Summer Lectures June 5-9, 2023
Our 2023 Classes and Summer Lecture Series are supported in part by a grant from the Anna+Anton Olson Legacy Fund, supporting the independence of Seniors in the Georgetown, Hutto and Taylor communities.
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The Incredibly Mysterious Atlantic Eels
Monday, June 5 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom, and On Demand
Instructor: Ron Snell
For millennia, Atlantic eels have mystified some of our greatest thinkers and scientists, and some of the mysteries remain today. This lecture will explore their origins, their mind-bending life cycle, and the questions researchers are still trying to answer. This lecture is meant to evoke wonder for the natural world.
Ron Snell grew up in the Amazon rainforest and his curiosity about the natural world has led to a lifelong interest in plants and animals that leave us shaking our heads. Recently eels became one of those interests. Ron’s graduate work was in anthropology, linguistics, and business, but his life-long learning interests go much further afield.
Retirement Ready? Foolproof Your Home
Monday June 5 10:30 a.m.-12:00 Noon
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom and On Demand
Dr Karina Loyo
As your largest single asset, your home typically provides up to 50% of your retirement savings. Are you doing everything you can to ensure that it continues to provide for your changing needs? How do you prepare for aging in place? How do you ensure that your home is protected from unforeseen events? There are so many things to know about home ownership and how to leverage it for your retirement years. Additionally, the built environment plays a significant role in the individual’s health and it begins within the home with fall prevention since falls are the leading cause of disability in people over 65. Be sure to join me to learn more about the things you need to do to ensure you can age in place and protect your hard-earned asset. Come with questions. We will leave time for answers.
Dr. Karina Loyo is passionate about sharing her knowledge gained through first-hand experiences as well as through her continuous habit of learning. Throughout her years in public health, she consistently found that addressing housing issues was a critical component of improving someone’s health. Dr. Loyo holds a Ph.D. in health promotion from the University of Texas and an MBA from Texas State University. She has more than 3 decades of experience as a researcher, project manager, and marketer.
U.S. Spacesuits and Spacewalks 101
Tuesday, June 6 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom, and On Demand
Instructor: Linda Thomas
Linda Thomas will introduce the components and operation of the U.S. spacesuit, which is the smallest complete spacecraft. She will also talk about some of the 400 spacewalks that have been completed from the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station since 1981, including spacewalks to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Linda graduated with an M.S. degree from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. She spent her career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center planning and implementing Extravehicular Activities – EVAs – commonly known as “spacewalks”. She was an astronaut trainer, experienced the zero gravity plane, witnessed three shuttle launches, and was a flight controller in Mission Control. She earned numerous awards associated with work on Hubble Space Telescope repair missions.
Tap Dance — An American Art Form
Tuesday, June 6 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person and Zoom
Instructor: George Bohn
Just as Jazz music struggled to be accepted as an art form, so tap is still waiting for the same acceptance. Let’s explore what tap is and what it can be, and what still needs to be done on the journey to be accepted as an art form and not just mere entertainment.
George Bohn is a lifelong dancer — performing, teaching, and choreographing. He has studied and performed many dance styles: ballet, jazz, and modern in addition to tap. He spent 30 years in New York as a dancer and has done everything from arena shows to musicals to Las Vegas to concert dance nationally and internationally. His choreography has been seen in two opera houses and he has performed some of his own work live with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Come and hear him talk about his first/best love — Tap.
The Georgetown Palace Theatre: Anatomy of a Production
Wednesday, June 7 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person Only
Instructor: Ron Watson
Thousands of people attend the Plays and Musicals at The Georgetown Palace Theatre each year. In this course, Executive Artistic Director Ron Watson will walk you through the magic that it takes for the Palace to put on these productions. From the thought process behind picking which plays are selected, to assembling the talented artists, you’ll learn how it’s done.
Ron Watson became the Executive Artistic Director of the Georgetown Palace Theatre in April of 2019, after serving as the Technical Director since 2013. He has been directing for the Palace since 1999. Ron performed in his first show with the Palace in 1998 and is an award-winning director with more than 50 productions to his name. Past Directing credits include The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Peter Pan, A Few Good Men, Singin’ in the Rain, Man of La Mancha, Beauty and the Beast, A Tuna Christmas, and Noises Off. He also served as Production Stage Manager for the State Theater Company and the Austin Shakespeare Festival for several seasons. Ron holds a BFA in Directing from Texas State University.
