Beth Parnicza speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
On April 17, 2014, Beth Parnicza presented the fifth and final lecture in our Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).
How does a culture view its past and how does it present itself through a museum forum? How do we understand a society through its museum exhibits? This and many other questions on how we perceive the American Civil War are answered in this interesting podcast.
Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focus largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.
The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.
Ron Coddington speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
On April 10, 2014, Ron Coddington presented the forth lecture in our five part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).
Images of African Americans who fought in the American Civil War are very rare. In this podcast, Mr. Coddington talks about some of those men whose portraits he documented in his book African American Faces of the Civil War: An Album.
The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.
Rick Britton speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
On April 3, 2014, Rick Britton presented the third lecture in our five part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).
It has been said that the Civil War was the last of the Napoleonic Wars and the first truly modern war. Although much of the technology used in the American Civil War had been previously invented, it was the first war to see the widespread use of such technology.
In this podcast Mr. Britton explains how balloons and submarines were used in the war. Rick also talks about The Turtle and The Alligator and gives an account of one idea that went terribly wrong, Torpedo Mules.
Portions of Mr. Britton’s lecture were based on the book Arms and Equipment of the Civil War by Jack Coggins. Click here to view the illustrations used in this podcast.
Rick Britton is a historian of the Old Dominion who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century Virginia history. Two of his main areas of expertise are the American Civil War and the life and times of our third president, Thomas Jefferson. Along with his writing, Rick conducts tours of Civil War battlefields, teaches classes on the history of central Virginia, organizes history programming for the Senior Center in Charlottesville, and illustrates maps for history books, and lectures all across Virginia on a wide range of topics. With over 200 published articles and essays under his belt, he’s the author of Albemarle & Charlottesville: An Illustrated History and Jefferson: A Monticello Sampler for which he was awarded a medal for non-fiction at New York City’s Book Expo, the nation’s largest book convention.
The lecture was presented by Rick Britton as a part of this series held in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.
Senator Creigh Deeds (D) and Delegate David Toscano (D) provided their perspectives on the issues that came before the 2014 Virginia legislature. Senator Bryce Reeves (R) and Delegates Rob Bell (R) and Steve Landes (R) were invited but responded they had scheduling conflicts. Delegate Matt Fariss (R) was also invited but had not responded at press time.
Senator Creigh Deeds (D) (left) and Delegate David Toscano (D) speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville Wednesday.
Senator Creigh Deeds
Senator Creigh Deeds (D) represents the 25th Senate District, which includes the counties of Alleghany, Albemarle (part), Bath, Highland, Nelson, and Rockbridge, and the cities of Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Covington, and Lexington. He serves on five Senate standing committees: Transportation (Chair); Finance; General Laws and Technology; Privileges and Elections; and Rules. He was first 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. He was the Democratic nominee for state Attorney General in 2005, losing that race by the closest margin in Virginia history and was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 2009.
Delegate David Toscano
Delegate David Toscano (D) represents the 57th District (Charlottesville and part of Albemarle County) in the House of Delegates and, since 2011, has served as House Democratic Leader. He is a member of the Courts of Justice; Transportation; and Rules committees. He is also a member of the Disability Commission and has served on the special Joint Subcommittee to Study Land Use Tools in the Commonwealth and the Joint Committee to study Math, Science, and Engineering. He is a member of the Manufacturing Development Commission, the Virginia Adopts Statewide Steering Committee, the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program Committee, and the Board of Directors of the New College Institute. He is also a member of the United Way Board.
Deeds and Toscano spoke at the Wednesday, May 14, 2014 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Bob McGrath.
Susan Wiesner speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
On March 20, 2014, Susan Wiesner presented the second lecture in a new five part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).
In Western cultures social dance has been an important component in defining society and class structure since the Renaissance. According to Wiesner, strict rules applied to both male and female dancers of the time, although following the commencement of the Civil War soldiers were permitted to bring their swords into the ballroom. For some soldiers, dance was a form of therapy.
In this podcast, Wiesner talks about the popular dances of the time including the well known Virginia Reel and their place in the context of the Civil War.
Susan Wiesner obtained her undergraduate degree at Goucher College in Kentucky, and her Masters and PhD in England. She is a former dance and drama instructor at the University of Virginia. She now has a studio at the McGuffey Art Center and does research on the intersection of language and movement.
