Past Programs

By John N. Low, JD, Ph.D.

Professor Low will share the story of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and their influence on southwest Michigan. From ancient times to the present and future, the Pokagon Potawatomi have always relied on the power of storytelling to sustain themselves and their community.

John N. Low received his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan and is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He is also the recipient of a graduate certificate in Museum Studies and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is a retired Professor from Ohio State University and former Director of the Newark Earthworks Center.

We will carpool and meet at the museum at 10:00 a.m. for a tour followed by lunch.

This is a member-only trip:

Members – RSVP REQUIRED by October 1 – contact Julie Rubin.

Non-members – click the link below to find out how to join Scott Club or email info@scottclub.org for more information.

https://scottclub.org/join/

By Steven D Rigoni

Steven will present a first-person impression of James Henry Wheaton, a local soldier who served in the 1st Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Steve’s research for this presentation is drawn from over 70 letters sent home by Wheaton, as well as period newspapers and other historical records.

Steven is a historian with a wide range of interests from the Civil War, WWI and WWII aviation, and all Local SW Michigan history. He is particularly interested in collecting, researching, and constructing educational and informative displays of Michigan Civil War Images and Letters, and WWII Drone Engines.

By Nancy Brock

Late in WWI the United States sent over 5,000 soldiers to Archangel in northern Russia at the request of the British allies. Many believed their mission was to guard supplies, but the mission changed. What happened? Who was there? Nancy Brock will present a brief history of the 1918-1919 Polar Bear Expedition with bio sketches of area veterans who participated and to remember their contributions and experiences.

Nancy is a Mattawan native with a lifelong appreciation of local history. She has been researching WWI Polar Bears from southwest Michigan for more than eight years.

By Timothy Horan

Timothy Horan, a South Haven native, will share his poetry designed to assist humanity in its integral role in the functioning of the sacred web of life and the importance of becoming engaged.

He served on the South Haven City Council as a Council Member and Mayor from 1978-1984. During his administration, the Downtown Development work began. He has worked as a public school teacher and, for decades, as an Executive Director for Indian Housing for 5 Native American Tribes. He has a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies from John F Kennedy University, with a concentration in ecology and Native American spirituality.

By Jo Ann Flowers

Identity theft is widespread and varied. While there are many ways for fraudsters to poach your identity, there are also many simple steps you can take to help keep them at bay. This is an opportunity to review your ID protection checklist and to learn steps you can start using today to help protect your identity.

Since 2015, Jo Ann Flowers has been an AARP Michigan volunteer with the driver safety program and a presenter on various topics, including brain health and fraud.

By Sharon Carlson, President, Kalamazoo Ladies’ Library Association

Ladies’ Library Associations existed in more than 100 communities in Michigan between the 1850s and early twentieth century. Many provided the first subscription-based library services, and some helped shepherd public libraries. This program will provide the background that made Michigan so well suited to these institutions and tell the stories of some of the women who helped promote this movement. It will also talk about the evolution and decline of the movement, as well as the tangible legacy these organizations left behind.

Sharon Carlson retired as head of Western Michigan University’s Zhang Legacy Collections Center in 2020. She is an archival and historical consultant and has worked for the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and the Meijer Corporation. Ms. Carlson has graduate degrees in history and library science with the main focus of her dissertation research having been on ladies’ library associations in Michigan. She is currently the president of the Kalamazoo Ladies’ Library Association and has served as president of the Historical Society of Michigan.