Climate Change and Evolution

Prof. Paul E. Olsen will give us a lecture on “How Climate Change and Evolution Conspired to Make Dinosaurs Dominant for 136 Million Years”. It is Monday, February 11 at 7:30pm in the Gathering Room.

Our guest speaker, Prof. Paul E. Olsen, is a paleontologist and author of a large number of technical papers. As a teenager living in New Jersey, he found some dinosaur footprints and sent President Nixon a cast of one – resulting in Riker Hill Fossil Site’s being named a National Natural Landmark.

He received M.Phil. and Ph.D.degrees in biology from Yale in 1984. His interests and research examine patterns of ecosystem evolution and extension as a response to climate change over geological time, and of Triassic and Jurassic continental ecosystems.

He is the Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Prof. Olsen’s talk should appeal to the child in all of us (dinosaurs) as well as the serious adult (climate change).

March Literary Course

On Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Prof. Yoel Magid will lead a new course: "The Limits of Rationality: Utopian and Dystopian Literature through the Ages." The class will look at dreams and rational thoughts of a better world, and through the looking glass at nightmares and insanities of these dreams going from bad to worse in the imaginations of great thinkers and writers. Short selected readings will be provided for each session. No homework!

Dr. Magid taught the "Democracy in Disarray" course at Kendal last year.

Sign-up sheets were already placed in your cubby.

History of the Earth

On Monday evening, February 4, our own Norman Sissman will present a talk, “A Brief History of Our Planet Earth; 4.6 Billion Years in 60 Minutes”.

Norman is the Editor of Kendal’s in-house magazine, Kendal View. In addition he is the Chair of our Co-Pilot Program which arranges resident accompaniment for those residents who are taken to the Emergency Ward at Phelps Hospital.

A retired pediatric cardiologist, he was a faculty member at the Rutgers Medical School and Director of Pediatric Cardiology and Professor of Pediatrics there.

Kendal residents are warned to pay close attention during Norman’s lecture. Covering 4.6 billion years in 60 minutes, means that during each minute Norman will be covering approximately 600 million years. He promises to talk slowly.

Kendal & Pace University Enter Partnership

Kendal on Hudson, the first Life Care retirement community in Westchester County, announced that they are entering into a formal partnership with Pace University, a private university with campuses in Lower Manhattan and Westchester County, New York. The reciprocal partnership will allow residents to attend classes and events on Pace campuses, and give students opportunities to explore careers, meet mentors and more.

"This is an exciting opportunity that expands Kendal's engagement with the mission-driven organizations in our community," says Jim Antonucci, CEO of Kendal on Hudson. "Providing opportunities for our residents to pursue their passions is an integral part of our mission, and by providing ways for our residents to be a part of the vibrant Pace community, we are opening new avenues for education of all kinds," noted Fran Kelly, co-chair of the Kendal Residents Education Committee.

Thanks to the new partnership, residents of Kendal on Hudson will have access to one class per semester, athletic events, and discounted admission to performances at Pace's Schimmel Center in New York City. Kendal will also have access to some of Pace's New York City spaces for offsite marketing events. In return, Pace students will receive mentoring from residents and staff, career exploration and internship opportunities.

The Agewell Study

Last year, the Kendal on Hudson community joined other Kendal affiliates to participate in a five-year national study to learn the impact of living in a Life Plan Community (same as a“CCRC”). The study is conducted by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging and Northwestern University. It compares self-reported health and wellness of individuals living at Life Plan Communities to people living outside of such communities. The goal is to better understand the long-term impact Life Plan Communities have on the health and wellbeing of residents.

First year findings (due out this month in publication) show that Life Plan Community residents tend to have greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness than demographically similar older adults in the community at large.

This is the last year that new participants can join. You can learn more at The AgeWell-Study.com.

What dates do you need to know? If you participated last year you will receive your 2019 survey mailed directly to you by mid-February. Although they are sending hard copies, participants are encouraged to answer online, if able.

