“Learning for a Lifetime”
Volume 19, No. 3
www.lli.ucollege.wustl.edu or 314.935.4237
Spring 2017
Two Generations Make LLI a Family Affair
Chalk up another
LLI participants were
probable first for
studying Shakespeare.”
LLI, this one a rare
He takes pride in
occurrence for our
having facilitated the
demographics. We
entire Shakespearean
now boast, among
canon, all 38 plays,
our membership, two
with several repeat
generations of the same
performances.
family. This distinction
Larry’s love for
was set in place when
the fiction of William
Susan Bromberg and
Faulkner led to another
her husband, Neil,
series, beginning with
retired to St. Louis
the writer’s short
from Milwaukee.
stories and progressing
Susan wasted no time
to individual novels.
in signing up for LLI
Despite Faulkner’s
classes, thereby joining
reputation for
her parents, Larry and
challenging reading, the
Larry and Jane Kahn with daughter Susan Bromberg
Jane Kahn, as an avid
classes proved popular,
participant. Now sometimes all three end up taking the
with many participants eager to sign up for more. When
same class.
asked about his soft southern accent, surely a boon for a
The Kahn family and LLI history are intertwined.
Faulkner facilitator, Larry explained it was a legacy of
Larry was a member of the six-person committee, led by his growing-up years in Gadsden, Ala.
Henrietta Freedman, which helped establish the institute
Larry’s LLI facilitating lineup also includes courses on
almost 23 years ago. He and Jane have been enthusiastic Joseph Conrad, Walt Whitman, James Joyce and Marcel
members and frequent facilitators ever since. They have
Proust. Added to that are courses on the poetry of Dylan
been married for 73 years, another notable statistic—and Thomas and Robert Burns, along with several shortpossible record—for LLI couples. The two met in New
story anthologies.
Orleans when Larry was a medical student and Jane a
Jane Kahn, a retired social worker, likewise followed
graduate student in social work.
her interests when devising courses. Modern plays
As a retired pediatrician and academician, Larry began were a popular and frequent subject, she said. “But the
to forge his role at LLI by facilitating classes in the plays architecture courses were probably my favorites. Our
of William Shakespeare. He traces his interest in the bard entire family is interested in architecture.” On several
to a year spent as a graduate student in literature. “LLI
occasions, one of the two Kahn sons, an architect in
students embraced Shakespeare with great enthusiasm,”
New York City, returned to St. Louis to deliver lectures
Larry said recently, “which led to the recruitment of
for his mother’s classes. Topics covered in Jane’s
three more Shakespeare facilitators and the creation of
courses included Architecture of the Italian Renaissance,
four separate groups. In fact, at one point, a quarter of
Baroque Architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, Modern
(continued on Page 4)
Message from the Chair
Executive Committee
Don Cohn, Chair
Joan McDonald, Vice Chair
Karen Sterbenz, Past Chair
Dan Ellis, Curriculum Chair
Carol Kenney, Secretary
Bettye Dew, Communications
Mark Rollins, University College Dean
Katie Compton, Director
Tom Cradock
Dan Sexton
Charlotte Manges
Julien Worland
Curriculum Group Leaders
Art/Architecture: Anna Amelung
Contemporary Issues: Gene McNary
Creative Writing: Leonard Adreon
Entertainment Arts: Nancy Harvey
History: David Matter
Literature: Math/Science/Technology/
Engineering/Medicine:
Don Godiner
Mike Nolan
David Brown
Religion and Philosophy: Rob Greitens
Social Studies: Sydney Long
At large: Nancy McKee
Newsletter
Editor: Bettye Dew
Photos: Eliot Katz
Marlene Hunter
Katie Compton
Contributors:
Bettye Dew
Don Cohn
Dolores Friesen
Dick Hyde
Joan McDonald
Katie Compton
As I write this, we are
entering week three of the
winter term and the hallways
of LLI are alive with about
625 participants taking one
or more of the 34 classes
currently in session. After the
Thanksgiving to New Year’s
hiatus, it always feels great to
me to come back to LLI to see
old friends, meet new ones,
and dive into new classes. I
am taking four(!) classes this
term. All of them have been
led by really knowledgeable facilitators and have been filled
with enthusiastic, engaged students. And as we talk with one
another, I hear of many other classes that also are receiving
high praise from their participants. The quality of LLI’s
offerings never ceases to amaze me.
