December 2017 Program Chair: Miguel Velez
- Dec. 5 “Remembering Pearl Harbor” – Herb Waddell, speaker and Old Guard member. One of our own members will provide his perspective of “The day that will live in infamy.” The events preceding the attack, the news shock, and the wartime years that followed will be described as we observe the 76th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
- Dec. 12 “Downsizing Your Home: A Practical Guide” – Lucy Thompson will address the momentous decisions we face when downsizing our home. When is the right time? What is the first step? These questions and others will be addressed as we go through the process of getting ready.
- Dec. 19 “General Winfield Scott Hancock” – Nolan Asch, speaker and Old Guard member. The most important Union Civil War general you may never have heard of may surprise you, a Civil War general who almost became president. Nolan will trace his steps through West Point and the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. Then follow him to the Wild West and ONE INCH from the White House.
November 2017 Program Chair: David Badertscher
- Nov. 6 “(Monday) Sports Trivia with a Personal Touch” – Joseph Gyenes, a retired educator with the Middlesex County Vocation & Technical District, a former college baseball player, and 43-year member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, has entertaining stories to tell about sports situations and sports personalities both famous and not so famous that he has encountered during decades of officiating.
- Nov. 14 “Formation of Character and Moral Education: Intuitionists vs. Utilitarians in Early 19th Century Britain” – James S. Hewitt, PhD History, U Mass / Amherst, Old Guard Member. From ancient Greece and Rome to our own times, educators and society have sought to raise the next generation in a morally worthy way. Englishmen in the 19th century wrestled with how to form morally upright character that would inspire society and lead the economy. The rationale developed by apologists at Oxford & Cambridge, as opposed to their Utilitarian opponents at the upstart London University, defined the positions about two hundred years ago that still frame the debate today.
- Nov. 21 “Deserted Village of Feltville in the Watchung Reservation – It’s Not So Deserted Anymore!” – Daniel Bernier, Director of Environmental Services for the Union County Park System and resident caretaker. Over the course of four centuries, the Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park has been a farming community, a quasi-utopian mill town, a deserted village, a summer resort, and part of Union County’s largest park, the Watchung Reservation. Bernier will describe the Visitors Center and public programs that now attract 100,000 visitors annually. (This talk had been snowed out in March.)
- Nov. 28 “Cold War Missile Defense” – Joseph M Polyak, retired computer engineer, will tell about his experiences and the living conditions in the high Arctic while he worked on the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar site at the Thule Airbase in Greenland.
October 2017 Program Chair: Richard Jaeger
- Oct. 3 “Trends in Power Generation and Distribution” – Thomas G. Loughlin, Executive Director of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), will address how power generation and distribution are going through radical change. Major shifts are occurring on the generation side ranging from new super-critical boiler technologies to regional/local generation to the mainstreaming of renewable energy. Energy distribution is also going through radical change. This talk will address the status of the energy transformation with a glimpse as to what it means for our energy future.
- Oct. 9 Ladies Day Luncheon – “Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots to Petticoats to Presidential Candidates” – Carol Simon Levin, acclaimed author and historian, joined us in costume to parade before us a fascinating group of women who have had a real impact on American history. Held at the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit..
- Oct. 17 “The Seeing Eye” – Don MacGowan and Kathy Murray (and Seeing Eye dog Mac), volunteers at The Seeing Eye will explain the work of The Seeing Eye from several perspectives, beginning with a discussion of blindness, and the many ways it manifests itself. They will then tell about how The Seeing Eye breeds, raises, and trains dogs to become Seeing Eye dogs. And they will explain the all-important process by which people and dogs are matched together. Finally, Kathy will talk about life as a blind person, her day-to-day life with her Seeing Eye dog, and how she uses the technology available to assist people who are blind.
- Oct. 24 “North Sea to Irish Sea: Britain’s “C to C” Hike in Reverse” – Vaclav E. (Vic) Benes, PhD, formerly of Bell Laboratories, has been an avid adventurer, who has engaged in running, climbing and hiking. With his wife Inge, he carried out a walk in 2012 of about 200 miles in north England across north Yorkshire and Cumbria from east to west, from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. Carrying all they needed in small packs, they enjoyed 16 days of rain, hot sun, mountains, pubs, moors, mining sites, antiquities, farms, B&Bs, and getting lost In the hills. He will take the audience on the journey, illustrated with pictures and maps.
