The Rise of the Modern Conservative Movement – Instructor: Jim Williams 3 Mondays, 11/3, 10, 17 at 9:00 a.m. in Hopi/Hohokam
Conservatism was a largely discredited ideology in the United States after the 1929 Crash, the Great Depression, the New Deal and World War II. Many historians assert that the ‘liberal consensus’ dominated American politics between 1930 and 1970. Even Republican Party leaders like Dwight Eisenhower endorsed and maintained New Deal programs. How did conservatism re-emerge in this time period to become the dominant ideology from 1970 onward. How did conservatism change over these years and what was the impact of key individuals such as William F. Buckly, Jr., Barry Goldwater, Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan?
Jim Williams is a long-time popular ILR presenter on a variety of topics related to United States history and culture. For many years he taught high school social studies as department chair in Doylestown, PA.
Georgia on My Mind: The Art of Georgia O’Keeffe – Instructor: Karen Ralston 3 Wednesdays, 11/5, 12, 19 at 2:00 in Catalina Vista
Very few major American artists have been as productive for as long and in so many mediums as Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe forged a unique path through the landscape of modern art for more than 70 years – almost until her death at the age of 98 in 1986. In fact, she is the only female artist in the world to have an entire museum dedicated to her work. This program will offer you a chronological in-depth look at the broad range of her art, during which you will learn about her fascinating life as well as the people who influenced her unique and distinctive style. The presentations will feature visuals of her artwork and that of her colleagues. You will have opportunities to comment and react to the slides.
Karen Ralston, along with her husband Spence, moved to Splendido from Santa Fe, NM in May of 2024. She holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Art History from Douglass College in New Jersey. She also has an M.A. in French from the University of Oregon. After decades of teaching French, Karen entered the world of publishing as Director of Marketing for French and Spanish textbooks. Karen’s third career, upon moving to Santa Fe, was volunteering as a Docent for 17 years at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.
Indian Silver Jewelry (rescheduled) 2+ – Instructor: Mark Bahti 2 Tuesdays 11/4, 11 at 9:00 a.m. in the Activity Center’s Hohokam Room.
Now more than ever it is important to be a cautious and educated buyer. The digital age and globalization have opened up a whole new world of pitfalls but it is definitely possible to avoid most of them. In this course you will learn how to judge the quality of the work and how to tell the difference between handmade and machine-made jewelry. It will introduce you to the history of Indian jewelry, the artists, early traders and dealers and how the interest in Indian jewelry has been both celebrated and exploited over the years. There will be an optional visit to the Bahti Indian Gallery after the first session of the course.
Mark Bahti, a researcher/author like his father, Tom, has written a number of books including a Consumer’s Guide to Southwest Indian Art, Collecting Southwest Native American Jewelry and Silver and Stone (profiling dozens of silversmiths). He is a long-time member of the Tucson Indian Center, serves on the Institute of American Indian Arts Foundation Board in Santa Fe and the Amerind Foundation Board. On the death of his father, Mark took over the Bahti Indian Arts gallery and has opened a second shop in Santa Fe.
A Brief History of Flight: 3500 BCE to Present and Beyond – Instructor: Chuck Stump 5 Wednesdays 10/8, 15/22/29 and 11/5 at 9:00 a.m. in the Activity Center’s Hopi Room.
Aviation has a long and tumultuous history, beginning as early as 3500 BCE. The first records of human interest in flying began with historical myths and lore. From early attempts to imitate the flight of birds, to a gradual understanding of the forces that affect the ability to rise and remain above the earth, it’s a fascinating story of man’s determination to fly. This course will examine the development of aviation, the people who played major roles, the problems, the set-backs and the marvelous successes in both commercial and military aviation….and today, poised for major space break-throughs.
Chuck Stump is a popular ILR presenter with a vast knowledge and interest in a variety of flight and aviation topics. Employed by Cessna for many years, he recently served as a docent at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.
Geology of the Southwest (repeat) – Instructor: Dave Korzendorfer4 Mondays: 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17 at 2:00 p.m. in the Activity Center’s Native American rooms.
Geology is simply a study of the earth, its composition and how it got that way. Arizona contains spectacular geologic features which spill over into surrounding states. And what a magnificent field of study for exploring both its mineral wealth and its awesome rock formations spewed over millions of geologic eras. This 4 session course will introduce basic geologic concepts, geologic time, explain how the modern Southwest landscape was formed and the erosional processes that gave us the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion Canyons as well as details of Arizona’s rich mineral deposits.
Dave Kozendorfer is the co-chair of Tucson’s annual Gem and Mineral Show, a geologist by training and a resident of Sun City. He has been an off-time presenter at ILR’s Samplers.
African American Cowboys and Arizona Songbirds – Instructor: Steve Renzi 2 Mondays, 10/6, 13 at 9:00 a.m. in the Hopi Room.
