3/19
The Peace Corps - America's Ambassadors to the World"
Carolyn L. Carpenter
Karen V. Potter
"Learn about one of America's
best exports! Since 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged
students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of
peace by living and working in developing countries, more than 195,000 Peace
Corps Volunteers have served in 139 countries all over the globe. They've
been teachers and mentors to countless children. They've helped farmers grow
crops, worked with small businesses to market products, and shown women how to
care for their babies. More recently, they've helped schools develop computer
skills and educated entire communities about the threat of HIV/AIDS.
We will hear from returned Peace Corp Volunteers Carolyn Carpenter (Paraguay
1997-2000) and Karen Potter, (Benin 2000-2003) who will discuss their
experiences in two different countries on two different continents.
Carolyn L. Carpenter is the
president of the Nancy B. Carpenter Children’s Fund which provides educational
grants to impoverished children. She also works for the Breast Cancer 3 Day
walks benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Karen V. Potter is a
Disability Claims Professional at UNUM Group in Worcester. She volunteers her
time with the Peace Corps Regional Office, is an ESL Mentor/Tutor with
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, and is a Tutor Instructor,
specializing in teaching English grammar.
3/26
Preparing for the Unexpected
American Red Cross
Nicholas Martin & Stephen Napoli
Disasters can strike quickly and without warning.
“Preparing for the Unexpected” is an American Red Cross presentation that
provides vital information to help people and their families prevent, prepare
for, and cope with emergencies. After this presentation, you will know how to
create a communication network, assemble a disaster supplies kit and establish
a meeting place for your family. We will also discuss a brief history of the
organization, an overview of our services and volunteer opportunities.
Nicholas Martin grew up
in Freeport, Maine, the home of L.L. Bean.. He recently graduated from
Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations,
concentrating in International Security and Diplomacy and the Middle East.
His minor was in Communication and Rhetorical Studies. Nick has held
Research Internships with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and
Congress and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He is currently the new
AmeriCorpsVISTA Community Outreach Coordinator in Disaster Services at the
American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay.
Stephen Napoli grew up
in Barrington, Rhode Island and attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy,
graduating in 2008 with a BS degree in Emergency Management and Homeland
Security. He interned at the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management
in Cape May Courthouse, New Jersey; working on continuity planning operations
plans and helped to create a database to track and credential personnel during
incidents.
4/16
The Births, Lives, and Deaths of Stars, and Their Strange Afterlives
Hale Bradt
Stars (such as our sun) are large balls
of hot gas powered by nuclear fuel. We will discuss how they come about, how
they evolve with time and how finally they cease to shine. They can end their
nuclear-burning (adult) lives quietly or in a spectacular supernova explosion.
Their final states are the exotic objects we know as white dwarfs, neutron
stars, and black holes. We will discuss the
nature of, and evidence for, these amazing objects.
Hale Bradt is
Professor of Physics Emeritus at MIT. In his 40 years as an active faculty
member at MIT, he carried out research in x-ray astronomy from space vehicles.
He shared the Rossi Prize of the American Astronomical Society for his
contributions to the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) which is still
returning useful data after almost 14 years in orbit. Since retiring in 2001,
he has authored two textbooks in Astronomy/Astrophysics.
4/23
Messages from the Past: Lessons in Remembrance
Karen Goodno
Through music, pictures, diaries and
letters we will be introduced to the history of a World War I- racked Europe.
Our speaker will discuss how, and what, we remember. Do we remember what the
participants would want us to? How do we remember and honor a war that most of
us didn't experience? We will explore the roles of women, men and children
from that era and try to put ourselves in their shoes, using their own words.
What would they think of the "history" we have made of their lives?
Karen Goodno is an adjunct professor at Salem State College,
and a National Park Ranger at Salem Maritime National Historic Site. She is in
love with history, literature, and gender studies. While completing Masters
Degrees in both History and English Karen has made it a priority to travel
through Europe as much as possible.
4/30
Before There
Was a Mall
Barbara
Doucette
Peabody
Historical Society
Before there was a mall, there were
many prior lives of this 100-acre parcel of land in Peabody near route 128.
