U Club programs and meetings are now in-person.

In-Person Meetings

Doubletree Inn, Claremont

11:30 am: social time * 12:00 noon: lunch * 1:00 pm: speaker Lunch is $20 for members and guests (subsidized by the Club)

May 2024 Programs

May 14

“A National Infrastructure Bank”

Presenter – Andy Winnick

Presenter: Andy Winnick

There is currently a critical need to repair and expand the public infrastructure of the U.S. Our existing system of bridges, the entire rail system, the electric grid, dams and the water distribution system and low cost housing have all continued to deteriorate because of a lack of available money due to massive federal debt and budget deficits, as well as political gridlock. There is an answer, and ironically, the solution is used successfully around the world, building on a model developed in the U.S., but abandoned in recent years — A National Infrastructure Bank. Andy will talk about the current effort to pass a bill now pending in Congress to authorize the chartering of a new National Infrastructure Bank, using a model first developed by Alexander Hamilton and very successfully repeated three more times in past years in the U.S. You are invited to come and see how this can (and should) be done.

Andy earned a BA from UC-Berkeley and an MA and PhD from U of Wisconsin, Madison in Econ, with a focus in Marco Econ, Money and Banking, and Stats. He is a Professor Emeritus of Economics and Statistics at Cal State LA. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank, and in that role is regularly involved in lobbying Congress members and their staffs, as well key state and local officials around the country.

In-Person Meeting!

Held in the Sycamore Room, Doubletree Inn, 555 W Foothill Blvd, Claremont

11:30 am: social time * 12:00 am: lunch * 1:00 pm: speaker Lunch is $20 for members and guests (subsidized by the Club)

May 28

“Remembering an Ancestor: A Tribute to a
Navy Man Who Proudly Served His Country”

Presenter – John Geddes

Presenter: John Geddes

As part of our commemoration of Memorial Day, our fellow University Club member, John Geddes, will share some stories about his father who served in the Navy during both WWII and the Korean War. His father wrote a book about his experiences which is entitled “Above and On the Deep Blue.”

John’s father was a Naval Aviator who fought in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He flew Search and Rescue missions and anti-submarine patrols in an amphibious PBY. After the war, he served as the Senior Aviator on board a Cruiser. He flew a Curtis Seahawk float plane which was catapulted off the stern of the ship. As a Navy pilot, he had many interesting experiences and several close calls. During the Korean War, his father served as the Operations Officer on a destroyer. The destroyer was the flagship for minesweeping operations and the ship also provided artillery support for our troops on shore. He ended his Navy career as an executive officer on board an aircraft carrier which was deployed in the Mediterranean. John’s father later earned a PhD in Education and had a long career in that field.