Chelsea Adult Learners Institute announces Fall Classes
submitted by Joan Gaughan, Adult Learning Institute
The long-range weather forecast is for a warmer than usual Fall and a colder than usual Winter. Or the other way around. This is Michigan, after all. What Chelsea’s Adult Learners will offer, however, is more predictable. There will be travel to exotic places, including our own Great Lakes, exciting science, art, music, a look at our incarceration system, some law (necessary in a primary election season), and an ambulance ride for anyone who might need it.
To calm whatever frayed nerves the end of summer brings, ALI ushers in its Fall term on September 9 with a class that echoes the mellowing of nature itself. Catherine Ellis, Alma Muxlow and Bob Elkins will demonstrate the use of live acoustic music to produce relaxation and also suggest gentle breathing and relaxation techniques to Reduce Stress and Restore a sense of calm. As the date indicates, this is before the UM-MSU football game and then there may be a different kind of music.
And did you know there is town in Brazil where Welsh is spoken? These and other surprises await us as Rhoda Perkins-Boyer takes us on a photographic tour of Argentina on September 15 where we can be amazed by the orcas, seals and penguins that inhabit the Atlantic coastline as well as enjoying the colorful capital, Buenos Aires.
What could be a better climax to the trip to South America than to join a party in Argentina the following week on September 21, given by your hostess, Rosangela Lawrence, a native of Brazil. And this is not just any party. It’s Carnival complete with costumes, music and a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro.
John Deikis really likes his motorcycle. His tenacious travel bug has taken him around the southern tip of South America, Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and all over Scandinavia where, he notes, a gallon of gas and a pint of beer both cost $12. His trip along Europe’s North Cape through Lapland and the fjords, islands and mountain passes of Norway left him cold, wet and smitten enough to want to share his adventure in his class on October 21.
Ah, Scotland. Home of the poet, Robert Burns, the Loch Ness Monster, Highland Flings and, perhaps forgivably, haggis. It is also the home of the clans, McIntosh and McCauley, from which descended Bill O’Reilly, the Clan Commissioner of the state of Michigan for the Clan Macaulay. Mr. O’Reilly’s interest in genealogy and in the history of Chelsea (he is the president of the Chelsea Historical Society) has already been shared with several ALI classes. His post as Executive Director of the Chelsea Senior Center has not prevented him from recently making his seventh trip to the land of kilts and golf courses. He will also be among the forty-four local travelers to Scotland in October and will share those experiences with this ALI class on November 4.
This is a free class but you must register by calling the Chelsea Senior Center at 734-475-9242.
Before the decisions of this latest session of the Supreme Court placed that body at the center of many conversations, Peter Van Hoek had actually stood before the Justices in 2011 to argue the case of Michigan v. Bryant which you can Google. His two classes on September 19 and 26 will focus on three general areas (1) the organization of the Court and role it plays in the Federal judicial system; (2) how cases get to Court review from both Federal and State courts and (3) from his own experience, he will tell what it is like to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court. These might be helpful in case you decide to argue your traffic ticket in Ann Arbor.
Have you ever wondered exactly why a particular movie was so good? Or bad? Evan Elkins has been a film and media teacher for over a decade and in this class, Movies, Media and Culture, he will explore the editing, lighting, cinematography, sound, and other techniques that go into making a film. By the end of his class on September 22, you will be able to tell others not just THAT you liked the film but exactly WHY you liked it. Or hated it.
This is a free class at the Chelsea District Library but you must register by calling 734-475-8732.
John Hauger’s exploration of the twentieth century through its music continues with his September 23 class on the Music of the 1950s. The post-World War II decade was marked by the presidency of the War’s hero, Dwight Eisenhower, while our politics was also marred by Joe McCarthy’s frenzied war on Communism and the “police action” that was the Korean War. This was also the decade, however, that saw the sedate rhythms and gentle lyrics of the war years get jolted aside by artists like Bill Haley and the Comets, and the music that drove our parents into frenzied worries about our morals … rock n’ roll and — even more alarming — Elvis Presley.
Little boys are not the only ones fascinated by dinosaurs. So is David Mastie whose 4-hour class, Dinosaurs for Adults on September 29 at his home, will focus on the social and sexual behaviors of these creatures. You will see the footprint of one of these giants and learn that new facts are still being discovered about them. Did you know, for instance, that the descendants of ancient dinosaurs are still with us? You will also discover activities that you can share with your grandchildren or each other and be treated to a lovely luncheon as well.
Edwin Hoffman’s class in May, The Triumph and Failure of Reason, suggested that the intersection of art and politics made for a very “bumpy ride” during the tumultuous decades of the mid to late eighteenth century which brought about the birth of Romanticism. At least one student was “impressed by the variety and depth of the discussion” and called Mr. Hoffman “a great teacher!” This term, Mr. Hoffman will focus on the Later Romantics in his 3-part class on October 5, 12 and 19. The full title of this class suggests some of the tumult as it appeared in painting and sculpture: Embracing the Aberrant.
