Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

Membership has its privileges! Learn more about the free OLLI member courses and activities planned for Spring 2025. When registering for OLLI, you’ll be able to RSVP to the members-only courses and events that you are interested in attending. 

Current Events
Instructor: Tony Meluskey
Thursday | February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17
3pm | Zoom (Hybrid)
$0 
This course will provide a moderator-led open forum to discuss current topics of interest to the class.  The moderator will propose topics, and the class will suggest topics. The topics are typically in the areas of national politics, international events, and diplomacy. The discussions are always lively and informative. This year we will be testing a Hybrid format where the class will be available on Zoom but also in person at the PARC center.

American Theater in the 19th Century
Instructor: John Wickman
Friday | February 14, 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18 
1pm | Zoom
$0 
What was American theater like in the 19th century? We will discuss some of the popular plays, actors and actresses including Philadelphia's Edwin Forrest and the riot where 21 people were killed over competing Shakespeare performances. And of course, the Booths: father: Junius Brutus and sons Edwin and John Wilkes.

American Songbook Masters: The Musical Legacy of Frank Sinatra
Instructor: Bill Palmerio
Tuesday | February 11, 18, 25, March 4, 11
11:30am -12:30pm | Media
$40
Frank Sinatra: Saloon singer, recording artist, movie actor, devoted father, social activist, unrepentant womanizer, and committed hedonist. It can also be argued that Sinatra’s vast legacy of commercial recordings remains as perhaps the greatest single influence on the evolution of what is now commonly referred to as the “Great American Songbook”. In this class we will examine the career of Frank Sinatra the musician, focusing on the evolution of Frank’s musical style over a decades long career, and his close collaborations with the gifted songwriters, lyricists, musicians and arrangers who created the American Songbook canon. We will hear many of the great Sinatra standards, recorded during his glory years as a recording artist, focusing on his work with the Columbia, Capitol and Reprise record labels. The best albums from the vast Frank Sinatra discography reflect his carefully crafted vocal style and meticulous attention to the smallest of musical details. If you enjoy hearing the great American Songbook standards, sung by a uniquely talented vocalist, the back story of Frank Sinatra’s long recording career is bound to enhance that enjoyment!

The History of the Broadway Theatre
Instructor: Loretta Wehbe
Wednesday | February 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12
1pm – 2pm | Chester
$40
The Growth of Broadway began in 1737 in NYC on Nassau Street.  We will watch films that showcase legends.   Composer, Playwrights, Actors and other Broadway founders. An amazing film, In Their Own Words, will feature Bea Arthur, Kaye Ballard, Carol Channing, Robert Goulet, Julie Harris, Carol Burnett and many more actors talking about performing on Broadway and how it all began. 

Opera 101: Your First Time Opera Experience - Make It a Pleasant One
Instructor: Bill Palmerio
Thursday | February 13, 19, 27, March 6, 13 | Session A
10am -11am | Exton
$40
Opera has existed for over four hundred years, and you will find a vast array of operatic styles being performed in theaters all over the world. So how do you as an opera newbie, or minimally experienced enthusiast, choose the right operas to make your initial trips to the theater memorable? The goal for this class is to help answer this question, providing encouragement and guidance on your path to full opera fandom. Along the way we will explore some of the standard “hits" from the operatic repertoire, all with an eye towards insuring that your first encounters with opera are rewarding! And all of you seasoned opera fanatics out there are also encouraged to attend and share your perspectives on your own opera-going experiences.

Dickens in Philadelphia
Instructor: John Wickman
Thursday | February 13, 19, 27, March 6, 13 
1pm -2pm | Exton
$40
Charles Dickens visited Philadelphia twice. He wrote about one of his visits in American Notes. His experiences in Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary influenced A Tale of Two Cities. We will discuss all of this and his meeting Edgar Allan Poe and we will review the press coverage of his wildly popular public performances reading from his works.

Philosophical Approaches to God
Instructor: Joseph Romano
Monday | March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
11:30am – 12:30pm|Exton
$40
People have expressed their belief in an all-good and powerful God in many ways: through rational proofs and explanations; through experiences of love and beauty; through social acts of kindness and charity. These approaches and many more will be explored. Also, two questions have haunted one's faith commitment: Can we logically prove that a God exists? Is belief in an all-good God consistent with the fact that so much evil exists in the world?  Both pros and cons of these questions will be analyzed.

