Month: July 2023 (Page 2 of 4)

The Ambassador Who Tried to Prevent the Attack on Pearl Harbor 

In 1931, the Japanese army occupied Manchuria. The following year, Japanese naval officers assassinated the prime minister. Conspiracies flourished and anti-West propaganda campaigns swept Japan. Into this maelstrom stepped Joseph C. Grew, America’s most experienced and talented diplomat. For the next decade, right up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ambassador Grew warned American leaders about the risks posed by Japan’s raging nationalism and militarism, as he also attempted to influence Tokyo’s increasingly erratic and volatile foreign policy. The events that unfolded during Grew’s tenure proved to be pivotal for Japan and for the world.

Speaker Summary

Steve spoke about his book and provided an enlightening view of the activities leading up to the invasion of Pearl Harbor by Japan, a perspective that most people have a limited understanding of, especially relative to our knowledge of the build-up to the war in Europe. His focus was on the role and perspectives of Joseph Grew, the Ambassador to Japan from 1931-1941, with Kemper relying heavily on the personal diaries of Grew to provide an insider’s look into the activities of the time.

Steve started with a brief history of Grew and his service as a career diplomat, serving in 14 posts and being appointed by President Hoover as Ambassador to Japan in 1931 in an effort to stabilize and bring greater harmony to the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. Kemper provided a look into the turmoil in Japan that resulted from a complex and often discordant relationship between the military and political leadership and Japan’s move to a Parliamentary Democracy juxtaposed against an historical leadership approach by the ruling family of the emperor. As a result, Grew dealt with 17 leadership changes in Japan during his tenure there. This was further compounded by the rapid revolution of the Japanese culture as it emerged from a philosophy of closed secrecy to becoming a world power in just 60 years. Japan embraced many aspects of a more open/progressive Western culture which created tension and clashed with the more conservative/traditional view of Japanese culture and values.  This ultimately overflowed into debate, violence and resistance fueled my media that misrepresented the role of the West and the U.S. in fomenting these changes.

While Grew focused on bringing the U.S. and Japan closer together, the rise of political extremism (and distrust among leading power players in the U.S State Department), ultimately undermined his efforts and the hope for peace between the nations. This was exacerbated by Japan’s activities against the civilians and cities in China as well as U.S. resources, forces, property and people in the area during and after the Sino-Japanese War. In fact, Grew counted over 300 instances of “unintentional” acts against the U.S. in the area during the late 1930’s.

Following a brief furlough, Grew returned to Japan in late 1939 just as Nazi Germany began its assault on Europe.  The success of Germany emboldened Japan and their view of their imperial right to control Asia, undermining the U.S. attempts at slowing/managing Japan’s efforts at expansion. Then, in 1941, efforts led by Grew and his Japanese counterpart to reach a peaceful approach to moving forward was thwarted by Secretary of State Hull’s distrust of Japan, leading to Japan moving forward with their alternative plan – an assault on the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor.

Kemper closed with the story of the delayed communication from FDR to Japanese leadership on December 6 that might have stopped the attack the next morning and how Grew was then held as a POW in Japan for 6 months. During this time, he wrote a report regarding what happened and what could have been done differently to avoid this tragedy. The report was rejected (and largely destroyed) when presented by Grew to Hull. Kemper characterized this report as Grew’s answer to the question “what if….”. We’ll never know the answer, but it was Kemper’s perspective that nothing was likely to deter Japan’s actions based on their view of their imperialistic right to control Asia and their willingness to pay whatever price it required.

Connecticut in the Movies, a Discussion with the Author About Her Book and Perspectives

Speaker Summary

In front of a large group, including many guests, Peter and Illeana discussed the history of Connecticut in the Movies through the lens of her book of the same name which she wrote to take the reader on a “cinematic road trip through Connecticut”. She started by showing a lengthy trailer that highlighted the many films shot in the state including what she acknowledged was a bit of a cheat by including “It’s A Wonderful Life”, which wasn’t shot here but the bell that was rung “every time an angel gets his wings” was manufactured in the state.

