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A Humorous Review of Texas Law

Monday, June 2, 9:00am – 10:00am

Howard Wilson

In-Person Only

This is a continuation of the very entertaining and humorous presentation Howard Wilson gave a couple of years ago highlighting some of the strange and sometime bizarre laws Texas has had over the last 100 years or so.

Howard Wilson practiced as a criminal defense attorney or prosecutor in Dallas, Texas for almost 40 years. He retired in 1997.

Lost Food Memories

Monday, June 2, 10:30am – 11:30am

Linda Dwyer

In-Person Only

Food is an integral part of our memories but sometimes foods we remember are no longer available. Whether they were eaten to extinction or succumbed to other factors, there are foods from history you can no longer eat. Some foods are now taboo. Others never quite caught on. There are foods that got rebranded to garner renewed interest and occasionally a food makes a comeback after falling from favor. Sometimes foods fall from grace for unknown reasons while another food gets a makeover and feels like something new. Join me for stories of foods you may or may not miss.

Linda Dwyer writes a food column called Taste of the Town for the Williamson Sun Newspaper. Over the last decade she has covered food history, trends, recipes, eateries, local chefs, resident foodies, holidays, ethnic meals and more.

Building Community through Specialty Coffee

Tuesday, June 3, 9:00am – 10:00am

Mirian Diop

In-Person Only

How did a Chemical Engineering, PhD get into specialty coffee roasting?

Come listen to Kati Coffee Founder, Mirian Diop, describe her journey from Ghana to Georgetown and everything in between. This lecture will include a virtual tour of the roastery, describing how we transform raw/green coffee to roasted coffee beans, as well as steps you can take to bring your coffee experience to the next level. Lastly, we will share how Kati Coffee builds community with exquisitely roasted coffee.

Mirian Diop is founder of Kati Coffee. After a successful 10-yr career at ExxonMobil, she left in 2024 to build Kati Coffee, whose purpose is to enrich lives and create experiences as a community-integrated and education-focused specialty coffee roastery. Kati Coffee proudly supports Southwestern University, Brookwood in Georgetown, and first responders in Williamson County and beyond. Mirian holds a BSc Chemical Engineering (Tufts Univ.)  and a PhD in Chemical Engineering (Northwestern Univ.)

Residential Recycling

Tuesday, June 3, 10:30am – 11:30am

Debbie Bruner

In-person/On-demand

Come learn about residential recycling “best practices” promoted by the City of Georgetown, Williamson County, and Texas Disposal Systems. Using the award-winning Sun City Recycles as a model, Debbie will describe how individuals and communities working together can structure a recycle program that answers the question of how to properly dispose of everything from plastics and other household goods to electronics and household hazardous waste.

Debbie Bruner and her husband, Terry, have lived in Sun City for 15 years and have a son and daughter residing in Houston. Debbie has had a passion for recycling for decades and is currently the Program Manager of Sun City Recycles, a program that she and two other women started in 2016. With a committee that shares the same desire to recycle properly by the guidelines of City of Georgetown and Texas Disposal Systems, the program has been recognized by the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling. They are recipients of the Texas Environmental Leadership Awards for Exceptional Recycling Partnership, Excellence in Environmental Awareness in Education, and just recently, Superior Material Recovery. Debbie was also honored with the Cis Myers Leadership Award.

Poisons, Cures, and Murder

Wednesday, June 4, 9:00am – 10:00am

Dr. Lilly Naley

In-person/On-demand

Did you ever wonder why “Law and Order” is such a long running show on TV? 

The science of murders has continued to evolve over the last 50 years so that successful murder has become more difficult.  In fact, since the advent of DNA forensics, the murder rate has dropped. This lecture explores how homicides have evolved in response to the evolution of the science of forensics.

Dr. Naley has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University, a master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health specializing in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and a medical degree from Rutgers University. She taught Public Health at the University of North Texas for 17 years and received multiple awards for teaching master’s degree students. Many of her International students have returned to their countries to solve serious environmental issues in their native lands.

Dr. Seuss Goes to War and Before!

