{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/zinniawestwoodlearninghaven","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"slug":"zinnia.westwoodlearninghaven","excerpt":"In a nondescript building between a dispensary and cafe lies a hidden oasis of intellectual debate for retired Angelenos.","headline":"Westwood’s Hidden Learning Haven","author":"Zinnia Finn","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.3-861f21f5cbf013a355273d6ec6dfd9b4.jpg","covercred":"Christine Kao","coveralt":"Members of the PLATO society, a community of retired Angelenos, gather around a table to hold an intellectual debate.","articleType":"article","updated":null,"content":[{"type":"text","value":"A year after Jack Samet retired in 2004, his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The prognosis was terminal and he immediately became her primary caregiver."},{"type":"text","value":"“It was clear what was happening,” Samet said. “And what would happen and when it would happen, and we just lived with that for a while.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Years later, Samet found that he was losing himself in the act of caregiving. He knew he needed to do something to save himself – a way to “put his oxygen mask on first” before he could continue helping his wife."},{"type":"text","value":"Having retired from his career as a lawyer – during which he argued and unanimously won a business case, Holmes v. Securities Investor Protection Corporation, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court – Samet went on to dabble in acting and stand-up comedy."},{"type":"text","value":"But finding humor in light of his wife’s illness proved difficult, so he began his search for a new passion. It started out rocky, until one day a letter arrived in the mail from the Partners in Learning Actively Teaching Ourselves Society."},{"type":"text","value":"Hidden next to The Farmacy Westwood lies the entrance to the PLATO Society of Los Angeles. The exterior of the beige building is remarkably nondescript, but the office inside is filled with vibrant oranges and blues."},{"type":"text","value":"The lifelong learning program – whose members are on average 74 years old, according to Sam Pryor, the current PLATO president – was founded in 1980 and first called this building home in collaboration with UCLA Extension."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A portrait by Kao of Sam Pryor, the current PLATO president.\",\"url\":\"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.4-2262477d7cb771e3abab0e889cb574b4.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Christine Kao\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"PLATO is centered around its hallmark study-discussion groups, or SDGs, which are peer-led, in-depth explorations of topics ranging from history to music to science. The focus is determined by PLATO’s members, many of whom are retired lawyers, doctors and teachers and 80% of whom have postgraduate degrees."},{"type":"text","value":"After receiving his letter, Samet applied, interviewed and joined PLATO. At first, he wasn’t interested in socializing with the other members."},{"type":"text","value":"“I just wanted to go to the course, get a break, come back home and do my duties. That was how it started,” he said."},{"type":"text","value":"He attended an SDG titled “Wealth and Democracy,” which was the first time he saw Beverly Grabell. At the time, his wife was still ill, and Grabell’s husband had recently died."},{"type":"text","value":"“It was not love at first sight,” Samet said."},{"type":"text","value":"A mother of two children, Grabell said she has always had a passion for learning. She returned to school at the age of 28 to receive her registered nurse degree and went on to work in oncology, the neonatal intensive care unit and as a courier for the National Marrow Donor Program. After her husband died, she found herself searching for a new way to spend her time."},{"type":"text","value":"Enter PLATO."},{"type":"text","value":"Grabell heard about the program from a stranger while sitting on a porch of a retreat in Ojai, California. She was in between leases and staying with her friend at the time, who said they should check out the mysterious organization. Like Samet, “Wealth and Democracy” was the first SDG she signed up for in September 2011."},{"type":"text","value":"The first time Samet and Grabell really spoke was seven months after their “Wealth and Democracy '' SDG, in the hallway of PLATO right after Samet’s wife died, when Grabell offered her condolences."},{"type":"text","value":"They went on a couple of dates, took a break, and then reunited a year later and have been a couple ever since."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A photograph by Kao of Samet and Grabell talking off camera.\",\"url\":\"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.6-3f56a93d4cb97dfa122e6e9cde45942a.