John Waddell sculpture

Sedona AZ (October 7, 2012) – Yavapai College’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) of Sedona and Verde Valley began its 2012 fall session in September. OLLI, a unique program at the Sedona campus of Yavapai College, was created to meet the needs of intellectually active adults. Members attend learning groups and workshops for the joy of learning, to create community, and to enrich lives, all without the need for tests or grades.

On October 19, OLLI will offer a workshop on Arizona master sculptor, John Waddell, a workshop that will include a trip to Waddell’s home and studio in Cornville, Arizona. Dedicated OLLI member and facilitator, Louise MacDonald, will lead the Waddell workshop.

Descended from New England sea captains, Louise MacDonald inherited the traits of a rover, traits, coupled with literature degrees in German and French and a year at the Swiss University of Zurich, that became a springboard to her foreign correspondent career.

Fluent in four languages, MacDonald found work as a reporter and writer for LIFE‘s International and Spanish editions, two magazines that, in her words, “split the world between them. In New York, I covered the United Nations and continued to report from Paris, Bonn and London.”

After returning to Washington DC, she spent three years editing at Smithsonian magazine and met Bob MacDonald, a Foreign Service officer. “We tripped down the aisle in Haiti so we could practice French,” she quipped.

John Waddell, Cornville Arizona sculptor

Bob MacDonald followed his Washington diplomatic career with a stint in Morocco. “What an opportunity!” exclaimed MacDonald. While the couple lived in Morocco, she corresponded on the war in the Sahara for UPI (Paris), the Christian Science Monitor (Boston), the International Herald Tribune (Paris) and for London magazines, 8 Days and The Middle East.

Eight years later, back in Maryland, Louise MacDonald taught courses on art and literature at the College of Notre Dame Renaissance Institute in Baltimore. An art reviewer for over two decades, she also wrote articles for metropolitan area art publications. Two books on Morocco followed, a collection of lively short stories, Casablanca Notebook, illustrated with her drawings and, a novel about the Saharan war, Wind in the Sahara.

“I love to experience the world through travel and reporting,” MacDonald explained, noting her recent Sedona move. “I enjoy talking to people, exploring their interests and views on art and travel. Nothing is more fun than getting together a lively bunch of people expressing interesting ideas and exchanging thoughts on all sorts of subjects. This is why I love giving and taking courses at OLLI.”

MacDonald’s workshop, Viewing Great Sculptures – John Waddell, will be held on October 19 from 9 AM until Noon at the Sedona campus of Yavapai College, 4215 Arts Village Drive, Sedona, Arizona 86336. For more information or to request a catalog call 928-649-4275 or 928-649-5550.

Article written and submitted to SedonaEye.com by Kate Kline, OLLI Yavapai College.

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