A geologist, nurse, nuclear engineer and former school principal gathered around a folding table in the sunny common area at Jefferson Unitarian Church.
Although their careers were disparate, the four retirees have taken a new challenge, together. They all lead classes for the west branch of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Denver.
All four have also taken the classes, offered three times a year at Jefferson Unitarian 14350 West 32nd Ave. in Golden. This is the second year that University College, University of Denver continuing education arm, has held OLLI West classes.
“I got to brush up on my college physics,” retired science teacher B.J. Meadows said after taking her friend Hank Zeile’s energy class last year.
This fall Zeile, a retired nuclear engineer, taught about eight of his peers about the beginnings of the Spanish Empire, something he knew very little about.
“There are some things you’ve always been interested in but never had the time for,” said Jane Vanderkolk, a nurse and nursing educator who lives in Arvada.
Now that she has retired, Vanderkolk sees OLLI classes, open to people aged 50 and over, as a great way to explore subjects that didn’t cross her path during her professional life.
Leading courses can be a challenge, especially when the subject matter is focused around the political process, as many of the courses last term were.
“There’s a little paragraph (in our handbook) about breaking up fights,” said John Wells, a retired geologist. Wells stayed away from politics last term and instead tried something totally different, a seminar on opera, which he generally hates. But discussion, heated or not, is the goal of OLLI, where peers can feel comfortable bouncing ideas off of each other.
“There’s a balance between giving information and getting discussion,” Meadows said.
The social component of the OLLI West classes is also important to facilitators and students.
“I’ve met a whole new group of people I’ve not known before. (I’m) over 80 years old and still making new friends,” Wells said. The retired geologist is currently pulling together research materials for a renewable energy course he will teach in the spring.
The courses generally draw intellectually vibrant people who want to keep learning, said Karen Thorne, who manages the OLLI West program.
“It keeps the neurons working,” Zeile said.
“Even grows them, we hope,” Meadows added.
About OLLI
OLLI West is holding an open house for its winter term 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 West 32nd Ave. You can check out sample classes, syllabi and meet OLLI facilitators and students. Registration costs $100 per term for unlimited classes. Courses for the winter semester include Jazz: Roots to Revolution, How the Earth Works and Colorado’s Dwindling Water Supply. Contact Karen Thorne at 303-717-4299 for more information or visit OLLI’s Web site: www.universitycollege.du.edu/learning/viva/.