MESSAGES March 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Upcoming UWC Events in March
- Lecture Luncheon 5 – Sleep, Insomnia, and Aging – March 19 – 10:30 a.m., UMC 235. Registration deadline is March 2, 2024 – 6:00 p.m.
- Opera Brunch – March 17, 2024 – See details and register here. Registration deadline March 5, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
- Scholarship Luncheon – April 16, 2024 – See details and register here. Registration deadline March 27, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
- Honors Reception – May 21, 2024 – Expect an Evite in early April.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear UWC Members –
For this message I want to talk about the Titanic. It seems like an odd topic for March of 2024, but it’s such a fascinating story. To enhance what I have to say, I’d like to direct your attention to the Did You Know section of the February MESSAGES as well as our upcoming Opera Brunch. The Titanic is one of the most incredible stories of the 20th century. The sinking of this mega ship made history by being one of the greatest disasters of all time. It made a legend of the Unsinkable Molly Brown, a great Colorado heroine who worked hard to fit into monied society of the time. It arguably inspired one of the most popular movies of all time starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. It helped define the music career of Celine Dion.
The Titanic was also a monument to arrogance and bad decision making. To this day, maritime law reflects lessons learned by that disaster. Just last night I was watching a CNN report with Anderson Cooper on his show “The Whole Story.” This episode was about gigayachts. With modern safety features in mind, these monster yachts are not allowed to host more than 12 guests at a time, despite having space greater than a football field. In contrast, the builders of the Titanic, falsely convinced that their ship was unsinkable, provided only a third of the lifeboats required to save the entire register of guests and crew. Maritime law now requires ships to have lifeboats sufficient for 150% of the souls on board.
As you can read in February’s Did You Know, it is said that the ship’s radio operator ignored several warnings about dangerous ice in the waters ahead and an iceberg which he didn’t share with the ship’s captain, preferring to send guests’ personal notes instead. Personally, I have never captained a ship larger than a trimaran, but I can’t imagine trying to steer around an iceberg at night without a great deal of advance notice. Even small ships don’t turn quickly or easily without time to make directional adjustments.
Once the few lifeboats were lowered, those in charge didn’t want their guests to be crowded into boats with staff and crew. Why? The class system required that paying passengers have sufficient space. Based on the social convention of the time, women and children had to be given the first seats in the lifeboats. Meanwhile the men floundered onboard with no way to accompany their families.
The tragedy and hubris of the Titanic’s ill-fated story has been transformed into a musical, and there is little else that can capture emotion and a great story the way music can. I hope you are all able to attend CU’s production of Titanic.
As always, I hope to see you there.
Until next time,
Andie
Andie Kutinsky, 2023-2024 UWC President
UWC NOTES
Membership
How do people find out about UWC? Just since the first of the year, UWC has added 10 new members. Whom do you know who might also find interests, companionship, and camaraderie through UWC activities? Just last week I got into conversations with several women, some newcomers to Boulder, others long-time residents, who had never heard of UWC. One, whom I met in the hot tub at the East Boulder rec center, was musing that she didn’t know people for casual mutual activities. When she heard about the variety of Boulder UWC interest group activities she asked for the website to sign up. You all probably know or meet people who might become UWC members too! As we greet Spring in March we can each take the opportunity to tell one or two new people about UWC – the interest groups are all active, there are friends to be made, and the UWC year still has three months to go!
UWC currently has almost 340 active members – celebrate our strength and help us grow by talking to friends and acquaintances!
Merry Bullock
UWC Membership Chair
February Lecture Luncheon in Pictures
Final Lecture Luncheon in March
Lecture Luncheon #5 – TUESDAY March 19, 2024 – UMC 235, 10:30 a.m.
Rebecca Cox – Sleep, Insomnia, and Aging
Dr. Rebecca Cox completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, where she studied sleep disturbance in anxiety-related disorders.
Read more and register for Lecture Luncheon 5 here. Registration Deadline is March 2, 2024
Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations via ZOOM
Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations – a great way to get to know new UWC members, and a great way get to know old friends better. We meet via Zoom for about 50 minutes to an hour on the third Tuesday starting at 4:00 p.m. Contact Kathy Randall (katherineran at gmail dot com) to reserve a spot for any conversation or to sign up for automatic inclusion for the UWC year. With automatic inclusion you will always get the Zoom invitation, but you are not required to come.
March 19 Topic: When I grow up I want to be a ________. Tell us three careers you daydreamed about when you were a child and why. Did you end up actually pursuing any of them?
