THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 31, 1996 TAG: 9601300140
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 185 lines
THE SCENE IN THE LARGE classroom at the ODU/NSU Higher Education Center in Virginia Beach could have been straight out of the 1950s.
The instructor on this recent Monday morning wore conservative tweeds and a precisely knotted tie, while the students' dress was casually tasteful. No grunge, no T-shirts with off-color sayings, no skin-tight Calvins for these learners.
They hung on every word the instructor said, watched every movement he made. For one hour and 45 minutes, they listened. For 15 minutes, they asked questions.
It was a scene from the days when the opportunity to get a higher education was taken seriously, and when age and knowledge commanded respect.
But then the 25 students in Richard McGowan's ``Inside Washington, D.C.'' class were only following the model they had patterned decades earlier in high school and college.
Now retired, and ranging in age from barely 55 to the far side of 90, these students from across Hampton Roads are members of the Old Dominion University Institute for Learning in Retirement. The center, at Virginia Beach Boulevard and Little Neck Road, offers non-credit college classes for individuals 55 and older who pay a nominal membership fee to enroll in a variety of reasonably priced short courses.
Sponsored by Old Dominion University, the program is an affiliate of a national organization known as the Elderhostel Institute Network. The network, in turn, is an outgrowth of the better-known Elderhostel Inc., the granddaddy of non-profit organizations offering educational opportunities to older adults.
Elderhostel Inc. was begun in New England in 1975 as a network of on-campus courses for older Americans. Through its affiliation with more than 1,900 colleges and cultural institutions nationwide, Elderhostel offers senior learners weeklong courses, on-campus housing and low-cost instruction so they can combine an occasional low-cost vacation with a chance to learn.
The Elderhostel Institute Network was formed in 1988 to offer the same population a low-cost opportunity to learn without requiring them to travel far from home.
Today, 175 institutes are operating throughout the United States, including the ODU Institute for Learning in Retirement, which was founded in 1993.
Courses are taught by local professors and other experts who enjoy sharing their knowledge with senior learners.
Who can tell me which president said this?'' McGowan asked as the class opened. `` `Economists are those who see something work in practice and wonder if it will work in theory.' ''
For the next two hours, McGowan held his students' spellbound as he talked about Richard Nixon's rampant paranoia and inexperienced staff, Lyndon Johnson's involvement in Vietnam and just about everybody's infighting and turf wars. It wasn't until the end of his lecture that he revealed the source of his earlier quotation - Ronald Reagan.
McGowan typifies the quality of instructor that the group brings to the local center. His credentials were as impeccable as his dress. A true insider, his 30-year tenure in Washington spanned the administrations of seven presidents. During the Kennedy and Johnson administrations he was the chief White House correspondent for the New York Daily News, then the highest circulation daily newspaper in the country.
After leaving the News, he stayed in Washington, consulting and serving in top-level communications and public affairs positions for a variety of elected officials, special committees, agencies and departments.
Now living in Wicomico, a small community located on the Middle Peninsula north of Gloucester, McGowan came to the local group's attention through their participation in a network of six Virginia institutes.
``He had done a class for the group at Christopher Newport,'' said Toby Netherton, who volunteers as coordinator for the ODU group.
Netherton, who spent 22 1/2 years in the personnel and training field while on active duty, has worked with the ODU Institute since its beginnings three years ago. At that time, she was coordinator of the Elderhostel program at ODU.
While working in the Elderhostel position she learned of the associated institutes and suggested to then-dean Steve Greiner that ODU might want to get involved. Greiner agreed.
That was in 1992. The first programs were offered the following summer in 1993 with fewer than a dozen members enrolled. Since then, membership has grown to more than 300.
``Obviously the interest was there,'' Netherton said.
Dixie Johnson, now the group's membership and promotions chairperson, was a member of the pilot group. She and her husband, Eldon, both 64, have been active in the institute ever since.
``They offered three courses that first summer. I took one called `Pirates and Patriots' about the history of Colonial Tidewater,'' she said. ``It was fascinating. Everyone who took a course was polled to see if they wanted to continue,'' Johnson added. ``They did.''