I recently attended a meeting of the STEMM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine) curriculum
group. About a dozen LLI members were there and we spent
about an hour brainstorming ideas for courses to offer next
year (2017-18). The energy in the group and the number
of fascinating topics that were suggested was astounding. I
kow that similar meetings have occurred in the other eight
interest areas. This is how courses originate. If you have
ideas for courses you would like to see offered at LLI or, even
better, that you would like to facilitate, get in touch with the
curriculum committee or with our director Katie Compton
who can help you find the right people to talk to about your
ideas and interests.
Once there is an idea for a course, the next step is finding
people to facilitate the course. Most of the credit for the high
quality of LLI’s courses goes to the facilitators who volunteer
to organize courses and then implement them. Although
facilitating is very rewarding, it is also a lot of work, so
please remember to let your facilitators know how much you
appreciate their efforts.
In addition to continuing and new courses, the upcoming
spring term brings with it not only Cardinals baseball, but also
a special event at LLI-the Writers Workshop where members
of the writing classes at LLI read some of their best writing.
Look for more information about this and other special events
elsewhere in this newsletter.
I hope all of you are enjoying LLI as much as I am. And
remember to thank a facilitator today!
–Don Cohn
2
Notes from the
Director’s Desk
Writers Spotlight
High fives to LLI writer Rita Warren whose novella
My Martian Life was chosen to be part of a program at
the University City Public Library, where they recently
partnered with Self-E, an ebook publishing platform
that allows authors to upload their books and cover art.
All submitted books are accessible to library patrons
through their online catalog and through libraries
throughout the state. You can read Rita’s book by going
to http://library. biblioboard.com…
…and to Carol Haake, whose play Casting Shadows
was presented in St. Louis in February by the C.G.
Jung Society of St. Louis. This play was written in the
playwriting course facilitated by Karen Sterbenz and
Dennis Smith...
…and to Leonard Adreon whose essay on the Korean
War and a poem “Sergeant Jimmy” were included in
Volume 5 of the anthology Proud to Be: Writing by
American Writers, published in partnership by the St.
Louis Public Library and SEMO University Press...
…and to Jamie Spencer whose novel Modified
Raptures is available in Kindle form on Amazon. The
author says it is “set mainly in St. Louis, Missouri
(tho’ occasionally in outer space)” and in it he “tries to
capture the romantic lives of young people today. Boys
woo boys, girls woo girls, along with the (somewhat
more prevalent) girls woo boys. The book explores
the often fluid nature of one’s sexual identity and
preferences and how they can affect one’s romantic
commitments. Some key scenes play out in or take
account of several of the St. Louis region’s historic
events and institutions—Lewis and Clark’s exploration,
the 1904 World’s Fair, Cardinal baseball. Another
setting is Washington University. That educational
setting offers the chance to trace the fascinating ways in
which ideas are planted, take hold, and then spread far
and wide. Above all, Modified Raptures dramatizes in
detail the ways time’s irresistible demands can shape (or
doom) human relationships, careers and lives.” If you
would like to order a copy, google ‘Modified Raptures
Jamie Spencer’. You can also go right to the actual
publisher: sentiapublishing,com. Search by title. You
can download right to Kindle or your computer, or order
the hard copy.
–Katie Compton
We are well into our winter term as I write this, with
625 members (including 57 new members) taking
classes. That is a great number for winter! Hats off
to our facilitators for a stimulating array of course
offerings.
Never ones to sit on our laurels, we have been very
busy planning some wonderful events you won’t want
to miss this spring. Our 11th annual Lawrence Jasper
Lecture will be held on Thursday, March 9, featuring
Prof. Mark Alford of the WUSTL Physics Department,
who will speak about the “Cosmos and the Quark.”
