October Program Chair – Mike Martin
- Oct 3 – "A Perspective of Climate Change" – Dr. William Happer is a retired professor of physics at Princeton University. He will present a diverging interpretation of selected climate change data. Dr. Happer will question current dogma about climate change by presenting scientific data and theory, which questions the underlying assumptions of conventional wisdom. He expects many questions and will allow ample time to accommodate OG members. Dr. Happer worked in various capacities for the Bush and Trump administrations. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct 10 – Ladies Day No Meeting
- Oct 17 -- "Pharmaceutical Research and Development—How It Works" – Put away your high school chemistry book! This presentation by Mike Martin, Old Guard member, formerly of Hoffman-LaRoche and Sanofi, will focus on how drugs are developed, the regulatory process, and historic examples of pioneering discoveries that combated serious diseases. Unique theories on how penicillin was discovered will be covered. Is Thalidomide, which was the scourge of the 1950’s, still prescribed? The discussion will present an entertaining description on important discoveries and controversies. As part of the presentation, Mike will also discuss the origins of a few common therapies that some OG members are currently taking. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct 24 – Mayor Robert Conley of Madison will discuss his administration’s efforts to maintain the excellent quality of life in Madison despite dealing with a diverse population composed of students and suburbanites with different needs. Three universities are headquartered in Madison, which has tax consequences and other social issues. The mayor had to address these proposals: to allow Madison to become a sanctuary city and to provide a storefront for marijuana dispensing. Madison is also unique because it has its own electric distribution facility. The mayor discusses these and other issues that provide some important leadership lessons. Madison has consistently ranked among the best places to live in NJ according to NJ Monthly and Money magazines. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Oct 31 – "Astronomy" – Amateur astronomer Paul Cirillo will tell us about the latest discoveries that have been made by the many robotic space exploration missions to the planets, asteroids, and comets in our solar system, as well as the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Also, an overview will be provided of the latest human space programs planned by the United States, China, and several commercial space companies. [in-person and on Zoom]
September Program Chair – Tom Dempsey
- Sept 5 – "Ukraine, a Journey" – Mark Di Ionno has made several trips to Ukraine for humanitarian relief. He will talk about his travels, people he met from Ukraine and Poland, and how the war has affected them. Di Ionno is a former general news columnist at The Star-Ledger and an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers University-Newark. He is a 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist in news commentary for his columns on Hurricane Sandy, the suicide of Tyler Clementi, and other local events and issues. He has written extensively about New Jersey in several books that serve as guides to its landscape and history, including New Jersey's Coastal Heritage: A Guide and A Guide to New Jersey's Revolutionary War Trail, both published by Rutgers University Press. [video]
- Sept 12 -- "EMS Services and History of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad" -- John Staunton will explain the role of EMS services, the operation of 9-1-1, and the 61-year history of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad. The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that responds to more than 2,100 emergency calls each year. Staunton has been an EMT with Summit EMS for over 38 years and is a trustee. In the past, he has held the positions of president and chief. [video to appear]
- Sept 19 -- "Professional Boxing in the 70’s to the 90’s" -- Gerry Cooney will describe the environment he experienced as a professional boxer from 1977 to 1990. In 1982, he fought Larry Holmes in Las Vegas. His boxing record is 31 total fights, 28 wins (24 wins by KO) and three losses. After retirement, Cooney founded the Fighters’ Initiative for Support and Training, which helps retired boxers find jobs. In 2019, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. He is an author of Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Sept 26 -- "The History of the World Series" -- As all baseball fans know, the most exciting month is October when the World Series is played. The excitement is certainly heightened when the American League and National League teams are both from the same city. Why has this happened only once since 1957? John Cronin and John Nolan will explain this and much more from several perspectives. Cronin is a CPA, vice president of the Board of Trustees of the New Providence Memorial Library, and the author of six articles in The Baseball Research Journal. Nolan was the official scorer for the Somerset Patriots from 1999 to 2019. He worked in public education for 50 years as a teacher, principal, human resources administrator, and consultant. [in-person and on Zoom]
August Program Chair - Stuart Kurtz
- Aug 1 – "Deceiving by Numbers: Misinformation, propaganda, fake news, lying with statistics!" – It is essential for the public to be able to fight misinformation by understanding and challenging claims presented as actual fact in health, politics, and news. Our speaker Bernard Abramson was educated in the UK with degrees in mathematics and astrophysics. He was the chief information officer at Merck and an adjunct professor at Polytechnic University. He will brief us on how data and its presentation can be intellectually and emotionally misleading, with sometimes fatal consequences. [video on request by members]
