Welcome to our April newsletter! Many thanks to all those who wrote and told us how much they liked our inaugural issue! We were delighted to receive submissions for this month's issue coming in from all around the state. (If you don't see your piece here please rest assured we will post it next month!) As you can see April's newsletter is packed with items! Make yourself a nice cup of tea and sit back and enjoy all the wonderful articles below. We have poetry and prose, as well as news about upcoming events, . There are two thoughtful and reflective pieces about Winter classes as well as a review for the 'Outstanding Lecture' series. Some submissions have been converted into pdfs to save space. (These articles are high quality and well worth reading). Please download Adobe Reader if you are having trouble opening our attachments. We are also archiving each newsletter on the MSCN web site so if you delete your newsletter from your email in-box you can still find us online. Some of you may see a red warning sign above newsletter links. These are a sign that you have high security settings on your computer. You can click on these links. Do not adjust your computer.Enjoy your spring in Maine! |
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Upcoming Events in Maine
The Belfast Senior College has scheduled  two exciting trips
The Biopolymer Plant in Rockland on April 13th. The Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the Planetarium at the University of Maine on May 11th. For details, please contact Marilyn Caron at: marilyn@camdenhillsrealty.com or phone 763-3940.
Judy Beebe
Senior College UM Hutchinson Center
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Acadia Senior College Members Art Show
Acadia Senior College, Mount Desert Island, will open a month long ASC members' art show, beginning April 21, 2010.
The art show: "Layers of Time," will open with our second annual membership party. New and prospective members are welcome to sign up for membership for the coming year, have refreshments, and admire the creative talents of other
members.
(Above) Acadia Senior College Art Exhibition
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On April 28th a Gallery Talk discussion on "What is Creativity and Who Gets to Define It?" will be moderated with a round-table panel of ASC course instructors. This Gallery Talk is the kickoff event in our series of interdisciplinary programs and courses called: "Our Creative Brains: The Arts, Sciences, and Innovation." Building on the expertise of ASC instructors and invited guests in fields ranging from neuroscience to music to visual arts, we aim to ignite a fire of cognitive sparks.
Acadia Senior College
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UNIQUE DOWN HOME MAINE SERIES
This spring Western Mountain Senior College proudly announces a particularly exciting line-up of three strong, courageous and unique women who provide powerful role models.
On April 1st, Kitty Chadbourne, author of Parenting Myself: Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury, will give an account of her struggles and triumphs after sustaining a serious brain injury in a bike accident.
On May 6th, Registered Maine Guide Polly Mahoney will share her experiences of traveling by horseback in Mongolia. Our series concludes on June 3rd with Madelyn Given who recently concluded a solo hike on the Appalachian Trail.
Select the following link for more details on our series.
Peter Gartner
Western Mountain Senior College |
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Poets Corner/Contest
ROBERT LEWIS MAXTED-RICE
Carefree, handsome, debonair
Sky-blue eyes and windblown hair
Knowing smile
Capable hands controlling the wheel
Warm to the touch, rough to the feel
Cavalier grin
Lean of limb, muscular arms
Strong in body, courage and charms
Roguish laugh
Loyal, supporting friend and lover
Flaming passion behind quiet demeanor
Loving lips caress my neck.
Judith Maxted-Rice, 2001
OLLI at USM
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Select the following link for an insightful poem by Paul Devore, Acadia Senior College
IT'S A PLUM GRAPE FIELDING, BUT I CAN BARLEY TILL RYE
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Looking for our Poet Laureate!
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End of a Term and Start of Another
Last week, Gold LEAF Institute wrapped up its Fall/Winter term with the conclusion of three classes, entitled: "Reweave Your Seat", "The Energy of Your Dreams", and "Responses to Evil". In filing away the last records and positive feedback from the class members, it crossed my mind how these titles tell a lot about the path we chart with our lifelong learning. In this case, the three titles represent hands-on learning, creative mental pursuit, and spiritual quests.
Our seniors are not shying away from difficult books or challenging tasks. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Our discussions in "Responses to Evil" focused on the characters in the Mary Doria Russell book, A Thread of Grace. The plot unfolds during the Nazi occupation of Italy, but no one backed off from the difficult personal questions it raised. We worked together to look at the parallels that can be drawn between fear in those years and fears in our own country today.Non-violence came up as a constant theme, and it will guide future class topics.
The group shared much about their own memories of World War II. They also linked together many concerns that are very much at the forefront now. Even though the book itself requires great concentration, no complaints! Everyone was grateful for the experience of being asked to tackle questions, and will no doubt continue to ponder the message. There will no doubt be plenty of
opportunity to do so, as the Gold LEAF spring term is already up and running.
Eileen Kreutz
Gold LEAF Institute |
Franco-American History in Maine: People, Places and Lore
Approximately 75 members of Penobscot Valley Senior College and their guests braved heavy rain to hear Amy Morin, formerly with the Canadian-American Centre of the University of Maine, and Lisa Michaud, currently with the Canadian-American Centre, describe two separate migrations of French-speaking people into Maine. Both of the migrations made significant impacts on the development of the State and continue to exert an influence. Amy Morin, the primary presenter, is from Old Town and her ancestors can trace their roots to these migrations. She was able to personalize much of the program.
The first of the migrations were the result of the uprooting of the "Acadians" who were a peaceful people that refused to takes sides in the numerous battles between the French and the English for control of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and northeastern Maine. Approximately 20 years before the American Revolution, the British Governor of Nova Scotia assisted by the British Governor of Massachusetts evicted the Acadians, confiscated their property and forced them to be scattered to a number of American Colonies and the Spanish Colony of New Orleans. Some Arcadians escaped to the upper St. John River Valley where they were left alone. Displaced Arcadians settled on both sides of the St. John River and years later when the St. John River became the border between the U.S. and Canada, brothers may have found themselves of different nationalities.
The second major migration occurred in the 19th century when mills were being developed in Maine and needed more workers than were locally available. In many cases, Canadians from the Quebec Province came to Maine with the intent of earning some money and then returning home. However, they found the employment opportunities too great an attraction and soon there were flourishing French Communities in many Maine cities. It has been estimated that nearly 40% of Maine's population can identify with some Franco-American descent.
The next one-day event offered by Penobscot Valley Senior College will be a tour of the new Penobscot Judicial Center lead by Justice Andrew Mead. Because of limited number of participants in this tour, it will only be open to members of Penobscot Valley Senior College.
Dick Eustis
Penobscot Valley Senior College |
Click on the link above to read this wry piece of prose submitted by Sunrise Senior College member Jerry Metz.
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Outstanding Lecture:
Beyond Copenhagen: What you should know before it's too late
(pdf)
Read Jack Farlow's excellent summary of Dr. Fred Cichocki's (aka "Dr. Science") presentation on 'Global Warming' given to Coastal Senior College members at a March 11th special event. |
Travel writing section:
Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Carlos J. Finlay - A Tour of Cuba (pdf)
Select the link above for an interesting read with great pictures submitted by Tom Finlay, Sunrise Senior College
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Winter Courses are Popular
After years of offering courses only during the fall and spring, courses during the winter months are proving to be popular at Lewiston-Auburn Senior College. Select the link below to read more written by Robert Bowyer.
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About Us
Maine
Senior College Network
P.O.
Box 9300
Portland, Maine
04104-9300
(207)780-4128
(207)780-4317 (fax)
Kali Lightfoot
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Anne Cardale
Director of Operations & Communications
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