The Newsletter of New Horizons at UAB
HORIZON NEWS
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Volume 20, Number 1
Editor: Karen Blatter
Fall 2016
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by John Gleysteen
WELCOME BACK to our loyal and curious New Horizons
following! The summer has been a hot respite, but we
anticipate a diverse and enchanting fall semester with speakers
on topics of local, national, and worldly interest. Yes, to
quench our curiosity and further our appreciation of this world
(with its cultural, culinary, commercial, sports, government,
and life-fulfilling qualities) is our purpose.
We expect some newcomers this fall from the queries and
intentions expressed during the summer. We should also have
members of the UAB Retirees Association (who are not
current members of NH at UAB) visiting us this fall for
certain pre-selected lectures.
the 2 ½ day trip, our members will enjoy the beauty of vivid
autumn leaves, a pottery museum, wine tasting, and good
meals. Mary Pate, our Social Chairman, is planning three
events. The first is a luncheon in November after the Glen-Ella
Springs excursion, at the Birmingham Museum of Flight. We
will also have a winter luncheon, probably in January, and a
termination picnic in May at the Birmingham Botanical
Gardens (when the azaleas are out!). This should be an
academic year to enjoy!
NEW HORIZONS SPRING WILDFLOWER WALK AT
THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS ON
APRIL 4, 2016
By Ellen McLaughlin
We will be returning to the Marshall Conference Center (802
11th Street South) this fall, despite the soccer teams and
coaches co-usage. The return will still be temporary; a shift to
the Ebsco Building on 6 th Avenue South or another site will
be later in our academic year. Let me remind you of the sidebenefit we’ve gained by the construction effort this spring: a
new wall on the left of our audience seating on which is better
displayed (than before) our world map. It seems easier to find
those odd or far-away places we hear about in our lectures.
Comments have been made and worries expressed about our
future as a UAB organization. The Healthy Aging Exposition
last May was a clear sign to me that we were an appropriate
and integral part of the UAB Center for Aging. (We have a
website with them: uab.edu/medicine/aging/new-horizons.).
Afterward during the summer, I met with the civil engineer for
UAB, who has been concerned with our meeting place and the
need for a change. He assured me that our New Horizons
group was indeed an integral and favorable activity in the eyes
of the UAB leaders. Subsequently I wrote to the UAB Provost
and to the UAB Vice-President for Financial Affairs, thanking
them for their interest and for their priorities in finding us a
new UAB home.
Lastly but importantly, is an announcement of our extracurricular social activities (those additional to the curricular
session “cookie and social breaks”). Don Long, our Travel
Chairman, has planned a bus excursion to the quaint Glen-Ella
Springs Inn in Clarksville, Georgia in early November. Over
New Horizons members gather
for wildflower garden walk
On a beautiful Spring morning eleven New Horizons members
met at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens entrance for a
leisurely stroll to the Kaul Wildflower Gardens. Hal, Patti,
Renee, Rowena, Phil, Carol S., Pat W., Bart, Gayle F., Frances
J., and Ellen followed the paved road to the gardens observing
common roadside flowers along the way. We passed the Lily
Garden, the Azalea Garden, the Iris Garden, the Fern Glade,
and the honey bee hives. Robins and towhees were observed.
The Kaul Wildflower Garden is set in an old abandoned
quarry, and there are several dirt paths leading up to the top of
the quarry. John Manion, the Native Plant Specialist for the
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, is in charge of this garden.
Many forest and glade flowers have been replanted in this
area, so it is possible to see several different kinds of
ephemeral spring wildflowers in one place. Among the
highlights were Bloodroot, Scorpionweed, Dwarf Iris, Virginia
Bluebells, Columbine, Shooting Star, Indian Pink, Mayapples,
Trillium, Violets, Sweet Shrub, Star of Bethlehem, Lenten
Rose, Atamasco Lily, Wild Geranium, and two really special
plants – the Golden Club and the Pitcher Plant. Many of these
plants, such as the Bloodroot and Dandelion, have medicinal
value, whereas others, such as the Mayapple, can be
poisonous. On the way back to the parking area, we visited
the Bog Garden, which has plenty of horsetails growing there.
