You can still sign up for Fall classes!

Our 46th semester is going strong, but there are still several classes with availability that have not begun yet. Registration is ongoing with classes running through mid December. Check out our Courses page for the calendar view, grid view, a PDF and more.

You will receive a reminder email with all details about your class two business days before your class begins. This reminder will include the course schedule, any skip dates, course location, Zoom link and passcode if applicable, and how to access your class webpage (which is where you will find your class media among other things). Please keep this email handy for reference throughout the semester.

Many of our courses are filling up quickly, but there are still some open slots in select classes starting in the next month. Don’t wait—register today to learn, connect and explore with Encore Learning!

1056 – Mozart/Da Ponte Operas

1058 – Brill Building Era: Soundtrack of Rock and Pop in the ’50s and ’60s

1059 – Song Hunters: Carter, Lomax, and the Mid-Century Folk Revival

2003 – Estate Planning Basics

3087 – Air Racing: A History

3089 – Classical Greece

4052 – Impact Investing: Advancing Social & Environmental Solutions

5073 – Shakespeare’s Hamlet

6034 – Hearing Science and Audiology

Know that many courses that have already begun have been recorded so you can still sign-up for those and view the recordings up until February 28, 2026.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe spoke to class members in our timely course Election 2025: Potential Impact of Virginia Elections on the Nation.

Ambassadors William Taylor and Richard Kauzlarich take questions in their class Transactional Diplomacy and Geopolitical Shifts: Russia, Ukraine, and the New ‘Near Abroad’.

Instructor Marty Suydam leads his Walks with the Rambler class on hikes in South Arlington.

Instructor Margaret McBride meets with her Writing from Prompts: A Workshop class – where members rediscover and reawaken the joys of writing.

Long Branch Nature Center Naturalist Rob Barnovsky shares with our Introduction to Fall Birding class how amazing birds are with their main adaptations – and gives Encore Learning members a better understanding and appreciation of birds in our area.

So many publications of late have focused on how to remain happy and healthy in post-employment status. They start out marveling at the accomplishments of those passing—Jane Goodall at 91, Susan Stamberg at 87, and even the ‘super-ager’ at 117 years of life, and then give advice on how to live a happy and fulfilling life, no matter the number of years.

When I browse through these articles, filled with advice and tips for a long life, I think of our community. The published ‘wisdom’ is to eat a healthy diet, and be physically active, and—stay engaged. The expert advice puts at the top of the list for healthy aging staying engaged with others. Social interaction seems to be essential to our well-being.  

So what to do? Develop a hobby; join a club; support a favorite cause; take a course; volunteer—but whatever your interest, seek out others. That is the consistent advice of all the medical and psychology professionals. Encore Learning makes it easy to do all of the above!  

Whether you partake of classes or clubs, you will find others with whom to share ideas, experiences, and opinions.  Special events will often get you out and about the DC area—museums to ball games. Our classes can challenge ideas, or give practical advice, or open up new areas to explore. And if you reach out to those around you, you will be surprised at how much they can offer to you as well.  I think you will find these new friends as stimulating and interesting as our classes, clubs, and activities.

Engage, explore, and be well— I look forward to seeing you!

–Marilyn Marton

Encore Learning is fortunate to have such a wealth of knowledgeable, engaging and all around wonderful volunteer instructors. We hope to feature one or two instructors each newsletter to share a bit about them. We welcome additional writers and submissions. Thank you!

Dr. Janice McLean

by Anne Werner

Janice McLean, PhD, is a retired clinical psychologist who taught at Ohio University for 20 years and practiced in hospital and group practice settings for over 30 years. She has co-authored books and contributed to The Successful Medical Student and Counseling Source Book. Always doing some sort of volunteer work has been part of her modus operandi; Encore Learning has been the beneficiary of her enthusiasm. She is a tireless researcher and is fascinated by the psychology in the world around her. 

