Instructor Bio: Gordon Sellon is an economist who spent 30 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, retiring as senior vice president and director of research. He also taught economics at KU, the University of Michigan, Grinnell College and Oklahoma City University. Gordon has degrees in economics from Harvard College and the University of Michigan. 

Let's dive into our First Ladies' lives with a short biography of each. We will discuss how active - or not - the ladies were in Washington politics, from Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Reagan. We won't leave out those who chose to stay home either, like Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Truman and others!

Instructor bio: Russ Hutchins teaches U.S. history, Western civilization, economics, business, philosophy and business management at Friends University. He is a retired public-school administrator and educator.

For a significant majority of Americans, the '50s were good times. The Baby Boom, prosperity and rising homeownership fueled more fun than in previous and subsequent decades. Do you remember "Howdy Doody," poodle skirts, S&H Green Stamps, the McGuire Sisters and big cars with chrome and tail fins? We'll look back on these things and more when covering topics such as suburbanization, television, cars, movies, music, fads, fashions, foods, beverages, toys, games and print media. We'll also touch on social critiques and worries like polio. We'll compare our memories to documents, film clips and music.

Instructor bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.

Instructor Bio: Abby Magariel is the educator/curator of the Michael Klein Collection at The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah in Overland Park. Before joining the world of Jewish education and museums, she was an educator at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka and the education director at the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence.

It might be "the best part of waking up" -- but how much do you really know about your morning cup o' joe? We'll dive into coffee's specific geography and how geopolitics, civil unrest, the economy and climate change affect its worldwide distribution. We'll also hear about the multi-step process to turn those magical beans into your morning bliss. As a bonus: savor a cup of PT's Coffee, brewed fresh on site by their head roaster!

Optional:

Nov. 6

10 - 11:30 a.m.

In-Person

PT's Coffee (Topeka)

Meet us at PT's Coffee in Topeka for a one-hour tour of their facility. You'll see the roasting process in action, then enjoy a special tasting! You'll also receive a bag of coffee - straight from the batch roasted during our visit - to take home. Limited to 30 participants.

Instructor Bio: Brent Piepergerdes is the chief operating officer for PT's Coffee Roasting Co. In his 15 years in specialty coffee, Brent has developed longstanding relationships throughout the global supply chain, from producers to exporters, importers to roasters, and retailers to end consumers. As a green coffee buyer working in multiple countries of origin, he brings unique expertise to topics of direct trade and sustainability. Brent holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Kansas and has taught more than a dozen courses for Washburn University, Haskell Indian Nations University and KU.

Madeleine Albright blazed a path as a career diplomat. Over three weeks, we'll delve into Albright's personal life, from her 1937 birth in Prague, Czechoslovakia, to living in Great Britain during World War II and relocating to the United States afterward. We'll track her diplomatic rise, culminating in serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Secretary of State. Lastly, we'll scrutinize Albright's unique diplomatic tactic of using jewelry to convey messages - either subtly or explicitly. We'll look at one of the 200 brooches she wore to important meetings.

Instructor bio: Anita Tebbe is a retired professor in the legal studies department at Johnson County Community College. She earned an undergraduate degree in history, a graduate degree in education and a law degree. Anita is a Kansas-licensed attorney and has more than 40 years of teaching experience at the high school and college levels.

"And God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the Earth and subdue it." This course examines our efforts to subdue the Earth in North America. From removing the forests east of the Mississippi River for giant monoculture farms to having perfect suburban lawns, which attract deer and geese, subduing the Earth has been a constant battle. In the West we will learn "water flows uphill to money." One in nine Americans depend on water from the Colorado River. But with the current 20+ year drought, significant changes in water usage will be necessary. 

Instructor Bio: Thomas Luellen recently retired after 31 years in hospital administration and 14 years as an adjunct instructor at Washburn University. He has a master's degree in geography from the University of Kansas. His personal interests have always been his native state and its history.

