Category: Speeches and Presentations

These are speeches and presentations put on by people in the Charlottesville area. Some of them may be mere excerpts, some of them may be complete.

Posted on

Goode, Perriello hold third debate in Danville

The third debate between 5th District Congressional Candidates Virgil Goode and Tom Perriello was held On October 28, 2008 in Danville. The Daily Progress reports that a raucous crowd of 300 people were on hand to ask questions of the pair. The event lasts for an hour and 45 minutes.

Special thanks to Vince Isner, a cameraman with the Tom Perriello campaign for providing a feed of the audio.

UPDATE: Connie Stevens at WVTF Public Radio has informed me that there is one more debate scheduled in Martinsville on Monday, November 3rd. Fred Echols will serve as moderator.

Posted on

Ron Wilson on the Appomattox Campaign

Regular listeners of our podcast or our live streaming feed might know Rick Britton. He’s a historian and cartographer and a frequent guest on WINA’s Charlottesville Right Now with Coy Barefoot. Rick also organizes a Civil War lecture and day-trip series in conjunction with the Charlottesville Senior Center.

 

On October 15th, 2008, one of the speakers —Ronald G. Wilson— appeared at the Senior Center to talk about the fascinating one-week-long Appomattox Campaign (April 2nd–9th, 1865). Following the Battle of Five Forks on April 1st—at which Union Gen. Philip Sheridan smashed a Confederate force under Gen. George Pickett—and the next day’s successful puncturing of the attenuated Southern trench lines around Petersburg, Gen. Robert E. Lee evacuated Petersburg and Richmond. Gathering his 57,000 men at Amelia Court House, 30 miles southwest of Richmond—where, unfortunately, there were no rations awaiting them—Lee pushed his army westward toward Farmville, Appomattox Court House, and destiny. Along the route actions were fought at Amelia Springs, Sailor’s Creek, and High Bridge.

Recently retired, Ron Wilson served as the park historian at Appomattox Court House for 25 years. A frequent Civil War lecturer, he is the author (along with William G. Nine) of The Appomattox Paroles: April 9–15, 1865.

Posted on

A. Hugo Bowers addresses Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

On September 26, 2008, the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP held its annual Freedom Fund Banquet at the Doubletree Hotel. The banquet is the organization’s major fundraising event, and proceeds go to pay for scholarships and more. The invited speaker is A. Hugo Bowers of the Bowers Family Enterprise. The evening honored Paul M. Gaston, Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia; and the Johnson Brothers, legendary civil rights leaders and community activists; Reverend Doctor Reginald A. Johnson, Minister of Pilgrim Baptist Church and Reverend William S. Johnson, Associate Minister, Pilgrim Baptist Church. The event is introduced by Robert Gest the Third, the Publicity Chair of the NAACP.

  • 1:00 – Introduction from Robert Gest III
  • 5:30 – Mistress of Ceremonies Rosa Atkins
  • 5:44 – Invocation from Reverend Cosby
  • 8:00 – M. Rick Turner introduces the honorees
  • 14:00 – Introduction of guest speaker
  • 17:15 – A. Hugo Bowers
  • 47:00 – Comments from Tom Perriello, Democratic candidate for the Fifth District
  • 53:15 – Comments from M. Rick Turner
  • 58:20 – Closing remarks from Mr. Gest
  • 1:06:45 – Benediction from Reverend Cosby



Posted on

Dr. Strangelove in the Caucasus; Or, How Saak Goes his War Game On

Nicolai PetroNicolai N. Petro is professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar and member of the Jefferson Society. In addition to authoring eight books on Russian politics, he has served as special assistant for policy in the US State Department, and as advisor to the mayor of the Russian city of Novgorod the Great. In addition to commenting in the International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Asia Times, he writes an occasional blog devoted to Russia at OpEdNews.com.

On September 26, 2008, Petro addressed the Jefferson Society on the topic: Dr. Strangelove in the Caucasus; Or, How Saak Goes his War Game On. Visit Mr. Petro’s website for a detailed timeline of the recent crisis in the Caucasus.

Posted on

Preparing to Celebrate 200 Years of Rail In Virginia

Richard L. Beadles, director of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute, gave a compelling lecture at the October 8, 2008 meeting of the Senior Statement of Virginia. His presentation was entitled "Preparing to Celebrate 200 Years of Rail In Virginia". SSV President Fred Terry, a distinguished railroader in his own right, moderated the program.

 

Dick Beadles is a 71-year-old retiree who considers himself to be an independent rail and transportation analyst. An advocate of rail and transit development, Beadles believes that a major shift in national transportation infrastructure funding and development policies and priorities will be necessary in order to effectively address current and future energy, environmental, quality of life, and global economic competitiveness challenges.    