The Lawrence Jasper Lecture series was established
by Larry’s family in 2006 to honor Larry, who was an
active participant and dedicated volunteer at LLI.
The Shakespeare Festival St. Louis touring company
will present their one-hour version of “Julius Caesar”
on April 7. These talented thespians have been visiting
LLI for seven years and we look forward to this year’s
offering.
Our annual Writers Showcase will be held on Friday,
May 5, at LLI. I encourage you to attend this wonderful
event where our own LLI writers—two from each
course—read examples of their poetry, essays and
fiction. Every year I am so impressed with the diversity
of the offerings and the talent of our writers.
And, of course, we have a terrific line-up of courses
for spring: 29 eight-week and 9 four-week courses.
These represent the work of 52 facilitators. We will
continue using the ‘lottery’ registration system until we
introduce our online system this summer. Be sure to turn
your registration in by Wednesday, March 1.
A big thank you to everyone who has donated books
and calendars to the “Please Take One” basket. How
about you? Got anything to share?
Computer Comfort
Computer Comfort is a student-run organization at
Washington University that offers one-on-one tutoring
sessions to help seniors discover how easy it is to connect
to the Internet and keep in touch with loved ones. Passionate
and knowledgeable tutors provide easy, clear instructions in
fundamental computer skills across multiple platforms.
Computer Comfort meets for 90 minute sessions (2:00–
3:30 p.m.) on Fridays, March 3, 24 and 31 on Washington
University’s Danforth campus in George and Carol Bauer
Hall. For more information, check out their website at http://
computercomfort.org/ or talk to Katie Compton.
3
 TRIBUTES SPRING 2017 
In Memoriam
Charles Manley
Arline Brilliant
Norma Levy Singer
Ben Kessler
In Memory Of:
Carolyn Nolan
Joan McDonald
Judy Chervitz
Karen & Butch Sterbenz
Donald Weems
Karen & Butch Sterbenz
Sandra Gold
Beverly Friedman
David A. Gee
Kim, Alan, Kristin and
Allison Gibson
Neil Bernstein
Marcia Bernstein
Kelli Sessions
Don Sessions
Mary Ann Gallagher
Jerry Kottler
Sandy Esrock
Carol Kenney
Norma Singer
Norman Solomon
In Honor Of:
Madelon Price’s
birthday
Edie Tashma
50th Anniversary
of Robert & Esther
Banashek
Hazel & Richard Sohn
Anna Amelung and
Sol Guber
Aleene Zawada
Anna Amelung
Mary Jeanne Suppiger
Joan & Ed Burtelow
Anne Silverstein
Milica & Stanko Banjanin
Dolores & George Friesen
Linda & Don Cohn
Diana Padratzik
Richard Blaha
Krim Williams
Janet & Richard Aach
Tom Treeger
Bev Friedman &
Avery Seidel
Butch Sterbenz “good
health”
Rochelle Popkin
End-of-year
Gifts
General Fund
James Voelker
Jamie Spencer
Gene McNary
Ruth Rangel
Edward Koch
Juliette Reed
Mary Byrd
Myra & Steve Radinsky
Virginia Larsen
Marian & Emmanuel
Paxhia
Connie McManus
Gary Handelman
Dale & Stanley Wald
Radine & Ben Borowsky
Janet Knight
Joan & James Schiele
Jeannette Altman
Bill Cooper
Susie Philpott
Halpin Burke
Vivian Zwick
Aleene Zawada
Bev Friedman
Franklin & Rachel Haspiel
Fran & Peggy Oates
Bob Little
Anne Hetlage
Janet & Art Morey
Katherine Maxson
Norman Solomon
Endowment
Fund
W. Edwin Magee
Lorraine Magee
Martha Senior
Margaret & Rich Diemer
Family Affair (continued)
Architecture, Chicago Architecture, New York in the
Gilded Age and St. Louis Architecture. Larry served as
co-facilitator for some of these offerings.