These stalky plants are related to ferns and have no obvious
leaves. They are also known as scouring rushes because the
stem is very rough to the touch due to the incorporation of
silicon into the plant. These plants were used by pioneers to
scrub out pots and pans.
Manny's wife Myrna donated funds to the Birmingham
Botanical Gardens for a swing to memorialize her husband. It
is the second swing on the right on the path to the Japanese
Garden. If you are visiting the gardens, take a moment to
relax on the swing and remember Manny.
Steve Rostand sits on Manny's memorial swing.
Members ascend one of the dirt paths.
A total of 66 flowers were identified, many providing nectar
for bees and hummingbirds, who in turn cross-pollinate the
flowers. We found the roadside flowers to be much smaller
and more ubiquitous than their forest counterparts. The
question was asked “How small can a flower be?” The answer
- 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch!
The next time you are out taking a walk or looking at your
lawn, determine how many flowers are blooming along the
way.
MEMORIAL SWING FOR MANNY GOLDSTEIN
by Kathy Rostand and Karen Blatter
When Murray Pizette was asked to describe his good friend,
Manny Goldstein, he said, "Manny approached life and all he
met with wide open arms. He was intellectually gifted and
curious, resourceful, warm, and multitalented. He never met a
person he didn't like and who didn't like him in return."
Inscription on Manny's swing
TOUR OF THE LYRIC
By Karen Blatter
Thanks to Lee Godchaux, New Horizons members were given
a free tour of the Lyric on April 26. Glenny Brock, Outreach
Coordinator, led the tour and related the interesting history of
the Lyric, which opened as a vaudeville house on January 14,
1914. Such well known entertainers as the Marx Brothers,
Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Milton Berle, and Buster Keaton
appeared at the Lyric.
In the 1920’s the Lyric was one of twenty-seven theaters in
Birmingham’s theater district on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Avenues.
Unlike most of the local theaters, blacks and whites saw the
same show at the same time. However, blacks had a separate
entrance and were only allowed to sit in the upper balcony.
Glenny related how at a theater event, Mayor Bell
remembered sitting in the upper balcony as a child and being
scared to death as he watched King Kong. He also mentioned
how the black children liked to be mischievous and throw
pieces of popcorn from the balcony and were especially
delighted when a piece landed undetected on a patron’s head.
Glenny also related how Dr. Henry Edmonds of Independent
Presbyterian Church held services on Sunday night at the
Lyric. He was an early champion of social justice, and his
services were open to all. They were probably the first
integrated worship services in the city.
As vaudeville’s popularity waned and movies became more
popular, the Lyric became a movie theater, but its design was
not well suited to films and it was not air conditioned.
Although the Depression also added to the theater’s woes,
movies and live performances continued through the 1940’s.
In the 1950’s the owners removed the opera boxes to
accommodate the screen for CinemaScope. Despite these
efforts, the theater closed in the 1960.
Various groups tried to revive the Lyric, including a period
when the theater offered adult entertainment. Eventually all of
the efforts were unsuccessful, and the theater fell into disrepair
Ultimately there were no seats left, and the only occupants
were pigeons, rats, and vagrants. In 1993 the theatre was sold
for $10 to Birmingham Landmarks, Inc., which owned the
Alabama Theater. From 1993 to 2013 efforts were made to
clean up the Lyric, repair the roof, and attract interest in its
restoration. In 2013 the “Light up the Lyric” campaign began,
and ultimately over $11 million was raised including tax
credits. Restoration began in earnest in 2014. The theater
finally reopened on January 14, 2016 with three days of
modern vaudeville with 152 people in the cast of the show.
Tom Cosby, Fundraising Consultant for Birmingham
Landmarks, ended the talk by telling our group that
maintaining Birmingham’s two historical theaters, the Lyric
and the Alabama, requires a great deal of money. These
theaters do not have an endowment fund as does the Fox in
Atlanta, and the public’s participation in the future of these
theaters is vital.
New Horizon members view the reconstructed opera boxes
and wealth of ornate moldings at the Lyric.
