchie, Historian of the USSenate entertained and enlightened LLImembers.
From theApril Forum
LLI
Capitol
Hill
Day
Trip
— Page 12 —
Lifetime Learning Institute of Northern Virginiac/o NOVA Continuing Education8333 Little River TurnpikeAnnandale, Virginia 22003Phone (703) 503-0600 / FAX (703) 503-5350E-Mail: [email protected]: http://lli.nova.orgLL
Iifetime
earning
nstituteEstablished 1996
Time Sensitive MaterialPlease Deliver by
April 25, 2012
Look at the date on this label.Is it time to send your dues?
