Previous Chairs
The following is a list of past chairs and their speakers and, where available, the topics for the week.
2023 – April and Ray Castoldi – Dr. Earl Showerman – “A Midsummers Night Daydream” – The Shakespeare authorship question.
2022 – Jill and Jeff Loewer – Daniel Post Senning – “Consideration, Respect, and Honesty . . . Creating and Nurturing Our Relationships and Communities in Today’s World”
2021 – Cathy Bertasi, Ann Etter, Lisa Gresser: – Catherine Dunn – “Looking Forward”
2020 – Our Virtual Year!
2019 – Joy Close and Susan O’Loughlin – Donna Washington – “Who Are You?”
2018 – Jenny Easter Nelson, Louise Williams, and David Yermack – Sarah Somers – “Social Justice Advocacy Through the Law”
2017 – Dale Stewart and Keith Knox – Professor Gregory Heyworth, Ph.D. – “The Book and the Origin of Western Culture”
2016 – Steve and Cyndy Parr – Bob Pappalardo – “Exploration”
2015 – David and Susanna Cook – Robbin Phillips – “Creativity and Passion Conversations”
2014 – Sally Easter Jr., Holly Hunnicut, Mary Trudeau – “If a Tree Talks in the Forest… Eavesdropping on the Chemical Dialogues of Plants”
2013 – Judy and Dennis O’Keefe – Laurie Helgoe – “Ebb: The Art of Pulling Back”
2012 – Elissa Best and David Epstein – Rob Williams – “Making Sense of Our Media Matrix: Understanding our 21st Century Media Culture”
2011 – Scott and Annie Stewart – David Yermack, Sally Blount, Ned Tillman, and Louise Williams – “Rejuvenating America: What Will it Take?”
2010 – Carl and Cheryl Anne Sturken – David Garland & Robert Levin – “Ears Wide Open: A Musical Odyssey”
2009 – Laurie Powsner and Jon Krejci – Mark Harris – “Grave Matters”
2008 – Tom and Tricia Coleman – Bernd Heinrich – “The Birds, The Bees, The Trees, and the Rest”
2007 – Tom and Tricia Coleman – conference cancelled due to Island closure
2006 – Joel Fredericks and Betsy Berg – Alfie Kohn – “Asking the Radical Questions”
2005 – Hal and Val Basdekis – Rev. Ed Hardy – “In the Moment” (Buddhist practice)
2004 – Bart Bouricius and Connie Lentz – Julian Sagan and Lynn Margulies – Cosmology
2003 – Stan and Kim Corfman – Sally Blount Lyon
2002 – Phil and Pam Pierce – Rev. Ed Lane – “Slow the Pace, Savor the Journey”
2001 – Bill Tibbs and Kemp Harris – Tom Ashbrook – “Entrepreneurism” and Rudolph Byrd, Ph.D. – “Imagined Communities”
2000 – Charlie and Karen Close – Jerry Handspicker – “Neurolinguistic Programming”
1999 – John and Estelle Best – Rev. Paul Hull
1998 – Larry and Paula Phillips – Barry Mallis
1997 – Dug and Judy Miller – Lee Hellman et al – “Entomology”
1996 – Deb and Ben Soule – Meg Riley and Chip Berlet, with Denny Davidoff – “God Fearing People: A Look at the Religious Right in America”
1995 – Jim Sersich and Anne Lenox – Andy Hahn, Ph.D. – “The Enneagram”
1994 – Bill and Chris Gimpel – Lee Hellman – “Entomology”
1993 – David and Carla Osgood – Al Alschuler
1992 – Ned and Kathy Tillman – John and Pauline Pittenger
1991 – Paul and Lisa Jennings – Peter Frost
1990 – Richard and Cathy Case – Rev. Dr. Stephan Papa – “An Agnostic Talks to God”
1989 – Ed and Jan Colby – Dr. Dixie Lee Ray – “Nuclear Power”
1988 – Roy and Marion Cook – Mary Lou, Phil, Peter and Kristin Isaacson – “Music”
1987 – Tom and Debbie Walton – Peter Heed
1986 – Ray and Barbara Hallows – Ellen Chances
1985 – David and Wanda Wood – Ned and Norma Benner
1984 – Jim and Jan Prochaska – Richard Gelles
1983 – Charlie and Betsy Close – Walter Murphy
1982 – Roger and Rita Van Tassel – John Weiss
1981 – Roger and Jane Trudeau – Philip Bertoni – “Computers”
1980 – Larry and Elizabeth Yermack – Zoltan Buki and Linda Constant
1979 – Charles Case and Sherry Walworth – Rev. Charles Gaines and family – “The Family”
1978 – Charles and Mary Ascher – Bob Tignor
1977 – Roe and Barbara Hendrick – David Cohen
1976 – Bill and Christine Clegg – Leon Martel
1975 – Alan and Corny Clark – Jim and Jan Prochaska – “Intimacy, Sexuality, Marriage, Parenthood, Careers: Are They Compatible?”