Instructor bio: Kristen Baum is the director of Monarch Watch, senior scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey and professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on the effects of land use and management practices, and weather extremes on monarchs, native bees and other pollinators.

Osher members are invited to attend a special event at Brandon Woods about President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. This event is free to Osher members as a gift from our partner, Brandon Woods at Alvamar. Refreshments will be provided by Brandon Woods at Alvamar. Seating is limited. You can register for either a 10am or 2pm event.

Brandon Woods at Alvamar- 1501 Inverness Dr., Lawrence KS 66047

No admission fee, but reservations are required by completing the Osher registration form.

Let's travel back in time to share the experiences of women who made Kansas Territory their home from 1854 - 1861. Regardless of their political sentiments, women in Bleeding Kansas shared sorrow and grief equally as the territory roiled with turmoil. From the staunch abolitionist Sara Robinson to a young woman robbed of her fiancé, we'll look at the compelling human dramas that took center stage as Kansas decided if she would be a free or slave state.

Instructor bio: Michelle M. Martin is a Michigander by birth and a Kansan and Oklahoman by choice. Martin earned her doctorate in history at the University of New Mexico. Her research probes interracial marriage, gender, race and power in the Mvskoke Nation in Indian Territory from 1870 - 1897.

Instructor Bio: Sarah Rosenson holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in Jewish studies from the Spertus Institute. She practiced law, then taught classes on ethics, philosophy and world religions at a private high school. She currently teaches adults both in-person and online, including several Osher classes. 

Among the many legends of lost cities and vanished ancient civilizations none has captured the popular imagination quite like the lost continent of Atlantis. First described in a tale told more than 2,000 years ago, Atlantis has been "found" many times since. Was it a real place or just an allegory? Can modern archeological methods and satellite imagery lend credence to the legend? Join us to look at the leading theories of its whereabouts and for the tales of those intrepid sleuths who believe they have solved the mystery.

Instructor Bio: David Mannering earned a master's degree in philosophy and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Kansas. After retiring, he rekindled his interest in the ancient civilizations bordering the Mediterranean and has taken several trips to visit ruins in its vicinity.

Throughout American history the military has played a significant role in our country's development. Come walk through history as we examine some of America's most significant battles, both victories and defeats. We'll survey a series of military actions from the Revolution to the Korean War charting those conflicts, lessons learned and those lessons forgotten. We'll first focus on the victories and defeats incurred during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 when America fought against the world's premier military power, Great Britain. In Week 2 we'll investigate the Civil War and America's first experience with the "Total War" concept. We'll spend the last class discussing America's climb to become the world's foremost military power during its early 20th-century conflicts.

Instructor bio: Robert Smith, Ph.D., is the retired director of the Fort Riley Museum. He has a doctorate in history from Kansas State University and has published numerous articles on military history.

Let's jump into the political and social climate of the early 1960s and the circumstances involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. Over three weeks we'll consider the major theories as to who was likely behind the assassination. You'll see numerous photographs which were not available to the public in 1963during the course, too. We'll conclude with an in-depth examination of an eyewitness - who was ignored by the federal government - who observed a man shoot at the president from behind a picket fence.

Instructor bio: Brian Edwards has researched the Kennedy assassination for five decades. During that time, he has interviewed hundreds of individuals connected with the case. He has given numerous presentations on the assassination throughout the United States. Brian co-authored three books on the assassination: "Beyond the Fence Line: The Eyewitness Account of Ed Hoffman and the Murder of President John Kennedy" (2008), "Blueprint for Murder" (2020) and "Admitted Assassin" (2024). In 2019, he collaborated with and appeared in Oliver Stone's four-hour documentary on the assassination, "JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass."

