George Lovic Pierce Radcliffe (1877 – 1974) was a two-term U.S. Senator from the Eastern Shore whose life and civic engagement spanned nearly a century of American history from post-Civil War to Watergate.  Join Chesapeake Forum on March 1st for “The Extraordinary Life and Times of Senator George Radcliffe” and learn about one of Dorchester County’s most illustrious citizens from someone who knew him well – his grandson, George Radcliffe, Jr.

Radcliffe traces the arc of his grandfather’s career across almost 100 years of United States history, from the post-Civil War period to Watergate. Senator Radcliffe worked closely with three U.S. presidents and was a senator during the post-Depression era and World War II. His life parallels many of the significant changes in our country during that period, and he stands in remarkable contrast to much of the politics of today since “Cousin George,” as most called him, was a true gentleman politician, frequently nonpartisan and always using his extensive knowledge of history to make decisions.

George Radcliffe Jr. draws from his recently published book “Call me Cousin George: A Personal Look at the Life of Sen. George L. Radcliffe to create an intimate portrait of the senator and to illuminate both national and local history.  Part of the course includes a visit to the senator’s ancestral home, Spocott Farm, where he spent many years restoring a working wind mill built by his father in 1852 and destroyed in a storm.

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Senator George L. Radcliffe is three (3) sessions, Wednesdays from 10-11:30 AM.  ZOOM, in-person at the Peachblossom YMCA or recording.  $35.  Included in the course fee is a field trip to the 1663 Homestead of Spocott Farm with George Radcliffe, Jr. on March 21st.  To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, send an email with your name and email contact information to [email protected].

More than a third of people in their mid-60s will suffer a slip and fall accident. You don’t even have to be doing anything tricky to suffer one – most accidents happen when we’re on level ground.

Join Chesapeake Forum on February 10th as the engaging Jake Cannon, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) talks about slip and fall prevention and the simple steps we can take to avoid the inevitable in his new class “Avoiding Slips and Falls”.

Physical changes, health conditions — and sometimes medications — make falls more likely as we age. According to the CDC, falls account for 87% of all fractures for people over 65 and are the 2nd leading cause of spinal cord and brain injuries. Half of all accidental deaths at home are caused by falls. Most fall injuries at home happen at ground level (not from a ladder or kitchen stool!). We trip, slip, and fall.

Fear of falling doesn’t need to rule your life!

Jake’s instruction will help you be safer and avoid injury with increased strength, mobility, and range of motion, as well as to have a greater awareness of the things we can do to make our living environment safer.

“Avoiding Slips and Falls” is one (1) session, Friday, February 10th from 1-2:30 PM, HYBRID (in-person at the Peachblossom YMCA, via ZOOM or recording), $15. To register for this or any other class, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for adults living on the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].

Those who like their history first-hand will have a chance to combine a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC with the powerful experience of hearing live from a Holocaust survivor in two upcoming Chesapeake Forum courses in February.  On Wednesday, February 1st, Chesapeake Forum will host a bus trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, followed by a rare opportunity to have an online Q & A with a Holocaust survivor, the following Wednesday, February 8th.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a living memorial to the Holocaust, inspiring citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its primary mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge about the Holocaust; to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.

The self-guided Permanent Exhibition, The Holocaust, offers a chronological narrative of the Holocaust through historical artifacts, photographs, and film footage. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will also encounter personal objects and the eyewitness testimonies of individual survivors.  Viewing this exhibition takes 1-3 hours. Other current exhibits include Americans and the Holocaust (45 min), Burma’s Path to Genocide (30 min), Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story (30 min), American Witnesses (30 min), and One Thousand and Seventy-eight Blue Skies (10 min).

Field Trip to the Holocaust Museum is Wednesday, February 1st. One (1) session, 9 AM to 4:30 PM.  $65.  Please note:  The bus leaves the Easton Fire House at 315 Aurora Park Drive at 9 AM sharp.  To register for, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

The following week, on Wednesday, February 8th, the United States Holocaust Museum is offering Chesapeake Forum the opportunity to connect with a Holocaust survivor remotely via video conference. The program consist of a 30-minute interview between a museum staff member and a Holocaust survivor followed by time for questions and comments from the audience.

An Hour with a Holocaust Survivor is Wednesday, February 8th from 10 – 11 AM.  ZOOM (no recording).  $15.  To register for this or any other Chesapeake Forum course, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and preferred email to [email protected].

If February is for lovers, it is also for cooking at Chesapeake Forum with two tasty courses coming up.  First, channel your inner chocoholic with a Chocolate Dinner Cooking Class taught by Chef Henry Miller from Two if By Sea in Tilghman Island on February 5th.  That’s right, chocolate in every course – all five of them.  How he’ll do it is anyone’s guess but you can be sure that the outcome will be delicious.

This is the first time Chesapeake Forum has done this type of course so we pre-paid for a limited number of seats.  Once they go, it may be difficult to add on to the event.  Reservations are non-refundable but seats can be transferred up until the Thursday prior to the event.

