Current Workshop Leaders
OLLI at SBU Workshop Leaders are the foundation of the OLLI at SBU Program!
List of OLLI at SBU Workshop Leaders
Without Workshop Leaders the OLLI at Stony Brook University Program would not be as successful as it is today. To view the list of workshop leaders who taught in a specific semester, please select that semester tab below.
- Spring 2023
Leaders
Peter Akras
Food, Science, and the Human Body, Part I
BS, Earth and Space Science, Stony Brook 1972
MSPH, Environmental Health Science, UNC Chapel Hill 1977
BS Civil Engineering, NYU/Polytechnic University,1980
Master Gardener Volunteer Instructor, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Retired Sr. Public Health Engineer, Wastewater Management Suffolk County Health Services
Carter Bancroft
Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History
In the past 11years, I have led or co-led 19 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Our Wonderful Consciousness this semester because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist.
My professional and research experience includes:
- B.A. Physics, Antioch College, 1959
- M.A. Physics, Johns Hopkins University, 1961.
- Ph.D. Biophysics, University of California Berkeley, 1966.
- Postdocs at Brandeis University and Harvard Medical School, 1967-1970.
- Asst and Assoc Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University., 1970-1976.
- Associate Member and Head of Cellular Gene Expression and Regulation Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Institute. 1976-1985.
- Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1985-2004.
- Acting Chair, Department of Physiology and Physics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 2002-2004.
Other professional activities: Consulting for Biotechnology Industry, Chaired the 1990 Gordon Conference on Hormone Action, and was a member from 1991-1995 of the National Institutes of Health Endocrinology Study Section, and was a founding member and on the advisory board of the journal Molecular Endocrinology.
Information about my scientific achievements and publications can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, reading, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.
Amy Benjamin
Shakespeare on Your Feet
I taught high school English for 33 years, and now I am a consultant for schools all over Long Island, working with teachers, K-12. I love Shakespeare and have studied with the Bedlam theatre in NYC. I would love to indulge my love for the language of Shakespeare with others who feel the same.
Arthur Bernstein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start a workshop in OLLI. I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, so I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Peter Bond
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, AssociateRichard Bova
Electronic Navigation Systems: Radio Beacons to GPS
Learn to Draw - For BeginnersI have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Ken Buxbaum
Op-Ed, Your Opinion of Their Opinion
I have been a workshop leader since September 2000 and led discussion of Bush v Gore at US Supreme Court. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events and politics that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in the transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Rabbi Shalom B Cohen
Towards a meaningful life
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Village Chabad Stony Brook NY, is a sought-after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 15 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part 2
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Bob DeCostanzo
The Dancing Ape - and other topics in Anthropology
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Doris Diamond
Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Karen Dipaola
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
I have loved taking a variety of OLLi workshops since I joined OLLI in 2017. I became a workshop leader because I so admired the leaders I met and wanted to contribute whatever I could to this organization. Aside from the gratification that comes from creating a workshop that others enjoy, I have also loved collaborating with others, and making new friendships in the process. Before retirement I was an elementary reading teacher and adjunct Assistant Professor of Literacy.
Anita Edwards
Literary Journeys
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Larry Fein
Business of Sports
Larry has been a consistent support in the zoom research and screen sharing. He is an avid sports fan who loves our NY Metro teams.
Sandy Flansbaum
Op-Ed, Your Opinion of Their Opinion
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since September 2000 and Roundtable president 2004-05. I enjoy leading this workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in the transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf
Arnie Fox
Duplicate Bridge
I have been an OLLI/Roundtable member for about 18 years and have been co-leading the Duplicate Bridge workshop with Sherry Shore for 12 years. I am a certified ACBL teacher. In my previous life I taught high school accounting and computer courses. Interacting with our workshop participants is a great source of enjoyment and stimulation. In addition to bridge, I enjoy tennis and traveling (cruising) the world.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member since 2008 and a member of the Digesting a Good Book Workshop since then.Within a few years I became the co-leader of the group and for the last few years the sole leader of this book group.
Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers of which I have been a part for several decades :)
John Gobler
National Parks of California
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 20 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Linda Good
Beginning Bridge 2
I have been teaching Bridge at OLLI since 2009 until COVID shut us down. I love teaching this class and the students seem to be good learners and enjoy the classes. Learning bridge takes many semesters, and most students continue with me. Professionally I was a guidance counselor with the Adult education Program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES for 19 years, prior to that was a secretary at Brentwood School District. My hobbies are bridge, golf, mahjongg, swimming, water aerobics and reading - also puzzles.
Irma & Sol Gurman
Understanding Opera
We have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
Carmela Gustafson
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
I am a recently-retired middle school Social Studies and English teacher, and new member of OLLI. Although my K-12 teaching career is over, I continue to work as an adjunct Assistant Professor and Literacy Specialist in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, where I earned my doctorate in 2019. The graduate course that I’m privileged to teach, Literacy and Learning in the Content Areas, is primarily aimed at pre- and early-service Social Studies and Mathematics educators. I find it both satisfying and inspiring to work with such enthusiastic and dedicated young teachers.
An avid reader, I enjoy a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction texts. In fact, it’s not unusual for me to have at least two books at a time that I am in the process of reading (something I’ve been guilty of doing since childhood!). Since I also love movies and music, my husband and I have been long-time subscribers to the Stony Brook Film Festivals, and (pre-pandemic) have frequented many of the other performances at the Staller Center. Beyond that, I’ve been a vegetarian for over 45 years, I love to cook and bake, I’m a somewhat obsessive knitter, and, perhaps most important of all, I’m a grateful and enthusiastic grandmother of two young boys.
Mary Hance
Walking for Fitness
I am a retired principal from the Woodland Elementary School in the Hicksville School District. Prior to my career in education, I was a CPA. I am blessed with two children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren as well as the many friends I have made at OLLI. Besides walking, which I have done as a means of exercise for the past 30 years, I enjoy golf. The workshops I have taken at OLLI are in areas that I did not have the time to pursue while fostering my career and raising my family. I have learned so much from the many workshops I have had the privilege to attend as well as the wonderful special event trips that have been offered.
Bob Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Thomas Hayes
2nd Year Latin
Continuing Advanced Latin
Sex, Lies and Makeovers: Ovid's MetamorphosesI am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
Jeffrey Hollander
Business of Sports & That's Entertainment
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade.
Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.Diane Hollander
That's Entertainment
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.
We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.
Geri Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Donna Kaz
September 11, 2001
DONNA KAZ spent 9 years as a docent for both the 9/11 Tribute Center and the September 11th National Memorial and Museum. She worked in the 9/11 Museum's Oral History department and assisted with the opening of that museum in 2014. She is a multi-genre author and has been published in Variety, Theatre Topics, Ms. Magazine, YOU, Bitch Media, Bust, Alternet, Role Reboot, Stonecoast Review, Crab Orchard Review, The Dramatist, Ful Art magazine, Lilith, The Sun, Gender Across Borders and Women in Hollywood. She is the recipient of Venus Theatre’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Jerry Kaufman Playwriting Award and the Yoko Ono Courage Award for the Arts. Kaz is a 2022/23 Winterthur Research Fellow and the director of the Kaz Conference Writing Workshop. She joined OLLI in the fall of 2022 and this is her first workshop as a leader.
Paul Knel
Interregnum - November 11, 1918 to September 1, 1939
I have a BA in Biology from Brooklyn College and a DDS from NYU College of Dentistry.
1 am a returning workshop leader. The topic I have chosen is one that has never been done at OLLI. With all that is occurring in the world, I believe the topic is very relevant..
Martin Levinson
American Foreign Policy
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Bonnie Marks
New York Times Science Seminar
I have been a member of OLLI for 15 years. I was a former elementary teacher. I have taken the New York Times seminar every semester I have been a OLLI. I have had the pleasure of leading the class along with 3 different co-leaders for a number of years. There is always something new going on in science and health.
Catherine McDonnell
French for Beginners & Conversational French
After a long career as a French teacher in public school (elementary and secondary levels), I was fortunate to discover OLLI which has so enriched my life both intellectually and socially. I have been a workshop leader for over fifteen years. It has been such a joy - not only for the opportunity to teach the language I love, but also for all the fun I have had in class with the wonderful friends I have made over the years. In my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking and gardening.
Scott and Mary McMullen
Casual Cards and Games
Scott: I am a retired educator. I spent my career as a science teacher and administrator. I have been an OLLI member for several years and enjoyed a variety of workshops. I have always enjoyed getting together with family and friends to play games. I hope to share the fun with members of OLLI.
Mary: I am a retired educator. I taught elementary grades. I have been an OLLI member for several years and enjoyed a variety of workshops. I have always enjoyed getting together with family and friends to play games. I hope to share the fun with members of OLLI.
Robert Mirman
The Twilight Zone Continues
I was a workshop leader for Op-Ed for 2 summers.
I enjoy interacting with OLLI members from various backgrounds, and the socialization.
I loved the show back then and thinking about it now brings up a whole different perspective.
I’m married for almost 53 years with two married daughters and four granddaughters. I am a US Air Force veteran.
I was employed for almost 40 years in financial services.
We love to travel.
I am a former President of OLLI.Paul Mohan
Behavioral Neurosciences Amazingly Simplified
You don’t stop dancing because you grow old - You grow old because you stop dancing ~
George Bernard Shaw
I joined OLLI in the fall of 2017, not realizing it would become one of my life’s most critical decisions. Though, recovering from a traumatic accident, OLLI thankfully welcomed me with open arms. Ever since, I am improving tremendously - medically, cognitively and emotionally.Consequently, other members have encouraged me to tell my story and share those strategies I am using to redevelop my brain functions. They believe as I do that these methods can help anyone enhance their cognitive skills and social interactions - that may eventually lead to a happier, healthier and more satisfying life. Thus, the impetus for my workshop. I have a background in both academia and the corporate world. I have taught premedical sciences at both the high school and college levels. I’ve worked in senior management in the entertainment industry (HBO, Warner Media) where I enjoyed coaching and motivating
employees. I’ve also led workshops on behavior, leadership and social interactions; and have
delivered presentations and speeches across the country.I continue to serve on various advisory councils and boards at academic, religious, and medical
organizations.What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others ~ Pericles
Florence Mondry
Poetry Out Loud
Florence Mondry, a retired high school English teacher, has led workshops in poetry and literature at OLLI for 17 years except during the pandemic. She has had her own poems published in a variety of publications including Oberon Poetry journal by whom she was awarded honorable mention, Voices Israel, an international poetry anthology, Suffolk County Poetry Review, Nassau County Poet Laureate Society journal from whom she received third prize for her poems and Paumanok Transitions, a Long Island anthology of poems and pictures. Florence belongs to two book groups, one at Emma S. Clark Library and another with friends meeting in their homes for forty years.
Frank Myers
Political Ideologies and Arguments in the Twentieth Century - and After
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Robert Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Robert Oliva
ON1 Photo Editing Part 2
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Tony Parlatore
Rights, Camera, Action!
Tony Parlatore has practiced law for over 50 years. He has tried countless cases in both criminal and civil courts, taught law at Dowling College and NYIT, and presented educational programs to fellow attorneys and jurists through the Suffolk Academy of Law, the educational division of the Suffolk County Bar Association.
Mark Prendergast
Craft of Writing
Rights, Camera, Actions!Mark J. Prendergast worked more than three decades as a newspaper journalist, including 13 years as an editor at The New York Times. He is a recipient of the First Amendment Award of the Society of Professional Journalists and holds degrees from Columbia and Ohio State. He has taught on the full-time faculties of Ohio University and St. John's University in New York City, where he was director of the journalism program.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Murray Rawn
Current Events
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Marty Rubenstein
The Big Band Era: Its History and Music
I have been a member of OLLI since the ROUNDTABLE DAYS. I have taught many workshops featuring the Big Band Era, early Rock and Roll, and Photography. I was a Physics teacher for 40 years and actually taught PHYSICS for POETS once. My main hobbies include Jazz Guitar, sports, and listening to and seeing popular music performed. I love leading workshops and making friends with lovers of good popular music of the past and present.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.Sherry Shore
Duplicate Bridge
I joined OLLI on retirement from a career in education. After being reintroduced to bridge, Arnie and I decided we would teach bridge. I have enjoyed the membership of OLLI and working with Arnie. My other interests include gardening, knitting, biking, and traveling.
Wayne Snell
Science of Natural Healing
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Gene Sprouse
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
My professional and education experience includes: •B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017
Bruce Stasiuk
Uncritical Thinking
I've been a workshop leader ever since I started. I enjoy being a workshop leader because it permits me to talk a lot. I picked this topic because there's nothing else I know much about. As I've said before, I grew up in the South Bronx and I drink tomato juice every day. I've had a variety of jobs. I was a ventriloquist. Then I was a juggler. Afterwards I became an alpine yodeler. I always wanted to be the cop inside of the Midtown Tunnel, a soda jerk, or a window washer. I graduated from an accredited college.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gem of Long Island
Indigenous FilmsI have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. I love discovering new and intensely creative presentations of indigenous writers and filmakers. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gem of Long Island
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren. I love sharing my love for nature and photography with the people in my workshop.
Dorothy Sterrett
Watercolor Studio
A former teacher, Dorothy is an accomplished artist working in watercolor and stained glass. She is a long time OLLI/Roundtable member and regularly helps curate the OLLI Art Wall exhibit. Her organizational talents and artistic advice are valued by all.
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio
Poetry WorkshopI have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Tina Sznitken
Stained Glass Workshop, part II
Our class is a cooperative learning environment where students help one another with ideas and suggestions whenever appropriate.
Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Anahi Walton Schafer
Spanish 1 - 2nd semester
Crochet and Knit Your Way to Zen! - 2nd semesterI joined OLLI in September 2021 after retiring from teaching Spanish in MS and HS. After a many-year hiatus, I went back to knitting and crocheting. It felt so liberating and then,,, COVID struck! I had even more time and enjoyed creating colorful things! This is my second semester leading OLLI workshops. I would like to contribute to the OLLI community and create a space to get together, learn from each other and create. I enjoy gardening and have 2 chickens.
