Advertisement Members of the Learning in Retirement (LIR) community — more than 250 strong — look toward the fall semester with anticipation.
Sally Olson, promotion chairman for the group (which is associated with the UW-La Crosse Continuing Education and Extension), is an enthusiastic supporter of lifelong learning.
“It’s use it or lose it — we all need to keep our brains active,” she said. “We’ve got people from their 50s into their 90s. There’s no age limit, no prerequisites — we welcome anyone who wants to learn and meet new people.
“I’ve met so many new people through this. We’ve gone to see architects, sculptors and toured small towns where we always meet up with a local historian. For example, when we went to West Salem, Errol Kindschy showed us the Garland House,” she said.
Echoing Olson’s contention that going to classes is a great way to meet others is Mary Jane McKenzie of Holmen, who moved here two years ago to be near her daughter.
“I didn’t know anybody, but I found out it’s a wonderful way to meet people. Many members have lived here forever and are willing to share what they know about the area,” she said.
This fall classes are being offered in, among other things, the Coulee Region of southwest Wisconsin, the Mississippi Valley Conservancy, the art of telling stories, presidential nomination and electoral resources and the rise and fall of America’s rural heartland.
Olson said frequent trips are offered.
“We just went to the Shrine of Guadalupe and I think we had 50 people for that one. We’ve gone to the Milwaukee Art Museum, Ten Chimneys, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Cordon Bleu Culinary College,” she said.
Most trips are local or in the Midwest, but there have also been trips to Africa, Cuba, Vietnam and India.
McKenzie said she’s enjoyed all the classes she’s taken. “The LIR have terrific programs — the curriculum committee does a wonderful job,” she said.
She’s seen a play at the Guthrie, gone to a wine tasting, the Shakespeare Festival in Winona and even taken a football course at UW-La Crosse from legendary coach Roger Harring. “I learned a lot from that one,” she said.
One of the best things about LIR, McKenzie said, is that you don’t have to feel uncomfortable about attending a class that interests you by yourself. “Everyone has been so friendly,” she said.
LIR instructors are a mix of university professors, grad students and community members willing to share their expertise. Cost to join LIR is only $35 a year plus $12.50 a class. “We try to keep the cost down so that people who are just scraping by can go too,” Olson said.
Jan Olson, liaison between UW-L and the LIR said that the program is attracting learners from as far away as DeSoto and even Lodi. She says that feedback has been uniformly positive. “I can’t think of any negative comments. They like the field trips, the history courses, theatre and Joe Heim (who teaches courses on politics). We try to offer something from every discipline so there truly should be something for everyone,” she said.
“This last year we had an all-time high in membership — 251 members — so we’re pretty excited about that,” Olson said.
Larry Hubert of West Salem and his wife, Barbara, were new to the program this summer so have only attended two courses, but they will take other courses. “We attended a presentation at the Hmong Center and found it very informative. It really broadened our horizons concerning the Hmong,” Hubert said.
The other event the Huberts attended was the Shakespeare Festival in Winona. “We got to meet the cast ahead of time in an informal setting (a restaurant). That helped us to understand the play better, as well as the actors,” Hubert said.
He said that the experience was made even better because they met old friends they hadn’t seen in years, plus they made some new friends.
Sally Olson says she can’t understand what she sometimes hears from people her age. “Believe it or not, there are retired people out there who say ‘I’m bored, there’s nothing to do.’ Meanwhile, we have so much fun and learn so much.”
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