History and Biography   

This course dispels many of the mistaken and popular notions of espionage. As a former CIA and Army intelligence officer, the instructor explains how an operative uses psychological profiling to assess and develop a potential agent. He emphasizes that in agent recruitment, there is no room for coercion, use of female operatives to seduce an agent, or murder.  Hofer describes in detail his training as a clandestine officer and offers real-world examples, highlighting his 40 years as an intelligence professional. He will help remove the cloak of secrecy and show how modern espionage operations are carried out.  Hofer does not reveal any true names, locations or events.  No classified information will be discussed or divulged.  Nevertheless, you will come away with a new appreciation of the world of espionage.

Centuries before the evolution of Greek city-states and the glory of Greece’s classical age, the lands in the Aegean Sea served as home to major cultures that parallel those of Egypt and Mesopotamia.The Cycladic culture from the Cyclades islands, the Mycenaeans from the Peloponnese, and the Minoans from Crete created very different and distinct artistic styles. From islands to mainland, from warring society to trading emporium, these centers produced art and architecture that embody the characteristics of each separate and distinctly different socio-cultural environment and different from those of their powerful Mediterranean neighbors. From pottery to painting, from walled cities to open air palace complexes, these cultures provide interesting insights into life in the prehistoric Aegean region.

Albert Whitted Airport, one of the few surviving downtown airports in America, has been a waterfront staple of the Sunshine City for nearly a century. Birthed out of an era of optimism and rapid transformation of the aviation industry, the airport today finds itself at a crossroads between heritage and progress in a city with increasingly limited expansion space. This lecture explores the history of the city’s iconic airport, from its namesake aviator to its uncertain future.

Delve into the history of magicians of the late 1800s. By the start of the 20th century, audiences were eager for new marvels, as early cinema promised action and adventure. Learn how magicians of the time competed for the entertainment dollar with the introduction of blades, chains, bullets and fire into their death-defying performances. Let professional magician Tony Blake be your guide as you explore this exciting era of magic as he takes you through actual magic demonstrations performed in at that time. (Sans the bullets of course!)

While St. Petersburg is famous for being the birthplace of commercial aviation, Albert Whitted Airport also boasted a successful Goodyear blimp base that once played a key role in the city’s promotional efforts. Providing lofty views above the Sunshine City during the Depression years, the blimp was one of the city’s most recognizable figures during the pre-WWII years. From marriages to world records, scandals to celebrities, the blimps wove themselves into the fabric of the region and provided many residents with their first memories of flight. This lecture explores the largely-forgotten history of the airships that once carried the name of St. Petersburg throughout America.

For years they were known as The Nine Old Men or The Brethren. But on July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan shocked America by nominating little-known Arizona Appeals Court Judge, Sandra Day O’Connor, to the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the first woman in that body’s 192- -year history. Since that historic appointment, three additional women, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, have been elevated to the court. Some judicial scholars have proposed that adding this feminine touch to the court has fundamentally changed the manner in which the nation’s most important legal issues have been decided. We will look at the backgrounds of the Ladies of the Supreme Court and discuss their impact on American jurisprudence.

For years they were known as The Nine Old Men or The Brethren. But on July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan shocked America by nominating little-known Arizona Appeals Court Judge, Sandra Day O’Connor, to the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the first woman in that body’s 192- -year history. Since that historic appointment, three additional women, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, have been elevated to the court. Some judicial scholars have proposed that adding this feminine touch to the court has fundamentally changed the manner in which the nation’s most important legal issues have been decided. We will look at the backgrounds of the Ladies of the Supreme Court and discuss their impact on American jurisprudence.

During these presentations, we will be answering questions such as: How can the darkest aspects of humanity be portrayed on canvas? What visual language can be used to describe war, dictatorship, death and exile in unprecedented scale? This challenge was picked up by the artists Dalí, Miró and Picasso, who weren’t creating solely from imagination, but inspired by. horrors often personally experienced. The three Spaniards observed their country being torn apart by a civil war (1936-1939), which allowed for the rise of. Dictator Francisco Franco (1939-1975). Fearing for their lives, and along with thousands of their fellow country people, they were forced into exile. Works such as Dalí’s "Soft Construction with Boiled Beans-Premonition of Civil War," Miró’s "Still Life with an Old Shoe," and Picasso’s "Guernica," have also become markers of humanity, timeless pieces synonymous with places where defenseless civilians came under attack.

Much has been written in recent years about the reanissance of Jewish Life in Germany which awa primarily caused by a major wave of immigration on the part of Jews from the former Soviet Union. While our lectoure will explore the phenomenon and its consequences as well, we first and foremost want to attempt to find an answer to the question why Jews were coming back to Germany after World War II. What motives could they ahve to return to the "land of the perpetrators"? Join German Historian Anette Isaacs, M.A. as she traces back the long road home that led to a rebirth of Jewish Life in her native country.

This lecture is designed for lifelong learners with a general interest in submarines and their role in U.S. national defense. Discussion, complemented by photography, will include a brief history of submarine development. We will explore how these vessels operate at sea for extended periods very independent of an external life-support system. We will also cover their operational and environmental capabilities and their importance for our national defense. Non-technical in content, this class requires little to no understanding of the scientific or technical aspects of ship design or operation.

This presentation will provide students with an interest in Civil War history, the Navy, or submarines with information on the first combat submersible ever to sink an enemy warship. Buried in the sand off Charleston Harbor for more than 150 years, the Hunley was discovered in remarkably good condition, but a mystery remains as to exactly what caused her loss after successfully engaging the Union warship USS Housatonic. Several theories are examined from forensic analysis of the ship following her recovery. This presentation is complemented by numerous visuals and does not lend itself to remote learning.

Exploring the geniuses of swing, this course delves into the lives and music of the greatest innovators of big band jazz orchestra—including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, The Dorsey Brothers, and Count Basie, among others.