Larry Wilson
Mysteries of the Human Mind
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2018. I enjoy sharing interesting information. I had a career in IT. My hobbies include music, running, biking, and hiking.
Jay Zuckerman
The Twilight Zone Revisited
I have been an OLLI member for five years but have never lead a workshop. The recent workshop about Alfred Hitchcock and the television series he developed was the impetuous for me deciding to work with Bob Merman in presenting the Twilight Zone.
For more than 30 years I was a hospital Vice President at South Shore University Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center. I spent several years working on the NYS Senate Health Committee in Albany.
My hobbies include fishing boating, photography and helping several non-profit organizations. - Fall 2022
Leaders
Peter Akras
Food, Science, and the Human Body, Part III
BS, Earth and Space Science, Stony Brook 1972
MSPH, Environmental Health Science, UNC Chapel Hill 1977
BS Civil Engineering, NYU/Polytechnic University,1980
Master Gardener Volunteer Instructor, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Retired Sr. Public Health Engineer, Wastewater Management Suffolk County Health ServicesCarter Bancroft
Our Wonderful Consciousness
In the past 11years, I have led or co-led 19 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Our Wonderful Consciousness this semester because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist.
My professional and research experience includes:
- B.A. Physics, Antioch College, 1959
- M.A. Physics, Johns Hopkins University, 1961.
- Ph.D. Biophysics, University of California Berkeley, 1966.
- Postdocs at Brandeis University and Harvard Medical School, 1967-1970.
- Asst and Assoc Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University., 1970-1976.
- Associate Member and Head of Cellular Gene Expression and Regulation Laboratory, Sloan-Kettering Institute. 1976-1985.
- Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1985-2004.
- Acting Chair, Department of Physiology and Physics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 2002-2004.
Other professional activities: Consulting for Biotechnology Industry, Chaired the 1990 Gordon Conference on Hormone Action, and was a member from 1991-1995 of the National Institutes of Health Endocrinology Study Section, and was a founding member and on the advisory board of the journal Molecular Endocrinology.
Information about my scientific achievements and publications can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, reading, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.Arthur Bernstein
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start a workshop in OLLI. I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, so I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller. Peter Bond
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, Associate
David Bouchier
Classical Music: Themes and Variations V
David Bouchier is the resident essayist for National Public Radio Stations WSHU & WSUF in Fairfield, Connecticut, and formerly hosted the Sunday afternoon classical music program “Sunday Matinee.” He has been leading OLLI workshops on classical music since 2016.
Richard Bova
Electronic Navigation Systems: Radio Beacons to GPS
Learn to Draw - For BeginnersI have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Thomas Brownworth
Classical Music: Themes and Variations V
I am a former high school math teacher and computer science instructor.
Ken Buxbaum
Am I My Father's Son?
Op-Ed, Your Opinion of Their OpinionI have been a workshop leader since September 2000. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
How Happiness Thinks
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Village Chabad Stony Brook NY, is a sought-after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 15 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Jothi Curcio
Advanced Bridge
Fall 2019 and portion of the Spring 2020. I love Bridge and enjoy facilitating the game. Bridge players demand to have an Advanced Bridge class. I worked and retired from IBM as a senior Information Technology Specialist. I was the President of OLLI Advisory Board from 2020-2021. I enjoy reading, playing bridge and traveling.
Lou D'Onofrio
Behavioral Neurosciences Amazingly Simplified
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Jackie Day
Why Museums Matter
I led a workshop at the Long Island Museum in 2015, after retiring as executive director at the museum. That workshop was a general introduction to museum programs and management. THIS workshop will focus on the topic of diversity, and how museums today are working toward better reflecting the diversity of their community through their programs and outreach efforts. My professional background is in museums. I served as executive director of the Adirondack Museum, and before that as director of the Gallery Association of New York State. I’m especially interested in how museums can expand access and address cultural and racial diversity through exhibitions and programs.
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part 1
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Bob DeCostanzo
Religious Traditions and Religious Thought - across Time and across the Globe
Shtisel: The Kosher Soap Opera ContinuesI have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Doris Diamond
Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Karen Dipaola
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
I have enjoyed taking many classes and meeting interesting new people since I joined the OLLI program in 2017. I love the variety of classes, and am particularly interested in classes dealing with literature and with social justice issues. This will be the first course I will be co-leading. Before retirement I was an elementary reading teacher and adjunct assistant professor of literacy.
Anita Edwards
Regional American Writers: Into the Twentieth Century
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Larry Fein
Business of Sports: Let's Talk!
Larry has been a consistent support in the zoom research and screen sharing. He is an avid sports fan who loves our NY Metro teams.
Diane Fischer
The Mystery Novel as Literature
I’ve been co-leading the workshop: The Mystery Novel as Literature with Tasha Greenberg for 3 years now. Since I am an avid reader – especially of mystery novels, I enjoy being able to introduce others to some of my favorite authors.
In my previous life I was a college professor, finishing my career at Dowling College, School of Business, Computer Information Systems. These days I do volunteer work for Response, Long Island, and am on my condo Board of Managers, acting as secretary and webmaster.
Sandy Flansbaum
Am I My Father's Son?
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since September 2000 and Roundtable president 2004-05. I enjoy leading this workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in the transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf
Arnie Fox
Duplicate Bridge
I have been an OLLI/Roundtable member for about 18 years and have been co-leading the Duplicate Bridge workshop with Sherry Shore for 12 years. I am a certified ACBL teacher. In my previous life I taught high school accounting and computer courses. Interacting with our workshop participants is a great source of enjoyment and stimulation. In addition to bridge, I enjoy tennis and traveling (cruising) the world.
Fred Friedberg
The Clarinet Concerto: From Vivaldi to Copeland to Jazz
My reason for wanting to lead this new workshop:
I love the beautiful sound of the solo clarinet as a dramatic and lyrical instrument that is only enhanced with symphonic accompaniment. From OLLI classical music workshops which have had enthusiastic attendee participation, I got the idea to lead my own class on the clarinet concerto. I played the instrument for about a decade starting at age 8 in Upstate New York. My desire to teach such a class has only increased in the preparation I’ve done over the past several weeks. Hearing beautifully performed clarinet concertos in concentrated form on Youtube has generated more and more research on my part to make this workshop interesting and uplifting, perhaps even inspirational.
My background:
Playing the clarinet through grammar school and high school led to my participation in local bands and orchestras. I played first (solo) chair in the all-county and all-state bands in central New York. At age 14, I performed the Mozart clarinet concerto at the Syracuse University concert hall (Crouse auditorium). At 18, I was invited to audition for the Syracuse Symphony, but my career interests were moving in a different direction. I did play the clarinet in the US Army Reserve Band through my 20s. These experiences generated an appreciation for symphonic music and particularly clarinet pieces. I have first-hand knowledge and appreciation of the instrument that is well suited to lead this workshop.
Professionally, I’m a PhD psychologist and research professor in psychiatry at Stony Brook Medicine. I run studies on chronic fatigue syndrome focusing on identifying possible biomarkers and non-invasive treatments for the illness. Hobby-wise, I like to play volleyball, swim and ice skate.
Kenneth Geils
20 - 22 -24
I have been a member of OLLI since late in the last century. I have led or shared that role in a variety of workshops. I replaced Ray Crede in Russia resurrected and taught Russian history from the beginnings for 15 some years. I started digesting a good book with Dan Hensen ages ago, and it's now in the capable hands of Dana Geils. I taught with Fred Baron, Joel Spinner, Dick Sunningham and others the American Presidents Workshop. Dana and I have facilitated a workshop titled "Those Faraway Places with Strange Sounding Names." A fun travel sharing experience. And I have undertaken a workshop over the years on presidential elections. Why? I love to learn, and I think one learns best by teaching & preparing to teach.
Dana Geils
20 - 22 - 24
Digesting a Good BookI've been an OLLI member since 2008 and a member of the Digesting a Good Book Workshop since then.Within a few years I became the co-leader of the group and for the last few years the sole leader of this book group.
Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers of which I have been a part for several decades :)John Gobler
National Parks of California
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Linda Good
Beginning Bridge
I have been teaching Bridge at OLLI since 2009 until COVID shut us down. I love teaching this class and the students seem to be good learners and enjoy the classes. Learning bridge takes many semesters, and most students continue with me. Professionally I was a guidance counselor with the Adult education Program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES for 19 years, prior to that was a secretary at Brentwood School District. My hobbies are bridge, golf, mahjongg, swimming, water aerobics and reading - also puzzles.
Ada Graham
Once Upon A Time: Writing Fiction
To honor Ron Hollander who invested so much of himself in getting this class launched, we have decided to continue with the class for the fall session. All participants will be "leaders" from time to time in discussions of other's works. Annette and I will make sure that the class has direction, if necessary. Before I got into industry, I taught English in public schools and colleges/universities, specializing in creative writing and teaching how to teach writing. I spent the majority of my writing career, writing for the power generation companies and the computer industries, and I eventually managed global teams of writers. After that, I concentrated on the business of training computer engineers, as well as corporate and sales operations. After I retired, I was the treasurer of a theater, and I served as volunteer treasurer for several not-for-profits.
Tasha Greenberg
La France d'Aujourd'hui
The Mystery Novel as LiteratureI have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.)
I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Irma & Sol Gurman
American Plays
Understanding OperaWe have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
Carmela Gustafson
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
Zero-Sum Racial Hierachy: Fallacies and Perils. A Group Reading of The Sum of Us, by Heather McGheeI am a recently-retired middle school Social Studies and English teacher, and new member of OLLI. Although my K-12 teaching career is over, I continue to work as an adjunct Assistant Professor and Literacy Specialist in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, where I earned my doctorate in 2019. The graduate course that I’m privileged to teach, Literacy and Learning in the Content Areas, is primarily aimed at pre- and early-service Social Studies and Mathematics educators. I find it both satisfying and inspiring to work with such enthusiastic and dedicated young teachers.
An avid reader, I enjoy a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction texts. In fact, it’s not unusual for me to have at least two books at a time that I am in the process of reading (something I’ve been guilty of doing since childhood!). Since I also love movies and music, my husband and I have been long-time subscribers to the Stony Brook Film Festivals, and (pre-pandemic) have frequented many of the other performances at the Staller Center. Beyond that, I’ve been a vegetarian for over 45 years, I love to cook and bake, I’m a somewhat obsessive knitter, and, perhaps most important of all, I’m a grateful and enthusiastic grandmother of two young boys.Mary Hance
Walking for Fitness
I am a retired principal from the Woodland Elementary School in the Hicksville School District. Prior to my career in education, I was a CPA. I am blessed with two children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren as well as the many friends I have made at OLLI. Besides walking, which I have done as a means of exercise for the past 30 years, I enjoy golf. The workshops I have taken at OLLI are in areas that I did not have the time to pursue while fostering my career and raising my family. I have learned so much from the many workshops I have had the privilege to attend as well as the wonderful special event trips that have been offered.
Richard Hart
Philosophical Fiction of J.M. Coetzee
Richard Hart is a retired professor of philosophy at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has over 45 years of experience teaching philosophy, and has been offering OLLI workshops at SBU for four years. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from SBU in 1984. Leading OLLI workshops is especially gratifying because of the abiding interest and intellectual caliber of the registrants. The Steinbeck workshop follows on over 40 years of reading, teaching and writing about all things Steinbeck.
Thomas Hayes
2nd Year Latin
Continuing Advanced Latin
Sex, Lies and Makeovers: Ovid's MetamorphosesI am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
Bob Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Jeffrey Hollander
Business of Sports: Let's Talk!
There's No Business Like Show BusinessI have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade.
Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.Diane Hollander
There's No Business Like Show Business
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.
We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.Geri Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Stephen Karol
Elijah the Prophet: The Man Who Never "Died" and Still "Lives"
This is my fifth year as an OLLI workshop leader. I love being a workshop leader because it gives me the opportunity to interact with a smart and motivated group of people. Having led other workshops about the Book of Ecclesiastes, what Judaism and Christianity have in common, King David, and The Four Foremothers, I have decided to do one about the greatest person in the Hebrew Bible--Moses. He is a fascinating man, an interesting leader, and an undeniable icon.
I have been a rabbi for 43 years--12 of which were at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook--and I was given the honorary title of "Rabbi Emeritus" when I retired in 2014. I am a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and my wife Donna and I have been married for four years. My hobbies include reading (actual books!), walking, photography, and collecting Donald Duck memorabilia.Paul Knel
Interregnum - November 11, 1918 to September 1, 1939
I have a BA in Biology from Brooklyn College and a DDS from NYU College of Dentistry.
1 am a returning workshop leader. The topic I have chosen is one that has never been done at OLLI. With all that is occurring in the world, I believe the topic is very relevant..Martin Levinson
A Short History of Conspiracy Theories in America
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Barbara Liebermann
La France d'Aujourd'hui
Barbara has been co-leader for every year that the La France d'Aujourd'hui workshop has been held. Her French language skills are excellent. She has lived in France for a few years, and keeps in contact with French people who became her friends while she was living there. She has taught Advanced French language classes in local high schools. She is a wonderful resource for French culture as well, thanks to her personal experience.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Michael Maione
Magic for Grandparents
Mike Maione is a comedy magician based on Long Island. He is a founder of the Parlor of Mystery, a magic venue where he performs regularly. Mike is an internationally known creator and inventor of magical effects and a member of London's "Magic Circle" and the prestigious FFFF. He is a past president of the Long Island Mystics, the local chapter of the Society of American Magicians.
Bonnie Marks
New York Times Seminar
I have been a member of OLLI for 15 years. I was a former elementary teacher. I have taken the New York Times seminar every semester I have been a OLLI. I have had the pleasure of leading the class along with 3 different co-leaders for a number of years. There is always something new going on in science and health.
