AAUW enters 40th year launching lecture series

Local branch spans Windsor to Cloverdale
The north county branch of the American Association of University Women will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2015 and will kick off a year of celebration with a lecture series, launching in early January.
The inaugural course, taught by Dr. Chris O’Sullivan will take a look back at the history of California in two, six-week sessions.
“The series is a fundraiser and all of the proceeds will go to our scholarship program,” said Judy Edmonds, a longtime AAUW member.
The series will explore California’s history, from its distinctive geography and the diversity of Native American life to the creation of a deeply polarized “mega state.” O’Sullivan will offer insights into California Indians, the emergence of a distinctive California culture, and the transformation of the state in the 20th Century.
Edmonds said O’Sullivan’s course will be just the beginning of what is planned to be a year’s worth of talks and panels or other educational events.
“We were looking for a way to celebrate our anniversary and Chris (O’Sullivan) is such a community treasure and he offered to help,” Edmonds said.
Healdsburg resident Chris O’Sullivan, PhD, MA, University of London; BA, UC Berkeley teaches California history at the University of San Francisco and is the author of five books on history.
The Healdsburg branch of AAUW serves all north county communities, from Windsor to Cloverdale. The local organization, formed by 25 women in 1975, is one of more than 1,300 branches nationwide and boasts more than 170 members.
According to its members, over just the past 17 years, the local AAUW has raised over $250,000 for scholarships and education.
In recent years, scholarships have been awarded to women re-entering college and to girls about to enter eighth grade to attend Tech Trek, a science and technology camp held each summer at Stanford University.
Register for the AAUW lecture series at www.healdsburgaauw.com. The series begins Thursday, Jan. 8 and will be held at the Raven Performing Arts Theater from 10 to 11:30 a.m. every Thursday. Part two of the series will begin on March 5 and cover the period from 1850 to the present.
The fee is $90 for each six-week session. Checks may be made payable to Healdsburg AAUW. Mail check to AAUW Forum, Box 1603, Healdsburg CA 95448.