Volunteer Profiles
“The more you learn, you realize the less you know – and the more you want to learn. With OLLI, you never quit learning.” - Marvin Teer
Meet Marvin Teer - by Kate Krayer
Marvin Teer was planning to retire in June 2007; so when he saw an ad for a 2-day retirement seminar sponsored by Duke that March, he made sure to attend. Hosted by then-OLLI Director Sara Craven, the seminar provided Marvin with the important retirement information he’d expected, plus a bonus: it introduced him to OLLI, a retirement strategy that has proven especially valuable.
Marvin launched his OLLI affiliation that fall with several classes and the Fall Retreat in Blowing Rock, NC. “The Retreat was a great way to jump right into the spirit of OLLI, with great programs and a chance to meet other OLLI members,” he says. Answering the call for volunteers, Marvin became a class assistant for several instructors. And because the Retreat had been such an outstanding experience for him, he organized the same event the following year.
With OLLI, Marvin found himself drawn to subjects and interests for which his accomplished career in banking and finance had not allowed time – especially the courses on American history taught by Dr. Wendell Musser, and the southern culture courses taught by Billy Yeargin. Marvin describes a class on Robert E. Lee as one of his most memorable: “It included a field trip to Lexington, Virginia, with a guest lecture by a Lee historian at Washington & Lee University, where Lee had been president. Now that’s an example of the quality of OLLI courses.”
Marvin’s interest in history is not just academic – he lives in historic downtown Hillsborough, in a house that was built in 1870. When he’s not taking classes or volunteering for OLLI, he’s busy working on his house restoration, or reading.
In addition to assisting in several classes each semester, Marvin also serves on the OLLI Strategic Planning Committee, which is charged with mapping OLLI’s future direction. He sits on its Short- and Long-Term Space Subcommittees, whose members consider ways to secure additional space for OLLI – always a pressing need. Recently the subcommittee met with the leadership of the Duke Fuqua School of Business to discuss a proposal for enlisting the help of Fuqua students to consult on OLLI space planning research and recommendations.
For Marvin, OLLI offers knowledge, friends, and fulfillment – but its greatest gift is the joy of learning. “The more you learn, you realize the less you know – and the more you want to learn. With OLLI, you never quit learning.”
Marvin launched his OLLI affiliation that fall with several classes and the Fall Retreat in Blowing Rock, NC. “The Retreat was a great way to jump right into the spirit of OLLI, with great programs and a chance to meet other OLLI members,” he says. Answering the call for volunteers, Marvin became a class assistant for several instructors. And because the Retreat had been such an outstanding experience for him, he organized the same event the following year.
With OLLI, Marvin found himself drawn to subjects and interests for which his accomplished career in banking and finance had not allowed time – especially the courses on American history taught by Dr. Wendell Musser, and the southern culture courses taught by Billy Yeargin. Marvin describes a class on Robert E. Lee as one of his most memorable: “It included a field trip to Lexington, Virginia, with a guest lecture by a Lee historian at Washington & Lee University, where Lee had been president. Now that’s an example of the quality of OLLI courses.”
Marvin’s interest in history is not just academic – he lives in historic downtown Hillsborough, in a house that was built in 1870. When he’s not taking classes or volunteering for OLLI, he’s busy working on his house restoration, or reading.
In addition to assisting in several classes each semester, Marvin also serves on the OLLI Strategic Planning Committee, which is charged with mapping OLLI’s future direction. He sits on its Short- and Long-Term Space Subcommittees, whose members consider ways to secure additional space for OLLI – always a pressing need. Recently the subcommittee met with the leadership of the Duke Fuqua School of Business to discuss a proposal for enlisting the help of Fuqua students to consult on OLLI space planning research and recommendations.
For Marvin, OLLI offers knowledge, friends, and fulfillment – but its greatest gift is the joy of learning. “The more you learn, you realize the less you know – and the more you want to learn. With OLLI, you never quit learning.”