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Spring 2023 Lecture Series / Excursion

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When

The series begins Friday, January 13, 2023
at 10am

Where

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 
2301 Deltona Blvd.,  Spring Hill, F L

Cost

$ 80

Lectures begin promptly at 10:00 AM and lasts for 2 hours.  There is a 15 minute intermission.  

How to Register

Print the registration form below and mail with your check for $80 payable to Academia Hernando, Inc.

and mail to:

Bev Nuzzi

15027  Middle Fairway Drive

Brooksville, FL 34609
 

Important: The Registration Form must be included with your Check.
Your cancelled check is your receipt.

Spring 2023 Registration Form

Spring 2023 Presentations

Live Concert-

Friday

Jan. 13 10am

The Harmonizers will be performing a wide range of music in the barbershop style, from time-honored patriotic songs to classics of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, to more modern favorites recorded by Eric Clapton, Dusty Springfield, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, and The Beatles and from movies such as Toy Story 2.

Presenter Bio:

Hernando Harmonizers

The Hernando Harmonizers have 28 active members, both male and female, hailing from Hernando, Pasco, and Citrus counties. They come to the community with only one mission in mind: To
entertain using the time-honored magic of barbershop music, while having fun and enjoying singing with their friends.


They sing a cappella in four-part harmony (lead, tenor, baritone, and bass). “Our voices are our instruments, and we celebrate the homage and heritage of barbershop,” said Jay Gettig, one of the
founders of Hernando Harmonizers. “A type of music that is uniquely American.”

Russian Art & Architecture

Friday

Jan. 20 - 10am

Throughout their history, the Russian peoples have
experienced pendulum swings of political and sociological shifts. This lecture will
focus on artistic endeavors from the age of “Old Russia” through the Communist
Era. In the Middle Ages, the art of “Old Russia” focuses on religion and
spirituality. During the era of the great tsars, Peter the Great and then Catherine
the Great, the interest shifts to displays of political power and grandeur. Through
the Romantic and revolutionary eras, nature, the human condition, and
experiments in modernism are the dominant themes. Art produced through the
Stalin and the Communist era emphasizes political might and social conformity.

Presenter Bio:

Dedee Aleccia

Dedee Aleccia taught both literature and art history for over 30 years, held
professorships at Broome Community College and Montgomery College and has
served as adjunct professor at Binghamton University, the University of Baltimore,
and Eckerd College. During her tenure she chaired a Middle States Accreditation
committee, directed a 3-campus Honors Program, served as a Smithsonian
Institution research fellow, received both a Faculty Outstanding Service award
and a national NISOD Excellence Award in teaching, and retired with professor
emerita status.
Since she retired in 2007, Dedee has been lecturing for Eckerd College’s various
lifelong learning programs: the Road Scholar Program, The Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute (OLLI) and the Program for Experienced Learners (PEL), a fast-
paced degree program
Dedee has enjoyed being a key member of American Stage’s Learn series which
presents informative insights and analyses of upcoming plays. At the James
Museum of Western and Wildlife Art she has also given lectures that focused on
both works in the permanent collection and temporary exhibits. She also enjoys
doing presentations for centers such as Royal Palms of Largo and Academia
Hernando.
As a life-long learner, she intends to keep researching and lecturing because she
believes it keeps her young.

Tai Chi & Diabetes Empowerment

Friday

Jan. 27 - 10am

Get Up and Move:  Mitigating falls, improving balance and managing diabetes through exercise with interactive exercising using Tai Chi and Moving for Better Balance exercise.

Diabetes Empowerment Education:  Connecting the Diabetes Dots with hands on interactive activities and hands on learning.