Wednesday, June 4, 10:30am – 11:30am

Gregg Philipson

In-person/On-demand

The presentation explores Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, in his early years as a cartoonist working for Life and Judge Magazines, Esso Oil and others. It concludes in 1948 shortly after his service as a Major in the U.S. Army during WWII. It includes his work as a screen writer and his propaganda art. It is a fascinating look at the side of Dr. Seuss that is seldom seen.

Gregg Philipson lectures internationally on the Holocaust and other Jewish related subjects including Jewish Military History and propaganda art. The “Gregg and Michelle Philipson Collection and Archive” is regularly exhibited at major museums, universities, colleges, schools as well as U.S. military installations.

Reviving Women’s Role in the Forge: A Past, Present, and Future of Female Blacksmiths

Thursday, June 5, 9:00am – 10:00am

Dr. Jennifer Cochran Anderson

In-Person/On-demand

From medieval Europe through colonial America and up to today, women played significant roles in blacksmithing throughout history. Notable figures include Katherine Le Fevre, who became the master blacksmith at the Tower of London in 1346 and Betsy Hagar who used her blacksmithing skills in service of the American Revolution, as well as many others. This talk explores the often-overlooked history of female blacksmiths and how the forge at Pioneer Farms is illuminating this legacy and forging a more inclusive.

Dr. Jennifer Cochran Anderson is an art historian specializing in late medieval Europe as well as a blacksmithing instructor at Pioneer Farms Living History Museum in Austin, Texas. Dr. Cochran Anderson was the first woman in the state of Texas to earn the national certification as an Artist-Blacksmith.

Ignorance As a Social Problem

Thursday, June 5, 10:30am – 11:30am

Dr. John Ray

In-person/On-demand

Supposedly, we live in a knowledge society where public knowledge is widespread. Yet, widespread ignorance persists and is actually intensifying. Societal ignorance is ubiquitous in politics, economics, science, and health care to name a few areas. Societal ignorance is harmful in that it promotes poor problem solving, reduces social harmony, is easy to manipulate, perpetuates social injustice and reduces empathy and tolerance in society. This presentation examines the exact meaning of social ignorance, its pervasiveness and harms, the institutional, systemic and cultural causes of ignorance.

Dr. Ray taught courses in political science and philosophy at Montana Technological University in Butte for 48 years, retiring as a professor emeritus in May 2023. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin. In addition to teaching, he gave numerous community presentations and taught free classes on politics, political theory and philosophy. He has been actively involved in Lifelong Learners GTX having offered courses on Existentialism, Ethics, Major Political Issues.

Hidden Herstories: Women who made Wilco better!

Friday, June 6, 9:00am – 10:00am

Helen Cordes

In-Person Only

Meet some wonderful women of Wilco! Journalist Helen Cordes went digging for Wilco herstories and found amazing females who made life better in lots of Wilco towns. From Buttercup to Weir, these ladies—from pioneering doctors to suffragists to tough cowgals to business queenpins—inspired future generations and contributed mightily to our county.

A lifelong journalist, Ms. Cordes has worked as an editor and writer at newspapers, magazines, and web publications; some regional and some national. Women’s history is a passion and she loves sharing her discoveries of women who’ve done awesome deeds and helped create crucial community resources. Her website, HiddenHerstories and MoreStories (HiddenHerstories.com), highlights the many ways women and other overlooked communities made Wilco and points beyond thrive and shine.

Live Better Longer: The Secrets to Healthy Aging

Friday, June 6, 10:30am – 11:30am

Duncan Rinehart

In-Person/One-demand

While you may know what to do to be healthier as you age, like losing weight for example, many seniors struggle to make and continue such changes. In this talk, I will give you the secrets to making lasting changes in your lifestyle so that you will be happier and enjoy better health as you age.

Duncan is a board-certified well-being coach and a certified personal trainer. He is now 73 years old and was a triathlete for 50 years, having completed 4 full Ironman and 4 half-Ironman races including the world championships in both. Duncan has a lifetime of experience balancing career, family, injuries, fitness and spirituality.