TOUR, IRON POUR, AND LUNCH AT SLOSS
FURNACES
By Karen Blatter
Seventy-two New Horizons members met at Sloss Furnaces
on May 5 undeterred by cool, windy weather. While waiting
for everyone to arrive, members spent time socializing or
looking at displays at the Visitor Center. Once the group was
assembled, Karen Utz, Curator and Historian of the site, gave
instructions for creating our own designs for the iron pour, and
everyone went to work scratching their masterpieces into the
sand molds.
We then assembled in the auditorium for a brief talk by Karen
on the history of Sloss Furnaces before we split into two
groups for our tour. As we passed through the site, which is
now a national historic landmark, we learned about the
process of making pig iron. We reconvened at the metal arts
foundry for the iron pour, where workers transferred molten
iron into our molds and then broke the molds to remove the
iron squares.
After the pour, the group returned to the Visitor Center where
Mary Pate and her crew had set up a picnic lunch. As we
enjoyed the delicious lunch provided by IZ Café Catering, we
were entertained by Gary Furr’s band, Shades Mountain Air.
Our thanks go to Mary and her committee for once again
providing a most enjoyable and interesting outing.
Section of the Lyric
showing conditions before restoration
SLOSS FURNACES TOUR, IRON POUR, AND PICNIC
Artists at work
More artists at work
Tour
Iron pour
Shades Mountain Air
Iron tiles being removed from molds
Our delicious lunch
Finished iron works
ADDITIONAL SPRING PICTURES
The Easter Bunny visits New Horizons with delicious treats.
Seder Day
at New Horizons
Nikki Partain holds a 30 year old
Kandace Griffin holds a
great horned owl from the zoo. sinaloan milk snake from the zoo.
The Seder table and volunteers, Carol Schultz, Mary Pate, Terry Adams, Dorothy Ziff and Bob Greene
Andy Daniel, Rowena Teague, and Susan and Doug Wagner
lend a helping hand at the Asian Cultures and Food Festival
on April 9 at the Zamora Shrine Temple.
A festival participant and
Jane Gordon
Jane Gordon and Gayle Flowers
with festival participants
SAVE THIS DATE!
FRIDAY FORUM
Mary Pate has scheduled a luncheon on Thursday,
November 10, 2016 at the Birmingham Museum of
Flight. She has arranged for a tour of the museum and
other special activities. Don't miss it!
This group meets in the Marshall Conference Center
each Friday during the year (with the exception of
major religious holidays). Forum discussions are
about local, national and international matters of
interest. Each member sees things differently, making
for lively discussions. Moderators serve on a rotating
basis. All members of New Horizons are invited to
attend and participate.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Membership fees are as follows:
$250 -- Full year membership for one person, payable
only in the fall
$450 -- Full membership for couples, payable only in the
fall
$ 92 -- Membership for one person for one term
$184 -- Membership for couples for one term.
Payments should be made in class at the beginning of the
term and should not be sent to UAB. Payment may not
be made via phone, and credit cards are not accepted.
CLASS TERMS FOR 2016-2017
Fall:
Winter:
Spring:
Tues., Sept. 6 - Thurs., Oct. 27
Tues., Jan. 3 - Thurs., Feb. 23
Tues., Mar. 14 - Thurs., May 4
GUEST POLICY
We welcome guests to our lectures to introduce them
to our organization. Members may invite as many
guests during the year as they wish, but each guest
may attend only one session during the year. This
policy allows us to extend the courtesy to more
prospective members and individual guests. This rule
applies to the Friday Forum as well.
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Please note that due to the Labor Day holiday the fall
semester will begin on Tuesday, September 6th, instead
of Monday as we have done in previous years.
BOOK SWAP
If you have too many books and want a new home for
them, bring them to New Horizons for swapping.
During intermission, select a book that appeals to you.
Unclaimed books will be passed on to other programs,
such as bookmobiles.
The success of New Horizons depends on the support
and participation of the membership in the Curriculum
Committee deliberations. Besides the designated
committee members, all active members are
encouraged to attend the meetings. If you run across
any speakers with topics of interest, let us know.