Get ready to trace the history of the samurai class in Japan, its distinctive weapons, armor, code of behavior, and its part in Japanese history. We'll also look at the samurai in Japanese pop culture, from books to movies (including "The Seven Samurai" and other films), to manga and anime. We'll expand our discussion to non-Japanese books and films about samurai ("Shogun," "The Last Samurai"), re-makes of Japanese samurai films ("The Magnificent Seven," "A Fistful of Dollars") or modern-day people who live by the samurai code ("Ghost Dog," "Le Samourai"), video games with samurai, and how to tell the difference between a samurai and a ninja.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger is a retired government lawyer who seems to have found an avocation teaching courses on disability law, citizenship, comedy and James Bond, among other topics.

Since the 1890s, when Americans began to develop their own traditions in classical music, composers have recognized the dilemma of creating the "American" sound. We'll explore how not only classical musicians, but also Broadway and Hollywood composers, followed parallel paths in creating sounds that have been defined as evocative of these lands and its people. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Jon Batiste and others will be the protagonists in this lecture, supported with audiovisuals and anecdotes.

Instructor bio: Emanuel Abramovits is a mechanical engineer with an MBA and has been a concert promoter since 2000, directly involved in many events by international artists, like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, Kenny G and many more. He designed and staged many original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres.

Together we'll explore what early modern Europeans believed about witches and the devil, how these beliefs led to the persecution of thousands across Europe and its colonies, and what these trials tell us about life in early modern Europe. We'll unpack the origins of belief in witchcraft and the devil in Judeo-Christian texts and the development of these beliefs through the medieval period. Then we'll examine specific cases and the laws regarding witchcraft in the major European nations and the American colonies.Content warning: Some material discussed may be disturbing or explicit in nature.

Instructor bio: Cameron C. Engelbrecht holds a master's degree in early modern history from Trinity College Dublin and a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Central Missouri. He currently serves as director of faith formation at two Catholic churches in the Kansas City area and lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife and daughter.

• How the world structure is changing from the post-World War II rules-based structure to one of "might makes right."
• How emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may spark the fourth industrial revolution.
• 80 percent of Americans believe climate change is real, and its impacts are growing. Yet we refuse to change our lifestyle to alleviate the effects. Why do we wait for the free market or the government to solve the problem?

Instructor bio: Charles "Chick" Keller is a retired senior executive and retired professor. He worked 15 years each at Sprint and Black & Veatch in strategic planning and strategic marketing, rising to VP level both times. In 2000, he began a career as a professor in the University of Kansas engineering management program where he taught finance and strategic planning.

The great three-day Battle of Gettysburg has widely been seen as the American Civil War's turning point, the pivot on which the war and the fate of the republic turned. This course will look at the three days of battle at Gettysburg. We'll consider the great (and not so great) leaders, events and decisions that shaped its course, conduct and outcome, as well the larger campaign that carried the war north of the Potomac for the second time in less than a year. We'll also look at the battle's special place in the war's history, as well as that of the individuals and events that shaped its course and results.

Instructor bio: Ethan S. Rafuse received his doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His publications include "Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy 1863-1865," essays in "The Chattanooga Campaign" and "The Chickamauga Campaign," and "U.S. Presidents During Wartime."

This two-session course explores the life and works of George Orwell, a pivotal 20th-century writer known for his sharp critiques of totalitarianism, class inequality and political corruption. First, we'll delve into Orwell's life, from his upbringing in British India to his formative experiences in Burma, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. We'll connect these moments, which shaped his political views and literary voice, to his early works, such as "Down and Out in Paris and London" and "The Road to Wigan Pier."

The second session shifts focus to Orwell's most iconic works, "Animal Farm" and "1984." We'll explore their themes of power, propaganda and societal control, discussing their relevance to modern political and digital landscapes. The session also examines Orwell's influential essays, including "Politics and the English Language," and his enduring legacy as a writer and thinker. Through discussions and reflections, you'll gain a deeper understanding of Orwell's contributions to literature and his resonance in contemporary times.

Instructor bio: Vic Peterson is the author of "The Berserkers" (Hawkwood 2022/Recital 2023), set in a fictional Nordic country. He worked as a business executive and now divides his time between Lawrence, Kansas, and Northport, Michigan.