Testimonials
From our Members Meeting on November 2, 2017. Some testimonials have been lightly edited for grammar or spelling.
"It is so very important to keep busy in our senior years. Having exciting events to attend helps to keep the brain stimulated and add new experiences and new friends to my life. I missed meeting people from all cultures. BLL fills that need."—Colleen Cox
"It has been 50 years since I sat in a Brooklyn College class. Participating in the Short Story discussion class brings back pleasant memories and makes me feel young again!"—Mady Kiner
"I enjoy the many learning opportunities and social interaction with my peers. My particular interest is films and politics/history, but there is a wide range of subject matter available."—Len Rudorfer
Members have written letters of appreciation and testimonials. These speak movingly of the impact that IRPE, BLL's predecessor name, has had on their lives. Excerpts from some letters follow.
"I have been a member of IRPE for several years, attending classes, serving on committees, arranging an annual lecture series, and giving a few lectures myself. This is the best 'school' that I have ever attended because the teachers are sharp, the students are even smarter than the teachers, and the atmosphere is one of warmth and friendship. There are no grades and no competing for grades or attention. We talk about books, history, and ideas new and old, and have a very good time."—Toby Sanchez
"I cannot imagine life without this daily program of countless classes on various subjects given by volunteer educators. My attendance over the years has kept me mentally alert and socially active. I shudder to think of how drab life would have been had not Brooklyn College offered this program of continuous education. I feel I have grown in my old age and feel qualified to extol the value of this program. May it never ever end."—Lillian Alpert
"I met two wonderful lifelong friends at IRPE. Even though one moved away, we still correspond as if we were sisters. The first friend always helps me with my anniversary parties. I attended her husband's surprise 80th birthday party."—Tobby Rose Morgenstern
Those who teach IRPE classes are also deeply affected by the experience.
"My greatest satisfaction comes from teaching Prize-winning Novels. Our book discussion group is now in its 15th term, and most of the same people come back year after year. We have formed a community of peers, drawn together by our love of books and our interest in each other's ideas. Many of us have formed friendships within the group that carry over into the rest of our lives."—Harriet Sirof
"IRPE was the second home of my late husband, a former college professor. For about 14 years, it provided the happiest teaching experiences of his life. He was able to create new courses every semester without going through roadblocks. He would propose an idea for a new course, the Program Committee would approve it, and he was then busy at the library every day, preparing the course for his attentive students. This was, for him, total happiness."—Toby Sanchez
And a "thank you" received by Gene Reiser from one of his students:
"For the years of music, in all its variety, beauty, and delight, my thanks and appreciation—ongoing—for the aural and visual pleasure you added, for the interesting and illuminating introductions, for your generosity in sharing your erudition, selection, equipment, and expertise, and for you. You have my heartfelt thanks."—Paula Elkin