ADDRESS FOR NEW HORIZONS AT UAB
Marshall Conference Center, 802 11th Street. Park in
Lot #15.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
REGISTRATION
New Horizons at UAB
Name:
Additional Name (For Couple Registration):
Address:
Telephone Number _______________ E-mail
Registration will be available in the classroom at the beginning of each term.
Payments should be made in class at that time and should not be sent to UAB.
For further information, call or e-mail John Gleysteen, President,
[email protected] or 266-2489.
F ALL T ERM 2016
AL L S E S SIO N S M E E T FR O M 9 :3 0 A.M . U NT I L N O O N
COFFEE, ETC. FROM 9:00 A.M.
Tuesday
Sept. 6
Ecological Change in the Caribbean
Jennifer Rahn, PhD, Associate Professor, Geography, Samford University
Wednesday
Sept. 7
Deception and Deception Research
Timothy R. Levine, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Communication Studies, UAB
Thursday
Sept. 8
One, Two, Three. Ready, Play!
Laura Usiskin, Cellist, and Dianna Dunn, Oboist
Moderator: Rod Davis
Moderator: Rowena Teague
Moderator: Arthur Press
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Sept. 13
Red Mountain Park: Yesterday’s Mines - Today’s Nationally Recognized Urban Park
David G. Dione, Exec. Director, Red Mountain Park and Cheryl Dawley, Archaeologist, Red Mountain Park
Wednesday
Sept. 14
The Decentralized American Judiciary and the Rule of Law(s)
Adamu K. Shauku, PhD, JD, Visiting Professor, Department of Government, UAB
Thursday
Sept. 15
Bitcoins: Digital Currency of the Future or Internet Disaster
Andreas Rauterkus, PhD, Assoc. Professor, Accounting and Finance, Collat School of Business, UAB
Moderator: Lyn Stafford
Moderator: Sandra Vinik
Moderator: Andy Daniel
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Sept. 20
"Thank you Mr. Rosenwald" (The Legacy of Alabama Country Schools)
Susan Webb, American Education Teacher and Lecturer
Wednesday
Sept. 21
How to Promote State and National Policies That Improve the Lives of Low Income Alabamians
Stan Johnson, MURP, Alabama A&M, Contract Organizer for Arise Citizens’ Policy Project
Thursday
Sept. 22
Meet at 10:00 A.M. at the B’ham Museum of Art for tour and lunch at Oscar’s at member’s expense
Donald Wood, PhD, Curator of Asian Art, Birmingham Museum of Art
Moderator: John Gleysteen
Moderator: Lyn Stafford
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Sept. 27
The Southside Revolution: Where UAB Is Growing and How It Got There
James Greer Fowler, Director of Planning, Design and Construction, UAB
Wednesday
Sept. 28
Paying College Football Players, Concussions, and New Targeting Rules
Wesley Britt, former UA and New England Patriots lineman
Thursday
Sept. 29
Genetically Modified Organisms: Blessing or Curse
Rudy Pacumbaba, PhD, Extension Specialist, Alabama A&M University
Moderator: Rowena Teague
Moderator: Joanna Liverant
Moderator: Andy Daniel
T h e “ F r i d a y F o r u m ” me e t s e v e r y F r i day mo r n i ng , y e a r - r o u n d,
of f e r i ng s t i mu l at i ng a n d p r ov o c at i v e di s c u s s i o n s o f c u r r e nt a f f ai r s .
F ALL T ERM 2016
AL L S E S SIO N S M E E T FR O M 9 :3 0 A.M . U NT I L N O O N
COFFEE, ETC. FROM 9:00 A.M .
Tuesday
Oct. 4
The Silk Road - Fact and Fiction
Rollin Daniel, MD, Microsurgeon and Rhinologist
Wednesday
Oct. 5
Community Gardening
Amanda Storey, Executive Director, Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Thursday
Memoirs of a Bush Pilot
Tom Ferguson, Certified Aircraft Mechanic, Instrument Rated Pilot, and Flight Instructor;
Director of Maintenance, AirMart, Inc., Lexington, KY
Moderator: Jack Ferguson
Moderator: Andy Daniel
Moderator: Carol Schulz
Oct. 6
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Oct. 11
Alabama Jewel, AIBD (Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind)
Dr. John Mascia, President; Jessica Edmiston, Director, Birmingham Regional Center; and Dr. Ben
Bruce, Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Wednesday
Oct. 12
No Session
Thursday
Oct. 13
Will Rogers
Daphne Simpkins, former writing teacher, Auburn University
Moderator: Jack Ferguson
Moderator:
Moderator: Jack Ferguson
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Oct. 18
The Alternate Energy Industry
Dennis Zabala, Director of Generations Development Department, Southern Power Company
Wednesday
Oct. 19
Who Do You Think You Are?