Price includes five courses, all with chocolate,  tasty tastes, two glasses of wine, tax and 20% gratuity. Learn some imaginative ways to bring chocolate into your Valentine’s Day planning. But at the end of the day, it’s really about socializing with friends!

Chocolate Dinner Cooking Class is one (1) session, Friday February 5th at, from 4-6 PM.  In-person at Two if by Sea in Tilghman Island. $55.  To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

A few weeks later, Larry Paz is back with It’s all Greek to Me: An Adventure in Greek Cooking on February 14 or 28th.  After teaching us how to make Paella last semester, Larry will introduce us this winter to the wonderful world of Greek cooking with a focus on two specialties that often come to mind when thinking of Greek food:  Greek salad and Moussaka.   To top off the experience, Larry will finish with a desert of Baklava.  (What’s Greek for “Yummm”?).  At the conclusion of class, students will enjoy a wonderful lunch made from all of these specialties.

Classes will be held at the Oxford Community Center.  Due to the popularity of Larry’s courses, we are scheduling two dates.  It’s all Greek to Me is February 14th or 28th from 10-12:30 AM in person at the Oxford Community Center. $35.  To sign up, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.  Please note that class sizes are limited to 16 and will sell out quickly.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected]

Whether furry or feathered, many Americans adopted an animal during the pandemic.  In I’ve Adopted You – Now What?, one of several animal-focused courses at Chesapeake Forum this winter, Talbot Humane Society Director Patty Quimby shares the A to Zs of making a smooth transition for new pets and their owners.

All too often,  Quimby says, individuals experience “buyer’s remorse” once their cute little adopted dog soils the living room carpet or their newly adopted cat vomits on the bed.  She shares tips on socialization, medical care, do’s and don’ts, how to choose a good veterinarian, growing old with your pet, and more with lots of time for questions! One (1) session, Tuesday, February 7th from 1-2:30. ZOOM (with recording).  $15.

Wildlife rescuer Michele Dodge shares stories about less successful animal interactions in Helping Our Wild Neighbors: A Year in the Life of a Wildlife Rescuer.  As people continue to encroach into previously natural habitats, wild animals find themselves more and more impacted by humans, Michele notes.  In this one (1) session course, she shares a years-worth of amazing stories about getting wild animals out of trouble in our increasingly urbanized landscape. Learn about the perils we unwittingly inflict on our wild neighbors. One (1) session, Wednesday, February 22 from 1-2:30 PM.  ZOOM (with recording). $15.

Finally, an exotic birding trip you can take from home.  In Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl, American field scientist and conservationist Jonathan Slaght takes us to the Primoriye region of Eastern Russia, where we join a small team as they search for the elusive fish owl by night, take mad dashes across thawing rivers, drink vodka with mystics, hermits, and scientists, and listen to fireside tales of Amur tigers. Most captivating of all are the fish owls themselves: vicious hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and irrepressible survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.  Join the search on Thursday, February 16 from 7-8:30 PM.  ZOOM (no recording).  $7.  Reduced rate is courtesy of Pickering Creek Audubon Center.

To register for any of these courses and to see what else is on tap, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.  Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore.  If you would like to receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send an email to [email protected] with your name and preferred email address.

Join Talbot County School Superintendent Dr. Sharon Pepukayi, Ph.D and Chesapeake Forum for a discussion on the future of Talbot County Schools on January 26th from 5:30 – 7 PM.  Dr. Pepukayi will review her 180 day plan and share her expectations and hopes for what still needs to be accomplished.  Come with questions!

Dr. Pepukayi says it was while spending time in classrooms that she recognized the need to keep students at the forefront of her decision making. She shared her excitement and humbleness on leading Talbot County Public Schools in an interview with The Star Democrat.

“I am totally excited to be leading a district of students and working with community members where I grew up,” she said. “I can talk to students about my educational journey and the experience I had — I had a great experience — and I want to afford that opportunity for other students.

“I’m a big proponent of ‘student voice’ and having them at the table to help the adults make those decisions about their education,” she continued. “I will be talking to students to find out what’s good, what’s bad, what’s indifferent about their educational journey so that they will feel more comfortable to talk about their journey and what we can do to help them have a great education.”

Prior to moving back home to Talbot County, Dr. Pepukayi served as the assistant superintendent of Appoquinimink School District in Middletown, Delaware. She has over 30 years of experience in public school education.

Dr. Pepukayi’s prior experiences in education include elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Delaware and Ohio. Because of her passion for teaching and educating, she has facilitated an Aspiring Administrator’s Program, mentors school-aged youth, served on various state committees around principal pipelines and evaluations, and speaks at national conferences.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Bennett College (NC); Master of Arts in Early and Middle Childhood Education from The Ohio State University, and Doctor of Education in Innovation and Leadership from Wilmington University (DE)

What’s Happening at the Talbot County Public Schools one (1) session, Thursday, January 26th from 5:30 – 7PM.  ZOOM with recording available. This program is free to all..  To register for this, or any other Chesapeake Forum courses at https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing continuing education opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore. If you would like to receive the Chesapeake Forum’s monthly newsletter, please email to [email protected] with your name and preferred email.

