Winter / Spring 2025

 

February 4 Lerone A. Martin, Centennial Professor in Religious Studies and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. An insightful author and educator.

Martin Luther King’s Process of Change through Nonviolence

February 18 Tara VanDerveer, Women’s Basketball Coach, retired 2024 after 38 years at Stanford University. Winner of 4 NCAA national titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 1,216 games as head coach.

The Changing Landscape of College Athletics

March 4  Dr. Francis Fukuyama, Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Noted author and scholar focused on democracies’ cultural, political, and economic development.

The Status of Democracy around the World

March 18 Judge Len Edwards, ret.  Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara for 26 years. Widely recognized authority on juvenile and family court systems as a judge, teacher, and author.

Family Court – Current Practice and Needed Changes

April 1 Andrés Ruzo,  National Geographic Explorer, geoscientist, conservationist, author, science communicator, and educator. Exploration of an Amazon River feature that should not be there.

The Boiling River of the Amazon

May 6 Dr. Robert Hartwell,  Professor of Music History. Educator, author and lecturer at San Francisco Opera and Foothill College. Mozart led a colorful life but his last year may have been the most interesting.

Mozart’s Last Year

May 20 Darius Nabors, Adventurer inspired by his father and his love of America’s national parks.  Humorous and compassionate tales of his experiences visiting all of the national parks.

59 Parks in 59 Weeks

June 3 Steve Cushman, Professor of English at the University of Virginia. Illuminating and insightful examination of why America became fascinated with people writing about themselves.

My Book About Me, Why Do Americans Write Memoirs

Fall / Winter 2024 – 2025

 

September 17 Candacy Taylor, Award Winning Author, including a New York Times notable book of the year, Photographer, Cultural Documentarian

The Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the roots of Black travel in America

October 1 Geoffrey Tabin MD, Expert Mountain Climber and Humanitarian, Co-Founder Himalayan Cataract Project, Professor of Ophthalmology and Global Medicine, Stanford University

The Himalayan Cataract Project:  Eradicating Preventable Blindness in the Developing World

October 15 Carol Porter,  Museum docent and art talks presenter, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Mary Cassatt,  American Impressionist Painter – Painting a Woman’s Perspective

November 5 Nicolas Garcia, Performer, now General Director, Pocket Opera, the Bay Area’s premiere chamber opera company

A  Bay Area Opera Experience: Discover the Magic of Opera (in English)

November 19 Raj Mathai,  Emmy award winning News Anchorman, Journalist and Sportscaster, NBC Bay Area KNTV

Life in TV News: The Good, Bad and Ugly

December 3 Jonna Mendez,  Former CIA Intelligence Officer, undercover spy, Chief of Disguise for the CIA, a real life “Q”(gadget master in James Bond films), and author.

The Master of Disguise

January 7, 2025 Ian Hodder,  Distinguished British Archaeologist, directs excavation of Çatalhöyük, Turkey.  Former Director, Stanford Archaeology Center.

Çatalhöyük: Contributions to European Civilization

January 21, 2025 John King, Pulitzer Prize finalist and long-time Urban Design Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle

Ten Significant San Francisco Buildings