CENTER FOR LEARNING IN RETIREMENT FALL 2024 PROGRAMMING
INSTRUCTORS
RUSS BELLAVANCE majored in history and political science at Tufts University and is a graduate of Yale Law School. His life-long interest in political thought eventually led him to become a social studies teacher. Russ has previously been the instructor for courses in Turning Points in Western Civilization and Modern Political Thought, as well as a shorter (6 week) course on the Constitution.
BETSEY BISHOP
and TOM LASHNITS: Betsy is a retired librarian and holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.L.S. from Long Island University. She moved to Bucks County in 2017. Tom worked as a writer, editor and researcher for Time Inc., Reader’s Digest and other publishers in New York, before retiring to Doylestown in 2017. He holds degrees from Franklin & Marshall College and New York University.
JIM BROWN is a West Point graduate (1964) with extensive study of military history and a University of Pennsylvania graduate, M.A. in American History (2002).
JOHN DEITZ holds an undergraduate degree in Marine Science awarded by Southampton College, Long Island University. Work history includes a wide variety of fields, reflective of varied interests, most often with professional certification/ specialty training often coupled with teaching experience. He has taught diagnostic ultrasound, published articles in medical journals, contributed images and parts of textbooks and delivered specialty lectures across the country. After graduation from college, he was welcomed back as adjunct staff for winter session programs in the British Virgin Islands teaching underwater photography. His photography has appeared in Audubon Books, The Underwater Photographer, Skin Diver Magazine, Sea Frontiers, and newspapers while living in south Florida and working in the everglades as an agricultural consultant and wastewater treatment plant operator.
GEORGIA DONOVAN has experience working in London as a makeup artist and wardrobe assistant, and as a professional trainer and project manager. She is the author of “Makeup: A Simple Guide to Tips, Tricks and Techniques,” and works with the over 50 women to help her define her look and wear her makeup for a flattering and youthful appearance. She holds a B.A. in Classical Literature from Brooklyn College.
INSTRUCTORS
SHARI O’ FLANAGAN is a retired Spanish teacher who enjoys sharing her passion for the Spanish language with her students. She received her B.A. in Spanish literature from Muhlenberg College and her M.A. in Spanish Literature from Montclair State University. She has spent several summers at the Universities of Madrid, Alicante & Cadiz in Spain. She has traveled to many Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela & Colombia & looks forward to sharing her knowledge & experiences with her new students at CLR.
ARNOLD FEINEMAN is a retired Air Force Officer and a retired engineer in the defense industry. He has a BS degree from Lehigh University and MS degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Villanova University. He has had a lifelong interest in Military History.
CHARLIE KLEEMAN holds Engineering Degrees from Drexel and Penn State, after which he worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia for his entire career. After his retirement he taught at Delaware Valley University and editor for over forty years, with stops at Educational Testing Service, Law School Admissions Services, McGraw-Hill, Comcast, Motorola, Google, and others. He has freelanced as a writer for a variety of print and online magazines, and now in retirement, he currently hosts a music program on an internet radio station.
BILL LIESER has been a life-long fan of films, both domestic and international, and served for twelve years on the Board of the County Theater in Doylestown. He has been teaching at CLR for over ten years, initially doing the “Introduction to Jazz” and “Jazz Masters” courses, followed by the well-received class on “Spy Movies” in 2018-2019. He started “Conversations on Cinema” in the Fall of 2020 on Zoom, when all the film theaters were closed and CLR had stopped in-person classes due to the pandemic. He has continued it each year since then.
MICHAEL MAGUIRE has 45 years experience with the Department of Defense in working in a variety of technology fields. Retired as the Director of Software and Quality Assurance for DCMA Lockheed Martin Moorestown.
MICHAEL A. MARTORELLI is a retired finance industry professional and former adjunct professor at two local universities. He has written historical research articles for several publications and websites and given related presentations to CLR audiences and various local history groups.
