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| Photo: Erin Arvedlund |
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| REAP Talks members meet every Wednesday for senior continuing-education lectures they present to one another. Chauncey Harris (foreground) is considering giving a history lecture. Photo: Erin Arvedlund |
REAP Talks may have what you seek.
Members meet every Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center, 700 N. Cedar Rd., Jenkintown. Part of the draw is researching and learning enough to give a 90-minute presentation to other members about a topic that’s brand new to you.
The group maintains its own website (REAPTalk.org) and requires dues of $55 a year, much less than a semester at a local college. Anyone can join, although a brief interview is required, and REAP Talks follows the schedule of the academic school year — September to June.
Sylvia Silverman of Willow Grove spoke Sept. 27 about “Philadelphia: Then and Now,” with photos and PowerPoint slides that will be posted on the website. Alice Parker will speak Oct. 25 on the fall of the Berlin Wall. Chauncey Harris, a new member and retired Elkins Park lawyer, is still thinking about his topic.
“Probably something related to history,” Harris said.
REAP was founded in 1970, the brainchild of two women on the board of Cheltenham Township Adult School, which sponsors classes in the evening. They formed Retired Executives and Professionals as a separate educational experience for seniors, or “those who were seasoned,” said current president Alice Ingber, who will give a talk next year on “lighter-than-air vehicles.”
The New School in New York’s Greenwich Village served as the model, with the goal of helping seniors retain cognition, particularly those who had retired from their working lives.
Each member researches a topic and makes a presentation to the group once every 18 months to two years.
“Although the general subject area may be familiar to you, the talk itself should represent information that is generally new to you,” said Jim Rubillo, who gave a talk on Smedley Butler, the controversial 1930s Marine Corps general who also served as Philadelphia public-safety director.
Some topics are verboten: book reviews; travelogues; religious or political subjects. Historical and cultural topics that touch on religion or politics are acceptable.
“No one wants to hear what you did for your job,” said Joe Tomei, who gave a talk on John L. Lewis, the American labor organizer of coal miners.
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| Emmet Robinson, 78, has been running King Street Recording for 50 years. Photo: David Swanson / Staff Photographer |
Source: Philly.com
