Lawrence offers many programs for seniors to continue to learn about new topics even after retirement.
| 2018 Q2 | story by Bob Luder | photos by Steven Hertzog
Kathy and Dustin Walker doing yoga at Westside Yoga
A couple of years back, Kathy Walker and her husband, Dustin, traveled to Buffalo, New York, where they planned to visit some old war sites. But they wanted to do more than simply gaze upon memorials and old battle grounds grown over by 200 years. They wanted to know more about the history and significance of where they were visiting, and what happened there.
So the Walkers signed up for a course at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kansas (KU).
“By the time we took this trip to Buffalo, we had taken a class with Osher on the War of 1812,” Kathy says. “We just knew more about what we were seeing. It really enhanced the whole trip for us.”
The Osher Institute, as well as other like-minded programs throughout Lawrence, has enhanced the lives of lifelong learners in the area for the last several years. The majority of the constituency has been senior citizens interested in staying vibrant in their later years through continuing education.
Put another way, keeping life fresh by learning something new.
“We’ve taken about 40 classes over the years,” Kathy says. “I pick things I know nothing about. We’re taking two this summer—one on Negro League Baseball and the art of Napoleon and Josephine. We might take a third on the roaring twenties.”
While Osher offers classes, other programs sponsor lifelong learning opportunities for Lawrence seniors.
The New Generation Society of Lawrence provides its members with opportunities to pursue lifelong learning, stay active in the community and support local philanthropic causes through a series of one-hour programs. Lawrence Parks and Recreation offers seniors not only physical fitness classes and programs, but book clubs, film studies and other activities. The Lawrence Public Library and Lawrence Memorial Hospital also have various lifelong learning programs for those older than 50.
“It just keeps your mind active,” Kathy says. “That’s what we want to do.”
Jim Peters, Director of KU Osher
Osher
In 2004, KU received a charter from The Bernard Osher Foundation in San Francisco to establish a branch of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Osher, a 90-year-old millionaire who started the World Savings Bank, established the foundation in 1977, which today supports 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes across the U.S. The goal is to meet the needs of older learners who want to learn simply for the joy of it.
Since 2007, the foundation has awarded two $1-million endowed grants to KU Professional and Continuing Education.
“(Osher) and his wife have structured his wealth to do some good things,” says Jim Peters, director of the KU Osher branch. “There are 120 institutes in all 50 states. We are the only one in Kansas.”
Osher holds classes at 19 different sites in 11 cities throughout the state. There are even courses sponsored by the Osher KU branch held on the campus of Kansas State University, in Manhattan.
Peters says there are roughly 3,000 participants—average age 74—during a given term. Each course consists of three two-hour class sessions held one night per week for three weeks.
An Osher class on architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Osher’s programs are noncredited enrichment programs. That is, little to no homework, no tests, no grades. Simply learning for the enjoyment of expanding the brain.
“We recently had a Legos class where we encouraged parents and grandparents to bring kids,” Peters says. “Last fall, we collaborated with the Dole Institute for a class on the importance of government archives.”
Osher offers 60 classes during a typical fall or spring term, 40 during summers. Other courses offered this spring included Women and the Civil War: The Hidden History, J. Schafer Presents Kansas from A to Z, Demystifying Computers, Russian Roots in Kansas, The World’s Greatest Short Stories and the always-very-popular The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Peters says he has 140 instructors at his disposal. Of that total, about 20 are current KU professors.
“The vast majority of instructors are people who just have a passion for a topic,” he says. “I think our program has hit that tipping point where our current instructors are recruiting other instructors. Our instructors will tell you that they learn just as much as the students.”
Peters says there are usually 40 or more students in a class.
“People take our courses for two reasons,” he says. “They want to further study in a topic of interest. Or they want to fill in the gaps. I think we fill that need for people who want to fill in the gaps.”
Cost for an Osher course is $50. However, the institute partners with the KU Alumni Association to offer discounts to members. There also are discounts for those who sign up for multiple courses.
Alice Ann Johnson introduces speaker for the New Generation Society at the Watkins Museum.
New Generation Society
Unlike Osher, the not-for-profit New Generation Society of Lawrence (NGSL) is more a member-based organization and collects annual dues from its members to cover costs for printing and other expenses. For $55 annually for a single, $100 for a couple, members have access to programs designed to expand intellectual and cultural horizons. NGSL’s stated mission is to help members stay entrenched in a vibrant, intellectually stimulating environment of lifelong learning and support of local philanthropy.
