The Moorings seniors keep learning thanks to 3 residents' lecture series

For many, the academic year is coming to an end. But at The Moorings of Arlington Heights, three residents are committed to making lifelong learning a year-round initiative at their senior living community.

Jim Ritt, a former employee and docent at the Brookfield Zoo; Fred Henning, a former lecturer for NASA at the Adler Planetarium; and Paul Palmer, a retired Presbyterian minister, seem markedly different upon a first meeting, but when you bring the three together, they have the rapport of old friends and a palpable spirit of curiosity and inclusion.

And with their talents combined, they have built the foundation of the resident lecture series at The Moorings.

"People here have so much to say and so many interesting stories to share," said Henning, who had given lectures on the Star of Bethlehem and, most recently, about being Irish in Chicago.

Henning was motivated to start giving resident lectures after Jim Ritt presented about the Brookfield Zoo.

"I took speech and debate back in high school," Ritt said. "It taught me to speak confidently. Now I love helping others gain that confidence here at the community. And now, people stop me and ask questions about animals - it's created a whole new dialogue with people I might not have otherwise known."

For Paul Palmer, retiring from being an active pastor for more than 40 years didn't mean he stopped teaching others. Continuing as a teaching elder, he brought his knowledge to residents of the community through classes on the great religions of the world (including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and more), as well as a class on the books that didn't make it into the Bible.

Palmer became particularly renowned for making his classes incredibly interesting, no matter the religious background of the resident.

"There are dozens of classes on religion to be taught," he said, "and people truly want to learn. They are comfortable asking me questions about religion that perhaps they've carried with them their whole lives."

Thanks to the efforts of these three men, as well as the leadership at The Moorings, the resident lecture series is thriving, bringing between 150-200 attendees to each lecture.

All three echo the sentiment of "use it or lose it" and love finding ways to keep their minds sharp.

"It's never too late to learn, never too late to explore, never too late to ask questions about the meaning of life," Palmer said. "It's exciting we get to continue to do that here."