Worth a Try

My jaw dropped when I saw my husband putting all sorts of odd foods on his plate. We were at a friend’s house for a party. It was a time when you could do that sort of thing. There were big platters of food from a local Chinese restaurant with the usual staples like sesame chicken and beef with broccoli. But, at least half of the food was from the “authentic” menu and included such delicacies as “Triple T” (tongue, tripe, and tendon) and fish noodles (made from actual fish). How many hundreds of times did I try to get my husband to eat something more exotic than a hamburger, pizza, or chicken to no avail? And now, his plate was piled high with Triple T and fish noodles. Meanwhile, I had chickened out with sesame chicken and some pork dumplings. “I didn’t want to be rude,” he said, to explain his new adventurous eating habits and then proceeded to it eat it all. “It was good. The tendon was a little chewy.” To that, I responded, “oh yeah, well, from now on, I’m putting beans in the chili!” Up until then, I had thought that I was the one who was willing to try new things, but was I really? I guess if I knew the odds were good that it would turn out well, sure. But if I didn’t know, maybe not. Since a Chinese buffet seems out of the question for anytime soon, I guess it’s important to think about trying new things under a different context. While not the same as fish noodles, a lot of our members have expressed concern about trying online classes. If you are hesitant, I really do hope you will give it a try. Take advantage of one of our upcoming information sessions (TBA) to get yourself familiar before the start of classes—we’ll let you know as soon as we have the dates confirmed for the information sessions. We hope you’ll give it a try and that you’ll even come back for more!

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs

How to Register for Classes

While online registration is preferred, you may also register via mail.

Register Online

• Online Registration Process Directions

• Frequently Asked Questions

By mail

Please download, print out, and return the following forms with payment to:

• Registration Form

• Membership Form (membership is required to enroll in classes)

• Payment Form

Osher at Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252-0001

• Make checks payable to Towson University

• On-campus mail delivery is operating on a modified schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be delays in processing payments and registrations.

Fall classes will meet via Zoom

Before classes start, you will receive the Zoom links to the classes you are registered to take. View our Zoom User Guide.

Membership fees directly impact our ability to provide excellent programming and an excellent value to our participants. Membership is required to register for classes. Contact osher@towson.edu with any questions.

Towson University Alumni Relations Office Presents:
Examining Civil Rights in Maryland, Part I

August 25, 2020
12:30–1:30 p.m.

Where we were, where we are. Join TU Alumni Relations to look at the civil rights history in Maryland—including historical moments like the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park protests, Cambridge riots and the Baltimore student sit-ins. C. Fraser Smith, author and retired senior news analyst, and TU professor Donn Worgs, will lead the conversation.

About the panelists

C. Fraser Smith is a retired columnist and editorial writer for the Baltimore Sun and served as a political analyst for Baltimore’s National Public Radio station, WYPR. He is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and author of “Here Lies Jim Crow: Civil Rights in Maryland.”

Donn Worgs, Ph.D., is a professor at Towson University in the department of political science. His areas of study include American politics, urban politics, African American studies and politics, and community development. He has authored numerous articles for publication, as well as papers, reports and presentations.