Events for November 20, 2024 - November 20, 2024

This event cancelled due to covid concerns. The Club wishes everyone good health “The Spies Who Came into the Modernist Fold: The Covert Life in London’s Lawn Road Flats” Bowdoin Professor of Environmental Studies Jill Pearlman casts new light on a 1934 modernist landmark in London designed by architect Wells Coates for clients Jack and Molly Pritchard. With the gradual opening of intelligence archives in Britain and Russia since the fall of the Iron Curtain, it has come to light that between 1935 and 1942, four [...]

“What If the Morse Mountain Was Not at the End of a Road but at the Intersection of Two?” Bates College Associate Professor of History and Environmental Department Chair Joe Hall, will speak to the contrast between the Native view and use of the land and marshes surrounding Morse Mountain with that of the European settlers. The Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area is near the end of a long access road which is itself at the end of the state highway that winds from Bath through [...]

“History and Ruminations of Small Point” This talk will begin with a reading by Tom from his 2020 book “Small Wonder: A History of Small Point, Maine”. Tom will be followed by Nim reading from his ruminating essays and semi-fictional stories influenced by his life experiences of the “Point”.

Small Point Club members are invited to join petroglyphist Kevin Sudeith for a Phippsburg walk to view his shallow relief carvings of life-sized birds native to the region. Some of you will remember Kevin as one of our Club speakers a couple of years ago. The walk will include a short walk to the main rock at Center Pond, then a bit longer walk to the big piece at Ridgewell Preserve, and will take about 90 minutes. In order to have an idea of numbers, [...]

“Comprehending Jazz: A Quick and Dirty Dive into Intelligent Listening” In this listening/analysis session, Neil Olmstead, Professor of Piano, Berklee College of Music, will guide the jazz appreciator through some organizational aspects of the music. He will offer tangible listening techniques that can bring one closer to the music, enhance the emotional experience and garner a framework for critical review.  Using recordings and demonstrating at the piano, Neil will share practical tools the listener can use to appreciate the subtleties of jazz.

“A Maine Son: Memoirs of a Wildlife Biologist” Ron will read select passages from his newly published book about the role Ron's idyllic Maine childhood on his grandparents’ dairy farm in the 1950s and '60s inspired him to become a Maine wildlife biologist. It's a nostalgic look of a bygone era of a simple, self-sufficient life without electricity or indoor plumbing. The book also provides a window into an era of the vast, largely unbroken fabled Maine woods—and the hermits, abundant wildlife, and colorful characters that inhabited [...]

“Haiti: A Poor Country with a Rich History” Former ambassador to both Gambia and Haiti, as well as an on-going career with USAID, Ambassador White’s talk will cover Haitian political and social issues from the 1700’s to 2022. The audience will be given a look into Haitian leaders’ capacities and weaknesses for over three hundred years. Haiti’s fall from being the richest French colony in the world to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere will also be discussed. Ambassador White had one-on-one meetings with several [...]

"Conserving and Restoring Habitats for Fish and Wildlife in the Face of Change in Small Point and Beyond" ~   Small Point plays a critical role in the conservation of migratory fish and wildlife species that utilize the network of salt marshes, beaches, rivers, and nearshore waters found here. Understanding the habitats and needs of these species is the starting point for strategically conserving and restoring them throughout the year and sustaining them into the future. Andrew will talk about the importance of collaborative partnerships [...]

Bowdoin Professor of Environmental Studies Jill Pearlman casts new light on a 1934 modernist landmark in London designed by architect Wells Coates for clients Jack and Molly Pritchard. With the gradual opening of intelligence archives in Britain and Russia since the fall of the Iron Curtain, it has come to light that between 1935 and 1942, four prominent Soviet spies made their home in the building. Her talk explores the reasons why the spies chose the Flats as their place of residence. Based on extensive [...]

Back by popular demand! Nim will entertain us with a selection of fictions and reflections that may conjure up people and places that seem somehow familiar.

Ron will read excerpts from his book "Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs and Hermit Bill: Memories of a Maine Wildlife Biologist" published this spring. Copies will be on hand for purchase. Ron's idyllic Maine childhood on his grandparents’ dairy farm in the 1950s and '60s inspired him to become a Maine wildlife biologist. This is a nostalgic look of a bygone era of a simple, self-sufficient life without electricity or indoor plumbing. The book also provides a window into an era of the vast, largely unbroken fabled [...]

Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment – Paris 1785 follows Jefferson’s life during his five years in France (August 1784 to September 1789), and where Jefferson became an object of interest for two circles of women. The first were aristocrats and intellectuals who circulated in the salons of Paris. The second included mothers and their friends who Jefferson met while tending his parental duties. The women in these two circles all romanced the self-styled “savage from the mountains of America.” Mr. Thompson will focus his talk on four [...]