Bob Davis, MEd, MA, Director of the Genealogy Program of Wallace State Community College
Thursday
Oct. 20
Eliminating Cancer Disparities, the UAB Cancer Center Approach
Edward Partridge, MD, Director, UAB Cancer Center
Moderator: Rowena Teague
Moderator: Rowena Teague
Moderator: John Gleysteen
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday
Oct. 25
Life in the Wild: Among the Miyanmin of Papua New Guinea
Steven Austad, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Biology, UAB
Wednesday
Oct. 26
The European Union, Putin, and the Refugee Crisis
George Liber, PhD, Professor of History, UAB
Thursday
Oct. 27
TBA
Moderator: Steve Rostand
Moderator: Rowena Teague
Moderator:
T h e “ F r i d a y F o r u m ” me e t s e v e r y F r i day mo r n i ng , y e a r - r o u n d,
of f e r i ng s t i mu l at i ng a n d p r ov o c at i v e di s c u s s i o n s o f c u r r e nt a f f ai r s .
NEW HORIZON OFFICERS, BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEES, 2015-2016
OFFICERS
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS
John Gleysteen
Bob Greene
Carol Schulz
Rosemary Tenney
PARLIAMENTARIAN Kathy Rostand
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
John Gleysteen
Gayle Flowers
Arthur Press
Rosemary Tenney
**************************************************
COMMITTEES
Archivist
Phil Teague
Audio Visual
Bart Morrow, Chairman
Jack Ferguson
Phil Teague
Lee Godchaux
Curriculum
Joanna Liverant, Chairman
Karen Blatter, Assistant
Lyn Stafford
Adele Baras
Jane Gordon
Jerry Brown
Rod Davis
Murray Pizette
Term Ending 2017
Terry Adams
Lolly Barnes
Rona Harper
Lyn Stafford
Term Ending 2018
Gayle Flowers
Steven Hodges
Ann Smith
Myron Butler
Term Ending 2019
Bobbie Piper
Don Hamner
Terry Fierman
Arthur Press
**************************************************
Steve Hodges
Bobbie Piper
Kathy Rostand
Steve Rostand
Carol Schulz
Rowena Teague
Sandra Vinik
Janice Williams
Liaison
Andy Daniel, Chairman
John Gleysteen
Marketing
Rowena Teague, Chairman
Kathy Rostand
Dorinda Smith
Bob Rutstein
Jack Ferguson
Email Notifications
Jack Ferguson
Member Directory
Karen Blatter
Evaluation
Polly Kratt, Chairman
Joanna Liverant
Ellen McLaughlin
Valerie Peake
Name Tags
Kathy Rostand
Newsletter
Karen Blatter
Purchasing
Sue Thomas
Dotty Gauthier
Social Events
Mary Pate, Chairman
Jane Crouch
Terry Adams
Social Media
Rona Harper
Travel and Outings
Don Long, Chairman
Marianna Long
George Jackson
Beverly Jackson
Jack Ferguson
Bobbi Piper
Ena-Faye Bennett
Kay Wallace
Welcoming
Lee Godchaux
Finance
Steve Rostand, Chairman
Myron Butler
Rosemary Tenney
Jim McCormick
John Gleysteen
Friday Forum
Ron Vinik
Good & Welfare
Frances Johnson
Hospitality
Terry Adams, Chairman
Andy Daniel
Rod Davis
Jack Ferguson
Gayle Flowers
John Gleysteen
Lee Godchaux
Bob Greene
NEW HORIZONS AT UAB
c/o Karen Blatter
6 The Oaks Circle
Birmingham, AL 35244
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED