Governors Club Community Involvement

Residents at Governors Club volunteer at Chatham County's Habitat for Humanity by constructing homes, coaching families about the responsibilities of home ownership, and working in the two retail stores in Pittsboro.

GC Residents Teach Courses at Duke's OLLI A number of Governors Club residents have taught courses for Duke’s OLLI adult education program. Each designs his course, which may be patterned on a career or an avocation. Although none of the positions are tenure track, the students are highly motivated and the “professors” enjoy the experience. Lowell Hoffman, along with residents Paul D’Angelo, Gary Clinton, Sally and Dick Kahler, and John Moellering, presented “Toward a Better Understanding of the US-Asia Relationship, a series of inter-related programs. “The audience was mature, interesting and highly interested. They asked questions readily, frequently interrupting the speaker to toss in a question. As speakers, we found this useful as well as challenging. The questions were typically thoughtful and provocative.” Sally Kahler participated in the US/ Asia series and has taught two Asian courses focused on Asian Textiles and the traditions and culture associated with these cloths in Indonesia, Laos and China. “I love the audiences that sign up for the programs. They are interested and engaged and ask the best questions. My biggest surprise was that the men were as interested in this particular subject as the women. Jack Lawn has taught two courses focused on the life and assassination of John F. Kennedy. “Death of a President, The Assassination of JFK” and “Camelot Revisited” covered the early years, JFK’s poor health, his military service, as well as the extensive investigation and subsequent scientific analysis of evidence not available in the early years following the assassination. “I was impressed with the level of interest, especially among those who recalled those events, some of whom were influenced by the Oliver Stone movie.” Walter Mears, based on his years covering presidential elections for Associated Press, taught “Politics and Presidents” during the presidential campaign season. “Having taught journalism school classes, I found the OLLI experience much more satisfying–the participants wanted to be there, their dialogue was informative and interesting. The questions kept me thinking, and the answers generated more questions and kept us all engaged.” This fall, beginning Tuesday, September 15, Larry Chambers and Dick Isabel will lead a course, “The Rise and Fall of Hitler and the Nazi Party.” There is interest to enlist former and new “professors” in OLLI; information on OLLI at Duke is available on the website at www.learnmore.duke.edu/olli.

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