Catherine McDonnell
Conversational French
After a long career as a French teacher in public school (elementary and secondary levels), I was fortunate to discover OLLI which has so enriched my life both intellectually and socially. I have been a workshop leader for over fifteen years. It has been such a joy - not only for the opportunity to teach the language I love, but also for all the fun I have had in class with the wonderful friends I have made over the years. In my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking and gardening.
Scott and Mary McMullen
Casual Cards and Games
Scott: I am a retired educator. I spent my career as a science teacher and administrator. I have been an OLLI member for several years and enjoyed a variety of workshops. I have always enjoyed getting together with family and friends to play games. I hope to share the fun with members of OLLI.
Mary: I am a retired educator. I taught elementary grades. I have been an OLLI member for several years and enjoyed a variety of workshops. I have always enjoyed getting together with family and friends to play games. I hope to share the fun with members of OLLI.
Robert Mirman
The Twilight Zone Revisited
I was a workshop leader for Op-Ed for 2 summers.
I enjoy interacting with OLLI members from various backgrounds, and the socialization.
I loved the show back then and thinking about it now brings up a whole different perspective.
I’m married for almost 53 years with two married daughters and four granddaughters. I am a US Air Force veteran.
I was employed for almost 40 years in financial services.
We love to travel.
I am a former President of OLLI.Paul Mohan
Behavioral Neurosciences Amazingly Simplified
You don’t stop dancing because you grow old - You grow old because you stop dancing ~
George Bernard Shaw
I joined OLLI in the fall of 2017, not realizing it would become one of my life’s most critical decisions. Though, recovering from a traumatic accident, OLLI thankfully welcomed me with open arms. Ever since, I am improving tremendously - medically, cognitively and emotionally.Consequently, other members have encouraged me to tell my story and share those strategies I am using to redevelop my brain functions. They believe as I do that these methods can help anyone enhance their cognitive skills and social interactions - that may eventually lead to a happier, healthier and more satisfying life. Thus, the impetus for my workshop. I have a background in both academia and the corporate world. I have taught premedical sciences at both the high school and college levels. I’ve worked in senior management in the entertainment industry (HBO, Warner Media) where I enjoyed coaching and motivating
employees. I’ve also led workshops on behavior, leadership and social interactions; and have
delivered presentations and speeches across the country.I continue to serve on various advisory councils and boards at academic, religious, and medical
organizations.What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others ~ Pericles
Florence Mondry
Poetry Out Loud
Florence Mondry, a retired high school English teacher, has led workshops in poetry and literature at OLLI for 17 years except during the pandemic. She has had her own poems published in a variety of publications including Oberon Poetry journal by whom she was awarded honorable mention, Voices Israel, an international poetry anthology, Suffolk County Poetry Review, Nassau County Poet Laureate Society journal from whom she received third prize for her poems and Paumanok Transitions, a Long Island anthology of poems and pictures. Florence belongs to two book groups, one at Emma S. Clark Library and another with friends meeting in their homes for forty years.Frank Myers
Analyzing Lincoln's Speeches
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Robert Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Robert Oliva
ON1 2022 Photo Editing
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Tony Parlatore
Rights, Camera, Action!
Tony Parlatore has practiced law for over 50 years. He has tried countless cases in both criminal and civil courts, taught law at Dowling College and NYIT, and presented educational programs to fellow attorneys and jurists through the Suffolk Academy of Law, the educational division of the Suffolk County Bar Association.
Joe Perlman
For Book Lovers Only
I have been a bibliophile most of my life. I am a retired financial systems analyst, but I continue to operate an online used and rare book business- Mostly Useful Fictions. I have been seriously collecting books for about forty years, with substantial collections on James Joyce, Jack Kerouac and the Beat Movement, Anne Frank, and Books about Books. I have written many articles on books, bookselling, and book collecting for book trade magazines and journals. I taught an OLLI class in book collecting last January.
Mark Prendergast
Craft of Writing
Rights, Camera, Actions!Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Murray Rawn
Current Events
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Marty Rubenstein
Classic Jazz and the Great American Songbook
I have been a member of OLLI since the ROUNDTABLE DAYS. I have taught many workshops featuring the Big Band Era, early Rock and Roll, and Photography. I was a Physics teacher for 40 years and actually taught PHYSICS for POETS once. My main hobbies include Jazz Guitar, sports, and listening to and seeing popular music performed. I love leading workshops and making friends with lovers of good popular music of the past and present.
Rick Rubin
Shtisel: The Kosher Soap Opera Continues
I’ve enjoyed leading workshops on Israeli literature and film. The subject matter of this proposed workshop ties into these previous classes in a variety of ways. I’m a retired Special Education teacher who attempts to find peace and equanimity on the golf course.
Allan Sachs
New York Times Science Seminar
Allen has been a co-leader of the science workshop for 2 years. He was a former science teacher, and brings a great deal of knowledge to the course.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.Sherry Shore
Duplicate Bridge
I joined OLLI on retirement from a career in education. After being reintroduced to bridge, Arnie and I decided we would teach bridge. I have enjoyed the membership of OLLI and working with Arnie. My other interests include gardening, knitting, biking, and traveling.
Wayne Snell
Science of Natural Healing
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Louise Spangle
Cooking Tasty Meals for One
This is my first time as an OLLI workshop leader, but I have enjoyed being a participant in OLLI workshops since the fall of 2017. I was chatting with other participants in one of my spring workshops when we started talking about the challenges of cooking for one and about our favorite recipes. I realized that I would like to be a workshop leader for a cooking-related workshop. I was a food and nutrition educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County for more than 20 year, designing classes that encouraged healthy eating by teaching ways to make simple tasty recipes. I moved to Long Island from California with my family in 1988. I have dual master’s degrees in Nutrition Science and Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley. Besides cooking and collecting cookbooks and recipes, I also like to hike, grow flowers and vegetables on my tiny condo patio and small flower beds, visit museums, read novels, mysteries, and poetry.
Gene Sprouse
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
My professional and education experience includes: •B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017
Bruce Stasiuk
The Longest Distance Between Two Points
I have been a workshop leader since I started. I decided to lead a workshop in my chosen topic because I don't know anything beyond my chosen topic. I was born in The Bronx and I drink tomato juice almost every day. My hobbies are personal hygiene and metabolizing foodstuffs.
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gem of Long Island
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren. I love sharing my love for nature and photography with the people in my workshop.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gem of Long Island
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. I love discovering new and intensely creative presentations of indigenous writers and filmakers. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Dorothy Sterrett
Watercolor Studio
A former teacher, Dorothy is an accomplished artist working in watercolor and stained glass. She is a long time OLLI/Roundtable member and regularly helps curate the OLLI Art Wall exhibit. Her organizational talents and artistic advice are valued by all.
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Diane Streuli
Stained Glass: Beginner and Intermediate Level
Our class is a cooperative learning environment where students help one another with ideas and suggestions whenever appropriate.
Tina Sznitken
Stained Glass: Beginner and Intermediate Level
Our class is a cooperative learning environment where students help one another with ideas and suggestions whenever appropriate.
David Tarbell
On Life and Consciousness
I have been leading workshops for OLLI for 4 years.
I enjoy the interaction with other OLLI members and it prompts me to do further research on topics I am interested in.
I decided to focus on ethics and political philosophy this term because it seems relevant to current events.
I completed all but the dissertation in philosophy at the New School, and am a ordained UU minister. I am retired from a professional career as an systems engineer.Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Annette Thies
Once Upon A Time: Writing Fiction
Annette Thies is a retired swim coach with a Masters in Organizational and Learning Sciences. She currently writes for the National International Swim Coaches Association. She was previously published in the Southwest Sage Anthology and Kalediscope WoJo. Annette’s writing journey began when she started writing letters to her son after he was born. At Ron Hollander’s encouragement in his Joy of Writing class she learned the tools for writing a compelling fiction and continues to work at the craft with the help of other writers in critique group an the continued Once Upon a Time fiction class created by Ron and carried on by his more than able student, Ada Graham. Annette will co-lead this class.
Anahi Walton Schafer
Spanish Basics +
I joined OLLI in September 2021 after retiring from teaching Spanish in MS and HS. After a many-year hiatus, I went back to knitting and crochet. It felt so liberating...and then, COVID struck! Even more reasons to have time and enjoy creating colorful and tangible things! This is my first attempt to lead an OLLI workshop. I would like to contribute to the OLLI community and create a space to get together, learn from each other and create. I enjoy gardening and have 2 chickens.
Jay Zuckerman
The Twilight Zone Revisited
I have been an OLLI member for five years but have never lead a workshop. The recent workshop about Alfred Hitchcock and the television series he developed was the impetuous for me deciding to work with Bob Merman in presenting the Twilight Zone.
For more than 30 years I was a hospital Vice President at South Shore University Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center. I spent several years working on the NYS Senate Health Committee in Albany.
My hobbies include fishing boating, photography and helping several non-profit organizations. - Spring 2022
Leaders
Arthur Berntein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start up a workshop in OLLI. Since I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Peter Bond
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, Associate Director for several disciplines and as a spokesperson to give overviews of Brookhaven science activities to public groups.David Bouchier
A European Grand Tour in Music
David Bouchier is the resident essayist for National Public Radio Stations WSHU & WSUF in Fairfield, Connecticut, and formerly hosted the Sunday afternoon classical music program “Sunday Matinee.” He has been leading OLLI workshops on classical music since 2016
Richard Bova
Learn to Draw
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.Ken Buxbaum
Your Opinion of Their Opinion, Op-Ed Thursday
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since September 2000. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Bob DeCostanzo
Shtisel: A Kosher Soap Opera...The Discussion Continues & The Paleo Perspective
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion.
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part II
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Doris Diamond
Advance Creative Photography
Doris: For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Karen Dipaola
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Rediscovering the "Master of Suspense"
Karen:
I have enjoyed taking many classes and meeting interesting new people since I joined the OLLI program in 2017. I love the variety of classes, and am particularly interested in classes dealing with literature and with social justice issues. This will be the first course I will be co-leading. Before retirement I was an elementary reading teacher and adjunct assistant professor of literacy.
Lou D'Onofrio
Behavioral Neurosciences Amazingly Simplified & Topics in Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Anita Edwards
Regional American Writers
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Larry Fein
Business of Sports
Larry has been a consistent support in the zoom research and screen sharing. He is an avid sports fan who loves our NY Metro teams. Please contact him for the other bio info.
Diane Fischer
The Mystery Novel as Literature
I’ve been co-leading the workshop: The Mystery Novel as Literature with Tasha Greenberg for 3 years now. Since I am an avid reader – especially of mystery novels, I enjoy being able to introduce others to some of my favorite authors.
In my previous life I was a college professor, finishing my career at Dowling College, School of Business, Computer Information Systems. These days I do volunteer work for Response, Long Island, and am on my condo Board of Managers, acting as secretary and webmaster.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member since 2008 and a member of the Digesting a Good Book Workshop since then. Within a few years I became the co-leader of the group and for the last few years the sole leader of this book group. Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers of which I have been a part for several decades!
John Gobler
National Parks of New England Part II
John: I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Tasha Greenberg
La France d'Aujourd'hui & The Mystery Novel as Literature
Tasha: I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.) I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Irma Gurman
American Plays & Understanding Opera
Taught this workshop many years ago. I was a vocal music teacher and vocal coach, teaching opera to private students.
Bob Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Thomas Hayes
Continuing Latin & Introduction to Latin, second semester & The Rise of Rome: Livy Book I-V
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
Narayan Hegde
Gandhi: His Life and Legacy
Narayan Hegde is an Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury. A fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he is an award-winning translator of some of the prominent contemporary Indian writers and a recipient of a literature fellowship of the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 2017, he has led OLLI workshops on Indian Literature and on Gandhi. He traces his interest in Gandhi, in part, to his younger years of growing up in India where the older members of his family were closely associated with the Independence Movement led by Gandhi.
Diane Hollander
Television's Iconic Sitcoms and Variety Shows
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.
We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.Jeffrey Hollander
Business of Sports & Television's Iconic Sitcoms and Variety Shows
Jeffrey: I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade.
Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Ron Hollander
Once Upon A Time: Writing Fiction
This will be at least my fifth semester as a workshop leader teaching writing (previously the Joy of Writing). I write regularly for the Memoir Workshop, and am well along on what appears to be a novel on a Holocaust survivor in 1948, I was a professor of journalism/English and Holocaust studies for 26 years at Montclair State University, NJ, and at Rutgers. Prior, I was a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, freelance travel writer and photographer, and TV reporter for 28 years. Some of my credentials: New York Times Travel, NY Post, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, China Daily (Beijing 2 years Fulbright Fellowship), Town & Country magazine (Contributing Editor), Travel magazine, Cablevision on-air reporter, CBS Morning News writer. Books: "We Knew: America's Newspapers Report the Holocaust" lead chapter; "All Aboard! Lionel Trains" 100,000 sales, #61 Amazon. Publicity: Oprah, Charles Osgood, Tom Snyder, NYT Holiday Choice, USA Today front page. Hobbies: Toy trains, soldier/castle collector, model ship collector, race my 1947 MG-TC roadster. I love and value fine, disciplined writing which has been my life-long skill and vocation, and have almost a mission to share that knowledge with others.
Geri Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Geri: Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Caroline Kiang
Environmental Gardening for Long Island with an emphasis on food gardening
joined OLLI in 2015 and have enjoyed participating multiple workshops. I have been very impressed with the enthusiasm of workshop leaders, members and staff of OLLI. During the pandemic, a new appreciation for botanical gardens and environmental gardening have surged. Food Gardening in particular has been popular in the backyard, schools and community. In my view, it's time to have a workshop on "Environmental Gardening in Long Island and Beyond" with emphasis in food gardening for passionate and new gardeners alike.
I worked as a Cooperative Extension Educator/Team Coordinator in Community and Environmental Horticulture program with Cornell Cooperative Extension - Suffolk County, NY from 1976 to 2014. I have a Bachelor Degree in the Science of Horticulture from Taiwan and one Master Degree in Professional Studies from Cornell University, NY. My hobbies: Photography, Travel and Hiking.