All completed surveys will be due back by Friday, March 15. Completed surveys (in the provided sealed envelope) will be collected at the front desk. If you are new to Kendal and wish to participate for the first time, please contact Lisa Wacht, Health Services Administrator. Lisa is Kendal on Hudson’s survey administrator.

Art Book Collection

Art lovers rejoice! The library’s collection of art books, located in Clermont just before the bridge to Mary Powell, has been completely reorganized and labeled so it should be easy to find the period or artist which interests you. We encourage everyone to visit the Collection but remind you that the books cannot be taken away. We have provided a table, chairs and light so they can be enjoyed in this area.

March Course Announced

The Kendal Education Committee announced that on Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Prof. Yoel Magid will lead a new course, “The Limits of Rationality: Utopian and Dystopian Literature through the Ages.”

The class will look at dreams and rational thoughts of a better world, and through the looking glass at nightmares and insanities of these dreams going from bad to worse in the imaginations of great thinkers and writers.

Short selected readings will be provided for each session. No homework.

Dr. Magid taught the “Democracy in Disarray” course at Kendal last year.

Sign-up sheets were in your cubby last week.

Saturday Programs at Kendal

Starting in February, Saturdays will be jumping at Kendal.

On Saturday, February 9, at 2:00 p.m., a CD of an opera will be shown in the Gathering Room. Look for an announcement of the selected opera in next week’s Spotlight.

On Saturday, February 16, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., there will be a “Getting to Know You” program. A Kendal individual or couple will be interviewed in the first half hour, with time for Q and A in the second half hour.

Beginning in March, at 2:00 p.m. in the Gathering Room, the second Saturday of each month will be devoted to “Saturday Afternoon Opera ”programs and the third Saturday of each month will be devoted to “Getting to Know You”.

For further information, contact Amelia Augustus.

Pace President to Lecture

Kendal will be honored by having the President of Pace University Marvin Krislov speak as part of its Monday Night Lecture Series.

Residents are encouraged to attend a special presentation by President Krislov at 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 28.

Named the 8th President of Pace on August 1, 2017 Krislov is deeply committed to the University’s mission of providing all students, regardless of economic background, access to the transformative power of education.

Prior to Pace, Dr. Krislov served for 10 years as president of Oberlin College. Prior to Oberlin, he was vice president and general counsel at the University of Michigan, where he led the legal defense of the University’s admission policies that resulted in the 2003 Supreme Court decision recognizing the importance of student body diversity.

He earned a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, at Yale in 1982, and was named a Rhodes Scholar. He earned master’s degrees at Oxford University and Yale, and a juris doctor degree at Yale Law School in 1988.

Prior to entering academic life, he served as acting Solicitor and then Deputy Solicitor of national operations in the US Department of Labor. He previously served as associate counsel in the Office of Counsel to the President under President Bill Clinton.

New Trip Announced

The Trips Committee announced a new New Trip and a short wait list for another.

Wed., March 6, American Museum of Natural History, New York: Butterfly Conservatory, with more than 500 free-flying butterflies among lush tropical plants; 18,000 species of butterflies are classified into five families; the exhibition features three families. Wonderfully diverse in shape, size and color, butterflies are found everywhere from the Arctic tundra to tropical rain forests.

Participants will receive a “General Admission + One” ticket for the “Butterflies” special exhibition, 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space; it can be upgraded at the museum to include everything.

Short Wait List Trip

Wed., Feb. 20, New York Historical Society, New York: Explore a wide variety of exhibitions with some focusing on black and women’s issues: “Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow” from 1865 to World War I, and “African American Voting Rights;” Women’s Voices,” “Where Are the Monumental Women?” and “Three Centuries of War on the Home Front;” Audubon Bird of the Month, The Gallery of Tiffany Lamps and other exhibitions/installations.

Registration for all trips should be made in the Trips Book located in the Activities Alcove.