Fall 2017 Lecture Series at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum

All lectures are on Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum

September 11:  Recognition of First Responders in Commemoration of 9/11

Sheriff Michael Poulin, who supervises the Muskegon County Department of Emergency Services, will moderate a discussion among first responders concerning their training and experiences in their respective jobs. Various emergency scenarios will be discussed by the first responders. Emergency vehicles will be present for the public to see before the program begins.

September 18: Defeat is an Orphan - Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs

One of our most popular presenters, US Army Colonel Ronald Janowski (Ret.), returns to speak on this topic, which he studied intensely in his advanced military education and career. We will learn many surprising things that we had not known before about this defeat and what followed.

September 25:  75th Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal

David Kolb for many years was the Editorial Editor of the Muskegon Chronicle. He is also a published independent historian and scholar, with special expertise concerning the Battle of Guadalcanal. He will relate to us the complexities and exceptional sacrifices of this historic battle. Several Muskegon area veterans fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal.

October 2:  From the Dugouts to the Trenches - Baseball in the Great War

From Columbus, Ohio, our speaker, James Leeke, is a Navy veteran and writer and editor. He is a former journalist who covered Major League Baseball as a reporter and author. He has written several books, including Manila and Santiago:The New Steel Navy in the Spanish-American War, and his latest book just published by the University of Nebraska press, From the Dugouts to the Trenches: Baseball during the Great War. This is a story that has many unexpected twists and turns, and will especially be enjoyed by all baseball fans.  Many of us do not realize how many of the great stars of America’s pastime served in World War I. This book will be available for purchase and for signing by Jim.

October 9: World War II Muskegon

Richard Mullally continues to share with us compelling  information about the thousands of World War II veterans who served from Muskegon County. His speech will focus on approximately 32 World War II veterans, whose stories may be humorous or may be tragic, but all of which are captivating. These veterans served in various branches of the military, and in different theaters of the war. Special note: all World War II veterans and their family members, including family members of deceased veterans, have free admission to this lecture.

October 16:  America’s First Actual World War

Donald Johnston is the Chief Circuit Court Judge of Kent County, and his ancestry dates back to colonial times. He is an independent historian and scholar with a special interest in pre-revolutionary American history. He is an authority on what we call the French and Indian War (1754-60), which was the North American phase of the world-wide Seven Years War (1756-62), that was fought on several continents.  The French and Indian War was the crucible in which many colonists first experienced war, and was the training ground for many of our military leaders in the following Revolutionary War. From a viewpoint that will be new for many of us, Judge Johnston will speak on the involvement of the great powers of those times and the global impact of that earlier war on our soil that still reverberates today.

October 23: The Movies Go to War

Bill Iddings is the most respected movie critic, scholar, and film history instructor in Western Michigan. He also has appeared on stage and screen himself, as well as having written scripts. From the time film was invented, movies always have played a major role during wars, especially in the nations involved in those conflicts. Bill will be showing film clips to illustrate the impact of movies upon society and the real truth during times of war, and we will be learning much unexpected information from his presentation.

October 30:  Flight 93- The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11

Tom McMillan has spent a lifetime in media and communications – as a newspaper sportswriter, columnist, radio talk show host and for the past 21 years, as Vice President of Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. And history is another of his passions. He serves on the board of trustees of Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center, on the board of directors of the Friends of Flight 93, on the marketing committee of the Gettysburg Foundation, and as a tour guide at the Civil War room at Carnegie Library. He also is a co-director of the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing at Point Park University, his alma mater. He is the author of the book entitled Gettysburg Rebels: Five Native Sons Who Came Home to Fight as Confederate Soldiers.  He will present this lecture based upon his best-selling history of the tragedy of Flight 93 on 9/11 and its aftermath. His Flight 93 book will be available for purchase and signing. All sale proceeds are donated to the Flight 93 National Memorial.  And, yes, Tom may predict the Penguins will win yet another Stanley Cup this season, and in all humility he may mention his 3 Stanley Cup rings.