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Christine Kao\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“There’s a certain – comradery doesn’t seem like the correct word – understanding,” Grabell said. “I mean, I had just gone through this process myself, so I had a certain feeling of sadness for him. It’s hard to lose someone and then go on on your own.”"},{"type":"text","value":"The couple’s relationship sparked Samet’s involvement in PLATO, which was furthered by becoming the hub for members’ concerns and complaints during his role as ombudsman for three years. Now he’s the society’s vice president and latest president-elect, set to begin his term July 1."},{"type":"line","value":"{\"filler\":\"filler\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Since its inception, PLATO has also always been member-driven. With only one paid employee, members must be willing to facilitate discussions, place people in classes and even man the front desk, said Alice Lewis, PLATO’s UCLA Honors Program liaison."},{"type":"text","value":"Members must apply, attend an interview and pay a $530 annual membership fee to be accepted to PLATO. But Marjane Frane, the chair of the membership committee, said members basically choose themselves."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"An over-the-shoulder photograph by Kao of a sheet of notes being meticulously read by one of the PLATO members.\",\"url\":\"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.1-5071f22c14e6522542299a9353e42ee6.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Christine Kao\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“We tell them what PLATO is about, ask what they want out of it and, for the most part, they decide for themselves whether or not they are appropriate,” she said."},{"type":"text","value":"The SDGs are offered in segments of seven, 10 or 14 weeks and are based on a range of topics that are all member-recommended. Any member can propose a topic and plan for an SDG, even if they aren’t up for the task of facilitating it. Successfully proposed SDG topics have included France during World War II and the history of marriage."},{"type":"text","value":"Each member takes turns leading the weekly discussions, which can require anywhere from eight to 40 hours of prep in the form of research and formulating questions."},{"type":"text","value":"The SDGs take place in one of the building’s three classrooms, which are each equipped with a television for slideshows and long tables surrounded by grey plastic chairs padded with woven fabric. All the rooms are white with a single bright accent wall."},{"type":"text","value":"Shortly after members file in, the discussions begin."},{"type":"text","value":"In the “American Imperialism” SDG, led by Pryor and Paul Markowitz, 20 members sat around the folding tables, filling the small room nearly to capacity. Books were accompanied by legal notepads with scrawled notes or printed packets of additional research. Each person’s place was marked with a nametag, some decorated with stickers and others stained with coffee."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Photograph by Kao of Pryor and another member of PLATO being heavily engaged in discussion around a table.\",\"url\":\"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.2-f7164e220d4fa5372abcc11a73fdf572.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Christine Kao\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"When I sat in on this particular SDG, Pryor and I walked in and most discussions trailed off in anticipation for the meeting’s start."},{"type":"text","value":"“Everyone has to be on their best behavior,” Pryor said, indicating my presence as we sat down."},{"type":"text","value":"He looked sharply at his co-coordinator across the table, which garnered laughs from the group. This duo was so well-known for its lively interactions, leading some members to join the SDG simply for entertainment."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"Each member takes turns leading the weekly discussions, which can require anywhere from eight to 40 hours of prep in the form of research and formulating questions.\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"The group began by asking questions and calling on members with raised hands. What started as a Q&A gradually became a “question and question,” as the group delved into divergent topics and launched into long-winded speeches."},{"type":"text","value":"An hour later, we broke for 10 minutes. But while some filed into the lounge, others stayed behind, too engaged in conversation to leave their seats."},{"type":"text","value":"This thirst for learning is a common trend in every PLATO meeting, particularly following conversations that introduce topics that connect readings between disciplines or compare them across centuries."},{"type":"text","value":"In a discussion on Charles Darwin, the group debated whether the tree of life was more than just an ancient poetic image. In another SDG, “Our Inner Ape,” there was an extended conversation about how the behavior of bonobos and chimps can impact the interpretations of statements made by Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau."},{"type":"text","value":"Although opinions diverge, members are always respectful. They are never afraid to voice their opinions on anything from the Panama Canal to the meeting’s snack choices."},{"type":"text","value":"“You have to go to the right cookie store,” Pryor said."},{"type":"text","value":"“What's it called again?” Samet asked."},{"type":"text","value":"“Diddy Riese,” Pryor said."},{"type":"text","value":"“Ah, right. They only accept Diddy Riese cookies,” Samet said."},{"type":"line","value":"{\"filler\":\"filler\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"PLATO has been, and will always be, a part of the Westwood community. The organization was affiliated with UCLA until 2013, when it split from the university because of funding issues."},{"type":"text","value":"Since an alliance with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCLA, a program for older adults based more on lectures and classes, was established in 2010, UCLA needed a certain amount of members to gain funding, and the only way to do this would have been to merge the programs into a PLATO-Osher combined society."},{"type":"text","value":"This decision would have changed the organization’s name, overridden PLATO’s membership process, forced PLATO to split its meeting spaces across the UCLA campus and given the university control over its class enrollment. So, PLATO decided to leave UCLA. However, UCLA Honors students are still able to join SDGs to receive pass/no pass credit."},{"type":"text","value":"After the financials were ironed out – which took nearly two years – the group became known as the PLATO Society of Los Angeles."},{"type":"text","value":"Michael Lima-Sabatini, a second-year public affairs and statistics student, attended PLATO’s “American Imperialism” SDG because he wanted to learn more beyond his classes at UCLA."},{"type":"text","value":"“It’s just about discussion and interacting with these people rather than being taught at,” Lima-Sabatini said. “You get to be an equal part of the process.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Despite the heavy intellectual component of PLATO, many members appreciate the sense of community."},{"type":"text","value":"Cecelia Lam, who has been a member of PLATO for the past four years, said she loves PLATO’s extracurriculars, particularly its annual retreat. The program features hikes, back-to-back mini SDGs, dancing and happy hours."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"It’s just about discussion and interacting with these people rather than being taught at. You get to be an equal part of the process. - Michael Lima-Sabatini\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“When I first retired, I was very lost because, suddenly, I did not have a structure for my daily activities, and, being a single person, I don’t have a family to occupy the rest of my time,” Lam said. “I was actually looking for something that was stimulating, as well as giving me a social network, and I have found that I got them both in PLATO.”"},{"type":"line","value":"{\"filler\":\"filler\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"I met Samet and Grabell in the Daily Bruin office on Valentine’s Day."},{"type":"text","value":"They walked from the outskirts of campus to Kerckhoff Hall hand-in-hand as he helped her down the uneven steps of Bruin Walk. Complete strangers sometimes approach them and say they look like they belong together. I can’t say I disagree. Today, even their outfits were coordinated shades of pastels."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Portrait by Kao of Samet and Grabell looking towards each other instead of at the camera.\",\"url\":\"https://assets.dailybruin.com/images/westwoodhiddenlearninghaven/web.prime.PLATO.CK.5-60a8a6bbb1e8039745494e422d16474c.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Christine Kao\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Although PLATO does not consume all aspects of their lives, Samet can’t deny what drew them to PLATO is nearly identical to what drew them to each other."},{"type":"text","value":"Raised in different backgrounds, they carry opposite pasts. Samet lived in New York City, while Grabell grew up on a mountain in rural South Carolina. Still, their current trajectory is bound by a similar “love of learning” – the same as PLATO’s motto."},{"type":"text","value":"“We learn from each other. We grow as a couple, and it’s a case of two plus two equals five,” he said. “She brings what she brings, and I bring what I bring, and together we both kind of rise to a higher level benefiting from each other.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Samet says he thinks their meeting was a sum of tremendously wonderful random occurrences. Grabell thinks it might be more than that."},{"type":"text","value":"Regardless, Samet knows one thing for sure."},{"type":"text","value":"“I really like PLATO, and I love Beverly,” he said."}]}},"pageContext":{"term":"spring20","slug":"zinnia.westwoodlearninghaven"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}