Second Saturday Lecture Series

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak Second Saturday Lectures will be held virtually starting in May.  Some speakers may present to an audience.  Please see specific speakers for details. Check this page for more information.

August 8- Holly Gumke, West Point 1977-1981: Perspectives on Cadet Life from a Female Graduate in the Second Class of Women

In early July 1977, at just 17 years old, Holly (Zarfoss) Gumke became a cadet in the Class of 1981 at the United States Military Academy at West Point.  This was just the second class to accept women since the Academy’s inception in 1802. What was it like to be one of just 104 women in a class of 1500 at a school that was all male for all but one of the previous 175 years?  What was cadet life like from “Beast Barracks” to Graduation? What were the highlights and difficulties of those four years? What issues did the academy face as they navigated having women in their ranks? Told though pictures and personal stories, this is an opportunity to hear an insider’s view about one of the most prestigious military academies in the world at one of its monumental points in its history.

To participate in this event you may watch via Facebook Live or click HERE to register in advance for the Zoom Webinar.  Zoom will then send you an email with instructions on how to view the presentation.

September 12-Joy Ufema Cousel

A retired nurse, Joy will speak about her experiences working with the terminally ill and opening and working at the York House Hospice during the height of the AIDs epidemic.