No Registration Required
Open to members only, except for March 13th Open House
All Programs are In-Person
East Campus Forum Auditorium
12:15 pm – Cookies, tea and coffee
1:00 pm – Presentation
March 13th – The 2026 Oscars
OPEN HOUSE! Bring a friend, or two!
We look at the history of the Academy Awards and discuss the top contenders in this year’s Oscar race. We also review film clips of famous Academy Award moments.
Joe Meyers earned his BA from Penn State with a major in journalism and minor in film. He is Director of Programming for the Focus on French Cinema film festival in Connecticut. He is co-host of the Spotify podcast ‘Now a Major Motion Picture!’ and wrote features about movies, theater and books for more than 30 years for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and other publications. In the 1970s, Meyers ran the first (and only) art house on the Delmarva Peninsula—the Lewes Cinema. The Mystery Writers of America awarded Meyers the Ellery Queen Award for his writing on crime fiction.
March 20 – Navigating Senior Care 101
This presentation highlights the essential elements of today’s senior care landscape. The speakers discuss levels of care, causes for concern, costs, planning tools and local resources, with the goal of equipping seniors to make more informed decisions for themselves, friends or family members.
Paul and Susan Doyle are senior care professionals who help families understand the complex world of aging, caregiving, and long-term care options. Drawing on years of experience working with older adults, they bring practical insights, real-world examples and a calm, informed perspective to audiences navigating decisions relating to aging.
March 27 – Cuba – Photographic Stories
In his visually striking and deeply human presentation on Cuba, internationally recognized documentary photographer Daryl Hawk takes us on an intimate journey into a nation rich in culture, history and resilience. Drawing from extensive travels across the island, Hawk shares powerful photographic stories that reveal the everyday lives of Cuban people—farmers, artists, musicians, children and families—captured through his signature style of curiosity-driven, authentic storytelling.
Daryl Hawk is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of the Professional Photographers Association, as well as the Explorers Club, whose mission promotes the exploration of land, sea, air and space. He has traveled alone to some of the most remote and isolated places in the world, telling stories with his camera, spending weeks immersing himself and documenting the different cultures and landscapes. He is a travel writer, lecturer and instructor whose articles and photographs have appeared in international magazines and newspapers. He has also been featured on national television. Hawk is a passionate defender of the world’s remaining wilderness areas and uses his photography to shine a light on the need to protect them.
April 3 – No Lunch and Learn
April 10 – The ABCs of Crafting a Book
Bette Bono, local author of historical fiction, time travel novels and short stories, presents the events and ideas that inspire her writing. Specifically, she discusses why her main characters are senior citizens and how historical research influences her writing as well as what is gained by mixing genres in a short story collection. Her presentation includes historical photographs of sites in New York City that appear in her novels.
Bette Bono is a Harvard-trained lawyer and political analyst who has worked as a writer, public school teacher and teachers’ union steward. She is the author of works that involve historical mystery and time travel, including the novel The Better Angels and the collection Neighbors and Other Stories.
April 17 – Wolf Conservation – Saving a Species
In the late 20th century, Mexican gray wolves and red wolves were declared to be extinct in the wild. Through intensive efforts, including breeding programs and wild releases, these wolves have resumed their rightful places in the wild landscape. Join a Wolf Conservation Center expert to understand what it takes to help save a species from the brink of extinction, the applications of modern technology to reproduction efforts and the famed reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.
Andrew Connolly is an Educator and the Outreach Coordinator at the Wolf Conservation Center, where he delivers a variety of educational programs and coordinates outreach initiatives. A wildlife educator, field biologist and herpetologist, he enjoys getting the public engaged outdoors, and challenging them to explore the magnificence of the world around them.
April 24 – Revolutionary War Archaeology in Connecticut
Connecticut played an important role in the American War for Independence, but did you know that we have many archaeological sites associated with the War? A former state archaeologist presents a survey of archaeological sites in our state that reflects the importance of ongoing research into the Revolutionary War. We include the Battle of Ridgefield, General Rochambeau’s French camps and more.
Nicholas F. Bellantoni received his doctorate in Anthropology from UConn and was appointed State Archaeologist, now emeritus, at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History. An Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at UConn, he is a former President of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut and the National Association of State Archeologists.
May 1 – Acting Shakespeare
Acting Shakespeare is a one-man show of Shakespearean monologues interspersed with theatrical anecdotes, devised and first performed by Sir Ian McKellen, who granted special permission to our presenter to revive the production. See Shakespeare’s works as you’ve never seen them before!
Kamran Saliani is an Iranian-Italian-British-American actor who received his BFA in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is the Founder, Executive Artistic Director and Resident Actor of Rivertowns Playhouse (formerly Irvington Shakespeare Company). Saliani was named an Under-35 Westchester Wunderkind for his work as an actor and theater producer.
May 8 – Annual Meeting – The Hall Family Singers
Entertainment immediately following the Annual Meeting: Emily Hall, along with her father, Bill Hall, offers a performance of material from their many collective decades of Broadway and opera performances, providing a wonderful mix of songs that may spark some memories along the way. Come join us because we agree with Ella Fitzgerald, “the only thing better than singing is more singing!”
Emily Hall has performed on Broadway in Follies, in the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind and in other major productions across the country.
Bill Hall has performed on Broadway and in Broadway touring companies with major stars including Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, Betty Grable, Joel Grey, Ed Ames, John Raitt, among others. Emily and Bill have both ventured into operatic and classical repertoire.