UWC Elections for 2024-2025
The UWC Nominating Committee has presented the following slate of elect-officers for 2024-2025. The election will take place at the March Lecture Luncheon on Tuesday, March 19. If members wish to offer nominations “from the floor,” please notify Andie Kutinsky, Chair of the Nominating Committee.
Candidates are as follows:
President-Elect 2024-2025
(to serve as President 2025-2026)
Andie Kutinsky, PhD
Andie is the current president of UWC while continuing to participate in the Spanish Conversation group, the Out to Lunch Group, and the Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations. Andie is a lifelong educator having been a teacher, principal, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools, and a Director of Special Education for Boulder Valley Schools. Following her “retirement” she co-founded and was Executive Director of Focal Point, an independent educational consulting company doing transformation work in school systems in Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Texas. In 2016 she formed Kutinsky and Associates which worked with evaluation systems for teachers and administrators in New Jersey and Colorado.
Secretary-Elect 2024-2025
(to serve as Secretary 2025-2026)
Sharon Nehls
Sharon Nehls is currently Chair of the Program Committee for the University Women’s Club. She is a retired language arts teacher from Boulder Valley Schools and the author of What’s New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use. She blogs about the use of young adult books in the classroom at “What’s New in Young Adult Novels.” Sharon joined the board of the Dairy Arts Center in 2008 and was instrumental in building the Boedecker Art House Cinema (The Boe) at the Dairy. She continues to chair the ad hoc programming committee for The Boe. This committee not only previews films and gives programming recommendations for the cinema, but also helps to organize the TalkBack Program and schedule hosts to lead discussions following the films. As a grandmother to five young grandchildren living in Boulder, there never seems to be a dull moment.
(to serve as Treasurer in 2025-2026)
Frieda Holley
SCHOLARSHIPS
Message from the Scholarship Chair
Your UWC Scholarship Committee has been busy during the last month reading the applications of so many hopeful non-traditional students. Now we are in the process of making the difficult selection of the most deserving applicants to receive our scholarships. This process is always heart-rending as we read about the difficult life circumstances so many of our applicants have had to overcome. But at the same time, it is heart-warming to be able to play a small part in helping these students pursue their dreams.
We will be introducing these amazing students at our Annual Scholarship Luncheon on April 16, where you will hear from them directly about how grateful they are for the support you have provided. So mark your calendars and register today!
I also want to let the membership know that we learned at the last UWC Board meeting that Scholarship Fund donations were down slightly this year. So this is a plea to all to step up with any additional donation you can make – any amount helps- so that we can continue this core mission of the UWC in good style and in which so many members take pride. Donations are easy to make – just go to Scholarship link where you can easily make an online donation. And remember, you can also donate to UWC when signing up for UWC events or even when grocery shopping (see article below).
Marge Riddle
Scholarship Chair
Photo courtesy of Rasa Kasparaviciene on Unsplash
Support Scholarships Through Your Grocery Shopping!
If you shop at King Soopers, Safeway, or Albertson’s, you can easily participate in their community award programs, and 5% of your purchases will be donated to UWC to support our scholarships AT NO COST TO YOU! You can really make a difference.
With the King Soopers Community Rewards program, you can go online one time and link your King Soopers Loyalty Card to the UWC Account. UWC will automatically get 5% without your having to do anything else. Directions for signing up can be found here https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards.
If you shop at Safeway and/or Albertsons, you can use a Safeway Community Giving Card when making your purchases and UWC will earn 5% every time you reload your card. To request a Safeway Card be mailed to you or to seek assistance to register for these program, contact Board Member, Norma Portnoy at normaporrtnoy1112 at gmail – dot – com.
Please click here for instructions regarding both programs.
Thank you for participating in these programs to support our scholarships!
Donations to the Scholarship Fund
Scholarship Donations (January, 2024)
Lois Anderson
Susan Anderson
Merry Bullock
Bridget Dalton
Tina Facteau
Amy Falk Russell
Sydney Hoerler
Kathleen Israelson
Catherine Jenni
Ann McBryan
Rebecca Roser
Yael Sears
Berry Todd
Tamera Van Spriell
Kathryn Wardell
Eunice Wilkinson
DID YOU KNOW?
What’s Happening at CU?
- The University of Colorado Spring Break is scheduled for March 25-29. The first day of spring this year is Tuesday, March 19.
- Titanic, The Musical, CU School of Music’s spring production, will be playing in Macky Auditorium March 15-17.
