2009

May 21: Rich Gillespie, "John Brown, the Civil War, and Loudoun"
Richard Gillespie, award-winning educator and historian, will present the Society's last talk before the summer. As a precursor to the Civil War Sesquicentennial celebrations which begin this fall, his talk will examine John Brown, his raid, and its impact on the area now included in the Mosby Heritage Area.

Brief bio:
Richard Gillespie serves as the Director of Education for Northern Virginia's Mosby Heritage Area. A 30-year veteran history teacher at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, he retired to pursue a second career in museum education with MHAA in 2004. A believer in melding the classroom and the community through heritage education, he was founder and sponsor of the extremely large and active Loudoun Valley High School History Club, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. In his teaching years, Gillespie designed over 500 field trips for his students. Now he visits hundreds of classrooms and civic groups with his programs for the Mosby Heritage Area, works on educational publications, and designs the public programming they offer. Using storytelling from the region's fascinating past, his programs emphasize the notion of "heritage stewardship" for the region's historical landscape. He designs and directs the Mosby Heritage Area's Cavaliers, Courage, and Coffee programs as well as The Fireside Mosby, Saturday Morning Specials, and the Heritage Area's annual day-long Adventure in History (which this year will focus on John Brown).

Gillespie has both a B.A. in History and M. A. in Museum Education from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His history teaching earned him the the U.S. Capitol Historical Society's Teacher of the Year for 1982, the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for Loudoun County in 1993, the Loudoun History Award from Thomas Balch Library in 1996, and the Virginia Historical Society's Brenton S. Halsey Award (their teacher of the year) in 2003.

April 16: Dieter Steiner, "A New Dawn for Germany – From Ashes to Reunification, an Ambassador’s Vision Come True"
Dieter Steiner, a photojournalist with over 40 years of experience, was a friend of Ambassador George McGhee. Mr. Steiner will share with us his observations on the changing social and political climates of Germany over the past few decades. He will focus on the nation as it was envisioned by Ambassador McGhee and as it is today.

Brief bio for Dieter Steiner:

• 1932 — Born in Koenigsberg (East Prussia), Germany (May 23)
• 1947-1948 — Advisor for school and youth affairs to the Office of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany (John McCloy), Frankfurt, Germany
• 1948-1955 — Member of Youth for Europe & European Union/Alliance for Europe
• 1951-1954 — Attended the School of Photography in West Berlin and classes in journalism at the Berlin Institute of Politics. Took an internship in business journalism in Frankfurt
• 1956 — Public Relations Representative, Pan American, Frankfurt Airport
• 1956-1958 — Photojournalist, International News Service/News Photos (Hearst), based in Berlin until Hearst sold INS/INP to United Press (Scripps Howard)
• 1958-1959 — Based for United Press International (UPI) in Beirut, Lebanon
• 1960-1961 — Congo, Africa
• 1962-1964 — Moscow, USSR
• 1964 — Returned to Frankfurt, Germany, covering for UPI breaking news events in Western and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa
• 1965 — Joined STERN Magazine, Hamburg, and was transferred to New York as staff correspondent/photo editor.
• 1968-1978 — Transferred from NYC to Moscow as bureau chief for STERN Magazine, then back to Hamburg to take position as executive picture editor for eight years.
• 1978 — Moved to sister publication, GEO Magazine, as deputy editor-in-chief.
  Participated in the executive planning board of Gruner + Jahr Publishing, was involved in decision-making discussions regarding financial and editorial status of GEO Magazine.
  Served as liaison between the editors-in-chief of GEO Germany, GEO France and GEO USA.
• 1985-1997 — Re-joined STERN Magazine as bureau chief in New York. Had overall responsibility for the U.S. operations, including establishing and supervising the annual $1 Million-plus budget of Stern Magazine Corporation.
  Served as liaison with U.S. media on joint and special reports
  Co-edited seven books, A Day in the Life of America, A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union, etc.
• 1997 — Retired after more than 40 years in journalism, and moved from New York City to St. Augustine, Florida
• Jury member of White House Press Photographers Association, Washington
  Jury member POY (Pictures of the Year/National Press Photographers Association)/ School of Journalism, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
  Jury member first Alfred Eisenstaedt award, Life Magazine/Columbia University (1998)
  Life member of Society of Professional Journalists (Sygma Delta Chi), USA, since 1967
  Former board member of German-American Partnership Program (GAPP), New York
  Former board member of Foreign Press Association, New York

March 19: Richard Roe, "North Atlantic Marine Resources and Their Environments – The Impacts of Overfishing and Environmental Change"
The speaker will be Richard Roe, a retired marine scientist and marine fisheries administrator who will present on the current status of the North Atlantic and the effect of overfishing. He has quite a background ranging from oceanic exploratory fishing, to serving as the Directors of: the Offices of Marine Mammals and Endangered Species, the Office of Fishery Management and the Office of Environmental Science and Technology. He was involved in managing and regulating commercial and recreational marine fisheries and fishermen, marine environmental and habitat protection, and protection of marine mammals and endangered marine animals.

Brief bio for Richard Roe:

• Education – B.S., Rutgers University (1958); M.S., Utah State University (1962)
• Started with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Pascagoula, MS (1963)
• Spent 12 years doing oceanic exploratory fishing and marine science in the western North Atlantic between North Carolina and Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
• Transferred to Washington, D.C. Office of NOAA, National Marine Fisheries (1975)
• Served as the Director of the Service's Office of Marine Mammals and Endangered Species
• Served as Director of the Office of Fisheries Management and became Director of the Northeast Regional Office (one of five regional offices), Gloucester, MA (1987) – Responsibilities included: managing and regulating commercial and recreational marine fisheries and fishermen; marine environmental and habitat protection; proection of marine mammals and endangered marine animals
• Assumed Directorship of the Office of Environmental Science and Technology, Washington, D.C. (1984)
• Retired after 32 years of federal service (1995)
• International experience included serving on the following commissions: U.S. Delegations to the International Whaling Commission (WC), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), North Atlantic Salmon Commission (NASCO)

February 19: Michele M. Tourney, "The Families of Farmer's Delight: The Greggs and the Leiths"
The McGhee Foundation Archivist Michele M. Tourney continues her series of talks on the history of Farmer's Delight Plantation and the families who lived there. This month, Ms. Tourney will share her ongoing research on the Gregg and Leith families, who owned Farmer's Delight Plantation from 1829 to 1919. As Ms. Tourney will reveal, these families survived disease, civil war, and economic hardships to maintain ownership of the plantation founded by their ancestor, Colonel Joseph Lane. The talk will also include a brief update on previously shared research on the Lane family.

January 15: Brian Lichorowic, "Computers for the Disabled"
Brian Lichorowic is a technology entrepreneur whose first company became AOL’s first Web Browser.  He has developed several internet technologies that have become standard in the industry, including the use of computers to help the disabled, especially those with sight and hearing impairments.  He is also an established food writer, stems from generations of family in that business, and is currently working on a voice-enabled internet service to help people cook with available provisions.

2008

November 21: Dr. Jacqueline Olin, "The Vinland Maps"
Jacqueline S. Olin is a former chemist and research associate at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research. She was educated as a chemist at Dickinson College with graduate study in biochemistry at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Olin was introduced to the field of art conservation at New York University while doing graduate work in chemistry, which lead to her invitation to develop a conservation program at the Smithsonian Institution. She introduced the field of archaeometry and performed research on using neutron activation analysis to study majolica ceramics. Since retiring from the Smithsonian in 1995, Ms. Olin has focused on research involving the Beinecke Library’s Vinland Map.

2007