 Message from the President
Another Good Year at LLI
Dear <<First Name>>,
LLI had its Annual Meeting on May 12th. It was good to see so many members turn out on a nice Friday morning for tasty food, music, and a few words about a positive outlook for our organization. Our Hospitality Team Chair Irene Esposito did another outstanding job arranging an appealing brunch. She even checked in from Italy during the week to confirm plans. Brava! We are incredibly grateful to LLI’s special friend, Joan Tower, Asher B. Edelman Professor of Music at Bard College, who arranged for four current and former students to play jazz tunes from the 40s and 50s. Thanks, Joan. Thanks also to LLI member Dorothy Baran for facilitating this special musical event.
LLI’s 2022-23 program year draws to a close this month with SummerFest. This year we are again welcoming non-members to experience our courses. Our spring semester was successful, with a blend of new and seasoned presenters and a wide variety of courses and special events. We recently added pickleball (Go, Ace!) to the menu of special events, which also includes bocce and a walking group. This fall, we will continue to offer new and exciting courses and opportunities for our members to learn together and share experiences.
At the end of each semester, we depend on our members to complete evaluations for courses they have taken. Your critiques are helpful for our planning, and you will be able to read some of them in the July newsletter. Another big part of our self-assessment process comes directly from the latest annual member survey responses. First VP Mary McClellan and her team put together a more comprehensive survey this year, and they will compile and interpret the results for publication also for the July newsletter.
Like any other organization, from time to time, we receive a complaint that is unrelated to a course, and I am pleased with our record of dealing with problems, small and large, quickly, and respectfully. Just a reminder, please direct a complaint to me or another member of Council to ensure it is seen and addressed on a timely basis.
Have you renewed your LLI membership for 2023-24? Do so by June 21!
Best,
Robert Beaury
president@lli.bard.edu
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A Brief, Jazzy Annual Meeting
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by Deborah Lanser
President Robert Beaury certainly knows how to throw an annual meeting. The approximately 70 members who attended the May 12 event enjoyed a delightful breakfast and some live jazz, and applauded Robert’s optimistic view of the future of Bard LLI.
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by Robert Inglish
LLI members have two social events to look forward to in July. First, on Thursday, July 13, from noon to 2 pm, the Hessel Museum will host us for a tour and reception of a new exhibition titled Indian Theater. This exhibition will explore Native American art through the framework of performance, abstraction, and material experimentation that emerged from the Institute of the American Indian Arts theater department in the late 1960s. Members can also visit a solo exhibition spotlighting the originality, intelligence, and material pleasure of Brazilian artist Erika Verzutti through a survey of sculpture and wall works in her exhibit: New Moons.
This is a members-only event with a limit of 40 persons. A Mailchimp invitation will be sent in late June.
Then it will be time to enjoy ourselves outdoors. The Social Gatherings Team has reserved Robert Post Park in the town of Ulster for a picnic Wednesday, July 19 from 5 pm to 7 pm. Save the date. Susan Simon will DJ with some danceable tunes–who knows, vintage disco?. Hospitality Chair Irene Esposito is organizing the food and drink. Program Support Chair Carmela Gersbeck just might be seen on the bocce courts with Al Gersbeck and some LLI friends.
The park is just across the Rhinecliff Bridge overlooking the Hudson River at 515 Park Road, Kingston. We have reserved the large pavilion, so rain or shine, we will party. There is plenty of room so “plus ones” are welcome to join us.
A Mailchimp reminder will be sent out in late June.
Please come. Your participation matters.
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A Win, Win, Win With Joan Tower
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by Susan Phillips
Each spring for the last seven years, beloved Asher B. Edelman Professor of Music at Bard College Joan Tower has offered her course Music! Music! Music! to LLI members. And this year, the course was once again a huge hit for all involved, in, as usual, somewhat different ways. Joan’s close ties to Bard music students and her longtime connection to Bard LLI brought us together on seven Fridays in Bard Hall—Joan’s preferred performance venue because of its resonance—to enjoy a wide variety of beautifully played music. Joan keeps offering this class because she finds it “a structure that works for everybody,” meaning the students, the audience, and herself.