The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.
Shannon Moeck speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
On March 13, 2014, Shannon Moeck presented the first lecture in a new five part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).
Of the 151 men of the Pelican Rifles of Louisiana that left their community to serve in the Civil War, 119 did not return. Of the 32 soldiers who survived, 31 were wounded, meaning that only a single young man came back physically unharmed. Companies raised from a single community often resulted in the loss of an entire generation of young men.
Shannon Moeck is a park ranger at Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park. After attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and spending a decade there as a music promoter and a retail manager, she moved back to the Shenandoah Valley where she attended Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown VA. Her passion for history was re-ignited when she took a world civilization history class. Ms. Moeck joined the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove staff as a seasonal hire during the park’s inaugural season as an interpreter in 2010 and completed her dual degrees in the spring of 2013. She is now a full time permanent ranger on the team. Currently Ms. Moeck’s responsibilities include interpretation, volunteer management, web site management, social media co-ordination, and is assisting in the development of the park.
The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.
Jessie Cole speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Ninety-nine percent of injured or orphaned wildlife are due to human actions. What measures should you take when you discover injured or orphaned wildlife? Noted Scottish-American naturalist John Muir wrote, “When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.”
Since its inception in 2004, the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary has treated almost 3,000 wild animals, representing 60 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. It has educated local audiences throughout Central Virginia about the habitats and needs of our native wildlife and provided information on what to do when an injured or orphaned animal is found and who to contact for help.
In this podcast, wildlife rehabilitators Jesse Cole and Nathou Attinger talk about some of the organizations past and future projects.
Jessie Cole
Jessie Cole grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, around animals and nature her whole life. Her wonderful parents, who are animal lovers themselves, instilled in her a passion for helping all kinds of wild and domestic animals. That, coupled with her love of nature, led her to Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS). Jessie has been working at RWS rehabilitating wildlife, training interns and volunteers, and working on public outreach since 2008. She attended The Covenant School after which she continued her education at Christopher Newport University, where she earned a BS in Biology with a minor in Anthropology. When she graduated in 2008, she returned to Charlottesville where she met Nathou Attinger, founder of RWS, and began her apprenticeship under her guidance to earn her wildlife rehabilitator’s license, which took two years to acquire. Jessie says of RWS, “Every day is a reward to be able to help Virginia’s wildlife, and I could not imagine spending my time on earth any other way. I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful organization.”
Nathou Attinger
Nathou Attinger was born in France, and moved to the United States at age 3. Nonhuman animals always fascinated her, and as soon as her family moved to a house with a yard, she started taking care of them. Dogs, cats, turtles, pigeons, raccoons, anything that seems to need her help is scooped up and taken care of in her bedroom. She got her BA in French Literature at UVA, got married and had a daughter. In 1982 she started the Elementary Montessori School of Charlottesville (Mountain Montessori) for her daughter while she was working as the administration head of the Emergency Room at UVA Hospital. Her love of the outdoors won out, however, and she attended Piedmont Virginia Community College at night to learn about landscaping. She then started her own landscaping company. While landscaping, she also attained her wildlife rehabilitator’s license and began to start working with wildlife. She would take baby animals with her while she was landscaping to make sure they could be fed during the day. Finally, in 2004, the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary was born, and has been growing ever since.
Cole and Attinger spoke at the Wednesday, April 9, 2014 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Jim Peterson.
Dr. Frank Friedman speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
In this podcast, Dr. Frank Friedman discusses Piedmont Virginia Community College, its mission, enrollment, curriculum, student outcomes, facilities and funding.
Frank Friedman serves as president of Piedmont Virginia Community College. As president, he provides leadership and management for an institution of 5,500 students, full-time faculty and staff, and a budget of over $24 million. Dr. Friedman has served as a faculty member and an administrator in community colleges since 1977.
Prior to becoming president of PVCC in 1999, he served as executive vice president of Austin Community College in Texas. He has experience as a chief academic officer, chief student services officer, director of institutional research and planning, and as a faculty member in psychology and education. Dr. Friedman has a doctorate in educational psychology and a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Muhlenberg College.