Rare in southwest history is the role African Americans played in territorial Arizona. We grew up watching stories of the American West in movies and on television and now in popular streaming series. But there were other people here, Blacks, Native Americans, Chinese, Mexicans, many of whom predated the arrival of Anglos from the east…and African American cowboys played a big role in early ranching. Arizona’s ‘songbirds’ are musical superstars. Both Marty Robins and Linds Rondstadt were blessed with natural talent and incredible voices and, of course, they were native Arizonans. Come and learn about folks who don’t get all the star billing but were extraordinary contributors to the southwest.
Steve Renzi has been a speaker for the Arizona and Delaware Humanities for over ten years. He writes regularly for Desert Sage and enjoys tracking down parts of our history; he is also an avid and published photographer.
Vignettes of Southern Arizona History from 1860 to Present – Instructor: Alan Kruse 2 Tuesdays, 11/18, 25 at 9:00 a.m. in Hopi Room.
Go back in time to the late 1800s with Alan Kruse, a docent at the Tucson Presidio, as he portrays John Spring, Tucson’s second public school teacher. Dressed in period costume, “John” discusses life in southern Arizona during those early years, the humorous and exciting experiences he had teaching school, what happened at Fort Bowie, the Kelsey Boys and the most heinous murder ever committed in Tucson. In the second session, you will be introduced to a number of objects, sites and people including the old Valley National Bank, art in Barrio Viejo, architect Annie Graham Rockfellow, the Earp and Holliday statue, Dillinger and his gang and Larcena Pennington.
Alan Kruse is a regular ILR presenter, former owner of Kruse tours, docent at the Tucson Presidio, huge fan of an array of musical venues and admits to a collection of over 2500 cds.
A Look at Indigenous Art, Part 1: Navajo Art (2+) – Instructor: Linda Friedman 2 Thursdays, 10/16, 23 at 9:00 a.m. in the Hopi Room
Navajo folk art is the first topic in Linda’s 2 session presentation which highlights whimsical, charming designs of these creative artists that reflect a strong sense of place in the rural life of the Dine (Navajo). The following week, the history and artistry of Navajo rugs will be described as an extraordinary textile art form, the weaving process as well as stylistic characteristics. The beauty and skill that has made Navajo rugs an enduring historical and contemporary art form has also become an important element of the Navajo economy. An optional follow-up tour with Linda at the Tucson Museum of Art will occur on October 30th. (Part 2 will be offered in the 2026 winter term).
Linda Friedman and her husband retired to Tucson in 1998 after 31 years of teaching and living in Rochester, NY. She joined the docent training programs at both Tohono Chul and Tucson Museum of Art and is a regular presenter at the Museum’s popular Art Talks.
The Limeliters – Folk Music Pioneers Still Performing – Instructor: Harold Wood 2 Wednesdays, 11/12, 19 at 9:00 a.m. in Hopi
The Limeliters were the most vibrant urban folk group of the early 1960s, second only to the Kingston Trio, a diverse volatile mix of highly intelligent personalities: Lou Gottlieb, a base-playing comic with a Ph.D in musicology; Alex Hassilev, a debonair virtuoso banjo player fluent in six languages and Glenn Yarbrough, an independent-minded, hugely gifted natural tenor. As a hugely popular folk music group of the era, they recorded a string of best-selling albums for RCA Victor, made TV appearances and commercials and toured North America and Europe 300 days of the year. This course is especially timely due to the upcoming live January 11, 2025 appearance at the Gaslight Music Hall as well as the new definitive biography of the group having just been published by Richard Ginell.
Harold Wood has been the webmaster of a fan website for the Limeliters (limeliters.net) since 1997, has personally known many members of the group over the years and has corresponded with many long time fans for two decades. He and his wife Janet are residents of Sun City.
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull: the Final Holdouts of the Great Sioux Nation Instructor: Mary Lee Fitzgerald 4 Fridays, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21 at 2:00 p.m. in Catalina Vista
Wounded Knee, the Battle of Big Horn, Custer’s Last Stand, the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands and the buffalo are all familiar place names in the great battlefields of the Sioux Nation. Crazy Horse and Sitting bull were the indomitable and undefeated leaders, brilliant, courageous and unwavering opponents of white men’s encroachments on their land. But what makes this story so compelling is the continuing attempts of the U.S. government to curtain and thwart the existence of the Sioux that resurfaced in the 1970s. By great historical irony, many of the arid and wasted lands, the white men saw no value in keeping, became reservations…and many of those reservations lie on top of the greatest energy resources in the entire country: petroleum, coal and uranium. And so, the Indians are in the way again.
Mary Lee Fitzgerald has taught many ILR courses centering on the history and people of the Southwest. She grew up in Tucson, retired with her husband to Sun City in 2007 and currently chairs the ILR curriculum committee.