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Hello and welcome to Focus on OLLI. What is OLLI? OLLI is a program at UNLV dedicated to active retired or semi-retired individuals who understand the importance of keeping themselves engaged. OLLI is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV. Every month this program will dig into favorite classes, interesting teachers and members as well as special events offered through OLLI.
Announcer 0:00
This is a KUNV Studios original program. The
Wesley Knight 0:04
content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Keith McMillen 0:16
Hello, and welcome to Focus on Olli. Ollie is a program at UNLV dedicated to retired or semi-retired individuals who remain engaged and active in civic activities and lifelong learning. Olli is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV. Olli is made possible by support from the Bernard Osher Foundation, established by philanthropists Bernard and Barbara Osher, with a mission to support lifelong learning, higher education, and the arts. This series is designed to give you an in-depth look at the Olli program and encourage you to join in the fun.
Ed Ort 0:54
Well, hello. I'm Ed Ort. I'm a student as well as an instructor at Olli at UNLV. I want to welcome you to today's Ollie podcast. You know, I know many of you enjoy traveling and have traveled to various places inside and perhaps outside of the United States, but maybe there are some interesting places you would like to visit but haven't had a chance to go there. Did you know that Ollie at UNLV offers a number of classes that can take you on virtual journeys to interesting places around the world. So today we're going to talk about some of those classes with the instructors who lead them. Our guests today are John Berkland, who together with his wife Vicky leads a class called "Exploring the Wonders of the world. What an interesting title of a course! We have Dave Lavery who leads a class called Traveling Europe Off the Beaten Path, and Fran Smith who leads a class called America's Treasures. Let's learn more about these interesting classes. Let's start with John. So, John, the title of your class suggests that it takes students to wonderful places around the world. What are some of the more memorable places that you've covered in the class?
John Birkland 2:11
Oh wow, pretty much the whole world. I think we've just had recently a student that was in Turkey and Istanbul, which is the dividing line between Asia and Europe. And she went to Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and she did an excellent presentation for us. About 150 people, I guess. And We've done Singapore, Borneo, and a number of places within the U.S. too. We did one recently on Pearl Harbor, which is an excellent travel place. And I'm not quite sure. Let's see. Oh, we did one on Ephesus, and
Ed Ort 3:04
yeah. In fact, I'm very familiar with that one because I led that session. But let me get to Fran because Fran, you've got a similar class to Exploring Wonders of the World, but your class, America's Treasures, focus on places, interesting people, and things specifically in America. What are some of the more memorable places in the United States that you've covered?
Fran Smith 3:27
Before I get to that, I want to mention one of the most interesting classes of America's of exploring wonders that I attended was on Palau. I never thought Palau was this absolutely gorgeous place. I always thought it was just a rock out in the middle of the. Yeah, you know that's an
Ed Ort 3:46
interesting point because I'm sure some of you, like me, you know, you learn about places you had never thought of and didn't even know existed. So this is a great learning experience, and you, as I said, it's sort of like a virtual way of actually visiting those places.
Fran Smith 4:05
Okay, America's treasures. We do focus on what it's a team class, so every week we have a different presenter, and the subject is what the presenter thinks is an America's treasure. Sometimes it's people, sometimes it's events in history, but we also talk about sites to visit in the United States. And in fact, the first year we did it, we focused on museums and presidential libraries. So we actually toured practically every presidential library in the country. We've we've visited virtually the Washington National Cathedral this fall. I'm going to talk about the Morgan Library, which was the collection actually of J. Morgan, and one time we actually had the retired curator of the Rockefeller collection give us a virtual tour of the Rockefeller estate that's right near Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County.
Ed Ort 5:20
So, Dave, you've you've got a more kind of pointed geographic area. You're going to be doing a class in the fall called "Traveling to Europe off the Beaten Path. What? Tell us what that's about.
