Jefferson’s namesake will get his birthday celebration this year after all, thanks to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program.
On April 14, the day after Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, Steve Edenbo will don his colonial attire and take on the character of Jefferson in a two-hour presentation and tribute to one of the US’ Founding Fathers.
Edenbo has studied and performed as Jefferson since 1999, combining direct quotes from Jefferson’s writings with biographical events and context to present useful lessons for today.
The local Jefferson Professional Education and Academic Advising branch of Texas Tech University is sponsoring the online event. The event is also free for all participants.
The OLLI program is designed for adults age 50+ who are still working, semi-retired or fully retired. But anyone can join and take part in the courses.
Local Coordinator B.W. Brooks said there’s a lot of interest in the programs and he looks forward to seeing the local program grow.
‘We wanted our first course to be free for everyone,” said Brooks. “That way, everyone can get a feel for what to expect and be ready to enjoy future offerings.”
In April, online course offerings include “Science By The Glass”, “Hearing Loss: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!”, ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier, Civil War in the Southwest, COVID-19 and the Public Health Department, and ginger Kerrick.
Full details on the offerings can be found on their website at: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/olli/catalog/index.php
Programs are often $10-15 per course, once one has joined the OLLI program for the annual membership of $35. Members have first dibs on classes. Local Membership coordinator is Kathy Harper and she can be reached at 520-271-5389.
Other in-person programs coming to the Jefferson location include “Caddo Lake”, “Gardening”, “Wine Tasting”, and “Paranormal Investigations”. The Marshall Symphony is also working with the Jefferson location to produce a course for the fall.
Jefferson’s Texas Tech location will also be offering their Coding Academy with a focus on helping individuals learn to code and programming, a Cyber Security course, a “Full Web Development” course, and professional education development in Ethics and Leadership Workshops, this fall.
For more information about any of these offerings, contact Brooks at 806-834-1909 or brian.brooks@ttu.edu