Friendship blossoms at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

By GRACE HOGGARTH '22 on September 19, 2024

In 1963, Jacqui Hedberg was Pam Brown's 10^th grade teacher at Hereford High School in Parkton, Maryland. Hedberg had recently graduated college with a passion for world history and Brown was inspired by her style of teaching.

After she graduated, Brown lost touch with Hedberg, but as fate would have it, 55 years later they were reunited at an event hosted by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at TU.

“On a very lucky chance, we were both in line waiting to get a signed copy of a book from an author who spoke at an Osher lecture,” says Pam, whose last name is now Windsor.

From that day forward, Hedberg and Windsor rekindled their relationship, once teacher and pupil, now friends, fellow educators and lifelong learners within Osher.

The institute provides adults and retirees who are 50 and older with learning opportunities to expand knowledge, gain insights into current events and access social and cultural activities in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. There are no grades or tests, just lectures and learning. Members can take courses in the fall and spring and sign up for summer and winter lecture series.

Before it became Osher, the institute was once the Auburn Society—a learning community for retirees with classes led by qualified members. To supplement this peer teaching model, TU adjunct faculty members and other instructors led study groups.

A charter member of the Auburn Society and an educator throughout her career, Hedberg heard about the inception of the Auburn Society in 1999 and instantly knew she wanted to be in on the ground floor.

Seven years later, the Auburn Society became TU’s chapter of Osher. Ever since, Hedberg and her husband, Jim, have attended lectures and become heavily involved in the community through committee roles, reading groups, lunch gatherings, art classes and experiential on-site learning opportunities.

“ Osher gave me a chance to expand my world. It's an interesting group of people to spend your life with. I always loved being a student, more than being a teacher. ”

Hedberg not only takes classes at Osher but also teaches them. She has taught classes on the history of slavery in Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the history of indigenous cultures, football and more. She and Windsor worked together again serving in key Osher leadership roles, with Hedberg as the secretary of the advisory board during Windsor's term as chair of that board.

“You never know what Jacqui is going to come up with and that has been an inspiration for me,” Windsor says. “You never know when you're in these classes what might spark an interest that you didn't know you had before you heard it.”

Throughout Hedberg’s years in Baltimore County Public Schools, she taught the likes of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and wine advocate Robert Parker. From teaching Windsor to now learning alongside her, Hedberg has learned just as much from her students as they have from her.

“Pam is what you would want your students to become. She is a dynamic woman,” Hedberg says.

Creating a space for lifelong learning

Osher at TU has a strong community with their members ranging from 50 years old to the most senior member, who is 100. The program provides a space for members to learn topics they might never have sought out during their college or high school careers and to expand their understanding of the world.

Tracy Jacobs, director of Osher at TU, couldn’t be prouder of what the institute provides for its members and how lifelong connections have blossomed as a result.

“What I love most about the program is that it truly embodies the ideal of ‘learning for the joy of learning,’” Jacobs says. “The people who participate in the program are interested and interesting. They take classes because they want to continue learning and growing, not because they have to. TU values lifelong learning and the Osher students are great examples of how important learning is for health and well-being as we become older.”

For Hedberg and Windsor, learning doesn’t end when you graduate high school or college. Their equal passions for lifelong learning realigned their paths and enabled them to rekindle their friendship. Attending courses at Osher brought them back together.

“Since reuniting, our past shared experiences plus our ongoing discussions about our individual journeys have kept our relationship alive,” Windsor says. “I really just love Jacqui, and I respect her love of history just as much.”

Overwhelmingly, there is a culture of support and value among members who attend not to receive a grade, but to further their pure curiosity and love of learning. Osher instructors are equally passionate about the subjects they teach, which translates into colorful conversations between them and members.

For Hedberg, Osher is more than just part of her day-to-day life, it’s her home away from home and her community. “I know that every spring and fall I'm going to Osher, and for as long as I can.”

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