- Oct. 31 “Your Digital Legacy – Digital Estate Planning” – Steve Erikson, CFP, President Emeritus of Hallmark Capital Management, will discuss the 21st century issue of people’s digital lives and how to include these in estate planning. These days, many people store important information in the cloud, on their phones, and/or on their computers. Such information may include bank and brokerage statements, photos, as well as the user names and passwords for accessing the information. Not having a plan for these digital assets can make managing and distributing these assets difficult after a person has died. Steve will provide helpful tips to prevent this.
September 2017 Program Chair: Robert Davis
- Sept. 5 “The University of the Future” – Joseph Tranquillo, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Bucknell University, will discuss the challenges facing universities in the digital age with increasing costs and how they may evolve in the future.
- Sept. 12 “The Criminalization of Politics from Nixon to Today” – Geoff Shepard, a former White House fellow and member of President Nixon’s White House staff, will compare his experience with what is happening today and reveal some surprising facts about judicial and prosecutorial abuses that occurred during the Watergate trials.
- Sept. 19 “The Future of Human Civilization in the 21st Century” – Old Guard member, Phil Eisner, will present implications of humankind in an increasingly warming world and the scarcity of the earth’s resources.
- Sept. 26 “Newark through the Ages” – The Newark Preservation and Landmark Committee President, Liz Del Tufo, will speak on the topic using existing buildings and monuments in Newark that describe Newark’s unique history from its beginnings in the 1600’s to today. This talk was developed in celebration of Newark’s 350th anniversary last year.
August 2017 Program Chair: Paul Thau
- Aug. 1 “Learn Techniques That Will Help You Cope With Stress and Anxiety” – Valerie Spangenberg, Ph.D. Dr. Spangenberg is a resident of Lantern Hill. She completed her Mind Body Medicine training with Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard before working at the Integrative Medicine Department (earlier the Mind Body Medical Institute) at Morristown Memorial Hospital. She has worked with cancer and cardiac patients among others and has given many presentations in the corporate world.
- Aug. 8 “General Overview of the Foot and Ankle Health” – Dr. Adam Kaplan, member of the American Podiatric Medical Association, will speak to us regarding medical advice on how to treat the most common foot ailments. He will also educate us on when one should stop treating ourselves and when to seek professional help. Dr. Kaplan graduated from Pennsylvania State University & New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He completed his three-year residency in Podiatric Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel, and six additional surgery centers. Dr. Kaplan was chief resident and the recipient of the H. Mahmood Cheema award for recognition of excellence in clinical care. He is certified in foot and ankle arthroscopy and an associate of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons.
- Aug. 15 “New Jersey Symphony Orchestra – Special Series for Seniors” – Terri Campbell, NJ Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) sales consultant, will inform the Old Guard members about the 2017-2018 New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Afternoon Series specifically designed for seniors. The five concert series meets at 1:30 P.M. on Thursdays and includes round-trip luxury coach service to NJPAC (the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark NJ). Ms. Campbell plans to invite to the meeting a NJ Symphony musician to talk about the 2017-/2018 series as well as play a few selections.
- Aug. 22 “To Tell or Not to Tell is Not the Question” – Michelle Papka, Ph.D., of The Cognitive and Research Center of New Jersey, LLC, will speak to us about the current thinking regarding Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosis, and Intervention.
- Aug. 29 “Everything That You Wanted to Know About Sunscreens, But Were Afraid to Ask” – The speaker, David C. Steinberg, founded his consulting firm in 1995. He also was co-founder of the graduate program in cosmetic sciences at Fairleigh Dickenson University, where he lectured for 18 years on the chemistry of cosmetic ingredients. Mr. Steinberg has more than 35 years of experience in marketing, technical service, and regulatory affairs in the personal care industry. He is a frequent speaker worldwide on cosmetic regulations, sunscreen chemistry, and the chemistry of cosmetic ingredients.
