CWW1
News
Community Without Walls House 1
January-February 2009
How to Downsize
Avoiding Headaches and Heartaches
Continue your good resolutions for the New Year at our next CWW1 meeting on Sunday,
January 18th at 1 p.m. at The Friend Center (on the University campus across from the
Engineering Building). The panel discussion will feature Liz Cohen, MSW, who will talk
about the emotional aspects of downsizing and avoiding pitfalls to preserve family
relationships and keep the connections with children and grandchildren in good order.
Participating will be CWW1 members Fay Abelson and Maxine Gurk who have survived
the process of “de-accessioning” heirlooms and junque. There will be time to share your
experiences and to ask questions. Healthy food, as usual, will be appropriate.
Members Make Merry
At the annual House 1 Holiday Party
held on Sunday, December 14th at
Windrows, baritone Don Sheasley stroked
his grizzled chin, beamed his chiseled grin
and skillfully presented a delightful
program of musical entertainment. Don
sang some old favorites as well as a set of
clever new lyrics by Martin Rome. Don
was accompanied by Dick Swain on the
upright and some comic readings by Mr.
Swain also proved popular. The wine
flowed, the mushrooms went like shrimp,
and the shrimp went like anything. The
meal was excellent and the fellowship
delightful. Many thanks to Susan Loew
and Ruth Besser for their executive
management of the event.
NOTE: Last month’s anticipated panel discussion
regarding financial planning will be rescheduled at
another time. Gov. Rod Blagojevitch, Marc Dreier,
Esq. and Mr. Bernard Madoff had other
commitments that made their participation
impossible.
Meetings Meet Approval
In response to requests for variety in
our meetings, so far this season our
opening program provoked interesting and
humorous small group discussions, our
second program was an expert speaker,
and, for January, a panel discussion. Our
programs through the Spring will follow
this pattern with the Feb. 15th meeting
again in small groups; March 15: Henry
and Dana Powsner will share thoughts on
what you need to know and need to do
when hospitalized, with a presentation
and small group discussion of the Buddy
System led by Sarah Hollister and her
committee. On April 15th, enjoy the
program as Judy Brodsky will widen our
horizons on art as she sees it.
The Program Committee needs your
suggestions for enjoyable, meaningful future
programs. Please contact Herb Abelson, Bob
Garber, Barbara Greenstein, Hilary Hays,
Henry
Powsner,
Rogie
Rome,
Mort
Rosenthal, or Ruth Schulman with your
thoughts. Don't be shy.
2
Evergreen Courses Spring 2009
A Signal Honor
Rogie Rome reminds us of interesting
Evergreen courses sponsored by Princeton’s Senior
Resource Center. Most classes begin the week of
March 9 for 8 sessions. The Art of Sculpture
begins on March 6 for 6 sessions; Gustav Stickley
begins on April 22 for 4 sessions. There will be a
lottery for oversubscribed courses on February 18.
For further information and registration forms, see
the website at TheEvergreenForum.org or call the
PSRC at 609-9214-7108.
Mitchell Besser Awarded Presidential
Citizens Medal
One of the highest honors to be
conferred by a US president was awarded
by President Bush to Dr. Mitch Besser,
son of House 1 members Ruth and Bill
Besser, on December 10, 2008.
“Dr. Mitch Besser,” read the
citation by Mr. Bush in the presentation of
the Citizens Award Medal, “has provided
hope, healing, and encouragement to
women living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Through his hard work and commitment to
excellence, he has developed innovative
strategies
to
reduce
mother-to-child
transmission of this terrible disease. The
United States honors Mitch Besser for his
generous spirit and his determination to
stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic”.
Speech Styles: From Real Life to Stage Life
Gordon Jacoby, Monday, 2-4 p.m.
Justice in Literature and Life
Alex Liddie, Monday, 2-4 p.m.
American Indians and Christian Missions
Henry Bowden, Tuesday, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
Nature in the Extreme
Paul Rockman, Tuesday, 10 a.m. to noon
Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Peggy Kelly, Tuesday, 10 a.m. to noon
As a young volunteer, Mitch worked
at a hospital in Cape Town. (He was
obliged to leave, after a year, because he
decided to eat with the natives). After
working as an obstetrician in California,
he returned to Africa, using his experience
in teaching HIV positive women how to
avoid transmitting the disease, to found
“mothers2mothers.” The organization has
achieved success in many African
countries in the reduction of HIV
transmission
with
educational
and
mentoring programs.
Understanding Islam
Mohammad Ali Chaudry, Tuesday, 1-3 p.m.
Life and Mathematics
Miriam Yevich, Tuesday, 2-4 p.m.
Gustav Stickley and the Arts and Crafts Movement
Helen Schwartz, Wednesday, 10.30 a.m. to noon
Amazing Characters in American History
Stanley and Cindy Saperstein, Wednesday, 10.30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
The Fiction of Virginia Woolf
Mary Laity, Wednesday, 2-4 p.m.