Illeana noted that her goal with the book was to help create a more specific film identity for the state that reflected the true – and total – sense of Connecticut which she feels has not been well-defined despite the number of movies filmed here. She took us through a brief filmic history, starting with silent films and then moving towards movies where Connecticut was depicted as “the countryside” with rich patrons with country homes. She explained how the state was largely shown as “the place you went to when you left the city”, living in towns and homes that reflected the fruits of striving for success and often defined by “the white colonial with the picket fence”. This was best defined by the very commercial and light-hearted “Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House” and evolved in the 50’s to deeper, darker movies about what really went on in these towns and homes as part of this striving for success (referencing “Gentleman’s Agreement” and its Darien locale as a specific example). And then darker yet in the 70’s with films like “The Ice Storm” (shot in New Canaan).

Illeana explained how she wanted to show that Connecticut has more dimensions than these wealthy, bedroom communities/suburbs with their hidden stories. In this context, she referenced movies shot in very different locations like Waterbury to demonstrate her goal of telling a broader story and creating a more diverse image than the one she encountered about Connecticut in Hollywood where she/people from Connecticut were often characterized by people she met as “Aryans from Darien”.

She also talked about the enclaves of actors, writers and others in the industry that developed in towns like Weston, Westport and New Milford. And, in the Q&A, she commented on many of the people who helped support the industry in the state and these towns like Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. And, of course, the role of Katherine Hepburn in helping create the image of the quintessentially Connecticut women.

Video Presentation

Video: Connecticut in the movies 

Suicide Awareness and Prevention Strategies

Suicide is a leading cause of death, especially among older men, and it is preventable. Understanding the role stigma plays in accessing help, identifying risk factors, warning signs, and knowing how to talk about suicide are important concepts in prevention and awareness efforts. This presentation will equip the audience with the knowledge and confidence of suicide prevention strategies.

Erin Harlow-Parker, APRN (Advanced Practice Nurse), PMHCNS-BC (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner – Board Certified), has worked in the field of psychiatry for more than 35 years. She received her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) from Rhode Island College and her MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Her practice areas have included inpatient, outpatient, consult psychiatry and behavioral and mental health illness prevention work. Her passions include suicide prevention, treating patients with eating disorders, and reducing mental health stigma. Erin has done countless presentations on suicide prevention, building resilience, and eating disorders to a wide variety of audiences.

In January of 2022, Erin’s husband of 32 years, and prominent Atlanta businessperson, died by suicide. Since then, she has made it her mission to change the narrative on suicide. Erin’s speaking engagements focus on suicide awareness and prevention, with the purpose of educating, decreasing stigma, and increasing help-seeking behavior.

Currently, Erin serves as the Manager of Child Advocacy Programs, Behavioral Mental Health, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is actively involved in suicide prevention efforts at the state level. In 2018, Erin was awarded the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/National Patient Safety Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

Speaker Summary

Erin provided an informative and powerful discussion of suicide, with a focus on suicide prevention, based on her clinical experience and her very personal experience after her husband died from suicide in January 2022.

She began by sharing some disconcerting statistics about suicide rates in the U.S., especially among older people and, particularly, older men. She shared some of the factors that contribute to the increased risk of suicide as you age and how one of these, loneliness/lack of social connectedness, is especially significant for older men. Erin noted that the suicide rate for people over 65 increased 8% from 2021-2022, likely impacted by the COVID pandemic and how it exacerbated the impact of loneliness/isolation on suicidal feelings and actions.

Erin talked about the role of stigma as an obstacle to talking about suicide and how things like fear, embarrassment, shame and misconceptions about suicide prevent people from asking and talking about it, leading to reducing the chances of preventing suicides. She also talked about “the language of suicide” (e.g., people die from suicide, they don’t commit suicide) and how that, too, is problematic in talking about and addressing the problem.

Erin then went through a lengthy discussion of the suicide risk factors, suicide warning signs and the protective factors that help mitigate these risks before moving on to the crux of her talk –what we can do to help prevent suicide. She emphasized the concept of building resilience which is the ability to handle life’s ups and downs. Erin talked about practicing healthy habits and especially focused on self-care, connectedness and emotional expression. She engaged the DMA audience to help make her point – and personalize the concept – of emotional expression by having members provide relevant examples from their own lives. Through this, it became clearer why suicide can be a greater risk for men due, in part, to how they have been conditioned to deal with and express their emotions.