With such stellar parental examples, it is hardly
surprising that when Susan and her husband resettled
in St. Louis in 2014, she turned to LLI for intellectual
stimulation. A molecular biologist, she had spent
her later working years in bioinformatics, which she
describes as “a field that uses computer science to study
biological data.” Prior to her 34 years in Milwaukee, she
lived in Newark, N.J., and Rochester, N.Y.
Susan arrived back in her hometown of St. Louis as a
veteran of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “That program
differs from LLI,” she explained. “It presents courses
in varying short sessions, with much less emphasis
on class participation. Plus, there are more one-time
lectures.”
At LLI, Susan has participated in a variety of classes,
although literary topics usually win out. She and her
parents have been classmates in courses on theatre,
the Declaration of Independence, writers Marilyn
Robinson and Emily Dickinson, plus Faulkner’s
Absalom, Absalom, which Larry facilitated. Outside
the classroom, she indulges the family penchant for
architecture by leading tours for Landmark Association
in downtown St. Louis, having led similar tours in
Milwaukee. “I am learning so much about the city,” she
said. “St. Louis feels very different than when I was
growing up.”
Scholarship
Fund
Laurence & Silvia Madeo
Mary Linda Biggs
Michael E. Nolan
Irene Cortinovis
Audrey Johnson
4
Jane Elswick: Longtime Movie Facilitator
At LLI, Jane Elswick is known as the queen of
movies. For over 20 years, she presented film courses
for each seasonal session. That’s a lot of viewing time,
not to mention countless hours spent researching and
planning programs. Now retired from facilitating, she
took time recently to look back on her long tenure.
“I’m one of those crazy people who have to know
the background of a movie,” she said. “I want to know
about the director, the actors, the setting, and the
circumstances of its creation. If the movie is based on
a true story, I want to learn about it and compare the
two versions.”
Her interest in film started in grade school, when,
every Saturday, she and her sister went out together
for dinner and a movie at the Fox or the Ambassador
theatre. “Even at that age,” she recalled, “I’d often get
out the encyclopedia to learn more about the story.”
The two sisters kept up with new releases and moviestar news by reading fan magazines like Photoplay.
In 1994, for LLI’s first session, Jane put together
an enriching program of videos to be shown on the
lounge TV. Since other facilitators were presenting
a course on Henry II and his adversary, the martyred
archbishop Thomas Becket, she searched for movie
versions of their story. Thus, members had the
opportunity to compare the historical and
Hollywood versions.
She usually
built her courses
around a theme
based on subject,
genre or an actor or
director. “Famous
Film Couples,”
“Surprise Endings”
and “The Films of
Martin Scorsese”
are examples of her
wide-ranging themes.
Last summer, Jane presented her favorite movies from
four genres: western, Red River; musical, A Song is
Born; drama, Dr. Zhivago; and sci-fi, 2001: A Space
Odyssey. This past winter, for her final course, she
and co-facilitator, Karen Graflage, chose eight films
starring Ingrid Bergman, to be shown in chronological
order, from Intermezzo (1939) to A Woman Called
Golda (1982).
Jane’s courses attracted a loyal following. “I was
always thrilled by returning members,” she said.
Luckily, updated electronic equipment and a large,
pull-down screen have improved conditions for
classroom movie-viewing. And no worries, film buffs:
Karen Graflage has taken over as LLI’s
movie monarch.
Dinos Michaelides: “Email from Athens”
“I always say geography is history,” remarked
Dinos Michaelides during a January presentation at
LLI, alluding to Greece’s location at the crossroads
of Europe, Asia and Africa. The title of his talk,
“Email from Athens,” set the tone for a program that
combined entertaining travel stories with more serious
observations about Greece.
Dinos and his wife, Maria—both longtime LLI
members—spent four weeks in their native country last
September. For much of the time, they stayed on Maria’s
home island of Poros, a ferry ride from Athens. There,
they could walk to the market and the beach, enjoy
freshly caught seafood and take day trips to mainland
sites. Tourism is Poros’s chief industry, as it is for the
country in general.
