by Deborah Lanser
Introduction
The four-week SummerFest session will begin June 7, with a wonderful variety of interesting courses. Most classes will be held in person on Fridays, while one off-campus course will be held on a Monday. You can check out the schedule on May 22 when the ProClass catalog arrives. Registration will start on May 31 and end on June 14. Classes are free for all members, while nonmembers may register for a fee of $25 per course. Here’s a preview of the learning adventures that will be offered in June.
History
If you think today’s political turmoil is unprecedented, Robert Beaury (LLI) can set you straight. Bloody Congress will provide a long-term perspective on today’s politics by guiding us through the history of violent acts against members of Congress and presidents in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Lafayette’s Last Visit in 1824 provided the Revolutionary War hero and French nobleman with the chance to see how the country he helped liberate had grown and changed. Historian Bill Jeffway (LLI) believes that Lafayette remains a symbol of liberty whose concept of truth is relevant today.
Healthcare
A 2009 groundbreaking settlement agreement between the New York Attorney General’s office and the insurance industry gave rise to an independent nonprofit and a new era of price transparency and integrity in healthcare. In How a New York Lawsuit Transformed the National Healthcare Landscape, Robin Gelbund, a nationally recognized expert on healthcare policy, will examine how those seeds of transparency have transformed state and national healthcare policies.
Unfortunately, Nancy Gelman had to learn through experience about the best way of Caring for Loved Ones with Dementia when both her parents became ill. That experience, combined with her professional expertise, has given her a wealth of knowledge to help others understand and support individuals with dementia as their disease progresses.
The Arts
Herman Melville may be one of the most underappreciated authors of the 19th century, despite the widespread admiration for Moby Dick. Daniel Lanzetta (LLI) will seek to correct that. In Chasing Herman Melville, Part 1, the class will consider the author’s preoccupations with race, religion, fate and free will, sexuality and repression, and the inscrutability of evil in such lesser-known works as Bartleby, the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, and Billy Budd.
Judith Nelson (LLI) returns to demonstrate the Fundamentals of Dance Making. Participants will warm up with Brain Dance, enjoy structured dance improvisations, and create dances together. No previous experience is necessary.
Nancy Theeman believes that Singing Is for Everyone! After demonstrating some of the basics of vocal technique, she will give people who love to sing, as well as those who doubt their abilities, the opportunity to join together in a community sing of show tunes and popular and folk tunes.
Spirituality
Meredith Caplan will offer Sacred Awareness: Nurturing My Spiritual Core Is Knowing My Power. The goal of this workshop is to support self-awareness and help participants shift from conditioned reactions to an openness and curiosity about the realm of possibilities.
Students who want to expand their meditation practice can join Robin Ruskay Bernstein (LLI) for Intermediate Mindfulness Meditation. The goal of this three-session class will be to cultivate happiness and joy.
Water
You may be surprised to learn that the water we drink comes from the Hudson River. That we can do so safely is thanks to an 1872 water filtration plant. Plant administrator and engineer Randy Alstadt will guide participants on a Poughkeepsie Waterworks Tour that shows how river water is transformed into a potable drink.
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