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Home Economics
When I was in middle school, all the boys took shop class and all the girls took home economics. It seems so crazy to imagine that now. For one, those classes don’t exist anymore and of course, if they did, they wouldn’t be segregated by sex. While the boys built cool things out of wood and learned how to fix a radio, the girls learned how to sew a pillow and make a casserole. Mrs. Jones was my home economics teacher. Her daughter was a year older than me, and her son was a year or two younger. Her husband taught math and coached sports in the nearby high school. One day, while I was at one of the sewing machines, Mrs. Jones walked over to see my work. Then, apropos of nothing, she asked me a startling question: “How old do you think I am?” She was asking me to guess how old I thought she was! I tried to do some quick calculations in my head. Dismissing the information about her children and husband, I did some simple math of adding up her unfashionable short gray hairstyle plus her overly tanned dry skin plus her stooped posture plus her reedy voice to arrive at my answer. “Eighty?” I guessed. Well, I was wrong. By a lot. To this day, I still can’t thread a bobbin, and I have little interest in baking, but I did learn something very important in home economics class and that is to never ask a middle-schooler to guess your age.
Stay safe and healthy,
Tracy Jacobs
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National Museum of African American History & Culture
Friday, April 25, Washington D.C.
$55 per person. Includes transportation and gratuities.
Join us for a trip to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. View the expansive collection of artifacts on display throughout this beautiful museum. Attendees will tour the exhibits at their own pace. There is a lot to take in! The museum is set up so that the viewer can start in the history galleries found in the lower levels and proceed up to the culture galleries at the top level. The museum’s mission is centered on sharing the unvarnished truth of African American history and culture. Lunch is on your own at the Sweet Home Café located in the museum.
Bus departs at 8:30 a.m. from Greenspring Shopping Center (2801 Smith Avenue, Pikesville, MD 21209) and returns at approximately 5:00 p.m.
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End of Semester “Meet the Instructors” Event
Monday, May 5, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Towson University, South Campus Pavilion
Advanced Registration Required
Celebrate the end of the semester together with your instructors and other Osher students. Enjoy continental breakfast and great conversations. Get to know your instructors and your fellow students. This free event is open to current Osher members only. Directions and parking information will be emailed to registrants before the event. Space is limited so register soon!
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Osher 2025 Summer Series
Wednesdays starting May 28
$125 all-inclusive flat rate
Summer will be here before you know it! The Osher 2025 Summer Series is open to members and non-members (a great time to introduce a friend to Osher!) The program includes in-person and online lectures. The in-person presentations will meet at TU in the Liberal Arts building. Parking will be in the adjacent parking garage. In addition to the in-person lectures, we will be offering online livestreamed lectures that are produced by Osher at Dartmouth College. We hope you’ll take part in this robust summer program!
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Summer Osher Online 6-week Courses
Through a special collaboration with the Osher National Resource Center, we are offering 6-week online courses. These courses meet via Zoom and each is 90 minutes long. Space is limited, so register early. Each course is $80. Osher membership is required. Join or renew now for the 2024–2025 membership year (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025).
- The Economics of Public Policy Issues starts July 8
- Behind Those Baby Blues: The Films of Paul Newman starts July 8 with Arnold Blumberg
- History of Beer starts July 8
- Demystifying Energy Security starts July 9
- Public Health Across the Lifespan starts July 9
- Architectural Oddities starts July 10
- 100 Years of Magic: The Disney Legacy and Influence starts July 10
- Stories of Adventure: The Norse Sagas starts July 16
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Presented by Sandra R. Berman Center for Humanity, Tolerance & Holocaust Education
Virtual Lens of History: A Tour of Auschwitz
Wednesday, April 30, 6–8 p.m.
Towson University, Liberal Arts Bldg., Room 4310
Free and open to all.
Join us for a guided virtual tour of Auschwitz, a place that forever echoes with the voices of over 6 million lost lives. This immersive experience combines expert storytelling, archival video footage, and 3D visualization technology to bring history to life. After the tour, engage in a live Q&A with experts. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP to secure your spot and to receive a parking pass.
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Support Osher at Towson University. Your tax-deductible contribution helps to provide a rich experience for our members and a vibrant, affordable program for years to come.
Donate online through the link below. If you prefer to donate by check, please make check payable to “Towson University Foundation, Inc.” and note Osher fund in the memo line. Mail to: Towson University Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 17165, Baltimore, MD 21297-0219.
If you would like to honor a friend or loved one with a donation in their memory, please consider supporting Osher at Towson University with a gift to the Osher Excellence Fund.
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