Some of the most brilliant resources our communities have to offer are available simply because someone asked themselves, “Why isn’t there…?” and then went on to create whatever it was they thought was missing. That’s how Lifespring sprang into being: Susan Puretz, a Saugerties resident who was chair for many years of the Department of Health, Physical Education, Athletics, Recreation and Dance at SUNY New Paltz, “found out about the Lifetime Learning Institute at Bard, but I decided I didn’t want to shlep across the river.” So, she initiated what would come to be called the Lifespring Saugerties Adult Learning Community. You don’t have to live there to join; you only have to be age 55 or over. Once you’ve paid your modest annual membership fee, you can take as many courses as you want, at no additional charge.
Puretz “ended up with a lot of free time” after her department was downsized and her position retrenched in the mid-1990s, well before she felt ready to retire. She kept horses and got into local political activism, joining Stop the Mine and the opposition to the Winston Farm casino proposal. She wasn’t the only person she knew who wanted to keep on learning and growing after leaving her career track, and she had maintained close contact with her academic and union colleagues, serving on the board of United University Professions at the state level and acting as a delegate to New York State United Teachers. A rich array of experts in many subjects was available to her; some – especially retirees – were willing to teach a class now and then on a volunteer basis.
And so the idea came together. “I talked about it with my friend Barbara Kaisik, and we called our friends,” Puretz recalls. “I came up with the name and designed the catalog.” The other founders included Marvelene Beach, Joe Churnetski, Joe Lada, Arzi McKeown, Matt Ostoyich, Sandy Ostoyich, Rich Phillips, Meyer Rothberg, Myrna Sameth and Bob Saturn. “We called ourselves the Jump-Starters.”
In 2008 Puretz approached longtime Saugerties Town supervisor Greg Helsmoortel about making Lifespring an official municipal program, and found him receptive. “We’re one of the few Lifetime Learning Institutes that are town-sponsored, not by a college,” she notes. The Saugerties Methodist Church was willing to provide rental space for the classes, which began in September 2009. While some of the Jump-Starters were dubious that the program would catch on quickly, Puretz proved them wrong, hyping Lifespring by word-of-mouth, handing out flyers and putting ads in the local newspapers. “I won a bet,” she says. “I predicted that we would probably have about 100 people, and I was right.”
Today, Lifespring has 215 enrolled members, many of whom return year after year. Membership currently costs only $80 annually. There’s no cap on the number of members. The only hitch is that you have to join or renew during a short window, beginning on August 1. After that, you can register free for courses that run in four-week or six-week sessions in autumn and spring. The COVID pandemic inspired the addition of Zoom classes on Mondays, while the in-person classes are mostly hosted by the Woodstock Jewish Congregation on Wednesdays and can accommodate as many as 40 or 50 people.
One-shot presentations are sometimes offered at the Saugerties Library Community Room. In winter, in between semesters, there’s a series of three presentations that are open to non-members via Zoom: a great way to try out Lifespring’s offerings and decide whether to take the plunge for full membership. The last in this winter’s series, “Sustainable Landscapes for Community, Work and Home” with Stefan Yarabek as presenter, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. Registration for this talk opens on February 19 and closes on March 4.
What sorts of courses are typically on offer? Subject matter varies based on which presenters are available at a given time, but is very diverse and imaginative. Classes offered in autumn 2023 ranged from an introduction to mah jongg and a history of electronics to a writing workshop and an examination of the Supreme Court. “The curriculum committee looks for a variety of different topics in the arts, sciences, politics,” says Puretz. “In the early years I was the prime ‘getter’ of people, through the university or through my union.” Indeed, although they have to be willing to work for nothing, the presenters are often academics and always have considerable expertise in their fields. One past presenter was a diplomat who had been stationed in China, for example.
Some classes are especially geared to challenges confronting seniors, such as “The Technology of Aging in Place,” and there are also series of weekly “Nature Rambles” that encourage retirees to get out and about. A lifelong fitness advocate, Puretz notes, “Some of the things that keep the brain active are exercise, diet, doing things, keeping in contact with people.” Signing up for Lifespring sounds like just the ticket to counteract the negative effects of aging.
Now 82, Puretz herself is ready to step aside and let someone else take over as president of Lifespring Saugerties Adult Learning Community, though she plans to stay involved with the curriculum committee. She’s an aficionado of old houses, and serving on the Town of Saugerties Historic Preservation Commission is taking up much of her energies these days, so it seemed like the right time for a transition.
“It’s very exciting to see the development over the years and how we’ve handled problems. Everyone really throws themselves into the role,” Puretz says. Lifespring will be going through some restructuring this spring and writing a new set of by-laws, with the possibility of an executive committee taking over the responsibilities of what has long been a single individual as president.
The organization is also looking for some new presenters to step up – particularly women, to redress past imbalances in which “the overwhelming number of presenters have been male.” Persons interested in volunteering to present a class can inquire at lifespring.saug@gmail.com. You can also use that e-mail address to sign up for a reminder of when the next round of membership enrollment is drawing near. To learn more, visit www.lifespringsaugerties.com.
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