Before closing with a list of suicide prevention resources, including several local/Connecticut resources, Erin provided five action steps to help support someone with suicidal thoughts. Perhaps most critically (here and throughout her talk), Erin talked about not letting the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing stop you from doing something.

Several thought provoking questions provided the opportunity for Erin to make the additional points about how people in leadership positions (e.g., CEO’s) are at greater risk of suicide and  that suicide risk and protection factors don’t differ as you age, although some of them might have greater salience due to life stage and developmental differences that are impacted by your age.

Erin provided me with a copy of her talk. Anyone who would like it can email me at frankdeleo@hotmail.com.

Video Presentation

Impressionism in Connecticut: Artist Colonies in Old Lyme and Beyond

At the turn of the last century, Connecticut became home to several art colonies dedicated to Impressionism. Join Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, for an illustrated overview of artist colonies along the Connecticut coast. Painters such as Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalf, and John Henry Twachtman visited from New York or Boston and often set down roots in Old Lyme, Cos Cob, and Mystic to form communities where they could thrive professionally and personally in a changing art world.

Amy Kurtz Lansing is Curator at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. A specialist in nineteenth and twentieth-century art, she has organized or co-organized an array of exhibitions on American paintings, sculpture, and photography. She has been a speaker on many topics including talks on Connecticut Artist Colonies at The Bruce and The Darien Museum. Her current exhibition is about Pop artist Leo Jensen and she is preparing an exhibition of American Impressionism for summer 2024 in honor of the style’s 150^th anniversary. Kurtz Lansing has worked with contemporary artists such as Tina Barney, Patrick Dougherty, Dana Sherwood, and James Welling on exhibitions and site-specific commissions, and led interpretation for the Museum’s Robert F. Schumann Artists’ Trail. She graduated from Smith College and received a Master of Philosophy in the History of Art from Yale University. Prior to her arrival at the Florence Griswold Museum, Kurtz Lansing worked in the Department of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery.

Speaker Summary

Florence Griswold Museum curator Amy Kurtz Lansing took us through a fast-paced and detailed history of the Impressionist colonies that sprung up in Connecticut in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. She began with a discussion of their roots in similar colonies in the Barbizon and Giverny communes in France where several American Impressionists were exposed to both the Impressionist style of art and the colony approach to living and working with their peers as they worked on their craft. This ultimately led to the development of several similar colonies in Connecticut when these American artists returned home. Amy spent most of her time talking about three of the largest and best-known colonies in Cos Cob, Old Lyme and Mystic/Noank while referencing that there were several others, including one in the Silvermine section of Norwalk.

She noted that the European colonies were typically in rural areas with easy access and exposure to the outdoors/nature which fit well with the focus on landscapes for most of the paintings both in the European and then the American/Connecticut colonies. Several American artists trained there and, upon returning home, Charles Davis began what became the first art colony in Mystic. While it did not begin as a colony, it became one when he invited others to join him for economic reasons. Connecticut appears to have been chosen as a home for these colonies due to its geographic location and easy access from New York and Boston, and the appeal of its natural subject matter with the many forests, harbors, rivers, coves, pastures, etc., which were reminiscent of the areas in France that had fed this artistic movement.

Amy talked extensively about two of the boarding houses that became mainstays of the colonies and Student Arts League summer sessions – The Bush Holley House in Cos Cob and the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme. She then spent time talking about what drove specific aspects of the colonies – and the leading artists – in each of these colonies. She shared images of their artwork and photographs of the members of the colonies and noted that, while they were there primarily for the art, there was also a strong sense of community, friendship, comradery, and fun that existed in the colonies. She also mentioned that the colonies were very much focused on the traditional colonial look and feel of the communities with great respect for its history and tradition. This made the groups very welcomed by the towns they were in since their focus was more on celebrating the history than trying to change things.

Amy followed with a discussion of how the summer sessions became more permanent in the early 1900’s as artists began to settle in these areas and the colonies became more artist-run art societies versus transient boarding houses. She noted that this ultimately was the time period when art became a legitimate means to make a living. She closed with a brief discussion of the winding down of the movement as Impressionism gave way to more contemporary forms and approaches to art, but the work and history lives on today through the many museums that still feature the work of the colonies’ artists, including The Bruce in Greenwich and The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme.