Dr. Friedman has served on national higher education advisory commissions with the American Association of Community Colleges and The College Board. He served six years as a commissioner of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and served three years as the elected Virginia representative to the 13-member Executive Council of the Commission. Among his accomplishments are being named a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, recognition by Who’s Who in American Education and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and receiving the Community Service Award by the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council in 2005.
Mr. Friedman spoke at the Wednesday, March12, 2014 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Past President Sue Liberman.
Dr. Richard W. Lindsay speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville Wednesday.
How many Alzheimer’s caregivers are there in Virginia? How much does the care-giving role cost the female caregiver? What percent of the median household income for people over 65 in Charlottesville does a year in the nursing home represent? These and many more questions are answered by Dr. Richard Lindsay in this interesting podcast on geriatric care.
Richard W. Lindsay, M. D., Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine and Family Practice and former head of the Section of Geriatric Medicine, University of Virginia Health Science Center, grew up in Upstate New York, where his father was a family physician. He attended Cornell University and New York Medical College from which he received his M.D. degree and where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Following an internship at Buffalo General Hospital in Buffalo, NY, Dr. Lindsay practiced briefly with his father in Old Forge, NY, and then completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia Hospital. Following active duty as a Major in the US Army Medical Corps, in 1969 he joined the faculty of the Department of Internal Medicine at UVA.
In his first faculty responsibility Dr. Lindsay developed and served as acting chairman of the Department of Family Practice. Following that, he was awarded one of the seven original Geriatric Medicine Academic Awards from the National Institute of Aging and developed the geriatric curriculum fellowship program and continuing education efforts at UVA. He served as head of the Division and Section of Geriatrics from 1977 until his retirement in 1999. During this time he had an active practice of geriatric medicine involving all levels of geriatric care.
In 1985 and 1986 Dr. Lindsay served as president of the American Geriatric Society and then as chairman of its Board of Directors. He served as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Aging under five different governors and was its chairman under Governor Allen. He was recently appointed to the Commonwealth Council on Aging and just completed a two year term as its chairman. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of JABA. He served for five years on the Board of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. He also serves on the Board of the Senior Navigator Program. Dr. Lindsay was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Charlottesville/Albemarle Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Chapter. In 2000 he received the Geriatrician of the Year award from the Virginia Geriatric Society. The recipient of numerous teaching awards, Dr. Lindsay received the 1990 Adelle F. Robertson Award for outstanding efforts in continuing education from UVA. The Virginia Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging bestowed upon Dr. Lindsay their Distinguished Service Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the people of Virginia (especially the elderly) that he has made throughout his career through educational programs, advocacy, and research.
Dr. Lindsay is a champion skier, plays the trumpet, and loves to fly-fish. He is also recognized for his work in the field of aviation photography. He plays a wicked game of tennis, and is a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Cavaliers. He has three grown children and two grandchildren.
Dr. Lindsay spoke at the Wednesday, February 12, 2014 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Bob McGrath.
John Whitehead speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
John Whitehead is a Charlottesville-based attorney and author who has written, debated, and practiced widely in the area of constitutional law. A prominent leader in the national dialogue on civil liberties and human rights and a formidable champion of the Constitution, Whitehead’s concern for the persecuted and oppressed led him in 1982 to establish The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense of civil liberties and human rights.
Whitehead explored the many ways in which our freedoms and privacy rights have been eroded in recent years as documented in his new book, A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. Whitehead’s book paints a chilling portrait of a nation in the final stages of transformation into a police state, complete with surveillance cameras, drug-sniffing dogs, SWAT team raids, roadside strip searches, blood draws at DUI checkpoints, mosquito drones, tasers, privatized prisons, GPS tracking devices, zero tolerance policies, over-criminalization, and free speech zones. It also reveals the inner workings of an increasingly pervasive surveillance state, including the NSAs program to track the communications of all Americans and map the daily activities of all people in the United States. As nationally syndicated columnist Nat Hentoff observed about Whitehead: John Whitehead is not only one of the nation’s most consistent and persistent civil libertarians, he is also a remarkably perceptive illustrator of our popular culture, its in-sights and dangers.
Mr. Whitehead spoke at the Wednesday, January 8, 2014 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Charles Smith.
Henry J. Abraham speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville Wednesday
What are our most important recent decisions? How would our founding fathers view them? What happens when a new Supreme Court justice needs to be appointed? Can a non-lawyer serve on the Supreme Court?