GLEN MAXSON retired in 2011 from a career in Information Technology and has a passion for electric cars (he’s a Tesla owner and director of the Tesla Owners Club of PA - Bucks County chapter) and electric bikes which he builds from scratch and helps assemble at a local e-bike shop. He knows a thing or two about e-bikes and can help you make good purchase decisions and improve your ownership experience.
NANCY MCELWEE taught for 35 years in the Central Bucks School District in Doylestown. Two years after she retired, she took a tour of Pearl Buck’s home and was immediately hooked and greatly inspired by Miss Buck’s legacy. She gives tours, manages the volunteer run gift shop and is a past president of the Pearl S. Buck Volunteer Association
INSTRUCTORS
SCOTT MCLAREN has been a passionate Beatles fan since he was nine years old, since receiving the Meet the Beatles album. His interest in their music and each Beatles’ unique personality led him to deep exploration of their story via books, seminars and classes. He has traveled extensively to Beatle sites including (but not limited to) Liverpool, Hamburg and London to gain a better knowledge of their collective and individual stories. He has interviewed many “Beatle-people” including Roag Best son of the Beatles’ Road manager and half-brother to the Beatles first drummer, Freda Kelly, president of the group’s official fan club, He has toured Abbey Road studios together with Richard Porter, the “Beatle Brain of Britain.” Furthermore, Scott has collected over 50 hours of rare interviews, press conferences, outtakes, studio banter, concerts and alternate song takes. Since retiring in 2020, Scott has been teaching Meet The Beatles! at several colleges and organizations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City.
ABIGAIL LEE MILLER lives at Foulkeways at Gwynedd, a CCRC, after a career as a teacher. She taught at Delaware Valley University, Montco and Philadelphia University. We have been doing the Book Club for over a dozen years. It is much more fun than teaching computer applications to un-interested college students.
RICHARD PARENTE graduated with a BS from Drexel University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Mr. Parente held several technical positions at Applied Data Research, the world’s first ISV. After ADR’s acquisition by Computer Associates, he was promoted to Vice President in their software development organization. He left Computer Associates to found Princeton Softech, Inc. At PST, after helping to establish the company’s software business in the U.S., he managed the company’s international operations and Y2K marketing. Upon the acquisition of PST by IBM, Mr. Parente established IBM’s first Client Advocacy Program Office and created a quantitative method for determining and maintaining client satisfaction, and, in 2014, was granted a patent for the CAPO quantitative process.
GENE SOSNOWSKI retired after a 38-year career as an information technology professional where he was employed by industry pioneers and leaders in information processing including UNIVAC, Sperry Rand and the Unisys Corporation. His experience includes the director of data communications network marketing, as well as mainframe computer hardware and systems software engineering. He played a major role in the design and development of mission critical system software for the NASA NASCOM communications network which supported orbital and lunar missions. Gene is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Program. He has been a CLR moderator of the Curious Minds class for over 20 years.
RICK SPECTOR and STEVE ROSS are native Philadelphians, growing up on the same block of Souder Street, in the city’s Oxford Circle neighborhood. Through his Moviehouse Productions, Rick has given talks and produced videos about nostalgia topics since 1983. Spector spent his professional career in community relations work for the elderly. Steve Ross’ “on – air” career began in college at Drexel. Steve “deejayed” for Jersey and Philadelphia radio stations, announced and promoted horse racing, did sports marketing and public relations work, and a hosted a TV sports- talk program. For ten years, Steve brought us CBS radio’s “Remember When”. Steve Ross is a member of the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.
DON TENENBLATT is a composer and lyricist, was a member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in NYC and has played piano and/or music directed for numerous dance, opera, and musical theatre productions in NYC, NJ, and PA including PA Ballet and Opera Theatre at TCNJ. He is the pianist for Capital Philharmonic of NJ and Bucks County Symphony, accompanist and adjunct professor for the Chorus at Delaware Valley University and teaches voice and piano lessons privately in the Doylestown area. He holds degrees in music from Yale and Rutgers Universities. Be sure to tune into his YouTube playlist by visiting https://youtube.com/@webpowered?si=xNpHdU7qzgnOqJ4q. You will not want to miss a beat!
