Washington College

Academy of Lifelong Learning

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Officers and Organization

The Academy of Lifelong Learning at Washington College (WC-ALL) was formed in 1992 by a group of interested residents of the Chestertown area with the active encouragement of the College administration. It is designed to provide non-credit courses for continuing education and to act as an interface between the College and the Community. The concept of peer education as it developed in the Elderhostel Institute Network is a main feature of its organization, although WC-ALL is not a part of that network.

Washington College recognizes WC-ALL as a non-credit educational program consistent with its own educational objectives and provides WC-ALL with office and classroom space. The Academy is an autonomous organization, however, that is supported by its own membership fees and contributions, and has its own governance. It operates within the general policy rules observed by the College, and its status is determined by the College's status as a non-profit educational institution.

WC-ALL is governed by a Council of directors elected by the membership, with directors serving for a three-year period. A senior official in the College Administration acts as liaison and sits as an ex officio member of the Council.

One-third of the Council members are elected each year at the Spring annual meeting so there is always room for new participants. All who participate in the activities of the Academy are volunteers. Instructors receive an honorarium for their services. Funds in excess of the support needs of WC-ALL activities are earmarked for scholarships for Washington College students.

WC-ALL Council — 2008-2009

Officers

Members

Council Member Biographies


Ginny BarkerGinny Barker
Chair

Ginny is a Registered Nurse and received her training in New York. She devoted seven years to Clinical Nursing before transitioning to the business of Managed Care. In 2004 Ginny retired from One Call Medical in Parsippany N.J. as VP of Neurodiagnostics. Ginny is currently Vice Chair and the Publicity Committee Chair for the WC-ALL Council and is also a member of the Heron Point Board. She and her husband Dick have been in Chestertown full time since 2004 and both enjoy Kayaking in their leisure.

Sandy Bjork
Council Member

Sandy is a nurse attorney who has worked in medical surgical nursing, utilization review, and managed care. Most recently she was Senior Director for Guidelines and Standards in the American College of Radiology, a professional association for radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical physicists in Reston, VA. Sandy and Bob moved from Bethesda to Chestertown in 2007, choosing it as their place to retire for the ambiance of the town and for the many advantages that Washington College has to offer. She likes to sing and garden, and they both enjoy golf and travel.

Damon Bradley
Council Member

A native of Boston, Damon Bradley was educated in the public school system and holds degrees from Boston, Yale and Syracuse Universities. For close to thirty-five years he taught in independent schools both at homeand abroad, devoting the greater part of his career to the education of
boys. He served as headmaster of two schools, including fourteen years as Headmaster of Landon School, a boys’ school in Bethesda, Maryland. Following his retirement in 2004, he was appointed Lecturer in Education at Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland, where he now resides with his wife of thirty-eight years on the shores of the Chester River.

John Christie
Council Member

John and his wife Peggy bought their home in Chestertown in 1985. He is a retired partner with the Washington DC office of the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. He had an active litigation practice there for many years, specializing in antitrust litigation. He is a graduate of Brown University and received his JD degree from the Harvard Law School. John’s leisure time passion is sailing, a focus that led to his discovery of Chestertown long prior to actually living here.


Gerry Edwards
Council Member

 

Dick Giddings Dick Giddings
Treasurer

Dick and his wife, Chris moved to Chestertown from Rockville, Maryland in 2003. He attended Union College and Adelphi University and has an MS in Physics. He has worked in technical and operations management in the medical diagnostics and telecommunications fields. In 1979 Dick had the opportunity to serve for one year as Assistant to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of the President's Executive Exchange Program. Since moving to Chestertown, Dick and Chris have become involved in many civic and social activities and Dick is a member of the board of the Community Food Pantry where he is the current purchasing manager.

Trish Harwood
Council Member

Trish and her husband Brooke moved to Chestertown in 2006, selecting Kent County in part because of the benefits of participating in activities at Washington College. Trish's professional career focused on corporate communications with international perspectives and included 24 years living and working in Asia. During 18 years in Hong Kong she headed Hilton International's regional marketing efforts; organized on-going educational programs for the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong; and finally became the founder/owner/partner of a large Hong Kong communications company specializing in writing financial documents and annual reports for publicly-listed companies. Upon returning to the United States in 2000 she joined FedEx and, until her retirement, managed their international and crisis communication departments. In addition to WC-ALL, Trish volunteers at Community Mediation Upper Shore, and works in and is on the Advisory Committee of the Hospital's Nearly New shop in Chestertown.

Daniel Oberholtzer Daniel Oberholtzer
Council Member

Daniel Oberholtzer and his wife Judith, retired in 2000 from teaching at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts and moved directly to Maryland. Both were Professors of Music, and Daniel also chaired the Music Department. As a trumpet major he earned a Master of Music Degree from Boston University, and, in addition to a forty year teaching career, his performance on trumpet includes principal in the Clarion Brass Quintet and the Commonwealth Opera Orchestra, and, earlier, with the Bloomington-Normal Symphony in Illinois. He has conducted college, community, and professional instrumental and choral music performances, including music directing of numerous Broadway shows. He has taught and co-taught several music courses for WC-ALL. His hobbies include wood working, photography, and, more recently, model railroading. In retirement, both he and his wife enjoy travel—to visit their children and grandchildren, and also to other exotic destinations.

Lucia Rather Lucia Rather
Council Member

Lucia Rather grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and received her B.A. and a Masters in Library Science from the University there. She worked at the Library of Congress for more than thirty years in library automation and cataloging, heavily involved in the development of international standards. After retiring as Director for Cataloging, she fulfilled a long-time dream, earning a doctorate in American history at the George Washington University. Since then she has utilized her cataloging and historical skills in cataloging political cartoons for the Library. In 2004, she and her husband John moved to Heron Point, where she co-chairs the Library Interest Group. In 2005, she taught a course on American Political Cartoons for WC-ALL. This year, she will teach a course on "Manifest Destiny?" or America's spread across an entire continent. She and her husband provide staff support and services for Katie, a Sheltie, and Sundance, a large orange Maine coon cat.

Jack Stenger
Curriculum Committee Chair

Jack Stenger is a native of Chestertown and a graduate of Washington College. He earned his MA and PhD degrees from Georgetown University, and studied at the University of Bonn, Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship. After more than three decades in academic administration at the University of Maryland, he returned with his wife, Brigitte, to his home county in 1987. Community involvement has included service on the board of the Chester River Health System (of which he was chairman), leadership of the Chestertown Rotary Club, membership on the board of Heron Point, founding chairman of Kent County Friends of Chamber Music, and membership on the board of the Kent County Public Library. He retired from the United States Air Force at the rank of Colonel, and currently enjoys teaching courses in WC-ALL.

Anne Singer Anne Singer
Executive Secretary

Anne Singer has been in the WC-ALL office since 1998. She is a 1985 graduate of Washington College, with a BA in psychology and earned an MA in 1993. Anne lives in an historic home in downtown Chestertown with her husband, David, and daughter, Ashley. She is extremely fond of horses.

Marcia Yeager
Council Member

Marcia is an avid bridge player and cook. She enjoys gardening, but not, to the dismay of husband Bob, boating. A native of New York City, Marcia has a B.S. from Cornell University and a Masters Degree from Rutgers University. As a Registered Dietitian, her primary career has been spent managing large scale food operations. She also taught in a residential center for court placed teenagers. Prior to moving to Chestertown, Marcia and Bob lived primarily in Bucks County,PA, where she was Vice-President and Labor Relations Chair of the Palisades School Board, member of the Board of the Hunterdon County YMCA, and president of the Woman's Club of Milford,NJ.

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