- Colloquium: Joseph Campbell: Explainable Machine Learning for Robotic. Rapid advances in machine learning have endowed robots with an increased capacity for autonomous operation. However, state-of-the-art models, such as deep neural networks, often contain opaque underlying representations that make it difficult to understand how and why these models make decisions. You will be able to learn more about this subject in person on Zoom: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/190280621
Thursday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Faculty Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m, March 5, 12,19, and 26 – Events will be livestreamed by CU Boulder: Watch here.
A More Global Look
- March 8 – International Women’s Day 2024: Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.
- March 10 – Daylight Savings Time – don’t forget to “spring ahead” and set your clocks forward one hour.
- March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – time to pull out your best green “jumper” as the Irish say and celebrate “the luck of the Irish.”
An Interesting Health Fact in Support of our Interest Groups
According to a publication distributed by the Cleveland Clinic, Heart Advisor, loneliness and social isolation are hidden threats to our heart health. The physical effects of loneliness and social isolation are significant and include higher risk of heart disease (29%), stroke (32%), dementia (50%), and premature death (60%). The article goes on to state that according to the US surgeon general, “feeling disconnected from friends and family has the same impact as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”
I can’t think of a better reason to encourage our members, especially those who might be living alone or experiencing isolation, to attend one of our functions and/or join one of our many interest groups.
Looking Ahead
Opera Brunch in 2024
March 17, 2024—11:30 a.m. brunch, 2:00 p.m. Titanic, The Musical to be performed in Macky Auditorium.
Please join the University Women’s Club to view Titanic, The Musical preceded by a special gourmet brunch and a lecture on the making of the musical presented by Maestro Carthy who will be conducting the performance. The brunch will take place in the Aspen Room in the University Memorial Center (UMC), CU Boulder. After our brunch and lecture, we will reconvene in Macky Auditorium to be treated to Titanic, The Musical.
We will embark on a thrilling musical journey of epic romance, courage, and destiny. Stunning music and performances will tell the tragic tale of the world’s most famous shipwreck. The musical, Titanic, opened on Broadway on April 23, 1997. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and ran for over 800 performances. Despite having opened the same year as the epic movie of the same name, the two are not related. Titanic, The Musical is based on the story and book by Peter Stone with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Titanic, The Musical is a collaborative presentation by the CU Boulder College of Music and the Eklund Opera Program.
You can sign up HERE for the Opera Brunch. The deadline for signing up is March 5, 2024, 6 p.m.
For more information, please contact Sandy Johnson at the UWC email, boulderuwc@gmail.com or call 732-322-8695.
Sandy Johnson
Opera Brunch Chair
Scholarship Luncheon
Registration for the
University Women’s Club Annual Scholarship Luncheon is open!
Spring into action!!!
The University Women’s Club Annual Scholarship Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Boulder Country Club.
Join University Women’s Club friends as we honor this year’s scholarship recipients with the theme, “Anything is Possible…..Reach for the Stars.”
We are thrilled that Chico’s FAS Inc., which includes Chico’s, White House Black Market, and Soma, will provide the fashion show this year! Chico’s FAS Inc. has beautiful clothing with a unique style.
The Scholarship Luncheon is one of UWC’s important fundraising events for the scholarship program. The scholarship luncheon and fashion show cost is $50. You are encouraged to attend and bring guests!!!
The registration fee does not include a contribution to the UWC Scholarship Fund. You will have the option to make a tax deductible contribution to the Scholarship Fund when you register for the luncheon. Please take this opportunity to continue to support UWC’s philanthropy of awarding scholarships to non-traditional students.
Register NOW, so you don’t miss this important event! The Final Registration Date for the 2024 Scholarship Luncheon is March 27, 2024, 6 p.m.
2024 Honors Reception
The University Women’s Club cordially invites you to the annual UWC Honors Reception, Tuesday, May 21 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the Tent on the South Terrace of the University Memorial Center (UMC). This is a special occasion when we will honor the 2024 Margaret Willard Award winner and recognize UWC Presidents and members who have provided leadership and inspiration in the past.
Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served at this free event, plus lively entertainment will be provided by the ever popular Buffoons. This is our last club event of the year. Look for an Evite in early April.
Anne Hudson
Honors Reception Chair
Member Acknowledgement
Membership Courtesy
If you know of a member who would appreciate a card, note, or any personal contact due to illness, death, or other reasons for support, please inform UWC at boulderuwc@gmail.com with “Acknowledgements Chair” in the subject line.
