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2021-2022 Programs
October 25, 2021 – 7:30 PM by ZOOM
Dual Nature of Time
Hosted and presented by Joel Levinson
The topic deals with two thought experiments that appear to prove that Newton and Einstein were both right about the nature of time; it is both relative and absolute. It will be presented by S&A member, Joel Levinson.
November 22, 2021 – 7:30 PM by ZOOM
The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change
Presented by Allison Day and Hosted by Cynthia Day
The topic is The Carbon Cycle–What Goes Around Comes Around; We all hear about the carbon cycle but how it really works and how it is affected by Climate Change over time. Where does it come from and where does it end?
January 24, 2022 – 7:30 By ZOOM
Understanding the 21st Century Economy: Innovation and its Discontents
Hosted and presented by Leonard Nakamura
This lecture is about how innovators have become more and more powerful, rewarding us with a blistering pace of innovation that gives us many gifts that keep on giving. But the extreme rewards our society grants to innovators for their successes are driving inequality; and the acceleration of innovation and knowledge is increasingly difficult to keep up with. And then there’s climate change.
Leonard Nakamura has been studying innovation for more than twenty years as an economist, doing research and giving talks around the world. He offers some ideas about how some of the excesses of innovation can be reined in and what this may imply for wealth, sustainability, equality, and the future of our economy. He is retired from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where he was a Vice President and Economist.
Februaruy 28, 2022 – 7:30 PM by ZOOM
Our Current Water Challenges
Presented by Julie Savet. Hosted by Ken Kolodziej and Anne Hagele
Philadelphia has been known for its innovative water history since 1801 — when the city decided a source of water was needed to cleanse the streets, fight fires, and perform household chores — to its recent celebration of ten years of Green City, Clean Waters, a 25-year plan to protect and enhance watersheds through stormwater management and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). The local philanthropic community has embraced water as well, with the William Penn Foundation’s creation of two groundbreaking initiatives: the Delaware River Watershed Initiative and the Alliance for Watershed Education.
Julie will share some of our current water challenges, how we got here, and how these efforts are improving our waterways, engaging communities, and (hopefully) helping our city face the impact of climate change while restoring our iconic creeks and rivers.
Julie Slavet has 40 years of experience in building organizations and serving communities. She came to Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership in 2011, after serving as the senior district staff member for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, serving a district of 650,000 people in Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. Julie has worked at city and state levels of government and for a range of non-profit organizations. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Smith College and an M.S. in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts. Julie has grown to love Philadelphia, and doesn’t miss Boston as much as she once did.
2020-2021 Programs
Monday, October 26,2020 7:30 PM – NOT HELD
Monday, November 23, 2020 7:30 PM
Hosted by The Executive Committee.
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK was presented Winston Moody by Zoom. Winston, a retired librarian for The Free Library of Philadelphia, was a seasonal park naturalist in Acadia National Park from 1970 to 1978. He studied botany at the University of Maine. In his retirement, he returns to Maine each summer to work as a naturalist on the Sea Princess, a nature cruise, giving tourists a glimpse of life on the Maine coast.
Monday, January 25, 2021 7:30 PM
The Alamo
Presented and Hosted by Dominic Hawkins and George Skarmeas.
Their talk will include the historic evolution of the site, the secularization and the battle period, the deterioration of the mission, the early 20th century restoration efforts and the current restoration campaign.
Monday, February 22, 2021 7:30 PM
Staying Fit During the Pandemic
Hosted by Ken Kolodziej and Anne Hagele and Presented by Monique Chobot
Enjoy this interactive ZOOM presentation with Aging in Place Specialist, and National Board Certified Occupational Therapist, Dr. Monique Chabot from Jefferson Universitiy
Monday, March 22, 2021 7:30 PM
Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City
Presented by Thomas H. Keels and Hosted by Charlotte Biddle.
Thomas Keels is an author, tour guide and public speaker . Highlighted will be Four Lost Philadelphia Monuments reflect which changes in Philadelphia’s social, economic and political history and altered its architecture.
Monday, April 26, 2021 7:30 PM
Heritage at Sea: Climate change and the Protection of Architectural Monuments:
Presented by George McNeely; Hosted by Coxey Toogood
The sea has traditionally provided opportunity, vital resources, financial reward and adventure, but it can also bring danger or financial disaster. With climate change, rising tides and increasingly unpredictable weather are bringing new challenges to our lives and to coastal towns and buildings. This lecture will explore the impact of weather and rising tides on architectural landmarks around the world, and what is being done to respond to this challenge.
