Campus Day

Today was Lifelong Learning Campus Day at the NMC University Center.  It was a very enjoyable day for both of us.  You could sign up for three different sessions on a variety of subjects.  Dick and I did different classes for the first 2 sessions, and after lunch we were in the same class. 

Dick's first class was "Is Peace an Option?", a TED talk by Jack Segal.  Segal is a life long (40 years)  US diplomat who has served in several capacities.  Dick was very impressed with Segal - his knowledge and breadth of experience.  It turned out to be Dick's favorite of the day.

Is Peace an Option?

A TED Talk with Jack Segal

Join Jack Segal as he shares a portion of a new course

he’s developed to explore whether the military-industrial

complex that has taken hold since President Eisenhower’s

1961 warning can be brought under control.

Jack Segal served 40 years as a US diplomat, a member of

the National Security Council, and a senior official at NATO.

He has negotiated arms control agreements with Russia,

dealt with dictators in Belarus and Uzbekistan, and worked

on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

My first class was a breathtaking presentation by Mary Murphy, who told of her strenuous and demanding trip to northern Greenland last year.  She is an amazing woman, who dares to do amazing things!  I was spellbound for the entire period, and really wanted to hear more when it was all over.

Life on the Ice: Northwest Greenland

Travel 600 miles north of the farthest Northern point in

Alaska with Mary Murphy, retired R.N. and avid traveler.

Experience flying across the ice pulled by 13 Greenland

dogs; chasing seals with Inuit hunters; living on the ice

among glaciers, mountains and magnificent icebergs. En

-joy stories and scenery of her 12 days immersed into the

Inuit culture – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

We were both a little less enchanted with our second choices.  Dick felt that his presenter was just trying to sell his book.  While the class title said "Civil War", I guess the Civil War was not really the subject of the presentation.

The Civil War—A Story behind the Story

Frank Slaughter, author of the Civil War historical novel

“Echoes of Distant Thunder”, will share some of the in

-teresting facts and stories he uncovered while doing re

-search for his book. His slide presentation and talk focus

on the life of a returning veteran in Northern Michigan

immediately following the Civil War and will include a

look at the local logging era.

Frank Slaughter is a gun corporal in the Battery D First Mich

-igan Light Artillery reenactor group and produces a weekly

show on IPR.

In my second class I was hoping to find out how to take care of my aging skin.  The doctor who gave the talk had a nice outline, and spoke continuously for the entire class, but her focus seemed to be more on general health and not just on skin issues.  She used a lot of statistics,  and got involved with questioners on topics that were not always of general interest.

Healthy Skin at Any Age

Skin, the body’s largest organ, is a great protector, sen

-sor, shield, and communicator. And it is largely under

appreciated—just skin. Learn what you need to know to

take better care of this organ and keep it functioning at

its best. Get updates on research and find out how to en

-hance the look of your skin as it ages.

Dr. Ann Kuenker, D.O., has worked in family practice for

over 20 years and currently works specifically with skin care,

aesthetic procedures, and wellness.

After a really nice box lunch. we both went to session 3,  Lighthouses of the Manitou Passage.  Stephanie Staley is a dynamic young woman with deep knowledge of the Great Lakes, lighthouses of the US east coast, and especially of the 104 Michigan lighthouses.  She had a charming teaching style - it was humorous, interesting, and enlightening (no pun intended)!  She has an impressive command of her subject matter, delivered in a light hearted way. We both enjoyed it to the max.

Lighthouses of the Manitou Passage

Explore the stories of the beacons of safety that guided

ships, crews, and cargo through the treacherous waters

of the Manitou Passage. Grand Traverse, South Fox, South

Manitou, and the North Manitou Shoal Light will be high

-lighted in this up-close look at the waters, navigation pat

-terns, and shipping that made the lighthouses an integral

part of our regional history.

Stef Staley is the Executive Director of the Grand Traverse

Lighthouse Museum

Lighthouse Museum.

So my first and last sessions were equal favorites of mine.  But if I had the chance to have dinner and spend some time with one of those presenters, I would pick Stephanie Staley.

 For his part, Dick said he would also pick Stephanie.  She charmed both of us!