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Big Osher Gift Gets Boomers Back in Class
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY HAS
received one of the largest cash gifts in
its history: $1 million from The Bernard
Osher Foundation to help fund HSU’s
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI),
which provides learning opportunities for
those over age 50. The grant will create
an endowment to cover a portion of HSU
OLLI operating expenses in perpetuity.
“OLLI is a terrific resource for older
adults in our area,” says HSU President
Rollin Richmond. “We are deeply grateful
for the Osher Foundation’s support of this
wonderful program.”
The Institute offers intellectually
stimulating, noncredit classes for learners
over age 50, in turn creating a more
vibrant community of engaged participants.
Upcoming classes cover a range
of subjects, from memoir writing to landscape
design to the history of the Carson
family, including rare access to Carson
family properties.
OLLI member and volunteer class assistant
Walter Frazer says, “I’ve taken over
a half dozen classes through OLLI. It truly is
education for grownups, who are there because
they want to be, and I learn a lot from
my classmates as well as from the teachers.”
Under the stewardship of coordinator
Laina Warsavage, membership in Humboldt
State’s OLLI has grown steadily in recent
years, rising from 227 members in 2005 to
903 in 2009. Warsavage, who worked with
University Advancement and the Osher
Foundation to make this gift possible, also
oversaw a major expansion of the number
of classes offered to over 90 per year.
Because the $1 million grant will create
an endowment, HSU will invest the core
assets and only the income will be used
to help cover OLLI’s operating expenses.
HSU’s OLLI will kick off a fundraising campaign
this spring to help cover the full cost
of the program. To make a gift to support
OLLI, visit www.humboldt.edu/giving.
A tidepooling class at Patrick's Point State Park.
Check out OLLI's
unique courses:
www.humboldt.edu/olli
Photo courtesy of Walt Frazer
Coach Cheek Gets Hall of Fame Nod
WITH HIS RECENT INDUCTION into the National
Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, HSU
Softball Coach Frank Cheek adds one more laurel to
a legendary career that includes two national titles
and numerous trips to conference championships.
The former Marine has been coaching softball
for 26 years. “Unfortunately for the women,
I brought a drill sergeant approach to coaching
softball,” Cheek remembers about starting out. “Let’s just say I made
a lot of mistakes. But I’ve made a lot of adjustments since then.”
What hasn’t changed is the discipline and work ethic he brings
to HSU softball. The result has been 17 conference championships,
18 appearances in the West Region tournament, five regional titles
and two national championships.
“The successful players in his program are disciplined and the
pressure he puts on them in practice is so intense that the game
seems easy,” said College of the Redwoods head coach Maggie
White, who played for Cheek for four years in high school and four
more at HSU before serving a stint as his assistant coach. “Not all
players can play with this pressure. He attracts talented athletes who
are also mentally tough or they do not make it.”
The 2008 Lumberjacks proved to be one of
Cheek’s toughest groups, bouncing back from
a first-game shellacking in the NCAA Division
II West Region to win that tournament and advance
to nationals in Houston. All-American
pitcher Lizzy Prescott tossed a 17-inning, complete
game, 1-hitter against Lock Haven University
in the national semifinals, striking out an
NCAA-record 22 hitters in the 1-0 victory. HSU finished the season
with a 10-game winning streak, crowning it with a 1-0 win over
Emporia State in the national championship game.
The 2009 team struggled through ups and downs, by Cheek’s standards,
but still ranked No. 1 in the west most of the season and was
listed among the nation’s top 10 all year. Heading into the 2010 season,
the goal of a national championship remains the primary focus, something
the Jacks first achieved in 1999.
At 71 years old, he is still going strong.
“I love what I’m doing,” Cheek said. “My daughter wants me to
keep coaching, and my wife wants what’s best for me. And I feel like
I’m a vital part of this program. I’ve watched the program grow, and
want it to keep on that path.”
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