Presenter Bio:

Laura Gamba

Laura Gamba had over sixteen years of experience with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), the Medicare Quality Innovation Network – Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Florida, Arizona, California, Ohio and the US Virgin Islands, spanning four scopes of work and five innovation projects with the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She served as the Diabetes Task Chair for the CMS diabetes contract and director for the Florida program. Laura is a certified Master Senior Trainer for the University of Illinois Chicago’s Diabetes Empowerment Education Program™ (DEEP™) and has trained senior trainers, lead trainers and peer educators in throughout the United states  and 500 community participants throughout Florida. She directed a CMS chronic kidney disease (CKD) project, developed beneficiary education through 30, Florida, outreach campaigns, spear headed a national quality improvement effort to advance call center CMS customer service, and executed weight loss and diabetes self-management programs in African American, Hispanic, rural and low, socio-economic communities, She has worked with Florida’s Departments of Education, Health, Children & Families, Vocational Rehabilitation and Health and Rehabilitation Services.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida, served in the U.S. Peace Corps, is a certified Behavior Analyst, and a Lay Leader/Coach in the Matter of Balance fall prevention program, Tai Chi for Arthritis and Tai Ji Quan Moving for Better Balance programs and DEEP™ diabetes classes through Elder Options, the Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging.

The Great 60's Sitcoms

Friday

Feb. 3 - 10am

A fun filled look at the wide range of Sitcoms in the 60's. From Gilligan's Island to Green Acres, I Dream of Jeannie to The Addams Family, we will laugh, singalong and celebrate the best of that iconic decade of television.  

Presenter Bio:

Jason Fortner

Jason Fortner serves as Artistic Director for the Francis Wilson Playhouse in Clearwater. As a lecturer he has been with Eckerd College's OLLI and Road Scholar programs for over 25 years, focusing on Entertainment History.

They Created What???

Friday

Feb. 10 - 10am

Who was the first person in ancient history to sign their name to their work? Who carved 100 faces on a cherry pit? Who included tiny reflections of herself in many of her still life paintings? How old was the youngest woman commissioned by the US government to create a public statue? Find out more about these women in the visual and literary arts, and many others that you never learned about in school.

Presenter Bio:

Sheryl Long

Sheryl Long is a retired communications and marketing manager with a BA in Mass Communications from USF. Previously she managed a bookstore on Sanibel Island, was an artist assistant to Robert Rauschenberg, and produced a TV series for WEDU among other jobs. She has a curious mind and loves a good story.

The Crisis in Ukraine

Friday

Feb. 17 - 10am

My name is Damien Austin. I was born in Peterborough, N.H. in 1955. I was a factory
worker, first in electronics and then in plastics. I moved to Florida in 2000 where I
continued working in plastics as a mould technician. I attended Bible College and earned my
Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Arts. My ambition was to become a missionary. During my
junior year I met my wife, Melanie. We both attended Westwood School of Missions. We
made our first trip to Ukraine for the Christmas holiday of 2010. We spent the summer of
2011 in Ukraine and we moved to Ukraine as temporary residents in 2012. We teach
English and Bible. I became the pastor of a church with a small congregation and we teach
children in our village on Saturdays. We partnered with another church to provide
humanitarian aid to the homeless for four years. Our goal has always been to help
Ukrainians help Ukrainians.

Presenter Bio:

Damien Austin

In 2014 Russia invaded the eastern part of Ukraine and annexed Crimea. It was a sad
and difficult time and our families were very worried about our welfare, but we stayed in
Ukraine to help refugees coming into our area. We returned to the states a few times over
the years, usually for three months at a time. In January of 2022, the U.S. Embassy gave us
strong warnings to leave Ukraine for our own safety. We left Ukraine on February 8 and
Russia and Belarus invaded on February 24.
The world watched the war unfold with all its atrocities. We are living at our home in
Florida, but our hearts are in Ukraine. We are living in a question mark as our future
residence in Ukraine remains a mystery.
I am honored to be able to speak to your group about my life in Ukraine. I plan to share
some of the history of Ukraine as well as some of the culture and cultural differences. I
would like to share some video footage relating to cultural folk dress and food and I hope
to enlighten the people about the similarities as well as the differences of our cultures and
attitudes. I will speak of the current situation regarding the war and the relief efforts of so
many organizations to help.

