10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Courses

  • Lectures on Diverse Topics

    WWLL is fortunate to have access to distinguished people who volunteer their time and expertise to give lectures on an eclectic array of topics.

    Course Organizers: This course was organized by Ann Dolbear, Stephen Engler, Barbara Mason and Bruce Belason. The Zoom host is Bill Cohen.

    Below is a summary of dates, lecture titles, and speakers. For the entire lecture description and speaker bio, click on the “+” symbol to the right of the course title. To hide the information accessed, click again on either the lecture title or the “+” sign to the right of the title.

    • September 9

      The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1791, states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

      In the first quarter of the 21st century, mass shootings in public spaces such as schools, supermarkets, theaters, public concerts, and bowling alleys have become more frequent and more widespread. New developments in manufacturing plastic firearms have weakened regulatory systems. Political disagreements and public debates have raged between the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its supporters defending gun owners' rights, on the one hand, and groups seeking greater regulation of firearms, especially of carrying in public places and possessing high-capacity weapons, on the other.

      In the same period, the Supreme Court of the United States has heard and decided several cases interpreting the Second Amendment in a way that has invalidated existing state laws and regulations and sown confusion over what regulatory powers states have left. The blockbuster decision was New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc v. Bruen, 597 U.S 1 (2022) (6-3, majority opinion by Clarence Thomas) (striking down the central requirement of the century old New York “Sullivan Act”).

      The court has since struck down a federal ban on bump stocks put into effect after a shooter in Las Vegas used one to kill sixty people and wound hundreds of others. The Court's decision, Garland v. Cargill, was based on its interpretation of the term “machine gun” in a federal statute, not on constitutional grounds. Another gun case, United States v. Rahimi, is pending and may shed further light on the subject when the Court releases its decision.

      What is going on? How did we get here? Where does Massachusetts law stand now? It seems like reports of more shootings fill the daily news. Can't something be done about it?

      Speaker: Attorney Thomas J. Carey, Jr. was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1965 and is a member of the Supreme Court Bar. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Boston College, a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School, and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School. He has had a long association with BC Law as an award-winning student, faculty member and active alumnus.

      Tom's legal career includes government service, private practice, and law teaching, including courses on subjects governed by state and federal law. He is the co-author of a guide to Massachusetts Appellate Practice published by Lexis-Nexis.

      Tom has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) for over 50 years, working toward meaningful legal reforms within the Legislature and the Judiciary. In recent years, as Chair of the MBA's Amicus Curiae Committee, he has served as lead or co-author on several MBA amicus briefs in support of judicial independence and access to justice. He is the founding chair, and current co-chair, of the MBA Appellate Bench-Bar Committee, serves on the Massachusetts Law Review Editorial Board, and is a Brandeis Life Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation. In 2021, the Massachusetts Bar Association presented Tom with its prestigious President's Award "for his selfless dedication, leadership, and service to the MBA and the Massachusetts legal community."

      Tom is a long-time resident of Hingham, where he has been active in civic affairs, including service as a trustee of the Hingham Public Library.

    • September 16

      One soldier's World War II experience from crossing a raging river where so many died to becoming a POW in Germany's notorious Stalag IX-B, and one daughter's quest to understand what happened, context, meaning, and General George Patton.

      Speaker: Helaine Hartman Cohen (BA, 1973) of Wayland, MA recently published her first book, My Father's War: Finding Meaning in My Father's World War II Military Service. After retiring as a CPA, she spent years researching and writing about her father's World War II experiences, which included crossing the flooded Sauer River into Germany's impregnable Siegfried Line (where many soldiers died) in 1945 and his POW experience in German's Stalag IX-B.

      Along the way, she addressed the broader issues of war, including the context of the action, its contribution to the Allied Front , the logistics of waging war, Gen George Patton's legacy. and the resilience and hardships endured by POWs.

      She has a Master's degree in World War Studies and writes about lessons from World War II on Substack.

      Her book can be found on Amazon.

    • September 23

      All Americans are aware of the quadrennial ritual by which we elect a president. Some elections are more interesting than others. This year's election may be interesting for a host of reasons.

      Both major party candidates are far older than anyone else ever elected president. One is a convicted felon.

      It is the first time two candidates who were Presidents have had a rematch since 1892 when Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison who had defeated him in 1888 [Cleveland won the popular vote, but lost the electoral college and did not put up a fight.] My lecture will deal with “where we stand” and “where we are going.”