Membership and attendance have mushroomed.
``We've grown from a few people to a large group with one common goal - learning,'' said Merrill Potter, who was one of the institute's original members. ``We know you never get too old to learn something.''
That thirst for knowledge and the desire to keep up with what's going on in the world are the reasons most often cited by participants.
Current group president Tom Glickman, 66, had his introduction to the program when he took a course on current events.
In addition to current events, courses have been offered in subjects from Tin Pan Alley to outer space, herbs to home computing, the Great Dismal Swamp to haute cuisine. Among the most popular presenters have been Virginia Beach historian Anne Henry, former Congressman Bill Whitehurst, Commonwealth Musical Stage managing director Jeff Meredith and a variety of staff members from Johnson and Wales University.
The length of the courses varies from one session to eight. Although the institute does not offer college credit or continuing education units, the courses are taught on a college level.
They also are free of the major drawbacks to taking regular college courses: no educational requirements for admission, no homework and no tests.
``What makes an institute different from any other network is that it is a membership organization, totally run by the members,'' Netherton said. ``Tuition and membership fees pay all our costs. We can keep them low because all of our work is done by volunteers within the organization.''
Another factor that keeps costs low is the nationwide network of institutes.
``We learn from each other's successes and failures. We don't try to re-invent the wheel,'' Netherton explained.
In addition to the courses, several small groups have spun off previous classes, including one for aspiring writers.
When the six-hour course was finished, several members realized that they wanted more help with their writing.
Rose Mary Clingerman, a retired nurse, was one of those. ``There were so many stories of my life that I wanted to write for my granddaughter but I needed help in doing it,'' the English-born World War II war bride said. ``I still do,'' she added.
Now that the class is over, she gets that help from fellow writers in the support group, which meets every other week.
For many institute members, the social aspects of the group are almost as important as the chance to learn.
Doris Tobin, who retired as a civil service supervisor 12 years ago, joined at her friends' urgings. ``Some of my neighbors urged me to do it. I figured I'd just sign up for one course, but then I got hooked,'' she said. Now she takes courses regularly.
Emileigh Latham, a former reporter, editor and public relations specialist, cited similar reasons for joining and staying involved.
``It's intellectual stimulation and companionship,'' she said. ``You meet people with common interests and so many who have expertise of their own. We have nuclear physicists and aerospace engineers and people who have lived in just about every country.
``But,'' she added, ``it's also nice just to have someone to eat out with. The whole thing is like an answer to a prayer for me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Ranging in age from barely 55 to the far side of 90, these 25
students from across Hampton Roads are now taking non-credit college
classes at the ODU/NSU Higher Education Center. They pay a nominal
fee to enroll in a variety of reasonably priced short courses.
During the two-hour class, Catherine Giles of Norfolk was among the
students who hung on every word by instructor Richard McGowan.
A former Washington reporter for the New York Daily News, Richard
McGowan - also pictured on the cover - held the students spellbound
as he conducted his class, ``Inside Washington, D.C.: From Kennedy
to Clinton.''
Toby Netherton, a coordinator of ODU's Elderhostel program, has
volunteered at the Institute since its inception three years ago.
HOW TO ENROLL
Membership in the Old Dominion University Institute for Learning
in Retirement is open to anyone age 55 or older. An annual
membership fee of $10 per person or $15 per couple is required.
Tuition for courses currently being taught ranges from $2 for a
single session genealogy workshop to $40 for eight sessions of
conversational French.
The institute offers four sessions of several courses each year.
Upcoming courses for the winter session include:
``Russia: Golden Days and Ebony Nights''
``The American Justice System: The Courtroom As A Social
System''
``Bon Apetit!'' (a single session on fix-ahead foods)
``Enjoying the Japanese Experience: Insights Into Japanese
Culture''
``Travel Tales: The Best Elderhostels''
``Genealogy Workshop''
The group's annual membership luncheon and business meeting will
be held March 12. Spring quarter courses will start in April.
Call 552-6485 for more information.
KEYWORDS: ELDERHOSTEL by CNB