Gallery
We would love to add your photos to the gallery. If you have some — or if you take some in the future — email them to info@AdultLearnersInstitute.org.
ALI at the Chelsea Spring Expo
This year’s Expo at the Chelsea Senior Center on April 15 held several surprises. One was the weather. The day was downright pleasant. Another surprise was the presence of several new vendors among those who have been there in previous years.
The third and biggest surprise for Adult Learners Institute was that the usual number of catalogs that had been taken by interested Expo patrons in previous years was nearly doubled, and we ran out of them about an hour before the Expo was officially over. In addition, almost twice as many people as in previous years registered for the two $25 gift certificates that were awarded. The winners of the certificates were Jan Schubring of Chelsea and Judy Avery of Dexter.
So, our thanks to those who stopped by to see what ALI offers, who took our class catalogs and the many who stopped by just to chat. Whether it was the weather or maybe even our candy, it was wonderful to see so many people.
Honoring one of ALI members
In commemoration of Armistice Day, the Chelsea State Bank dedicated the south wall in its lobby in November to honoring Chelsea residents who had served in the military. One of those honored was Michael Muha who served in Vietnam and then at Fort Hood, TX from 1968 to 1971 as a computer specialist. Mr. Muha now brings his skill with computers to the service of the Adult Learners Institute (ALI) of Chelsea. Anyone who has taken an ALI class has seen him. Or if not him, we have seen his work. He is the quiet gentlemen sitting behind the cameras, adjusting the microphone of the instructor, making sure that a PowerPoint presentation runs smoothly and generally supervising the technology so that the classes run well. Without him, instructors who might be technologically challenged would simply not be able to deliver the quality classes which have become ALI’s trademark. While an instructor or a student may attend a class for an hour or two a week, Mr. Muha or a member of the AV team attends every class ALI offers.
This is his story.
I joined the UA Army in May 1968. After basic and advanced training, I was selected for additional training in computerized logistical support, then immediately sent to Vietnam. I was temporarily assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle, then to a permanent assignment as a computer specialist and then, when my replacement arrived much earlier than anticipated, a courier with the First Logistical Command in Phu Bai, which is between Danang and Hue. I was one of the fortunate ones who didn’t see any actual combat, although we were hit by rockets and mortars regularly.
After my Vietnam duty was over, I still had some time left in my enlistment. I was stationed at Fort Hood, TX and assigned to a Department of Defense research project as custodian of classified documents. I ended my service in January 1971 and returned to my university studies.
In January 2020, I traveled back to Vietnam with my wife, Cathy, and another Vietnam veteran friend and his wife. It’s a beautiful country and the people were wonderful. The country certainly has changed since we were there fifty years ago. Big cities like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi are cosmopolitan and busy, no military or police presence. Where I was stationed, what was a dirt road and rice paddies is now a 4-lane highway with shops and businesses lining each side.
We were welcomed everywhere we went. Our guide arranged a meeting with a former Viet Cong soldier. His wife prepared a great lunch for us and we shared his homemade rice wine. He told us he holds no animosity toward us personally, that it is those in power who start the wars and people like us who fight and die in them.
Here are a couple photos: Driving a deuce and a half (2 ½ ton truck) and getting ready for guard duty.
Holiday Party
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The ALI Board | The Story Teller | Best costume/sweater |
2021 Fall Kick Off
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2021 Fall Instructors | 2021 Board of Directors | 2021 Kick Off Contest Winners |
ALI at the 2020 Festival of Tables
ALI has participated in the 2020 Festival of Tables. This year Mort and Rita Dunlap decorated a table with a magical theater theme. The centerpiece is a theater with a magical trick performance.
2019 Pictures
From the 5 Mother Sauces class taught by Chef Travis. He was assisted by Patti Kucera.
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From the Spiders and their Kin taught by Professor Shillington. She showed us the discarded molts from tarantulas
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ALI at the 2019 Festival of Tables
This was the eighth year that ALI has participated in the Festival of Tables. And each year members of ALI volunteer their talents in decorating a themed table that would represent ALI’s mission.
Pictures from the ALI 2018 Kick Off
ALI at the 2018 Festival of Tables
On February 24, the winter blahs were transformed into a room full of 19 colorfully decorated tables at the First United Methodist Church. Community organizations and businesses were invited to creatively decorate a table for The Festival of Tables luncheon. All proceeds went to the Meals on Wheels program coordinated by the Chelsea Senior Center. This was the Meals on Wheels program coordinated by the Chelsea Senior Center.
This was the seventh year that ALI has participated in the Festival of Tables. And each year members of ALI volunteer their talents in decorating a themed table that would represent ALI’s mission. This year our theme was “Lighting the Way to Learning”.
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