Fox Run’s Y.O.U. offers tailor-made teaching

By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Gae McCord moved to Fox Run from Greenville, S.C., two years ago, she wanted to put her education degree and years of experience to good use. As the former president of Furman University’s Learning in Retirement program in Greenville, McCord was eager to get back into some form of education. “I’ve been a professional volunteer all my adult life,” she says.

McCord envisioned a program at Fox Run which would entail guest speakers, teachers, and lecturers coming in as a part of a series of talks on specific subjects. She founded Fox Run Y.O.U., and acronym for “Your Own University,” a name her sister thought of for the group. The classes were officially launched last October, and are guided by a committee of ten Fox Run community members.

 “I’m the dean,” says McCord, who works alongside committee members such as Betty Weideman, who moved from Clemson, S.C.

“Gae was the initial organizer,” Weideman says. “Gae and I are old friends from Plymouth.”

Thus far, Weideman has attended each of the classes, which are offered every Tuesday. “When I came here, I was anxious to have educational stimulation,” she says.

A variety of topics
One of the series offered featured a comparison of various religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Scientology, Baháí, and Judaic Humanism. “I gained a better understanding of each of the religions that were represented. It was very interesting,” Weideman says.

In an upcoming arts series, there will be guest speakers discussing theater, dance, poetry, opera, visual arts, and symphony.

“I’m a musician and I’m very enthusiastic about the arts series,” says Weideman, a former music teacher at Plymouth/Canton High Schools. Along with Mc- Cord, she actively seeks out upcoming speakers for the Y.O.U. program. “I took a series of classes on opera. Martin Herman, a professor emeritus at Wayne State University, ran the class. I got to know him and he agreed to do the classes here at Fox Run.”