Harold Kirk
Inside the Atom II
Harold Kirk has spent 45+ years in the field of particle physics culminating at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has led OLLI workshops for 5 years.
Martin Levinson
American Foreign Policy
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Barbara Liebermann
La France d'Aujourd'hui
Barbara has been co-leader for every year that the La France d'Aujourd'hui workshop has been held. Her French language skills are excellent. She has lived in France for a few years, and keeps in contact with French people who became her friends while she was living there. She has taught Advanced French language classes in local high schools. She is a wonderful resource for French culture as well, thanks to her personal experience.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Michael LoMonico
"Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli" The Films of Francis Ford Cappola & Shakespeare Uncovered
I have been an OLLI member since 2017, and have led workshops on Shakespeare, "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter," "Black Plays Matter," and "Spike Lee Matters."
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
I am currently working on a novel based on my father's 1933 Diary about his CCC Adventures in Yellowstone National Park.
michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Paul Mohan
Behavioral Neurosciences Amazingly Simplified
You don’t stop dancing because you grow old - You grow old because you stop dancing ~ George
Bernard Shaw
I joined OLLI in the fall of 2017, not realizing it would become one of my life’s most critical decisions. Though, recovering from a traumatic accident, OLLI thankfully welcomed me with open arms. Ever since, I am improving tremendously - medically, cognitively and emotionally.Consequently, other members have encouraged me to tell my story and share those strategies I am using to redevelop my brain functions. They believe as I do that these methods can help anyone enhance their cognitive skills and social interactions - that may eventually lead to a happier, healthier and more satisfying life. Thus, the impetus for my workshop. I have a background in both academia and the corporate world. I have taught premedical
sciences at both the high school and college levels. I’ve worked in senior management in the
entertainment industry (HBO, Warner Media) where I enjoyed coaching and motivating
employees. I’ve also led workshops on behavior, leadership and social interactions; and have
delivered presentations and speeches across the country.I continue to serve on various advisory councils and boards at academic, religious, and medical
organizations.What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of
others ~ PericlesFrank Myer
Political Argument and Ideologies in the Twentieth Century
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Robert Ober
Current Events & Thinking as a Second Language
Robert: I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Robert Olivia
ON1 Photo Editing Part 2
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.
Paula Pelletier
Watercolor for Beginners
I am a former data analyst at Stony Brook University who fell in love with watercolor somewhere along the way. My paintings have been accepted into juried shows at the Art League of Long Island, the Long Island Museum, the Huntington Arts Council and Gallery North. OLLI students are great learners and fun to teach.
Mark Prendergast
Craft of Writing
Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Murray Rawn
Current Events
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Rick Rubin
Shtisel: A Kosher Soap Opera...The Discussion Continues
Rick: I’ve enjoyed leading workshops on Israeli literature and film. The subject matter of this proposed workshop ties into these previous classes in a variety of ways. I’m a retired Special Education teacher who attempts to find peace and equanimity on the golf course.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.Louise Spangle
Cooking Tasty Meals for One
This is my first time as an OLLI workshop leader, but I have enjoyed being a participant in OLLI workshops since the fall of 2017. I was chatting with other participants in one of my spring workshops when we started talking about the challenges of cooking for one and about our favorite recipes. I realized that I would like to be a workshop leader for a cooking-related workshop. I was a food and nutrition educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County for more than 20 year, designing classes that encouraged healthy eating by teaching ways to make simple tasty recipes. I moved to Long Island from California with my family in 1988. I have dual master’s degrees in Nutrition Science and Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley. Besides cooking and collecting cookbooks and recipes, I also like to hike, grow flowers and vegetables on my tiny condo patio and small flower beds, visit museums, read novels, mysteries, and poetry.
Gene Sprouse
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
My professional and education experience includes: •B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017Bruce Stasiuk
Thinking as a Second Language
I have been a workshop leader since I started. I decided to lead a workshop in my chosen topic because I don't know anything beyond my chosen topic. I was born in The Bronx and I drink tomato juice almost every day. My hobbies are personal hygiene and metabolizing foodstuffs.
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gems of Long Island
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren. I love sharing my love for nature and photography with the people in my workshop.
Susan Steinmann
Indigenous Voices & Nature Photography: Gems of Long Island
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. I love discovering new and intensely creative presentations of indigenous writers and filmakers. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Dorothy Sterrett
Watercolor Studio
A former teacher, Dorothy is an accomplished artist working in watercolor and stained glass. She is a long time OLLI/Roundtable member and regularly helps curate the OLLI Art Wall exhibit. Her organizational talents and artistic advice are valued by all.
Bob Stone
Poetry Workshop & Watercolor Studio
Bob: I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
- OLLI in January 2022
Leaders
Richard Bova
Electronic Navigation Systems, Dead Reckoning to GPS
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Bob DeCostanzo
The Roots of Religion & Shtisel: A Soap Opera... The Discussion Continues
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Tasha Greenberg
Relax with Classic French Movies
I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.)
I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Carmela Gustafson
I am a recently-retired middle school Social Studies and English teacher, and new member of OLLI. Although my K-12 teaching career is over, I continue to work as an adjunct Assistant Professor and Literacy Specialist in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, where I earned my doctorate in 2019. The graduate course that I’m privileged to teach, Literacy and Learning in the Content Areas, is primarily aimed at pre- and early-service Social Studies and Mathematics educators. I find it both satisfying and inspiring to work with such enthusiastic and dedicated young teachers.
An avid reader, I enjoy a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction texts. In fact, it’s not unusual for me to have at least two books at a time that I am in the process of reading (something I’ve been guilty of doing since childhood!). Since I also love movies and music, my husband and I have been long-time subscribers to the Stony Brook Film Festivals, and (pre-pandemic) have frequented many of the other performances at the Staller Center. Beyond that, I’ve been a vegetarian for over 45 years, I love to cook and bake, I’m a somewhat obsessive knitter, and, perhaps most important of all, I’m a grateful and enthusiastic grandmother of two young boys.Bob Hayes
The Building Blocks of Re-Ability
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Michael LoMonico
Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home to OLLI
I have been an OLLI member since 2017, and have led workshops on Shakespeare, "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter," "Black Plays Matter," and "Spike Lee Matters."
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
I am currently working on a novel based on my father's 1933 Diary about his CCC Adventures in Yellowstone National Park.michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Bob Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Murray Rawn
Current Events
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Rick Rubin
SHTISEL….A Kosher Soap Opera….Let’s Discuss
I’ve enjoyed leading workshops on Israeli literature and film. The subject matter of this proposed workshop ties into these previous classes in a variety of ways. I’m a retired Special Education teacher who attempts to find peace and equanimity on the golf course.
Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
- Fall 2021
Leaders
Carter Bancroft
Einstein's Scientific World
In the past 10 years, I have led or co-led 17 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist. I have a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Information about my academic appointments and scientific achievements in science can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.
Arthur Bernstein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start up a workshop in OLLI. Since I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Peter Bond
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, Associate Director for several disciplines and as a spokesperson to give overviews of Brookhaven science activities to public groups.David Bouchier
Classical Music: Themes and Variations VI
Most of my work has been as a university teacher and writer. For twenty years until 2015 I also hosted a program of classical music and commentary called “Sunday Matinee” on Public Radio station WSHU, learning a great deal about music in the process. This inspired me to offer some classical music workshops with OLLI.
My most recent books are a collection of stories about life in a French village called "Not Quite a Stranger," two essay collections, "Out of Thin Air," and "Dark Matters," and a memoir, "An Unexpected Life."
Until COVID came along my wife Diane and I lived alternately in Stony Brook, and in a village near Uzès in France.
Richard Bova
Understanding Eelectronics
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Worrier to Warrior Jewish Secrets to Felling Good However You Feel
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Frank De. Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part I
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Bob DeConstanzo
It's About TIME! & SHTISEL….A Kosher Soap Opera….Let’s Discuss : Co-leader
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Doris Diamond
Advanced Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Karen Dipaola
Book Discussion of “Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson
I have enjoyed taking many classes and meeting interesting new people since I joined the OLLI program in 2017. I love the variety of classes, and am particularly interested in classes dealing with literature and with social justice issues. This will be the first course I will be co-leading. Before retirement I was an elementary reading teacher and adjunct assistant professor of literacy.
Lou Donofrio
Wellness and Aging (Leader) & Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (Co-leader)
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Anita Edwards
Regional American Writers: New York, New England
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Larry Fein
Business of Sports : Co-leader
Larry has been a consistent support in the zoom research and screen sharing. He is an avid sports fan who loves our NY Metro teams.
Diana Fischer
THE MYSTERY NOVEL AS LITERATURE: SOME NEW VOICES (co-leader)
I’ve been co-leading the workshop: The Mystery Novel as Literature with Tasha Greenberg for 3 years now. Since I am an avid reader – especially of mystery novels, I enjoy being able to introduce others to some of my favorite authors.
In my previous life I was a college professor, finishing my career at Dowling College, School of Business, Computer Information Systems. These days I do volunteer work for Response, Long Island, and am on my condo Board of Managers, acting as secretary and webmaster.
Sanford Flansbaum
Your OPINION of Their OPINION (Op-Op) & Am I My Father's Son? (co-leader)
Sanford has been the co-leader of both workshops for at least 10 years when the workshop was held on campus.
Arthur Forman
Physics of the very small
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since the Round Table days. I have enjoyed teaching because I want others to enjoy the subject material as well. This time around I have a new topic because I like the challenge of having to learn new material (while I still can). I was a chemist and not a physicist which I think puts me in a better position to understand the difficulties others may have in grasping physics. I used to enjoy kayaking, but my back no longer allows it.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member for 12 years and a member of the OLLI book group, Digesting a Good Book, for almost as long. Within a few years I became the co-leader and for the last few years the sole leader of the workshop. Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example for my students by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers which I have been a part of for the last 26 years.
John Gobler
The National Parks of New England
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Tasha Greenberg
The Mystery Novel as Literature: A Balm During Trying Times & La France d'Aujourd'hui
I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.) I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Irma and Sol Gurman
American Plays &The World of Leonard Bernstein
We have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
gharmonee@gmail.com (Irma) & partypoet@optimum.net (Sol)
Richard Hart
The Philosophical Fiction of Charles Johnson
Richard Hart is a retired professor of philosophy at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has over 45 years of experience teaching philosophy, and has been offering OLLI workshops at SBU for four years. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from SBU in 1984. Leading OLLI workshops is especially gratifying because of the abiding interest and intellectual caliber of the registrants. The Steinbeck workshop follows on over 40 years of reading, teaching and writing about all things Steinbeck.
Jackie Harvey
Beginning Bridge : Co-leader
Jackie has been my co-leader since 2010. She is an excellent teacher and a great bridge player. She was a teacher for many years. She enjoys playing bridge, caring for dogs, gardening, and opera.
Thomas Hayes
Introcution to Latin
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
Bob Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Germaine Hodges
Advanced Creative Photography : Co-leader
I was an University Administrator for over 30 years and upon retirement was lucky enough to have someone recommend OLLI to me. I loved photography many decades ago, and as it does, life intervened. Retirement and OLLI gave me the opportunity to resume and refine this passion and labor of love. A few years ago I offered to help with a few workshops and have enjoyed it immensely. I am grateful for all the learning opportunities at OLLI, but most of all my learning enthusiast friends at OLLI!
germaine.hodges@stonybrook.edu
Jeffery Hollander
Business Of Sports & HOW NYC'S ICONIC SITCOMS PORTRAYED OUR LIVES FOR HALF A CENTURY
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade. Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years. I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Diana Hollander
HOW NYC'S ICONIC SITCOMS PORTRAYED OUR LIVES FOR HALF A CENTURY
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.
Ron Hollander
Joy of Writing
This will be my third semester as a workshop leader. I was a professor of journalism/English and Holocaust studies for 26 years at Montclair State University, NJ, and at Rutgers. Prior, I was a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, freelance travel writer and photographer, and TV reporter for 28 years. Some of my credentials: New York Times Travel, NY Post, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, China Daily (Beijing 2 years Fulbright Fellowship), Town & Country magazine (Contributing Editor), Travel magazine, Cablevision on-air reporter, CBS Morning News writer. Books: "We Knew: America's Newspapers Report the Holocaust" lead chapter; "All Aboard! Lionel Trains" 100,000 sales, #61 Amazon. Publicity: Oprah, Charles Osgood, Tom Snyder, NYT Holiday Choice, USA Today front page. Hobbies: Toy trains, soldier/castle collector, model ship collector, race my 1947 MG-TC roadster. I love and value fine, disciplined writing which has been my life-long skill and vocation, and have almost a mission to share that knowledge with others.
Joseph Hyler
Conservative Political Ideas
I am a former psychiatric social worker and academic. I have a Ph.D. in Political Science and a M.S.W. I have been a member of Olli for about five years and taught a workshop on socialism prior to the Covid scare.
Geri Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Stephen Karol
Moses: The Man, The Leader, The Icon (Part Two)
This is my fifth year as an OLLI workshop leader. I love being a workshop leader because it gives me the opportunity to interact with a smart and motivated group of people. Having led other workshops about the Book of Ecclesiastes, what Judaism and Christianity have in common, King David, and The Four Foremothers, I have decided to do one about the greatest person in the Hebrew Bible--Moses. He is a fascinating man, an interesting leader, and an undeniable icon.
I have been a rabbi for 43 years--12 of which were at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook--and I was given the honorary title of "Rabbi Emeritus" when I retired in 2014. I am a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and my wife Donna and I have been married for four years. My hobbies include reading (actual books!), walking, photography, and collecting Donald Duck memorabilia.
Harold Kirk
Inside the Atom I
Harold Kirk has spent 45+ years in the field of particle physics culminating at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has led OLLI workshops for 5 years.
Martin Levinson
America at War: From Lexington to Afghanistan
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Barbara Liebermann
La France d'Aujourd'hui : Co-Leader
Barbara has been co-leader for every year that the La France d'Aujourd'hui workshop has been held. Her French language skills are excellent. She has lived in France for a few years, and keeps in contact with French people who became her friends while she was living there. She has taught Advanced French language classes in local high schools. She is a wonderful resource for French culture as well, thanks to her personal experience.