Video Presentation

Birding Basics — The Where, What and How of Bird Watching

DMA member, Alec Wiggin, is going to talk to us about birds—what to see, where to see’em and what’s so darned special about them.  He will acquaint us with some of the basics regarding the more common species and their behavior, and then alert us to where and how to acquire not only these “usuals” but also some of the “semi-exotics” –those that require a bit more effort to find but are an absolute gas to observe!

Thankfully, Connecticut is favorably situated on the migration route or flyway, as it is known, for many species traveling between their respective breeding grounds and their winter habitats, making for a constant remixing of our species. So, much like our New England weather, if you don’t like what you’re looking at, just wait a bit. It’s about to change.

Alec Wiggin grew up in Darien and returned when he purchased the house he grew up in from his dad where he and his wife, Gail, subsequently raised their two children, Teke and Amary. Alec attended Hindley and Mather Junior High Schools before attending boarding school in New Jersey. He was admitted to Harvard College and a few years later enrolled in Columbia Business School. Armed with his MBA, he went off to Wall Street like many other classmates.

Five years later Alec went into business with his wife. Together they ran a small company specializing in brand strategy and marketing communications, with a client base tilted toward investment managers. After a stretch of twenty-eight years—which included two near-bankruptcy episodes—and with their kids well out of the house and the gargantuan mortgage fairly well paid down, he and Gail folded the company in 2016. Now retired, they are both at liberty to engage more deeply in their interests. For Alec, this emphatically includes today’s topic: Birds.

Speaker Summary

Bird-watching enthusiast Alec Wiggin gave an entertaining, educational and highly engaging talk about “birding” in our area. He was then joined by bird-watching expert Gina Nichol for an extended Q&A session. Alec’s knowledge and passion for his topic were obvious as was that of the DMA members in attendance as evidenced by the number and breadth of questions/comments during his talk and the Q&A.

Alec started with some bird basics – mating, life span, migration (including the fact that, to some birds who summer much farther north, Darien might be where they spend the winter or, as Alec stated, be their Miami Beach). He talked about bird calls versus songs and shared audio of both for several varieties of birds in our area while including some fun facts about several of the birds including that groups of each variety have different names (roost, gaggle, college, radiance, etc.) and that it is a serious birding transgression to confuse them!

Alec talked about why Connecticut is a great birding area thanks to its many forests, ponds, and large coastline. He then discussed several great locations to bird watch in Connecticut including Fourteen Acre Pond in Norwalk, Great Island in Darien, Sherwood Island in Westport and Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison – noting what varieties of birds you might find at each.

Alec pointed out that “Warbler Season” is just around the corner, talking about the 44 different species of warblers in the area (and that each warbler weighs only 1/3 to 1/2 ounce). He noted that Sellecks Woods in Darien is an especially good place to see and hear them. Alec then touched briefly on conservation issues as well as birding equipment before taking questions, along with Gina, in a session that lasted for over 30 minutes thanks to the enthusiastic response by the audience.

Alec provided a handout of bird watching information (if anyone wants this electronically, contact Alec or Frank DeLeo) and encouraged anyone who is interested in learning more to befriend a birder since “birders like birders” and would be happy to help you get started, learn more, or share experiences.

Video Presentation

“I Had Such a Good Time, I Should Be Doing time”.  How WPLR Became a Progressive Rock Radio Powerhouse in the 70’s.

Veteran radio marketer and innovator Dick Kalt will tell his story of moving from Detroit to Connecticut in 1970 and then joining the management team of WPLR-FM where he helped create one of the most listened-to radio stations on the east coast. He’ll talk about the numerous on-air and in-market promotional campaigns he developed as General Manager that contributed to WPLR’s success, culminating in being named Billboard’s Station of the Year in 1977 and building a reputation as a heritage Progressive Rock station throughout the Northeast that lives on today.

Dick will tell an entertaining story of how WPLR made rock & roll history in the 70’s using breakthrough promotional approaches including live events, high profile interviews and more to create awareness and a powerful brand image for the station.

Dick Kalt is a retired Executive Vice President at CRN International and Sounds Great, LLC. He is a veteran marketing strategist and innovator and was a partner in radio marketing organization CRN International, which holds the rare distinction of being named three separate times to INC. magazine’s list of Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies. An expert in breakthrough digital technologies and monitoring consumer behavior and trends, Dick stayed on the cutting edge of marketing techniques and tactics and has been able to identify new growth segments, and media consumption characteristics including multicultural and generational market segments. Dick was inducted as a Charter Member of the Connecticut Business Hall of Fame in 2007.