Spies, Lies & Betrayal

Friday

Feb. 24 - 10am

Spies, Lies, Betrayal: The Secret World of Espionage.  We will also look at members of the U.S. military, CIA and the FBI who betrayed our country…their motives, the damage caused, and why so many remained undetected for so long.

Presenter Bio:

Col. Mike Pheneger, USA (Ret) 

Colonel Pheneger served 30 years on active duty as a US Army Intelligence Officer retiring
in 1993. He had overseas assignments in Germany, Vietnam, Korea, Panama, and the
Middle East. Key assignments include: Commander, US Army Intelligence School (Fort
Devens – then part of the National Security Agency’s Cryptologic Training System);
Director of Intelligence, US Special Operations Command (MacDill AFB); Deputy Director
of Intelligence, US Central Command (MacDill AFB); Commander, 470th MI Group
(Panama); G2, Second Infantry Division (Korea), and Director of Operations, 66th MI
Brigade (Germany).

As USSOCOM’s first Director of Intelligence, he led the development of the world-wide intelligence architecture for US special operations to ensure the command could receive, rapidly integrate all-source information, and exploit all available intelligence. As J2, Colonel Pheneger campaigned to end the Intelligence Community’s duplicative intelligence production to provide the resources to expand our focus to relatively neglected third-world and low intensity conflict situations that were more likely to require the deployment of US forces. In 1995, he received the Open Source Solutions Golden Candle Award for his ground-breaking efforts in that regard and for expanding efforts to obtain and integrate information from “open sources.” As commander of the USA Intelligence School at Fort Devens, he led the planning and execution of the movement of the Army’s cryptologic training to Fort Huachuca. He was G2 of the Second ID during a critical period when the division’s intelligence capabilities were actively deployed to monitor North Korean military activity near the DMZ. For three years, he led the development and presentation of the US Army Intelligence School’s MI basic and advanced intelligence courses and participated in the development of Intelligence Doctrine. He received the USAIS’s Distinguished Instructor Award. He holds an M.P.A. from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and a B.S from Bowling Green State University. He is a graduate of the US Army War College; the Command & Staff Course, US Naval War College; and was the Distinguished Graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer’s Advanced Course. After military retirement, he created UFS’s Professional and Workforce Development Division and developed specialized training programs for adult professionals. He regularly teaches courses on the Bill of Rights, The Constitution, Terrorism and Geo-Politics for USF’s OSHER learning-in-retirement programs.


Colonel Pheneger is a Civil Libertarian and past President of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. He previously served on the ACLU’s National Board of Directors and its National Executive Committee. He speaks frequently on issues involving Civil Liberties and National Security and the ethical and constitutional aspects of intelligence collection and military operations. He spoke widely on the USA Patriot Act, torture, Guantanamo, and unconstitutional aspects of NSA surveillance. He submitted successful declarations in federal court proceedings as an expert witness in support of ACLU Freedom of Information Act requests for the release of documents pertaining to US actions during the “War on Terror.”

Simon & Garfunkel: Pop Music Icons

Friday

Mar. 3 - 10am

 In their teens, they were the musical duo Tom & Jerry, but Columbia Records sent them to stardom in the ‘60s as Simon & Garfunkel. We will explore the history and music of these iconic artists through stories, videos and songs. We will discuss their noisy breakup in 1970 and review their free Central Park reunion concert in 1981. Rolling Stone ranked them third on its list of greatest duos of all time. 

Presenter Bio:

Bruce Gobioff

Bruce Gobioff, MS Management of Technology, MIT, had a career in the computer industry that spanned 1966 to 2015. He spent 35 years with IBM in technical and management positions developing software for mainframes and personal computers.

Trip to Chinsegut Hill

Friday

Mar. 10 

Visiting the Historic plantation of Chinsegut Hill.

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