- Aug 8 – "AIDS—The Early Years: Public Health vs. Civil Liberties in Epidemic Times" – In the AIDS epidemic, the usual public health means of control proved untenable (mandated name reporting, contact tracing, police powers, quarantine, mandated therapy). Sheldon Landesman was trained in hematology, oncology, and infectious disease. After joining the faculty at SUNY Downstate (Health Sciences University), he was instrumental in developing protocols for dealing with AIDS and particularly with its transmission from mother to child. He set up clinical programs that serve thousands of patients. He will describe how public health met the ethical and public policy challenges of the AIDS epidemic while maintaining civil liberties. These experiences provided important lessons learned and not yet learned. [video]
- Aug 15 – "How Society Changed on January 5, 1973 (Screenings)" – Speaker David Haas has a degree in biophysics and his research in protein X-ray crystallography made major improvements used worldwide. At Philips Electronic Instruments, he was principal X-ray scientist, developing scanners in response to the burst of airline hijackings in the 1960s. This led to the screenings at airports and elsewhere that have changed society. His presentation will discuss that history and how the technology has made aviation safer and saved thousands of lives. [video]
- Aug 22 – "Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)—Disorder or Difference" – Autism is now called ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and there are increasing numbers of young people diagnosed as “on the spectrum.” But there is a raging dispute around ASD: is it a neurodevelopmental disorder or a different way of being in the world? Speaker Harold M. Heft is a retired automotive and defense industry executive whose academic research focused on biopsychology and philosophy of science as well as pediatric autism. He will describe the characteristics, possible causes, and treatments for ASD and will explain why it is so controversial. [video]
- Aug 29 – "Climate Change" – The climate is surely changing, but public information about it is often confused. Our speaker Anne Soos trained in biology at Harvard and Princeton. She taught advanced courses in biology, chemistry, and environmental science in secondary schools and was an administrator and a consultant training other teachers. In retirement she has continued as an educator. This science- focused presentation is meant to offer clarity, beginning with the physical factors which determine climate. It will distinguish between climate and weather, and then examine what our future climate will mean for the Earth and its inhabitants. There will also be a review of methods of carbon capture and sequestration, both natural and artificial. [video]
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" (only online via Zoom) -- 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. [video]
- 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. [video]
- 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, 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. [video]
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. He has held faculty positions at Princeton University, SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine, Rockefeller University, and The Institute for Advanced Study, served as president and CEO of Rockefeller University and founder of The Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study. 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. [no video]
- June 13 – "From Brooklyn to Texas, a Judge’s Tale" – 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 undergraduate and law degrees from New York University, passed the bar exam in 1964, and joined the U.S. Army serving as an infantry captain and paratrooper. Following his honorable discharge, he moved to Houston, Texas, passed the Texas bar exam, practiced law, won election to a Texas trial court, and in 1986 was nominated by President Reagan to the U.S. District Court and was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. A scoutmaster, lifelong Boy Scouts of America supporter, and member of a country and western band, Judge Hittner will describe his acclimation to life in the South and some of his most notable cases, involving Enron, racial gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, cross burning, financial fraud, and drug and sex trafficking. [no video]
- June 20 – "From Lionel to Garden, My Wonderful Model Railroad Hobby" – Marv Gersten grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, graduated from Brooklyn Technical HS in 1956, 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 has served as monthly program chairman and birthdays committee chairman and has made presentations to the Math Interest Group on the math of highway engineering and to the Reminiscences Group on his model railroad hobby. His love of model trains began as a young boy with a set of Lionel trains. Marv 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. [video]
- June 27 – "Forensic Engineering" – 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. Gordon has conducted forensic analysis for cases in 30 states, DC, and Ontario, Canada. About a third of his cases have involved fatalities, half have involved pedestrians or bicyclists struck by vehicles, and a quarter have involved pedestrians struck by vehicles in parking lots. Several others have involved traffic signals or stop signs. Gordon will discuss his work in investigating and testifying on these cases. [video]
May Program Chair - Ian Lutes
- May 2 – "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Community Recycling" – Speaker Melissa Harvey is the manager of Somerset County’s Department of Solid Waste and Recycling. She designs and implements special recycling programs in the county. She will cite China’s decision to stop accepting our recyclables, and the resulting impact on marketing and on how our recyclables (plastics, glass, paper, batteries, etc) are handled. She will discuss recycling markets and shredding/collection events for batteries and electronics throughout Somerset County, and give future projections for recyclables. [no video]
