WC-ALL is pleased to welcome Dr. RAYMOND VERGNE to the Council.  Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Raymond currently resides in Easton.  A retired cardiologist, Raymond has taught a number of classes at WC-ALL on a variety of topics, reflecting his interests in music, literature, and history.  This term he is teaching History of the Papacy.  Look for his course in the Spring term entitled Music for the Living and the Dead.  His previous contributions to WC-ALL have included courses on Don Quijote de la Mancha and the Many Faces of Fascism.  Raymond will complete the term of long-time Council member Ed Minch, who passed away in July.

Each year Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning awards an academic scholarship to one or more promising Washington College undergraduates.  Henceforth, that scholarship will be known as the Ed Minch Scholarship, in memory of WC-ALL’s longtime Curriculum Committee Chair who passed away in July 2021.

Established in May 1999, the scholarship publicly demonstrates the commitment of WC-ALL to Washington College and continuing education through tuition support for undergraduates who are United States citizens and who have demonstrated maturity, focus, and potential contribution to society.  Recipients must demonstrate solid academic performance, proven leadership, and financial need.

The scholarship is a fitting tribute to Ed Minch, who served for many years on the WC-ALL governing Council and chaired the Curriculum Committee, which offers a broad selection of courses to WC-ALL members.  Ed’s commitment to lifelong learning and his mentorship of young people in our community makes the naming of this scholarship in his memory a fitting tribute.

If you would like to get a sense of what is happening to immigrants at the US/Mexican Border, you will want to attend an apolitical presentation at WC-ALL’s November 18th Learn-At-Lunch, the last lunch event for calendar year 2021. Wendy Cronin will present “A Journey to the US/Mexican Border.”  Wendy spent 10 days in December 2019 at a location near Nogales, AZ, where she observed conditions involving food provision, primary healthcare, and schooling on the Mexican side as well as water drops and desert searches for lost migrants on the U.S. side. She also observed a court hearing in Tucson for captured migrants illegally crossing the border. Hear her describe what she saw and experienced.

Ms. Cronin is a retired epidemiologist who worked at the Maryland Department of Health for 26 years focusing on tuberculosis control. She was principal investigator for a national TB Research Consortium funded by the CDC. She spent 15 years working in undeveloped countries, most recently consulting with the World Health Organization and Hopkins University in TB prevention among vulnerable populations. She has taught several courses at WC-ALL focusing primarily on tuberculosis and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

A buffet lunch will be served at noon followed by the presentation at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club.  The fee for members is $20, for non-members $25. The deadline for reservations is Thursday, November 11, and you must make a reservation and payment in advance.

To make a reservation contact the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221 and then send a check made out to WC-ALL and mail it to 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Alfred Sikes will offer his latest insights on what America’s political future may look like in the coming months and years at WC-ALL’s Learn At Lunch, Wednesday, September 15.  His discussion on today’s political climate is based on his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow.

Sikes served as the head of the National Telecommunications Commission under Ronald Reagan and chaired the FCC under George W.H. Bush. Following his government service in Washington he joined the Hearst Corporation to establish a digital business group which concentrated on emerging business models. He currently serves on boards of organizations that concentrate on education, the arts, and the environment. He founded the Reading Excellence and Discovery Foundation that has helped thousands of children attain grade level reading skills. But perhaps he is best known locally for his commentary in The Spy.

A buffet lunch will be served at noon followed by the presentation at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club. Members’ fees are $20. Non-members are $25. The deadline for reservations is Thursday, September 9.

For more information and to make a reservation contact the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221 and mail a check made out to WC-ALL to 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620.