Frances Humphrey Lecture Series

Check the Event page to learn who is speaking this month.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: “A Man of His Word: The Life & Times of Nevada’s Senator William J. Raggioby Michael Archer

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, November 21st, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about this influential figure in Nevada legislative history.

Description: Join author Michael Archer as he discusses the remarkable life of the legendary   William J. Raggio.  A fourth-generation Nevadan, Bill Raggio served as Washoe County District Attorney and later state senator, achieving national and international distinction in both sectors and establishing the record as longest serving public official in Nevada history—an astounding fifty-six years.

Raggio was widely admired for his intellect, keen wit, eloquence and unfaltering integrity. In the opinion of former Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Richard Bryan: “No legislator in the annals of Nevada history left a larger footprint on the political landscape of the state than Bill Raggio.”

In his book A Man of His Word: The Life & Times of Nevada’s Senator William J. Raggio, Michael Archer chronicles Bill Raggio’s remarkable career and contributions in shaping modern Nevada. In the end, however, it proves to be a cautionary tale of what can happen when civility and empathy in the political arena are replaced by partisanship and rancor, but stands as a tribute to one man’s courage in opposing such changes—regardless of the consequences.

Presenter: Michael Archer first met Senator Raggio in 2003 as a staff member with the Nevada Legislature.  In addition to his book A Man of His Word, Michael’s articles and essays have appeared in The Nevada Review literary magazine and the Political History of Nevada-2016.

Michael is a U.S. Marine survivor of the intense and bloody ten-week-long siege of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War and has written three books about that battle and its aftermath.

They include A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered, which VIETNAM magazine called, “The best first-hand account of the battle” and The Long Goodbye: Khe Sanh Revisited, chronicling the author’s search for answers to a friend’s mysterious death at Khe Sanh. The Long Goodbye won FOREWORD Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award for 2016, chosen from among hundreds of submissions by independent publishers and university presses across the country.

Michael’s third book in the trilogy, The Gunpowder Prince:  How Marine Corps Captain Mirza Munir Baig Saved Khe Sanh, won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2019 Colonel Joseph Alexander Award for “distinguished book of biographical literature.”

Michael lives in Reno where he continues to write and remains a proofreader for the Senate Committee on Finance during each biennial session of the Nevada State Legislature.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: “One Gold Rush Immigrant’s Trail to Comstock Silverby Paul Franklin

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, October 24th, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why:To learn about Dutch immigrant H. Harris and his interesting path to success in early Nevada.

Description: Harvey Harris was a Danish immigrant who came to the United States early in the 1840’s and began a career at the Philadelphia Mint. Heading west he continued work at the New Orleans Mint and like many heard the siren of California Gold beckoning. By way of Central America, he arrived at San Francisco just in time for the opening of the West’s first Mint. He quickly realized that the mint was not responding to the assaying business demanded by the California Gold Rush, so Harvey established his own Assay Office in Sacramento closer to the Gold country. His business grew with the development of Hard Rock and Hydraulic Mining and additional offices were opened in San Francisco and Marysville. Then in 1860 Silver discoveries in the Washoe region of the Utah Territory led Harvey to the fabled Comstock Lode in Nevada Territory. Again, with business booming, he established offices in Aurora and Carson City by 1862. A third Nevada office, sharing a building with the Banking firm of Almarin B. Paul would open in Gold Hill in 1863. Later Harris moved his assay business to nearby Silver City but continued to reside in Gold Hill. There he lived out his years after becoming a Vice Consul to Denmark.

Presenter: Paul Franklin has been an executive in the semiconductor industry for some 50 years. During his career he was instrumental in the start-up of five companies. Now retired, but still consulting to startup tech companies, he is a frequent lecturer at Stanford University. Much of his time is now focused on Western historical research specializing in the areas of mining and its technology. He has published articles in professional journals, been a lecturer at the UNR’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Comstock Foundation, the Carson City Mint Museum and appeared on the local TV program: Old Tales of Nevada: Past and Present. His first book, “Anatomy of an Ingot” follows the careers of three mining engineers and assayers who figured significantly in Nevada’s early silver mining boom. Paul is presently finishing another book about a Comstock Mining attorney who met an untimely death at the end of a gun held by his mistress who was a formerly a boarding house manager in Virginia City during the early 1860’s.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited. Reserve your seat by clicking HERE.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: “100 years later: The 1919 Transcontinental Military Motor Convoy” by Jim Bonar

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 26th, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about the history of the 1919 Transcontinental Military Convoy.

Description:   In 1919, after World War 1, the U.S. Army needed to find out if they had the ability to move troops and equipment from the fortified east coast to the west. Japan now was growing in military power, and all were concerned.  Trucks were just in their infancy, and had been used in Europe during the war to move troops and equipment. The question:” Were our roads up to the needs of the Army Transportation Corps?” Find out if they were and compare the highways of 1919 to today’s highways. The talk will include a 30-minute video of the trip. This is film footage that was taken 100 years ago, these short clips are all that is left of the more than three hours that were filmed.

Presenter: Jim is a locally retired High School teacher, ending his teaching career as a Math teacher at Sparks high school. He became interested in roads as a young child in Green River Wyoming while watching the traffic passing on Highway 30 through town. Jim is Director, and past president of the Nevada chapter of the Lincoln Highway association. This encouraged him to study and research many western events. He is a member of many of our local and state historical societies, so in his retirement activities he began giving presentations of Western historical events and roads and presents many presentations to local groups.

