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
Sean Connolly, commissioner of the State of Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, is responsible for overseeing the Veterans’ Home in Rocky Hill, Conn., and other services for 270,000 veterans residing in the state.
Philip Vitiello, well-known Connecticut Civil War historian and re-enactor, will talk about the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. The night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley, a vessel of the Confederate States of America, sank the USS Housatonic off the coast of Charleston, S.C. The Hunley then mysteriously vanished with its crew of eight. Questions arose. Why had the underwater craft suddenly disappeared? More than a century later, it was discovered in 1995 by Clive Cussler and raised on August 8, 2000. Today, the Hunley resides at a conservation center where scientists are piecing together clues to solve the mystery of its disappearance. Philip’s presentation will tell the story of the men who designed the Hunley, how and where the submarine was built and how it worked. He will provide a history of the crew and surmise whether a Connecticut soldier was part of the Hunley’s crew. He also will discuss the recent burial of the remains of some of the crew at Arlington National Cemetery. Philip has spent 40 years studying, reading and visiting Civil War eastern theater battlefields. He is a vice president of the Civil War Round Table of South Central Connecticut and a charter member of The Friends of Hunley. As well, Philip is a charter member of The International Group for Historical Aircraft Recovery and the Titanic Historical Society. He teaches a history course at Norwalk Community College Lifetime Learners Institute. A lifelong resident of New Haven, he is a graduate of the University of New Haven and director of marketing for Northeast Food Marketing in Stamford. Philip last spoke to the DMA about the Civil War hero General Joshua Chamberlain.
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. 
Michael Parry, M.D., is director of infectious disease and microbiology at Stamford Hospital and is professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University. He will talk
John Rousmaniere will present “The America’s Cup, Then and Now,” an entertaining review of
David Fitzpatrick: 40 Years Covering News around the World
Jayme Stevenson, first selectman of the Town of Darien, will present “The State of the Town.” Jayme’s update will include a review of town operations and the outlook for changes in the near future. She has been first selectman since 2011 and has been a member of the board of selectmen since 2009. Jayme recently was elected chairman of the Western Connecticut Council of Governments and served as vice chairman beginning in 2015. She recently was named to the board of directors of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and to that organization’s municipal risk insurance agency known as the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency. Jayme has served on a wide variety of Darien nonprofit boards, including The Depot, the Darien Nature Center and the First Congregational Church Nursery School. She also was chairman of the Parent Teachers Organization for Royle Elementary School and Darien High School. She has been a member of the board of The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education since 2016. Jayme and her husband have lived in Darien for 26 years and have five children. Her husband grew up in Darien and is a graduate of Darien High School.
The Yankee Institute for Public Policy is a 30-year old, Hartford-based organization that monitors the most critical areas of interest to Connecticut citizens: taxes, the state’s fiscal status, energy costs, the health industry and political and governmental integrity and accountability.
Sandy Garnett will talk about his career as a fine arts artist and his book, The Year of an Artist.