The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum (WWPL) is pleased to partner with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Virginia (OLLI at UVA) to present “Late 20th Century Presidents and Their Families: Personal Observations and Reflections,” a three-meeting class taught by WWPL President and CEO Don W. Wilson beginning in October at the Presidential Library. Dr. Wilson is former Archivist of the United States and leader of several federal Presidential Libraries, in addition to the WWPL. The class is one of 13 courses OLLI at UVA will offer in Staunton during the fall session, which begins in September. OLLI is also offering 52 classes in Charlottesville this fall.
In the Presidency course, Dr. Wilson will provide participants with first-hand observations of the U.S. Presidents from President Eisenhower to President George W. Bush and their immediate family members. The class will meet at the Presidential Library on three consecutive Monday afternoons, from October 24 through November 7, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
OLLI at UVA brings together people from various backgrounds who share a common interest in learning and intellectual stimulation. Formed in association with the University of Virginia in 2001, the Institute was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s own deeply-held belief in, and practice of, education as a lifelong enterprise which invigorates the mind and enriches life. OLLI expanded to the Shenandoah Valley in 2010. All classes except the Presidency class will meet at the R.R Smith Center for History and Art in Staunton or the Lifetime Education Building at Augusta Health in Fishersville. Students can take up to four classes for $100.00.
A Kansas native, Dr. Wilson received his undergraduate degree from Washburn University and his Masters and Ph.D. in American History from the University of Cincinnati. He served as Historian and Deputy Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, Associate Director of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and first Director of the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Michigan. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Dr. Wilson as the seventh Archivist of the United States. He was confirmed by the United States Senate, and held the position until 1993. As Archivist, Dr. Wilson oversaw the National Archives and Records Administration, which has custody of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation. From 1993 to 1999, as the Executive Director of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, Dr. Wilson was responsible for the establishment and development of that presidential library, which opened in 1997. During his service at these presidential libraries, Dr. Wilson served as a history professor at Kansas State University, the University of Michigan, Washburn University, and Texas A&M University.
For more information about and to register for the Presidency class and all of the OLLI at UVA classes, see the website at www.olliuva.org, or call or email OLLI at (877) 861-9207 or [email protected]. For more information about the WWPL, see the website at www.woodrowwilson.org or call or email the WWPL (540) 885-0897 or [email protected].
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Chris Graham
