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2011 SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES
(mostly) Tuesdays at 7 pm (new time)
in the Esther Wood Lecture Room




Peter Behrens
Tuesday, July 19

{Behrens} The author reads from his new novel, The O'Briens

Noted Canadian author Peter Behrens will be reading from his second novel, The O'Briens, which will be published in Canada in July, and in the US in January 2012. The O'Briens follows the family from The Law of Dreams two generations later. Told from the perspectives of Joe, his wife Iseult, and their children, this compelling family saga spans much of the early and mid-20th century, including the building of the Canadian railroad and both world wars. It is a tragic, romantic, and ultimately hopeful epic of great heart, imagination and narrative force. 




Leslie Clapp
Tuesday, July 26 & Wednesday, August 17

{L Clapp} Adventures in Ecuador--The Galapagos and more

Last winter Leslie Clapp and Blaise deSibour of Blue Hill headed south to escape the harsh Maine winter. This time it was to the Galapagos archipelago where they spent two weeks among iguanas, boobies and giant tortoises. Then it was back to mainland Ecuador for a month exploring one of the world's most diverse ecological hotspots. From the desert coast, to the Andes, to the Amazon rainforest they took photos and collected stories. Come enjoy a travel guide like no other: hammerhead sharks and penguins, "hummingbirds galore," exotic jungle plants, a visit to an indigenous tribal community and much more!



John M. Roberts, M.D.
Tuesday, August 16

{Roberts} Abraham Lincoln: Purposeful Politician

Abraham Lincoln is universally acknowledged as one of, if not the, greatest president of the United States. He was, at one time or another, farm worker for hire, river boatman at risk, storekeeper and self-taught lawyer, jokester and author, orator and politician, president and military commander, racist and emancipator, leader of men and lover of children. His relevance and importance increase even as his influence is challenged.

John M. Roberts, MD of Blue Hill is Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedic Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine, and a founding member of Colloquy Downeast, of which he is currently a Steering Committee member. He is also a student in retirement of American History, and in recent years has shared his knowledge on a variety of American historical subjects through Downeast Colloquy.


William Case and Helen Dunn
Tuesday, September 20

This special speaker event features two speakers: GSA history teacher Bill Case, who teaches a course on the Holocaust, will be providing an initial overview of the history; and Helen Dunn, educator and Holocaust survivor, who escaped Germany in 1939, will share personal reminiscences.

{Bill Case} William Case: The Holocaust: An Overview
  • Prelude to Genocide: Origins and Rise of the Third Reich from 1918 to 1939
  • The Treaty of Versailles: Carving up the old Austro-Hungarian and German Empires
  • The Failures of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party
  • The Reich’s use of propaganda, scapegoating and law to consolidate power during the 1930's
  • 1938-39: Munich, war and the camps
Bill Case of Blue Hill came to GSA in 2008 and currently teaches a smorgasbord of history classes: AP US History, US History, Holocaust, WWII to Vietnam, Street Law, and Public Policy. He earned his B.A. in History and Political Science from Syracuse University, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse. Bill has also taught at Greene High School in upstate New York, and at Broome Community College in Binghamton, New York. In addition to teaching, Bill coached the Girls' Varsity basketball team at while at Greene, and is the assistant Girls' Varsity coach at GSA.

{Dunn} Helen Dunn: A Very Personal Look at Holocaust History & Its Implications

Helen W. Dunn of Manhattan, New York, was born in Vienna, Austria in 1929. Her talk addresses themes of denial, propaganda, making a difference: those who helped, the strength of the human spirit--choices under devastating circumstances. She will relate her own experience traveling through Nazi Germany (with the help of her German governess) as she made her way to New York after Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. She will also share what happened to her family during Hitler's reign, including her uncle, who was sent from the Terezin holding camp to Auschwitz, and on to Dachau before being liberated.

Helen Dunn is an educator. She spent the majority of her working life at the Winsor School in Boston, primarily teaching English. Now retired, Helen volunteers at both the Winsor School, and at Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that helps classrooms and communities worldwide link the past to moral choices today. Her focus is on classroom presentations and teacher outreach, and she brings a wealth of personal experience to her work.

Helen Dunn encourages those who plan to attend the talk to read her attached essay, I Knew the Free People.




Summer Speaker Series
is a program of
George Stevens Academy
23 Union Street, Blue Hill, Maine 04614

Note: All events begin at 7 PM (new time)
Admission is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 374-2800
23 Union Street, Blue Hill, ME 04614 Tel: 207-374-2808 FAX: 207-374-2982