Dave Lavery 5:35
So, there's a lot of people who've gone to the major cities of Europe: London, Paris, Rome, and there's a lot of information about those places. So this class is to take us beyond the most popular, most famous big cities and get into some of the smaller regions that maybe not as many people are aware of, but have a lot of very interesting sites, different experiences out there, so we'll be looking at all parts of Europe. Probably, I'm biased because I most of the class is going to be more heavily weighted to places that I've had personal experience with, but it's intended to be an interactive class. So I'm hoping that people who have gone to other regions that maybe I'm not even aware of can describe that and maybe exchange travel ideas.
Ed Ort 6:27
You know that brings up an interesting point. In some of these presentations, they are a result of people actually traveling to those places. So, for instance, in the exploring the wonders of the world class in the fall. I am going to be presenting a session on Iceland. My wife and I had the great fortune this past spring of traveling to Iceland, and we can bring back our personal experiences, talk about, and show some of the really fascinating things about Iceland: volcanoes, volcanic beaches, waterfalls-just incredibly beautiful things. So, Dave, you are you're really talking from experience, and you could talk about you know you give people pointers about when they're traveling to Europe some things they may not thinking about, and as you say, other people could share their experience and perhaps give pointers about their travel experiences.
Dave Lavery 7:26
Exactly, and it's funny you mention Iceland because I was also there this year, and that is going to be a major segment of our class on the Nordic countries. So, but but we're also going to talk about places that I haven't been, where I did some research that a lot of times I would like to go, but but have not made it to. But by and large, it's it's places that I have some familiarity with. We have a mix of photos that I took out of the internet, as well as a lot of my own personal photos, and we'll be talking about some practical travel tips, like how to get from point A to point B, what to look for in terms of food and museums, but we'll also just talk about sites and scenic beauty and and the culture of the region.
Ed Ort 8:16
Yeah, so you know, one of the interesting things about these classes is how they come about? I'm really curious about how how your classes came came about. So, John, how did how did the Exploring Wonders of the World class happen? Do you have an interesting story about that?
John Birkland 8:32
It kind of happened. We were trying. We we'd been doing exploring the wonders and the America's Treasures classes, and we were interested in getting other people involved. And it's as Fran pointed out, there are we're a volunteer organization, and all our speakers are generally volunteers. Most of these people have varied backgrounds, have really interesting histories, and so we started with one or two people that we kind of twisted their arms to do a presentation, and other people have joined in, and now both of these big classes have got multiple speakers every time. People with, especially now that have traveled a lot.
Ed Ort 9:23
Yeah, you know that also brings up another interesting point, and that is not only is this an opportunity for you to learn about wonderful places around the world, maybe particularly in America or in Europe, but it gives you an opportunity to share your experience of travel, places that you've been, places that you enjoy, and you'd like to share with other people. One other thing too, I know that Ollie over the last few years has tried to make more of their classes hybrid, where people could either attend. In person, or they can tune in using Zoom. I believe all of your classes are hybrid. Is that correct, Dave? Is that true?
Dave Lavery 10:09
Yes. This will be my first hybrid class, and I'm taking advantage of it by having a guest speaker talk about a country she's been to, but I have not, and she's coming to us from Oklahoma, which would not be possible if we only had in-person class. So I think hybrid is a is a great way to hold these things.
Ed Ort 10:30
Just out of curiosity, what what is the country she's been to that you haven't?
Dave Lavery 10:34
Romania.
Ed Ort 10:35
Ah, okay, very interesting.
Fran Smith 10:38
Can I say this one? By this is an example. By having it available on Zoom, we can get really credentialed speakers to come in and tell us about a site. I mentioned the curator of the Rockefeller collection who came to us from New York?
