Category: All Posts (Page 5 of 19)

Rear Admiral John Weigold IV, Reserve Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, will talk about Pacific Operations that include the South China Sea and North Korea. Important issues there are freedom of navigation and bilateral and multilateral relations with our allies in the region.

He is a Connecticut native and son of a Navy Underwater Demolition team/Frogman veteran.

John first served on the USS John King (DDG 3) as a gunnery officer and damage control assistant and auxiliaries and electrical officer and then on the USS Caron (DD 970) as navigator and administration/personnel officer.

He has commanded seven Reserve units, as well as the Iceland Defense Force and United States Forces Korea.

As a flag officer, he was assigned to his current role in 2015. Previous flag assignments include service as the deputy commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan, and deputy director, Operations, at U.S. Pacific Command, Honolulu, Hawaii.

John is a recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (three awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medial (two awards), Army Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal plus other unit and individual service awards.

He is a partner with Korn Ferry International, a global talent management solutions firm.

Wednesday, 10:00AM at the Darien Community Association

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSd1ICnCJu8&feature=em-upload_owner

David Polk, executive director, The First Tee of Connecticut, will talk about “It’s More than Just a Game.” His presentation has something for golfers and non-golfers. The First Tee believes its programs help improve the lives of those who embrace the game’s traditions and values. Last year, The First Tee enrolled more than 2,300 young people in certifying programs at golf facilities across the state. It exposes underprivileged youth to golf who otherwise might not have access to the game. The First Tee curriculum includes in-school and national school programs, group lessons, on-course team programs and summer camps. In addition to golf, it teaches nine core values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, courtesy, judgment, confidence, responsibility and perseverance. The curriculum also teaches nine healthy habits – energy, play, safety, vision, mind, family, friends, school and community – that are part of the game of golf. In addition to his work at First Tee, David volunteers as trustee of the New Britain Museum of American Art and is past chair of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, past chair of the Connecticut Sports Management Group and current chair of Church Homes, Inc. He lives in West Hartford with his wife Rennie and enjoys playing golf at the Hartford Golf Club.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhcV04Ta2E&feature=em-upload_owner

John Rousmaniere will present “The America’s Cup, Then and Now,” an entertaining review of
the nearly 170-year history of one of the world’s most celebrated and sometimes controversial sports trophies.

John is the author of 30 books covering a wide range of topics, including the America’s Cup, yachting history and seamanship. His books include Fastnet Force 10, After the Storm, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship and three histories of the America’s Cup.

He is a recipient of the Mystic Seaport W.P. Stephens Award for maritime history.

John has sailed more than 40,000 miles in many waters and is a member of the New York Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America. He headed the media operation for the four most recent Newport-Bermuda races.

Descended from a Frenchman who served on the rebels’ side in the American Revolution, John is an alumnus of Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary.

After many years of residing in Stamford, he now lives in Manhattan with his wife Leah and sails wherever there are good boats.

Arranged by Bob Fiske

April Foley

April Foley was US Ambassador to Hungary from 2006-2009. She is a former 1st VP and Vice Chair of the US Export-Import Bank, and a Pepsi executive for 17 years.

Ms. Foley is will speak about “Ukraine, Russia, and Issues of the Day”.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: Thursday, April 20, 2017

Sign Up Now. Call or email Bill Winship: (203) 655-3530 or williamwinship3@aol.com

$85 per person. Bus boards 7:45 a.m. at Darien Community Association. Departure 8 a.m.
For an introduction to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, go here.
Intrepid Museum

Lunch at Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse: Uncle Jack’s

If the Darien schools are closed because of weather conditions, there will be no DMA meeting on that day.

If the Darien schools either open on a delayed schedule, or close on an early schedule, the DMA meeting will be held at the usual time on that day.

School closings are announced text crawls on Optimum News12 television, and on Optimum Channel 6, they are also announced on local radio stations WSTC(1400AM) and WLNK(1350AM).

Art Gottlieb

Art Gottlieb, a local historian on political and military history, will talk on whether the use of the atomic bomb was justified in order to bring the war in the Pacific to a speedier conclusion.

Art is a professional curator of naval history and Technical Director of Exhibits at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. He has worked with veterans of all services creating exhibits accurately, illustrating the history of 20th-century warfare and has helped recover scores of artifacts from warships slated for demolition.

He coordinates with all branches of the armed services to preserve historic ships, aircraft and armor from around the world. Art also serves as a counselor and certified senior advisor in Norwalk, Conn.

He uses his professional talents to address the needs of aging veterans and their families and offers pro bono counseling services to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

He served as an auxiliary officer of the United States Coast Guard for 17 years and, for four years, was commander of Flotilla 7-2, 1st District (Southern Region), Sector Long Island Sound North.

Arranged by Tom Lom.

Download PowerPoint Presentation

Dr. Arash Salardini

Dr. Arash Salardini, Assistant Professor Of Neurology, Yale Medical School and co-director, Yale Memory Clinic, will talk about dementia, the degree to which it is preventable or reversible, and the results of the latest Alzheimer’s research, including the use of brain imaging to study the disease.

He is currently the associate leader of the clinical core of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Yale where he sees patients who have problems with thinking, understanding, learning and remembering due to neurodegenerative and other neurological causes. His work has been widely published both in the United States and internationally. He is editor of the text book The Hospital Neurology Book to be published this year by McGraw-Hill.

Dr. Salardini received his medical degree in 1999 from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia where he developed his interest in neurology. In 2007, he began a two year fellowship in movement disorder at Yale, and then completed a residency at the University of Florida under the noted neurologist Dr. Kenneth Heilman. He returned to Yale to complete a two year fellowship in behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry under the nationally prominent research neurologist Dr. Stephen Strittmatter.

Mike co-founded Diligence after 17 years service with the CIA. Mike oversees the company’s operations and growth in the Americas. He advises clients on strategic and competitive intelligence matters and oversees due-diligence, investigations, continuity and risk management practices.

Diligence, LLC was founded in 2000 by former intelligence officers. Diligence bridges the gap between what you know and what you need to know to make informed decisions. With 10,000 projects completed and five hub offices, we offer worldwide coverage to assist you with unfamiliar situations, people and places. Their expertise is based around Business Intelligence, Due Diligence, Pre-Employment Screening, Investigations, Business Continuity & Resilience, and Forensics.

During his career as a covert field operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mike specialized in counter-terrorism, counter-narcotic and counter-insurgency operations. He engaged in, organized and supervised operations around the globe, working in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the former Soviet Union and elsewhere.

Mike will talk about the top crises facing the USA: cyber-security, Syria, ISIS, Iran, Russia, and North Korea.

Mark Albertson is the historical research editor at Army Aviation magazine. He has authored several books, including On History: A Treatise; and, is finishing volume 1, Sky Soldiers: The Saga of Army Aviation. An avid speaker, he travels Connecticut presenting a variety of historical topics and current events. He teaches as an adjunct at Norwalk Community College for the Extend Studies Program and for the Lifetime Learners Institute.

At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked, as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin famously responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Mark will discuss the differences between a republic and a democracy, and how these differences are manifested in the government of the USA.