Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of North Texas

Last week, OLLI members were welcomed for a private tour of UNT's Texas Fashion Collection, an archive of nearly 20,000 historic and designer garments and accessories that is typically accessible only to researchers. TFC Director Annette Becker took them behind the scenes to discuss collection care, accession, and research.

Michele Binion's mother was a tailor for Sears and taught her to sew when she was 9 years old. "It was a dream come true to see this collection," she said of the TFC tour. Dr. Becker's mission is to help people "think more deeply about clothing and the materials around them in everyday life." She enjoys giving presentations and tours for OLLI members "because they have made a commitment to learning."

Members will have another opportunity to tour the TFC in person on July 10 and virtually through Zoom on July 17. Learn more about our summer schedule at https://olli.unt.edu/catalog.

Pictures and quotes captured by Donna Ledbetter.

Earlier this month, Anna Salton Eisen visited our UNT classroom to give a powerful presentation on her father's Holocaust journey through 10 concentration camps in Poland, Germany, and France. She is the author of "The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir" and "Pillar of Salt: A Daughter's Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust." Members learned that, through her archival research, she was able to discover and meet the children of her father's fellow concentration camp prisoners.

Photo Credit: Patrick Parson

This past week, UNT College of Music alumnus Dr. Max Morley presented a two-session music history class for OLLI in The Point Auditorium at CC Young Senior Living. Susan Grundy said she chose this class because it was about film and music. "These are the films and music of our lives. They have informed how we view the world and help us remember our past." Dr. Morley is a longtime OLLI instructor, who said he enjoys OLLI audiences because "they are attentive, ask great questions, and I really like the interaction."

Thanks to Donna Ledbetter of our volunteer Storytelling Team who captured this OLLI experience for us!

Last week, we kicked off our Get to Know UNT series for the summer, which is highlighting the UNT College of Engineering. Our first presentation was by Angus McColl, Assistant Dean for Strategic Partnerships, who served more than 24 years operating and maintaining nuclear powered submarines in the U.S. Navy. He spoke about his first-hand experiences and gave a comprehensive overview of the Navy's ballistic missile submarines and the role they play in deterring other countries from using weapons of mass destruction.

Our first two classes of the summer semester took place today in the UNT Support & Services Building! 2025-26 UNT Special Collections Research Fellow Bella McCord gave a presentation on female depictions of Death as a mother in German art and Dallas College Professor Emeritus John Neal spoke about photojournalists documenting important moments in history.

You can learn more about our summer schedule at olli.unt.edu/catalog.

These performances are produced and directed by Molly Fillmore, Chair of Vocal Studies and a great partner of our Discovering Classical Vocal Recitals Special Interest Group!

THE MAGIC FLUTE—DISCO VERSION—FAR OUT: Don’t miss director Molly Fillmore’s groovy twist on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s, “The Magic Flute.” The Music Building Spec’s Charitable Foundation Courtyard hosts this 1970s themed FREE presentation. Sung in English and German with Molly Smith as music director, be sure to witness the opera this SUNDAY at 5 p.m. and next TUESDAY at 6 p.m. Can you dig it?!

Don’t be square - be sure to allow extra time for parking. Both Sunday and Tuesday, area schools hold their commencement ceremonies at UNT's Coliseum. You’re encouraged to enter campus from the North side and park North of the Music Building. No performance ticket is needed. Rain location is the Music Building Recital Hall, room 301.

We're now accepting proposals for our Fall 2026 semester, which will take place in September, October, and November. We welcome submissions from University of North Texas faculty, staff, and teaching fellows, as well as passionate subject matter experts in the community who have substantial teaching experience.

The deadline for fall proposals is Wednesday, May 13. For details or to submit a proposal, please visit olli.unt.edu/teach.

Our summer schedule is now available to view online! Go to https://olli.unt.edu to search our new web calendar or download the catalog as a PDF. Enrollment for the summer semester will open at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 5.

You can also watch the recording of our Virtual Kickoff, during which our staff provided details about our summer semester and registration options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qreFCBASdjk

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNT Summer 2026 Virtual Kickoff

Day of Giving is here! For the next 24 hours, we'll be pursuing our goal of $20,000 for the OLLI at UNT Support Fund. We're grateful to everyone who gave early over the past couple of weeks, putting us about $3,500 closer to our overall goal.

Go to https://olli.unt.edu to make a donation today and learn about our two Day of Giving challenges.

This Day of Giving, every gift counts, which is why we created a challenge to encourage at least 100 donors to give any amount in support of our OLLI. Once we reach our 100th donor in this campaign, OLLI will commit to offering a bus trip to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum in Ft. Worth after it has completed its 16,000 square foot expansion. Former museum docent Dr. Jean Greenlaw will join us on the trip!

Early giving is open now at https://olli.unt.edu.