Kendal residents make use of College resources, activities

Some choose Kendal because of College

It could have been any night at Stevenson, only the conversation seemed more intense. At the table on the far left, a handful of lingering diners were debating the meaning of conservatism and liberalism -- long after most people had left, on their way to other activities.

Earlier in the evening, William "Bud" Walker had been in the dining room.

"Yes, I've been to the Cat several times," he said, confirming the rumor. A World War II veteran, Ohio State University alum and Mt. Healthy, Ohio native, Walker said he and his wife often take his kids to the Cat in the Cream when they visit the College. "I like going there 'cause I like to see young people perform and I like that music," he said.

Around Walker, the room was filled with similar stories of people who participated in Oberlin College life, whether as students, volunteers, performers or audience members. They're from Oberlin's other campus: Kendal at Oberlin. But they're as apt to be found in King, Mudd and Finney Chapel.

Walker and other Kendel residents are among those who use Oberlin as a resource for activities and cultural events. Many of them participate in Conservatory activities, go to performances, volunteer at the College and audit courses.

Phyllis Current, a Kendal resident since the facility's opening in October 1993, plays viola in the College Community Strings every Tuesday night. But that's only one small portion of the time she spends at Oberlin.

"Last Sunday," Current said, "I was in the Conservatory from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. and then I went to a lecture afterwards. On weekends, I go to a whole string of concerts, sometimes three or four in a row."

The Kendal shuttle, which brings Kendal residents to events at the College, is perhaps the most visible evidence of Kendal interaction with the college community. For those Kendal residents who do not have cars, the shuttle system provides transportation to musical events six times a month.

As a member of the residents' transportation committee, Current helps coordinate the shuttle's services. "When the Conservatory concert listings come out, there are two of us who mark off what concerts we think would be good to go to," she said.

This evening residents were going to a piano recital. With Current in the front seat, introducing the subject, various residents began talking about their concert experiences.

"Many of us came to Kendal because of the Conservatory," resident Joyce Dugan said. "It's a nice symbiotic relationship between the College and Kendal."

One of five continuing care retirement communities (CCRC's) operated by the Pennsylvania-based Kendal Corporation, Kendal at Oberlin offers three types of living alternatives for its residents: independent apartment units, assisted living units and skilled nursing units.

The guarantee of a full continuum of care for the same monthly fees -- whether residents are living in apartments or the health center -- is one element that attracts potential residents. In addition to this "lifetime care contract" and the facility's Quaker values, Kendal's Director of Admissions and Marketing Maggie Stark said the proximity to Oberlin College is a major drawing point.

"The reason we have such a diverse group is because of Oberlin College," she said. "Kendal at Oberlin wouldn't be Kendal at Oberlin without the college." Stark said 42 percent of residents have been affiliated with the College in the past.

As Admissions Director, Stark equates many of her job duties to those of staff in a college admissions office.

"There's a very strong parallel," she said. "We want to promote Kendal just like college admissions offices want to promote their college." To this end, Kendal at Oberlin's "viewbook" is filled with pages of scenic photographs, including a shot of two residents riding bikes through Tappan Square's autumn foliage, and another of a resident standing proudly in front of Peters Hall.

But the parallel between Kendal and Oberlin College life goes further than that.

Kendal at Oberlin has dining services, a library, athletic facilities and a mailbox area. Recalling her own days in a dorm at Ohio University, Stark said, "At 10 a.m. when the mail comes in, it reminds me so much of mail time at college."

In true college spirit, Stark said Kendal is "an extremely active community" -- a campus on which 87 percent of residents volunteer either at Kendal, the College or in the community.

Kendel resident Emiko Custer, who is a Japanese cataloger by trade and worked at the Library of Congress in Washington before retiring, has been volunteering in Mudd since November 1993, helping with the expanding Japanese collection there. At one point, she was volunteering 20 hours a week. "I feel like I'm contributing something at the library," she said. "It's a wonderful feeling to do something nobody else can."

John and Eileen Dettman were both members of the class of 1950.

"We commenced at 10 in the morning and got married at three in the afternoon," John Dettman recalled. From Oberlin, he went on to earn his doctorate degree in math at Carnegie Tech. After taking Statistical Mechanics last fall, he's currently auditing quantum mechanics at the College, and learning things that "weren't even taught in the 1940s," he said.

Dettman's wife Eileen, who taught ballet for 28 years, took ballet at Oberlin last fall . She said that students made her feel "very welcome" in her class. "They seem to accept me and that's nice." She hopes to take a creative writing course next year.

In addition to playing in the College Community strings, Current has a long list of classes she has audited at Oberlin, among them two philosophy courses, American Constitutional Law, Mahler, European Medieval history, and, currently, Cognitive Psychology.

"I love to be with kids and go and take classes. I love to be a part of the College," she said.

Like Eileen Dettman, Current also said that she felt welcome, not only by students but also by professors, whom she described as "just delightful." As for College Community Strings, Current said, "It's wonderful to be playing again. I had lost it completely, but now I've started to get it back."

The list goes on to include Kendal resident Sadie Taylor, who's been in Musical Union since the spring of 1994. There are currently four Kendal residents in the group, Taylor said.

"It's almost overwhelming," said Maggie Stark. "I think people who are not familiar with retirement communities have a pre-conceived idea of them. They're really amazed at what they see when they come."

Top: Community Strings: Kendal residents utilize Oberlin's resources for community and culture. (photo courtesy of Kendal-At-Oberlin)

Bottom: Kendal: The entrance to Kendal-At-Oberlin. (photo by Dave Smith)