Life-Long Learning Series
Professional Associates

Join Dick White, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Smith College (MA), as he reviews climate science and why extreme temperature and precipitation events occur and will grow in impact. White will also address migration within countries and across national borders and the flow of migrants, primarily from low-income to high-income countries, creating foreign and domestic policy challenges. White’s talk will conclude as he speculates on deep causes and possible approaches to address them.

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Concetta DiRusso, Emerita George Holmes University Professor of Biochemistry from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will discuss the common misconception that obesity is a result of lack of willpower to eat well and exercise. DiRusso will also examine the evidence behind the popularity of the semaglutide family of drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, and how they have risen to fame as a panacea to cure obesity. 

Harvard Law graduate Frank Bowman, Provost’s Visiting Scholar at Fort Lewis College and Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Law, will discuss his new book exploring whether the power of the American president to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States” is a benevolent avenue for bestowing mercy or a dangerous tool for creating a regime of impunity for the president and their supporters.

Anthropologists generally agree that human consciousness was first manifested in a recognition of death. Join educator Katherine Burgess to examine beliefs, rituals, and philosophies of different cultures, ancient and contemporary, which have centered on that recognition. A native of Texas, Burgess completed a doctoral degree in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas. Moving to Durango in 2004 with her husband, Dwight, Burgess has taught at Fort Lewis and San Juan College.

Heather Shotton, FLC Vice President of Diversity Affairs, will discuss the College’s work to reconcile its history as a former Federal Indian Boarding School. The original boarding school south of Hesperus evolved into a high school and then into a two-year college before moving to Durango in 1956 to become the Fort Lewis College we know. Shotton will provide an overview of FLC’s Reconciliation Framework as well as the school’s progress and plans for the future.

Long overlooked, the gut microbiome is now seen as vital to human health. The forgotten organ is also a potential trigger for disease states such as cancer. Jeff McFarlane, FLC Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, will explore the gut microbiome and consider the intricate contributions of essential microbes in our daily lives.  McFarlane’s FLC lab has a National Institute of Health grant to study signaling molecules involved in colon cancer progression.

Well-known expert on American pop culture, Bob Griffith, will explore the magical life and story of Wavy Gravy, Flower Geezer, Clown Prince, and Counterculture standard bearer.  A natural raconteur himself, Griffith will examine Gravy’s Greenwich Village ‘60s comedy, his memorable presence at Woodstock, and his subsequent global humanitarian projects—up to the present. Griffith’s multi-media evening will include music, photos, and videos of an extraordinary American life.

Florian Walchak will tell various aeronautical tales by answering one key question: Why do some airplanes look the way they do?  Walchak has been in the aerospace testing business ever since he began at White Sands Missile Range as a young engineer. In addition to 40 years of engineering and technical management experience in the Department of Defense, Walchak has also taught aerodynamics and aircraft design at the University of New Mexico.

Join FLC Anthropology Professor Charles Riggs as he rethinks different approaches to archaeology and curation. Besides teaching, Riggs is Curator of Archaeological Collections at FLC and works primarily in the American Southwest. Riggs advocates building relationships with community professionals and academics in order to foster better, more respectful practices—from research design to shovel to shelf. 

Claire and Tom Huffaker will examine highlights of the close, complex, sometimes conflictual and generally unequal relationship between the USA and Canada from European settlement to the present.  The Huffakers lived in Ottawa from 1999–2003 and in Calgary from 2006–2016. Tom served as a U.S. diplomat and energy sector executive while Claire taught Advanced Placement World and Canadian History in Calgary. 

Drea Pressley, well-known professional musician and Certified Financial Planner, will present a lecture-recital on Anne Frank and her influence on artists, including the musical theatre drama: “Yours, Anne.” Beginning with a biography and analysis of the family situation in Amsterdam during World War II, Pressley will go on to perform the chamber ensemble piece: “I Remember” by Michael Cohen and Enid Futterman for voice, flute, cello, and piano, based on the writings of Anne Frank. 

Visiting speaker Melinda Laituri, professor emeritus of geography from Colorado State University, will explore examples of maps drawn using changing technologies that reflect the dynamic nature of how we see the world. She will discuss how maps have been protected as secret documents as well as representations of political power, and which have served as cultural interpretations of place. At CSU, Laituri was the founding director of the Geospatial Centroid, supporting geospatial research and teaching across
the university.

Jackson Clark III, owner of Durango’s Toh-Atin Gallery, will discuss the influence of Navajo Traders on the evolution of the Navajo rug. In the late 1800s, the Navajo wearing blanket began to disappear as Pendleton blankets and white man’s clothing became common wear for the Diné People. Jackson, the son of trading post owners, will argue that without the influence of traders, the art form would likely have expired.