Spring 2012
LUNCHEONS are held at
Blinn College Student Center
in the Janis Sneed Banquet Room
LECTURES are generally held at
Blinn College Student Center
in the Conference Center
Thursday, January 26
Luncheon @ 11:30 - 1pm
Speaker: Diana C.K. Untermeyer
"QATAR: SAND, SEA AND SKY"
Diana C.K. Untermeyer lived in Qatar from 2004-2007 as the wife of the U.S. ambassador. In Qatar, she served as an active volunteer and participated in numerous equestrian sports, particularly endurance horse racing. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of Virginia in 1984, she became an avid whitewater kayaker and worked in the White House. She currently resides in Houston, Texas, with her husband Chase and their daughter Elly. Qatar occupies a thumb of land that extends off the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. This nation, though small in size, represents more than a strategic geographical location. Qatar: Sand, Sea and Sky is an overview of the country’s history, its journey into modernity and the ways it preserves the duality of its culture as a desert by the sea. Mrs. Untermeyer will provide an inside understanding of this moderate Muslim country and the way it attempts to become modern and engaged with the world without losing its heritage.
Speaker Host: Allen Commander
Luncheon Fee: $22
Register by January 20, 2012
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Lecture: February 23
Time: 1:00pm—3:00pm
Dr. Bill Welch
"Exploring Our Gardening Heritage"
Dr. William C. Welch will discuss the cultures and plants that have influenced our gardening heritage here in the South and that are proving to be extremely useful in meeting the needs of today’s gardeners in terms of hardiness and drought tolerance. Dr. Welch is Professor and AgriLife Extension Landscape Horticulturist for Texas A&M University. He has many years of experience with garden clubs and nursery organizations and is a regular contributor to Southern Living magazine and Neil Sperry’s Gardens. He is on the board of directors of the Southern Garden History Society, and is also an honorary member of the Garden Club of America which awarded him its distinguished service medal in 2008. Bill is also the author of Antique Roses for the South, The Bountiful Flower Garden, and Perennial Garden Color. His most recent book is written with Greg Grant, titled Heirloom Gardening in the South (published by the Texas A & M University Press.)
Lecture Fee: $20
Register by February 16, 2012
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Thursday, March 22
Luncheon @ 11:30 - 1pm
Meet author: Susan Wittig Albert
"The Mysteries of the Herbs"
Susan Albert has been writing professionally for twenty-five years, after a stint in higher education as a faculty member and administrator. She and her husband, Bill, now live on thirty-one acres in the Texas Hill Country where Susan is a passionate gardener. Perhaps Susan's best known series are the China Bayles herbal mysteries. Morning Glory, with the herbal theme psychoactive plants, was published in March, 2011, to excellent reviews. The final volume in the Cottage Tale series as well as her second volume in her most recent series, The Darling Dahlias, about a southern garden club in the 1930s, were also published in 2011. Susan will talk about the magic and mystery of plants, the themes skillfully woven into her tales.
Speaker Host: Kay Scanapico
Luncheon Fee: $22
Register by March 16, 2012
| Albert lunch |
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Our courses and luncheons are offered each year in fall and spring sessions. They are held at Blinn College, Brenham, in the Student Center. We look forward to having you join us.