July 2017 Program Chair: Bill Tittle
- July 11 “Free People, Free Press: How the Wall Street Journal Opinion Page Shaped America” – Speaker George Melloan, who retired after a 54-year career of writing and editing at the Wall Street Journal, will draw from his book of the same name which will be published by Simon and Schuster the day of his talk. The winner of many awards for excellence in business and financial journalism, Mr. Melloan will describe how the seven Editors-in-Chief of the Journal, five of whom he knew, led the Journal to become a major force in America in addressing the critical issues of their day.
- July 18 “History of the Singer Manufacturing Company” – David Rogers, a former vice president of Singer, will discuss the history of sewing, sewing machines and inside information, as well as its worldwide operations, from his 25 years with the company, one of the largest in NJ during the twentieth century.
- July 25 “Retirement Spending Patterns and How It May Impact Your Financial Game Plan” – Speakers Brian Kazanchy and Bryan Smalley will:
• Review the ever-changing research on how Americans are spending in retirement. Retirement spending trends can be analyzed by age, net worth ranges, and spending category (i.e., healthcare, housing, transportation, entertainment, etc.). Discuss how new knowledge can be used to maximize one’s financial plan in retirement.
• Demonstrate the fallacies of traditional retirement planning assumptions. Show where the traditional financial planning models break down and have led to regret (“I wish I would have done. . .”) or financial sacrifices later in life.
• Review common retirement scenarios to identify often missed opportunities to increase wealth or spend more.
June 2017 Program Chair: Nolan Asch
- June 5 “Spies. Lies, and Alibis: Espionage in Northern New Jersey during the American Revolution” – Damien Cregeau, a well-recognized historian of the colonial and revolutionary war eras, will discuss the various spy rings operating in NJ, including the roles played by Alexander Hamilton and Benedict Arnold.
- June 13 “Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund (AGFAF)” – Leo Motiuk will discuss his work with this organization. Mr. Motiuk, a retired attorney, will tell how a Blair Academy friendship between an Afghan girl exchange student and his high school son led to the creation of the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund (www.agfaf.org) This NJ based program empowers Afghans with critical thinking education in the USA and practical training back home in Afghanistan during the summers.
- June 20 “NJ Laws Affecting Adoptees” – Pam Hasagawa will speak to us regarding the recent New Jersey law allowing WWII born adoptees to secure a copy of their birth certificates. Ms. Hasagawa will discuss the evolution of the law that passed in 2014 and which is now (since mid-January) being implemented. She will also touch on her own story as an adoptee.
- June 27 “Saving the Human Race from Comets and Asteroids - Revisited” – Old Guard member Nolan Asch will quickly review the progress the human race has made up to 2013 and then brief us on our progress over the past four years. He will detail how the human race has made uneven progress after his former 2013 presentation on this topic.
May 2017 Program Chair: John Luckstone
- May 2 “The Long View: Technological Opportunities and Threats in Our Future” – Mitchell D. Erickson, Ph.D., Old Guard member, will survey some of the technological challenges our society and the world will encounter facing the future. Good and bad. A look back at smartphones and a look forward at self-driving cars provide examples.
- May 9 “Getting the Most from Your Wine Bottle” – There are so many wines available today! Wine presenter, John Cilli will answer your questions and conduct a wine-tasting session. Please send your questions to him at [email protected] by April 25.
- May 16 “The Winter of Tears: The 1779 Sullivan/Clinton Expedition against the Iroquois Confederation” – John Orzel, Esq. returns to us with a dark tale of bloody massacres and settlement destruction during the Revolutionary War.
- May 23 “Logical Thinking: The Principles and Pitfalls” – Dr. Gerald Williams will guide us through the more common fallacies that may thwart our reaching logical answers in decision making.
- May 30 “The Summit Playhouse: Born in 1918 and Still Lighting Up the Local Theater Sky” – Playhouse luminaries Ann Lowe, Pam Heller, and Wendy Roome, will share with us highlights of the Association's rich and fascinating history.
April 2017 Program Chair: Edward Atkin
- April 4 “Defense of Democracy: Key Issues for Reform” – James E. Johnson recently retired as partner from the law firm Debevoise and Plimpton. He has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as Undersecretary of the Treasury for Enforcement in the Clinton administration, as Chairman of the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice, and as an elected member of the Harvard College Board of Overseers. His presentation will focus on the issues of campaign finance reform and voter access.