1974 – George and Sally Easter – Marvin Bressler – “Some Doctrines of Secular Salvation”
1973 – Enoch and Marilyn Durbin – Ralph Siu – “Taoism”
1972 – Bob and Bobby Jorgenson – Bill Moors and Sara Erman – “Prsion Reform”
1971 – Henry and Dana Powsner – Sheldon Hackney – “The Future of the University”
1970 – Pete and Bev LaSonde – Bill Lacey – “Contemporary Theatre as a Mirror of the Human Condition”
1969 – Dick and Dotty Johanssen – Chuck Stone – Alternative to Racial Chaos”
1968 – Alex and Marge Diachishin – Dick Dewey – “Planning: Road to Surfdom or Doorway to Freedom?”
1967 – Norman and Jeanne Saunders – Dick Howard – “Our Botanical Resources”
1966 -Bill and Helene McVey – Bill Caudill – “Cross-Cultural Study of the Family: Japan and the U.S.”
1965 – John and Margret Kolbjornsen – LeRoy Smith – “The Individual and the Media of Communication”
1964 – Ted and Anita Bierman – Vincent Whitney – “World Population: Challenge or Dilemma?”
1963 – Frank and Bea Robbins – Rev. Paul Carnes – “God and Man: Five Alternatives”
1962 – Bill and Peg Brennan – George Zabriskie – “The Film as Communication”
1961 – George and Ellen Bryant – Russell Smith – “The Semantics of Expression and Communication”
1960 – Don and Phyllis Brookfield – Alex Magoun – “Don’t Underrate the Duty to be Happy”
1959 – Cliff and Imogene Follansbee – Amiya Chakravarty – “Our Heritage of Great Ideas”
1958 – Byron and Miriam Saunders – Joe Bram – “Man and Culture”
1957 – Oscar and Vera Weiner – Dan Fenn – “The Amateur in the Political Jungle”
1956 – Jack and Jean Dunn – Rev. Harry Scholefield – “Directions”
1955 – Bill and Jean Barnes – Sam Bole – “One CAN Do Something”
1954 – Reg and Terry Perry – Norman Cousins – “How to Grow a Better Breed of Man”
1953 – Henry and Betsy Littlejohn – Rev. Donald Harrington – “Are Eastern and Western Cultures Basically Incompatible?”
1952 – Robert and Jacqueline Clark – Harry and Bonaro Overstreet – “Building Sound Human Relations”
1951 – Win and Marion Southworth – Francis Russell – “Living with Today’s World”
1950 – Dick and Nancy Case – Dilworth Lupton – “Secrets of Successful Living”
1949 – Al and Janet Webster – Rabbi Goldstein – “Personality and the Family”
1948 – Fred and Jeanne Kimball – “The Liberal Family”
1947 – Roly and Polly Greeley – six speakers, on the topic “Freedom and Security”
1946 – Fred and Ginny McGill – Karl Deutsch (speaker)