Mark Twain is arguably one of America’s favorite storytellers and Chelsea is home to one of his more delightful interpreters. Join ALI’s own Board president emeritus, Steve Daut, on October 18 and 15 as he adapts some of Twain’s beloved stores while reflecting on how events in Twain’s life influenced the stories he wrote. You may be surprised to learn why, for instance, the fame that his beloved story, “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” brought him left Twain a bit disappointed.
This series of classes in Exploring Musical Theater was personally chosen for ALI by Angelo Angelocci and is being carried on by his chosen successors, Hank Muir and Chris Lenehan. For four Tuesdays in November (Election Day is not included) we will see a filmed version of a musical from Broadway, Hollywood, the world of opera or Gilbert and Sullivan. Before and after the showing, Hank and Chris will examine the inspiration behind the film, the performers and creative team, and the place it occupies in theatrical history.
Regardless of one’s feelings about Black Lives Matter, as Judy Wenzel points out in her class, Race in America: Education, Incarceration and Employment on October 28, there are sobering and irrefutable realities that particularly affect people of color. Ms. Wenzel has taught English and Social Studies for high school completion for twenty-five years at Milan prison. There, her discovery of her students’ love of poetry led her to collect their works into Shape Notes and also an earlier ALI class showcasing their lives behind bars.
“Fly! Scatter throughout the country – go to the great west!” urged the founder and editor of the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley in 1837. So, a lot of people did just that. We hear of miners and cowboys, adventurers, investors and tenacious farmers doggedly taming the wilderness to create towns, villages and finally states. But we rarely hear about the women who often accompanied them or even some who came alone. In this class, Women of the American West, we will hear about a woman who owned the richest gold mine in Montana, and another woman who became a judge — long before women could even vote and at a time when Greeley himself was a vocal opponent of the women suffrage movement. Susan Nemadic who has taken us on fascinating tours of several cemeteries will take a break from writing her third book to tell the stories of these women in her class on October 27 and November 3 and 10,
On November 7, 14 and 21, through photographs and videos, Karen Vigmostad will take us on a tour of the Coastal Great Lakes and show us the history, operation of and status of the lighthouses that adorn the coastlines of the unique state in which we live. We will even meet some of the female lighthouse keepers of the past and learn of the number and locations of shipwrecks, fisheries and research stations, and coast guard and research vessels.
“What a piece of work is Man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty … How like an angel in apprehension!” said Hamlet. And Shakespeare put that into Hamlet’s mouth centuries before the Hubble telescope gave Man a glimpse of galaxies and stars and whirling planets light years from Earth. But in the last few weeks, the Hubble’s successor, the James Webb telescope, has shown us even more wonders and made us aware that Man, this “quintessence of dust” can probe that vast universe. It’s humbling and exciting and ennobling all at once. And Charlie Taylor’s two classes on the Hubbel and Webb Telescopes on September 30 and October 7 will bring that immensity to us. He has taught ALI classes for thirty-five years mostly on scientific subjects. For this one, be prepared to think about distances 13 billion light years away.
The sound of an ambulance siren usually signals that someone in desperate need of medical care is being transported to an emergency room which you take for granted will be open 24 hours and staffed by licensed physicians. Are you aware that ambulance services in this county are fairly recent? Until 1966, if you needed speedy transportation to the hospital, you might have had to rely on the local mortician who would take you to Chelsea Hospital — in his hearse. A comforting thought … no? Dr. Richard Burney’s class on Ambulance Wars on November 17 should be reassuring.
Was your great-great grandfather a poor peasant from nowhere who sought his fortune in America and failed? Or maybe he made a fortune and squandered it all … which is why you are spending the winter in Chelsea instead of Malibu. What, exactly, do you know about your ancestors? In this four-week Basic Genealogy class beginning on September 13, Katherine Wilson who is the past president of the Michigan Genealogical Council and a professional genealogist will show us how to gather basic information by locating public records and navigating internet resources. In the second week, we will learn how to search and use the catalog of FamilySearch.org. The third week will be devoted to using the full capabilities of Google and the fourth week will be devoted to finding and learning how to use digitized newspaper articles.
Catalogs containing more information about these classes along with registration information and forms have been mailed and are also available at the Chelsea, Manchester, Dexter, Clinton and Brooklyn District Libraries and at other locations throughout the Five Healthy Towns area. Or you can call (734) 292-5540.
Zoom classes can be connected by using your smart phone or computer. Information will be provided by email to registered students only prior to the beginning of the class.
In-Person classes will be limited by location space. In the event that a class has reached its in-person capacity, however, registrants will be automatically enrolled in the Zoom session.
Because the Adult Learners Institute is staffed entirely by volunteers, the cost of the classes is reasonable. Registration is by MAIL-IN ONLY. Mail your registration form (one for each person) along with a check made out to ALI of Chelsea, MI, Inc. to Adult Learners Institute, P.O. Box 134, Chelsea, MI 48118.
Have fun nourishing that fascinating thing inside your head called a brain!
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