ENDACOTT
SOCIETY September
2004
Retired Faculty
and Staff of the University of Kansas
www.ukans.edu/~emeritus
All activities meet at the Adams Alumni
Center unless otherwise noted.
Afternoon
Lecture Series—Rita Haugh (843-7613), Megan Schoeck
Armchair
Travel— Stitt
Robinson (wsrobin@ku.edu
& 843-1499)
Thursday September 23 at 2:30—With the arrival of Fall, it is time to
think of the changes in the color of leaves. Join the Armchair Travel Group for
a trip to see New England foliage (or “leaf peeping” as it is called there) by
Dale and Pat Rummer. Coffee and tea will be served at 2:00 p.m. before the
program at 2:30.
Card &
Game Theory— Ruth Ann
Culvahouse (jwcul@ku.edu
& 842-0626)
Thursday September 16 at 2:00—The sign-up sheet will be available
during the Ten O’clock Scholars coffee hour on Wednesday mornings. Any
questions should be referred to Ruth Culvahouse.
Cinema
Studies—Grant Goodman (plim@ku.edu & 841-1066) and Fred
Madaus (fmadaus@ku.edu & 841-4939)
Tuesday, September 21 at 2:00—This
month the film will be the much heralded Battle of Britain with Sir
Laurence Olivier, Sir Ralph Richardson, and an all-star British cast. Coffee
and tea will be served.
September 1–Ken Miner, Some Simple Computer Games
September 8–Dale Rummer, OutSmarting the HP PhotoSmart Printer
September 15–Amy Barnes, What’s Available at the Senior Center
September 22–date open but an invitation is out
September 29–Dan Butler, UnI Computers, “Look Ma, No Wires!” (WiFi
demo)
Domestic Public Policy Study Group—Jim Drury (jdrury@ku.edu & 842-3308) and John Poertner (jpoertner@sunflower.com & 749-2599)
The next program will be in October.
Drama Study
Group—Arnold Weiss
(ahweiss@ku.edu & 842-5502)
Friday, September 17 at 1:30—Having now dispatched its reading of Goldsmith’s “She Stoops to Conquer,” the Drama Study Group will move forward a couple of centuries to A. R. Gurney's 1989 piece, “Love Letters.” “Piece” seems the appropriate term (though the author does call it “a sort of a play,” since it consists only of two actors seated together at a table and reading from letters written—most of them—to one another over the course of 50 years or so). Many society members will recall having seen one or another local performance of “Love Letters”—in some cases featuring fellow KU retirees (or near-retirees), namely, Shirley Rea, Betty Laird, Al Lata, and the well-remembered Charley Oldfather.
Please note that the September meeting will take place one week later than usual.
Evening
Lecture Series—Tom
Eblen (teblen@sunflower.com
& 865-3634)—Program Chairs: Tom Hedrick (843-7311) & Tom
Eblen (teblen@sunflower.com & 865-3634
When available, date and program
will be announced at Wednesday coffee.
Gardening—Arno Knapper (knapper@ku.edu
& 312-9422) and Dick Shiefelbusch (843-5869)
September
1, 8, 15, 22, and 29—Wednesday
mornings at 9:00 a.m.
September 8 at 1:30—During
September, October, and November, we will be finishing the collection of
readings entitled Order and Chaos. In September, Ev Swartz will lead the
discussion of Part One of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov;
in October, David Hiebert will lead the discussion of Part Two. We will also
decide what we will discuss during the remainder of the year and order books.
Do come join us.
Music—Arno Knapper (knapper@ku.edu
& 312-9422)
September
1, 8, 15, 22, and 29—Wednesday
mornings immediately following the ten o’clock coffee hour.
Opera Study—Jim Seaver (jseaver@ku.edu &
843-4081) and Al Sellen (jnalsellen@aol.com & 841-7432)
October 15 at 1:30—Giacomo Puccini’s seldom-heard La Rondine (The Swallow).
La Rondine is the closest thing Puccini ever wrote to an operetta or light opera. After the success of his La Fanciulla del West, Puccini evidently felt he had to try some other operatic style. He finally decided on a German play entitled “Die Schwalbe” (The Swallow), and Puccini and his librettist, Giuseppe Adami, worked on the libretto until Easter of 1916. Puccini finally settled on the present three-act opera and arranged to have the world premiere at the Monte Carlo Opera House on March 27, 1917. The opera, starring the lyric tenor Tito Schipa and the soprano Gilda della Rizza, was a success at Monte Carlo but was received coolly in Italy and icily in Vienna. It was heard at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1928 but never caught on. In the l980s, however, the New York City Opera revived La Rondine, and it is their televised 1985 production that we will see.
The plot of the opera, set in Paris
about 1865, centers on Magda (the Swallow), a woman of perhaps thirty, who, as
the mistress of a wealthy middle-aged banker, lives in a luxurious and
beautifully furnished Parisian home. By the end of Act 1 the audience realizes
that she is not satisfied with her way of life and yearns for true love. In Act
2 she finds a handsome young man, Ruggiero, at a Parisian cafe. They fall in
love, and she leaves her home to go with her lover to a cottage near Nice. In
the final act, while happy with her true love in their romantic retreat, Magda
discovers that Ruggiero has written to his mother, asking her permission for
him to marry Magda, and his mother has written back granting him permission to
bring his virgin bride into the family. As Magda reads the letter from
Ruggiero’s mother, she is horrified and tells him that she had sold her favors
for money and had lived in guilty luxury in Paris. Magda declares that she can
love Ruggiero but cannot marry him. As the opera ends, Magda gathers up her
things and leaves their cottage in Nice. The Swallow returns to her nest in
Paris, leaving Ruggiero in despair.