Dick also managed several sports radio networks (including the New York Giants during their first Super Bowl winning season) and has or still does lecture at several local universities including Columbia, Yale, Brown, Boston College and the University of New Haven.

Speaker suggested by Charles Salmans.

Speaker Summary

Westport/Weston Y’s Men Director of Communications Dick Kalt regaled us with the story of how his move from Detroit to Connecticut to improve his family’s life, together with some bad and good fortune, created the opportunity to be part of the creation and building of Connecticut’s first (and best) progressive rock radio station. He then shared insights into what drove the strategies behind the creation of the station’s programming and marketing, providing entertaining examples of the many innovative approaches and programs he and his team developed that resulted in the creation of a compelling product and brand with sustained excellence, success, and relevance 52 years later.

Dick focused a great deal on the go-to-market strategy that was built around differentiating WPLR from its competition including: programming that was scheduled to capitalize on when the competition was running ads; fewer ads to offer more music; selling FM converters for cars to broaden audience retention and availability; and programming that was driven less by the traditional “Top 40” and more by the creation of play lists by each DJ that reflected their approach to storytelling and connecting with the audience. He noted that the on-air talent “looked like the station sounded” – including a funny story about Stoneman, the 6-12 PM jock with a penchant for warning listeners about police activities to help them avoid/evade trouble.

The biggest thing Dick talked about and shared was how he helped pioneer BIG events and promotions to drive awareness and help create a distinct identity for the station. He talked about capitalizing on Jerry Lewis’ presence in New Haven in 1971 (WPLR’s first year) for a Muscular Dystrophy telethon to get him to perform/headline the first ever official radiothon that raised $20,000 for MD. And how this then became an annual event when Jerry Lewis asked him to repeat it the following year (with NY radio jock Don Imus also appearing). He also shared how DJ Bob Dark did his show naked (including being photographed) with the story appearing in Playgirl – and how this dramatically improved the “exposure” for the station.

Dick talked about how his philosophy of “if you don’t try it, it won’t happen” led to a phone call and one hour on-air discussion with John Lennon, and how activities ranging from a series of in-studio concerts for 100 listeners featuring top bands, to being billed as the presenter for concerts by the leading rock promoters in New Haven, to running BIG promotions that gave away big prizes (funded by the sponsors) all contributed to creating a large, successful station and brand.

One of Dick’s last examples also reflected his belief that there was more to this than just creating and growing the brand by talking about the creation of the U.S. National 20K Championship as a charitable event in 1977 and how it continues to this day.  All part of his story about creating the Best Rock station in Connecticut.

Here is the video f his talk: Dick Kalt’s Talk 

Planning for Darien’s Future 

Speaker Summary

The Sports Betting Market

Sports betting is a large and growing market, fueled by the legalization of betting in many states and the explosion of on-line betting. Industry expert Shaun Kelley will provide his perspectives on the industry, the drivers of growth, who are the key players, and what the future may hold.

Shaun Kelley is a Managing Director in Americas Equity Research covering Gaming, Lodging and Leisure, based in New York. He joined Bank of America in 2004 and has covered his current sectors since 2008. Kelley has been ranked in the Top 3 of Institutional Investor’s annual Americas research poll for 10 of the last 11 years, was Runner-Up in 2009 and received an Honorable Mention in 2008. He also ranked Top 3 in the Greenwich Research Associates Poll from 2009-2013. Prior to joining Bank of America, he was an investment banking analyst and associate in technology, media and telecom, primarily at JPMorgan. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Speaker Summary

Shaun gave an in-depth, fast-paced analysis of the history, explosive growth, current status and future projections for the on-line “gaming” (an industry euphemism for gambling) industry. He noted that this is a business that is in its infancy, having only begun in 2018 when a lower court ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court no longer making it illegal (versus legal) to place bets on line. New Jersey became the first state to allow the activity, rapidly followed by 37 others.