Ed Ort 11:02
Not only that, but since Zoom is around the world, you could be anywhere in the world and log into the class. And in fact, I I say I have a cousin who lives in North Carolina. We are currently in Las Vegas, and he is going to join the class via Zoom. So, if you are you know somewhere outside of the Las Vegas area, that is not a hindrance. You can join Ollie. You could participate in these classes and enjoy classes like the ones we're talking about, and all of the other many classes that Ollie at UNLV Offers, so tell us about the coming term. I know, Dave, your your classes is coming up. What what are some of the things you're going to be covering in the fall that you'd like to highlight
John Birkland 11:54
for exploring the wonders of the world for the coming year, what are we? I'm
Ed Ort 12:04
well, of course, Iceland. Iceland,
John Birkland 12:07
yeah, and some history of the American railroads, which is exploring the world. But we've got that, and yeah, a little blank. You've got
Ed Ort 12:22
some interesting ones. Yeah, actually,
Fran Smith 12:24
this semester's America's Treasures I think is focusing on people more than places. I mentioned that I'm going to talk about the Morgan Library. I'm also talking about Thomas Hart Benton, which even though I'm focusing on an artist and his art is going to take people to Missouri because you just cannot talk about Thomas Hart Benton without going to Missouri. Right. Oh, and and another person is doing a class called Name That City, and it's sort of based on Name That Tune, but it will describe a city, and we'll try and figure out what she's talking about.
Ed Ort 13:04
So, getting back to you, Dave, traveling through Europe-you know-it seems to me that traveling to Europe is becoming more expensive, just like many other things in life. Do you cover some of the cost-saving trips for traveling to Europe?
Dave Lavery 13:19
Well, yeah, we do mention them. There's a number of cost savings ways to get around. One thing that I enjoy doing is taking public transit everywhere. Not only is that less expensive, but it gets you more integrated in the local culture. I rarely rent a car in Europe. I don't like to fly intra Europe. They have a great train system, and it's usually pretty inexpensive. Another thing is to look at local places to stay and to eat. You can go to a big American chain hotel in just about every city now, but I always try to seek out the local establishments. They're usually less costly, and for finding restaurants where the locals are eating instead of mob by tourists, that's also usually a better deal. Everything from the plate of the day to enjoying a glass of the house wine is a less expensive way to experience really what you came to Europe for.
Ed Ort 14:20
I'd like you all to focus on the word surprising, Dave. In your travels, especially to Europe, did you find anything that really surprised you in either a very positive or a negative way? Something you hadn't expected, anything like that? Now I know you're a seasoned traveler, but
Dave Lavery 14:42
well, certainly when I first began traveling to Europe over 40 years ago, it was all brand new, and so a lot of things were just very different for me. I guess over over the years, I've gotten more used to things, so that I now anticipate different things. That I'll come across, but still, like I was in a trip in Greece last summer, and we went around on this hiking trail and came to this little taverna in the countryside where we had a great local meal, and so it's things like that, you know, kind of serendipity of of coming across different things that really make a trip special.
Ed Ort 15:25
You know, speaking of Greece, my wife and I traveled to Greece a number of years ago, and we also had a very surprising experience. We went to the island of Delos, which is pretty unoccupied, but it's filled with ruins, and there's an aura there. You get this really sense of ancient history, and that really surprised me. You know, it's another interesting thing that happens when you travel to different places in the world.
Dave Lavery 15:54
Yes,
Ed Ort 15:55
what anything that surprised you, John, in your classes? Did you? Is there a class that you can recall that you know you hadn't thought it would be that interesting, and it was.
John Birkland 16:07
I can tell you one right off.
Ed Ort 16:09
Okay,
John Birkland 16:09
and that's the ABMC, which nobody knows about, but that's the American Battle Monuments Commission, and these people take care of all the American cemeteries and monuments around the world, and it. I got to digging in. The history turned out to be really interesting, and for these 30 or 40 places that they have around the world are very well kept, mostly by locals, and some are big, and some are you know like Normandy or Bellow Wood are huge, and there's other little ones that are just kind of poked in corners all over the world.
Ed Ort 16:54
Yeah, Dave, I believe you wanted to say something about that.