- May 9 – A Hidden Child -- My Experience Hiding from the Germans in WWII" – Maud Dahme is a World War II Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands. Separated from her parents at age six, she went into hiding with her younger sister during the German occupation. The two were placed with a family they had never met and had to understand an alias-family background in case they were ever questioned by the authorities. Their parents went into hiding at a different location. When it was feared the Germans would find them, they moved to another family and continued hiding until the war ended. Maud will relate all this and her eventual emigration to the US. [video]
- May 16 – "Fusion Energy: Progress and Prospects" – Dr. Nathaniel Ferraro, principal research physicist and deputy head of the Theory Department at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, will explain fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, which offers an opportunity for clean, safe, and plentiful energy on Earth. The way atoms combine and release energy produces no greenhouse gasses, avoids the risks of nuclear fission, and promises to provide an unlimited source of reliable, dispatchable power. However, the process requires sustaining fuel temperatures of 100 million degrees. Learning how to do that economically and reliably has challenged scientists and engineers for decades. Promising advances have emerged lately, causing a spike in investment from private industry, realignment of the goals of the US fusion program, and a commitment from the US executive branch to a “Bold Decadal Vision” for developing fusion energy. [video]
- May 23 – "International Education -- In Search of World Peace" – The Institute of International Education (IIE) was founded in 1919 to prevent war through international educational exchanges. So what happened? The Institute today administers the Fulbright Program on behalf of the US Department of State, as well as other prestigious scholarship programs for multiple governments, foundations, and corporations. Grantees of these programs have won 105 Nobel Prizes in all fields and three of IIE's trustees have won the Peace Prize. Nevertheless, world peace continues to elude us. What's ahead? Why do some believe that higher international education is our best investment toward making the world a less dangerous place? Dr. Allan Goodman, CEO of IIE, will address these questions. [video]
- May 30 -- "Cable-Laying on the High Seas" -- Captain Carl Winter will share his experiences as commander of an ocean-going telecommunications cable-laying ship on the high seas following mapped routes with previously determined bottom terrain. He will explain the use of ploughs to bury the cable (it’s not just laid on the bottom) and how they accommodate reefs. Modern ships can lay up to 125 miles/day up to six miles deep for 8,000 miles without stopping. Cable companies keep their cable laying operations private except to port authorities, municipalities, and shipping companies. Captain Carl will discuss national security risks to cables that are relatively fragile and that can be damaged or intentionally cut. [in-person & on Zoom]
April Program Chair - George Kull
- April 4 – "Is AI Replacing the Artist? Will Artists Become Obsolete?" – George Kull, a Summit Old Guard member, has presented talks on computer security, 5G, and home networking to the Technology Users Group. He has been analyzing current advances in artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and their implementation. Now with the media all abuzz with AI programs such as ChatGPT and Stable-Diffusion that allow laypersons to replace writers and artists by just entering some simple text, George will give a not-too-technical talk on the generative AI evolution and revolution and whether artists will become obsolete. [video]
- April 11 – "My Experiences in Uganda and Other African Countries" – Tony Visocchi, a Summit Old Guard member, intrigued us at last August’s Birthday Boys celebration when he mentioned that he had “shook the hand of Idi Amin” while in Uganda. Tony will give us a very personal view of his experiences in Uganda and other parts of Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Sudan, and Tunisia. [video]
- April 18 – "The Evolution of (Affordable) Housing Policy from the Great Depression to the Great Recession" – Vito Gallo, a Summit Old Guard member, has spent 50+ years in the field of housing and community development. He will present his view on these challenging questions: Is there a constitutional right to housing in America? In a private market economy, what is the federal government’s role in housing policy? Isn’t the regulation of housing development a local government responsibility? Is there a legitimate role for state governments? Is there even a housing policy in America? [video]
- April 25 – "Maintaining Mobility as We Age" – Dr. Michelle Millner, a doctor of physical therapy and director of Pilates rehabilitation and training at Better with Physical Therapy in Madison. Just as financial planning is used to reach our financial goals as we age, we need to be focused on bettering strength, flexibility, and mobility to fulfill our activity goals as we age. [video]
March 2023 Program Chair – Jim Blinn
- March 7 – "Finding Common Ground in Divided Times: An Introduction to Braver Angels" – Cindy Mullock, New Jersey state coordinator for Braver Angels, will describe the mission of Braver Angels. As a nonprofit organization, Braver Angels is committed to finding common ground and is equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership. The organization works in communities, on college campuses, in the media, and in the halls of political power to depolarize American politics through grassroots organizing based on patriotic empathy and the idea that our love for our country is shown by our concern for our fellow citizens. [video]