More Shakespeare Off the Page
Barbara Herzberg, 10 a.m. to noon
“Needless to say”, his parents
stated, “we were all thrilled to be there in
the Oval Office and to be greeted by the
President of the United States. . . How
wonderful also to know that Mitch has
been able to live a dream he had when he
first went to South Africa eight years ago.
We wish that for all our children. . .”
Women Composers Through the Ages
Marvin Rosen, Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Great Decisions 2009
Richard Kaye and Susan Fox, Thursday, 2-4 p.m.
Science Tuesday on Friday
David Southgate, Friday, 9.45 to 11.45 a.m.
The Art of Sculpture
Museum Docents, Friday, 10 a.m. to noon
All the members of our House
congratulate the Bessers and share in
their pleasure.
Black Sugar: The Sugar/Slave Industry
Robert Waite, Friday, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
2
3
information and support. Here they are: CoChairs:
Bill
Besser
(921-2585)
and
Sarah Hollister (921-8523).
Members: Herb
Abelson (921-6130), Roz Denard (924-1981),
Laura Goldfeld (921-2820), Jack Halberstadt
(924-5464), Ann Johnston (759-3222) and John
Powell (924-2909).
Our Next Issue
We are pleased that our next issue of CWW1 News,
The
Annual
Fashion
Issue,
will
feature
contributions by a remarkable list of notable
writers. We have obtained, at considerable
expense, articles from the following authors:
Sylvester Agee II (the former Shirley Jiggle) will
write the nonfiction article, How I Fell and Hurt
Myself on Rutgers Campus. Prof. Agee holds the
Plotz Chair in Applied Perplexity at Solomon
Schecter Day School. He is a former adjunct
Chabad-Sodality professor at Rutgers, Bridgeton.
Ruth Speaks
Ruth Schulman spent an informative three
weeks in Israel recently. She spent nine days
working with Rabbis for Human Rights. Ruth has
agreed to discuss the lessons derived from her trip
on Sunday, January 11th at 1 p.m. Please RSVP
to [email protected] for information about the
locale.
How to Make a Molehill will be authored by
Fannie Pacque. Ms. Pacque, who graduated sans
honors from a local high school several years ago,
is the author of more than a few books on
corpulence,
personal
relations
and
home
economics, one of which she hopes to have
published soon. She is in the market for a nice
guy, folks. Looks are not as important as sincerity.
She says.
Other Generations!
Phyllis and Jerry Kurshan have a second
great-granddaughter born December 20 to their
granddaughter, Naamit Gerber, and her husband
Michael. The baby weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces
and has not been formally named yet. The parents
are living in Washington, DC this year with 18
month old Shira Liora while Michael is clerking
for Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Naamit
has been working at the National Institute of
Health and plans to return to Mount Sinai Medical
School in New York City next fall for her fourth
year.
Shira H. Gluck, granddaughter of Sandie
Rabinowitz is returning from Jerusalem where she
spent an exciting first semester of her junior year
studying and traveling in and out of Israel during
long school breaks. Back to Oberlin at the end of
January.
A long narrative poem in honor of the career of
President
Polk
by
Anonymous
(Nestor
Melchizedek) will be featured. We are as sorry
about it as you are.
Dr.
Sylvester
Dinwiddie
will
ask
the
philosophical question, Turn the Volume Down!
The author is bursar of Dinwiddie College and has
written extensively on the efficacious and
rejuvenating application of goat glands. He remains
in hiding.
Louder, Please! will appear under the by-line of
Vlad M. Palin, the pen name of a descendant of
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Vlad’ s previous work,
What Am I Doing Out Here?, out of print for
many years, is a collectors’ - a trash collectors’item.
Cookbook Medicine
The star of movies (Learning the Alphabet and
Counting to Ten) and TV (channel 350), Pinky
Whitlow, promises an article with the intriguing
title I Very Lovely! You, Not So!
The NY Times Dec. 30th personal health
article by Jane Brody was headlined “'Cookbook
Medicine' Won't Do for Elderly.” Her point was
that seniors should not be treated or medicated
like patients half their age. Overtesting and
overtreating can result in debilitating side effects.
On the other hand, appropriate treatment should
not be withheld solely on the basis of age. Perhaps
it might be well to discuss the matter with your
physician sometime.
Ongoing Care Goes On
Sarah Hollister reminds us that each
member of the Ongoing Care Committee can serve
as a resource for you and your CC, providing
3
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS
DATE
TIME
EVENT/ACTIVITY
PLACE
Sunday
January 18th
1:00 pm
Downsizing
Friends Center
Princeton
Liz Cohen and
members
Sunday,
February 15th
4:00 pm
Small Group
Discussions
T.B.A.
T.B.A.
Sunday.
March 15th
1:00 pm
Hospital Defense
The Buddy System
T.B.A.
The Powsners
Sarah Hollister
Sunday.
April 15th
4:00 pm
Seeing Art
T.B.A.
Judith Brodsky
Happy New Year!
PRESENTER