What differences have the current justices made individually? Or from a gender standpoint, since there are now four women members for the first time in history? Does race make a difference in decisions? Should we have more members of the Supreme Court, as Roosevelt attempted?
Henry J. Abraham, James Hart Professor of Government Emeritus at the University of Virginia, graduated from Kenyon College in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, first in his class, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his M.A. in public law and government from Columbia University in 1949, and received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952, where he began his teaching career. In 1972 Dr. Abraham became a chaired professor in the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. In 1983 he was awarded the University’s most prestigious recognition, the Thomas Jefferson Award, and in 1993 he received the First Lifetime Achievement Award of the Organized Section on Law and Courts of the American Political Science Association. He retired from full-time teaching in 1997 after nearly a half-century in the classroom.
Henry and his wife Mildred, a rare books collector and bibliographer, live in Charlottesville. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
Mr. Abraham spoke at the Wednesday, November 13, 2013 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Charles Smith.
The Senior Statesmen of Virginia continue their tradition of showcasing candidates for local office with this, our second in a two part series. This month we will hear from all eight candidates for Albemarle Board of Supervisors. The decision goes to voters in November.
Candiates for the Albemarle Board of Supervisors speaking Wednesday at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. The program was moderated by Sorensen Institute Director Bob Gibson.
The Candidates
Diantha McKeel
Diantha McKeel (I) (Jack Jouett) served on the School Board for 16 years achieving over $2 million in annual cost reductions, implementing the Goldcard Pass program providing seniors free admission to various events, and increasing the graduation rate, SOL and SAT test scores well above state averages. She supports common ground solutions in education, business and job growth, environmental and cost-efficient government.
Phillip Seay
Phillip Seay (I) (Jack Jouett) will focus on engaging and listening to the concerns of ALL Jouett residents and taking those concerns to work with other Supervisors and County staff with emphasis on ensuring that tax dollars are spent on the goods and services that the County is duty bound to provide: public safety, transportation and pedestrian services, the needs of teachers and students, and concerns of senior citizens.
Brad Sheffield
Brad Sheffield (D) (Rio) is the Assistant Director at JAUNT. With 15 years of experience as a transportation and land use planner, he can forge a collaborative effort among the Supervisors, introducing new ideas that create a productive discussion on decisions of growth, transportation, education and infrastructure investment. He believes that decisions made for the County need to leave a legacy for future generations.
Rodney Thomas
Rodney Thomas (R) (Rio) is a life-long resident of the area, Rodney attended City schools and graduated from Lane High School in 1962. His career in the printing industry began with The Daily Progress and Worrell Newspapers. He earned an Honorable Discharge from the US Army in 1967. Owner of Charlottesville Press, he was appointed to the Planning Commission and served through 2005 and chaired in 2004. He was elected to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in 2010.
Liz Palmer
Liz Palmer (D) (Samuel Miller) is a veterinarian, small business owner, mother and citizen activist who has worked on County issues for 15 years. She is currently serving her second term on the board of the Albemarle County Service Authority. She has been deeply involved in local water protection issues and was instrumental in getting the 50 year Community Water Supply Plan approved.
Duane Snow
Duane Snow (R) (Samuel Miller) is a native of Charlottesville, Duane is a graduate of Brigham Young University. Married to Rena Snow he has five children and 14 grandchildren. The CEO of Snow’s Garden Center, for 35 years he hosted the longest running radio gardening show in the nation. He is a former PVCC instructor. He has served on the Architectural Review Board, VA State Agricultural Council, Rotary Club (President), BSA and MPO.
Cindi Burket
Cindi Burket (R) (Scottsville) has lived in Albemarle County since 1997. With a B.S. in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Penn State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University, she has held leadership positions in several Albemarle County organizations including the Newcomers Club of Greater Charlottesville and the Albemarle County Republican Committee.
Jane Dittmar
Jane Dittmar (D) (Scottsville) holds a UVa Economics degree and launched her business career here in Charlottesville. She co-founded organizations that encourage job creation and support career or college ready high school graduates and for nine years was President of the Chamber of Commerce. As a professional mediator since 2001, Jane trains new mediators and supports mediation in all Albemarle County courts.
