Upcoming OLLI Programs – Oct. 28, 2024

FREE VETERANS PROGRAM AT OLLI –  Monday, November 4, 9:30AM-11:00AM (coffee & refreshments) Please register and join us for a free program in honor of Veterans Day. Please register online or call 401-874-4197.

MASH FOR THE MILLENNIUM – A now retired U.S. Navy physician describes the state of battlefield medicine in the 21st century. His presentation centers about the care provided to, and the evacuation of, casualties from Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan.

Warning: There will be some disturbing images in the talk.Click to view the flyer.

Mike McCarten earned his medical degree in 1983 and on graduation was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Navy, beginning a 30-year career that led to travel to 24 countries on five continents, including command of the NATO trauma hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, overseeing 500 U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and NATO medical personnel. He retired from the Navy in 1983 and from clinical medicine in 2023. A native of Cranston, he now resides in Charlestown, RI.

OLLI WALL OF HONOR –  In honor of Veterans Day, we are recognizing our OLLI members and/or family members who have served or are currently serving. Please send a photo, along with details of service (branch, years, titles or anything significant you would like to share) to OLLI@URI.EDU. If you have a physical photo you would like us to scan, please stop by the OLLI office. We will display our Wall of Honor throughout the month of November. Stop by the lobby and check it out!THE DYNAMIC DUO IS BACK!

 We are thrilled to announce that OLLI Instructor Tom Shaker will be joining Lloyd Kaplan to teach the class, The American Operetta, 4 sessions beginning Friday, Nov 1, from 11:00AM-12:00PM. Click to register online or call 401-874-4197.

Although the modern operetta was created in Vienna by Franz von Suppe and in Paris by Jacques Offenbach, it became extremely popular in America during the early twentieth century. The major composers of this form were Victor Herbert, Rudolf Friml, and Sigmund Romberg. The music of these masters, including excerpts from Naughty Marietta, Roe Marie, and The Student Prince, will be featured via CDs and possible videos. The instructor promises to refrain from singing any of the arias.

Lloyd Kaplan earned an M.A.T. at Brown University and established the jazz studies program at CCRI where he is professor emeritus. Lloyd has authored various books about music and music history including Who’s Who in Rhode Island Jazz: c 1925-1988. As a professional musician he led the Rhode Island-based swing band The Aristocats for decades. As a jazz educator he was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame (2018). He was inducted into the URI OLLI Hall of Fame in 2023 and continues to teach many courses in music history.

Tom Shaker has spent over 30 years as a college professor, teaching courses in video and film production, media, music history, news writing and reporting, sports announcing, and public speaking. He is the co-author of A Treasury of Rhode Island Jazz & Swing Musicians (2016) and, with Lloyd Kaplan, In Harmony: Early Vocal Groups: Remembered & Celebrated (2020). Tom also co-produced the award-winning documentary film Do It Man: The Story of the Celebrity Club (2018). He is a contributor to RhodyRadio, producing podcasts covering jazz, vocal groups, and Rhode Island diner history. For the past 18 years Tom has been the host of “The Soul Serenade,” a classic soul and funk show on NPR affiliate station WICN in Worcester, MA.