Members in Memoriam
As information to members, and to remember those who have passed away, UWC includes an “in Memoriam” section on the website. This section will honor those UWC members who have passed away in the current year. If you are aware of UWC members who have left us, please let Joyce Spencer, webmaster, (jjandbobs at msn dot com) know the member’s name.
Notices
It is with deepest sympathy that we report the passing of two long-term University Women’s Club members: Kathy Terrill and Alice Allen.
Kathy joined UWC in 1993. She served on the Board of Dircetors, and was the New Member Chair during the 2020-2021 program year.
Alice, who passed away on January 20, 2024, was a member of the University Women’s Club for over 20 years and actively supported scholarships for selected nontraditional students.
INTEREST GROUPS
Interest Group News
Parlez vous Français?
The Intermediate French Interest Group is seeking additional members. The group welcomes all speaking levels. Many of us had French long ago and would like to revive and improve our language skills. The group chooses topics and those who wish prepare a few sentences or a short paragraph on that topic or on another topic of interest. These are conversation starters, and we help each other improve our French.
We meet twice a month, the second and fourth Mondays at Panera 29th Street Boulder at 2:30 p.m. for an hour submersed in French. Folks are welcome to stay longer. If you are interested, please send Zdenka an email: Zdenka dot smith at gmail dot com.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Henderson on Unsplash
Let’s Go See a Play Together!
Theater Goers and On the Road Again are teaming up to see the spring VIVA play at the Dairy Center. VIVA is performing Talking With…. an ensemble play about what it was like to be a woman in 1981 (can you remember?). Buy your own ticket for the performance on Sunday, March 24, and after the show we’ll meet in the lobby for discussion and perhaps a glass of wine or a snack.
See more about the play here: https://thedairy.org/event/viva-theater-talking-with/2024-03-22/ and click on the red “TICKETS” box to buy your ticket (Senior $28.25). Kathy is sitting in seat C9 and Cindy is in C8. Please feel free to bring a friend or partner. Let us know who is coming so we’ll keep our eyes open for you.
Then, on May 5th, Theater Goers will meet for BETC’s performance of What the Constitution Means to Me. Please contact interim chair Cindy Meyer to be added to the e-mail list. Also, please contact Cindy if you would be willing to help organize plays for the fall.
Scenes from Interest Group meetings
Send your interest group photos for inclusion in next month’s MESSAGES
– send to MESSAGES editor Tamera Van Spriell at boulderuwc@gmail.com
Send photos you have taken of Boulder and surrounds for inclusion in MESSAGES
– send to MESSAGES editor Tamera Van Spriell at boulderuwc@gmail.com
Interest Groups Information
Bicycling – Meets weekly on Thursdays from May through October. Chairs: Gail Smith 303-960-5004; Susan Lee 303-974-8969. We start with a couple of shorter rides and work up to around 20+ miles each ride. We have a couple of levels of riders, but faster riders will wait until all riders catch up. Electric bikes are welcome.
Bicycling – Easy Riders –Meets sporadically on Tuesdays. New Chairperson is neeeded.
Book Group – Afternoon – Fourth Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at members’ homes or on ZOOM. Vaccinations required. Chairs: Mary Clough 303-522-8692; Lois Linsky 303-499-2689.
Book Group – Biographies – Third Friday at 3:00 p.m., in person. Chair: Eunice Wilkinson, 303-956-9675.
Book Group – The Original Book Group – Formerly Evening – Second Thursday at 2:45 p.m. Meetings may be held outside when weather permits. Up-to-date vaccinations are required for indoor meetings, masks are optional. Chairs: Kathleen Salzberg 303-499-3128; Ellen Gille 720-836-2365. This group has been meeting continuously since the 1950s.
Bridge Group – Chair: Karen Neff 303-494-0467; also seeking beginner players to start a new Beginners’ Group.
French Conversation – All Speaking Levels – Dates and times to be determined. Chair: Zdenka Smith 303-330-2856.
French Conversation Group 1 – Every Wednesday year round at 1:30 pm. Includes 8 sessions per semester with a paid native speaker. Limited openings. Contact chair for details. Chair: Dot Thompson, thompsondot at hotmail dot com.
Garden Group – Third Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Chairs: Jyotsna Raj 303-447-8831; Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788.
Golfing – For the Casual Golfer –will resume in the spring – 1:00 p.m. every Thursday at various golf courses, new members welcome. Chair: Susan Planck 303-499-3916.