That fascination with the psychology in the world around her drove her to choose the title Psychology in Your Life and World for her Spring 2025 course for Encore Learning. Delving into different aspects of psychology in everyday life, illustrated by outstanding power point presentations, Dr. McLean covered a broad array of settings in which we see psychology in our courtrooms, workplace, the clinician’s office, the military and many others. Comments from students of the course were practically universal in their praise: “Surpassed my expectations. Janice McLean loves what she does and that is contagious. She is bright funny and richly experienced in her field.” “The instructor was informative, enthusiastic, and encouraged (and managed well) lively class discussions.” “The instructor did a great job structuring the course. She is extremely engaging and witty, and delivered the context in a very effective way, while optimizing interaction and participation.” To sum up: “A terrific class!”

Janice has taught other courses for Encore Learning including: Personalities Strange Bedfellows and Psycholgy: It’s Everywhere. All of her courses touch on what she has called her “scholarly” question, of what the heck is psychology and why should we care?

Encore Learning is privileged to have Janice teaching again for Fall 2025 – a course she is calling Hot Topics in Psychology. Her engagement with her students prompted her to elicit topics of interest to them, and she has put together fascinating sessions about matters we encounter in our daily life. You will discover practical insights and perhaps a new way of looking at some key themes of our world today.

Thank you Janice for sharing your time and knowledge with our members!

Lynn recently joined the Encore Learning Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Membership Committee.

Over the course of a 20-year career in strategic marketing, Lynn worked in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and financial technology sectors. She engaged global teams in developing marketing strategies, driving product development, and identifying new business opportunities for companies such as TNS, Johnson & Johnson, and FIS Global.

As co-owner of a small business, Lynn also wore many hats—overseeing marketing communications, community and internal events, customer database management, and digital and social media efforts to support business growth and customer retention.

After selling the business two years ago, she relocated to Arlington when her husband accepted a position with the National Guard Bureau. She enjoys all that Arlington has to offer and is enthusiastic about giving back to the community. In addition to her work with Encore Learning, she is a member of the AARP Speakers Bureau, and volunteers at the Arlington House Kitchen Garden. If you are interested in helping Encore Learning grow its membership, reach out to Lynn.

Encore Learning instructor Dan Sherman gave a fun and informative talk on September 15 titled “A Gentle Introduction to Richard Wagner.”  You can view a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

Earlier this month, he gave a talk on Wagner’s immense influence on film music that included many clips from classic films. Dan is a board member of the Wagner Society of Washington, DC and he gave this talk (about 90 minutes) for the Society.  A copy of that talk can found at this link: https://tinyurl.com/yc7zdpe5.

Please feel free to contact Dan at ratitekeeper@yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments about his talks.

On September 29th Jessica Kaplan of the Arlington Historical Society presented Stumbling Stones: Memorializing Arlington’s Enslaved People. We learned about the origin of this initiative, the research being done, the work of Arlington Tech students to recreate some of the plaques, the response of the community and where to find already embedded stumbling stones. A recording of the presentation is available on our YouTube channel.

On October 6th journalist and author David Poole discussed his timely book about recent Virginia political history. Trusted Source – How a Virginia Nonprofit Gained Bipartisan Support in an Era of Political Polarization tells the unlikely success story of the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). You can view a recording of this event on our YouTube channel here.

On September 30, a lucky group of Encore Learning members visited Area2Farms and learned about vertical farming, worm farming, and composting…a lot of industry under one roof! Farm tour leader Marissa Bale also awakened tastebuds with purple shamrocks, nasturtium leaves and a wasabi arugula! – Nancy Kilpatrick, Special Events Committee. Photos courtesy Nancy Kilpatrick and Tom Underwood.

On October 7th, 20 Encore Learning members visited the GWU Museum for a guided tour of the city of Washington, D.C. history exhibit.

After the tour, a group enjoyed lunch at nearby Tonic restaurant.

Photos courtesy Tom Underwood.

The Glorious History of Popular Music in Northern Virginia

Did you know that music in Virginia dates all the way back to the minstrels originally sung in Black churches? That the Howard Theater as a venue for Black performers pre-dated the more famous Apollo Theater in New York City? That Washington music entrepreneur Connie B. Gay, considered the “father of country music” built the careers of Patsy Cline, Jimmy Dean and Roy Clark, among many others.