Yvonne Lieffrig
Book Discussion of “Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson : Co-leader
I joined OLLI in 2011 just after I retired from being the Town Attorney in Smithtown. I was a Registered Nurse for 15 years. Then I went to law school and graduated from Touro Law School in 1984. I enjoy taking some of the OLLI classes but I have not been a leader or co-leader. I belong to the women's golf league at Landing Ave.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Marianne Mione
Understanding the New Testament Part 1
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2008. I enjoy learning and sharing what I learn. OLLI people ask great questions. I have an MA in Theology and worked for 26 years as a Director of Faith Formation in several parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2008 I co-led a workshop on Darwin and mentioned my background. Several weeks later a person from the workshop stopped me in the hall and told me she had just left a workshop in which a Jewish instructor who had just taught the Sermon on the Mount lamented the lack of Christians to teach Christian scriptures. After a few weeks of thought I volunteered to lead a workshop on Christian Scriptures.
Frank Myers
Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism: What do these words mean and where do they come from?
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Robert Ober
Current Events & Earn a PhD in Eleven Weeks : Co-leader
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Robert Oliva
ON1 Photo Editing
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.
Linda Peyser
Book Discussion of “Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson : Co-leader
Mark Prendergast
Craft of Writing
Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Murray Rawn
Current Events : Co-leader
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Rick Rubin
SHTISEL….A Kosher Soap Opera….Let’s Discuss
I’ve enjoyed leading workshops on Israeli literature and film. The subject matter of this proposed workshop ties into these previous classes in a variety of ways. I’m a retired Special Education teacher who attempts to find peace and equanimity on the golf course.
Allen Sachs
New York Times Science Seminar
Allen has been a co-leader of the science workshop for 2 years. He was a former science teacher, and brings a great deal of knowledge to the course.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.
Sherry Shore
Duplicate Bridge : Co-leader
I joined OLLI on retirement from a career in education. After being reintroduced to bridge, Arnie and I decided we would teach bridge. I have enjoyed the membership of OLLI and working with Arnie. My other interests include gardening, knitting, biking, and traveling.
Wayne Snell
Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt & Practicing Mindfulness
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Louise Spangle
Cooking Tasty Meals for One
This is my first time as an OLLI workshop leader, but I have enjoyed being a participant in OLLI workshops since the fall of 2017. I was chatting with other participants in one of my spring workshops when we started talking about the challenges of cooking for one and about our favorite recipes. I realized that I would like to be a workshop leader for a cooking-related workshop. I was a food and nutrition educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County for more than 20 year, designing classes that encouraged healthy eating by teaching ways to make simple tasty recipes. I moved to Long Island from California with my family in 1988. I have dual master’s degrees in Nutrition Science and Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley. Besides cooking and collecting cookbooks and recipes, I also like to hike, grow flowers and vegetables on my tiny condo patio and small flower beds, visit museums, read novels, mysteries, and poetry.
Gene Sprouse
The Science Behind the Headlines: Climate Change and Other Issues
My professional and education experience includes: •B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017
Bruce Stasiuk
Earn a PhD in Eleven Weeks
I started leading an OLLI workshop during the economic crash of 2008, but, I didn't cause it. I enjoy being a leader because I control the mute button...hehe. I keep leading the same class, but I change the name each semester so that it will attract innocents. I attended an institute of higher learning. My hobbies are humming songs from the sixties and metabolizing.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gems of Long Island Nature Preserves & Indigenous Voices in Film and Print
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography: Gems of Long Island Nature Preserves
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren.
Dorothy Sterrett
Watercolor Studio : Co-leader
A former teacher, Dorothy is an accomplished artist working in watercolor and stained glass. She is a long time OLLI/Roundtable member and regularly helps curate the OLLI Art Wall exhibit. Her organizational talents and artistic advice are valued by all.
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio (Leader) & Poetry workshop (Co-leader)
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
David Tarbell
Philosophy
I have been leading workshops for OLLI for 4 years.
I enjoy the interaction with other OLLI members and it prompts me to do further research on topics I am interested in. I decided to focus on ethics and political philosophy this term because it seems relevant to current events. I completed all but the dissertation in philosophy at the New School, and am a ordained UU minister. I am retired from a professional career as an systems engineer.Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
- Summer 2021
Leader
Robert Weiss
A History of Israel
I have led OLLI workshops for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with OLLI members. As an Israeli I have lived the history of the creation of the State of Israel and am familiar with Israel's history and current events. I am a retired physician (OB-GYN). Travel and photography are some of my hobbies, now in view of the restrictions I play chess.
Bob Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Bob Hayes
Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel Through the Lens of the Six-Day War
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Thomas Hayes
Latin, 2nd year, continuing & Roman Literature: Horace
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4years.
Lou Donofrio
Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI.
Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
John Gobler
The History of Long Island Aviation & The National Wildlife Preserves of New York State & Old Testament Part 2 (Co-leader)
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Louise Spangle
Cooking Tasty Meals for One
This is my first time as an OLLI workshop leader, but I have enjoyed being a participant in OLLI workshops since the fall of 2017. I was chatting with other participants in one of my spring workshops when we started talking about the challenges of cooking for one and about our favorite recipes. I realized that I would like to be a workshop leader for a cooking-related workshop. I was a food and nutrition educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County for more than 20 year, designing classes that encouraged healthy eating by teaching ways to make simple tasty recipes. I moved to Long Island from California with my family in 1988. I have dual master’s degrees in Nutrition Science and Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley. Besides cooking and collecting cookbooks and recipes, I also like to hike, grow flowers and vegetables on my tiny condo patio and small flower beds, visit museums, read novels, mysteries, and poetry.
Ron Hollander
Joy of Writing
This will be my third semester as a workshop leader. I was a professor of journalism/English and Holocaust studies for 26 years at Montclair State University, NJ, and at Rutgers. Prior, I was a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, freelance travel writer and photographer, and TV reporter for 28 years. Some of my credentials: New York Times Travel, NY Post, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, China Daily (Beijing 2 years Fulbright Fellowship), Town & Country magazine (Contributing Editor), Travel magazine, Cablevision on-air reporter, CBS Morning News writer. Books: "We Knew: America's Newspapers Report the Holocaust" lead chapter; "All Aboard! Lionel Trains" 100,000 sales, #61 Amazon. Publicity: Oprah, Charles Osgood, Tom Snyder, NYT Holiday Choice, USA Today front page. Hobbies: Toy trains, soldier/castle collector, model ship collector, race my 1947 MG-TC roadster. I love and value fine, disciplined writing which has been my life-long skill and vocation, and have almost a mission to share that knowledge with others.
Thomas Brownworth
A History of Israel : Co-Leader
I am a former high school math teacher and computer science instructor.
Murray Rawn
Current Events: Co-Leader
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Sheila Bieber
Memoir Writing: Co-Leader
I've been a member of Olli for approximately 20 years (I think). I enjoy facilitating the Memoir Workshop for two reasons: the people and their writings. Both are interesting, diverse and are never boring. The hobbies that I enjoy are reading, writing, competitive bridge, any challenging game and cooking.
- Spring 2021
Leaders
Carter Bancroft
Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History
In the past 10 years, I have led or co-led 17 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist. I have a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Information about my academic appointments and scientific achievements in science can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.
Robert Bari
How the Universe Works
Dr. Robert Bari is Senior Physicist Emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has over 40 years of experience in nuclear technology development with more than 150 publications. He is an elected fellow of the American Nuclear Society ANS and of the American Physical Society. In 2012 he was a member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences Committee on Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety and Security of the U.S. Nuclear Plants.
In 2018 he was co-leader, with Angela Bari, of the OLLI workshop on How the Universe Works. She was the workshop leader and developer of this course during 2012-2017. We both enjoy discussing physics and related technology in the OLLI workshops because the interactions with the participants are interesting and stimulating.
Angela Bari
Exploring the Met Museum and Topics in Art History (leader) & How the Universe Works (co-leader)
Angela has led workshops in Art History and Science at OLLI for several years. She majored in physics at Rutgers University and earned a master’s degree in physics at Northeastern University. She has worked as an engineer at several military contractors including Northrop Grumman on Long Island where she retired after 26 years. Angela enjoys travelling and visiting museums and is grateful to OLLI for providing the opportunity to share these experiences with others.
Arthur Bernstein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start up a workshop in OLLI. Since I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Sheila Bieber
Memoir Writing
I've been a member of Olli for approximately 20 years (I think). I enjoy facilitating the Memoir Workshop for two reasons: the people and their writings. Both are interesting, diverse and are never boring.
The hobbies that I enjoy are reading, writing, competitive bridge, any challenging game and cooking.
Peter Bond
Science Behind the Headlines
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, AssociateDavid Bouchier
Classical Music: Themes and Variations
Most of my work has been as a university teacher and writer. For twenty years until 2015 I also hosted a program of classical music and commentary called “Sunday Matinee” on Public Radio station WSHU, learning a great deal about music in the process. This inspired me to offer some classical music workshops with OLLI.
My most recent books are a collection of stories about life in a French village called "Not Quite a Stranger," two essay collections, "Out of Thin Air," and "Dark Matters," and a memoir, "An Unexpected Life."
Until COVID came along my wife Diane and I lived alternately in Stony Brook, and in a village near Uzès in France.
Richard Bova
Learn To Draw
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Thomas Brownworth
A History of Israel : Co-Leader
I am a former high school math teacher and computer science instructor.
Ken Buxbaum
Op-Ed Friday
I have been a workshop leader for 19 years. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel Through the Lens of the Six-Day War
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Daniel Daly
Major and Minor Modern Poets
I have been leading workshops for about ten years. I prefer working with adults. My workshops have all been devoted to different literary forms. I've been a teacher my whole life. Besides reading and writing, I watch college football.
Bob DeCostanzo
Gravity - A relatively different view
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part II
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Doris Diamond
Advanced Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Lou Donofrio
Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Anita Edwards
A Series of War Stories
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Diana Fischer
The Mystery Novel as Literature: A Balm During Trying Times
I’ve been co-leading the workshop: The Mystery Novel as Literature with Tasha Greenberg for 3 years now. Since I am an avid reader – especially of mystery novels, I enjoy being able to introduce others to some of my favorite authors.
In my previous life I was a college professor, finishing my career at Dowling College, School of Business, Computer Information Systems. These days I do volunteer work for Response, Long Island, and am on my condo Board of Managers, acting as secretary and webmaster.
Arthur Forman
Gravity - A relatively different view
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since the Round Table days. I have enjoyed teaching because I want others to enjoy the subject material as well. This time around I have a new topic because I like the challenge of having to learn new material (while I still can). I was a chemist and not a physicist which I think puts me in a better position to understand the difficulties others may have in grasping physics. I used to enjoy kayaking, but my back no longer allows it.
David Gable
An Overview of British History & Opera Introduction
For the last decade I have led this workshop on British History at OLLI. My PhD in Modern European History with emphasis on British and Italian history has given me much information for this task, and I enjoy helping others expand their knowledge about history. I have a longtime interest in music and especially opera. I have also sung in several choruses including for fifteen years in the New York Choral Society which performed in Carnegie Hall and at the Richard Tucker Gala. I have also attended opera performances in many of the opera houses of the world.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member for 12 years and a member of the OLLI book group, Digesting a Good Book, for almost as long. Within a few years I became the co-leader and for the last few years the sole leader of the workshop. Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example for my students by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers which I have been a part of for the last 26 years.
John Gobler
The History of Long Island Aviation & The National Wildlife Preserves of New York State & Old Testament Part 2 : Co-leader
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Tasha Greenberg
The Mystery Novel as Literature: A Balm During Trying Times & La France d'Aujourd'hui
I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.)
I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Irma & Sol Gurman
Great places to travel after the pandemic & American Plays
We have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
Igharmonee@gmail.com (Irma) & partypoet@optimum.net (Sol)
Richard Hart
John Steinbeck: Writer and Philosopher
Richard Hart is a retired professor of philosophy at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has over 45 years of experience teaching philosophy, and has been offering OLLI workshops at SBU for four years. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from SBU in 1984. Leading OLLI workshops is especially gratifying because of the abiding interest and intellectual caliber of the registrants. The Steinbeck workshop follows on over 40 years of reading, teaching and writing about all things Steinbeck.
Thomas Hayes
Latin, 2nd year, continuing & Roman Literature: Horace
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4years.
Bob Hayes
Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Narayan Hegde
Literature of India
Narayan Hegde is an Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury. A Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he is an acclaimed translator of some of the prominent contemporary Indian writers and a recipient of the Literature Fellowship of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Merrill Heit
Capturing The World Through Photography
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2009 and enjoy interacting with folks who have an interest in continuing to learn how to see the world through travel and photography. I am a retired environmental scientist.
Germaine Hodges
Advanced Creative Photography
I was an University Administrator for over 30 years and upon retirement was lucky enough to have someone recommend OLLI to me. I loved photography many decades ago, and as it does, life intervened. Retirement and OLLI gave me the opportunity to resume and refine this passion and labor of love. A few years ago I offered to help with a few workshops and have enjoyed it immensely. I am grateful for all the learning opportunities at OLLI, but most of all my learning enthusiast friends at OLLI!
germaine.hodges@stonybrook.edu
Ron Hollander
Joy of Writing
This will be my third semester as a workshop leader. I was a professor of journalism/English and Holocaust studies for 26 years at Montclair State University, NJ, and at Rutgers. Prior, I was a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, freelance travel writer and photographer, and TV reporter for 28 years. Some of my credentials: New York Times Travel, NY Post, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, China Daily (Beijing 2 years Fulbright Fellowship), Town & Country magazine (Contributing Editor), Travel magazine, Cablevision on-air reporter, CBS Morning News writer. Books: "We Knew: America's Newspapers Report the Holocaust" lead chapter; "All Aboard! Lionel Trains" 100,000 sales, #61 Amazon. Publicity: Oprah, Charles Osgood, Tom Snyder, NYT Holiday Choice, USA Today front page. Hobbies: Toy trains, soldier/castle collector, model ship collector, race my 1947 MG-TC roadster. I love and value fine, disciplined writing which has been my life-long skill and vocation, and have almost a mission to share that knowledge with others.