Cost: $8 for adults; Free for members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited. Seat reservations will start August 23rd.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: “General Aviation in Nevada and the Nevada Airport Update” by Kurt Haukohl

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 22nd, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about the history and present of aviation in Nevada.

Description: Nevada has a long history in aviation. From early exhibition flying in Carson City and Reno to WWII Army Air Corp pilot training all over the state to the present day Reno Air Races. Today in Nevada there is a wide variety of aviation happening every day. Our skies are full of commercial, military, general and glider aviation. Kurt Haukohl, NDOT State Aviation Manger, will share the history of general aviation in Nevada and the Nevada Airport Update.

Presenter: Kurt Haukohl has been a pilot for 50 years and has over 9,900-hours of flight time. He has been working in the aviation industry since he was 19 years of age. He has degrees from Florida Institute of Technology in Air Commerce and Flight Technology. In addition to working as a pilot, flight instructor, and aerobatic competitor he has also worked for the FAA, California Department of Transportation, and as a private consultant. Kurt is on the Board of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) and is currently the Director of the Western Pacific Region.

Cost: $8 for adults; Free for members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited. Follow this link to reserve a seat.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: “1969 Apollo Mission” by Michael Thomas

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 25, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

Description: The epic story of the 1969 Apollo Mission, which landed Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon. The presentation includes many NASA photographs.

Presenter: Mike Thomas provides high quality History and Science presentations. He is a well-known lecturer whose research is both thorough and broad based. Mike gives 15 to 20 lectures a month at a variety of venues; including seminars, conventions, and community groups. He and his wife Eleanor travel extensively overseas, giving him the opportunity to bring an insightful richness to his lectures.

Mike is the past President of the Western Nevada Astronomical Society, and lectures year round at the Jack C. Davis Observatory at Western Nevada College.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Fueling the Boom: Chinese Woodcutters in the Great Basin 1870-1920, Perspectives from a Historical Archaeologist by Emily Dale, Ph.D.

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Hear from one of the co-curators of our Fueling the Boom exhibit to learn more about Chinese woodcutters in our area.

Description: In the 1860s, the first Chinese immigrants found their way to Aurora, Nevada. By the 1870s, they had settled along King Street in Bodie, California, creating a sizeable Chinatown. By the 1880s, they cornered the woodcutting market, providing cordwood and charcoal to neighboring residents, businesses, and ranches. While the Chinese left behind few written records of their own, they are recorded in the historical documents of others, as well as in the artifacts and sites they left behind. In this talk, Emily Dale will discuss how historical records, archaeological data, descendant communities, and public archaeology painted a portrait of the lives and choices of the Chinese men who used the material culture curated in this exhibit.

Presenter: Emily Dale is a Lecturer at Northern Arizona University, specializing in the Historical Archaeology of the 19th-and 20th-century American West. Her research focuses on immigration, culture contact, and ethnic and racial discrimination. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Nevada-Reno in 2016. As co-curator of the Fueling the Boom exhibit, she drew heavily on her dissertation “Chinese Agency in the Era of the Chinese Question: Historical Archaeology of Woodcutting Communities in Nevada, 1861-1920.” She is currently working on several publications related to her work on the Chinese of Aurora and their associated woodcutting camps.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice by John L. Smith

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, May 23, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Learn about civil rights and political icon, Nevada State Senator Joe Neal.

Description: Join John L. Smith as he discusses civil rights and political icon, Nevada State Senator Joe Neal. Neal rose from humble beginnings in Mound, Louisiana, during the Great Depression to become the first African American to serve in the Nevada State Senate. As he climbed through the political ranks, Neal used his position in the state senate to speak on behalf of the powerless for more than thirty years. He took on an array of powerful opponents ranging from the Clark County sheriff to the governor of the state, as well as Nevada’s political kingmakers and casino titans. His successes include improved rights for convicted felons and greater services for public education, mental health, and the state’s libraries. He also played an integral role in improving hotel fire safety in the wake of the deadly MGM Grand fire and preserving the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe, which brought him national attention.

Presenter: John L. Smith is a longtime journalist and the author of more than a dozen books on some of the most significant characters in Las Vegas history. In three decades as a daily columnist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he garnered many state and national awards for his work. In 2016, Smith was named to the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame and was part of a group of reporters to receive the Ancil Payne Award for Ethics from the University of Oregon, the Society of Professional Journalists award for Ethics, and the James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: A History of Northern Nevada Theatre by Jim Bernardi, Ph.D.

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Learn about the wide array of theatre activities and movements which have enriched our lives.

Description: From indigenous peoples’ dance rituals to Virginia City’s nineteenth century glory days when major stars routinely toured to Nevada to perform in Piper’s Opera House and other regional venues to the little theatre movements in Reno, Carson City and others cities and  the fabled casino show rooms which boasted appearances by the biggest talents in the world of entertainment. Northern Nevada has experienced a wide array of theatre activities and movements which have enriched our lives and enhanced our cultural legacy.

