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.
October Program Chair – George Celler
Oct. 6 – The History of Money – Money is the medium of exchange that makes buying, selling, and trade possible. Before money, people relied on barter, exchanging goods and services directly — a system with significant limitations. The development of money transformed both domestic and international commerce, laying the foundation for modern economies. We'll hear about coins, the world’s most enduring form of money for nearly 2,700 years. They are also historical artifacts and works of art that reflect the cultures and civilizations that produced them. Speaker Marty Green, a retired Bell Labs materials scientist, now serves as editor-in-chief of a journal dedicated to the sustainable development of materials. Marty has also been an avid numismatist for more than 65 years. [in-person and on Zoom – for access: [email protected]]
- Oct 13 – Submarine Fiberoptic Cable: What Really Moves the Internet – Our speaker Jerry Soloway was a consultant on submarine fiberoptic systems and technology for the past dozen years. Prior to this, he spent 29 years at Bell Labs working on the development of several different types of communications systems and devices and subsequently was the executive vice president of engineering for a NASDAQ listed company that also built communications systems. Submarine fiberoptic systems are the unsung heroes of the Internet, carrying as much as 99% of transoceanic data, dwarfing the traffic carried by satellite systems. They share much technology with their terrestrial counterparts, but there are many unique challenges to developing, installing, and maintaining these systems. In addition, there are threats to these systems that the world must recognize and combat. Fiberoptic systems can also be used as acoustic/seismic sensors, offering new applications for the millions of kilometers of existing fiber. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct. 20 – Current Immigration Polices Under the Second Trump Administration, Including Major Supreme Court Immigration Decisions from the Court’s 2025-2026 Term – Our invited speaker Mark Scher is a retired attorney with decades of experience in immigration law. Born in Warsaw, Poland,he earned his law degree from the University of Warsaw before arriving in the United States as a refugee in 1969. He later received a J.D., and an LL.M. in international legal studies from New York University. He served as an attorney with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, an administrative law judge, and later practiced immigration law in New York City. He will discuss the current immigration policies, including efforts to reduce unauthorized immigration, expand detention and deportation, restrict asylum and refugee protections, limit humanitarian immigration programs, and strengthen executive authority over immigration enforcement (ICE). He will also review the major immigration decisions of the Supreme Court's 2025–2026 term and explain several rulings which reinforce the administration's policies. [in-person and on Zoom]
November Birthday Emcee: Art Mason
For speaker photos visit us on facebook
For an archive of videos of past meetings,
