Programs

 

We're back for another year of stimulating programs and provacative discussion. Come join us and enjoy the fellowship.

Our group meets on the first and third Sundays of each month during the fall, winter and spring.

Please consider inviting any friends who may have an interest in a liberal religious Fellowship to any of our programs. Our social concerns are wide-ranging and our whole approach is to share stimulating ideas, and to learn from the group experience. It is for these reasons that our discussion, following the 30 or so minute speaker presentation, and coffee/refreshment break, has become such an important part of our tradition. Our meetings adjourn at 11:30.

The current monthly schedule is as follows:

2010

Sunday, September 5—LABOR DAY—NO MEETING

Sunday, September 12—Kick-off pot-luck brunch at Marge & Dixon Clarks's home, 13 Longview Drive, Simsbury. Telephone 860-658-6797.

Sunday, September 19—James Michael Galvic will present some of his forgotten slides in a program titled "Travels Of An Ignorant Man." Mr. Galvic has spoken to us in the past and was very enjoyable.

September Program—Mary Britcher; Hospitality—Lydia Schoenbrunn

Summer 2010 - summer break

May 2010

Sunday, May 2

Janet Carville of the board of the C. F. Woodford Farm on Nod Road, Avon will present a video presentation about tobacco growing on the farm in the 1940s. Today she runs the Pickin’ Patch at the same location.

Sunday, May 16 5:00 p.m.

Annual Meeting of the Fellowship and Pot Luck supper at the home of Betsy Baumbach, 119 Wadhams Rd., Bloomfield. A map with directions was included in the letter you received at the meeting on April 18. Please bring the letter with you in order to vote on the ByLaw changes.

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2009

Sunday, December 6 : Our speaker will be David Kimball, Art Restorer. His topic will be "An Insight Into The Conservation of Oil Paintings."

Sunday, December 20:

Christmas brunch

at the home of Marge and Dixon Clark, 13 Long View Drive, Simsbury at 10 a.m. Going north, Long View Drive is the first left turn after passing Ethel Walker School.

Please bring a dish to share—the menu always works out fine. And Ann Gilman will, once again, lead us in singing carols.

Sunday, November 1: Our speaker will be Todd Eckerson, Founder and Director of the Crossroads Cooperative Learning Program. Mr. Eckerson is a teacher of Moral Philosophy at Westminster School in Simsbury.

Sunday, November 15: Michael Cervas, chair of the English Department at Westminster School, Simsbury will read some of his poetry to us. We have had him previously as a guest and enjoyed him immensely.

ALSO—Sunday, November 22, at the New Britain Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 10:30 a.m., Dennis Henderson will lead a book discussion on “The Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.

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Sunday, October 4: Our speaker will be Mary Glassman, First Selectman of Simsbury. Her topic will be THE CHALLENGE OF REGIONALIZING CONN TOWN GOVERNMENTS. Can we cooperate without giving up control?

Sunday, October 18: The speaker will be Elizabeth Abbe, Director of Public Outreach at the Connecticut Historical Society. She will speak about the prominence of G. Fox and how it affected Hartford from 1930 through the 1950s.

ALSO Sunday, October 11 we are invited to a joint meeting at the U.U. Society of New Britain. The speaker will be Former Representative Nancy Johnson who will talk about Why It’s So Hard To Agree On Health Care. Directions to this meeting, or carpooling information, will be available on Sunday, October 4.

Sunday, September 13: Kick-off brunch at the home of Marge and Dixon Clark, 13 Long View Drive, Simsbury, at 10 a.m. Going North, Long View Drive is the first left turn after passing Ethel Walker School. Please bring a dish to share—the menu always works out fine!

Sunday, September 20: Our speaker will be David K. Leff, a free lance writer from Collinsville, and former Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environment Protection. He will share with us thoughts on Thoreau’s only visit to Connecticut. David has been our speaker on previous occasions and has proven to be popular.

2008

November 2- Michael Corvas, Teacher/Poet and author of a collection of poems AInside the Box.@ Mr. Corvas is the head of the English Department at Westminster School, Simsbury.

November 16- Andrew Schneider, Executive Director of the Connecticut American Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Schneider will speak on AFirst Amendment In Action.@ He has recently returned to Connecticut after serving as Executive Director of the ACLU of West Virginia, where he was honored with the NAACP Freedom Award.

Program: Nov. 2 Ann Gilman Nov. 16 Katherine Jenkins Hospitality Nov. 2 Betsey Baumbach Nov. 16 Betsy Marshall Greeter Nov. 2 Katherine Jenkins Nov. 16 Betsy Marshall

October 5- Joint meeting with the U. U. Society of New Britain. Douglas Peary, an ordained minister who has spoken many times at the New Britain Society regarding his published book, "Humanist Heroes," will introduce us to Richard Feynman. Douglas worked 38 years as a federal labor investigator for the National Labor Relations Board.

October 19- A morning of poetry and painting. Our own Franklin Marshall will read from his book "Solemnities", a volume of verse and painting. His reading will be followed by a viewing of some of his artwork where tonality, imagery and origin of the creative process will be disclosed. He will also touch upon the personal satisfaction that flows from the aesthetic experience.

Program: Oct. Dixon Clark Hospitality: Oct. 5–Dixon Clark Oct. 19–Betsy Baumbach Greeter: Oct. 5–Betsy Marshall Oct. 19–Lydia Schoenbrunn

 

May 4 -Arshe Ahmed will speak to us on "A Young American Muslim Woman's Perspective on Islam." Miles Messenger arranged for Ms.Ahmed's appearance through the Hartford Seminary and the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, of which our friend and earlier speaker, Dr. Reza Mansoor, is president. Come to hear this vital voice on our last Sunday morning meeting of the spring.