Presenter: Jim Bernardi, Ph.D. Theatre Professor Emeritus, University of Nevada, Reno. Jim’s areas of expertise included Theatre History, British Theatre, Experimental Theatre and Women in Theatre.  He conducted annual theatrical tours to London England for thirty-one years for both student and community participants.  He directed, designed or acted in nearly 100 plays during the course of his forty-four year career.   Annual visits to northern Nevada communities with shows ranging from popular musicals, classics, children’s plays, and popular comedies were particularly rewording projects. It was during these visits that he learned to appreciate and take delight in the various towns and their idiosyncrasies.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; Seat reservation will start March 29th


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Women Artists of the Great Basin by Mary Lee Fulkerson

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, March 28, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about the amazing female artists in the Great Basin.

Description: Author Mary Lee Fulkerson will present some of the thirty-one women artists scattered over 200,000 miles whose challenges became opportunities beyond their wildest dreams. Opening their studios and sharing their lives, each artist reveals how this vast Great Basin brings challenge, inspiration, and vision as they boldly move forward, sometimes circling outside the conventional routes and creating art as independent and authentic as the land itself. They are indeed true originals, rooted in a land of unique geography, a stew of cultures, and stories like no other.

Presenter: Mary Lee Fulkerson is a former professional basket artist who once told stories around her baskets. When her hands rebelled, she began telling stories in a different way—by writing them down. A fourth generation Nevadan and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, she is author of Weavers of Tradition and Beauty: Basketmakers of the Great Basin, published by the University of Nevada Press, as well as A Basket of Blessings, a perpetual calendar. Her newest book, Women Artists of the Great Basin, published by the University of Nevada Press, recently received the Willa first place award in creative non-fiction by Women Writing the West.

This lecture is filled to capacity.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Boxcar Diplomacy by Jane Sweetland

When: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Friday, March 1, 2019: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, February 28, 2019.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Learn about the “Merci Train” and the connection between the American and French people.

Description: Boxcar Diplomacy is about two trains that crossed the Atlantic after WWII.  “The Friendship Train” was initiated by columnist Drew Pearson who noted that Communists were getting a foothold in a hungry Europe and Americans could showcase democracy with gifts of food. On October 11, 1947, he published the idea that a train could cross America collecting nourishment for Europe. On November 7, eight loaded boxcars rolled out of Los Angeles; eleven days later, the train arrived in New York with 700 boxcars. In February 1949, France reciprocated with a “Merci Train:” forty-nine boxcars, one for each state and one for Washington DC, which carried over a thousand gifts ranging from children’s drawings and handcrafted flags, to valuable artwork and historical artifacts. This lecture will take you back to the very beginning of the Cold War, when America united in a gesture of friendship designed to showcase what people living in a free country could do and many stories about how a grateful France said Thank you.

Presenter: Jane Sweetland is a former dean and associate vice president at California State University Channel Islands. She has master’s degrees in Counseling and Writing and a doctorate in Education and has written three books.  Jane has deep roots in Nevada. Albert Seeliger, for whom Carson’s grade school is named, was her great uncle. Her grandfather, Ernest Sweetland, was born in Carson City in 1880, and built the Sweetland Building just north of the capitol. In 1927, Ernest bought land at Lake Tahoe, from Henry Yerington not far from where Jane lives in Zephyr Cove. Jane will be available after the lecture to sign copies of her book.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; Thursday evening lecture is already full. To reserve a seat for the Friday, March 1st 1:00 p.m. lecture click here.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Encore Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Bonanza King by Gregory Crouch

When: 1:00 pm to 2:00 p.m., Friday, January 25, 2019. Doors open at 8:30 am.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Learn about the life of local legend John Mackay

Description: In his presentation, author Gregory Crouch will discuss local legend John Mackay, who got his start in the United States as a destitute Irish immigrant brought here when he was 9 years old. Mackay grew up in New York City’s Five Points slum (“The Gangs of New York neighborhood), came of age amid the violent mayhem of the California Gold Rush, and rose to the full power of his manhood in the deep, rich, and outrageously dangerous mines of the Comstock Lode beneath Virginia City, Nevada, the ultimate Old West boomtowns.

On the Comstock, Mackay worked his way up from nothing, battling the pernicious “Bank Ring” of California capitalists who’d monopolized the lode, and struck the legendary Big Bonanza, a stupendously valuable body of gold and silver ore buried 1,500 feet below the center of the town.

The extraordinary wealth Mackay extracted from the Comstock Lode drove wild stock market frenzies in San Francisco and launched his wife, whose beginnings were every bit as humble as his own, on a meteoric social career among the finest European aristocrats. When John Mackay died in 1902—with a personal fortune equivalent to about $50 billion modern dollars—front page obituaries all over Europe and the United States hailed him as one of the most admired Americans of the age.

Presenter: Gregory Crouch is a writer who specializes in adventurous and historic subjects.

He is the author of the Comstock epic, The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Riches in the American West, the World War II flying adventure China’s Wings: War, Romance, Intrigue, and Adventure in the Middle Kingdom During the Golden Age of Flight, and the mountaineering memoir Enduring Patagonia.

Crouch has published stories in The Atlantic, National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian, Time, American History, World War II, Islands, Outside, Popular Mechanics, Backpacker, Rock & Ice, Ascent, Alpinist, Climbing and many other national and regional media. Also regular book critic, Crouch has reviewed more than 25 books for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times Book Review, and NPR Books, among others.