Dave Lavery 16:57
Yes, I'm glad you brought that up, John, because that's one of the things I'll be talking about in my class on France. Of course, everyone has heard of Normandy, and that's a very popular cemetery monument. But one of the surprising things is also run by that same organization you mentioned, the World War One cemeteries, and we went to one where we the only people there that day, and so that's the kind of thing I look for traveling off the beaten path. This cemetery was meticulously maintained, beautiful flowers, the lawn was kept, a lot of American soldiers buried there, but it's largely been forgotten now.
Ed Ort 17:40
How about you, Fran? Anything that really surprised me? Well,
Fran Smith 17:43
this is going to make me sound really dumb, but when we were when we had a series of presentations on presidential libraries, I think we've all heard about the big deals that were made about the Reagan Library and the Obama Library and and and and the Kennedy Library, I didn't know there was a Hoover Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa. And what can I say?
Ed Ort 18:14
Well, actually, that surprises me because you know I've I've taken classes at Stanford, and I always thought the Hoover Library was at Stanford. Maybe there are two Hoover Libraries. I don't know. I'll have to research that. You know. Also, sometimes as a presenter, you know, in doing your research, things surprise you too. So I once did a session in Wonders of the World on the Marianas Trench. Now, of course, this is not a place you can visit. You could you could travel over it on the ocean. It's in the Southern Pacific, but I found out it's so deep. It's actually the deepest places on Earth. Deepest place on Earth. It's so deep that you could put Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, in that trench. You would still have a mile between the top of the mountain and sea level. That really surprised me. So, and actually speaking about presenters, how how does someone actually, if they want to give a presentation about a place they visited, or just a place they want to talk about. How do they get on the agenda of of either America's treasures or exploring wonders of the world?
Fran Smith 19:32
Generally, if somebody suggests a topic, I suggest that they cover it, and if anybody asks to present, they're not only told yes, but they're welcomed with open arms and enthusiastically accommodated.
John Birkland 19:53
We have enough experience at this too that we have a lot of people that can help put a presentation. Together, both the video and and script, so that they're really not under that much pressure. And a lot of times, somebody will just come in and you'll overhear somebody mention that they've been somewhere or done something, and you generally just grab them and say, do you want to make a presentation of that?
Ed Ort 20:23
Yeah, actually, that brings up the the kind of more general question: If somebody is a member of Olli and they want to present a class or some other class where they want to present a session within that class, how do they do that? Fran, you're involved with that. There
Fran Smith 20:42
are several ways. The we have an educational programming committee that is pretty much responsible for the court deciding the classes that are offered, and they will hold the committee will hold sessions for people who are thinking about teaching to discuss not only the procedures in putting a class together and presenting it, but also in discussing subjects that are in demand. In addition, there is a call for proposals put out before every semester, and everyone is welcome to follow the link and submit a proposal. And if you're a new instructor, you will get a lot of support from members of the educational programming Committee to address any concerns you have, answer any questions you have, and also just sort of lay out the the process.
Ed Ort 21:52
Since we're on the subject of instructors, I'd like to ask you all what what do you get out of leading a class? What what do you see as the benefit of that? I
Fran Smith 22:04
well, what I like best about it is all the research in preparation. It's I don't know what I would do if I didn't have classes to prepare, and it's it's very rewarding then after putting that much work in to get feedback from the students in the class who very often are are complimentary are tell me about how they went somewhere and knew about it because they heard about it in class, and it's like, oh wow, we really are learning.
Ed Ort 22:48
Dave, how about you?
Dave Lavery 22:50
Yeah, I agree with Fran. It's very rewarding. In my personal life, I love exchanging travel ideas with my friends and family, saying, "Hey, we're going here. Have you ever heard of it? And talk about it, or maybe they said, "Hey, but have you ever considered this? And so I thought, "Well, this is a way to make it a little more formal, bring it out to a larger audience, and it works both ways. So I talk about things that I'm familiar with, but I hope to hear from everyone in my class, interesting things that they've done, and maybe I'll utilize that for my own future travel.
Ed Ort 23:28
Yeah, and John, what about you? I know you and you and Vicky are kind of a tandem team there.