Shaun shared key industry terms that are used to define and explain the economics of the business followed by a brief (since its only 5 years old) timeline of the industry. He then shared the rapid growth from $0 in 2018 to $16B today with a projected CAGR of 27% between 2021 and 2026 and a 15% CAGR on an on-going basis. He distinguished between on-line casino betting (i-gaming) and on-line sports betting (OSB), where the latter drives the market’s size with the former currently allowed in only 5 states. He noted that OSB is seen as more acceptable and, in some ways, rationalized as “entertainment” versus “gambling”.

He explained how the industry has grown at double the initially projected rate due to 3 key factors: many more states have allowed betting sooner than expected; consumers have increased how much they bet (Betting Per Adult has tripled and is still growing); and, the Hold or Win Rate (how much casinos win per bet) has doubled and is still growing.  This last factor has been driven by shifting the kind of bets from single items to parlays of “layered” bets (e.g., the game + the score + highest scoring player) which have a much lower chance of being won. Shaun noted that knowledgeable bettors rarely bet parlays due to significantly lower odds of winning them (parlays represent 27% of dollars bet but 59% of casino winnings/hold rate).

Shaun spent a great deal of time talking about how the industry has evolved largely into a data/analytics-driven business where the betting companies use sophisticated algorithms and customer betting data/history to quickly identify (after as few as 5 bets by an individual) “sharps” (smart bettors) versus “whales” (bettors placing lower probability bets) to individualize and target their marketing efforts to drive their handle and hold rates. So, this industry seems to be as much about data and analytics as it is about providing a means of enabling consumers to place bets on sports events. Shaun noted that the two dominant players in the industry have the most resources and are best at this aspect of the business.

Shaun then spent time showing the breakdown of betting by sport (basketball being largest due to the number of games and the number of bets on individual players) as well as how seasonality impacts betting by sport.  Finally, he shared data on the number of players in the market (by business type/segment – front-end brands, license partners, tech players, media partners, etc).) and how the industry has rapidly consolidated behind two major players (Draft Kings and Fan Duel) and a third significant player when i-gaming is factored in (Bet MGM), and how the economics/cost-of-entry requires scale and share dominance to make the economics of the industry work for individual companies.

He closed with a brief discussion of the risks facing the industry with the greatest likely being efforts to regulate the industry as concerns about addiction and the negative outcomes of betting on the consumer emerge. But he also noted that, when compared to traditional casino gambling and lotteries, on-line betting is projected to be large but much smaller than these other betting outlets.

Presentation video: The Sports Betting Market

The Jewish State and the Palestinians: How They Came to be Neighbors and Can They Co-Exist

As seems always to be the case, to fully understand current events it helps to have a solid historical perspective. So it is with the ongoing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. Mark Albertson has been providing DMA with important history lessons for many years. To this end, Mark will discuss how the Jewish State and the Palestinians came to be neighbors and if they can co-exist. While this history lesson certainly goes back to post-war 1947-48, it also must go back even further. Mark will cover the region of “Palestine” going back to the early 20th century and even further back 100 years before that to help us understand the various claims the two sides have on this territory. As with any of Mark’s presentations, it promises to be lively and provocative.

Mark Albertson is the historical research editor at Army Aviation magazine in Monroe and the historian for the Army Aviation Association of America. Mark has taught history, current events and politics at Norwalk Community College for the Extended Studies Program and the Lifetime Learners Institute. He has published articles in newspapers and magazines and has authored six books. Mark presents in a wide variety of venues on a wide variety of topics, including several previous talks to the DMA. Not counting teaching requirements, he presents upwards of 250 times per year.

Speaker arranged by Tom Lom.

Speaker Summary

Mark took us through his perspective on how the recent struggles and violence in the Middle East is a topical but not new chapter in the Great Game where most battles for power revolve around an underlying fight for the resources in and around the embattled territories. He started with an overview of the evolution of the area that was previously all within the Ottoman Empire and started to come apart with the 1914 onset of WWI and the growth of nationalization. He then took us through a discussion of how this led to plans and agreements to split up the territory to access/control its resources (primarily oil as well as access via the Suez Canal) among the Italians, British, French and Russians. This ultimately fell apart as the local Arab states fought back and threw out all the groups except the British by the early 1920’s.