Copies of The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Riches in the American West will be available at the museum store and Mr. Crouch will be available to sign copies after the lecture

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by clicking here.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Forgotten Heroes of WWI: War Horses and War Dogs By Robert Nylen

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about the amazing and inspiring War Horses and War Dogs that served in WWI.

Description: WWI was the last war in which horses were used for constant resupply, movement of new heavy weaponry, and the transport of troops and the first war in which military dogs were mobilized on a massive, organized scale. These forgotten heroes of WWI made great sacrifices for the war effort. Of the approximately one million American horses and mules (including horses and mules from Nevada) who served in Europe, only 200 came home after the war. Up to 20,000 dogs were trained for front-line duties during World War One. Dogs were used in a variety of roles such as sentry, scout, explosive detection, communication, search and rescue, ratters and mascot. The stories of these war horses and war dogs are inspiring and heartwarming.

Presenter information: Robert Nylen is currently the curator of history at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.  He has been actively involved for over 30 years doing research, writing and lecturing about Nevada’s rich history.  Bob worked for seven years at the Nevada Historical Society beginning in 1976 and has been employed at the museum for 34 years.  During this time he has helped to curate many of the fine exhibits at the museum.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: How Do The Mountains Get Their Names? By Dr. Christine Johnson

When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, October 25, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn about the Nevada State Board on Geographic Names.

Description: Did you know that Nevada is considered to be the most mountainous state in the country?  With more than 300 named ranges, Nevada’s topography contains thousands of peaks, valleys, mounts, buttes, bluffs, cutoffs, mountains, points, and more.  The Nevada State Board on Geographic Names has been in place since 1985, working to advise the U.S. Board on new name suggestions, research current names of features, and weigh in on controversies when presented. This talk will provide a history of the board, operational procedures; provide a look at why and how features get named, and highlight a few interesting and noteworthy features on the Nevada landscape.

Presenter information: Dr. Christine Johnson is the Collection Manager at the Nevada Historical Society and adjunct faculty in the departments of Anthropology and Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. She holds a PhD in geography and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology with minors in geography and archaeology.  She was appointed to the Nevada State Board on Geographic Names in 2013 to represent the Nevada Historical Society, and elected to serve as the Executive Secretary for the board in 2014, a position she still holds.  A long-time Nevadan, she is passionate about the Nevada landscape and its people.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by clicking here.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Experiencing World War I: America During the Great War by Dr. Jennifer Keene

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, Sept 20, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To expand our understanding of the significance of WW I.

Description: Most Americans possess only a hazy understanding of World War I or its significance for the United States. So why not leave it there? Why bother with this history lesson? How the nation responded to the challenge of fighting its first modern war re-made America, leading to female suffrage, the modern civil rights movement, the drive to protect civil liberties, new conceptions of military service, and an expanded role for the United States in the world. This lecture examines home-front mobilization and the experiences of soldiers on the battlefield, while also considering how the war affected women, immigrants, and African Americans. In the inter-war period, Americans tried to “learn lessons” from the Great War in unexpected ways, revealing additional ways that the war continued to impact American society.

Presenter information: Jennifer D. Keene is a professor of history and chair of the History Department at Chapman University. She is also the current President of the Society of Military History. She has published three books and numerous articles on the American involvement in the First World War including Doughboys, the Great War and the Remaking of America (2001), World War I: The American Soldier Experience (2011), and The United States and the First World War (2000).  In addition, she is the lead author for an American history textbook, Visions of America: A History of the United States that uses a visual approach to teaching students U.S. history. She has received numerous awards for her scholarship, including Fulbright Senior Scholar Awards to France and Australia and Mellon Library of Congress Fellowship in International Studies.  She has served as an historical consultant for exhibits and films, and was recently featured in the PBS documentary mini-series, The Great War.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Dances, Doughnuts and Doughboys by Capt. Leslie Cyr of the Salvation Army, Yaples Ballroom Dance and the NSM Education Department

When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, August 23, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Join us for a ballroom dance event casting back to the WWI era, and learn about some little known WWI history.

Description: When the American Expeditionary Force went to France during WWI so did the Salvation Army and other service organizations. They ran Canteens or Huts where doughboys (American GIs) could get some comforts of home during the hardships of war. This often took the form of music entertainment and treats, such as doughnuts, pie, hot chocolate, coffee and lemonade. Join us for a ballroom dance event with Salvation Army history and WWI canteen refreshments. There will be a short presentation by Capt. Leslie Cyr of the Salvation Army, a beginner’s dance lesson teaching the popular dances of the era (waltz, foxtrot and tango), followed by a ballroom dance social with fresh donuts and lemonade.

Presenter information:

Captain Leslie Cyr and her husband, Captain Mark Cyr, are Salvation Army officers commissioned to the Carson City Corps by the Salvation Army in 2011. They have served faithfully in this community for the last seven years. Captain Leslie loves sharing the history of the Salvation Army and how it has influenced American culture; especially the marvelous example of the Doughnut Girls of WWI.

Tiffany Alm, owner and operator of Yaples Ballroom Dance.

Zucker Mini Donuts, a woman owed small business from Northern Nevada started to make and sell mini donuts at local farmers markets, craft fairs, and events.


Image Credit: Paulo Velozo

Image Credit: Zeb Hogan

Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Monster Fish by Zeb Hogan

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 26, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the world’s largest fish.