      Speakers: Larry DiCara has been active in the practice of law for almost 50 years. He has also been an active citizen of the Boston community for over 50 years. He served for 10 years on the Boston City Council, and as Council President in 1978.

      He has taught at Harvard, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. He has lectured across the country and is the author of Turmoil and Transition in Boston: A Memoir of the Busing Era which was published in 2013. Larry is also the subject of a yet-to-be released documentary about his role during that era in the City of Boston.

    • September 30

      As Representative for Wellesley and Weston, I will talk about my experiences there, my major legislative accomplishments and give a recap of the actions taken by the 193rd General Court.

      Speaker: Alice Hanlon Peisch is a lawyer and state representative for the 14th Norfolk District that includes her hometown of Wellesley, the town of Weston, and Precinct 2 in Lincoln. Prior to being in the legislature, she served on and chaired both the Wellesley Advisory and School Committees, and in 2000 was elected Town Clerk. Representative Peisch has been a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives since January 2003. She was the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education from 2011-2023, and currently serves as the House Assistant Majority Leader.

      In 2016, Representative Peisch was appointed to a four-year term to fill the Democratic Legislator seat on the National Assessment Governing Board (the federal agency that oversees “The Nation's Report Card) by US Education Secretary John King and was re-appointed to a second four-year term in 2020. She is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Board.

      Representative Peisch is a graduate of Smith College, Suffolk University Law School, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She is married to Thomas E. Peisch and has three adult children and five grandchildren.

    • October 7

      Note: This lecture starts at 9:45 The American Industrial Revolution began in 1813 on the Charles River in Waltham with the establishment of the Boston Manufacturing Company, which brought all the operations of milling cotton under one roof.

      During the course of the 19th Century, the lower reaches of the Charles River became heavily industrialized, home to textile and paper mills, machine shops and industries of all kinds.

      Manufacturers were drawn initially to the steady supply of water power, then to the skilled workforce created to keep the mills running.

      The film takes an appreciative look at the industrial history of the Charles and celebrates the culture of innovation spawned along its banks.

      Speaker: Joe Hunter is owner and producer at Remember Productions, an award-winning video production company.

      He is also president of the Newton News Foundation, publisher of The Newton Beacon, a nonprofit digital news site. A veteran of more than 20 years in the field of educational communications, Hunter's prior posts include senior communication management positions at Boston University, Boston College and Curry College, and, most recently Olin College.

      He began his career as a public radio reporter, and currently, as owner of Remember Productions, is active as a producer of documentaries and public affairs programming

    • October 21

      A linear journey from colonial times to today through the four eras of American and Boston immigration … with some stops along the way to revisit an equal number of eras in the demonization of immigrants, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to today's rants and threats against undocumented immigrants amidst the 2024 Presidential campaign. “Think and act like an immigrant.” Thomas Friedman

      Speaker: Paul La Camera is a lifelong Bostonian, raised in East Boston and Winthrop and a graduate of Boston College High School and the College of the Holy Cross. He also holds graduate degrees from Boston College and Boston University.

      Paul was active in Boston media for 60 years … from age 16 to 76. Through his school years, he worked for the Hearst Corporation's Boston newspaper group from copy boy to reporter.

      He then spent 35 years at Boston's ABC television station, WCVB-TV5, with progressive responsibilities from local program producer to Program Director, to Station Manager and ultimately to President and General Manager.

    • October 28

      In 1000 AD, Leif Ericsson sailed west from Greenland and found a soft, rich land of meadows and grape vines that he called Vinland. Later European explorers sought in vain for centuries to recreate Leif's discovery, claiming that they found Vinland in Nova Scotia, Maine, Virginia, and finally… Boston? Hear about the Boston Viking Fad of the 1880s, and what Dighton Rock, Leif Ericsson, Harvard University, Norumbega Park and Needham's William Emerson Baker (of Baker Estate fame) all have in common. Why does Leif Ericsson stand at the end of the Commonwealth Avenue promenade, endlessly surveying the Charlesgate traffic jams? And what does Rumford Double-Acting Baking Powder have to do with all this? The story is more complicated than you'd think.

      Speaker: Gloria Polizzotti Greis has been Executive Director of the Needham History Center & Museum since June 2002. Prior to Needham, she was Peabody Research Fellow at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (Harvard) (2001-2002), and Collections Manager for the Peabody's Archaeology and Human Osteology Collections (1989-2001). She holds a PhD in Anthropology, specializing in the archaeology of prehistoric Europe. Gloria is the author of several books and films on archaeology and local history; and of numerous articles and a blog on history, archaeology and various other topics. She is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Chair of the Needham Historical Commission, Co-President of the Great Hall Performance Foundation, and an Advisory Trustee of the NC Wyeth Research Foundation and Library.