Jeffery Hollander
Business of Sports in 2021 & Seinfeld, the sitcom and so much more!
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade. Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years. I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Diana Hollander
Seinfeld, the sitcom and so much more!
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.
Morris Kaplan
Beginner's Spanish: Helpful Everyday Words & Phrases
I am new to teaching at OLLI. I am an attorney and businessman and am semi-retired. I am fluent in Spanish and also speak Korean fairly well. I taught Spanish as a substitute teacher in my local school district when my son was a student years ago. I learned and excelled in Spanish in middle school, high school and college. I learned Korean as an adult.
I think that it is most important that people have fun when learning words and conversation in a foreign language. I believe that I can teach anyone who is eager to learn some of the basic words and common phrases for everyday experiences. I hope to find a helpful study book to use and to share in our Zoom class. I hope to teach foundational words and greetings and short conversation that you can use in everyday interactions with people you might encounter (delivery people, landscapers, retailers, service professionals, friends and relatives, etc.).Geraldine Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Stephen Karol
Moses: The Man, the Leader, the Icon
This is my fifth year as an OLLI workshop leader. I love being a workshop leader because it gives me the opportunity to interact with a smart and motivated group of people. Having led other workshops about the Book of Ecclesiastes, what Judaism and Christianity have in common, King David, and The Four Foremothers, I have decided to do one about the greatest person in the Hebrew Bible--Moses. He is a fascinating man, an interesting leader, and an undeniable icon.
I have been a rabbi for 43 years--12 of which were at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook--and I was given the honorary title of "Rabbi Emeritus" when I retired in 2014. I am a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and my wife Donna and I have been married for four years. My hobbies include reading (actual books!), walking, photography, and collecting Donald Duck memorabilia.
Caroline Kiang
Environmental Gardening on Long Island and Beyond with an emphasis in Food Gardening
I joined OLLI in 2015 and have enjoyed participating multiple workshops. I have been very impressed with the enthusiasm of workshop leaders, members and staff of OLLI. During the pandemic, a new appreciation for botanical gardens and environmental gardening have surged. Food Gardening in particular has been popular in the backyard, schools and community. In my view, it's time to have a workshop on "Environmental Gardening in Long Island and Beyond" with emphasis in food gardening for passionate and new gardeners alike.
I worked as a Cooperative Extension Educator/Team Coordinator in Community and Environmental Horticulture program with Cornell Cooperative Extension - Suffolk County, NY from 1976 to 2014. I have a Bachelor Degree in the Science of Horticulture from Taiwan and one Master Degree in Professional Studies from Cornell University, NY. My hobbies: Photography, Travel and Hiking.
Harold Kirk
Inside the Atom II
Harold Kirk has spent 45+ years in the field of particle physics culminating at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has led OLLI workshops for 5 years.
Martin Levinson
American Foreign Policy
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Barbara Lieberman
La France d'Aujourd'hui
Barbara has been co-leader for every year that the La France d'Aujourd'hui workshop has been held. Her French language skills are excellent. She has lived in France for a few years, and keeps in contact with French people who became her friends while she was living there. She has taught Advanced French language classes in local high schools. She is a wonderful resource for French culture as well, thanks to her personal experience.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Michael LoMonico
Spike Lee's Movies Matter & Black Theater Matters
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
In addition to leading a series of Shakespeare workshops at OLLI, I recently led sessions on "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter."
I am currently working on a novel based on my father's 1933 Diary about his CCC Adventures in Yellowstone National Park.michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Genevieve (Jane) Madden-Koch
Major and Minor Modern Poets
Jane has worked with Dan Daly's poetry workshop for about eight years. She loves literature. She enjoys our interaction with so many bright and willing adults. Jane has been a teacher with a PhD in English. She is an accomplished pianist.
Marianne Mione
Old Testament Part 2
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2008. I enjoy learning and sharing what I learn. OLLI people ask great questions. I have an MA in Theology and worked for 26 years as a Director of Faith Formation in several parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2008, I co-led a workshop on Darwin and mentioned my background. Several weeks later a person from the workshop stopped me in the hall and told me she had just left a workshop in which a Jewish instructor who had just taught the Sermon on the Mount lamented the lack of Christians to teach Christian scriptures. After a few weeks of thought I volunteered to lead a workshop on Christian Scriptures.
Frank Myers
Analyzing Lincoln's Political Speeches
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
William Negra
Voting in America Past and Present
This will be my first workshop leadership. As a former social studies teacher, I am aware many people do not know how our voting system evolved and how it compares state to state or internationally. I hope to work with other interested members to improve understanding of this critical component of our democracy.
Mary Negra
Voting in America Past and Present : Co-Leader
In the past I assisted in a political workshop. I am a lifelong political junkie and feel we all need to understand the political process better. I am a retired nurse and I volunteer locally with Meals on Wheels.
Bob Ober
Current Events (leader) & Op-Ed Friday (co-leader)
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Paula Pelletier
Watercolor for Beginners
I am a former data analyst at Stony Brook University who fell in love with watercolor somewhere along the way. OLLI students are great learners and fun to teach.
Mark Prendergast
Craft of Writing
Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Murray Rawn
Current Events : Co-Leader
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Luciano Sabatini
Coping with the Loss of a Loved One
Luciano Sabatini is a mental health professional who is the bereavement coordinator at St. Bernard Parish in Levittown. He has been doing bereavement counseling for over 30 years and is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University. He has presented many workshops at bereavement conferences on Long Island and has written two books on his personal and professional experiences in dealing with the loss of a loved one. He is new to OLLI.
Karen Santoro
Meditation
For the past 3 years, I have been an OLLI workshop leader. Teaching meditation has been very good experience for me. Having everyone leave the class more relaxed and having a clear mind is very rewarding. Previously, I taught secondary ed. business. Currently I enjoy bowling, walking, learning how to play Canasta, and having a friend meditation group meeting once a week.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.
Wayne Snell
Practicing Mindfulness & The Science of Natural Healing
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Patricia Sommerstad
Getaways Within Driving Distance
I am a retired educational consultant with 25 years experience facilitating workshops in business and educational settings. Upon retirement, I pursued my passion for travel and food and began presenting my travel adventures to libraries, senior centers and garden clubs. I have presented over 280 programs on local travel and public gardens, food and restaurants. My enthusiasm for the next new place to explore, the next new food to try, and the next opportunity to share my discoveries never wanes! I began my first workshop for OLLI last spring before COVID hit and thoroughly enjoyed the brief experience.
Gene Sprouse
Science Behind the Headlines
My professional and education experience includes:
•B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017Bruce Stasiuk
The Longest Distance Between Two Points
I started leading an OLLI workshop during the economic crash of 2008, but, I didn't cause it. I enjoy being a leader because I control the mute button...hehe. I keep leading the same class, but I change the name each semester so that it will attract innocents. I attended an institute of higher learning. My hobbies are humming songs from the sixties and metabolizing.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography Hiking and Kayaking : Gems of Long Island & Native American history Discussion Group
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography Hiking and Kayaking:Gems of Long Island : Co-Leader
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren.
Bob Stone
Watrecolor Studio
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Robert Weiss
A History of Israel
I have led OLLI workshops for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with OLLI members. As an Israeli I have lived the history of the creation of the State of Israel and am familiar with Israel's history and current events. I am a retired physician (OB-GYN). Travel and photography are some of my hobbies, now in view of the restrictions I play chess.
Larry Wilson
The Effect of Technology on History
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2018. I enjoy sharing interesting information. I had a career in IT. My hobbies include music, running, biking, and hiking.
- Fall 2020
Leaders
Robert Steinmann
Nature Photography - Hiking and Kayaking in Long Islands Nature Preserves - Principles of Composing Nature Photographs
I am a retired electrical designer who loves nature and hikes in wheelchair accessible trails. I have been a co-leader for four years. I love hearing people share experiences in natural places. My hobbies are NASCAR, taking care of our little Onyx and keeping up with our six grandchildren.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography - Hiking and Kayaking in Long Islands Nature Preserves - Principles of Composing Nature Photographs : Co-Leader
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Robert Weiss
A History of Israel
I have led OLLI workshops for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with OLLI members. As an Israeli I have lived the history of the creation of the State of Israel and am familiar with Israel's history and current events. I am a retired physician (OB-GYN). Travel and photography are some of my hobbies, now in view of the restrictions I play chess.
Thomas Brownworth
A History of Israel : Co-Leader
I am a former high school math teacher and computer science instructor.
Robert Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Karen Santoro
Meditation and Mindfulness
For the past 3 years, I have been an OLLI workshop leader. Teaching meditation has been very good experience for me. Having everyone leave the class more relaxed and having a clear mind is very rewarding. Previously, I taught secondary ed. business. Currently I enjoy bowling, walking, learning how to play Canasta, and having a friend meditation group meeting once a week.
Bob Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Tasha Greenberg
The Mystery Novel as Literature & La France D'Aujourd'hui
I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.) I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Diane Fischer
The Mystery Novel as Literature : Co-Leader
I’ve been co-leading the workshop: The Mystery Novel as Literature with Tasha Greenberg for 3 years now. Since I am an avid reader – especially of mystery novels, I enjoy being able to introduce others to
some of my favorite authors.In my previous life I was a college professor, finishing my career at Dowling College, School of Business, Computer Information Systems. These days I do volunteer work for Response, Long Island, and am on
my condo Board of Managers, acting as secretary and webmaster.Bruce Stasiuk
The Only Workshop You'll Ever Need
I started leading an OLLI workshop during the economic crash of 2008, but, I didn't cause it. I enjoy being a leader because I control the mute button...hehe. I keep leading the same class, but I change the name each semester so that it will attract innocents. I attended an institute of higher learning. My hobbies are humming songs from the sixties and metabolizing.
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part I
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Thomas Hayes
Latin, Second Year & Roman Literature: Horace, the Poet with the Light Touch
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
Barbara Lieberman
La France D'Aujourd'hui
Barbara has been co-leader for every year that the La France d'Aujourd'hui workshop has been held. Her French language skills are excellent. She has lived in France for a few years, and keeps in contact with French people who became her friends while she was living there. She has taught Advanced French language classes in local high schools. She is a wonderful resource for French culture as well, thanks to her personal experience.
Lou D'Onofrio
Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Paula Pelletier
Watercolor for Beginners
I am a former data analyst at Stony Brook University who fell in love with watercolor somewhere along the way. OLLI students are great learners and fun to teach.
Gene Sprouse
The Science Behind the Headlines : Co-Leader
My professional and education experience includes:
•B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017Peter Bond
The Science Behind the Headlines
One of the best ways to learn a subject is to try to teach it. As a workshop co-leader I have enjoyed learning and teaching science topics in a hopefully understandable way. The workshops I have taken on a variety of topics have been illuminating and entertaining and the new people I have met are an added bonus. My professional and educational experience includes:
•PhD (Physics), Case Western Reserve 1969
•Postdoc at Stanford 1969-1972
•Brookhaven National Lab 1972 -2015.
•Research in basic nuclear physics until 1986
•Chair of the Physics Department 1987-1997
•Interim Director of the Lab during a challenging period of environment and political issues 1997-98
•Spent 1999 at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President
•Subsequent roles at Brookhaven included numerous interim roles: Deputy Director for Science and Technology, AssociateHarold Kirk
Inside the Atom
Harold Kirk has spent 45+ years in the field of particle physics culminating at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has led OLLI workshops for 5 years.
Jeffrey Hollander
Business of Sports - 2020 Style
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade. Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Denise Teague
Yoga 101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Bob Oliva
Help with Your ON1 Photo Edits - Virtual Lab
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.
Arthur Forman
Gravity - for the Fall
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since the Round Table days. I have enjoyed teaching because I want others to enjoy the subject material as well. This time around I have a new topic because I like the challenge of having to learn new material (while I still can). I was a chemist and not a physicist which I think puts me in a better position to understand the difficulties others may have in grasping physics. I used to enjoy kayaking, but my back no longer allows it.
Robert DeCostanzo
Gravity - for the Fall : Co-Leader
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion
Carter Bancroft
Impossible: Physics Beyond the Edge
In the past 10 years, I have led or co-led 17 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist. I have a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Information about my academic appointments and scientific achievements in science can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member for 12 years and a member of the OLLI book group, Digesting a Good Book, for almost as long. Within a few years I became the co-leader and for the last few years the sole leader of the workshop. Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example for my students by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers which I have been a part of for the last 26 years.
David Gable
Topics in British History & Opera, Opera, Opera
For the last decade I have led this workshop on British History at OLLI. My PhD in Modern European History with emphasis on British and Italian history has given me much information for this task, and I enjoy helping others expand their knowledge about history. I have a longtime interest in music and especially opera. I have also sung in several choruses including for fifteen years in the New York Choral Society which performed in Carnegie Hall and at the Richard Tucker Gala. I have also attended opera performances in many of the opera houses of the world.
David Tarbell
Life and Conscious Experience
I have been leading workshops for OLLI for 4 years.
I enjoy the interaction with other OLLI members and it prompts me to do further research on topics I am interested in. I decided to focus on ethics and political philosophy this term because it seems relevant to current events. I completed all but the dissertation in philosophy at the New School, and am a ordained UU minister. I am retired from a professional career as an systems engineer.Daniel Daly
Poetry, a Living Document
I have been leading workshops for about ten years. I prefer working with adults. My workshops have all been devoted to different literary forms. I've been a teacher my whole life. Besides reading and writing, I watch college football.
Genevieve (Jane) Madden-Koch
Poetry, a Living Document : Co-Leader
Jane has worked with Dan Daly's poetry workshop for about eight years. She loves literature and enjoys our interaction with so many bright and willing adults. She has been a teacher with a PhD in English. She is also an accomplished pianist.