Ethics and Leadership Lessons From the Enron Scandal
Wednesday, June 7 10:30 a.m.-12 Noon
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person and Zoom
Instructor: Sherron Watkins
Ms. Watkins, known as the Enron Whistleblower, brings a unique first-hand account of leadership and corporate governance gone wrong. In addition to Enron, her two-decade corporate career includes positions at Arthur Andersen, LLP and MG Trade Finance, a New York subsidiary of Metallgessellschaft AG, both global multibillion-dollar organizations which collapsed in scandal and ruin. In this lecture, Ms. Watkins will discuss Enron, MG, Arthur Andersen, whistleblowing, and the new laws that now offer protection for whistleblowers. Additionally, Ms. Watkins also will touch on her faith journey. What does it mean to “take your faith to work?” Perhaps by taking a risk with the accounting talents given to her, and speaking some troublesome truth to power, Ms. Watkins was given the opportunity to exercise her faith at work. Sherron says the rewards have been life-altering and that she has been on a quest to discover ways in which this path is open to all who look for it. For an excellent summary/refresher of the Enron scandal, watch the following PBS segment: https://www.wliw.org/programs/playing-rules-ethics-work/playing-rules-ethics-work-ask-why-full-episode/
Ms. Watkins warned CEO Ken Lay in August 2001, that Enron ‘might implode in a wave of accounting scandals.’ She testified before Congressional Committees from the House and Senate investigating Enron’s demise. TIME magazine named Sherron, along with two others, Coleen Rowley of the FBI and Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom, as their 2002 Persons of the Year, The Whistleblowers, for being “people who did right just by doing their jobs rightly.” Watkins now lectures on leadership and ethics around the globe and as Professor of the Practice at Kenan-Flagler at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Watkins is co-author of Power Failure, the Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, (Doubleday, 2003).
Trickster Redux: Comparing Two Classic Screwball Comedies With Their Remakes
Thursday, June 8 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person and Zoom
Instructor: Ginny Dudek
Can Hollywood remake a perfect (or nearly perfect) movie? This class will compare and contrast two classic screwball comedies—My Man Godfrey (1936) and My Favorite Wife (1940) with My Man Godfrey (1957) and Move Over Darling (1963). Watch as many movies as you can in advance of the class. The movies are available online. What do you notice about the characters, story, and style of acting? How does the style of comedy used in the original compare to the remake? What’s more important, the story or the movie stars? Could these movies be remade with today’s style of comedy and audience sensibilities? Bring your film expertise and be prepared for a lively discussion.
Ginny Dudek is a writer based in Georgetown. She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and an MA in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas. The material used in this class is based on a paper she presented at the 2004 Annual Conference on Literature and Film at Florida State University.
Earthquakes: When the Earth Shivers
Thursday, June 8 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom, and On Demand
Instructor: Dr. David Weinberg
The Earth is a very dynamic system. It is always moving and changing, but usually on a time scale imperceptible to us mere humans. Some are so slow we never notice. However, when the Earth trembles there is no place to hide, and the suddenness of those movements can cause death and destruction on an epic, even biblical, scale –and everything in between. What are the drivers – what is really going on? We will investigate several aspects of these natural and man-made phenomena.
Following his geology Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, Dave worked in the oil business for 20+ years. In 1995, he went to DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory to work on various energy-related projects. Starting in 2002, Dave spent 14 years in and consulting with the Department of Homeland Security on projects related to critical infrastructure protection and terrorism risk analysis. He has been teaching adult education classes here and elsewhere since 2009.
One Single Cup: Beowulf and the Common Good
Friday, June 9 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom, and On Demand
Instructor: Dr. Guy Guidici
Monsters, heroes, divine swords, and plenty of words for war and weaponry—it’s easy to think that these are what reading Beowulf is all about. But there’s a much larger story in this ancient “English” epic. Underneath the story you remember from high school is a story about morality, leadership, and the conflict between the material and the spiritual. It’s a story about us. Come find out how and why.
Once upon a time, Dr. Guy Guidici taught literature to some of the state’s most inspiring university students in a marvelous cross-disciplinary curriculum. Today, he writes, edits, and develops educational materials for students across the globe. Lately, he’s also enjoyed teaching a series of Adult Electives at First Presbyterian Church on historical topics ranging from the Christian Call to Hospitality to Living Through the Reformation, managing to work Hamlet into practically every course.
Gene Editing Technology
Friday June 9 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Southwestern University Olin Bldg. Room 105
In-Person, Zoom and On Demand
Instructor: Dr. Stephen Benold
Dr. Benold will discuss this amazing medical breakthrough and its potential to eliminate genetic defect inherited diseases such as sickle cell anemia and hemophilia.
Stephen Benold has been teaching economics and various other courses for Senior University since 1999. His undergraduate degree was in economics from Rice University where he was the Hayden Honor Scholar in Economics. He retired as the medical director of the Williamson County EMS, but he maintains a private financial practice.