- March 14 – "Under-appreciated Excellence: The Pianism of Duke Ellington" – Marcel Simon, retired from Northrop Grumman and jazz aficionado, whose knowledge was gained from semi-obsessive listening over 45 years of jazz fandom and discussions with numerous jazz experts, will focus on Ellington’s piano style with a few biographical details supplemented by excerpts from various performances recorded during Ellington’s life. [video]
- March 21 – "Islam: Religion, Beliefs, Practices, and Facts" – Saba Laeeq, co-chair, Interfaith Committee, Islamic Community & Cultural Center (ICCC Parsippany), will provide both a historical overview of Islam and of Islam today. Islam is one of the major religions in the world with almost two billion Muslims around the world, just slightly fewer than Christianity, and yet there are misinformation and myths surrounding it. She is looking forward to answering your questions about Islam. [no video]
- March 28 – "Understanding the Most Common Types of Arthritis in Older Adults" – Dr. Dimitri Baldwin,
DPT, COMT, and owner of Blueprint Physical Therapy and Wellness, will
define exactly what arthritis is, its common symptoms, treatment, and
short and long-term management techniques, including the difference
between cortisone injections and gel injections. [video]
February 2023 Program Chair – Pete Bolton
- Feb 7 – "Current Financial Market Promises and Perils" will be laid out by Old Guard member and returning speaker David G. Dietze, JD, CFA, CFP managing principal, senior portfolio strategist at Peapack Private Wealth Management. David's widely-respected opinions are heard on TV, most recently on Bloomberg, TD Ameritrade Network, and Fox. Currently David also heads the Suburban Chamber of Commerce. [video]
- Feb 14 – "GRACE Helping Neighbors" – GRACE founder Amanda Parrish Block, recipient of the Union County Women of Excellence Reward, will explain GRACE’s role in ministering to Summit area residents with 16,000 lbs. of food a week to over 500 families, coats for the winter, and many other helping services. [video]
- Feb 21 – "TheraYouth Foundation: Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy for Children" – presented by Irina Marcoff, founder and director of Central Physical Therapy in New Providence. Irina is currently busy launching a new non-profit, TheraYouth.org, which will be located in Elizabeth and will provide to inner city kids physical therapy services that would not otherwise be available to them. This has long been a passion of Irina's, since immigrating from the Soviet Union at age 20, and earning her bachelor and doctorate degrees in Physical Therapy at Queens College. [video]
- Feb 28 – "Summit Area YMCA – COVID behind Us" – Returning speaker Paul Kieltyka, president and CEO, will explain trends the Summit Y, now in its 136th year, is seeing: many more groups, young and old (did someone say pickleball?) coming back after COVID, including new fitness trends and local outreach. [video]
January 2023 Program Chair – Mike Bennett
- Jan 3 – "Bridges: Outreach to the Homeless" – For over 30 years, Bridges has been a non-profit organization committed to meeting people in the streets, providing for many of their most basic needs, and connecting with them as fellow humans and neighbors in locations like NYC, Newark, Irvington, and Summit. Richard Uniacke, president of Bridges, will show us how Bridges addresses homelessness through volunteer-driven outreach and individual case management focused on health, housing, and independence. Time spent on the streets by the Bridges teams can provide more than provisions or supplies—it can provide connection and meaning to the homeless. [video]
- Jan 10 – "Food Insecurity in New Jersey" –The Community FoodBank of New Jersey was founded 45 years ago and has served as a model for many food banks around the country. Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO of The Community FoodBank of NJ with headquarters in Hillside, and Lauren Snyder, a Volunteer Organizer, will discuss food insecurity in New Jersey and why the food lines are not shortening despite the unemployment rate approaching a 50-year low. [video]
- Jan 17 – "Pine vs. Elm: The Impact of Community Engagement on Urban Development Proposals" – Richard A. Zdan, professor of sociology at Rider University and Rahway Zoning Board of Adjustment commissioner, will discuss both the Pine Street and Elm Street applications for urban development in Rahway, with a focus on the manner in which local community members were mobilized in support of or opposition to the two proposed projects. He will also discuss the broader role that communities play in guiding the course of urban development, both in a historical and in a contemporary context, as well as how neighborhoods might be actively mobilized around development issues. [video]
- Jan 24 – "History Repeats Itself" – Eva Jedruch is the author of Crossing the Bridges, published in Polish in 2013 and English in 2021. What Putin is doing to the Ukrainians is a mirror image of what Stalin did to the Poles 83 years ago, across these very same lands, which at that time were part of Poland. It is a familiar story of a familiar modus operandi: Thousands of Ukrainian citizens are being rounded up, packed onto trains and deported to Russia, to the euphemistically called “filter camps.” Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been executed. Eva will present her family’s story prior to and after 1939 and compare it with the events in Ukraine today. [no video]
- Jan 31 – "VA Health Services" – Many of our Old Guard members served in the United States military. We are fortunate to have many Veterans Administration facilities in the immediate area. Scott Dadaian is a VA outreach speaker who will detail the services provided by the VA, some of which may be new to our members. [video]
