Eleanor and Marc Wieder: Council, Courses, and Commitment
by Deborah Lanser
Introduction
When Eleanor and Marc moved to Rhinebeck from Long Island in 2019, they were looking for a community where they could enjoy retirement. An unexpected bonus was the discovery of Bard LLI. Eleanor won the membership lottery in 2020, and Marc joined in 2024. They both have embraced the LLI community, finding many rewards both in and out of the classroom.
Council
When she first became a member, Eleanor asked herself, “How does this machine work?” Partly to answer that question, she ran for Council as a member at large. She is now in her second two-year term. In that time, she has served as chair of the Planning and Evaluation Committee and worked on the Catalog, Curriculum, and Civic Engagement teams.
Marc, a retired head of the real estate practice in a large accounting firm in New York City, was a natural fit for the position of treasurer, a role he took on this year. He also wanted a voice on Council. “Things get stale,” he notes, “and there is always room for improvement.” He viewed joining Council as an opportunity to keep the organization on a sound financial footing. It has also given him the opportunity to propose some of his ideas for furthering the organization’s purpose.
Courses
When Eleanor joined the Curriculum Committee, she quickly realized that the then chair, Linda LeGendre, had a huge workload. She offered to help by reviewing all the course proposals to ensure the presenters have provided all the necessary information. As our course offerings have expanded under the current leadership of Mary McClellan, Eleanor continues in this capacity.
In addition, Eleanor, a retired CPA, has produced courses on poetry, Mozart, and the Minnewaska hikes. Developing courses has given Eleanor the opportunity to work with interesting people who want to share their knowledge. “LLI is all about what we have to offer in Curriculum, and I’m happy to bring that forward,” she says. And she has gained some new interests. Before she worked with Lee Woodman to develop the poetry class, she had little interest in the subject. Now, she loves it.
Marc has made a major contribution to the happiness of LLI members by offering his course Why Drink Water When You Can Drink Wine? A passionate oenophile, Marc enjoys sharing his pleasure in wines from around the world.
When Marc was organizing the course, he knew he wanted each participant to have four wine glasses to use for tasting the four wines presented in each session. That entailed providing each of the participants with four glasses, on the proviso that they would take them home after each class, wash them, and return the glasses to him at the end of the course. To make that possible, he and Eleanor scoured local thrift stores to find glasses priced from 10 to 25 cents each. As a result, they now have a collection of about 120 mismatched wine glasses.
Socializing
Given the importance of socializing for the well-being of older adults, Marc believes many members find our get-togethers at least as important as the classes. He would like to double the number of yearly gatherings from two to four. He suggests the Bard campus could offer a place for some events when students are on break, especially during the winter. The where and when just need to be worked out.
Eleanor agrees that the social opportunities are one of the most rewarding aspects of LLI. She and Marc didn’t know anyone in the area when they moved here. Now they have a circle of local friends, all of whom they met through their volunteer work at LLI.
Volunteering
Both Eleanor and Marc strongly advocate for the importance and rewards of volunteering. In a nonprofit organization, you shouldn’t stop recruiting new volunteers, Marc notes. To foster interest in the various jobs, he suggests we focus on explaining what is involved in each of the positions so that people have a clear understanding of what’s needed. We could identify roles to fit everyone’s ability and availability.
Both Marc and Eleanor are open to hearing ideas from LLI members. If you see one of them in your class or the hospitality room, just introduce yourself and share some of your thoughts.
