Come for the Programs . . .
* Since the Covid shutdown ended, we have been running in-person meetings with "hybrid" access by Zoom. To join by Zoom send a request to [email protected]
Meetings start at 9:30 AM with coffee and socializing. At 10:00 we sit down, sing a song or two, and hear a few jokes & announcements. The day's invited speaker starts at around 10:30. Visitors are asked to arrive by 10:00 AM to sign in.
Programs consist of stimulating talks by people such as past governors, mayors, politicians, physicians, Nobel Prize winners, judges, professors, historians, scientists, authors, economists, journalists, financial advisors, medical specialists, conservationists, etc. The follow-up Q&A is lively. Put on your business casual attire or jacket & tie (or something more casual from May to September) and attend a meeting with us. All visitors are welcome. Admission is free.
Stay for the Friends*
After the meetings, many members join together to have lunch at various local restaurants.
In addition to the weekly meetings, there are activity groups for golf, bridge, hiking, trips, computer help, tennis and more.
* Or, as one member put it recently, "Come for the Jokes, Stay for the Talks", since we start each meeting by singing a few songs and enjoying a few jokes :-)
Policy on Weather Cancellations
During very bad weather or when the NPPC is unavailable to us, our meetings simply move online with Zoom. We will post a notice at this website and send an email to members.
For more information:
On Retiring – A Stimulating Road Ahead
Where will you find a sense of purpose and satisfaction? How will you find mental stimulus and a sense of community? Click on this PDF file to consider an answer to these questions.
Donations to Old Guard are welcome and greatly appreciated (although they are not tax deductible).
Dues are $55 a year with a $10 early-payment discount, and can be paid using this dues link.
July Program Chair – Steve McCabe
- July 7 – Bayshore Recycling: Curbside and Beyond! – What happens to the materials you place in your curbside recycling bin? Jennifer Solewski will explain how Bayshore Recycling in Woodbridge processes curbside recyclables as well as construction debris, metals, dredged materials, and many other recoverable resources. The company's 58-acre Keasbey facility is licensed to process up to 3,000 tons of curbside recyclables a day to help communities (including Westfield) recover valuable resources while reducing waste. Jennifer is Vice President of Business & Technical Development. With 20 years of experience in recycling, solid waste management, environmental compliance, permitting, and business development, she has played a key role in expanding Bayshore's resource recovery operations. [in person and on Zoom. For access: [email protected]]
- July 14 – Autonomous Cars and Trucks: Vehicles and Delivery Systems, Now and in the Future – Speaker Mitch Erickson will recount the status of autonomous passenger and freight vehicles in the U.S. and around the world, and will speculate on the future. Mitch has a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and has served as the Director of the Environmental Measures Laboratory for the US Department of Homeland Security. Currently he provides testimony as an expert witness. Mitch is a member of Old Guard. [This meeting is by Zoom only]
- July 21 – The Role of Community Foundations in Our Philanthropic Landscape – Guest speaker Hans Dekker is President of the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ). Founded in 1979, CFNJ works with partners in the public and private sectors, offering a wide range of ways to share in its vision. Hans will discuss how this organization unique to New Jersey now manages more than $1 billion in assets and 1,200 funds, and how. as a philanthropic partner, it can design and execute a giving plan at whatever level a donor chooses. [in person and on Zoom]
- July 28 – Integrative Physical AI for Adaptive Robots –This talk will highlight how tighter integration of perception, learning, and planning for vision-driven robot manipulation can address gaps that lie at the interface of these domains at present. Speaker Kostas Bekris is a Professor of Computer Science at Rutgers University and an Amazon Scholar with the Amazon Robotics division. [in person and on Zoom]
August Birthday Emcee: John Tomaszewski
For speaker photos visit us on facebook
For an archive of videos of past meetings,
