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Local author Tim Manners will give a special talk about his book, Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero (University of Nebraska Press). Manners, who was a recent guest speaker at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., co-authored the book with Waite “Schoolboy” Hoyt, using a trove of records and writings from Hoyt, who passed away in 1984. Hoyt’s improbable baseball journey began when the 1915 New York Giants signed him as a high school junior, for no pay and a five-dollar bonus. After nearly having both his hands amputated and cavorting with men twice his age in the hardscrabble Minor Leagues, he somehow ended up as the best pitcher for the New York Yankees and teammate with such legends as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball to be fascinated by Hoyt’s astonishing life story!
Tim Manners is a writer, communications consultant and baseball fan. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University with a BA in history, he is a former FM-radio disc jockey, publicist and magazine publisher. Currently an essay specialist with The Manners Group, he is co-author of “Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero” (2024) with baseball great Waite Hoyt (University of Nebraska Press) and “Relevance: Making Stuff That Matters” (2008), published by Penguin/Portfolio.
Arranged by Frank DeLeo
Bruce Putterman is CT Mirror’s publisher and CEO, responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, revenue generation, product innovation, reader engagement, and all business operations.
Before joining CT Mirror in 2017 Bruce owned and operated a West Hartford-based consulting practice for 16 years, providing strategic planning and marketing services to more than 50 nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, public agencies, private equity firms, and other for-profit clients. His interest in journalism dates back to his college years when he worked in commercial radio and TV news. Bruce served as an elected member of the West Hartford Board of Education from 2003 through 2015, including three years as chair of the board.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in History and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Cornell University.
Arranged by Charles Salmans
One of the basic premises of the Bystander Initiative is that there is an entire systemic framework around sexual and other abuse, which Guiora has labelled the ecosystem. Guiora’s work focuses on bystanders – individuals who witness the crime – and enablers – individuals and institutions who are in positions to prevent the crime but do not do so. He has previously written books about bystander and enabler complicity in the Holocaust and in sexual abuse in USA Gymnastics and other athletic programs.
Amos N. Guiora is Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, the University of Utah. He is a Distinguished Fellow at The Consortium for the Research and Study of Holocaust and the Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Distinguished Fellow and Counselor at the International Center for Conflict Resolution, Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Professor Guiora is on the Board of the Lauren McClusky Foundation.
For the past 10 years Guiora has been researching-writing-lecturing on the question of bystanders (originally in the Holocaust) resulting in his books, The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust and Armies of Enablers:Survivor Stories of Complicity and Betrayal in Sexual Assaults.
Professor Guiora’s most recent article, Holding Enablers of Child Sexual Abuse Accountable: The Case of Jeremy Bell, addresses the role of enablers in sexual assault of children.
Professor Guiora Directs the SJ Quinney College of Law Bystander Initiative, a publicly funded student-staffed initiative.
Professor Guiora has an A.B. in history from Kenyon College, a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and a Ph.D. from Leiden University.
Connecticut, as we all know, is actually a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Yet only half of Connecticut residents said they were proud of the state in a recent survey, even though 73% felt it was a good place to live. Part of the challenge is that Connecticut has not defined itself around its resources and attributes; there are few who can describe what’s wonderful about our state and those in Fairfield County might see it merely as a suburb of New York. Governor Lamont is determined to change that so that people know better what makes Connecticut special.
Anthony M. Anthony is an executive marketing and communications professional currently serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the State of Connecticut. As the first CMO, he oversees the newly created Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism, working tirelessly to shape and promote a compelling narrative about Connecticut as an exceptional place to live, work, and play.
Previously, Anthony served as the Special Advisor and Communications Director to Governor Ned Lamont, where his storytelling skills and strategic guidance contributed to Governor Lamont’s high approval ratings.
Anthony’s expertise was built over the years in the private sector as a creative director and strategist at boutique brand communications agencies in New York City guiding Fortune 500 brands across the tech, media, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Anthony enjoys a good cup of coffee, cooking for his wife and two children, and voraciously consuming pop-culture from the last 70 years.
Aaron Cooper has dedicated his career to pre-k through grade 9 independent school education. He has been a teacher, coach, advisor, and administrator for the last 22 years. Aaron Cooper joined New Canaan Country School in July 2018.
Aaron earned an Ed.M. in Private School Leadership and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University; he received his B.A. in the Growth and Structure of Cities from Haverford College, and a diploma from Groton School.
Prior to joining NCCS, Aaron was the Head of Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, N.J. for six years. During his 15 years at EMS, Aaron also served as Assistant Head and Dean of Students. Previously, Aaron worked at the Peck School (NJ), Germantown Friends School (PA), and with the A Better Chance (NY) organization.
Aaron serves on the Boards of Horizons at NCCS, the Westover School, and the New Canaan Community Foundation. He has also served on six re-accreditation visiting committees for peer independent schools. In his free time, Aaron enjoys running, reading, traveling, and anything outdoors.
Aaron and his wife, Kara, have two daughters, Julia ’21 and Charlotte ’23.
Arranged by Tom Igoe
Juliet Cain is a cofounder of the Darien Pollinator Pathway with Deepika Saksena. The DPP seeks, through events and publications as well as through advocacy at the state and local levels, to help eliminate the use of pesticides in our yards and public spaces and to restore pollinator populations with native plantings. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall.