He currently serves as a board member and a fellow of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute (VRPI), a private, not-for-profit, activity dedicated to promoting and facilitating public policy research and analysis, in the area of rail transportation. VRPI is independent of the rail industry. Its mission is to suggest public policy positions based on both academic and practical studies, and analysis of current and anticipated conditions.

Originally a hands-on railroader, up from the ranks, Beadles considers himself fortunate to have had a wide variety of operating, marketing and executive experience from the 1950s until retirement. As a former president and chief executive officer of the old Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, and later of CSX Realty, the former real estate and development unit of CSX Corporation, Beadles went on to lead a Richmond-based real estate advisory firm known as MGT Realty Advisors until a second retirement several years ago.

Immersed in land use and transportation issues of Northern Virginia in the period 1965-1995, Beadles came to more keenly appreciate the linkage between urban development and transportation challenges and to see the opportunities for better utilization of rail corridors. He was directly involved in the development of Crystal City as RF&P’s principal officer in charge of the Railroad’s land redevelopment effort at the former Potomac Yard in Arlington and Alexandria, VA. Later, with CSX, Beadles was similarly engaged in urban real estate and transportation in various cities in the eastern half of the U.S., including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, and elsewhere, including James Center in downtown Richmond.

As a member of Governor Mark Warner’s 2004 Rail Study Commission, Beadles played a minor, supporting role in the creation of the Virginia Rail Enhancement Fund and its companion facility, the State Rail Advisory Board. Subsequently, Governor Warner appointed Beadles to the Rail Advisory Board, on which he continues to serve.

An alumnus of the Business School at Virginia Commonwealth University, Beadles has in the past served on the VCU Board of Visitors, and was a charter member of the VCU Real Estate Foundation. At one time he chaired the VCU real estate program’s external support group. More recently he served as chairman of the Port of Richmond Commission. He delights in opportunities to combine involvement in urban planning and transportation, but his "old age" passion is preservation of the best of rural America and the protection of Virginia’s environment.

Beadles resides at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, VA, with his wife Juanita.

Posted on

County Supervisors put Eastern Connector study on hold

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has put the study of the Eastern Connector on hold for a few years until more data can be collected about how County residents move around. They made their decision after viewing a presentation on the final recommendations of the Eastern Connector Corridor Location Study. The matter has been referred to the Metropolitan Planning Organization for further negotiations between the City and the County.

Visit Charlottesville Tomorrow for a full write-up on this story, including a detailed timeline. If you have an opinion on the Eastern Connector, let us know in the comments.



Posted on

From the Gallery to the Street: Artists Talk Politics

On Friday, September 26, 2008, the Arlington Arts Center held a discussion to supplement Picturing Politics 2008, an exhibit which explores the relationship between contemporary art and politics.

Director of Exhibitions Jeffry Cudlin moderates a panel that includes:

  • Rex Weil, Curator of the Exhibit
    Kriston Capps, arts writer for Sculpture Magazine, Art in America, Art Papers, and countless other publications–including his own influential arts blog, Grammarpolice.
  • Welmoed Laanstra, public art projects curator for Arlington. As an independent curator, Laanstra is known for the Found Sound and Street Scenes public art projects she organized in Washington, D.C.
  • Josh Shannon, professor of contemporary art history and theory at the University of Maryland, College Park. His book, The Disappearance of Objects: New York Art and the Rise of the Postmodern City, 1960, will be published by Yale University Press in Spring, 2009.

Topics discussed: What’s the difference between political expression out in the world and inside the gallery environment? Is political speech in the gallery protected? Does it have teeth, or does it exist simply to be consumed or marginalized? How does contemporary art speak to pop culture and to the media–and vice-versa?

Posted on

Miller Center Forum: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on America

Jane Mayer writes about politics for the New Yorker, where she has been covering the war on terror, George W. Bush, the bin Laden family, Karl Rove, and the television show "24." Before joining the New Yorker, she was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, where she became the first female White House correspondent in 1984. In addition, while serving as a war correspondent and foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Mayer covered the bombing of the American barracks in Beirut, the Persian Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the final days of Communism in the Soviet Union. She has also written for a number of other publications, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Review of Books. Mayer authored The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned in to a War on America (Doubleday, 2008), and co-authored Strange Justice (Houghton Mifflin, 1994) and Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988 (Houghton Mifflin, 1988). Mayer spoke at a Miller Center forum on September 22nd, 2008.