He quickly progressed to WWII, the end of British as a world power and the emergence of the US and USSR as the leading global powers and how our role in the Middle East was driven largely by its importance for its resources. He referenced and gave examples from historical speeches and papers that, in his view, demonstrated that US foreign policy was primarily economically driven to maintain the US’ role as the world’s dominant power and the dollar as the world’s dominant currency, especially following the fall of the USSR, rather than any ideological goals around spreading democracy, protecting human rights, and other Western values.

Mark then pivoted to a discussion of the emergence of China’s understated role in the Middle East and how they have become so critical thanks to their role as primary/principal purchasers of Iranian and Saudi oil which has enabled them to have a key role – and protected position – in the region.  He noted how, despite the on-going attacks in the area, China ships have been spared.

In discussing the Israeli/Palestinian struggles directly, he again linked this to the battle for resources and specifically referenced the offshore gas reserves that are so valuable to Israel and that will likely impact their willingness to compromise on control of the Palestinian territory.  In response to a specific question about the potential for a 2-state solution Mark believes it will not happen and/or it would be defined as Israeli control of Israel and Israeli military control of the Palestinian territory.

Mark closed with comments about how 10- or 20-year efforts to democratize this world against centuries of rule by autocratic empires and leaders have consistently ended in failure and he has little reason to believe this will demonstrably change.  A more constant reality will be the chess game played by countries looking to control and overtake others for their resources, which is the ultimate goal in the Great Game.

Video Presentation 

Distant Journeys Through South America

International documentary photographer and explorer Daryl Hawk will give a special photography presentation and lecture entitled “Distant Journeys Through South America”. This presentation is a culmination of many of Hawk’s favorite excursions throughout South America. He will be sharing work from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Patagonia, and Cuba. He’ll discuss his nonstop, day-to-day adventures, experiences and discoveries, and the valuable lessons he learned on these incredibly spiritual journeys. Hawk will share his style, philosophy, and the various techniques he uses when photographing subject matter. Equipment, lighting on location, environmental portraits, and travel tips on South America will all be covered.

For the past thirty years, Daryl Hawk has explored some of the most remote and isolated places in the world telling stories with his camera. His photographs often appear in numerous magazines and publications worldwide. He is a member of the Explorers Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and member of the Professional Photographers Association. He has been featured several times on NBC’s “Today Show” and Fox 5 television.

Hawk is the author of five published photography books. “Distant Journeys” consists of 250 color images from the Arctic, the Andes, Patagonia, Antarctica, Bhutan, New Zealand, India and much more. “Quiet Moments” is a compilation of 150 black and white images of nature, nautical scenes, New York City, and images from around New England. “White Pond” is a tribute to a small lake in New Hampshire. “Manhattan” is a color retrospective with 250 landscapes, architecture, and street scenes of New York City. His latest book “Into the Heart of Cuba” consists of 300 images from his recent solo circumnavigation around Cuba.

Daryl is the former host and producer of the television show “The Unconventional Traveler” which features some of the world’s leading explorers, travel photographers and filmmakers sharing their work from various expeditions and documentaries. He produced over 100 shows over a 10-year period and some of his guests included Jane Goodall, Buzz Aldrin, Reinhold Messner and George Schaller.

For more information on Daryl Hawk, please go to his websites: www.darylhawk.com.

Speaker Summary

“Unconventional Traveler” Daryl Hawk took us on a photo tour of South America and Cuba while sharing his philosophy, inspiration, approach, and goals when undertaking his photo trips.  He showed photos from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia before ending with a detailed presentation and discussion of his special passion for Cuba and, especially, the Cuban people. Throughout his talk, his dual focus on capturing the natural beauty of the countries and the spirit, soul and culture of the people was very transparent, reflecting his goal of telling stories of substance and beauty.

Hawk’s journey began years ago when his primary medium was slide photography. With a grandfather that was a photographer and parents that were travelers, Hawk knew early on that he wanted to be a travel photographer. He talked about being inspired by travel (versus nature) photographers and made several references to the style and material he found in National Geographic.

Daryl talked about having a loose but thoughtful plan for his 2-4 week trips that enable him to hit the ground running while offering enough flexibility to react to opportunities that presented themselves. He emphasized the importance of a driver that knew the area well to get the most out of his time spent seeing places in new ways, with his camera as his way of capturing his view of the world. He mentioned several times about making each trip an immersive experience.