Darien Pollinator Pathways is a part of a larger undertaking to create a corridor of adjacent properties—private residences and public spaces—that provide safe habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. The goal is to make Darien one big pollinator pathway with private, commercial and municipal spaces being pesticide free and hosting native plants. Native plants, as opposed to invasives, are plants that existed before Europeans arrived. These plants will be more resilient, low-maintenance and healthy choices for gardens, and will support native insects and birds—enhancing our natural ecosystems.
Juliet has been a resident of Darien for almost 20 years. Since retiring from the practice of law in New York City, she has focused on environmental issues. She served on the Policy on Resilient Forests for CT’s Future (the PRFCT Future) working group 2021-2022 and on the CT GC3 Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry working group in 2022. She was Chair of the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of Darien and Zone Representative for the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of America 2020-2022. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall. Juliet is also an accredited organic land care professional certified by CT Northeast Organic Farming Association and an Adviser to the Darien Land Trust.
Even while veterans are often welcomed home from combat tours as heroes, they also may encounter long term neglect in health care, disorientation and PTSD, and even homelessness. This presentation will address these challenges, their scale, their conditions, and programs that seek to address them.
Brigadier General, (Ret.), USA, Ronald P. “Ron” Welch is the Connecticut Commissioner of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs. Ron enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 22, 1978, and served on active duty with the 2 Ranger Battalion of the 75 Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis Washington. During his active-duty service, he attained the rank of sergeant and completed Basic Airborne School, Ranger School, Jungle Warfare Course, USMC Amphibious Recon Scout Swimmer Course, Jumpmaster Course, Primary Non-Commission Officer Course, USMC Scout Sniper Course, Emergency Medical Technician Course, Special Operations and Tactics Course, and the Pathfinder School. On May 4, 1981, he sustained serious injuries during a line of duty parachute accident. He left active service after completing his tour of duty on October 2, 1982.
He returned home and joined the Connecticut National Guard and eventually attended Officer Candidate School and on August 11, 1984, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. He then served full-time in numerous positions in the Connecticut National Guard’s Infantry units as a rifle platoon leader, company commander, and various staff positions. He was promoted to Colonel on October 1, 2004, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2005 to 2006 as a senior American advisor to an Afghan National Army, Infantry Brigade located in Eastern Afghanistan, providing training, advice, and conducting combat operations.
He retired from military service in 2017. Following his retirement, General Welch sought opportunities to provide support for veterans and active-duty service members and families, and he accepted a position as Vice President of Military and Family Services for Veterans Rally Point with Easterseals Capital Region and Eastern Connecticut, a nonprofit organization that provides expanded access to healthcare, education, and employment opportunities for those with disabilities and the veteran population.
Brigadier General Welch is a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 and a Master of Science degree in organizational management in 2007. He also earned a Master of Strategic Studies in 2011 from the U.S. Army War College.
He resides in southeastern Connecticut. His oldest son Stephen is a combat veteran with three tours. He is a full-time Physician Assistant for the CT National Guard, previously serving in the ED at Yale, a daughter Katherine is attending Quinnipiac University in the Occupational Therapy master’s program. And his youngest son Ethan is entering his senior year at Pennsylvania State University majoring in Public Health.
Dr. Joseph W. Polisi was president of the Juilliard School for 34 years from 1984-2018 and is now president emeritus and chief China officer of the School. Through his experiences at Juilliard and Lincoln Center, Polisi creates in his book a complex tableau which traces the idealistic and determined efforts by John D. Rockefeller, 3rd and his colleagues to create a unique environment where the most prominent performing arts institutions in New York City would be brought together at a venue named Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Through readings and historic photos, Polisi will guide members through the Center’s history from late 1955 to the present day, pointing out the involvement of such artists, architects and politicians as Leonard Bernstein, Beverly Sills, Robert, Moses, Philip Johnson, and many others and reflect on the current status of Lincoln Center as it shifts away from classical programming in favor of genres like pop, hip-hop, social dance, and comedy.
Upon stepping down from his role as president of Juilliard, Polish became Chief China Officer, supervising the overall development of The Tianjin Juilliard School in Tianjin, China. Opened in fall 2020, Tianjin Juilliard offers audition-based programs on pre-college and graduate levels. The graduate school program is taught in English and offers a USA-accredited master’s degree from The Juilliard School. There are also public programs for adult learning and instrumental training, as well as an innovative learning environment, Juilliard Imagination, featuring interactive exhibitions for adults and children.
Polisi is an accomplished bassoonist who has performed throughout the USA, produced several recordings, and released a solo album of twentieth-century bassoon music for Crystal Records. He has published many scholarly and educational articles and frequently speaks about arts and education. He has authored three books The Artist as Citizen (2005), a collection of articles and speeches concerning the role of performing artists as leaders and communicators of human values; and American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman (2008), the first full-length biography of Schuman. Both are published by Amadeus Press. Polisi’s third book, Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center, was published by Yale University Press in June of 2022.
Before Juilliard, Polisi was dean of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, dean of faculty at Manhattan School of Music, and executive officer of Yale University School of Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has been awarded ten honorary doctorates and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.