On a cool Tuesday morning,  23 people from the OLLI community gathered virtually to have coffee and conversation, catching up with friends and sharing news. The meeting began with announcements, given by Director Josh Raney and Assistant Director, Sandra Sawyer. This is a weekly occurrence; the group and fellowship has become a staple of OLLI’s Pandemic Programming since this time last year. This coffee; however, was a different event. The annual awards for Outstanding Instructor and Outstanding Volunteer were to be announced. 

The nominees for the Outstanding Instructor award were: Ashley Robinson, Denis Dean, Diana Hausum, Fred Palliet, Gwen Mauroner, Helen Eaton & Julie Brandt, Hugh Earnest, Jimmie Thomas, Ken Allen, and Linda Leavell. The Outstanding Volunteer Award nominees were: Carolyn Brooks, Rick Jones, RoAnne Elliott, Trish Beland, Alishia Ferguson, and Ken Allen. 

Dr. Ashley Robinson received OLLI’s Outstanding Instructor award, taking home the award after teaching courses for OLLI for many years now. This was a deserved and expected reward for Robinson as Raney revealed that Robinson had been a runner-up for this award for consecutive years. Coming from El Paso, TX, Robinson took an unlikely path to Northwest Arkansas. A self-described “Desert Dweller,” Robinson made the twenty-hour drive to Fayetteville to pursue an English degree and PhD both from the UofA. Robinson is now the Lead Storyteller of her company, InterroBang.

Next-up, Rick Jones won the Outstanding Volunteer award for 2020 after helping push OLLI through a tough year changed by the Pandemic. Joking that he had prepared a concession speech, Jones appreciated the recognition, “After seeing the nominations, I was honored to be included,” Jones remarked.

Jones has worked on the OLLI Curriculum committee in recent years, recruiting instructors and forming classes each Spring and Fall for students. He has also formed a strong bond and worked as a liaison to the Arkansas Master Naturalists for programming, classes, and events. He is also a member of the OLLI advisory council. 

Every year, OLLI is helped by invaluable individuals who provide free time and effort in order to make things better. The organization thanks all those who choose to be a part of the Institute no matter the capacity.