Hawk shared many portraits of the typically happy, smiling, engaging faces of people he encountered, generally dressed in colorful garb and often engaging in the cultural activities of each country. Within his South American photo collection, he spent the most time sharing images of the natural beauty of Patagonia in southern Argentina with especially stunning photos of the Fitzroy range.

Daryl then transitioned to a detailed photo essay of Cuba, focusing primarily on Western Cuba where he shared engaging photos of a country and people in many ways still reflective of the Cuba of the 1950’s. There was a great focus on the colorful and beautifully restored (or so it seemed) classic cars of this era (he referred to this area of Cuba as “car heaven”).  He then spent a great deal of time talking about his connection to the Cuban people, his love and support for their resilience and warmth despite their challenging lives, and how it inspired him to return regularly with the explicit goal of finding ways to help these people and support local businesses and entrepreneurs. This has led him to create a private tour business making annual trips to Cuba which he has visited 8 times since 2014.

Helicopter Pilot in the “Helicopter War” — The War in Vietnam

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s almost all Americans participated in some way in the Vietnam war. We were either fighting in Vietnam, worried parents, brothers, sisters or spouses of those fighting, watching it on TV every night or resisting American participation in the war. Jay’s plan is to let us know about one young man’s year as a helicopter pilot in the heat of the battle in the war that was often referred to as “the helicopter war” due to the key role these versatile aircraft played in the war.

In 1968 US Army 1^st Lieutenant Jay Dirnberger was assigned to the 1^st Cavalry Division’s 227^th Assault Helicopter Battalion. He served as a flight platoon leader and operations officer. Jay participated in the Tet Offensive in the city of Hue, the siege of Khe Sanh and the invasion of the Ashau Valley. He was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal with 22 oak leaf clusters and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star. Jay returned to the US as a captain and was assigned to the 18^th Airborne Corp at Ft. Bragg (renamed Fort Liberty) where he was an aide to the commanding general. Jay left the service in November 1970.

Speaker Summary

Jay shared the very personal and real story of how he came to serve in Viet Nam, what his service entailed, the dynamics and role of his Huey helicopter unit, and their missions. His down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-was approach resonated with the audience which included several DMA members who served in Viet Nam. It also provided insight and perspective for those who did not serve but to whom the Viet Nam War served as a key element in our lives given its role in the culture and politics of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. Jay shared how a reunion of Viet Nam helicopter crews at an event 5 years ago at which he was interviewed for a Library of Congress documentary led him to create his talk to share his experiences.

Jay offered a theme about ordinary people from all walks of life being called to duty to create a team to meet and take on the challenges of war. It mattered not where you were from or what your background was, but what you could contribute to the team. And he emphasized how everyone doing their job and making it work was the critical element of success. His statistics on the number of lost helicopters (6000) and that 10% of the 58,000 U.S. lives lost in the war were helicopter crews put the danger of the work done by the helicopter corps in perspective.

Jay shared an almost naïve journey about how being a draftee right out of college destined to serve as a military postal clerk evolved into putting in for Officer Candidate School and then flight training with an underlying belief that the war would soon be over. Instead, he was deployed to Viet Nam arriving on January 1, 1968, just in advance of the TET Offensive. He then took us through a detailed but matter-of-fact discussion of a series of missions and what his job and those of his helicopter units entailed including the challenges offered by the terrain/geography, enemy fire, and the role of “luck” that sometimes spelled the difference between life and death.

He noted that the reason he (and others) did what they did was less about some sense of duty to our country but out of duty to the men fighting on the front lines who depended on the helicopter units to bring them in and, generally more harrowingly, out from the battles they were fighting. He also shared his thoughts on how the rotational nature of the crews constantly coming and going negatively impacted the cohesion of the teamwork so critical to the success of the teams. Throughout, his focus on teamwork, cohesion, coming together and doing your job were common themes for success.

While Jay spent little time talking about the feelings of those serving as it pertained to the broader cultural and political perspectives in the country at the time, during the ensuing Q & A he shared some thoughts about this including how his arrival back home from his service felt somewhat hollow for the lack of appreciation and homecoming welcome experienced by those who served in other wars.

Video presentation to the DMA.  We apologize to our speaker for the technical issues

Video Presentation to Y’s Men of Westport and Weston in 2023