Come back in time with us to learn about the role of Samuel McIntire in the
creation of Oak Hill Estate for Elizabeth and Nathaniel West from the fields
of Elias Hasket Derby; The Rogers summer residence; the Congregation of St.
Francis Xavier and the St. .Joseph Juniorate; and finally as an outdoor
shopping center in 1958. Who can remember “Kiddietown” and the bowling
alley? How does the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Smithsonian fit into
all of this?
Barbara Doucette has
lived in Peabody all her life and 60 years in the vicinity of the Mall before
it was built.
She has been a volunteer member of the
Peabody Historical Society & Museum for over 35 years and is currently the
Historian. She also volunteers in the Sutton Room at the Peabody Institute
Library.
5/21
Traces of the Trade: A Story From The Deep
North
Dain and Constance Perry
Morse Auditorium
Peabody Essex Museum
Come on a journey by Katrina Browne, the
filmmaker, and nine of her cousins into the dark past of the slave trade which
enriched their white New England family. Dain Perry, one of the nine
cousins, and his wife, Constance, will screen the film and facilitate a
conversation on race, reconciliation and healing.
Dain
and his wife Constance are experienced facilitators who will help audience
members discuss the lessons of the film. The film has been shown on the PBS
series Point of View (POV); selected for viewing at The Sundance Film
Festival; and in July, 2009 the film was nominated for an Emmy award.
Traces of the Trade
is both a
geographical and psychological retracing of the industry of the largest slave
traders in American history, the DeWolf family of Bristol, Rhode Island, and
an exploration into racism in America, a legacy of slavery that continues to
negatively impact the country even today.
Because attendance
is expected to exceed our classroom capacity, the Peabody Essex Museum has
generously donated the use of their Morse Auditorium for this event. Doors
will open at 9:30 AM. The program will begin at 10:00 AM and end by 12:30 PM.
Please note that no food, drink or water is
allowed inside the Morse Auditorium. Those who wish to visit the museum after
the talk are invited to do so after stopping at the admissions desk for the
appropriate ticketing procedure.
Dain
Perry
and his wife Constance are experienced facilitators who will help
audience members discuss the lessons of the film. They have conducted over
130 screenings and facilitated conversations across the country.
One family member said
the most surprising question was whether Constance Perry, who is African
American, knew about Dain’s family history before she married him. The
answer: yes. Now she and her husband travel across the country as a team to
screen the film and encourage group discussion of the legacy of slavery.
5/28
Public Health – Prevent, Promote, Protect
David Greenbaum, Acting Health Agent
Tracy Giarla, Public Health Nurse
Salem Board of Health
We will
learn about the agency’s vital responsibilities in
protecting and
promoting our health, providing oversight of sanitary and environmental codes
and statutes, as well as local regulations and ordinances. Their many charges
include providing access to health care, limiting youth access to tobacco
products, providing vaccines to health care providers, operating clinics,
conducting surveillance of contagious diseases, and planning for bio-terrorism
hazards to name a few. Constantly challenged with responding to natural
threats such as SARS, Avian Influenza virus, H1N1 Virus, we depend on the
Board of Health to “Prevent, Promote and Protect”.
David
Greenbaum is a graduate of Salem State College and has been in the field of
public health for nine years. He started his public health career with the
North Shore Tobacco Control Program before joining the staff of the Salem
Board of Health in 2003 with primary responsibilities for food service
inspections and housing inspections. In June of 2009 he was appointed to the
position of Acting Health Agent.
Tracy
Giarla is a graduate of Youville Hospital School of Practical Nursing in
Cambridge, MA. She has worked for the Salem Board of Health as the Public
Health Nurse since 1998. Tracy follows up on disease surveillance and
investigates clusters and outbreaks of food borne illness in the community,
public health prevention methods including annual influenza and pneumonia
clinics, blood pressure clinics and distribution of educational materials
related to the importance of child immunization.
Explorers
Lifelong Learning Institute
Accessible