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by Gretchen Lytle
Blithewood Garden is a handsome, classical Italianate formal garden that overlooks the Hudson River with the Catskill Mountains as a backdrop. At the beginning of the 20th century, Francis L. V. Hoppin designed both the current mansion and its formal garden set in the hillside, over 100 feet above the river. The symmetrical, geometric beds protected by brick walls are laid out around the central rectangular pool. The gazebo and pergolas draw one’s eye toward the river and the mountains beyond to the west. While it is an intimate, protected space, one does not feel trapped. Steps up the hillside to the east, terraces with views west, and arches to the north and south invite visitors to explore beyond.
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by Deborah Lanser
On the northern edge of Bard’s campus lies a 1.24-acre farm that harvests more than 20,0000 pounds of organic produce for the Bard community every year. And some of that produce is sold to local consumers at their farm stand on Thursdays throughout the summer and early fall. The stand is well worth a visit for anyone who relishes fresh local foods.
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by Carmela Gersbeck
The Bard LLI Walking Group meets every Thursday at 10:30 am, weather permitting. The meeting locations are also posted on the website at lli.bard.edu. The walks are open to all LLI members. We will meet in the parking lots at the following locations:
June 1: Saugerties Lighthouse, 168 Lighthouse Dr., Saugerties
June 8: Montgomery Place, 26 Gardener Way, River Rd, Red Hook NY 12571
June15: Poets Walk, 776 River Rd, Red Hook, NY 12571
June 22: Bard to Tivoli Bays (Meet in the second parking lot next to the Fisher Center on Manor Road
June 29: Walkway Over The Hudson, 61 Parker Ave, Poughkeepsie 12601
July 6: Mills Mansion, 75 Mills Mansion Drive, Staatsburg, NY 12580
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Important Dates for LLI Members
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May 26 - June 10: SummerFest Registration takes place.
June 1 - June 21: Current LLI members renew and pay for their membership, and new member applications are accepted.
June 1 - June 23: SummerFest 2023 takes place over four Thursdays (June 1, 8, 15, and 22) and four Fridays (June 2, 9, 16, and 23). Some off-campus classes occur on other days.
Tuesday, June 13: Curriculum Committee meeting at 10:00 am on Zoom. Anyone interested in joining a meeting should email Anne Brueckner at abrueckner@lli.bard.edu.
Wednesday, June 14: Membership Development Committee meeting at 9:00 am on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Membership Development meeting should email Robert Inglish at ringlish@lli.bard.edu.
Tuesday, June 20: Council meeting at 9:30 am on Zoom. (Juneteenth is celebrated at Bard so Council will meet on Tuesday.) Any member interested in observing a Council meeting should email Mary McClellan at mmcclellan@lli.bard.edu.
Friday, June 30: End of the academic and fiscal year.
July 1: New Council starts for 2023-2024 fiscal year.
July 1: New applicants are notified of admittance.
July 1- 10: New members’ payments are accepted.
Tuesday, July 11: Curriculum Committee meeting at 10:00 am on Zoom. Anyone interested in joining a meeting should email Anne Brueckner at abrueckner@lli.bard.edu.
Wednesday, July 12: Membership Development Committee meeting at 9:00 am on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Membership Development meeting should email Robert Inglish at ringlish@lli.bard.edu.
Thursday, July 13: Members-only tour of the Indian Theater exhibition at the Hessel Museum. For more information about the tour, see the Summer Fun! Article in this newsletter. A Mailchimp invitation will be sent out at the end of June.
Monday, July 17: Council meeting at 9:30 am on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Council meeting should email Mary McClellan at mmcclellan@lli.bard.edu.
Friday, July 19: LLI will host a membership party at Robert Post Memorial Park, Kingston. All members are invited to attend, along with spouses and significant others.
July 30: New member welcome letter is sent.
July 30: Mentor matches are assigned.
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This newsletter is a publication of Bard LLI Council. Communications Team Chair: Cathy Reinis. Writers and editors: Susan Christoffersen, Kathryn Clark, Felice Gelman, Carmela Gersbeck, Deborah Lanser, Jill Lundquist, Gretchen Lytle, Kathy OConnor, Susan Phillips, Margaret Shuhala. Photographers: Gary Miller, Chair, Carol DeBartolis, Carmela Gersbeck, Gretchen Lytle, Kathy OConnor
The opinions and views expressed in the LLI Newsletter are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of LLI or its members. In addition, any link to a website or content belonging to or originating from third parties are not investigated, monitored or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability or completeness by LLI, nor does LLI accept any responsibility for such content.
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