The Impact of a Social

The memories that are made at our OLLI socials are exciting to share. Just ask Dick Harp, our OLLI director. He reflects on his experience with our most recent event.

Following our February 13th “Paris Nights” social, I received an unusual number of email messages expressing the pleasure these members had about the theme of the evening. I really appreciate their kind thoughts and words. They discussed their feelings about the wonderful relationship we have with France and the citizens of that country. They also expressed many reasons why this friendship exists going back to the Revolutionary War.

Experiencing France
A few years ago, I shared with you the experiences my wife Patty and I had during our visits to France. Everywhere we went the people were friendly, gracious, and often thanked us for helping their country in times of need. Their gratitude is openly on display with the many monuments they have erected in honor of the sacrifices our county has made for them. They have many meticulously maintained cemeteries lined with white crosses which mark the graves of thousands of American soldiers who lost their lives liberating France. They say they will never forget what our country has done for them. Almost every tour guide we had would, during the course of their presentation, mention that they would be speaking German today if it was not for our country.

Normally, we don’t expound on any serious topics at the socials. (This was the first time in 52 socials.)  The purpose of these events is to have a good meal, a good time, enjoy the good music and whirl around the dance floor. We will try to not be serious in the future. However, if you get a chance to visit France, I believe you would enjoy the trip.

Hope to see you in class soon!