John Birkland 23:34
I guess we are, but we both do different subjects at different times. But I have to agree with Fran. I think one of the neatest parts of it is digging in and doing the research on it. A lot of times you can just go to the website or something else, but there are a lot of books and everything that make up this, and it's really rewarding when you present a class, and people come up to you afterwards and say they liked it, or or maybe didn't like it, I don't.
Ed Ort 24:09
No, I I will say I I agree with everything you're saying. It is incredibly rewarding. It doing a class requires work. Certainly, you have to do the research. You have to be willing to stand up in front of a classroom, but it is so rewarding. You know, there's nothing really better than somebody coming up to you and saying, you know, I really enjoyed that class, or I really learned something I hadn't known something before that that you presented, and it's just it's a wonderful wonderful feeling. So, if you do, if you are a member of Ollie, if you're becoming a member of Olli, and you have kind of an interest in maybe sharing with other people. And speaking of Olli in general, I'd just like to point out, you know, some things about Olli. First of all, if you are already not an Olli member, the Olli at UNLV fall term begins on september 8, which is pretty soon. Also, there are many perks being at Olli as a student or as instructor. Members not only enjoy our extensive program of classes, but they can also participate in special interest groups like our book club that meets online every month. They can watch movies that we show at Ollie every month free of charge. And Fran, I believe there's free popcorn at these movies, right?
Fran Smith 25:37
Absolutely.
Ed Ort 25:38
And we also have special events, for instance, Ollie members can buy discounted tickets for the october 3 UNLV California football game at Allegiant Stadium. And what's really great about that-that also includes transportation to and from the game. You don't have to worry about parking or paying for parking-it's all included in that discounted ticket, and you could learn all about the things that Olli at UNLV offers in our fall 2026 catalog, which you can find on the Olli at UNLV website. That's o l l i dot u n l v dot e d u. Yes, John.
John Birkland 26:25
You might mention another perk, and that's the Rebel card.
Ed Ort 26:28
Oh, please, please don't work that.
John Birkland 26:30
For I believe they've raised the price now to $25. But as an Olli member, you can get a Rebel card, and that's good for life, and that's got discounts all over town for various food and shows and whatever else.
Fran Smith 26:49
All over the world, you can get student admission to a lot of places, and sometimes student admission is lower than senior admission.
Ed Ort 27:01
Yeah, we only have a minute or two left. Any final thoughts about your classes, especially your travel-related classes? What would you like people to take away who, who are not maybe yet Olli members? Yes, John.
John Birkland 27:19
I was going to point out one thing. We talk about all these presentations that we make and everything. These are open discussion classes too, and we encourage people to join in and discuss what is out of the presentation or something related that they have done or would like to do.
Ed Ort 27:39
That is really an excellent point. I always make the point in my classes that I certainly learn a lot from the research that I do from the classes, but I certainly learn as much, or if not more, from the people in the class. So you know, these are true discussions. Dave.
Dave Lavery 27:57
Yeah, I just want to mention. I think all of our classes are individual modules each week, so it's not like if you miss an early class, you won't have a problem catching up later in the semester. They're all discrete classes, and in fact, if I'm doing a class in a part of Europe that you're not really interested in, John here's my friendly competitor on on Monday mornings, and you can go over to his class then. And
Ed Ort 28:26
Fran, real quickly, anything?
Fran Smith 28:28
Same same thing. A lot of members travel during the course of the semester, and they're worried about missing something. They, you can get caught up easily.
Ed Ort 28:44
Well, we very quickly got to the end of our session. I really want to thank our guests today for you know they're talking about some of the really interesting classes that are being offered at Ollie at UNLV. I want to thank our guests John, Dave, and Fran, and I especially want to thank you for listening.
Keith McMillen 29:06
Thanks for listening to Focus on Olli. There are several ways to get more information. Our web address is ollie o l l i dot u n l v.edu. You may also email us at ollie at UNLV. That's Ali O L L I A T U N L V at sign U N L v.edu. You can also just give us a call at 702-895-3394 Monday through Friday between the hours of eight and five, except of course on university holidays.
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