All Life is Learning - April 2026

One Instructor's Feedback

We thought you would like to hear feedback from one of our OLLI instructors who taught this semester. See below:

"Thank you very much for sharing the feedback. I truly appreciate you taking the time to pass along the participants’ reflections. I felt motivated and pleased to hear their perceptions of the class, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from their experiences as well.

Teaching with OLLI has been a genuinely rewarding experience for me. I really value the experience, openness, and thoughtful engagement that the participants brought to the session. Opportunities like this remind me how meaningful lifelong learning communities can be.

Thank you again for the support and for the important work you and the OLLI team do to create these learning spaces. I’m very grateful to be part of the OLLI community and look forward to contributing again in the future."

Warmly,

Habeeb

Join Us for Virtual Happy Hour!

The Virtual Happy Hour group decided to continue meeting beyond the winter months, mostly online but possibly in person at times.  We are having fun learning about each other through the discussion of different topics.  The next topic is your favorite place(s) in MI to visit with any restaurant recommendations.  

The meeting will be online and if you haven't signed up yet, you still can on the OLLI website or by emailing @email. 

Secrets to Vitality: Bob Simonds

Written by Tyler Norman, Ph.D.,
ACSM Exercise Physiologist, NCFI Corporate Fitness Specialist, and Manager of Corporate Outreach at West Hills Athletic Club, WMU

Introducing nonagenarian Bob Simonds, who is standing with his trainer Vicki Kehoe. I have had the pleasure of knowing Bob as a fixture at West Hills for as long as I can remember. He joined West Hills in 2005, at the youthful age of 77. He was born during the depression era, and his birth year in roman numerals is MCMXXVII. That is a big number. He can be counted on to be working out at West Hills every Monday Wednesday, and Friday mornings like clockwork. He keeps his workouts simple, enjoying the stationary bike and the “fancy” machines for his strength training. In addition, he still likes to cut his own grass.

It all started back in the early 60’s when he was a big smoker and a big eater, and he had to stop and catch his breath while walking and talking. About the same time his first kid was born. That was it, he decided to go to what was then called the Kalamazoo Center (where the Radisson is located now), and start swimming, lifting weights, and no more smoking. The pounds fell off, his lung capacity improved, and ultimately, he lost more than 30 lbs. He continues the fitness routine well into retirement, simply replacing the swimming with stationary bike.

Bob started playing the trumpet at age 7. That would be approximately 1934, which would be 88 years of trumpet playing. There is no way the trumpet has nothing to do with his longevity.

He played the trumpet in the Army for two years, which he refers to as a “two-year paid vacation”, then the Bobby Davidson band for 32 years. Today Bob still plays trumpet in the River City Concert Band and still plays gigs year-round. The ripple effects are endless. For openers, lung capacity. He always wanted to be playing gigs because that meant less practice. Anyone out there that plays an instrument knows that focus and concentration are required. Add to that the creative juices that get flowing with music, and the social aspects of playing in bands. So far, we have hit the physical, social, and mental aspects of wellness, and when you add the confidence and self-esteem that is built with developing mastery of anything, emotional wellness.

Bob admits that his diet was better when his wife was still alive, and that his preferred oven is the microwave oven. He eats three meals per day and not much snacking in-between meals. He does not have ANY prescription medications, which is incredible for anyone over the age of 65. He does take a multi-vitamin and a vitamin E supplement. He will enjoy a Bell’s beer every now and then and attributes part of his longevity to genetics (Mom lived to 102). Unbelievably, he has never owned a cell phone, or a computer. He says he never really saw the need for either, and I am convinced has added years to his life, or more accurately, not taken years off. Whatever you are doing Bob, at age 98, don’t go changing.