 



Posted on

Miller Center Forum: The Panama Canal Treaties and The Rise of the Right

Adam Clymer served as the New York Times’ National Political Correspondent, Polling Editor, Political Editor, Weekend Senior Editor, Chief Congressional Correspondent, Washington Editor, and Washington Correspondent before retiring in 2003. He also wrote Op-Ed articles, obituaries, and an Outdoors column during his tenure there. Clymer has also worked for the Virginian-Pilot, the New York Daily News, and the Baltimore Sun. He is the author of Drawing the Line at the Big Ditch: The Panama Canal Treaties and the Rise of the Right (University Press of Kansas, 2008) and Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography (William Morrow, 1999). In addition, Clymer co-authored The Swing Voter in American Politics (Brookings Institution Press, 2008) and Reagan: The Man, The President (Macmillan, 1981). He was President of the Washington Press Club Foundation and Chair of the Harvard Crimson Graduate Council. In 2005, the University of Vermont awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Clymer spoke at a Miller Center forum on September 19th, 2008

 



Posted on

Bill Bergen on The Siege of Petersburg

Regular listeners of our podcast or our live streaming feed might know Rick Britton. He’s a historian and cartographer and a frequent guest on WINA’s Charlottesville Right Now with Coy Barefoot. Rick also organizes a Civil War lecture and day-trip series in conjunction with the Charlottesville Senior Center.

On September 20th, 2008, one of the speakers —Bill Bergen— appeared at the Senior Center to talk about the June 1864 through March 1865 Siege of Petersburg, Virginia. This fascinating nine-month-long siege operation—which pitted Robert E. Lee’s 60,000-man Army of Northern Virginia against U.S. Grant’s force of 120,000 — featured numerous large-scale actions including the famous Battle of the Crater (on 30 July), the Assault on Ft. Stedman (on 25 March), the Battle of Five Forks (on 1 April), and the following day’s Breakthrough Attack led by Union Maj. Gen. Horatio Wright. Bill Bergen has been a student of the Civil War since learning about Abraham Lincoln in the first grade. Bill is an assistant dean at the U.Va. School of Law, and, as far as he knows, the only graduate of Vassar College to become a Civil War military historian. He has led numerous battlefield tours, lectured widely on the Civil War, and is a regular instructor at U.Va. annual Civil War conference. Author of "The Other Hero of Cedar Creek: The ‘Not Specially Ambitious’ Horation G. Wright," he is currently working on a study of the relationship of politics to generalship in the
Army of the Potomac.

 



Posted on

Senator Creigh Deeds – Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for Governor

Senator Creigh Deeds shared his perspectives on the issues facing Virginia at a Senior Statesmen of Virginia event held September 10th, 2008 at the Northside Library in Abermarle County. Senator Deeds is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor. Following his opening statement, questions were taken from members of the audience. Senator Deeds began his comments by reminding us that to compete in the 21st century we must be willing to take chances and be entrepreneurial in our approach.

Senator Deeds was elected to the House of Delegates in 1991, winning reelection five consecutive times before leaving the House to fill the seat of the late Senator Emily Couric in a special election in 2001. Four years later he was the Democratic nominee for state Attorney General, losing that race by the closest margin in Virginia history. He attended Virginia’s public schools and after completing undergraduate work at Concord College, he received his law degree from Wake Forest University in 1984. He and his wife, Pam, live in Bath County at the western end of the 25th Senate District. They have four children: Amanda, Rebecca, Gus and Susannah.

Senator Deeds has spent the last two decades serving constituents from all walks of life–from his start as Bath County prosecutor in 1987 to his current position as a State Senator representing the City of Charlottesville and a district that stretches to the West Virginia border. Whether he was working to clean up one of Virginia’s largest Superfund sites, fighting for economic development, or writing some of the toughest legislation to keep our families safe and secure, Deeds has built his career as a consensus builder who delivers results.

He wrote Megan’s Law, which allows public access to the state sex offender registry, and sponsored the Amber Alert Program to keep our children safe. Using his relationships with law enforcement officers and his experience as a prosecutor, Deeds wrote the state law that has turned the tide against homegrown illegal methamphetamine drug labs.

In addition to his work to cleanup the Kim-Stan landfill Superfund site, Senator Deeds also wrote one of the most progressive laws to preserve open space and protect the environment. For his leadership and advocacy, he received the Leadership in Public Policy Award from The Nature Conservancy and the Preservation Alliance of Virginia named him Delegate of the Year.

When Virginia was in a financial crisis, Deeds worked with Governor Mark Warner to put the budget back in order cutting waste and protecting important priorities. The 2004 bipartisan budget agreement invested more than $1 billion in education, eliminated the state food tax, and put more police officers on the streets with the tools and the training they need to keep us safe.

Today he’s working with Governor Tim Kaine to keep Virginia moving forward with an energy policy that will cut greenhouse gases by 30 percent over the next two decades and a prekindergarten program that will put children on the path to success from the start.

With thanks to CPN volunteer Sean McCord for recording today’s event.