Getting to Know Lesser Known Religions
Instructor: Linda Zappacosta
Tuesday | March 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15
11am | Media
$40
You are warmly welcome to attend "Getting to Know Lesser Known Religions" by meeting at and visiting places of worship in our region. We will visit the Amish, Quakers, Unitarian Universalists, and two other religions during our five-week session. Please note that visiting the Amish involves meeting at an Amish family home with an optional locally-sourced, substantial lunch ($30) prepared by the mother of the household who will then share their core beliefs. The Amish home is an hour-drive (car-pooling can be arranged) and the other four visits will be local. Learn the tenets of each faith and tour their worship space. Hope you can join us and expand your horizons!
*Amish lunch NOT included in class fee

The History of the American Film Industry
Instructor: Loretta Wehbe
Wednesday | March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16
1pm – 2pm | Chester
$40
The history of Cinema in America, can trace its roots to the East coast, where at one time, Fort Lee New Jersey was the Motion Picture Capital of the world. We will cover, Kinescopes, Silent Movies, The first movie with sound (The Jazz Singer) and the Golden Age of Cinema!

Opera 101: Your First Time Opera Experience - Make It a Pleasant One
Instructor: Bill Palmerio
Thursday | March 20, 27, April 3, 10 17 | Session B
10am -11am | Exton
$40
Opera has existed for over four hundred years, and you will find a vast array of operatic styles being performed in theaters all over the world. So how do you as an opera newbie, or minimally experienced enthusiast, choose the right operas to make your initial trips to the theater memorable? The goal for this class is to help answer this question, providing encouragement and guidance on your path to full opera fandom. Along the way we will explore some of the standard “hits" from the operatic repertoire, all with an eye towards insuring that your first encounters with opera are rewarding! And all of you seasoned opera fanatics out there are also encouraged to attend and share your perspectives on your own opera-going experiences.

The Civil War - 1864, 1865 and Reconstruction
Instructor: David Hudiak
Monday | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10
10am – 11am | Exton
$40
This course will cover the final years of the Civil War, highlighting the major events that led to a Union military victory. The course will then cover the period of Reconstruction after the war as efforts were made to reunite the nation. Major personalities of these years will be highlighted as well. It is not necessary to have taken the courses on the earlier years of the Civil War in order to benefit from this course.

The Joys of Philately and Postal History
Instructor: William Schultz
Monday | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10
11:30am – 12:30pm | Exton
$40
This five-week course provides a fun overview of the wonders of the philatelic hobby as seniors.

The Civil War - 1864, 1865 and Reconstruction
Instructor: David Hudiak
Wednesday | February 12, 19, 26, March 5
10am – 11:15am | Widener
$40
This course will cover the final years of the Civil War, highlighting the major events that led to a Union military victory. The course will then cover the period of Reconstruction after the war as efforts were made to reunite the nation. Major personalities of these years will be highlighted as well. It is not necessary to have taken the courses on the earlier years of the Civil War in order to benefit from this course.
**4 week course**

James and Dolly Madison
Instructor: Jerry McNeff
Monday | March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
10am – 11am | Exton 
$40 
James Madison created the framework for the US Constitution and is known as the Father of the Constitution. He later became our fourth President. Dolly Madison is considered to be the most important First Lady of the 19th century. Join us as we trace their remarkable lives.

Civil War Prisons
Instructor: Robert Collins
Monday | March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
11:30am – 12:30pm | Exton 
$40 
Most Civil War courses are a discussion of battles, strategy, generals, or politicians. This course involves part of the Civil War that is usually overlooked, prisoners of war and the prisons that held them. There were more prisoners of war and more prison deaths in the Civil War than all of our other wars combined. In this course, you will learn about the various facilities used to imprison captured Civil War soldiers, how many were held there, how many died, and what provisions were made for prisoner exchanges. Special attention is given to Andersonville, the worst of the Civil War prisons.

Lessons of the Holocaust: Jewish Resistance
Instructor: Roberta Matz
Monday | March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
1pm – 2pm | Exton 
$40 
Jewish resistance, from passively striving to maintain dignity and identity to armed fighting and death camp uprisings, is a little-known topic of the Holocaust. We will learn about the many attempts to preserve life, tradition and culture during this period of history. 