John Gobler
The National Parks of New York State
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Arthur Bernstein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start up a workshop in OLLI. Since I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Bob DeCostanzo
The Paleo Perspective
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion.
Martin Levinson
How to Improve Your Thinking and Communicating Abilities
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
David Bouchier
A Musical Grand Tour
Most of my work has been as a university teacher and writer. For twenty years until 2015 I also hosted a program of classical music and commentary called “Sunday Matinee” on Public Radio station WSHU, learning a great deal about music in the process. This inspired me to offer some classical music workshops with OLLI.
My most recent books are a collection of stories about life in a French village called "Not Quite a Stranger," two essay collections, "Out of Thin Air," and "Dark Matters," and a memoir, "An Unexpected Life."
Until COVID came along my wife Diane and I lived alternately in Stony Brook, and in a village near Uzès in France.
Richard Hart
Socrates/Plato
Richard Hart is a retired professor of philosophy at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has over 45 years of experience teaching philosophy, and has been offering OLLI workshops at SBU for four years. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from SBU in 1984. Leading OLLI workshops is especially gratifying because of the abiding interest and intellectual caliber of the registrants. The Steinbeck workshop follows on over 40 years of reading, teaching and writing about all things Steinbeck.
Merrill Heit
Food: A Cultural Culinary History
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2009 and enjoy interacting with folks who have an interest in continuing to learn how to see the world through travel and photography. I am a retired environmental scientist.
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish/Religious Guide Through Life's Tough Decisions
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Marianne Mione
Old Testament : Co-Leader
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2008. I enjoy learning and sharing what I learn. OLLI people ask great questions. I have an MA in Theology and worked for 26 years as a Director of Faith Formation in several parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2008 I co-led a workshop on Darwin and mentioned my background. Several weeks later a person from the workshop stopped me in the hall and told me she had just left a workshop in which a Jewish instructor who had just taught the Sermon on the Mount lamented the lack of Christians to teach Christian scriptures. After a few weeks of thought I volunteered to lead a workshop on Christian Scriptures.
John Gobler
Old Testament
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 years. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Irma & Sol Gurman
American Plays & Beethoven
We have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
gharmonee@gmail.com (Irma) & partypoet@optimum.net (Sol)
Diane Hollander
Jerry: Before, During and After Seinfeld : Co=Leader
My husband Jeff and I have been providing fun and nostalgic workshops for the past 7 years. We attempt to provide an escape from the stress of life in the New Normal era.
Seinfeld is probably the most discussed and analyzed sitcom in television history.
We love reading books, theatre, movies and walking.Jeffrey Hollander
Jerry: Before,During and After Seinfeld
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade. Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Frank Myers
The Cold War
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Ron Hollander
The Joy of Writing
This will be my third semester as a workshop leader. I was a professor of journalism/English and Holocaust studies for 26 years at Montclair State University, NJ, and at Rutgers. Prior, I was a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, freelance travel writer and photographer, and TV reporter for 28 years. Some of my credentials: New York Times Travel, NY Post, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, China Daily (Beijing 2 years Fulbright Fellowship), Town & Country magazine (Contributing Editor), Travel magazine, Cablevision on-air reporter, CBS Morning News writer. Books: "We Knew: America's Newspapers Report the Holocaust" lead chapter; "All Aboard! Lionel Trains" 100,000 sales, #61 Amazon. Publicity: Oprah, Charles Osgood, Tom Snyder, NYT Holiday Choice, USA Today front page. Hobbies: Toy trains, soldier/castle collector, model ship collector, race my 1947 MG-TC roadster. I love and value fine, disciplined writing which has been my life-long skill and vocation, and have almost a mission to share that knowledge with others.
Mark Prendergast
The Craft of Writing
Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Narayan Hegde
Gandhi: His Life and Legacy
Narayan Hegde is an Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury. A Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he is an acclaimed translator of some of the prominent contemporary Indian writers and a recipient of the Literature Fellowship of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Art and Photography
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Richard Bova
Understanding Electronics
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.
Sheila Bieber
Memoir Writing : Co-Leader
I've been a member of Olli for approximately 20 years (I think). I enjoy facilitating the Memoir Workshop for two reasons: the people and their writings. Both are interesting, diverse and are never boring. The hobbies that I enjoy are reading, writing, competitive bridge, any challenging game and cooking.
Doris Diamond
Advanced Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Germaine Hodges
Advanced Creative Photography : Co-Leader
I was an University Administrator for over 30 years and upon retirement was lucky enough to have someone recommend OLLI to me. I loved photography many decades ago, and as it does, life intervened. Retirement and OLLI gave me the opportunity to resume and refine this passion and labor of love. A few years ago I offered to help with a few workshops and have enjoyed it immensely. I am grateful for all the learning opportunities at OLLI, but most of all my learning enthusiast friends at OLLI!
germaine.hodges@stonybrook.edu
Wayne Snell
Practicing Mindfulness
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Mike LoMonico
Black Movies Matter
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
In addition to leading a series of Shakespeare workshops at OLLI, I recently led sessions on "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter."
I am currently working on a novel based on my father's 1933 Diary about his CCC Adventures in Yellowstone National Park.michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Bob Oliva
ON1 Raw Photo Editing
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Ken Buxbaum
Op-Ed Friday
I have been a workshop leader for 19 years. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Anita Edwards
Great Novels: The Age of Realism
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Geraldine Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Wayne Snell
The Science of Natural Healing
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
- Summer 2020
Leader
Wayne Snell
Making Stress Work for You
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Rafi Weiss
The Prime Ministers of Israel
I have led OLLI workshops for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with OLLI members. As an Israeli I have lived the history of the creation of the State of Israel and am familiar with Israel's history and current events. I am a retired physician (OB-GYN). Travel and photography are some of my hobbies, now in view of the restrictions I play chess.
Bob Hayes
Rock & Soul Pioneers
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Thomas Hayes
Latin Stones Talk - Epigraphy for Everybody
&
Latin Literature, Apuleius’ "The Golden Ass"
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4years.
David Gable
Opera, Opera, Opera & Topics in British History
For the last decade I have led this workshop on British History at OLLI. My PhD in Modern European History with emphasis on British and Italian history has given me much information for this task, and I enjoy helping others expand their knowledge about history. I have a longtime interest in music and especially opera. I have also sung in several choruses including for fifteen years in the New York Choral Society which performed in Carnegie Hall and at the Richard Tucker Gala. I have also attended opera performances in many of the opera houses of the world.
Bruce Stasiuk
Summer School
I started leading an OLLI workshop during the economic crash of 2008, but, I didn't cause it.
I enjoy being a leader because I control the mute button...hehe.
I keep leading the same class, but I change the name each semester so that it will attract innocents.
I attended an institute of higher learning.
My hobbies are humming songs from the sixties and metabolizing.Karen Santoro
Meditation and Mindfulness
For the past 3 years, I have been an OLLI workshop leader. Teaching meditation has been very good experience for me. Having everyone leave the class more relaxed and having a clear mind is very rewarding. Previously, I taught secondary ed. business. Currently I enjoy bowling, walking, learning how to play Canasta, and having a friend meditation group meeting once a week.
Bob Ober
Current Events
I've been a workshop leader for 12+ years. It's fun and current events are always interesting. I'm a retired pilot and enjoy tennis and golf. The rest of my bio is very boring.
Michael LoMonico
A Sampling of Recent African American Literature, Part 2
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
In addition to leading a series of Shakespeare workshops at OLLI, I recently led sessions on "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter."
I am currently working on a novel based on my father's 1933 Diary about his CCC Adventures in Yellowstone National Park.michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Lou Donofrio
Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Martin Levinson
America’s Postwar Presidents: From Truman to Trump
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member for 12 years and a member of the OLLI book group, Digesting a Good Book, for almost as long. Within a few years I became the co-leader and for the last few years the sole leader of the workshop. Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example for my students by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers which I have been a part of for the last 26 years.
John Gobler
The History of Women in Long Island Aviation
I have been a member of RT/OLLI for 19 rears. In the past I have been involved in the Exec/Advisory Board for some 12 years in various positions, including president. I have taught a number of classes, mostly in history. I enjoy doing research and putting together original classes using a viewgraph format.
Irma & Sol Gurman
American Plays
We have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
Igharmonee@gmail.com (Irma) & partypoet@optimum.net (Sol)
Richard Bova
Learn to Draw Part 2
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Eric Lohse
Speaking of Photographs
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI.
Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Judaism’s Gifts to the World: How Major Jewish Ideas Evolved Into Universal Values
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students.
Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Bob Oliva
Show Your ON1 Photo Edits
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Murray Rawn
Current Events : Co-Leader
Murray has been an OLLI member and workshop leader for several years and is a retired psychologist.
Sheila Bieber
Memoir Writing Co-Leader
I've been a member of Olli approximately 20 years (I think). I enjoy facilitating the Memoir Workshop for two reasons: the people and their writings. Both are interesting, diverse and are never boring. The hobbies that I enjoy are reading, writing, competitive bridge, any challenging game and cooking.
- Spring 2020
Leaders
Larry Wilson
Mysteries of Human Evolution
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2018. I enjoy sharing interesting information. I had a career in IT. My hobbies include music, running, biking, and hiking.
Bonnie Marks
New York Times Science Seminar
I have been a member of OLLI for 15 years. I was a former elementary teacher. I have taken the New York Times seminar every semester I have been a OLLI. I have had the pleasure of leading the class along with 3 different co-leaders for a number of years. There is always something new going on in science and health.
Thomas Hayes
Vergil's Aeneid, Part II & Latin Semester II
I am a retired high school and community college Latin teacher. I have lead OLLI workshops for 4 years.
David Gable
Topics in British History & Opera! Opera! Opera!
For the last decade I have led this workshop on British History at OLLI. My PhD in Modern European History with emphasis on British and Italian history has given me much information for this task, and I enjoy helping others expand their knowledge about history. I have a longtime interest in music and especially opera. I have also sung in several choruses including for fifteen years in the New York Choral Society which performed in Carnegie Hall and at the Richard Tucker Gala. I have also attended opera performances in many of the opera houses of the world.
Paula Pelletier
Watercolor for Beginners
I am a former data analyst at Stony Brook University who fell in love with watercolor somewhere along the way. OLLI students are great learners and fun to teach.
Susan Steinmann
Nature Photography: Hiking, Kayaking, and Exploring Long Island
I have been an OLLI workshop leader for four or five years. I love sharing ideas and perceptions with others who love hiking and photographing nature. So many Long Islanders are not aware of the nature that is right in their own backyard. I am a retired elementary school teacher who got a degree in Digital Photography after I left teaching. The topic of Native American History has been mentioned as important by a number of members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and I feel as a history major with an interest in underrepresented minorities I could help lead a discussion group. There are many important Native American authors and histories to visit. My hobbies are photography, hiking, writing poetry, and taking care of all our animals.
Robert Weiss
Current Events in Israel & History of the Holocaust
I have led OLLI workshops for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with OLLI members. As an Israeli I have lived the history of the creation of the State of Israel and am familiar with Israel's history and current events. I am a retired physician (OB-GYN). Travel and photography are some of my hobbies, now in view of the restrictions I play chess.
Robert Hayes
A Celebration of Rock and Soul Music
The first few years at OLLI I enjoyed taking workshops in many areas. I love many types of music, so I decided to try leading a workshop. I was fortunate that in my town there were a great many musical styles, including R&B, Soul and Rock Music. I was pleased to play in a Wind Ensemble. A special experience I had was playing in a Soul Band. The course I share with you is "Rock and Soul Music."
Irma Gurman
American Plays
Sol and I have led many workshops for the past 10 years including a chorus, opera, American plays, Woody Allen, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, and the Beatles, we have traveled to 80 countries around the world and I’ve been to seven continents and have many stories and photographs to share.
Daniel Daly
One-Hunded Classic Poems
I have been leading workshops for about ten years. I prefer working with adults. My workshops have all been devoted to different literary forms. I've been a teacher my whole life. Besides reading and writing, I watch college football.
Bob Oliva
On1 2019 Monday
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Bruce Stasiuk
Don't Believe Everything You Think
I started leading an OLLI workshop during the economic crash of 2008, but, I didn't cause it. I enjoy being a leader because I control the mute button...hehe. I keep leading the same class, but I change the name each semester so that it will attract innocents. I attended an institute of higher learning. My hobbies are humming songs from the sixties and metabolizing.
Frank De Rubeis
Photography Before Photoshop, Part II
I have been a member of OLLI for 5 years. While I did some commercial work in photography when I was younger, photography was not my profession. However, I did study photography at Parson's School of Design on a part time basis from 1975-83. I teach a course in basic photography, including both the technical and technique aspects.
Arnold Fox
Duplicate Bridge
I have been an OLLI/Roundtable member for about 18 years and have been co-leading the Duplicate Bridge workshop with Sherry Shore for 12 years. I am a certified ACBL teacher. In my previous life I taught high school accounting and computer courses. The interactions with our workshop participants is a great source of enjoyment. In addition to bridge, I enjoy tennis and traveling (cruising) the world.
Jeffrey Hollander
Seinfeld Revisited & Business of Sports
I have led the Business of Sports workshop for more than a decade. Creating lively discussions and learning about the history of various sports are goals weekly. Hosting top sports executives and writers further enhances the experience for all. I have co-led Seinfeld workshops for about 7 years.
I am a retired CSD Administrator from the NYC-DOE.
Ken Buxbaum
Am I My Father's Son? & Op-Ed
I have been a workshop leader for 19 years. I enjoy leading the workshop and discussing the events that are affecting our lives. I was an executive in transportation industry, and my hobbies include being an OLLI member, reading, and golf.
Lou Donofrio
Wellness and Aging
I have been a workshop leader since 2017. I enjoy being a workshop leader because I think there is much that we can learn from one another. I decided to lead a workshop on Wellness and Aging because I am interested in learning about the healthy life style choices that will help us as we age. I graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in Engineering. My wife and I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. My hobbies are travel, music, and lifelong learning.