Description: Around the world, freshwater ecosystems support tens of thousands of unique species and hundreds of millions of people. Zeb Hogan leads a multi-year effort to document the 30+ species of giant freshwater fish, the real life Loch Ness monsters of the aquatic world. Through the project, Hogan travels to the most endangered of these environments, striving to understand and save threatened fish and identify ways to sustain the livelihoods of people who share their habitats. Zeb’s search for the world’s largest freshwater fish is about far more than finding the big one. It is the story of the health of the world’s rivers and lakes. It is the story of the people who depend on fish and freshwater to survive. And it’s the story of how we view our world, and how the existence of these amazing fish make our lives richer, and Earth a better home, not just for us but for all life, big and small.

Presenter information: Dr. Zeb Hogan has spent the last 20 years studying the world’s freshwater ecosystems, working to merge conservation science with education and action. He is currently a research assistant professor at the University of Nevada-Reno, a National Geographic Society Fellow, United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Scientific Councilor for Fish, and presenter for the National Geographic television series “Monster Fish.” Zeb’s research with the Mekong Fish Conservation Project and other National Geographic-sponsored projects have aided in understanding migratory patterns and population structures of imperiled giant freshwater fish. Zeb received his Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis in 2004. His research has been featured in scientific journals including Science, American Scientist, and Conservation Biology and popular publications such as Wired, Time, and National Geographic Magazine.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Image Credit: UNR Center for Basque Studies and UNR Special Collections

Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Dominique Laxalt by Mike Fischer

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the life and work of Dominique Laxalt

Description: Today, the citizens of Nevada are surrounded by wonderful Basque people. They are pillars of our communities but it wasn’t always so. Early in the Twentieth Century, they were often looked upon as second class citizens. In many ways Dominique Laxalt was the prototypical Basque. He left his native land to seek economic opportunity in America. He achieved it, lost it and found it again. Follow his life beginning in the foothills of the French Pyrenees to his last days on Minnesota Street in Nevada’s Capital. Learn about his remarkable wife whose own life was filled with numerous hardships and whose determination that all her children be educated drove her to work 16 to 18 hour days. Dominique’s is a fascinating story that will make you want to know more about the history of our Basque neighbors.

Presenter information: Dr. Michael Fischer brings many years of private sector cultural affairs management. He has served several terms on the Board of Directors of the Western Folklife Center, the group responsible for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko. He was chairman of that board for four years. A life member of the Douglas County Historical Society, he was both a board member and President of the organization.

Dr. Fischer spent eight years as a Douglas County Commissioner serving multiple terms as Chairman. He also spent eight years on the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority working with cultural and tourism-related events.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Prehistoric Rock Art in Nevada by Pat Barker

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, May 24, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about Prehistoric Rock Art in Nevada

Description: People in Nevada have been making rock art for more than 10,000 years and some Native Americans continue to make it today. Over this long time span, rock art has been made by many different groups in many different ways and at many different places. Some rock art is pecked or carved on rock walls and boulders, while other images were painted in caves and other places. Rock art styles can be arranged on a continuum from abstract to representational. While the original meaning of the art has been lost in the mists of time, today people understand it in different ways. These include interpretations by descendant communities, archaeologists and other scientists, art historians, new age religionists, and the public.

Presenter information: Pat Barker earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology in 1982 from the University of California, Riverside. Since 1986 he worked as an archaeologist for the Bureau of Land Management and since 1988 was the lead archaeologist for the BLM Nevada State Office. Dr. Barker retired from the BLM in 2006. His archaeological research experience includes work in Southern California, the Mojave Desert, Eastern California and the Great Basin and his ethnographic experience includes work in Samoa, Southern California, and the Great Basin. Dr. Barker’s long-term archaeological interests in the Great Basin include prehistoric land management; fire and human ecology; political evolution, prehistoric sandals and other textiles; and prehistoric rock art. He is a Research Associate in Anthropology at the Nevada State Museum and at UC Davis. Dr. Barker is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Nevada Rock Art Foundation and of the Board of Directors of the Great Basin Anthropology Association. His teaching experience includes upper division and graduate level courses on Historic Preservation law and policy; the history of Indian-White relations in the United States; Great Basin archaeology and ethnography. During the past 35 years Dr. Barker’s work in Great Basin and Mojave Desert archaeology has been published, used and recognized by others in the field.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Click here to reserve a seat. Seating is limited;


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Datsolalee: A Washoe Woman’s Legacy to Nevada by Sue Ann Monteleone

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, April 26, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about famous Washoe basketmaker Datsolalee

Description: This presentation is about how some of the most beautiful baskets came to be made by a Native American woman of great artistic genius. Datsolalee is widely regarded as one of the most innovative, important, and famous basket makers in the world. Sue Ann Monteleone’s research through historic documents, photographs, and study of Datsolalee’s baskets tells the story of this remarkable woman and her art.