But healthy tourism can only do so much. The
Greek economy remains precarious, and the austerity
measures imposed by the EU and IMF are still in
place. Plus, Dinos said,
Greeks have been subject
to currency restrictions
and mandatory debit card
usage for transactions above
50 euros. In deference to
these policies, he and Maria
equipped themselves with
a local debit card, using a
Poros bank. “In the past,”
he said, “tax dodging was
an art. Now Greeks face over-taxation, because the
government needs money. This makes development
difficult. Our friends have seen large cuts in their
retirement funds.”
Adding to the pressure, in the past few years
Greece has become a way-station for people from
neighboring nations who are fleeing wars or economic
(continued on Page 7)
5
o
h
WCan It Be?
goals, as he lectured at medical schools and used his
skills to teach local and international physicians the
latest surgical techniques. In 1991 he followed his
childhood dream, the Bertram-inspired fantasy, when he
joined a canoe expedition to the Canadian Arctic. Since
then, he has participated in seven other Arctic canoe
trips, most of them led by his son, Lee. He has yet to
close the book on Arctic adventures, however, for he is
scheduled to take an expedition cruise ship through the
Northwest Passage this summer.
When asked which adventurer from the past he would
most like to interview, he produced a ready answer: Sir
John Franklin. Franklin was an intrepid Arctic explorer
whose ship disappeared while he was looking for a
route through the Northwest Passage to the Pacific for
the English Crown.
Speaking with him
would involve some
convoluted time travel
to the mid-19th century,
but to learn about a man
who led three successful
Arctic expeditions, only
to meet disaster on the
fourth, would be more
than exciting.
The boy who once
thrilled to Bertram’s
far-flung adventures and
Holmes’s travelogues
is now a retired
surgeon. He owes so
much, he stressed, to
the books he has read
and the people who
have been part of his
life, including family,
colleagues and friends.
Still adventurous, he plans to continue visiting new
countries and writing about his trips. In fact, he has just
published a book about his recent visit to Greenland,
yet another Arctic region. On the domestic side, he has
produced several illustrated books about the flowers in
his extensive gardens.
At LLI, he indulges his love of reading by taking
literature courses. Perhaps you have been in a class with
him. Or maybe the two of you have swapped travel
stories. Who can our mystery person be?
Even as a youngster, our mystery LLI classmate
yearned to travel to foreign places, especially Arctic
regions. Although he considers the travel urge as innate
to his personality, he credits two people with fostering
the trait: his mother and the lecturer Burton Holmes.
His mother stoked his childhood desire for
adventurous travel by introducing him to a series of
books by Paul T. Gilbert. Featuring a young boy named
Bertram who traveled to faraway lands and could talk
with animals, the stories
were potent triggers to
his imagination. He
participated vicariously
when, for example,
Bertram explored Africa
and brought a giraffe
home to live in his
basement. To enable
the giraffe to stand up
straight, he cut a hole
in the living room
floor. Our classmate’s
favorite of the series
was Bertram Goes to
the North Pole, which
planted the seed for his
own Arctic adventures.
Another influence
came by way of Burton
Holmes, an American
traveler, photographer,
and lecturer who coined
the word travelogue. Our mystery boy and his family
were avid participants when Holmes presented his
programs, featuring travel lectures and documentary
films, at the high school auditorium in La Grange, Ill.
The films, which showed such then exotic destinations
as the Panama Canal and Japan, fed the boy’s interest in
exciting travel.
In adulthood, our classmate, who became a physician,
began to travel to many of the places he learned about
as a child. Some trips were spurred by his desire to see
the wonders and beauty of the natural world. Others, to
places like Egypt and Thailand, centered on professional
–Dolores Friesen
(The identity of our mystery person is revealed on Page 8.)
6
LLI CELEBRATES ITS MILITARY VETERANS
Last November on Veterans Day, 19 of
our “finest” gathered in Room B, along
with family members and LLI friends,
to celebrate the group’s service to the
nation. Present were seven World War II
veterans and 13 veterans of Korea and the
Cold War/Vietnam era. (Leonard Adreon
is both a World War II and Korea veteran
so he gets double billing!) The event was
“facilitated” by former LLI member Dick
Hyde, who traveled up from Atlanta for the
occasion. Dick was assisted by current LLI
“war facilitators” Charles Schneider and
Charlotte Manges with valuable support and
counsel from LLI Director Katie Compton. Eliot Katz
was the official photographer for the event.
