Senior Learning Programs

Thursday, October 4, 9:00 am-2:30 pm  [date change]
Jim Kwasteniet, history of Chicago educator

Join us for a day in downtown Chicago as we tour Millennium Park and sights along Michigan Avenue. We will delve into the history of Millennium Park and how it has evolved into one of Chicago’s most popular tourist attractions. We will leave from the Ozinga Chapel parking lot at 9 am, returning between 2-2:30 pm. Wear comfortable walking shoes because most of our time will be spent touring on foot! Lunch, transportation, and tour costs are included in the $30 fee.

Deadline for sign-up is September 24.

Wednesday, October 17, 8:45 am-2:30 pm
Roger Wiers, history educator

Take a walk back into the late nineteenth  century as we walk down Prairie Avenue.Kimball, Field, Pullman, Armour were just a few of the names of Chicago’s upper-class that lived on Prairie Avenue. We will tour the Glessner House and take a brief walk down Prairie. We will conclude the tour by visiting Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago and its Tiffany windows.

The van leaves at 8:45 am from the Ozinga Chapel parking lot for the guided tour to start at 10 am. We will return to campus by 3 pm. Lunch, transportation, and the tour cost are included in the $30 fee. Deadline for sign-up is September 26.

Tuesday, October 2, 3:00-4:15 pm
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
LaVerne Jordan, professor of counseling/psychology

This session will focus on the book Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler. In this memoir, the author shares her experience with cancer and the transformation of her beliefs. The threat of death leads her to faith in God. She asks profound questions which will be posed to the group for consideration and discussion.

While you are encouraged to read the book, it is not a requirement. Cost is $15.

Registration required by September 14.

Wednesdays, September 26, October 3, and 10 from 9:00-10:00 am
Groot Hall 110 + optional 8:00-8:40 am in-the-field birdwatching
Mel Tracy, local bird expert

Have you ever watched a Chickadee eating in a snowstorm? Have you witnessed the miracle of a migrating black-throated blue warbler? Both of these tiny birds connect us with the natural world and can fill us with wonder and joy. In this class, we will discuss creating a backyard bird oasis in the first class. The second class will explore the many opportunities to see the great variety of birds that migrate to and through the area throughout the year. The third class will be an informal discussion on birds in art and literature, bird identification, and how to prepare for spring migration.

Classes will be preceded by a local, informal, and optional bird watching from 8-8:40 am. Class will take place from 9 am – 10 am. The first bird watch will take place on Trinity’s campus and the second at McClaughry Springs Woods in Palos Park, IL. The third will be determined later.
Bring binoculars if you have them.In-the-field watches will be cancelled during inclement weather. Cost is $40. Registration required by September 14.

Wednesdays, September 26, October 3 and 10 from 3:00-4:15 pm.
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Tom Panush, retired county sheriff

This class will cover all news fit to print, read, or discuss—local, national, and international. Tom’s classes are always buzzing with high spirited discussions. You are invited to join the lively intellectual debate or sit back and enjoy the good-humored exchange. As a retired public servant, Tom has an insider’s view that is sure to broaden your horizons and your smile.

Cost is $40. Registration required September 14.

Mondays, October 1, 8, and 15 from 9-10:15 am
Groot Hall 110
Dr. Bob Rice, professor emeritus of history

History is filled with dramatic events and developments. In this class, we will examine three different kinds of historical drama: The drama of loss, through the flu epidemic of 1918; the drama of catastrophic danger, through the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962; and the current drama of displacement and hope, through the experiences of immigrant children in an urban school. What can we learn from these dramatic developments? Although you do not need to read about these topics in order to participate fully in class, these three books are recommended for your interest:

• Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, by Laura Spinney (2018).
• Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Robert F. Kennedy (1999).
• The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom, by Helen Thorpe (2018).

Cost is $40. Registration required by September 15.

Tuesdays, October 9, 16, and 23 from 10:00-11:15 am
Heritage Science Center Room 106
Dr. Daniel Diephouse, professor emeritus of English

The centerpiece of this class will be a viewing of John Wayne’s first movie Stagecoach, directed by John Ford. We will watch a third of the movie in each class and observe its treatment of the Western’s subject matter and its use of the art of the cinema. Background material will include the characteristics of the Western and their variations in the history of the cinema, using stills and clips from various films as illustrations. We will also take note of the Western as the quintessential American film genre, its popularity in Europe, and the reactions to it by Native Americans.

Cost is $40. Registration required by September 24.

Thursdays, October 11, 18, and 25 from 10:00-11:15 am
Heritage Science Center Room 106
Rev. Gerrit Veenstra, retired pastor

Beginning with Creation and continuing through Revelation, we will observe the Biblical picture of the ongoing conflict between good and evil as shown in the contrast between the development of the “city of man” and the initial “garden of God”. In desiring to be independent and selfreliant, humans have rejected the very reason for their existence and have made their alternative to God’s plan their goal. God has worked throughout history to restore that relationship and bring about the ultimate Shalom.

Class one will focus on The Garden Lost and Opposed and explore the uniqueness of Creation, the Rejection of the Creator, and the Alternative of the City. Class two will explore Gethsemane and the Garden of Resurrection as The Gardens in Contrast. Class three will look at The Garden in Victory through the Vision of a New City and the Restoration of the Garden.

Cost is $40. Registration required by September 24.

Tuesdays, October 16, 23, and 30, from 1-2:15 pm
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Roger Wiers, history educator

Political cartoons capture our imagination with characters, symbols, allusions, and comparisons that speak to our hearts, heads, and senses of humor. This class will examine the tools that cartoonists use along with an overview of political cartoons in American history. We will examine examples of how cartoons can teach us about current events. The class will conclude with an overview of some of the best political cartoons of the last ten years.

Cost is $40. Registration required by October 1..

Wednesdays, October 17, 24, and 31,from 1:30-2:45 pm
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Dr. John Fry, professor of history

This course will address the causes, conduct, and results of the Civil War. We will primarily engage the political, social, and cultural developments of the mid-1800s, rather than focusing on individual military battles. We will also consider what some of the most important documents of the period reveal about the war and its aftermath, including the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and Constitutional Amendments.

Cost is $40. Registration required by October 1.