Virtual Happy Hours

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, […]

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.

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 […]