Technology User Group (TUG) Discussions for all users at all levels via hybrid meetings (in-person and Zoom) after the regular meeting, at about 11:45 a.m. (first and fourth Tuesdays of the month).
- June 6 – Quarterly Technology Issues / Questions Session.
- June 27 – John Tomaszewski introducing us to eBicycles.
Timely Topics Discussion in-person and via Zoom, with participation encouraged from all in attendance. Usually at 11:45 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.
- June 13 – Cancelled for June so as not to conflict with the Old Guard picnic.
Trips Scheduled (For Old Guard members and their guests)
Post-Covid trips are now being planned. Stay tuned.
Walkers Group walks or hikes are once again feasible – but this group needs a chair or coordinator. Any volunteers?
June Program Chair - Marv Gersten
Theme: “From Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Brooklyn Technical High School, to….”
- June 6 – "Exploring the Origins and Treatments of Cancer" – Raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and a 1957 graduate of Brooklyn Technical HS, Professor Arnold J. Levine is a teacher, mentor, and researcher in the biological sciences. Presently professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he is best known for his discovery of the p53 gene, which undergoes a mutation found in over 50 percent of all human cancers and is the single most common mutation to cause cancers. We will hear the stories of the thousands of women and men who contributed the novel ideas and discoveries that changed how we detect, diagnose and treat cancers, and the rewards of lives extended. [in-person & on Zoom -- for access: [email protected]]
- June 13 – "From Brooklyn to Texas, a Judge’s Tale" – Speaker David Hittner, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, was raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where he grew from a Cub Scout to an Eagle Scout. A 1957 graduate of Brooklyn Technical HS, he pursued bachelor's and law degrees from NYU, and served as a U.S. Army infantry captain and paratrooper. He moved to Houston to practice law, won election to a Texas trial court, and was appointed by President Reagan to the U.S. District Court. A scoutmaster, lifelong BSA supporter, and member of a country and western band, Judge Hittner will describe some of his most notable cases involving Enron, racial gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, cross burning, financial fraud, and drug and sex trafficking. [in-person & on Zoom]
- June 20 – "From Lionel to Garden, My Wonderful Model Railroad Hobby"
– Our speaker and MPC Marv Gersten grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, graduated from Brooklyn Technical HS, and intrigued by the planning and construction of the Eisenhower Interstate and Defense Highway System, began a 52-year consulting engineering career specializing in traffic and transportation engineering. Marv's love of model trains began as a young boy with a set of Lionel trains. He will describe his evolution from Lionel to a small “N” scale 2½ ft. by 5 ft. scenic layout with model town of Westfield buildings, train station, and NJ Transit and Conrail model trains, to a large “G” scale 6 ft. by 20 ft. garden railroad in his former backyard tomato patch. [in-person & on Zoom]
- June 27 – "Forensic Engineering" – Speaker Gordon Meth is a civil engineer and highway engineering expert with expertise in traffic, highway, and site/civil engineering. He applies his expertise to forensic casework involving highway and traffic signal design, municipal engineering, and land development. He has testified before municipal land use boards at over 500 public meetings and has conducted forensic analysis for cases in DC, and Ontario, Canada, a third of which involved fatalities -- half with pedestrians or bicyclists struck by vehicles, and a quarter with pedestrians struck by vehicles in parking lots. Others involved traffic signals or stop signs. Gordon will discuss his work in investigating and testifying on these cases. [in-person & on Zoom]
July Birthdays emcee -- Phil Apruzzese
July Program Chair -- Mort O'Shea
- July 4 -- Holiday -- No Meeting
- July 11 -- "How the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Helps Tackle the Scourge of Suicide" -- Our speaker Beth Stapleton was introduced to the AFSP (www.afsp.org) after losing her son. Now she is a statewide volunteer coordinator and board member. She will tell us the history of the foundation and explain how it fights suicide, supports survivors, and advocates for mental health. [NOTE: July 11 Meeting on Zoom ONLY due to a church event in Parish Hall]
- July 18 -- "The Immigration System: Is it Fixable?" -- Speaker John Miano, a former computer programmer turned lawyer, serves as counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute (www.irli.org), an advocacy group. He will review our troubled immigration system, emphasizing its effects on employment and the prospects for change. Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the problems with immigration policy. In 2015, Mr. Miano and co-author Michelle Malkin published Sold Out, an exposé focused on foreign workers displacing Americans. He is a frequent contributor of articles for the Center for Immigration Studies, another advocacy group. [In-person and on Zoom]
- July 25 -- "The Supreme Court: Its Recent History and Decisions" -- Presenter Ian Drake, associate professor at Montclair State University (as well as a former practicing attorney), returns to the Old Guard with a review of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions, also touching upon the politics of nominations and the makeup of the court. Prof. Drake is an expert on the American judiciary and legal system, the U.S. Supreme Court, and constitutional history. [In-person and on Zoom]
August Birthday emcee -- Joe McMenamy
