September 3, Zoom Thursday Luncheon Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Innmate Peter Conn is our speaker. His topic—Winslow Homer. Homer is generally regarded as one of the two most important American painters of the late nineteenth century (Thomas Eakins being the other). Peter will show and discuss two dozen of Homer’s paintings and drawings, moving more or less chronologically through his career.
Peter retired from Penn as Vartan Gregorian Professor of English and Professor of Education. His publications include The Divided Mind: Ideology and Imagination in America, 1898-1917, and Literature in America, which was a main selection of Associated Book Clubs (UK). His Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography was listed in Notable Books of the Year 1996 by the New York Times, and in the year’s best books by Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. It was one of the year’s five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle award in biography, and it received the 1996 Athenaeum Award.
September 7 – Labor Day (Monday Quarterback Roundtable moves to Tuesday)
September 8, Zoom Quarterback Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Alina Macneal is our Quarterback.
September 10, Zoom Thursday Luncheon Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Speaker is Patrick Christmas, policy director for the Committee of Seventy. His topic—The November Election: We Can Do This! Pat will update us on recent changes to Pennsylvania election laws and current litigation focused on mail-in voting; pernicious myths about mail-in voting and the related communications challenges they present; and how to help prepare for the election.
The Committee of Seventy, founded in 1904, is an independent nonpartisan advocate for better government in Philadelphia, working toward clean and effective government, better elections, and informed and engaged citizens. Patrick Christmas joined this leadership organization in 2013, after five years of teaching biology and forensic science at Fels High School in Northeast Philadelphia. He’s currently responsible for managing Seventy’s policy projects and advocacy campaigns, in addition to supporting its civic programming, communications, and social media. From 2014 to 2017, he oversaw the evolution of Seventy’s signature Election Day field operation to a broader set of civic initiatives, including an Election Ambassador Corps for high school students, voter experience surveys, and the organization’s comprehensive online voter guide and toolkit. His current duties focus on promoting reforms at the city and state level. This involves staffing the coalitions Better Philadelphia Elections and Open Primaries PA, as well as Seventy’s own Philadelphia Resolution 1 initiative.
September 14, Zoom Monday Quarterback Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Palmer Hartl is our Quarterback.
September 17, Zoom Thursday Luncheon Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Our speakers for Constitution Day are Innmates Dick Goldberg and Dennis Faucher (others TBA). Their topic—The Imperial Presidency: Evolution and Use of Presidential Executive Orders.
Since the terms of Franklin D. Roosevelt, executive orders have played an increasingly important part in federal governance. They now account for a large portion of rule-making activity. Dick and Dennis, both attorneys with longstanding interest in constitutional issues, will focus on these questions about executive orders: How did they arise? What is their legitimacy? Can they overstep legal boundaries? Should they be curtailed?
September 21, Zoom Monday Quarterback Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Ruth Morelli is our Quarterback.
September 24, Zoom Thursday Luncheon Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Speaker is Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. His topic will be “Penn Square, City Hall, and the Emergence of Modern Philadelphia”.
Before becoming its Executive Director, Paul Steinke served on the Preservation Alliance Board of Directors for nearly two decades. He has been greatly instrumental in cultivating the public’s interest in saving historic structures.
In addition to his service on the Alliance Board, Steinke was General Manager of Reading Terminal Market for many years, propelling its growth as one of the nation’s most successful markets; Finance Director for the Center City District; and the first Executive Director of the University City District. Committed to improving the quality of life for Philadelphians, he ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2015, but succeeded in focusing attention on strategies for economic development and job growth. He holds a degree in Business and Economics from Penn State.
September 28, Zoom Monday Quarterback Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45
Alan Penziner is our Quarterback.