I got one of those delicious little gigs this summer, the kind that's satisfying to do, short in duration, and which puts you in touch with great people. Such was the situation when my friend, Ed Hauben,director of Newton Community Education (my hometown, the one and only Garden City, Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston for my global friends), asked me if I could find speakers for Newton's Lifetime Learning program.
The Dr. George Altman Distinguished Speaker Series has been going for 34 (!) years, drawing scores of local notables and listeners from 40-some surrounding communities. The program is aimed at the "older folk," people from their late-60s to late-90s, and it draws crowds up to 250! Former Mass Governor Mike Dukakais is emblematic of the type of person who speaks. And, the program is paired with the Harriet Altman Classical Music Performance Series. Here's a link to the brochure, which includes the music program as well.
So if you fit the profile (Gen W? or before, i.e. boomer and beyond), mark your calendars for Monday mornings, beginning Sept 16, and head for Wilson Chapel at Andover Newton Theological Seminary. For the record, I "sourced" the speakers through networking: first I wrote to a handful of friends whom I knew would be great; then I wrote to another handful of people whom I knew would know great speakers. Kudos to Ray Elman, who recommended two of those below: Denise Blumenthal and Stephen Kinzer. Ed Hauben knew Bob Gerst; Ruth Nemzoff and Judith Kurland are friends of mine; and Marion Stoddart is a friend of my sister-in-law, Susan Stamps. Here's the list of speakers -- all very interesting! I'll be there for some if not all of the sessions. See you there?
- Ruth Nemzoff, Brandeis Scholar and author, on intergenerational relationships
- Judith Kurland, Director, UMass Boston Center for Community Democracy, on what to look for in candiates
- Denise Blumenthal, Director, WGBH Education Department, on educational technology
- Bob Gerst, Mass College of Art, Liberal Arts Chair, on the movies
- Stephen Kinzer, veteran NY Times correspondent and author, on the Dulles brothers
- Marion Stoddart, 85-year-old activist, on "The Work of 1000"
