Lunch, Listen and Learn Speaker Series Fall 2025

Jane Sciacca: How It All Began
On April 19, 1775, more than 300 men from Sudbury (modern Wayland and Sudbury) marched off to Concord to confront British troops on the first day of the American Revolution. What led to their brave deeds that day? What manner of town did they leave, not knowing whether they would ever see it again? What about those left behind that day who could only wonder and wait? Meet the men and women as they transition from proud Englishmen to patriotic American citizens.

Jane Sciacca is a retired national park ranger and most recently the author of Enslavement in the Puritan Village: The Untold History of Sudbury and Wayland, Massachusetts. She has extensively researched and presented programs on topics such as slavery, women’s suffrage, and Lydia Maria Child.

Bill Hoke and Elsa Tong: Trip to Vietnam
In January 2025 Bill Hoke and Elsa Tong visited Bangkok, Thailand and Cambodia and Vietnam. Pictures and short videos will be shown of temples and the Chao Phraya River at night in Bangkok; Angkor Wat, and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia; sites in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Mekong Delta, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and Halong Bay. The year 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and some references to the war will be made.

Bill Hoke and Elsa Tong worked as engineers at Raytheon Company for 30+ years. In retirement they have enjoyed visiting grandchildren, travel, church activities, swimming, and senior softball.

Monica Driggers: Dam Removal: When, Why, How, Who
Massachusetts has been actively removing dams to restore ecosystems, improved fish migration, and enhance public safety, with over 40 of its 3,000 dams removed since 2005.

Monika Driggers is deputy director of Mass Rivers Alliance.

Kara Torres-Kilgannon: "The Righteous Among the Nations"
"The Righteous Among the Nations" is a title derived from the Talmud to describe those who risked their own lives to save the lives of others, sometimes complete strangers. Since 1953, over 28,000 "Righteous Among the Nations" have been honored at Yad Vashem in Israel, with a tree planted in honor of their heroism. Risking torture and death, these righteous few confirmed that a voice of conscience could still be heard over the Nazi rhetoric of racism. The "Righteous Among the Nations" saved not only individual lives, but, as the Talmud says, "the entire universe." Learn about some of the righteous and consider: Why did they risk their lives to help Jews, when most of their neighbors did not? What motivated their behavior?

Kara Torres-Kilgannon is a historian specializing in Holocaust and Genocide Studies; she earned a BA in History from Sheffield Hallam University, an MA (in Law) from the University of Sheffield, and an MA from Yeshiva University. She is pursuing her PhD in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Gratz College.

Dick Sullivan: Reparations
House Resolution 40 (H.R.40) was first introduced in Congress in 1989 by the late Representative John Conyers, Jr. The bill, which proposes a commission to study and develop reparations for African Americans, has been reintroduced in Congress in every subsequent legislative session since. In 2021, the bill cleared the House Committee for the first time in its history. There were 200 co-sponsors for H.R. 40 during the 117^thCongress. It was most recently introduced in the 119^th congress in January 2025 by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Democrat from Boston. The primary task of the proposed commission is to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the U.S. from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.

LLARC member and study group leader Dick Sullivan will provide a briefing on reparations and the progress that has been made, and is being made around the country to bring redress on this issue to deserving Americans. Last year, Dick led a LLARC class that focused on Tracking the Record for Reparations for Descendants of Enslaved Americans and he has continued to follow this issue.

Gloria Greis: Christmas Musings
Ancient (pagan) holiday traditions still survive in our celebrations today. Hear about how these traditions resulted in the Puritans abolishing Christmas in Massachusetts for more than 100 years.

Gloria Greis, executive director of the Needham Historical Society, is returning due to popular demand.