Denise Teague
Yoga101
Denise Teague, OLLI member since 2017 and Yoga workshop leader as of Fall 2020, is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Linda Good
Beginning Bridge
I have been teaching Bridge at OLLI since 2009 until COVID shut us down. I love teaching this class and the students seem to be good learners and enjoy the classes. Learning bridge takes many semesters, and most students continue with me. Professionally I was a guidance counselor with the Adult education Program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES for 19 years, prior to that was a secretary at Brentwood School District. My hobbies are bridge, golf, mahjongg, swimming, water aerobics and reading - also puzzles.
Stephen Karol
The Four Foremothers: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel
This is my fifth year as an OLLI workshop leader. I love being a workshop leader because it gives me the opportunity to interact with a smart and motivated group of people. Having led other workshops about the Book of Ecclesiastes, what Judaism and Christianity have in common, King David, and The Four Foremothers, I have decided to do one about the greatest person in the Hebrew Bible--Moses. He is a fascinating man, an interesting leader, and an undeniable icon.
I have been a rabbi for 43 years--12 of which were at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook--and I was given the honorary title of "Rabbi Emeritus" when I retired in 2014. I am a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and my wife Donna and I have been married for four years. My hobbies include reading (actual books!), walking, photography, and collecting Donald Duck memorabilia.
Martin Levinson
American Foreign Policy
Martin H. Levinson is president of the Institute of General Semantics, a think tank based in New York City. Prior to that he worked as a teacher, counselor, and administrator with the NYC Dept. of Education. In his spare time he presents lectures of historical interest to Suffolk County libraries. He holds a PhD from NYU and loves leading workshops at OLLI because the best way the to learn something is to teach it (actually the best way to learn something is to write about it, and to help with my learning I have published 10 books). OLLI rocks!
Breanne Delligatti
SBU Technology
Prior to coming to Stony Brook, Breanne spent four years at Hofstra University as the Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s College and a Master of Science in Higher Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies with distinction from Hofstra University. She lives in Hauppauge with her husband, Jerry, and their English bulldog, Louie Pancake.
breanne.delligatti@stonybrook.edu
Richard Hart
Socrates
Richard Hart is a retired professor of philosophy at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has over 45 years of experience teaching philosophy, and has been offering OLLI workshops at SBU for four years. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from SBU in 1984. Leading OLLI workshops is especially gratifying because of the abiding interest and intellectual caliber of the registrants. The Steinbeck workshop follows on over 40 years of reading, teaching and writing about all things Steinbeck.
Narayan Hegde
Literature of India in English Translation
Narayan Hegde is an Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury. A Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he is an acclaimed translator of some of the prominent contemporary Indian writers and a recipient of the Literature Fellowship of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Frank Myers
Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism: What do these words mean? And where do they come from?
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Peter Akras
Food, Science, and the Human Body, Part III & Am I My Father's Son?
BS, Earth and Space Science, Stony Brook 1972
MSPH, Environmental Health Science, UNC Chapel Hill 1977
BS Civil Engineering, NYU/Polytechnic University,1980
Master Gardener Volunteer Instructor, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Retired Sr. Public Health Engineer, Wastewater Management Suffolk County Health ServicesMarianne Mione
Great Figures of the New Testament
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2008. I enjoy learning and sharing what I learn. OLLI people ask great questions. I have an MA in Theology and worked for 26 years as a Director of Faith Formation in several parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2008 I co-led a workshop on Darwin and mentioned my background. Several weeks later a person from the workshop stopped me in the hall and told me she had just left a workshop in which a Jewish instructor who had just taught the Sermon on the Mount lamented the lack of Christians to teach Christian scriptures. After a few weeks of thought I volunteered to lead a workshop on Christian Scriptures.
Florence Mondry
Poetry Out Loud
I've been a workshop leader for two years. I enjoy it because I find it intellectually stimulating to read and prepare my presentations and to interact with the very knowledgeable participants in the workshops. I've chosen the topic of Lincoln's speeches because they have long interested me and in my professorial life my research and teaching focused on political rhetoric. I was professor of political science at SBU for many years and I regularly conducted a seminar on this subject that was always well received.
Arthur Bernstein
Tragic Theater
I am an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. I retired sixteen years ago after spending a career of over forty years in industry and academia. I had enjoyed learning and teaching, so it was natural to start up a workshop in OLLI. Since I didn't want to spend any more time in science related subjects, I rather arbitrarily chose theater as the subject. Since its inception, I've discussed the work of playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller.
Michael LoMonico
A Sampling of African American Literature: 2010-2020
In my previous career, I taught high school English in Farmingdale and English Methods and Adolescent Literature at Stony Brook University. I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and taught Shakespeare courses and workshops for teachers and students in 40 states as well as in Canada, England, and the Bahamas.
In addition to leading a series of Shakespeare workshops at OLLI, I recently led sessions on "Recent Black Literature" and "Black Movies Matter."michael.lomonico@stonybrook.edu
Joseph Hyler
The Path Ahead
I am a former psychiatric social worker and academic. I have a Ph.D. in Political Science and a M.S.W. I have been a member of Olli for about five years and taught a workshop on socialism prior to the Covid scare.
Dana Geils
Digesting a Good Book
I've been an OLLI member for 12 years and a member of the OLLI book group, Digesting a Good Book, for almost as long. Within a few years I became the co-leader and for the last few years the sole leader of the workshop.
Whenever I am asked about my hobbies, my answer is READING! As a former elementary school teacher one of my greatest joys was nurturing a love of reading in my young students. We had book groups and a lot of book talk! And I set a good example for my students by being a member of a book group with fellow teachers which I have been a part of for the last 26 years.Tasha Greenberg
La France D'Aujourd'hui
I have been an avid fan of mystery novels and detective stories since adolescence. They are my go-to books when I need entertainment or consolation but they've never been part of any career. (In the distant past I was a French teacher and prior to retirement I managed an academic computer lab full-time and taught computer classes as an Adjunct Instructor at Suffolk community College.)
I've been a workshop leader for over ten years now, and have enjoyed it immensely, including the work involved: reading mystery books, gathering information, setting up Powerpoint presentations, and selecting audiovisual materials. It's all so absorbing and so much fun. But even more I love the interaction with the members; their opinions and suggestions have contributed so much to the success of our workshop. In Junior High School, I fell in love with the French language and vowed that I would be able to speak it fluently one day. I did teach French for a few years but switched to computers after the foreign language requirement was dropped for entry into most colleges. For the past 15 years I've been lucky enough to find great French classes led by Cornelius and Catherine McDonnell. I wanted to become part of this dedicated group of people who love the French language and enjoy the opportunity to practice in a very friendly, forgiving environment!
Bob DeCostanzo
The Paleo Perspective
I have been a member of OLLI for at least ten years, and have been a workshop leader several times. I am a retired engineer, science teacher, and school counselor. My interests are science, evolution and religion.
Karen Santoro
Meditation and Mindfulness
For the past 3 years, I have been an OLLI workshop leader. Teaching meditation has been very good experience for me. Having everyone leave the class more relaxed and having a clear mind is very rewarding. Previously, I taught secondary ed. business. Currently I enjoy bowling, walking, learning how to play Canasta, and having a friend meditation group meeting once a week.
David Bouchier
Ten Great Composers
Most of my work has been as a university teacher and writer. For twenty years until 2015 I also hosted a program of classical music and commentary called “Sunday Matinee” on Public Radio station WSHU, learning a great deal about music in the process. This inspired me to offer some classical music workshops with OLLI.
My most recent books are a collection of stories about life in a French village called "Not Quite a Stranger," two essay collections, "Out of Thin Air," and "Dark Matters," and a memoir, "An Unexpected Life."
Until COVID came along my wife Diane and I lived alternately in Stony Brook, and in a village near Uzès in France.
Patricia Sommerstad
Great Getaways Within Driving Distance
I am a retired educational consultant with 25 years experience facilitating workshops in business and educational settings. Upon retirement, I pursued my passion for travel and food and began presenting my travel adventures to libraries, senior centers and garden clubs. I have presented over 280 programs on local travel and public gardens, food and restaurants. My enthusiasm for the next new place to explore, the next new food to try, and the next opportunity to share my discoveries never wanes! I began my first workshop for OLLI last spring before COVID hit and thoroughly enjoyed the brief experience.
Carter Bancroft
DNA, Genes, and Their Societal Implications
In the past 10 years, I have led or co-led 17 OLLI Workshops. I enjoy this very much because it is very satisfying to teach people as receptive as those in the OLLI program. I have chosen to teach Scientific Breakthroughs in Western History because it is such an exciting topic for me as a scientist. I have a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Information about my academic appointments and scientific achievements in science can be found at my ResearchGate site: www.researchgate.net/profile/Carter_Bancroft/experience
My main hobbies are tennis, softball, acting, and seeing plays, especially Shakespearean ones.
Mark Prendergast
The Press on Film & Joy of Writing
Mark Prendergast, an award-winning journalist and college professor, has been leading OLLI workshops since Summer 2017. The Craft of Writing workshop is intended to help serious writers in various genres strengthen their skills and polish their writing through supportive but constructive critiques by him and the workshop members.
mark.prendergast@stonybrook.edu
Eric Lohse
Adventures in Photography and Art
Having been an enthusiast photographer since my teen years, I was happy to have the chance to be workshop leader at OLLI. Since retiring as a language teacher, photography has again become a great interest of mine. Through the workshop I hope to share my enthusiasm and experience.
Richard Bova
Learn to Draw
I have been an OLLI member since 2017 and a workshop leader for 2 years. My two workshops are “Understanding Electronics” in the Fall and “Learn to Draw” in the Spring sessions.
I am a retired Electronics engineer and at one time, an Electronics instructor at a trade college. Sketching is a hobby for me and I enjoy showing people how they can learn to draw.
Bob Stone
Watercolor Studio
I have been part of OLLI workshops for over ten years as an active participant or leader. The workshops that I enjoy are group efforts where members share their creative projects such as poetry and visual art. These works are presented for our mutual enjoyment, discussion and suggestions for potential improvement. As a former science teacher in higher education I know that learning is an active process and results from analysis and critical thinking.
Dorothy Schiff Shannon
Memoir Writing
Dorothy has been an OLLI member for 25 years. Formerly a first grade teacher, she has had a lifelong interest in writing. As an English major in college, she turned toward reading and writing activities at OLLI. The memoir workshop has been a joy in her life, first as a participant and later as co-leader. She greatly values the support and cohesiveness of the group.
Welcoming former and new participants has become an important part of her current life.
Doris Diamond
Advanced Creative Photography
For the last ten years I have been taking photography classes at OLLI. I've learned so much from both the workshop leaders and participants that I've decided to "give back" by facilitating a workshop. I think I have been leading photo workshops for five or six years (I can't remember). I have had many of my photos shown in local juried shows and am a member of Women Sharing Art. I am also interested in tarot, and, a long time ago, taught an OLLI summer workshop about the history of tarot. Previous to this, I taught elementary school in Smithtown.
Wayne Snell
Science of Natural Healing
I have been a member of OLLI for 18 years. Over these years I have taken and offered class on various topics. I have been enriched by meeting so many fellow members.
Merrill Heit
The History of of Cinema
I have been an OLLI workshop leader since 2009 and enjoy interacting with folks who have an interest in continuing to learn how to see the world through travel and photography. I am a retired environmental scientist.
Gene Sprouse
Physics for Citizens: The Science of Climate Change, Nuclear Power, Medicine, and Cosmology
My professional and education experience includes: •B.S. MIT 1963 (Physics)
•PhD Stanford 1968 (Physics)
•Postdoc Stanford 1968-69
•Stony Brook 1970 - 2007
•Research in nuclear physics
•Awarded the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching
•Chair Physics and Astronomy 1991-1997
•Distinguished Professor 2007-
•American Physical Society 2007-2015
•Editor in Chief, responsible for its 11 research journals, including Physical Review, Physical Review Letters
•Stony Brook 2015-2017Bob Oliva
On1 2019 Friday
I have been a member of OLLI since 2013 and I am a member of the Huntington Camera Club at the Master level.
Teaching workshops in photographic processing in Photoshop and ON1 for five years at OLLI has been fun - sharing and expanding the skills I learned and developed here at OLLI.Geri Kaplan
Poetry Workshop
Writing poetry has been a life long interest. OLLI has helped me share that interest and develop it. I have been the Poetry Workshop Leader for the past four years.
Anita Edwards
The Art of the Satirist
I've been an OLLI workshop leader for four years. I enjoy the people, and I enjoy my continuing involvement in the study of literature. I've been a teacher/school administrator all my adult professional life. I enjoy tennis, playing the piano and writing.
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen
Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish Guide Through Life's Tough Decisions
Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen, Stony Brook NY, is a sought after educator, lecturer, spiritual leader, and mentor. He’s been involved with Adult Education for over 13 years and has presented hundreds of classes to countless students. Topics of his lectures and classes range from Jewish history, ethics, philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. Rabbi Cohen has been giving workshops at OLLI since 2018.
rabbicohen@myvillagechabad.com
Principles of Adult Learning
OLLI is committed to collaborative peer learning in which members and WSLs work together to share their knowledge and experience. Some principles to guide you further are listed below.
- Recognize that all OLLI members bring a significant body of knowledge and experience.
- Encourage the sharing of knowledge.
Ruth Pasternack Application
The Ruth Pasternack Leadership Fund was created in honor of Ruth Pasternack. Ruth was one of the co-founders and the first officially elected president of the Round Table, which later became the OLLI at SBU program. The fund was created for workshop leaders or aspiring workshop leaders to help them stretch to a new or expanded role within OLLI.
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OLLI at SBU Guest Speaker Form
All guest speakers must have a completed Guest Speaker Application on file preferably one week in advance. Exceptions include last minute speakers who make general commitments at the beginning of the semester and finalize dates last minute. In these scenarios, the Program Director must be informed and give verbal approval prior to the guest speaker arriving on campus or entering the workshop via video conference or telephone call.
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