Presenter information: Sue Ann Monteleone has been the registrar of the Nevada State Museum for 18 years. She has a great passion for basketry and textiles, has studied native plants used for textiles, taken and taught numerous basketry classes with Native American and non-native weavers and is herself a proficient weaver. She has spent over 20 years studying the museum’s world class basketry collection and researching Datsolalee.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; click here to reserve your seat


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: The Nevada Women’s History Project by Mona Reno and Patti Bernard

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, March 22, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the Women’s History in Nevada

Description: The organization, Nevada Women’s History Project (NWHP), is a statewide educational 501c3 Nevada nonprofit corporation established in 1994 by Senator Jean Ford. Our mission is “To provide visibility and support for the gathering and dissemination of history about the roles and contributions of Nevada women of every race, class and ethnic background.”

NWHP Chair, Patti Bernard and NWHP Past-Chair Mona Reno will present a program on the history of the organization, its current activities, as well as its importance in preserving Nevada women’s history. The combination PowerPoint and lecture will discuss several ongoing projects and how you can become involved with the organization.

Presenter information: Patti Bernard is a former history teacher and Washoe County School Administrator, joining the NWHP shortly after its inception. In retirement she has devoted much volunteer time helping the organization continue its mission of collecting and sharing Nevada women’s history.

Mona Reno is a retired Nevada State Library reference librarian. The research and academic inclination of the NWHP attracted her to the NWHP during the Sarah Winnemucca statue era. She is the compiler and producer of the Sarah Winnemucca statue book It Can Be Done. Nevadawomen.org and suffrage100nv.org

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by contacting Mary Covington at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 224


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Victorian Fashions and Dress Reform by Jan Loverin

When: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, February 22, 2018. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the history of Victorian Clothing in the American West

Description: This lecture is an engaging look at women’s 19th century fashions.  We are fascinated by the beautiful and elaborate gowns of the Victorian era but can’t help wonder, “Why did they dress like that?”  This program looks at the various social and cultural issues of the day and how they influenced dress.  Why were bloomers rejected and considered the scorn of society? Come see some very stylish Victorian women, and meet those who, wanting dress reform, challenged the fashionable standards of the day.

Presenter information: Jan Loverin is the Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center. She has her M.S. in Home Economics and Museum Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. Together Jan Loverin and Curator of History, Bob Nylen have published “To Clothe Nevada Women 1860-1920” and are co-authors of Comstock Needleworkers in Comstock Women: the Making of a Mining Community. Jan is a member of the Costume Society of America and the International Council of Museums, Costume Committee and has presented papers for both professional organizations.

Cost:  $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Contact:  Jan Loverin: [email protected] or 775-687-6173

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by contacting Mary Covington at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 224


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Future of the Stewart Indian School (Encore Lecture) by Sherry L. Rupert

When: 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 20, 2018.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the history and future of the Stewart Indian School

Description: Established in 1890, the Stewart Indian School was one of the first 25 of hundreds of Indian Boarding Schools instituted across the nation to assimilate American Indian children into mainstream culture. The school was open for 90 years and educated over 30,000 American Indian students in the multi-colored stone structures. The 110-acre campus with over 65 buildings, is the best example of an intact campus that still remains. Rupert will briefly share the school’s past, but focus on the bright future ahead

Presenter information: Sherry L. Rupert is the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, and the first American Indian woman to be appointed a member of Governor Brian Sandoval’s cabinet. Mrs. Rupert is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and is past President of the Native American Chapter of the University of Nevada, Reno Alumni Association. Sherry is the Chairwoman of Nevada’s Indian Territory, a marketing arm of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and was awarded the 2007 and 2008 Excellence in Tourism Award as well as the 2011 Statewide Excellence in Tourism Award from the Nevada Commission on Tourism for her success in promoting and advancing tourism in Indian Country. She was also awarded the 2009 Human and Civil Rights Award from the Nevada State Education Association for her work in the advancement of Indian education in the state. Mrs. Rupert was elected President of the Board of Directors for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), January 2014, and has been named to the prestigious U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by contacting Mary Covington at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Future of the Stewart Indian School by Sherry L. Rupert

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, November 16, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: To learn more about the history and future of the Stewart Indian School

Description: Established in 1890, the Stewart Indian School was one of the first 25 of hundreds of Indian Boarding Schools instituted across the nation to assimilate American Indian children into mainstream culture. The school was open for 90 years and educated over 30,000 American Indian students in the multi-colored stone structures. The 110-acre campus with over 65 buildings, is the best example of an intact campus that still remains. Rupert will briefly share the school’s past, but focus on the bright future ahead

Presenter information: Sherry L. Rupert is the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, and the first American Indian woman to be appointed a member of Governor Brian Sandoval’s cabinet. Mrs. Rupert is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and is past President of the Native American Chapter of the University of Nevada, Reno Alumni Association. Sherry is the Chairwoman of Nevada’s Indian Territory, a marketing arm of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and was awarded the 2007 and 2008 Excellence in Tourism Award as well as the 2011 Statewide Excellence in Tourism Award from the Nevada Commission on Tourism for her success in promoting and advancing tourism in Indian Country. She was also awarded the 2009 Human and Civil Rights Award from the Nevada State Education Association for her work in the advancement of Indian education in the state. Mrs. Rupert was elected President of the Board of Directors for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), January 2014, and has been named to the prestigious U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by contacting Mary Covington at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Stephen T. Mather’s Best Idea: Creating America’s National Park Service by Historic Character Reenactor Steve Hale

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, October 26, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Why: Live historic character reenactment by the borax mining millionaire who created the National Park Service.

