Sponsored by the ESU Central Pennsylvania Branch Shortly after Ernest Hemingway’s death in 1961, his widow, Mary Hemingway, was contacted by the owner of Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, asking her to retrieve the materials that Hemingway had stored there since he moved to Cuba in 1939. With the aid of Hemingway’s longtime Key […]
The Board of the English-Speaking Union Kansas City Branch cordially invites members and guests to our annual Membership Mixer. This year the Board will provide BBQ as the main course and asks that you sign up to bring an appetizer, side dish, or dessert, and to bring your favorite beverage. The Potluck Party begins at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. Lewis wrote more than thirty books, reaching a vast audience and attracting thousands of new readers every year.
2024 marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill with events planned throughout the year which celebrate and explore his remarkable public service and enduring legacy. Brian E. Krapf, is recognized internationally as an authority on the memorabilia made during Sir Winston’s public service, which spanned over 65 years. Mr. Krapf has recently published A Churchill Treasury, which is the first book to utilize period memorabilia to document Sir Winston’s public service in a biographical format. Mr. Krapf will discuss his book, A Churchill Treasury, and give us a rare tour of some of the Churchill pieces in his collection, many of which have not been shown in public. In Antiques Roadshow fashion, Mr. Krapf invites Happy Hour viewers to send photos of their Churchill memorabilia for show and tell.
An overview of the life and legacy of Margaret Tobin Brown, activist, WWI volunteer in France, philanthropist, and suffragist whose 1889 home, shown above, is an historic museum in downtown Denver, CO. Though known to many as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” due to surviving the sinking of R.M.S. Titanic in 1912, Margaret’s legacy is presented at her home with emphasis on her enduring legacy of social justice and public service. Guest speaker, Pamela Mahonchak, will trace Margaret’s life from her early childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, to Leadville, Colorado, where she met and married mining engineer James Joseph Brown, to her days of glory in Denver and New York. The presentation will cover her accomplishments and her status as an icon in the fight for universal suffrage. There is a lot more to Molly Brown than the Titanic! This ESU Happy Hour is sponsored by the ESU Denver Branch.
Her birth in 1533 came as a result of one of the most controversial marriages in royal history, that of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Little Princess Elizabeth lost her status as legitimate heir to the throne before she was three years old when her father moved on to another wife. When Elizabeth became Queen […]
Sponsored by the ESU New York City Branch Poetry tugs at our emotions and affects each of us differently. Listening to versus reading poetry can create different images and thoughts even for the same poem. Join this special ESU Happy Hour when we bring four award-winning poets together to share their love of poetry—Karen Karpowich, […]
Sponsored by the ESU Central Pennsylvania Branch During this Christmas season, Christmas carolers bring the holiday season to life. Join this special Happy Hour and learn how this Christmas tradition began and changed over time. Beginning with Roman times, carols emerged from songs sung during the four seasons. During the Middle Ages, minstrels played carols. […]
Sponsored by the ESU Charlottesville, VA Branch Katherine Carter, longstanding curator of the Churchill family’s country home, will present her pivotal new account of Churchill’s activities during the 1930s, highlighting how Chartwell, his rural residence, became the epicenter of his anti-Nazi endeavors. During the 1930s, as Europe edged closer to conflict, Winston Churchill was politically […]
Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) was born in Chicago, IL. The Disney family moved to Kansas City in 1911 where nine-year old Walt delivered newspapers with his brother, Roy. Six years later, Walt attended classes at the Kansas City Art Institute. Founded in 1885, the Kansas City Art Institute is one of the oldest and most […]
June, 1940—In the past two months, Nazi Germany has conquered Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Great Britain stands alone against the formidable German war machine. Now, Germany decides to bring Britain to its knees. In order to do that, Goering’s Luftwaffe must win air superiority over the English Channel and Southeast England. The […]
J.R.R. Tolkien was a towering figure in the world of twentieth-century English letters. His labors on Beowulf continue to shape the literary landscape, his work on the Oxford English Dictionary still serves, and his groundbreaking thoughts about the role and purpose of fairy stories gave focus to the thoughts of C.S. Lewis and other Inklings. […]
