We hope everyone enjoyed their first week of class! You have one more week to drop classes and still get a refund. Call or stop by our office to make any class changes. *TODAY – Friday, Jan 20 – is the last day to drop a cooking class and get a refund. Remember there is a $10 fee if you drop without adding another class.
* Don’t get caught in SNOW and ICE! In the event of inclement weather, OLLI follows the university schedule. If Furman closes, OLLI classes will also be canceled and the office will close. Call Furman’s weather line at 294-3766 or tune into local news for the latest updates.
The latest edition of Gray Matters is hot off the press! Check out our online edition to read up on all of the latest OLLI happenings. Thank you Gary Aten and all Gray Matters contributors!
We bid a sad farewell to our Department Assistant, Carson Ruffrage. Carson is leaving us to take a job across campus in Furman’s Housing Office. We wish her well in her new venture. Carson’s last day with us is January 31. Please take a minute to stop by the office and thank her for her contributions. We expect a smooth transition in staffing—stay tuned!
READ AND EXPLORE with OLLI
Thank you to everyone who has already returned their book so that more members can read One Foot in Eden. We also ordered extra copies; stop by the office to pick one up!
Finished reading One Foot in Eden and looking forward to sharing your thoughts about it with other readers? You’re cordially invited to stop in to room 004 on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 12:30 to 1:15 for an informal book chat. No reservation necessary.
Be sure to put author Ron Rash’s visit to campus on your calendar – Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 3:30 at the Younts Center. OLLI members who have heard him before say he is an outstanding speaker. Reservations are helpful; sign up in the OLLI office.
COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
HIS623 Creating the American Republic will not meet Thursday, January 26.
There is room for YOU in the following Bonus Events next Friday, January 27. Call or come by the office to sign up: 258th Birthday of Robert Burns, 1 p.m. Celebrate the life and legacy of the poet and international icon with shortbread, a sparkling toast and bagpipes! $2 event fee.
OLLI HAPPENINGS
Lunch and Learn, Tuesdays in HC110, 12:30-1:15p.m. January 24: “The Story of Greenville’s Remarkable Collection of Original European Art” led by Erin Jones, Museum and Gallery at Bob Jones University & Heritage Green.
OLLI On Stage’s winter production will be a staged reading (well-rehearsed, but NOT memorized) of several revue sketches from Silver Linings by Tony Talen. Actors and crew needed! Auditions: 12:30pm on Monday, January 23 (HC111) and Wednesday, January 25 (HC104). For information: annetteinsc@gmail.com
The Ukulele and Guitar Jam SIG will meet on the following dates on the following Mondays at 1:30-3:00 p.m., HC104: Jan. 23, Feb. 6, Feb. 20 and March 6. Contact Shelley Knee at 864-363-2014 with questions.
Do you play an instrument and want to have fun making music with others? Come to an organizational meeting for a Celtic Session SIG Thur., Jan. 26, 12:30 p.m., HC113. Questions? Call Caryl Cramer at 864.631.5032.
OLLI’s Bowling SIG League will start on Monday, Jan. 23. The league will bowl for 8 weeks and will cost $9 a week. Joining the league is a financial commitment of $72. You are responsible for paying even if you are unable to bowl a week. The organizational meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. (1/23) in the bowling alley’s meeting room with practice with games beginning as soon as the administrative side is complete. Please contact Mike Halloran by Sunday Jan. 22 if you would like to participate.
TRAVEL WITH OLLI
Register Now for OLLI @ Furman’s exclusive Road Scholar Santa Fe and Taos: Tale of Two Cities trip on June 5-11, 2017. Get an insider’s perspective on Santa Fe and Taos alongside local artists, exploring the Georgia O’Keeffe museum, enjoying traditional music and learning about native cultures. View details here. The cost of the trip is $1,484/double ($1,964 single). Sign-up with Road Scholar at 800.322.5315 and reference Program #11009. For additional information, see Heidi in the OLLI office.
Travel Europe this May with Furman History Professor, Marian Strobel! You are invited to join other OLLI @ Furman members and Furman History Professor Dr. Marian Strobel on an historic exploration of the Battlefields of Western Europe, May 16 – 26, 2016. Starting and finishing in Paris, attendees will visit iconic battlefield sites, museums, glorious cathedrals and cemeteries significant to the American involvement in WWI and Normandy. Experience the cultural best of western Europe with visits to quaint cities such as Bruges, Arras, Reims, Amiens and Caen. View all details on the trip website (trip ID: 143525; Password: OLLI_Battlefields). The cost of the trip is $4,571/double ($682 single supplement) which includes airfare, transportation to and from the Charlotte airport, accommodations and 2 meals per day. Please contact Heidi Wright with questions. Registration Deadline: Feb. 14, 2017.
What’s GOING ON at Furman University?
The SC Intercollegiate Honor Band, under the direction of guest clinician, Dr. Rodney Dorsey, will present a free concert at 2 p.m. Sat., Jan. 21 in McAlister Auditorium. Dr. Dorsey is Director of Bands at the University of Oregon School of Music. He has a host of credentials that establish him as one of the most prominent wind band conductors in America. The Honor Band includes students from 17 colleges and universities in SC.
As part of the 2017 Church Music Conference hosted by the Furman University Music Department, OLLI members are invited to the “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise: A Hymn Festival for the Season of Epiphany” on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. which will be held in the sanctuary of Greenville’s historic First Baptist Church. Call the Music Department at 294.2086 with questions.
The Tocqueville Program at Furman University will host Jean Yarborough as she addresses “Tocqueville and the American Republic” on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m., Johns Hall 101. Free. The Tocqueville Program at Furman University exists to encourage serious and open engagement with the moral questions at the heart of political life. Learn more.
The Furman University Pauper Players will present the vibrant musical “Hairspray” Feb. 2, 3, and 4 at 7:30 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and available online, at the Timmons Arena Box office during normal business hours, and at the door 1 hour prior to the performance.
What’s GOING ON in and around Greenville?
Herring Chamber Ensemble 20th Annual Winter Concert, February 26. Program features “Bluegrass Mass” with bluegrass band, contemporary choral selections, and vocal jazz settings of Gershwin-Berlin-Kearn and others. We enjoyed the Christmas program the Herring Ensemble gave us, now we can enjoy more. Concert in Daniel Chapel at Furman, 2:30 p.m., Sunday, February 26. Discounted tickets for OLLI members ($30 ticket for only $24) are available in the OLLI office. Limited seating.
Music on Sunday at the Temple of Israel, Jan. 22, 3 p.m.: Barynya Balalaika Duo will perform Ukrainian, Gypsy, Jewish, and Russian music with a complimentary wine and cheese reception to follow. Visit their website for more info.