George McNeely co-edited World Monuments: 50 Irreplaceable Sites to Discover, Explore and Champion (Rizzoli, 2015) and writes an architectural history column in the Chestnut Hill Local. He was Vice President for International Affairs at World Monuments Fund and was with Christie’s for 15 years as a senior vice president in Business Development and the Chairman’s Office. Previously he worked at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and in management consulting. George has a BA in art history from Princeton University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School.
Monday, May 24, 2021, 7:30 PM
Fakes, Forgeries and Fraud
Presented by Nancy Moses. Hosted by: Margaret Sadler
Nancy Moses is former Director of the Atwater Kent Museum, author and columnist . She will speak about cultural treasures and the provocative issues they raise. Her most recent book shows that reality can be unsettling and plainly weird — things that are less than meets the eye and might be not even be real.
2019-2020 Programs
Monday October 28, 2019 7:30pm
Anatomy of a Show
Hosted by Helen McMahon
Charles McMahon, Artistic Director of the Lantern Theater Company and Director of its production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, will speak on the decision-making process in interpreting this fascinating and seldom performed work by Bertold Brecht. Location: The Cliveden Carriage House, 6401 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia 19144
Monday November 25, 2019 7:30pm
The Magic Lionel: Joshua Lionel Cowen, An Exciting OneMan History
Hosted by David Genszler and presented by Neill Hartley
Actor, director, and educator Neill Hartley impersonates Joshua Lionel Cowen in an exciting one-man presentation about the founding and history of one of the greatest toy companies ever created: The LIONEL Corporation in New York City. Location: The Brossman Center, The United Lutheran Seminary in Mt. Airy, 7301 Germantown Avenue at Allen Lane, Philadelphia
Monday January 27, 2020 7:30pm
Revealing Garments: A Brief History of Women’s Underwear
Hosted by Katy Hineline and presented by Kristina Haugland
From corsets to bustles to bras, feminine undergarments have encompassed both virtual nudity and incredible restricting devices. The dramatic evolution of these “foundations of fashion,” especially during the last three centuries, reflects how remarkably transitory are societal ideals of feminine beauty, gender roles and notions of hygiene, modesty and respectability. This generously illustrated lecture explores the fascinating history of intimate apparel to enhance the understanding of both past and present fashion. Kristina Haugland is the Le Vine Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles and Supervising Curator for the Study Room at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At the Museum she has curated many exhibitions on a variety of topics, most recently Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now. She curated the 2006 exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Princess Grace’s wedding and wrote the accompanying book, Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride.
After working in theatrical costuming, Kristina earned an M.A. in the History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She is active in the Costume Society of America, has taught history of dress at the University of Delaware and Drexel University, and enjoys writing and lecturing, especially on her special interests, underwear and etiquette. Location: Germantown Monthly Meeting, 31 W. Coulter Street, Philadelphia 19144
Monday February 24, 2020, 7:30pm
The History of Boathouse Row
Hosted by Karen Minyard and presented by Dotty Brown
“The history of Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row is both wide and deep. ” Learn the comprehensive history of rowing in Philadelphia and how “the row” became an ionic feature of our city.
Why did the famous Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins paint rowers? How did noted architect Frank Furness leave his mark on Boathouse Row? Who is Kelly Drive named for and why are the Kellys so important to Boathouse Row? Dotty Brown, who spent three years researching Boathouse Row, Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing, shares some surprising insights into 19th century Philadelphia, as told through the lens of its most iconic venue, among them how the social changes on the Row mirror those of America itself. Dotty Brown is a former reporter and editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. During her newspaper career, she edited numerous award-winning projects, including one that won a Pulitzer Prize.
She is a graduate of Wellesley College (where she did not learn to row despite its historic crew program) and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (where she did learn to report and write). She came to rowing as part of the surging wave of masters rowers and is a member of the Vesper Boat Club, on Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.
Monday March 23, 2020 7:30pm
The Alamo
Hosted by Dominic Hawkins and George Skarmeas – NOT HELD
This presentation will focus on the historic evolution of the site, the secularization and the battle period, the deterioration of the mission, the early 20th century restoration efforts and the current restoration campaign. Location: TBD
Monday April 27, 2020 7:30pm
Is Growth Too Slow…Or Too Fast?
Hosted and presented by Len Nakamura – NOT HELD
US corporations now spend more on new product research, development, and marketing than on tangible assets like trucks or computers. As a result, we have experienced rapid technological advance. Yet official measures of economic activity have not kept up with the revolutionary economic changes we are undergoing, despite the best efforts of statisticians around the world. Location: TBD
Monday May 18, 2020
140th Anniversary Dinner & Presentation
Join us for an evening of camaraderie and good cheer as we celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Science and Art Club of Germantown. Details will follow soon. NOT HELD