Welcome to the Central Pennsylvania Torch Club
December's speaker is Bob Hendrickson
Bob will present a paper titled 'First Amendment Rights and Protests'
Torch Club Program, 2024-2025
Date Speaker Topic
Sept. 11 Art Goldschmidt Writing the IATC's History
Oct. 9 Kevin Alloway Maintaining Your Memory Ability As You Age
Nov. 13 Jeff Wert Custer and the Little Bighorn
Dec. 11 Bob Hendrickson First Amendment Rights and Protests
Jan. 8 Lew Steinberg The Role of Zoning in Municipal Development
Feb. 12 Ford Risley Abraham Lincoln and the Press
Mar. 12 John Golbeck The Iron Furnaces of Pennsylvania
Apr. 9 Larry Ragan Learning About Nature Using AI
May 14 Walt Ebaugh History of the Rideau Canal
June 11 Scott Kretchmar Creating Level Playing Fields and Other NCAA
Problems
Click on the name for more information about the speaker and topic.
Torch Club Officers
President Terry Engelder jte2 @psu.edu
Vice President Carolyn Wilhelm clwilhelm1 @me.com
Corresponding Secretary Art Goldschmidt axg2 @psu.edu
Recording Secretary Charles Maxin cwmaxin @gmail.com
Treasurer Peter Jurs pcj @psu.edu
Webmaster John Golbeck jhg5 @psu.edu
Torch Club Meetings
Second Wednesday of every month (except July and August), social hour at 5:00 pm, dinner at 6 pm, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 1450 South Atherton St. State College, PA. The program begins promptly at 6:45 pm.
Objectives
- To give members of different professions the opportunity to meet together in the spirit of fellowship.
- To prevent the narrowing tendencies of specialization by developing a breadth of thought and culture.
- To foster the highest standards of professional ethics and civic well-being, no club is permitted to sponsor any cause or partisan movement.
International Association of Torch Clubs Incorporated
International Association of Torch Clubs, Inc. was instituted on July 10, 1924. Its web page can be found at www.torch.org.
September's Program: Art Goldschmidt
Writing the IATC's History
Art Goldschmidt is Professor Emeritus of Middle East History at Penn State. He is the author of a widely used textbook, A Concise History of the Middle East, now in its 12th edition. He is currently working with another professor on the 13thedition. He has also written two general histories of Egypt, the Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt and the Historical Dictionary of Egypt, and a translation of the memoirs of an Egyptian nationalist leader. Between 1965 and 2000, he taught courses in Middle Eastern, European, non-Western, and world history, as well as a freshman seminar on the history of Penn State. He held fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, the Social Science Research Council, Durham University, and the American Research Center in Egypt. He twice taught on the Semester at Sea. He has served this club as secretary or as corresponding secretary since 2012. He currently serves on the Central Committee of the project to write a history of the International Association of Torch Clubs. He is married to Louise, and they have two sons and a granddaughter.
Abstract
Art will give a lecture on the history of the International Association of Torch Clubs. A synopsis of his talks can be found in the September 2024 Torch minutes.
October's Program: Kevin Alloway
Maintaining Your Memory Ability As You Age
Alzheimer’s Disease (AZD), which accounts for 60-80% of all forms of Dementia, is characterized by memory problems and other cognitive impairments. The risk of developing AZD is strongly correlated with aging, but the exact cause of AZDremains unknown, and substantial evidence indicates that several factors may contribute to the incidence of AZD in addition to longevity. Presently there are no medications or other cures for treating AZD, but substantial research indicates that life-style factors have the greatest impact on preserving brain health so that dementia is avoided or, in other cases, its progression is significantly delayed. This talk will review the research that has revealed the impact of a variety of life-style factors in preserving brain health so that the risk of developing dementia is significantly reduced
Abstract
Born and raised in Port Huron, Michigan, I was a Geek in High School where I was on the Debate Team and was known for my aggressive moves on the chess board. After receiving a BSc degree in Psychology at Michigan, I earned a PhD in Psychobiology at Indiana University for my work investigating the effects of psychomotor stimulants and antipsychotic drugs on the neurochemistry and neurophysiology of the mammalian brain. I did my postdoctoral training at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis, where I received an NIH National Research Service Award.
I am currently Emeritus Professor in Penn State’s College of Medicine. During my tenure at Penn State over the past 30 years, my research was aimed at elucidating the functional organization of neural circuits in the mammalian forebrain. While at Hershey from 1990 to 2011, I taught neuroscience to thousands of medical students and co-authored a textbook entitled Medical Neuroscience, which was named one of the “Best Books in the Health Sciences” by Doody’s Book Review in the year 2000. This textbook was translated into Frenc and Italian, and in 2005 the College of Medicine awarded me the title of Distinguished Educator. In 2011 I moved my research lab to University Park where I became a faculty member in the Center for Neural Engineering and an adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology. During my last five years at University Park, I was the Director of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the Huck Institute.
I am married to Cathi Alloway, who was Director of the Schlow Public Library from 2010 to 2021. We have two children. Our daughter played field hockey for Penn State while earning a degree in Hospitality, and our son Christopher was a Schreyer honors student while earning a BSc degree in mechanical engineering.
November's Program: Jeff Wert
Custer and the Little Bighorn
Jeffry D. Wert (born May 8, 1946) is an American historian and award-winning author specializing in the American Civil War. He has written several books on the subject, which have been published in multiple languages and countries. Wert's interest in history first began after an eighth grade school field trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield. After high school he graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Lock Haven University, and a M.A. from The Pennsylvania State University, both in History. He worked for many years as a history teacher at Penns Valley Area High School in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. He lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Jeffry Wert will treat the controversial life of George Armstrong Custer. His Pre-battle discussion will include a brief bio of Custer, emphasizing personal traits and fact that he was an outstanding Civil War cavalry officer. His talk will touch on difficulties within the 7th Cavalry and the government Indian policy. The talk will then cover some of the famous details of the battle which was the most significant victory for Native Americans against a technologically superior force.
December's Program: Bob Hendrickson
First Amendment Rights and Protests
TBA
Abstract
TBA
January's Program: Lew Steinberg
The Role of Zoning in Municipal Development
TBA
Abstract
TBA
February's Program: Ford Risley
Abraham Lincoln and the Press
TBA
Abstract
TBA
March's Program: John Golbeck
The Iron Furnaces of Pennsylvania
TBA
Abstract
TBA
April's Program: Larry Ragan
Learning About Nature Using AI
TBA
Abstract
TBA
May's Program: Walt Ebaugh
History of the Rideau Canal
TBA
Abstract
TBA
June's Program: Scott Kretchmar
Creating Level Playing Fields & Other NCAA Problems
TBA
Abstract
TBA