2008 Writing D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September
2008
Western Institute for Lifelong Learning
Page: 3
Town and Gown Connection
"Something about this town just seems to attract interesting, creative people," remarked Katherine Warren, WILL's treasurer.
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Katherine Warren |
Because WILL is an active continuing education program, it helps to have education professionals on the board of directors and on organizational committees. It also helps if those people are themselves interesting and creative.
Katherine oversees the distance-learning program at Western New Mexico University. She sees WILL as a vehicle to support the town/university relationship, as well as providing an educational resource for newcomers.
"With so many retired people finding their way to Silver, the university is a very positive force in facilitating the WILL program," she said.
A teacher and librarian throughout her working life, Katherine brings a unique world perspective to both WILL and the university. From teaching in Navajo reservation schools in northern Arizona, to posts in international schools in the highlands of Papua, New Guinea, and the West Indies, Katherine's life experiences seem to have brought her around to Silver City more than once.
"Actually, I lived here in the mid-'80s," she said, "and even then there was something special here. I settled here again in 2004, and just had this overwhelming feeling that this was just where I needed to be."
In 2005, Katherine and a few other professionals got together and established the WILL program, aimed primarily at retired folks with a need and a desire for continuing education. Some wanted to take art courses and some wanted to learn Spanish.
"We focused on just a few short courses, four weeks or less, with a small curriculum that suited the students' needs," she recalled. "Now we're offering more than 50 courses in our fall 2008 term, and have a WILL membership of more than 250."
While WILL was the product of a grassroots effort in the community, the university came on board in the first year.
"The university has been very supportive," Katherine said. "Currently three of WILL's 11 executive board members are WNMU administrative staff, and the university provides office and classroom space, as well as audiovisual equipment. A number of WNMU faculty members have volunteered their time and expertise to facilitate WILL classes."
As for Katherine, she doesn't plan to join those retirees any time soon. "I like working too much," she said, "and the online program is one of the fastest growing segments of the university."
Literary Lion
While many of our new acquaintances at WILL have brought unique life experiences with them to Silver City, we have yet to meet a course facilitator with as substantial a life history as Felipe de Ortego y Gasca.
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Felipe de Ortego y Gasca |
He is one of the fathers of Hispanic literature studies in America, as well as a Master Gardener. He holds a PhD in British Renaissance studies. And he's a former United States Marine.
Felipe's credentials in education, literature, film and theater, military service and critical writing are beyond amazing. To Google his name is to find reams of credits — even his own Wikipedia entry. Today he serves as Scholar in Residence at WNMU.
"I was born in Illinois. My parents were migrant farm workers picking beets there," Felipe recalled. "My parents came to America as part of the migrant stream of workers in 1921."
After serving as a Marine in World War II, Felipe began his studies in comparative literature at the University of Pittsburgh. "At Pitt they put me on the rewrite desk of the student newspaper. It was the best writing class I ever took," he laughed.
He began his life of exceptional scholarship as a French teacher (one of his several languages), and evolved through careers in journalism, authorship and education. Felipe also served as an advisor in the Reagan White House.
"I officially retired in 1999," he said, "but when my wife took a post here at the WNMU library, I decided to go back into teaching."
Felipe was one of the original Quinto Sol writers, a publishing company aimed at raising the profile of Chicano literature. So what could be more appropriate than for him to take on a forum in Chicano Literature for WILL? He also teaches some regular English and Composition courses at WNMU.
"There's a nice pace here," he said, "and I'm looking forward to pulling together some people for an interesting literary forum for WILL in the fall term."
From Felipe to the Lawsons, from the foreign service to the fiddlin' librarian, not to mention one of the administrators who holds it all together, there are sure some interesting people in the WILL program.
Of course, there's just one more course facilitator who should get a mention in this article. This fall, the editor and publisher of Desert Exposure will offer a WILL course in genealogy. It turns out that before he relocated to Silver City, David Fryxell founded and edited Family Tree Magazine, now the nation's most popular genealogy publication.
If you run into him in the grocery store checkout line, be sure to ask him about it.
The Western Institute for Lifelong Learning will hold a Sign-Up Social on Sept. 4, 5-6:30 p.m. at the WNMU Global Resource Center. A WILL annual membership is $50. For more information, call 538-6835 or see www.will-learning.com
Retired journalist Jim Kelly had a few life experiences
himself before moving to Silver City. In his "other life" he appeared in television series including "Little House on the Prairie," "Father Murphy" and "Highway
to Heaven."
Retired journalist Jim Kelly had a few life experiences himself before moving to Silver City. In his "other life" he appeared in television series including "Little House on the Prairie," "Father Murphy" and "Highway to Heaven."