Vaughan Manufacturing & Pella Windows -- September 9, 2010

OLLI members enjoyed a beautiful fall day for our tour of Vaughan & Bushnell Manufacturing and Pella Windows in Bushnell and Macomb, Illinois.

On this tour, we learned how Vaughan & Bushnell Manufacturing has grown from a small maker of hand tools to one of the world’s largest producers of hammers, pry bars, hatchets, and more. After lunch in Macomb, we visited Pella Windows, one of the corporation’s 12 window manufacturing facilities in the United States.

For more information about our tours, visit hammernet.com and www.pella.com.

National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research -- September 8, 2010

In early September, we took our first of three tours of the National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria.

During our visit, we had the rare opportunity for a first-hand look at the lab, home to more than 100 Ph.D. research scientists who invent industrial and food products and develop technologies to improve environmental quality. We also had a chance to see the science at work and speak with professionals who conduct the groundbreaking research.

For more information about the NCAUR, visit its website.

Catholic Diocese of Peoria -- September 2, 2010

During our visit to the Spalding Pastoral Center, Patricia Kellogg, Associate Superintendent of the Office of Catholic Schools, explained how the various offices of the Diocese provide services to more than 250,000 people in 26 area counties. Our tour also included the Diocese’s museum, which houses artifacts and displays about the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, whose beatification is underway.

For more information about the Diocese, please visit its website.

Art Institute of Chicago -- September 1, 2010

On the first trip of Fall 2010, OLLI traveled to Chicago to visit the Art Institute.

Participants enjoyed a keynote lecture on Henri Cartier-Bresson by curator Matthew Witkovsky, gallery talks, artist demonstrations, and lunch in the Millennium Park Room. Some of the exhibits visited included “Looking After Louis Sullivan,” “A Case for Wine: From King Tut to Today,” and “Arthur Pope and a New Survey of Persian Art.”

For more information about the exhibits, visit the Art Institute of Chicago website.