    • November 4

      Our complex system of providing access to health care provides opportunities for innovation as well as abuse. I will provide a current picture of the evolving health care industry in Massachusetts, insight into what led to the Steward meltdown and a look at what has preceded it and what is approaching. What can we learn? What change is realistic?

      Speaker: Dale Magee, MD, MS is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist who practiced in large health care systems as well as private practice at various points in his career. He also took a year off mid-career and obtained a Masters in Health Policy and Quality Measurement at the Dartmouth Institute. He chaired the Massachusetts Medical Society's health policy committee and later served as president of the MMS as RomneyCare was being developed. He has served as medical director of a medical group helping to negotiate managed care contracts. He has also served on a committee dealing with infant mortality in Worcester, MA and as Commissioner of Public Health of Worcester.

    • November 18

      Meriwether Lewis and William Clark formed the famous duo on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Upon their return, Lewis was appointed territorial governor for upper Louisiana in 1807. Mounting pressures, political infighting, and presidential succession brough financial woes. En route to Washington DC to defend his honor and settle his government accounts, Lewis died under mysterious circumstances less than three years after the expedition. For two centuries the question has persisted: Was Meriwether Lewis's death a suicide, an accident, or a homicide? Jay H. Buckley presents the pertinent material following the format of a postmortem court trial, dissecting the case from different perspectives. A documents section permits readers to examine the key written evidence for themselves and reach their own conclusions.

      Prof. Buckley requests that lecture attendees read the 35-page Chapter 3 of By His Own Hand?—Chapter 3 being titled: A Postmortem Trial concerning Meriwether Lewis's Controversial Death.

      Note: The entire book will be sent in pdf format (courtesy of Prof. Buckley) by the WWLL Course Organizers to all course registrants shortly after the course begins.

      Speaker: Jay H. Buckley grew up on ranches in Bridger Valley, Wyoming, and the Uinta Mountains. He received an MA in history at BYU before earning his PhD at the University of Nebraska. Buckley is an Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University, where he teaches United States, American West, and American Indian history courses and coordinates the American Indian Studies minor. He is the director of BYU's Charles Redd Center for Western Studies and is president of the Utah Valley Historical Society.

      Buckley served as president of the national Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2011-12), which provides leadership on scholarship, education, and conservation pertaining to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Buckley is the author or co-author of ten books including the award-winning William Clark: Indian Diplomat; By His Own Hand?: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis; Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West; and Great Plains Forts

    • November 25

      This talk, from my new book, describes building a timber frame house from the woodlot on our farm—the forestry, logging, milling, and construction. It also delves into the history of Americans' relationship to their forest—how we went from using local woodlands to large-scale industrial extraction. Can we meet our housing needs from local and regional forests again, and take better care of them to provide ecological benefits at the same time?

      Speaker: Brian Donahue is Professor Emeritus of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University. He co-founded and for many years ran Land's Sake farm in Weston, and is author of Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and Forests in a New England Town, and Beyond the "Illusion of Preservation".

      He continues to advance "Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities" and to write and farm in western Massachusetts.

  • Poetry for the People XXll: Holdovers

    Sessions 4-10. September 30 – November 25. Poetry for the People XXll will feature mostly poems that were on previous Poetry for the People tables of contents but never discussed in class. These “holdovers” were poems from different course themes but are now thematically unified under this “holdover” category. As with other Poetry for the People classes, the class discussion is not only encouraged but is essential to our appreciation and understanding of the poems. We are all enriched by the views and insights of those in the class. Please join us!

    Teacher: Charles Kamar has a bachelor's from Boston State and a master's from Boston University. He has taught all secondary grade levels and spent 20 years at Newton North High School. 1n 1998, he won the Paul E. Elicker Award for Excellence in Teaching.

  • Wollen Sie Deutsch Sprechen?

    An hour of conversation for students of German and for German speakers. Basic knowledge of the German language is necessary. We read stories, newspaper/magazine articles and poems. Participants write short essays, which we correct in class and use as a basis to review or teach grammar points. Talents represented in the group make for a lively class.

    Teacher: Renate Olsen, B.A., M.A. New York State University at Albany, has taught English and German in high school. She had a Fulbright scholarship in Germany.