Community Education

Tuesday, February 22  11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Woodside Building at the Taylor Community, 435 Union Avenue, Laconia, NH
(Snow Date February 23)

Dr. Lourdes Avilés, associate professor of meteorology in PSU’s department of Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry since 2004, will lead a fascinating discussion of the disastrous hurricane that raced through New England almost undetected and unannounced more than 70 years ago.

This infamous storm, which provided the stage for new scientific knowledge, extreme devastation, incredible survival stories, and behind-the-scenes scandal, is the subject of Dr. Avilés’ current research. She will combine all of these aspects to tell the compelling story of the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, concluding with a perspective on how likely it is for this to happen again in our region.

Dr. Avilés received her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and her master’s degree, both in Physics, from the University of Puerto Rico and her doctoral degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois, where she studied the formation of Atlantic hurricanes. Her areas of expertise include tropical meteorology, air quality, atmospheric dynamics and earth science education. Dr. Avilés currently teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in meteorology, including a very popular Severe and Hazardous Weather course. She is also a member of the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Higher Education and the Board on Women and Minorities.

Wednesday, March 16th 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Woodside Building at the Taylor Community, 435 Union Avenue, Laconia, NH

In this lively and engaging presentation, PSU’s Stephen Barba, executive director of University Relations, will share tales from the 48 years he worked at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. No other hotel in American can match The BALSAMS for the scope and scale of its historic collection and for the opportunity every guest has to enjoy this collection throughout the resort.

From 1959, when he attended summer caddy camp as a teenager, to his retirement as Innkeeper Emeritus in 2006, Barba was fascinated by this magical resort destination – truly a world apart – and during his 36 years as president and managing partner, he collected a treasure trove of historic memorabilia, ephemera, and photographs.

Barba has presented his “Story of The Balsams” hundreds of times in Dixville Notch and throughout New England. He will narrate a program of historic slides to illustrate the evolution of the resort from the 1800’s to the present day, intermixed with personal anecdotes and observations. The title of the presentation is a borrowed quotation from noted American writer and humorist Mark Twain.

Barba has held leadership positions for dozens of organizations serving his community, state, and nation. During his career he has been awarded National Resort Executive of the Year; Master of New England Inn-keeping; NH Distinguished Citizen of the Year; NH Business Leader of the Year; the University of New Hampshire Granite State Award; the New Hampshire Business Excellence Hall of Fame; and he has been recognized for his lifetime achievements by eight state and regional organizations.

Since 2006, Barba has served as a member of the senior administration at Plymouth State University. He lives in Concord, with his wife, Gail.

Thursday, January 20  10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
(Snow Date: Tuesday January 25, 10:30 a.m. -1 1:45 a.m.)

Dr. Robert Swift, Professor of Music, Department of Music, Theater, and Dance,

An exploration of the most common musical instrument – the human voice. In this presentation, adapted from his popular music appreciation course at Plymouth State University, Dr. Swift will discuss the mechanism of singing, the method of voice classification, various voice ranges from child soprano to basso profondo, the now-obsolete castrato, and some of the many categories of vocal literature. Recordings will be included. The session concludes with community singing for those who wish to “break forth.”

Dr. Swift received his bachelor’s degree in music education summa cum laude from Hartwick College, and his master’s and doctoral. degrees from the Eastman School of Music in music education. He has taught public school music grades 3-12, and college and university courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at Ithaca College, Eastman School of Music, Memphis State University and Plymouth State University. He has directed the Pemigewasset Choral Society since 1979. Dr. Swift is an active church musician and is the author of several published musical compositions. Dr. Swift has served as a choral conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South America, Australia and New Zealand. He is the author of MUSIC FROM THE MOUNTAINS: New York State Music Camp, 1947-1996. In 1998 he received the Music Educator of the Year Award from the New Hampshire Music Educators Association and the Distinguished Teaching Award 1998 from Plymouth State University.