- April 11 “The History of Diners in New Jersey” – Michael Gabriele, author and journalist, will discuss his research into the local manufacture of diner cars, the pervasiveness of diner culture in this state, and the satisfaction of long-time customers in this “two-over-easy” business.
- April 18 “Veterans: Now and Then” – Joanne Rajoppi, Union County Clerk, will discuss her recent book on veteran benefits affecting women after the Civil War, as well as those veteran services her office currently provides. She is the author of two books on the Civil War: The Civil War in New Brunswick: The Brunswick Boys and the Great Rebellion (2013), and Northern Women in the Aftermath of the Civil War: The Wives and Daughters of the Brunswick Boys (2017).
- April 25 “Presidential Golf: The Power Game” – Kim Gianetti, Manager of Education and Outreach, USGA Golf Museum, Far Hills, NJ, will highlight the U.S. presidents who since 1909 have played and enjoyed the game of golf as a leisure activity. Many of them have shared their firsthand accounts of why they play and life lessons they have learned from the game.
- Mar. 7 “Genealogy 101 - Connections” – Pat Bennett, Coordinator, New Jersey’s Annual Adoption Conference. Pat Bennett’s grandparents left Europe at the turn of the 20th century to pursue the American dream. Through hard work, a few memories of names and places, and a lot of luck, she uncovered the stories of those who emigrated and those who were left behind.
- Mar. 14 (Meeting cancelled due to snow. Speaker rescheduled on Nov 21)
- Mar. 21 “Assisi Performing Arts” – Gregory Scime, Artistic Director, founded the festival in Assisi 16 years ago. Every summer, over a two-week period, the festival brings together students and accomplished musicians plus guests from around the world. They study and perform at various historic venues around the city.
- Mar. 28 “The Role of Polish Women in the Armed Forces in WWII” – Eva Jedruch, Author. The USSR overran southeastern Poland after signing a pact with Germany in 1939. A half-million Poles, including Ms. Jedruch’s father, were sent east, many were massacred and never returned. In 1941, after Hitler invaded the USSR, many young women were drafted into the Polish Auxiliary Women’s Forces (PSX), one of these being Eva Jedruch’s mother, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
February 2017 Program Chair: Jim Hewitt
- Feb. 7 “Nonprofits: The DNA of Our Democracy?” – Susan Haig, DMA, conductor, founder and creative director of New Jersey Arts News, and keynote speaker at this year’s Summit Old Guard 68th Annual Ladies Day luncheon, will discuss how and why the nonprofit sphere is evolving in society today as our problem-solving arena, reaping public benefits while lessening the burdens of government.
- Feb. 14 “Origins of the Races” – Dr. Brain Regal, Professor of History at Kean University, teaches the history of science, technology and medicine. The focus of Prof. Regal’s work is on human evolution and how it is used for extra-scientific ends in religion, politics, and art.
- Feb. 21 “The Long View: Technological Opportunities and Threats in Our Future” – Mitchell D. Erickson, Ph.D., Old Guard member, will survey some of the challenges our society and the world will encounter facing the future. We all will be affected by the changes. Decisions we make through our purchasing power will affect the dynamics of the change.
- Feb. 28 “Liberty Hall Families’ Lasting Influence in New Jersey” – William Schroh, Jr., Director of Museum Operations, Liberty Hall. The Livingston and Kean families, converging at Liberty Hall, Elizabeth, have contributed greatly to New Jersey from colonial times to the present.
January 2017 Program Chair: Mitchell Erickson
- Jan. 3 “The Adventures of Scouting” – Stephen Rozek, Patriots’ Path Council, Boy Scouts of America, will speak on the Boy Scouts… from a scout’s perspective.
- Jan. 10 “New Jersey’s Climate Variability and Change” – Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey State Meteorologist, will address this topic.
- Jan. 17 “Political Polarization in the 2016 Political Election” – Larry Rosin, President, Edison Research, will cover polling and recent events.
- Jan. 24 “What’s That on My Plate? Trends and Fads in Food Technology” – Dr. Richard Ludescher, Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, will be the speaker on this topic.
- Jan. 31 “Telemedicine” – Dr. Stuart Fischer, Orthopedic Surgeon, Overlook Hospital, will discuss the future of medicine-at-a-distance.