NGSL partners with KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities, which hosts lectures and events with internationally renowned authors, artists and dignitaries. NGSL’s programs last one hour – plus a few short trips each year – that, in the past, have included a program on the history of Lawrence, behind-the-scenes looks at shows at the Lied Center, out-of-town trips to the Eisenhower and Truman Libraries, and other educational programs. Though NGSL, which started in 1996 and also is affiliated with KU, is not a social group, there are four special dinner events scheduled each year.
It presents 20 to 25 programs per semester. There is a $5 fee for each one-hour program.
“It’s amazing how quickly we have people sign up,” says Alice Ann Johnston, program committee chair. “We have somewhere between 180 to 195 members. It’s been as high as 220 and as low as 160. We always have new people coming into Lawrence.”
Johnston says a lot of NGSL members are KU graduates who have moved back to Lawrence. But a lot of other members have no prior ties to the city and have simply chosen it as a place to retire.
“This kind of program is a real advantage to newcomers,” she says. “You get acquainted with a whole new group of people.”
Johnston says NGSL constantly is adding new programs and activities. The organization remains strong and continues to grow.
“There are a number of things that bring retirees here,” she says. “We like to think (NGSL is) one of those things.”
Aerobics exercise program through Lawrence Parks and Rec.
City Offerings
Gayle Sigurdson, lifelong (50-plus) recreation programmer at Lawrence Parks and Rec, likes to quote a running joke that she says she hears all the time around Lawrence: “The joke is, it’s not, ‘What are we going to do?’ ” she says, “but, ‘What are we going to choose?’ There’s always something going on around here.”
And Sigurdson’s lifelong programs add even more to the menu. She’s quick to point out that Lawrence is unique in that there are four full-service rec centers here, and all are free. An efficient bus system and a large number of fine retirement communities have made the area even more vibrant for seniors.
That’s the kind of commitment the city has made, she says.
“In retirement, there’s something known as busy ethic,” Sigurdson says. “That’s where seniors try to live out their time by just keeping busy.
“Around here, we try to avoid that and try to cultivate authentic interests.”
So, in addition to the typical water aerobics, Pilates and tai chi classes, Lawrence Parks and Rec also offers a film study course on Alfred Hitchcock films. There’s a book club, ukulele classes and a course on general paleontology. There also are classes on Facebook fluency, safe computing practices and fencing, as well as a bocce ball league.
There are tree tours around Lawrence and the surrounding areas, as well as travel tours to nearby historical sites.
Fees vary by program, but all except a couple of the overnight trips are less than $100.
“Recreation is more than sports,” Sigurdson says. “The transition to retirement is challenging. You don’t have that structure anymore, but leisure and fitness pursuits can help fill that. It’s also a great way to find like-minded people in a community.
“What I’m most proud of is that we have fitness offerings for all levels of health,” she says.
Award-winning Lawrence Public Library
Library and Hospital Offerings
Other civic entities, such as the Lawrence Public Library and Lawrence Memorial Hospital, also offer plenty of options for retirees looking to further expand their horizons.
The library is a great source for seniors, with features like a “Before You Check Out” series, which assists seniors in estate planning and other end-of-life issues. There are a series of “skill-builder” courses held twice a year, in the fall and spring, that feature topics of interest to seniors. Some programs featured in the past include “Birding Basics,” which works with local Audubon societies in arranging field trips and studies on various varieties of birds.
Periodically during the year, the library hosts “seed libraries” that offer patrons a variety of seeds to take home and plant in their gardens. Those often are paired with courses on gardening basics and healthy eating. Other course offerings include some on local history and genealogy. There is a documentary club and other various book clubs.
Lawrence Memorial Hospital also offers a variety of classes and programs that can be beneficial to seniors.
Its “Fit for Life” program encourages all adults 18 and older to engage in at least 2½ hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking or aquatics, as well as strength training two days per week. The hospital offers cardiopulmonary wellness programs where participants work with registered nurses, respiratory therapists and exercise physiologists in designing custom programs to benefit endurance and flexibility. It also offers aquatic exercise programs for gentle range of motion and endurance activities.
There also are a variety of courses in tai chi, which focuses on balance and strengthening the body and mind, as well as weight training and resistance training.
