Thumbs up: A gift for lifelong learners at Sonoma State University

Here's a thumbs up to - well, we don't know exactly who. But we want to salute the anonymous benefactor whose bequest doubled the endowment of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State University.

The program, now in its 16th year, offers classes for people age 50 and older who recognize the value, and joy, of continuing education. This spring's offerings include classes on Winston Churchill and Orson Welles, Sonoma County's waterways and Reconstruction in the post-Civil War South. Sonoma State, one of 120 institutions with Osher programs, got started with a $2 million grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation.

An anonymous bequest of $2 million from a longtime Sonoma County resident is one of the largest ever received by an Osher program, university officials said. “I want to share this program with everyone and hope that my gift and my passion for (Osher lifelong learning) will encourage others who want to expand their horizons to dip their toe in and give it a try,” the donor said in a statement released by the university.