A History of Women's Rights in the United States 1776 to Present: Women’s Health and the Law.
Instructor: Dr Ilise Feitshans
Wednesday | March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16
11:30am – 12:30pm | Widener
$40
Women's rights have had a distinctly difficult journey in the USA. From the time that Abigail Adams, wife of one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence was ignored when she urged her spouse to “Remember the ladies” by giving women rights to property and voting, women's rights have lagged behind the Rights of Man. We will discuss how this legacy of inequality and injustice is manifest in health disparities between men and women plague society today and possible redress under law.

Pennsylvania from a Geographer's Perspective
Instructor: Paul Kelley
Tuesday | February 11, 18, 25, March 4, 11
1pm – 2pm | Media
$40 
Take an armchair trip around the state's regions with a native Pennsylvanian geographer. Past participants have said they were amazed at how much they learned about the state they thought they knew. Some of what YOU'LL learn is how the landscapes in Pennsylvania were shaped by geology, which in turn influenced how indigenous people and colonial settlers settled in and used the land. You'll learn how a geographer considers both physical and human environments when seeking to understand a place. And you'll see the state for yourself through illustrative maps and the eyes of the instructor's camera lens as he walks you through the geographic regions from the Coastal Plain to the Appalachian Plateau.

The American Civil War - The Antebellum
Instructor: John Meicht
Thursday | February 13, 19, 27, March 6, 13
10am – 11am | Exton 
$40 
The course will focus on the Antebellum Period (before the war) and the Reconstruction (post war). It will also include events and people involved with the pre-war years and followed by the rebuilding of the nation under Reconstruction. Also "Jim Crow" Laws will be discussed.

The Ever-Changing World of Sports
Instructor: Bill Werndl
Thursday | February 13, 19, 27, March 6, 13 | Session A
11:30am – 12:30pm | Exton 
$40 
This course will examine some of the hot button issues in the current sports world with featured guests and celebrities from the sport community. Previous guests include Pete Rose, Vince Papale, Merrill Reese, Dick Vermeil, and others.

What Government Did, Does, Will Do and What That Costs 
Instructor: Nick Marino
Thursday | March 20, 27, April 3, 10 17
10am – 11am | Exton 
$40 
Explore government activities, like Social Security, their histories and future. As we review these activities, we will unwrap the changes and costs to taxpayer for the period from 2017 through 2022.

The Ever-Changing World of Sports
Instructor: Bill Werndl
Thursday | March 20, 27, April 3, 10 17 | Session B
11:30am – 12:30pm | Exton 
$40 
This course will examine some of the hot button issues in the current sports world with featured guests and celebrities from the sport community. Previous guests include Pete Rose, Vince Papale, Merrill Reese, Dick Vermeil, and others.

Geography, Culture and Civilization
Instructor: Jeff Heim
Thursday | March 20, 27, April 3, 10 17
1pm – 2pm | Exton 
$40 
This course is a beginning look at geography’s role in determining culture. Terminology and observation become a simple way of viewing the patterns of human movement (centered on N. Africa, the Middle East and S. Asia). The purpose is to show that all societies have a culture but only a few become “civilized” (the meaning and usage of this word is important). The second half of the course compares the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, seeking to show that both societies met the needs of civilization but produced virtually opposite solutions.

Silver Age Yoga
Instructor: Roberta Matz
Monday | March 14, 24, 31, April 7, 14
10am – 11am | Exton
$40
Yoga is a healthy discipline perfect for improving flexibility, balance and posture. This class will use seated chair and chair supported postures to improve your mental and physical well-being.  Men and women can benefit from improving their mind-body connection through this exercise form

Managing Diabetes
Instructor: Janet Coston
Tuesday | February 11, 18, 25, March 4, 11
10am – 11am | Media
$40
Managing Diabetes is a course designed for people with or at risk for Diabetes.  It teaches the skills needed in the day-to-day management of Diabetes that help to maintain or increase life's activities. The meetings are highly interactive, focusing on building skills, sharing experiences and support.  This course will also help participants gain self-confidence with their ability to control symptoms, develop weekly action plans, ask questions to assist in problem solving and work with their own Health Care Teams.