Volunteer Profiles
“OLLI is about learning but not about getting a degree.” - George Nelson
Meet George Nelson
Nine in ten OLLI at Duke members say that classes are the most important part of the OLLI experience…and for years they’ve had George Nelson to thank for making a lot of them happen. George has served twice as Chair of the Curriculum Committee (2004-2006 and 2012-present), he chaired the history subcommittee for most of the past decade, and he’s taught classes on four different history topics.
George will be the first to say, though, that OLLI is much more than classes. He and his wife Maurita joined OLLI (then DILR) in the Winter of 2001. The social aspects of OLLI are important to them as well as the classes, and together they’ve helped organize a number of picnics and other social events. George says, “OLLI was a blessing for us when we moved to Durham…we knew only 2 people in the area.” In the 12 years since, they’ve made many, many friends.
A New York Native, George received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and then worked at Grumman Corporation for 35 years. His many projects included the Apollo Lunar Lander, high-performance aircraft, fire engines, flight simulators, and remote-controlled devices. His proudest achievement is that a piece of equipment that he worked on is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum—a remote-controlled fire engine that his team developed in the 1970s.
George and Maurita moved here from Long Island in 2000. They were looking for a place that was warm but still accessible to their summer house in upstate New York, a place that had excellent medical facilities, a place less crowded than Long Island, and a place that had an active retirement community. Like many others, they found it all in Durham. When not teaching and managing the broad curriculum at OLLI, George enjoys fishing and non-fiction reading—especially American and military history.
George first got involved with teaching and curriculum early on in his OLLI experience. After commenting to then-director Sara Craven about how he thought a class could be better taught, she invited him to teach a class himself. He has now taught 9 classes in four topic areas: The Apollo Project, World War II Naval Battles of the Pacific, War in the Boats (about submarines in World Wars I and II), and The History of I Company (a history of an infantry company in World War II, based on a book he published in 2003). He teaches what he knows (Apollo) and what he loves (history).
George and Maurita were recognized in 2008 for their many volunteer contributions to OLLI when they received the “Bill Wright Award.”
As for the future, George would like to see an even broader offering of interesting courses with top-notch instructors. He says, “OLLI is about learning but not about getting a degree.” He thinks we at OLLI need to find more ways to have fun together and get to know each other. The growth of OLLI over the years has led to less camaraderie as members take classes now in several locations. He also highlights the need for more OLLI members to volunteer their time and talents in support of OLLI.
George will be the first to say, though, that OLLI is much more than classes. He and his wife Maurita joined OLLI (then DILR) in the Winter of 2001. The social aspects of OLLI are important to them as well as the classes, and together they’ve helped organize a number of picnics and other social events. George says, “OLLI was a blessing for us when we moved to Durham…we knew only 2 people in the area.” In the 12 years since, they’ve made many, many friends.
A New York Native, George received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and then worked at Grumman Corporation for 35 years. His many projects included the Apollo Lunar Lander, high-performance aircraft, fire engines, flight simulators, and remote-controlled devices. His proudest achievement is that a piece of equipment that he worked on is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum—a remote-controlled fire engine that his team developed in the 1970s.
George and Maurita moved here from Long Island in 2000. They were looking for a place that was warm but still accessible to their summer house in upstate New York, a place that had excellent medical facilities, a place less crowded than Long Island, and a place that had an active retirement community. Like many others, they found it all in Durham. When not teaching and managing the broad curriculum at OLLI, George enjoys fishing and non-fiction reading—especially American and military history.
George first got involved with teaching and curriculum early on in his OLLI experience. After commenting to then-director Sara Craven about how he thought a class could be better taught, she invited him to teach a class himself. He has now taught 9 classes in four topic areas: The Apollo Project, World War II Naval Battles of the Pacific, War in the Boats (about submarines in World Wars I and II), and The History of I Company (a history of an infantry company in World War II, based on a book he published in 2003). He teaches what he knows (Apollo) and what he loves (history).
George and Maurita were recognized in 2008 for their many volunteer contributions to OLLI when they received the “Bill Wright Award.”
As for the future, George would like to see an even broader offering of interesting courses with top-notch instructors. He says, “OLLI is about learning but not about getting a degree.” He thinks we at OLLI need to find more ways to have fun together and get to know each other. The growth of OLLI over the years has led to less camaraderie as members take classes now in several locations. He also highlights the need for more OLLI members to volunteer their time and talents in support of OLLI.