May 18 - Annual Meeting of the Fellowship. We will meet at the Flamig Farm in West Simsbury for a hearty pot-luck dinner starting a 5:30 p.m. Our annual business meeting for the election of officers and discussion of Fellowship opportunities and options will follow the meal. If we all bring a food or beverage item to share, the supply should be ample, and as delicious as ever. The "party room" at the farm has served us well in the somewhat distant past. There is a map on the reverse of this page.

April 6 - Dr. Jay Cobbledick, Professor of Political Science at Eastern Connecticut State University, will talk on "Emerging Europe." His theme will be an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses and possibilities of the new emerging configuration of the 21st Century. Professor Cobbledick always brings us new insights from his research and points of view.

April 20 - Miles Messenger, one of our own, is planning two programs (this date and for May 4). He plans to return from his winter sojourn in Florida around April 12th. He has told us, via e-mail, that he was awaiting word from the Hartford Seminary for one of his speakers, and that he has planned a talk on his great-great uncle and the Civil War. We will send word on which of the two programs will be presented on which date.

Mar. 2 - Shyamala Raman, Professor of Economics and International Studies at St. Joseph College, will talk on "Women Workers in Global Manufacturing: Issues and Challenges." Professor Raman always brings new insights to us from her frequent overseas trips.

Mar.16 - Rebecca Taber-Conover, Director of Education for the Connecticut Landmark Society, (who spoke to us in October about the "Gems" of the Society), returns to bring us a forward look to "Spring at the Gardens of the Landmark Properties."

Feb. 3 -Dr. Walt Woodward, Connecticut State Historian and an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, will talk about “The Puritans, Who They Were and What They Believed.”

Feb. 17 - Robert Schrepf, the recently retired editor of the editorial page of The Hartford Courant, will take part in an interview session titled “Thoughts of a Singular Writer.” As stated in a 10/1/07 editorial concerning his retirement, Mr. Schrepf “has been behind a great many of The Courant’s best written and best reasoned editorials of the past quarter century.” Come and take part in this question-and-answer opportunity.

Jan 6 - Alyssa Peterson will present a program titled “Hartford: Why?.” She is a 20 year resident of Hartford and an advocate for residents of some of the poorer neighborhoods. She will provide some of her insight on the problems and will offer changes that would have to come about for a better functioning city.

Jan 20 - Franklin Marshall will present a program titled “Atheist Manifesto.”. He has presented this program to the Humanist Society in Hamden as well as to various Rotary clubs in the area. It promises to be an enlightening and engaging program and discussion.

2007

Dec 2 - Betsy Baumbach will lead a participatory program, whereby attendees are asked to bring in to share articles or segments of excellent writing. They may be on any subject: politics, humor, philosophy,...and should be no more than 10 minutes in length, to allow for discussion. Betsy is a Friend of our Fellowship, and is a foreign language teacher (German, Spanish) and computer programmer.

Dec. 16 - Franklin Marshall will present a program, “Of Dreams and Midnight Wanderings”, into a romp of verve and color. Franklin is also a Fellowship Friend, and a poet, writer, and artist. He has been an instructor in oil painting in the East Granby School System’s Adult Division, and recently published a volume of his poetry and paintings under the title, “Solemnities.”

Dec. 23 - Christmas Brunch in the Hartford Room of the McLean Village Apartments (100 Sara Lane in Simsbury). This space availability has been confirmed and Debby, Lydia and Al will do the setting up and clean up, but we are still awaiting Doug Hunter’s return from Washington state to provide the sponsorship required by McLean. Bring food as in the past and share with us the spirit of Christmas.

Nov. 2007

November 4 . - Charles Huntington, a Regional Coordinator for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, will speak on "And service is its law: The work of the UUSC in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast." For the past 11 years he has been on the faculty of the University of Connecticut. He and his wife, Susan, live in West Simsbury, and are members of the Unitarian Society of Hartford.

Nov. 14 - Barbara Klau, will speak on "Staying Sharp: Strategies That Work." Ms. Klau developed and taught a course called "Exercise Your Mind."

Oct. 2007

Oct. 7 - Dr. Jay Cobbledick, Professor of Political Science at Eastern Connecticut State University, will speak on "The Emerging India." What are the future prospects and problems to be faced by this energetic nation? .

Oct 21 - Rebecca Tabor-Conover, Director of Education for the Hartford Antiquarian and Landmarks Society, will speak on "Little known Gems from Hartford Landmark History." She will include reference to the Isham-Terry house, the Butler-McCook house and the programs offered by the Society.

Sept. 2007

Sept.9 - 10 a.m.September Brunch:

Our kick-off brunch will be held this year in the Hartford Room of the Burkholder at McLean Village (100 Sarah Lane in Simsbury). If we all provide a food item to share, as we have done in the past, the supply should be ample. This get-together will allow us to renew our dedication to a lively fellowship year to come, and to share our adventures of the summer. .

Sept. 23 -Brenda Miller, Manager of the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library, will talk on, "Archives of Community Life in Hartford." She will explore with us the Special Collection and Archives of the Library which document 275 years of Hartford history.

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Reminder: This year we are using a new meeting schedule, designed to relieve the burden on members volunteering to arrange for speakers for each of our meetings. Except for this kick-off month of September, we plan to meet only on the first and third Sundays of each month, from October to May.

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