A Place for Curiosity: Enriching Education for Lifelong Learners
The Institute for Learning in Retirement is a community-based organization whose goal is to encourage life-long learning for persons in retirement from every walk of life. At its heart is an academic program of courses designed by its members to suit their interests and taught by knowledgeable instructors. Most classes are offered on the Marietta College campus, some are offered in the community or online via Zoom. Courses encourage study and discussion but require no assignments, tests, or writing of papers. They are simply for the enjoyment of learning.
Organized by local citizens, the Institute offered its first non-credit courses of cultural interest in the Spring of 1992 with two two-week courses. Over the years, the scope of the courses broadened to include such diverse subjects as river lore, genealogy, forestry, applied art, the world of opera, literature, science, and many more. When members expressed enough interest in a particular subject, an authority in that field, usually a college professor or other professional, was sought to teach it. Occasionally, a course was enhanced by day or overnight trips to museums or theaters in nearby cities or field trips to strip mines and river locks and dams. Since its origins, ILR has involved hundreds of individuals, many of whom return time and time again, creating friendships and enjoying the opportunity to learn new things.
Over the years, the program offered by the Institute has grown. The ILR offers three sessions of four- or eight-week classes each year: fall, winter, and spring. The courses range from such hands-on subjects as hand sewing to archeology, from birdwatching to music and art history, and from geology to Shakespeare. Click here for a list of courses offered since 1992. You may take as many courses as you wish in any session. The cost is $30 for eight-week courses and $15 for four-week courses.
Contact
For more information:
M.J. Ebenhack, Director
Email: ebenhack@gmail.com
Phone: (740) 434-5638
Or
Joy Cowdery, Program Chair
Email: drjoycowdery@gmail.com
Phone: 740-706-0306
For any problems with registering, contact the webmaster at: tedgoertzel@gmail.com
Mary Jeanette (MJ) Ebenhack was elected to serve a second two-year term as ILR Director at the 2026 ILR Annual Meeting. She had previously served two years as the ILR Recording Secretary. MJ’s involvement with ILR began in 2012 when she offered a course on the United Nations Year of Sustainable Energy for All. She has since taught other courses. MJ is married to retired Marietta College professor Ben Ebenhack, who also teaches ILR courses. The couple has called Marietta home since 2010.
Joy Cowdery is serving a second term as Co-Program Chair. She is a Professor Emeritus of Diversity Education and Director of TESOL at Muskingum University. Joy has taught Undergraduate and Graduate Education, Communication, and English at Marietta College, WVUP, and West Liberty University. Having also taught high school at Warren Local and supervised student teachers in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Philadelphia, and local schools supporting ESL students. She is passionate about education and lifelong learning. She has taken and taught classes in ILR and is excited to be part of the program. Joy is a lifelong resident of Marietta and enjoys traveling the world with her husband, Joe Cowdery, their three sons and six grandchildren and many friends.
Ted Goertzel is the Webmaster, appointed by the ILR Executive Committee. He retired as Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University in 2012 and moved to Barlow where his wife, Linda Lawton, grew up. In addition to his webmaster chores, Ted has taught over a dozen ILR courses covering topics as varied as Latin American Culture, Social Movements, Artificial Intelligence, H.G. Wells, and Conspiracy Theories.
Kathleen Frazier, the Recording Secretary, moved to Marietta with her husband and four children in 2004. She began taking classes through ILR in 2013 after their youngest child left for college. Her education and work experience were focused in the sciences, so she has taken the opportunity that ILR offers to take classes in subjects that are out of her usual comfort zone. That has opened whole new realms of interests for her. Given the large variety of classes offered, she finds ILR is a fabulous way to explore new subjects or delve deeper into known ones in a relaxed, safe and fun environment.
Jim Williams serves as ILR’s Public Information Officer, an appointed position. Jim is a retired educator; most of his teaching career was at Warren Local High School, where he taught ELA and French. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University (BA) and Ohio University (MA). Jim has lived most of his adult life in the Marietta area, where he and his wife Lisa continue to reside. He is a relative newcomer to ILR but very much enjoys being a part of the community.
Nancy Ruth grew up in Williamstown, WV and Marietta, OH. She graduated from Muskingum University and went on to earn her Master’s degree from Marygrove University. Nancy taught high school science at Warren High School for 37 years where she also served as Science Department Chair, School Improvement Coordinator, and Marching Band Assistant. After retirement, she served for 14 years as an Instructional Improvement Consultant for area school districts through the State Support Team, Region 16. Nancy is grateful for all the experiences she has had with students and especially with her “band kids”. She continually finds ways to keep life interesting, including working with ILR!
Dennis Litwinowicz is serving as the ILR Treasurer. He is a native of Cleveland, OH, but has spent the last 50 years living and working in east-central Ohio and the Mid-Ohio Valley. He studied geology and mineralogy at Ohio University and The Ohio State University. He worked for 15 years as a petroleum geologist before repurposing as an environmental scientist for the next 30 years. Dennis is a Certified Petroleum Geologist, past president of the Ohio Geological Society, a trustee for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, and a Licensed Remediation Specialist. He is a volunteer at Marietta’s Peoples Bank Theater, and has served as an election poll worker for 28 years. Dennis enjoys, traveling regularly to visit his children and their families in Virginia, South Carolina, Colorado, and Ohio.