ENDACOTT SOCIETY — July/August 2007
Retired Faculty and Staff of The University of Kansas — groups.ku.edu/~endacottsociety
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SCHEDULED EVENTS
All activities meet at the Adams Alumni Center unless otherwise noted.
Afternoon Lecture Series
Maxine Patterson (843-7905), Mary Schweppe (schweppe@ku.edu, 842-1147), and Howard O'Connor (843-1884). Stan and Janet Roth (sdroth@ku.edu, jroth@ku.edu, 843-4764), and Ellen Gold (843-6933) are in charge of programs.
July 12—Program at 2:30, sherry at 2:00, in the Bruckmiller Room. Following the celebration of July birthdays, the program will be provided by outstanding young pianists attending the International Institute for Young Musicians which is hosted by the KU School of Fine Arts during the month of July. In its third year at KU, the prestigious IIYM Piano Competition has become one of the premiere musical events in the world for young pianists.
August 16—Program at 2:30, sherry at 2:00. Following the celebration of August birthdays, Tom Kurata, a former resident of Lawrence who has recently returned having spent 3 years living and working in China, will share his knowledge and insights on the “Impact of China on the Global Economy.”
Card and Game Theory
Ruth Ann Culvahouse (842-0626)
July 19 and August 16—1:30 in the Paul Adam Lounge. The usual games of bridge and scrabble will be played. A sign-up sheet is available at the Wednesday Coffee, or you may call Ruth Ann at home.
Cinema Studies
Grant Goodman (plim@ku.edu, 841-1066) and Fred Madaus (fmadaus@ku.edu, 841-4939)
July 17—Film at 2:00, coffee at 1:45, in the Paul Adam Lounge. Continuing the Robert Altman festival, will be the remarkable Short Cuts, based entirely on Raymond Carver stories, with an all-star cast including Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, et al.
August 21—Film at 2:00, coffee at 1:45, in the Paul Adam Lounge. The last of the festival will be the delightful Gosford Park with another all-star cast, featuring Maggie Smith.
Computer Study
Jerry Niebaum (jniebaum@wizardofkansas.com, 842-3127)
August 29–9:00. The Computer Study Group will resume. In August a planned schedule for 2007-2008 will be available on the study group Web site at:
http://www.wizardofkansas.com/OLDKU/.
Drama Study Group
Arnold Weiss (ahweiss@ku.edu, 842-5502)
July 13 and August 10—1:30 in the Music Room. We will continue reading Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, begun at the June meeting. Copies of the play (if desired in advance) will be available at Wednesday Coffee.
Evening Lecture Series
Tom Eblen (teblen@sunflower.com, 865-3634) and John Mullins (841-9658)
August 9—5:30 wine and cheese, 6:00 dinner, 7:00 presentation. The program will feature Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
Foreign Policy Study
Marilyn Bradt (mbradt@carrollsweb.com, 843-7751)
July 9—3:30 in the McGinnis Library. Earl and Jane Gates will lead the discussion on "Mexico:Neighbor in Turmoil." (There will be no meeting in August.)
Gardening
Arno Knapper (knapper@ku.edu, 312-9422) and Dick Schiefelbusch (843-5869)
July 11, 18, 25—9:00 in the Music Room.
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29—9:00 in the Music Room.
Great Books Study Group
Dave Hiebert (gundave@sunflower.com, 842-8706) and Ellen Gold (843-6933)
August 8—1:45. June was the Great Books last selection from the prior year, and the group agreed to a series for the new season entitled Great Conversations. In my forty plus years of taking part in Great Books discussion groups, this one was outstanding. While we have not yet decided on discussion leaders for particular months, let me tell you why I would like to say a few words about it.
To quote the preface, "Great Conversations 1 is the first of a series of anthologies intended for those who value the lively pleasure of discussing ideas. It is for readers who care as much about the book talk that follows as they do the solitary pleasures of the reading experience." There are fifteen selections, which means it will take more than a year to complete. Here is an idea of what is on the list, in roughly chronological order. –Art Lamb
1. The Epic of Gilgamesh, Anon. The oldest written epic. More than 2,000 BC.
2. Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus. Around 450 BC, the age of Pericles.
3. Of Friendship and Of Solitude, Montaigne. Around 1550 to 1560.
4. Ponsees, Blaise Pascal. About 1650.
5. Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson. After 1836.
6. Out of the Cradle, Walt Whitman. 1855.
7. Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville. 1835-1840.
8. An Enemy of the People, Henrik Ibsen. 1882.
9. The Value of Science. Henri Poincare. Around 1900.
10. Thoughts for the Times on War, Sigmund Freud. 1915.
11. The Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad. 1890.
12. The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen. 1920s.
13. The Stages of Life, Carl Jung. 1920s.
14. Tell me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen. 1978.
15. Boys and Girls, Alice Munro. 1966.
Music
Arno Knapper (knapper@ku.edu, 312-9422)
July 11, 18, 25—Immediately following coffee.
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29—Immediately following coffee.
Opera Study
Jim Seaver (jseaver@ku.edu, 843-4081) and Al Sellen (jnalsellen@aol.com, 841-7432)
August 17—1:30, on the second floor. The programs for Opera Study in 2007/8 will focus on the verismo—or "True-to-Life"–-Italian operatic style, which arose in the early 1890s and ended about 1920. Our programs will start with the double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo.
These first two operas are still immensely popular. They are often referred to by opera lovers as "The Heavenly Twins." Cavalleria Rusticana ("Rustic Chivalry") describes lives filled with religion, adultery, and murder in a small Sicilian village during the late nineteenth century. Our rendition is sung very well from La Scala, Milan, by tenor Placido Domingo, mezzo-soprano Elena Obratsova, and the Italian baritone Renato Bruson.
Pagliacci is the masterpiece of Ruggiero Leoncavallo, who also wrote several other fine scores, such as a LA BOHEME, which is not quite as popular as Puccini's famous opera by that name. The story of Pagliacci ("Clowns") is based on Leoncavallo's memory of his own boyhood. He was present when a man from the court of Leoncavallo's father was tried and convicted of murdering his wife. This opera of true-to-life passions is excellently sung and acted by tenor Placido Domingo, soprano Teresa Stratas, and baritone Juan Pons. Both of the operas were filmed at La Scala, Milan, with the famous orchestra conducted by Georges Pretre, and with sets by Franco Zeffirelli.
The two operas will take a total of 140 minutes. Coffee, tea, and cookies will be served at intermission between the two operas. This will be a DVD presentation, with surround sound and English subtitles.
The series will include: Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano (October 19 from DVD), Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilea (January 12 from videotape), and Francesca da Rimini by Riccardo Zandonai (March 7 from videotape).
Singing for Fun
Roberta Spires (rspires@ku.edu, 842-6820)
July 5 and August 2—2:00 in the Music Room. Please join us for a fun-filled song fest down memory lane with Winnie Gallup on the piano and Roberta Spires leading.
Ten O'clock Scholars, AKA “Wednesday Coffee”
Genevieve McMahon (841-2116).
July 11, 18, 25—10:00.
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29—10:00.
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