ENDACOTT SOCIETY —January 2009
Retired Faculty and Staff of The University of Kansas — groups.ku.edu/~endacottsociety
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SCHEDULED EVENTS
All activities meet at the Adams Alumni Center unless otherwise noted.
Afternoon Lecture Series
Maxine Patterson (843-7905), Mary Schweppe ([email protected], 842-1147), and
Howard O'Connor (843-1884). Stan and Janet Roth ([email protected], [email protected], 8434764), and Bill Hambleton ([email protected], 843-2508) are in charge of programs.
January 8—Program at 2:30, sherry at 2:00, in the Summerfield Room.
Following the celebration of January birthdays, Janet Hudzicki, Ph.D, Clinical
Assistant Professor from the School of Allied Health, Clinical Laboratory
Sciences, at the University of Kansas Medical Center will present the Afternoon
Lecture ‘Clinical Laboratory Sciences: CSI for the Living.’
Armchair Travel
Stitt Robinson ([email protected], 843-1499)
January 22—Program at 2:30, coffee and tea at 2:00. Charles Stansifer will take us
to Costa Rica.
Card and Game Theory
Art Lamb ([email protected], 749-4647)
January 15—1:30 in the Paul Adam Lounge. The usual games of bridge and
scrabble will be played. A sign-up sheet is available at the Wednesday Coffee.
Cinema Studies
Grant Goodman ([email protected], 841-1066) and Fred Madaus ([email protected], 841-4939)
January 20—Film at 2:00, coffee at 1:45, in the Paul Adam Lounge. Due to
our December snow cancellation, we will show Radio Days, the Woody Allen film
originally scheduled for December 16, at our regular January scheduled meeting
date. This means that we will begin our three-film retrospective of Paul Newman
with our February meeting.
Computer Study
Jerry Niebaum ([email protected], 842-3127)
All meetings at 9:00 in the Paul Adam Lounge. (Check our Web site at
http://oldku.org for the latest program listings.)
January 7—Introductory Word Processing Part 2. (Jerry Niebaum).
January 14—Doing the Tunes with Mac and PC. (Vic Wallace).
January 21—Application Software: PhotoStory. (Jerry Niebaum).
January 28—Dr. Fixit. (Jerry Niebaum)
Domestic Public Policy Study
Jim Drury ([email protected], 842-3308), John Poertner ([email protected], 7492599) and Ev Swartz ([email protected], 841-4065)
There will be no meeting in January.
Drama Study Group
Arnold Weiss ([email protected], 842-5502)
January 9—1:30 in the Music Room. Act II of Pinter's The Homecoming did
indeed live up to the expectations expressed in last month's Newsletter: More
dysfunctionality than before (if that can be imagined); perhaps fewer laughs than
promised; and if Pinter did tell all (after his fashion,), that "all" did not include a
lesson in how to end a play. But end it did, which means the group is charged with
coming up with a new vehicle to kick off the New Year. A couple of titles remain
under consideration. Details should be divulged at Wednesday Coffee.
Notice: Anyone holding a copy of The Homecoming charged out from Watson
Library by Arnold Weiss should be sure to return it to him promptly—unless it
already has been returned to the Library. This is important (always has been, of
course). Libraries are becoming less and less forgiving, even to superannuated
scholars.
Evening Lecture Series
Tom Eblen ([email protected], 865-3634) and John Mullens (841-0958)
January 29—5:30 wine and cheese, 6:00 dinner, 7:00 program. Amy Lucas
Blankenbiller, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, will
speak about the chamber's role. She is a daughter of Max and Jane Lucas.
Notice: We ask two things of those who participate in the Evening Lecture: Be
sure to sign up or say that you will attend so that tables will be set for the right
number, and please bring a salad, vegetable, or dessert.
Foreign Policy Study
Marilyn Bradt ([email protected], 843-7751)
January 12—3:30 in the McGinnis Library. "What Do You Know About
NAFTA?" You'll know a lot more after the group hears from Charles Stansifer
(and possibly others) who will lead the discussion.
Gardening
Arno Knapper ([email protected], 312-9422) and Dick Schiefelbusch (843-5869)
January 7, 14, 21, 28—9:00 in the Music Room.
Great Books Study Group
Dave Hiebert ([email protected], 842-8706) and Ellen Gold (843-6933)
January 14—1:45. The group will read Tell Me a Secret, by Tillie Olson.
Metropolitan Opera Radio
Al Sellen ([email protected], 841-7432)
At the home of Vic and Mary Wallace, 1509 Massachusetts Street. Starting this
month, the live Saturday broadcasts of the Met will be received over the Internet and
played in comfortable surroundings on a quality sound system. Jim Seaver comes with
his expert knowledge, and with librettos for following the text. Snacks are served too.
Parking is available in the church lot next door. All are welcome!
On the occasions, indicated below, when the opera is being presented in live HDvideo at movie houses, the group will meet at Southwind Theatres, 3433 Iowa Street,
instead of at the Wallace's.
January 3—12:00. La Boheme, Puccini.
January 10—12:00. La Rondine, Puccini (HD-Live in Theaters).
January 17—12:00. Doctor Atomic, John Adams.
January 24—12:00. Orfeo ed Euridice, Gluck (HD-Live in Theaters).
January 31—12:00. Rigoletto, Verdi.
Music
Arno Knapper ([email protected], 312-9422)
January 7, 14, 21, 28 in the Music Room—Immediately following coffee.
Opera Study
Jim Seaver ([email protected], 843-4081) and Al Sellen ([email protected], 841-7432)
January 16—1:30, on the second floor. The third opera in our study of Czech operas
in 2008-09 will be Jenufa, the best-known opera by the Moravian-Czech composer Leos
Janacek. He was born at Hukvaldy, Moravia, on July 3, 1854 and died at Prague in
Czechoslovakia in 1928.
Janacek's career was almost unique among operatic composers. It developed very
slowly, for he was almost forty before his first important musical compositions
appeared; and he was about sixty before he saw one of his operas on the stage. This
opera was Jenufa, produced at Brno in 1904. From 1904 on, he wrote six operas before
his death in 1928. Among the best of these is The Cunning Little Vixen, which we will
hear in this Czech opera series in March.
We will see the 1989 Glyndebourne opera production of Jenufa, conducted by
Andrew Davis. This much-acclaimed production recreates the Brno version of the
opera, which had not been seen since its premiere in 1904. This is a story of passion,
betrayal of love, and "The Transfiguring Power of Love." The role of Jenufa will be
sung by the American soprano Roberta Alexander. Anja Silja, a famous German
soprano, will sing the central role of Kostelnicka. The English tenor Philip Langridge
will interpret the role of Laca.
The opera will last about two hours. After the first act, coffee, tea, and cookies will
be served, and we will discuss what operas we would like to study next year.
Pre-Concert Dinner
Grant Goodman (841-1066)
January 25—Dinner at 5:30, wine and hors d'oeuvres at 5:00, at the Smith
Center at Brandon Woods. We have our full complement of attendees. However,
if there are individuals who wish to be on a waiting list for possible cancellations,
please call Grant Goodman.
Singing for Fun
Roberta Spires ([email protected], 842-6820)
There will be no meeting in January.
Ten O'clock Scholars, AKA ‘Wednesday Coffee’
Genevieve McMahon (841-2116).
January 7, 14, 21, 28—10:00.
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Newsletter Copy
Copy for the February Newsletter should be in the hands of the editor no later
than Sunday, January 11. E-mail Vic Wallace ([email protected]).