Description: Travel back in time to 1928 to meet the Nation Park Service’s first director “himself.” You’ll more than likely hear his first person historic account of how Lake Tahoe provided the pivotal role in making ”Ranger Programs,” a century old American tradition.

Whenever you visit a National Park, you can thank millionaire Stephen Mather, founder and 1st Director of the National Park Service. He will describe the inspired vision that was sparked in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and then spread nationally during the fierce battle over building the Hetch Hetchy Dam in Yosemite National Park. Over a century later, Director Mather’s incredible story of fortuitous events that created “America’s Best Idea” will further inspire audiences to appreciate and cherish these national treasures.

Presenter information: Steve Hale has been professionally performing live reenactments of pivotal historic figures for almost a decade. He travels up and down the West coast appearing at many venues including National Parks & Monuments, State Parks, historical societies, statue dedications, conferences, Chautauqua celebrations, and fund raising events. His recent appearances as Stephen Mather have been at the Yosemite (National Park) Valley Theater this summer, Death Valley National Park and the Furnace Creek Inn. Mr. Hale’s professional background includes awards nationally for Excellence in Interpretation & Conservation Education, as Nevada’s Conservation Educator of the Year, and regionally for preserving historical legacies through performance.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by contacting Mary Covington at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 224

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245. 


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Lake Tahoe’s Railroads by Stephen E. Drew

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 28, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Description: In the 1870s, the Nevada Comstock Lode created an insatiable appetite for Lake Tahoe’s virgin pine forests. The timbers would shore up underground mining and build communities approaching 40,000 inhabitants. Railroads on three shores delivered the logs lakeside, where they were towed by steam-powered tugs to sawmills, to lumber flumes, and again by rail to their final destinations. As the mines and giant lake pines subsided, railroads pushed farther north after 1898 into new timber stands in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River basins. Other rail lines were sold, barged across the lake, and repurposed for the burgeoning new industry of tourism. For the next 40 years, railroads marketed Lake Tahoe as their unique scenic destination.

Presenter: Stephen E. Drew has been researching railroads of the Comstock and Lake Tahoe region for 45 years. He recently retired after 35 years as chief curator of the California State Railroad Museum. He is the author of Nevada’s Virginia & Truckee Railroad in Arcadias Images of Rail series. His images are drawn from obscure archives and prized family photo albums.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.

Seating is limited, to reserve your seat, please call Mary W. Covington at ext. 224 or email [email protected]


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City and the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City present:

What: Shop Talk with Stephen E. Drew and Chris DeWitt; includes book signing.

When: 1 – 2:30 p.m., Thursday, September 28, 2017.

Where: Nevada State Railroad Museum, 2180 South Carson Street, Carson City.

Come to the Nevada State Railroad Museum to learn about the Glenbrook, a wood-burning steam locomotive built in 1875, that played an important role in delivering timber from the shores of Lake Tahoe for the mines of the Comstock Lode. The Glenbrook spent decades on display outside the Nevada State Museum until 1980 when the staff and volunteers at the Nevada State Railroad Museum began the process of painstakingly restoring the Glenbrook. Staff completed the restoration in 2015. Explore the Glenbrook under steam while learning about its unique history and restoration process in a relaxed setting. Hear about the history of the Glenbrook by noted railroad historian Stephen E. Drew and the restoration process from Chief Mechanical Officer, Chris DeWitt. This is your opportunity to ask questions and enjoy a casual conversation with Stephen & Chris. Not to be missed!

Contact: Adam Michalski: 775/687-6953 ext. 224 or [email protected].


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Owls in Nevada by Jenni Jeffers

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 24, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Description: Jenni will show you some of the live owl species native to Nevada and explain about their life history. Owls occupy a variety of habitats, however they are seldom observed by the public because much of their activity occurs at night. Come and find out what goes bump in the night and see these beautiful birds up close. Jenni will be available to answer specific questions about owls and how you may be able to assist in their conservation.

Presenter: Jenni received a Bachelors

and Masters degree in Wildlife Biology from New Mexico State University and shortly after, started working as a wildlife biologist for New Mexico State Game and Fish. Jenni has over 25 years of field experience as a biologist working with both avian and mammalian species. Before coming to Nevada she worked as a wildlife researcher for South Dakota State University tracking large mammals such as deer and mountain lion using radio telemetry and collecting habitat data in the beautiful Black hills of South Dakota. Jenni came to Nevada in 2001 and has been the Western Region wildlife biologist for Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) for the past sixteen years. She is responsible for survey, inventory and conservation of three major groups of animals; mammals, reptiles and birds. As wildlife biologist for NDOW, Jenni is responsible for the survey and monitoring of all species of birds including owls. She works extensively with the abandoned mine program conducting surveys for the winged mammals and schedules, coordinates and locates funding for wildlife compatible gates in her area of responsibility in order to protect important colonies of bats and owl roosts from human disturbance.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Seating is limited, to reserve your seat, please call Mary W. Covington at ext. 224 or email [email protected]

Please be aware that for the safety of the owls and the audience, photography will not be permitted at this lecture.