A number of the veterans came wearing military
paraphernalia. Bob Streett
was resplendent in full
Naval officer dress uniform
and attracted many salutes!
After the group got “in
the mood” by listening to
Kate Smith singing “God
Bless America” and hearing
a stirring medley of armed
forces service songs, the
“WWII guys” described
highlights of their wartime
service. They represented
the Army, Army Air Forces
and Navy and served in both the European
and Pacific theaters (a couple of the guys
had to settle for the home front as the war
ended before their overseas deployment).
Next came the Cold War/Vietnam era
veterans, who recounted their experiences.
All service branches except Coast Guard
were represented, and this august group
served “on the land, at sea and in the air”
(force)!
Leonard Adreon concluded the program
with a reading of a moving chapter from
his soon-to-be-released memoir, Hilltop
Doc, describing his experience in Korea as
a Navy Corpsman serving with the 1st Marine Division.
Finally, the cake was cut and social time ensued.
The following World War II veterans participated in
the celebration: Howard Hearsh, Navy; Harvey Hieken,
Army; Ted Listerman, Army; Wally Diboll, Navy; Ralph
Goldsticker (guest of Ray Miller), Army Air Forces;
Charlie Ryan (guest speaker in WWII classes), Army
Rangers; and Leonard Adreon, Navy. Leonard Adreon,
Navy Corpsman, was also the sole Korea veteran at
the event. The Cold War/Vietnam era veterans were:
Hap Burke, Air Force; Jack Karty, Air Force; Jay Cohn,
Army; Dan Ellis, Marine Corps; Ray Miller, Air Force;
Charles Moore, Navy; Ed O’Brien, Navy (Medical);
Butch Sterbenz, Army; Bob Streett, Navy; Ken Streett,
Marine Corps; Michael Weidl, Army; and Dick Hyde,
Army. Thank you, all, for your service!
—Dick Hyde
Athens (continued)
to hear, tallies the coastlines of the mainland and all
the Greek islands, from large to tiny. In developing
hydrocarbon energy, Greece stakes out its marine
territory by adhering to the stipulations of the United
Nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This practice
has led to territorial disputes with Turkey but also to
very cooperative relations with Israel and Egypt.
Dinos and Maria Michaelides are our go-to members
for all things Greek. Several years ago, Dinos, Dean
and Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Washington
University, presented a program based on The Aegean
Crucible, his second book about the vernacular
architecture of the Greek Isles.
hardships. Thousands of refugees are now crowded
into migrant camps, many living in small tents, subject
to the elements, their hopes for settling farther north
diminishing. “The EU wants to keep the refugees
in Greece,” Dinos commented, “since European
countries have sealed their borders to large numbers of
newcomers.”
Dinos ended his talk with a point of optimism:
offshore energy development. “Greece is a small
country,” he said, “but it has a coastline equal to that
of Australia.” This geographic measurement, startling
7
NEVER A DULL MOMENT AT LLI
Jay Cohn and Marie Martir man the LLI table at the
Primetime Expo sponsored by the Jewish Light in
October 2016.
Reading The New Yorker class members gather for a gettogether off-campus.
WWII Vets line up to speak at the Veterans Day Event.
Dennis Corcoran demonstrates his
bagpiping prowess in the Wednesday
Memoir class.
LLI knitting group members Norma Rader, Susan Levin, Karen
Albin, Marilyn Merritt, Susan Huddart, Louise Lonsbury, and Jane
Hoyt meet on Wednesdays in the 3rd floor cafeteria from noon
to 2:00 p.m. to knit children’s scarves for the Harvey Kornblum
Food Pantry. Pull up a chair and join the fun!
WWII veteran Ted Listerman speaks at
LLI Veterans Day event
Answer to “Who Could It Be?”: Don Sessions