This photograph was taken by member Robb Evans.
Thank You all for attending the Fall Zoom semester of MILE classes. We started our Fall journey with music and ended with a lively discussion of culture, society, and religion.
It's not over for this year.
On Dec. 7, 2021 we begin our first Terrific Tuesday class. Check out the calendar, descriptions and videos of our upcoming presenters.
It's not over for this year.
On Dec. 7, 2021 we begin our first Terrific Tuesday class. Check out the calendar, descriptions and videos of our upcoming presenters.
Meet the Presenters
of Our New
Winter 2021-2022 mini- session
click on Presenter photos on Right for introductory video
MILE Winter Calendar for Terrific Tuesdays Classes
December 7 (1:30-3:00)
Prof. James Malley,
Associate Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Counseling and Family Therapy at Central Connecticut State University
Who is in Charge, You or Your Brain? Understanding the neurobiology of stress and trauma.
Stress is a normal part of life and can serve as a motivator to help us accomplish our goals. However, too much stress can interfere with our success at work or school, disrupt social relationships, and impair our health and well-being. This session will explain the neurobiology of stress and trauma, describe the differences between normal and toxic stress, and discuss strategies for regulating one’s emotions when confronted with the stresses and strains of everyday life.
January 11 (1:30-3:00)
Henry Quinlan,
USSR-Russia: Myths, Mysteries and Spying
click this link to hear some of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbMkGMfcQNQ
Henry Quinlan,
USSR-Russia: Myths, Mysteries and Spying
click this link to hear some of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbMkGMfcQNQ
Henry M. Quinlan, Boston College, Suffolk University Law School, Publisher
I am a book publisher who signed a young Soviet diplomat to write a book in 1986. As a result, I went to Moscow in 1988 as a guest of the government and because of my connection with Vitaly I joined a joint venture that published the first telephone book in Moscow since the 1930’s. The experience with the joint venture led to more than 60 trips back and forth to the former Soviet Union and several business ventures. I was present in Moscow when communism collapsed, and the start of the new Russia began
Why someone should attend?
I had a unique view of history being made
I was an eyewitness to history as I watched tanks in the streets and the collapse of communism.
I had a tour of a secret Soviet space research institute with Wally Schirra, one of our original astronauts and discovered some of the Soviet space secrets.
I was asked by President G.W. Bush to arrange for the erection of the famous statues, Make Way for Ducklings and the publishing of the book by the same name in Russian.
In August of 2016 while having dinner with Vitaly Churkin, Russian Ambassador to the UN, he revealed Russian involvement on the 2016 election.
I had many interactions involving spying with the FBI during my time in the USSR and Russia.
I have some understanding of Russia and where Putin is leading it.
I am a book publisher who signed a young Soviet diplomat to write a book in 1986. As a result, I went to Moscow in 1988 as a guest of the government and because of my connection with Vitaly I joined a joint venture that published the first telephone book in Moscow since the 1930’s. The experience with the joint venture led to more than 60 trips back and forth to the former Soviet Union and several business ventures. I was present in Moscow when communism collapsed, and the start of the new Russia began
Why someone should attend?
I had a unique view of history being made
I was an eyewitness to history as I watched tanks in the streets and the collapse of communism.
I had a tour of a secret Soviet space research institute with Wally Schirra, one of our original astronauts and discovered some of the Soviet space secrets.
I was asked by President G.W. Bush to arrange for the erection of the famous statues, Make Way for Ducklings and the publishing of the book by the same name in Russian.
In August of 2016 while having dinner with Vitaly Churkin, Russian Ambassador to the UN, he revealed Russian involvement on the 2016 election.
I had many interactions involving spying with the FBI during my time in the USSR and Russia.
I have some understanding of Russia and where Putin is leading it.
January 25 (1:30 – 3:00)
Prof. Iris Bork-Goldfield,
Traveling Memories:
A Family History (East Prussia, Germany, NY, Argentina)
Prof. Iris Bork-Goldfield,
Traveling Memories:
A Family History (East Prussia, Germany, NY, Argentina)
East Prussia, Moisling, Müncheberg, Berlin, New York, Hamburg, Terezín…. Please join me on my genealogical journey following my Jewish family—the Alexanders. It was in 2015, just after my mother’s death, when I finally looked more closely at the old and yellowed family tree that I had inherited from my aunt some years ago but had nonchalantly set aside.
Our family tree was compiled in 1938 in America by Henry Alexander, at a time when his relatives in Germany were being persecuted and murdered. Ships’ records, old address books, letters, photos, government records, and my interviews with relatives in Germany, the U.S., Israel, Argentina, and Brazil helped me assemble a family story that stretches over 200 years and follows relatives from Prussia to New York and back to Berlin, Hamburg, Theresienstadt, Israel, or Latin America. Why did they emigrate to the U.S.? Why did some of them return to Germany? What lives did they live?
Our family tree was compiled in 1938 in America by Henry Alexander, at a time when his relatives in Germany were being persecuted and murdered. Ships’ records, old address books, letters, photos, government records, and my interviews with relatives in Germany, the U.S., Israel, Argentina, and Brazil helped me assemble a family story that stretches over 200 years and follows relatives from Prussia to New York and back to Berlin, Hamburg, Theresienstadt, Israel, or Latin America. Why did they emigrate to the U.S.? Why did some of them return to Germany? What lives did they live?
