Music pervades the lives of Gwen Goldsmith and Marybeth Bauries. Music was important to each of them even before they met. It brought them together, nurtured their relationship, and continues to give them hope and enjoyment every day.
If you knock on Bill Ashwood’s apartment door at The Kenwood Retirement Community you may be greeted with an old showtune, perhaps “Cockeyed Optimist” from South Pacific, or a Gershwin tune. Read about Kenwood Neighbor Bill Ashwood
Betty Weiblen, a 30-year resident of The Kenwood Senior Living, was honored as Lifetime Volunteer for her constant volunteerism at the Minneapolis retirement community. The donations of her time and energy are so numerous it’s hard to count.
Graham Bennett is a teenage tech wizard who comes to The Kenwood once a week to help residents with their phones, iPads, laptops, and computers. From helping his grandparents, Graham got the idea to help older adults who live at The Kenwood which is near his home and school.
Seniors from The Kenwood retirement community donated knitted hats, mittens and scarves to teens at Peris Hill for the the holidays.
On any given day, you probably won’t find Maria Bales in her Kenwood apartment. The self-described “Hungarian Minnesotan and world traveler” makes a point to get out every day.
David Johnson is an explorer. In retirement he became the president of the University of Minnesota’s Elder Learning Institute now (now Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or OLLI)
Everything about Katherine Doepke goes back to her love of music. Even the large, hooked rug in her living room, which she completed years ago, is musical. It has a structure, colors and tones, and is pleasing to the eye.
If you can’t find Mahmoud El-Kati in his apartment at the Kenwood Retirement Community, look in the library or the workout room. At age 86, Mahmoud continues to seek, and create knowledge and keep himself physically healthy. He is a long-time activist, teacher, lecturer, writer and commentator on the African American experience. Despite the continuing struggle of our country to face our history of slavery and racism, Mahmoud remains optimistic. He feels that “human beings can change their attitudes.”
Ruth Anne Olson and Anthony Morley have been enjoying life at the Kenwood for 18 years. Anthony discovered the Kenwood when he took an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) class on women poets. The couple had already been thinking of moving. They wanted to stay in the city and the location was walkable and on bus lines. Ruth Anne hadn’t lived in a high-rise for a long time, and she felt young again when she moved in.