On October 27, Ken Avis, musician, historian and popular Encore Learning lecturer, related the history, culture and vibe of the music scene in northern Virginia, highlighted by clips of many of these and other early performers. Many were well known – Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, and Tom Paxton. Others were popular at the time but have faded from memory. Performers like Elizabeth Cotton who sang “Freight Train,” Mississippi John Hurt and Ernest Stoveman, who had 15 children, some of whom followed him into musical careers.

Over 170 Encore Learning members and guests, attended Ken’s presentation in George Mason University’s beautiful FUSE building. Attendees socialized at a Open House reception prior to the presentation, enjoying pizza, ice cream and cookies and learned about Encore Learning clubs and committees. Thank you to George Mason University Life for co-sponsoring this wonderful event. – Louise Kenny, Chair, Special Events Committee

What’s coming up next for Encore Learning special events?

• Friday, October 31 – in person tour of the exhibit “Women Artists of the DMV” at the McLean Project for the Arts.
• Thursday, November 6 – in person tour of the Victims of Communism Museum.
• Sunday, November 16, Sunday Reception and Concert with the Arlington Philharmonic.
• Monday, November 17, Encore Learning Presents: Is America Headed for Civil War? How Deep-Rooted Social Conflicts Can Be Resolved, with Richard E. Rubenstein, virtual on Zoom.
• Monday, December 8, Encore Learning Presents: One Immigrant’s Journey and Legacy in Arlington with Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez. Virtual on Zoom.

Please visit our special events page for full event details and to register.

Thanks to Special Events committee members, Jan Burchard, Tom Underwood, Nancy Kilpatrick and Tom Kilfoyle, for their creativity in uncovering hidden gems to tour and speakers for our “Encore Learning Presents” Monday speaker series.

Want to contribute to Encore Learning by helping to identify and manage special events? Join our fun, energized committee. Contact Louise Kenny at LKenny1208@gmail.com to learn more.   

Membership Committee Chair Lynn Ray attended Volunteer Arlington’s Causes and Cocktails event at the Westin Crystal City on October 7th.

Jane Nagy (Volunteer Committee Chair), Marilyn Marton (Board President), and Lynn Ray (Membership Committee Chair – not pictured), helped spread the word about Encore Learning at Clarendon Day.

We are currently seeking volunteers for a variety of roles:

• Posting our events in public calendars (such as ArlNow, the Beacon, NextDoor, Positive Aging, etc.).
• Developing strategies to diversify our membership and ensure we are inclusive.
• Planning academic courses or Special Events.
• Class Aides for the Spring Semester.
• Joining a forming Public Relations/Marketing committee.

If any of these opportunities are of interest to you, please visit our Volunteer page or send an email to info@encorelearning.net.

Please email the Encore Learning office if you are interested in joining any of our clubs or would like more information. You may also visit our Clubs page on our website for details and a full list of our clubs.

Please note: Clubs are maintained by Encore Learning as a benefit to our members. If you’re not a member or have let your membership lapse, please go to our membership page for how to join or renew. Thank you!

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club continues to chug along each Wednesday morning at La Madeleine. Recently we’ve been averaging 14 to 18 attendees. Our starting time is officially 8:00 AM, but not everyone, including the Coordinator, can make it there quite that early. We have no formal program, just casual conversation until 8:30, when we begin “check-in,” which lasts around 30 minutes, depending on how many have something to report. After that, people start leaving, but some stay longer and resume casual conversation in small groups. – Ron Wise, Club Coordinator. Photo from a June meeting courtesy of Lee Cooper.

Chamber Music Club

The Chamber Music Club meets every first and second Friday of the month, at noon, from October through May, to hear chamber concerts sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club, a venerable institution dating to 1886.

The musicians are superb and the programming diverse and interesting.

The November concerts are on November 7 and November 14. The first concert will feature works by Beethoven, Respighi, and Grieg; the second, works by Bach, Schubert, and Loeffler.

The venue is St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 N. Oakland St., adjacent to the Virginia Square Metro station. For those who drive, the church has a small parking lot. On-street parking is available as well. Please contact the office if you wish to join.