Join Chesapeake Forum for A Walk Through Talbot County History with Peggy Morrey, general manager of the Talbot Historical Society on January 25th from 1:30 – 3 PM.

Learn how to conduct your own research at the Hill Center; experience 19th century life in Talbot County through the furnished Neall home; hear the voices and visions of the African American community in Talbot County through the lens of 11 local churches; experience the beauty of Native American art by exploring the Historical Society’s latest exhibit, and immerse yourself in the “land of pleasant living” by ending the tour with a showcase of the history of life on the water in Talbot County.

The tour will begin at the Talbot Historical Society’s Hill Research Center with their newest art exhibit “Native American Life on the Eastern Shore.”  A docent will also introduce you to the research library, where you may book an appointment to comb through the archives and collection vaults.  Next, you will experience the Neall House, complete with a portrait gallery of the Neall family and their 1800s antiques and furniture.  Lastly, you will take a self-guided tour of the Mary Jenkins House and two exhibits: “The Voices of the African American Experience,” which focuses on the time frame of the 1970s and earlier and gives voice to the African American experience primarily through the lens of 11 early Talbot County churches; and “On Land and Water,” which focuses on prominent 18th and 19th century Talbot County figures who made their mark on local history.

A Walk Through Talbot County History is one (1) session, in-person at the Talbot Historical Society at 25 S. Washington St, Easton, Wednesday, Jan 25th from 1:30 – 3 pm, $15.

If communing with poets, novelists or madmen makes you want to settle in for the long winter, Chesapeake Forum has a literary journey or two in store starting Tuesday January 17th when instructor Bev Williams uses his extensive background teaching English Literature to turn the spotlight on William Faulkner’s short stories.  To sign up for any of these courses, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

In his acceptance speed for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949, Faulkner famously described his writing as “a life’s work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit …”

What were the old universal truths – the agony and sweat of the human spirit – that he felt such a duty to write about?  In William Faulkner’s Fiction – Selected Short Stories, you’ll explore the nuances of Faulkner’s work in three (3) sessions, January 17, 24, 31 from 1-2:30 PM.  HYBRID (in-person at the Peachblossom YMCA, ZOOM or recording). $35

Another writer who was arguably in agony most of the time was Edgar Allen Poe – chronically broke, alcoholic, and deeply melancholy. Chris Semtner, an internationally recognized expert on Poe and curator of the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, will lead a virtual tour of the Museum in Edgar Allen Poe’s Life and Legacy on Thursday, January 26th.  Semtner will look at the events that shaped Poe’s life and ask why are we still reading Poe’s works? Who was the man behind such classic work as The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart? Edgar Allen Poe’s Life and Legacy is one (1) session Thursday January 26th from 1-2:30 PM. $15. ZOOM only.

While Poe may be best know for his horror stories, he considered himself a poet and not surprisingly, poetry is the subject of Poetry Matters! Contemporary Poems with John Miller Ph.D., and Michael Valliant, starting January 26th.Poe will not be among the contemporary poets, however as the instructors have chosen to focus on three female poets of color, all current or former US Poet Laureates:  Rita Dove, Joy Harjo, Tracy Smith.

Join the class for a lively discussion of what these poets have to say about life on Mars, the “trail of tears,” and a “playlist for the apocalypse.”Before each class session, Michael and John will send participants “Thoughts for Consideration” to help guide the reading of each poem.   Three (3) sessions, Thursday, January 26, February 2, 9.  ZOOM. $35.

To register for any of these classes and to see what else is on the roster, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.  Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send an email to [email protected] with your name and contact email.

From the time a young farm boy was first inoculated against smallpox in 1798 until now, vaccines have been created to provide protection from hundreds of diseases, helping people live longer, healthier lives.

On Wednesday, January 25th, Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Rennels will lead a Chesapeake Forum discussion of how vaccines are developed, the different types of vaccines and what might be coming up in the future in Understanding the Science of Vaccines.  In this one-day session, Dr. Rennels will also examine what scientists are thinking about when they decide to create a vaccine. For example:

• How does the immune system respond to the germ
• Who needs to be vaccinated against the germ
• The best technology or approach to create the vaccine

In addition, Dr. Rennels will look at how the different vaccine types are able to “teach” the immune system how to fight off certain kinds of germs—and the serious diseases they cause.

Dr. Rennels spent most of her career as a professor of pediatrics, clinical head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics, and chief of the pediatric clinical studies section, Center for Vaccine Development, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. She was head of U.S. Vaccine Policy GlaxoSmithKline for five years and now is a consultant for non-profit organizations. Dr. Rennels has been involved in the clinical development of multiple pediatric vaccines. She has served as principal investigator for over 30 clinical trials and written and lectured widely on pediatric infectious diseases and immunization.

Understanding the Science of Vaccines is one (1) session, Wednesday, January 25th from 10-11:30 a.m., $15.  To register for this or any other Chesapeake Forum course, please visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing continuing education opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore. If you would like to receive the Chesapeake Forum’s monthly newsletter, please email to [email protected] with your name and preferred email.