Contact: George Baumgardner, PhD [email protected] 775-687-4810, at ext. 236.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Battle Mountain is the Place for Me. By Ken Beaton

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 27, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Description: Make sure you have fresh batteries in your hearing aid, be early to insure a good seat and don’t leave your sense of humor at home! Be prepared to learn some of the history of Battle Mountain, when the community received lemons, it made lemonade. If you have ever said, “There’s nothing to do in Carson City.” I suggest you check into a Battle Mountain motel for three weeks one Tuesday evening. Discover the days before computers, tablets, iPhones, internet, cable, satellite dishes, DVRs, digital players, video games, NFL game day package or eBooks. We’ll conclude with a Mitch Miller song along to “Battle Mountain is the Place for Me.”

Presenter: The Lynn, Massachusetts native spent his first five Christmases in five different states, earned an AA from Boston University Junior College, a BS from Salem State University and a M. Ed. from Utah State University. He taught at Battle Mountain High School from 1972-75 and in Carson City from 1975-94. He wrote, “One Little Girl’s Love” for Country Extra, seven articles for Nevada in the West magazine, one for Nevada Magazine, September/October 2016 and numerous commentaries for the Nevada Appeal. His memoir, THE BULLDOG BRIGADE: Every Day Red and Gray is available in print or eBook at Amazon. After six semesters of conversational Italian, Ken “followed in the footsteps” of the First Special Service Force, The Devil’s Brigade, battles during WW II celebrating the 70th anniversary of Rome’s liberation, June 4, 2014.

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.


Who: The Nevada State Museum, Carson City presents:

What: Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: McAvoy Layne as Mark Twain

When: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 22, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson Street, Carson City.

Description: McAvoy Layne as Mark Twain….Prepare for a wildly entertaining evening!

Presenter: For twenty-eight years now, in over four thousand performances from Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City to Leningrad University in Russia, McAvoy Layne has been preeminent, in preserving the wit & wisdom of “The Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope,” Mark Twain. McAvoy is the ghost of Samuel Clemens in the Biography Channel’s episode of Mark Twain, and in the Discovery Channel’s Cronkite Award winning documentary, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He is a winner of the Nevada Award for Excellence in School and Library Service, and author of the soon to be published audiobook, One Life is Not Enough. Says McAvoy, “It’s like being a Monday through Friday preacher, whose sermon, though not reverently pious, is fervently American.”

Cost: $8 for adults; free for museum members and ages 17 and under.

Contact: Bob Nylen: [email protected] 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.


Nevada State Museum, 600 N Carson St, Carson City, NV 89701

Fourth Thursday of the month 6:30 – 8:00 PM

David Toll

The Gold Hill News
Thursday, May 25, 2017

Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: The Gold Hill News by David Toll. With a large number of talented and energetic people, David Toll helped bring The Gold Hill NEWS back to life after a 92-year slumber. The NEWS became the official Storey County newspaper from June 1974 until October 1978. Staff took great pride in the slogans, “None Just As Good!” and “Mark Twain Never Worked for This Newspaper!” In its brief lifespan it was the prize-winningest and most widely-read weekly in Nevada, but sadly didn’t win any prizes at the bank and, on Nevada Day 1978, the NEWS coughed up a farewell edition. From its own obituary: “. . . for the NEWS this is finally goodbye, finished, ended. So hooray for our friends, to hell with our enemies, and we’ll see you in 92 years.

Please note that all Frances Humphrey Lectures will be reservation only. Contact [email protected], 775-687-4810 ext. 224.

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Lynn Downey

The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World by Lynn Downey
Thursday, April 27, 2017

Includes book signing. Blue jeans are globally beloved and quintessentially American. And no name is more associated with blue jeans than Levi Strauss & Co., the creator of this classic American garment. But despite creating an American icon, Levi Strauss is a mystery. Little is known about the man, and the widely circulated “facts” about his life are steeped in mythology. Strauss’s life was the classic American success story, filled with lessons about craft and integrity, leadership and innovation. Contact: Bob Nylen at [email protected] or 775-687-4810, at ext. 245.


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Dr. Sudeep Chandra

Beneath Tahoe Waters-The Good, Bad and the Weird! by Sudeep Chandra, PhD
Thursday, March 23, 2017

From working to preserve lakes around the globe to conserving the world’s largest trout in Northern Mongolia (the taimen also known as the Siberian River Shark), to developing public-private partnerships to protect species and habitats, Dr. Sudeep Chandra, leads an active and interesting life. His talk will revisit the historical and contemporary ecological and environmental policy developments at Lake Tahoe that have led to the protection of the watershed. His brief, 200 year retrospective will end with a discussion of the new ecological changes facing the lake from a changing global environment including climate change and the introduction of species.

Sudeep Chandra, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno. His lab conducts limnological studies related to the restoration or conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Chandra’s projects include recovering native species, managing nonnative species, understanding the effects of land use change (mining, urbanization, etc) on water quality, and developing natural resource management & conservation plans for the world’s largest, freshwater fishes. Sudeep loves to engage laypersons and professionals, students, policy makers, and concerned citizens in improving environmental policy based on scientific information, and he gets to fish – a lot! He received his B.S. from the University of California, Davis, 1996 and his Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2003.

Click here to see more information on Dr. Chandra’s research interests.

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Making the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday by Bertha Mullins
Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is a federal holiday, but wasn’t always a state holiday. As the chairperson of the Northern Nevada Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Advisory Committee, Bertha Mullins has a unique insight into the story of the political wrangling involved to create this state holiday.

To read more about Bertha go to ourstoryinc.com.

Watch the video by Bertha Mullins