– Rhoda Ritzenberg, Coordinator

Cinema Club

The Encore Learning Cinema Club has been busy this summer and fall. We have seen a wide variety of films, including Roofman, A Little Prayer, Naked Gun, Mr. Blake at Your Service, and The Phoenician Scheme. Join us on Thursday, November 6, for the next movie and a discussion over lunch nearby.

–Caroline Wooden and Dru Dowdy, club coordinators.

Kayak Club

Sadly, the kayak season has ended for this year. The 2025 season had its ups and downs – we weren’t able to paddle at all in May due to rainy weather. The rest of the summer was much better, even if some days were quite hot.

It’s always fun to kayak out of Fletcher’s Boathouse, since we often see interesting birds, and one feels that you are hours away from DC rather than minutes!! -Janice Yeadon and Diana Warmann, club coordinators

Mindfulness Club

The Club continues to meet weekly, Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00, by Zoom for about 20 minutes of meditation, plus topical discussion and social connection. We welcome persons new to mindfulness practice and meditation as well as persons with long experience. Our Club meetings draw from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Insight Meditation sources, and our meditations are designed to bring participants into the current moment as observers of themselves and their surroundings.

Our group is a come-as-you-wish; we send a reminder of the meetings as well as some mindfulness information most weeks by email but there is no commitment to attend Zoom sessions. If you want to be added to the Club email list, contact the Encore Learning office with your request. — Dwight Rodgers, Club Representative

Nonfiction Book Club

The Encore Learning Nonfiction Book Club will meet next on November 10 to discuss Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Please feel free to join us at the Arlington Central Library at 1:30 PM to discuss this fascinating book. If interested in joining the book club, let the office know, and we’ll add you to the mailing list.– Ed Rader, Pat Chatten, club coordinators

Travel Club

On October 17, Linda and Steve Shapiro presented their recent trip to the Baja Peninsula and other parts of the Southwest US. On November 21, the Travel Club will feature a trip Joyce and Marty Suydam took a few years ago to Vietnam. It is a story for travel to Bangkok, Thailand, then on to Hanoi and much of what once was North Vietnam, then throughout the remaining length of Vietnam, then back to Thailand. The travel included planes, trains, automobiles, buses, sailing junk (ship), canoes, concrete scow, and rickshaws.

The Encore Learning Travel Club meets once a month, usually on the 3rd Friday of the month at 3:30 PM on Zoom. To become a member of the club and receive the club announcements, send an email to the office. We hope to see you virtually on Zoom! -Charlie Hallahan, co-Coordinator. Photo courtesy of Linda and Steve Shapiro.

Our partners at George Mason University invite Encore Learning members to a special event: The Directors: Hayden, Brennan and Clapper, on Thursday, October 30.

Join General Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, as he welcomes his fellow former intelligence leaders — John Brennan, former CIA Director; Ellen McCarthy, former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research; and James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence — for a rare and candid discussion on the national security challenges facing the United States today.

Larry Pfeiffer, the Hayden Center’s Executive Director, will moderate the conversation, which will include time for audience questions. Note: This event will be recorded and available after.

This event will be held in at Mason Square, Arlington. It will be available via livestream as well. Register now to reserve your spot.

With the year-end approaching, some of you may be doing some tax planning and there are three ways to support Encore Learning and your other favorite charities while lowering your tax liability.

1. Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA makes your donation 100% tax deductible even if you don’t itemize.
2. Appreciated securities (eg. stocks) will avoid paying capital gains tax and also increase your itemizable deductions
3. A grant from your donor-advised fund which has been funded from appreciated assets.

For more details, please visit this page for helpful info about end-of-year giving. You can bookmark it for later too!”

The best thing about Encore Learning is our members! Give a friend or family member an Encore Learning “gift membership” this holiday season. What a wonderful way to start the new year.

Checkout our webpage for details:

https://encorelearning.net/membership/gifts/

In addition to giving a membership you can gift a class to an Encore Learning member. Contact the office to pre-purchase a credit to their account and that will be applied to their course registration.