February 8 (1:30-3:00)
Prof. Jesse Nasta,
The Bemans’ Struggle: Middletown’s Nationally-Significant 19th-Century African American Community and the Fight for Freedom in the Era of Slavery
This program will provide an introduction to Middletown’s remarkable African American history, with an emphasis on the Beman Triangle neighborhood. Beginning in the 1820s, this free, property-owning African American community established the Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church. (One of the first African American churches in New England, the congregation will celebrate its 200th anniversary next year). Led by the African American abolitionist Beman family, this church and neighborhood became a center of free Black life and activism in New England, serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad and attracting anti-slavery and civil rights activists from across the state and the region, such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Participants in this program will gain insight into the national and even global significance of Middletown’s small but determined pre-Civil War African American community.
Prof. Jesse Nasta,
The Bemans’ Struggle: Middletown’s Nationally-Significant 19th-Century African American Community and the Fight for Freedom in the Era of Slavery
This program will provide an introduction to Middletown’s remarkable African American history, with an emphasis on the Beman Triangle neighborhood. Beginning in the 1820s, this free, property-owning African American community established the Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church. (One of the first African American churches in New England, the congregation will celebrate its 200th anniversary next year). Led by the African American abolitionist Beman family, this church and neighborhood became a center of free Black life and activism in New England, serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad and attracting anti-slavery and civil rights activists from across the state and the region, such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Participants in this program will gain insight into the national and even global significance of Middletown’s small but determined pre-Civil War African American community.
February 22 (1:30-3:00)
Phil Devlin, (no video necessary for our own Mile member and treasured speaker)
Baseball and Michelangelo
My experiences with Michelangelo's work first came about through playing baseball. My 1965 Little League all-star team from Windsor Locks won the world championship at Williamsport on August 28th of that year. On the very next day all 8 teams went via charter bus to New York City to attend a Mets vs SF Giants baseball game, where we got to meet with Willie Mays and other big league stars. Then the teams spent the next two days at the NY World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. One of those exhibits was the Vatican Pavilion. Here was Michelangelo's Pieta on exhibition. Seeing the Pieta close-up triggered a much unexpected, moving reaction in me. This experience prompted a lifelong keen interest in Michelangelo. I have learned a lot about "Il Divino." I will share anecdotes and stories about him and his works that few people are aware of. At the end of the presentation, I will circle back to baseball and draw a parallel with a Hall of Fame baseball player who most embodies Michelangelo's character traits.
Please consider joining me for this talk about one of the most interesting human beings who has ever lived.
Phil Devlin, (no video necessary for our own Mile member and treasured speaker)
Baseball and Michelangelo
My experiences with Michelangelo's work first came about through playing baseball. My 1965 Little League all-star team from Windsor Locks won the world championship at Williamsport on August 28th of that year. On the very next day all 8 teams went via charter bus to New York City to attend a Mets vs SF Giants baseball game, where we got to meet with Willie Mays and other big league stars. Then the teams spent the next two days at the NY World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. One of those exhibits was the Vatican Pavilion. Here was Michelangelo's Pieta on exhibition. Seeing the Pieta close-up triggered a much unexpected, moving reaction in me. This experience prompted a lifelong keen interest in Michelangelo. I have learned a lot about "Il Divino." I will share anecdotes and stories about him and his works that few people are aware of. At the end of the presentation, I will circle back to baseball and draw a parallel with a Hall of Fame baseball player who most embodies Michelangelo's character traits.
Please consider joining me for this talk about one of the most interesting human beings who has ever lived.
Welcome to MILE
Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education (MILE) was created in 1993 for the purpose of providing a learning environment that enriches the intellectual, social, and cultural lives of adults aged 50 and over who share a love of lifelong learning.
We are sponsored by Middlesex Community College (MxCC). MILE is an all-volunteer non-profit organization with programs designed for, and attended by, members. Membership is open to all adults, retired, semi-retired or employed in Middlesex County although interested residents of other communities are always welcome. Currently, our membership averages about 125 people from all walks of life and represents at least 35 area towns!
MILE offers classes in a wide range of disciplines without concern for credit, grades, or pre-requisites. Programs are often enhanced by field trips. We have both a Fall and Spring semester and this year we are introducing some intersession classes( 1 in December, 2 in January, 2 in February) via the Zoom platform. During those cold, wet or snowy months, we hope to brighten your day with these new offerings. Stay tuned for more classes to come.
Lifelong learning begins today and continues forever. Take part in MILE's ever-evolving educational offerings and opportunities. We'd love for you to join us.
Navigating Our Website:
The best way to view our website is using a Win 10 or iOS computer. When viewing it with a computer, use the side bar menu on the left to select the desired page, such as This Week's Presentations. If an Android phone/tablet or iPhone/tablet are used to view our website, the additional pages will need to be found in the top of the screen.
Have you checked out the PHOTO GALLERY page? You might find your photo there.
Have you checked out the PHOTO GALLERY page? You might find your photo there.
"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." ~~ Samuel Ullman