Hiking and Strolling – Every Friday 9:00 a.m. September – May; 8:30 a.m. June – August. Our meeting place has changed. Meet at the far NE corner of the Free Parking underground garage at 29th Street Mall, close to the old Macy’s. Check the weekly email for details. – Chairs: Joan (Joanie) Cardone 303-263-7823; Frieda Holley 303-499-3733.
Italian Conversation – Wednesday, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. Chair: Maxene Wilson 303-530-4619.
Music – Second Monday afternoon of most months in members’ homes, providing a venue for musical performers to meet and share their love of music in an intimate setting. Chairs: Judy Owens 720-562-8064; Carol Green 802-363-1868.
Needlecraft – Third Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Chair: Ginnie Ross.
On the Road Again – Occasional in person road trips. Chair: Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
Out to Lunch – Usually Fourth Wednesday, at noon at various local restaurants. Chairs: Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788; Jyotsna Raj 303-447-8831.
Readers’ Theater 2 – Third Monday 4:00 p.m. at the main Boulder Library. Chairs: Patty Ludke 303-817-1020; Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
Spanish Conversation Advanced – Contact chair for details. Chair: Diana King 303-530-1860.
Sunday Afternoon at the Movies – Usually second Sunday, to see movies at a theater in Boulder or nearby theater. Chairs: Sharon Nehls 303-494-5778; Carmen Caver 803-606-5619.
Theater Goers – Boulder Ensemble Theater Company matinees. More to come. Acting Chair, Cindy Meyer 713-256-9185.
Groups that are at capacity
- Book Group – The Bookies – Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
- Book Group Small – Fiction and Non-Fiction, Joyce Bograd.
- Book Group – Second Monday, Janet Evans.
- Book Group – Mysteries, Betty Barnes.
- Bridge Group Intermediate level – First Wednesday Chair: Karen Neff
-
Games Group – It’s Anyone’s Game – Second Wednesday Chair: Kathleen Newton
To start a new interest group requires at least five members including a chairperson.
If you are interested in starting a new group please contact the Interest Group Coordinator for more information: Linda Nordberg Interest Group Coordinator, 978-314-9987.
To form a new book group, contact Kathy Randall, 303-746-4528.
Want to MeetUp with a UWC friend with a common interest?
This is not an interest group, but instead, a group of UWC members who agree to receive emailed meetup invitations for spontaneous get togethers. You must sign up for MeetUp to receive invitations. What to know more? Contact Betty Barnes at 512-657-6584.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Officers
President – Andie Kutinsky
President Elect – Anne Hudson
Past President – Norma Portnoy
Secretary – Kathleen Salzberg
Secretary Elect – Sharon Nehls
Treasurer & Treasurer Elect – Frieda Holley
Board Members
Acknowledgments Co-Chairs
For Tax Purposes – Merry Bullock (all donations); Frieda Holley (large donations)
For Personal Notes – Sharon Nehls
Advisory/Parliamentarian – Frieda Holley
Archives Chair – Karen Neff
Email/Communications – Berry Todd
Honors Reception – Anne Hudson
Interest Groups Chair – Linda Nordberg
Margaret Willard Award Chair – Andie Kutinsky
Membership Chair – Merry Bullock
Membership Coffee – Lynne Barnett
MESSAGES Co-Chairs
Compilation of Content – Tam Van Spriell
Copy Edit Review – Kathleen Salzberg
Technical Wizardry – Merry Bullock
New Members Chair – Anne Hudson
Nominating Committee – Andie Kutinsky, Anne Hudson, Janet Brewer
Opera Brunch – Sandy Johnson
Photography – Anne Hudson
Programs
Chair – Sharon Nehls
UMC Liaison – Tam Van Spriell
Registration – Lynne Barnett
Scholarship Committee Chair – Marge Riddle
Scholarship Luncheon – Jonette Lucia
Website – Joyce Spencer
Zoom Master – Merry Bullock, Lynne Barnett
Non-Board Positions
Document Repository – Frieda Holley
Zoom Scheduler – Kathy Randall
CALENDAR
UWC Calendar 2024 Spring
March
SUNDAY, 17 March 2024 – Opera Brunch – Titanic, The Musical
TUESDAY, 19 March 2024 – Lecture Luncheon #5 – Rebecca Cox, PhD – Sleep, Insomnia, and Aging – University Memorial Center (UMC), Rm 235
April
TUESDAY 16 April 2024 – Scholarship Luncheon – Boulder Country Club
May
TUESDAY, 21 May 2024 – Honors Reception – University Memorial Center (UMC) South Terrace Tent
Photos courtesy of Anne Hudson.