Alternatively, if you know someone now who seems interested in joining or know someone recently retiring, take a moment to explain to them what you find rewarding about Encore Learning. Then, let them know how to join. Joining is easy; all they have to do is visit our website and click on “join.” If they have questions about the process, they can email the staff at info@encorelearning.net. Memberships are tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

The past month brought us the beginning of the semester and now we have several classes that have already concluded with rave reviews. It was a strange October though, with some adjustments to plans based on two classes visiting sites managed by the Smithsonian and Park Service which were closed due to the federal government shutdown.

So many new members have recently joined our community. We encourage everyone to take a moment to introduce themselves and share their favorite aspects of Encore Learning, fostering an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. 


We welcome the many recently retired federal employees and to join Encore Learning. We are raising funds for a scholarship to provide a new membership for recently retired federal employees. Learn more about the scholarship and how to donate to the fund here: https://encorelearning.net/membership/retired-federal-employees/

We extend our gratitude to our incredible volunteers whose dedication, flexibility, and passion are instrumental in cultivating a dynamic learning environment and enhancing the overall experience at Encore Learning. Together, we look forward to a fulfilling and inspiring semester ahead!

~ Lora 

Lora Pollari-Welbes

Executive Director

During September 2025, we welcomed the following new members and look forward to having them become active participants in Encore Learning. Please introduce yourself to them if you meet them in a class, club or event.

• Cheryl Adams
• Laura Ahearn
• Mireya Ahl
• Stephanie Barnes
• Andrea Baumann
• Sharon Bibee
• Maria Biernik
• Branka Bogetic
• Alida Chacon
• Arnold Chacon
• I Chang
• Jacqueline Denning
• Christine Fishkin
• Jim Frank
• Page Gilliam
• Stephen Goldman
• Tom Griffith
• David Harris
• Mary Harwood
• Ingrid Hester
• Jon Hiratsuka
• Nancy Hopkins
• Sharon Horn
• Lana Irasek
• Ann Jakabcin
• Saskia Jansen
• Barbara Kell
• Stanley Kolker
• Karen Lass
• Tom Laverty
• Carl Leonard
• Glynne Leonard
• Eleanor Lewis

• Maxine Lunn
• Deborah (Eve) Lyon
• Julianna Mahley
• Carol Malone
• Carol Maxwell
• Cyril McCourt
• Elissa McGovern
• David McKissock
• Maureen McLaughlin
• Peter McNamee
• Ellen Meeks
• Diane Minogue
• Rosa Moore
• Lisa Morley
• Julie Naughton
• Julia Oliver
• Jennifer Owen
• Maria Pariente
• Donald Pepper
• Kathleen Pepper
• Karen Santoro
• Julie Schumacher
• Barbara Silversmith
• David Smith
• Theresa Smith
• Barbara Studenmund
• Anne Stutts
• Charles Walters
• Maryclare Whitehead
• Cynthia Wilson
• Al Wong
• Rita Wong

Thank you to Goodwin Living, Jutta Bauman, Joan Carter, Dupont Circle Village, June Gallagher, Stephen Goldman, Gale Harris, Denis Heyck, Marjorie Hobart, Jeanne LaBella, Nancy Lammers, Maureen McLaughlin, John Metzler, Jean Moore, Theresa Smith and Deborah Spero for referring friends who became members of Encore Learning! Spread the word and please refer friends and family to Encore Learning. If you’d like to bring Encore Learning into your community (residential building or neighborhood) to share information about membership, let us know.

Encore Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Any donation is a charitable contribution deductible from income tax to the full extent permitted by law. Members, friends and organizations wishing to support Encore Learning may direct contributions to our General Fund to support our sustainability or to the Arthur W. Gosling Youth Scholarship Fund. If you wish to designate a charitable gift in someone’s honor or memory, please email us indicating how the gift should be recognized. If you would like to discuss tax benefits of charitable giving and charitable remainder trusts, please view our Donate page or contact the office.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Inside Scoop. If you would like to submit an article or share some photos of members participating in Encore Learning activities, please email us at info@encorelearning.net.

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