The New York City Opera video of Puccini’s La Rondine (with English subtitles) stars soprano Elizabeth Knighton as Magda, tenor Jon Garrison as Ruggiero, and basso Richard McKee as Rambaldo, the wealthy Parisian. The New York City Opera orchestra and chorus are conducted by Alessandro Siciliani. The opera lasts almost exactly three hours and should finish about 5 p.m. There will be an intermission between Acts 1 and 2 of the opera, at which time coffee, tea, and cookies will be served.
Out of Town Travel—Ev Swartz (evswartz@ku.edu & 841-4065)
September
10—Fort Riley, Kansas
Tour
will include: Bus tour of historic Fort Riley (step-on guide), Cavalry and
Regimental Museum, Constabulary Museum, Custer House, Custer Hill, First
Territorial Capitol of Kansas, Close Combat Training Simulators, lunch at
PX Food Courts. A complete itinerary will be given to those going on the trip.
Cost per person $15.00, not including lunch. Make checks payable to
Endacott Society. Reservations close September 3. To make a reservation,
sign up at Wednesday coffee or contact Ev Swartz by phone or
e-mail.
We will go to Powell Gardens on Monday,
October 18; further information will be given online, at Wednesday coffees, and
in the October Newsletter.
Preconcert Dinner—Grant Goodman (plim@ku.edu & 841-1066)
October
1 at 5:00 p.m.—The first
Preconcert Dinner of the fall term will be held at the Smith Center, Brandon
Woods, in concurrence with the first event in the main Concert Series at the Lied
Center. The presentation that evening will be by the Virsky Ukrainian National
Dance Company, and a dinner with appropriate Ukrainian touches will be
served. Sign-up sheets will be available at Wednesday coffees or by phone
to Grant Goodman. The price will be announced later but will not vary
greatly from the price paid in previous years.
The
second Preconcert Dinner will follow quickly, on Tuesday October 19, in
concurrence with the second event in the Concert Series, which will be the
Prague Philharmonic. A dinner with Czech overtones will be served at 5:00
p.m. in the Smith Center. Reservations for this dinner will also be available
at Wednesday coffees or by phoning Grant Goodman.
Ten O’clock
Scholars AKA Wednesday Coffee/Business Meeting—Margery Lamb
(marjlamb@earthlink.net & 749-4647)
September
1, 8, 15, 22, and 29—Wednesday
mornings at 10:00 a.m.
FYI:
“The Autumnal Equinox on Mount Oread with
Ted Johnson”
Starlight tour of the buildings on the
eastern brow of Mount Oread begins at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 22,
2004, at the intersection of Jayhawk Boulevard and 14th Street. We will
observe how the buildings align with the North Star and the rising sun at
equinox. If stars are not visible, we will reschedule the tour for Thursday,
September 23, at 5:00 a.m. For more information, contact Ted Johnson at
jtj@ku.edu
Dues
There are no monthly dues
for the Endacott Society!
However, to be a member of the Endacott Society, one must be a member of the KU
Alumni Association. If not a life-member of KUAA, one must maintain his/her
KUAA annual membership dues for which he/she will be billed on the anniversary
date of his/her initial membership—for Endacott Society membership in the
KUAA—single $25, joint, $30. Annual Jayhawk Society membership—single $100,
joint $150 should be paid directly to the KU Alumni Association. All dues above
the annual $25 or $30 will be applied by KUAA to support Endacott Society
programs such as room rental in the Adams Alumni Center. Any additional
contributions or memorials—in memory of current or deceased members—to the
Endacott Society should be paid directly to the Endacott Society in care of the
Adams Alumni Center. These funds will be deposited in the Expressions of
Appreciation Fund together with the distributions of income from the endowed
funds held by the KU Endowment Association for distribution to the Endacott
Society. These funds are used to support the Endacott Society’s various
activities throughout the year.
For
further information regarding membership in the Endacott Society, please
contact the president, Max Lucas, at 842-1758 or e-mail him at
mlucas@sunflower.com.
Newsletter
Copy
Copy
for the October newsletter should be in the hands of the editor no later than Wednesday
September 15. E-mail to:
[Calendar
dates for September]
September
1 Computer Club, 9 am
Gardening, 9 a.m.
Ten O’clock Scholars, 10 am—music after
September
4 KU v. Tulsa (home)
September
6 Labor Day
September
8 Computer Club, 9 am
Gardening, 9 a.m.
Ten O’clock Scholars, 10 am—music after
Great Books, 1:30 pm
September
9 Afternoon Lecture Series, 2:30 pm
September
10 Fort Riley trip
September
11 KU v. Toledo (home)
September
13 Foreign Policy, 3:30 pm
September
15 Computer Club, 9 am
Gardening, 9 a.m.
Ten O’clock Scholars, 10 am—music after
September
16 Card & Game Theory, 2:00 pm
September
17 Drama Study Group, 1:30 pm
September
18 KU v. Northwestern (away)
September
21 Cinema Studies, 2:00 pm
September
22 Ted Johnson’s equinox tour, 5 a.m.
Computer Club, 9 am
Gardening, 9 a.m.
Ten O’clock Scholars, 10 am—music after
September
23 Armchair Travel, 2:30 pm
September
25 KU v. Texas Tech (home)
September
29 Computer Club, 9 am
Gardening, 9 a.m.
Ten O’clock Scholars, 10 am—music after