University Club programs are open to the public and are held Tuesdays in the Padua Room of the Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road, Claremont, Cali fornia. Meetings start at 11:30 AM. The $20 meeting fee includes a buffet lunch. Membership applications are available at each meeting. Map to Hughes Community Center

June 5 – “The Latest in LA County Fire Practices and Challenges

Speakers – Captain Chris Adomeit and the Fire Team

The County of Los Angeles Fire Department provides fire protection services to 57 cities and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.  Fire Station 102, located on Sumner Ave. just south of Baseline Rd., is staffed by a captain, firefighter specialist and a firefighter.  They will address the history of firefighting in LA County, how the LACoFD operates, fire tips, current and future fire issues, and some notable incidents in the area. This is a perfect opportunity to have a conversation with and ask questions of our local fire support staff.

Introduction: Michael Fay
Fellowship: Julia Arias
Greeters: Larry Wicksted, Tom Helliwell

June 12 – “New Developments with the Sam Maloof Foundation

Speaker – Jim Rawitsch, Executive Director

In this “Maloof Legacy” presentation, Jim Rawitsch will tell how woodworker Sam Maloof, the son of Lebanese immigrants and born in Chino, became a globally recognized California Modernist furnituremaker. Maloof’s works are in the collections of America’s leading art museums and collectors, and the hand-made home of Sam and Alfreda Maloof in Rancho Cucamonga has been preserved and designated as part of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program established by the National Trust. It offers public tours, a museum, learning center and workshop set in a water-wise Discovery Garden. Executive Director Jim Rawitsch earned a BA from UCLA and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business. He came to the Maloof Foundation with experience in historic preservation, art museum administration, and higher education. He has expanded the Maloof audience, exhibitions, collections, collaborations, publications, educational programs, membership, fundraising and community outreach. In 2016, he led the Maloof centennial celebration with a new book, a retrospective exhibition, and a Smithsonian Symposium.

Introduction: Sam Mansour
Fellowship: Jennifer Stark
Greeters: Pat Kelly, Art Parker

June 19 – “The Importance of Social Support for Seniors

Speakers – Floy Biggs, CEO, and Bea Kirkman, Director of Community Senior Services

Do you or your loved ones need to address support services necessary for seniors? This is a “must hear” program provided by Community Senior Services. Learn about resources for seniors and their families, including transportation, caregiver support, and volunteer opportunities, with special emphasis on REAL Connections Village. Many seniors like a wide variety of options, to “age in place” rather than move to a full-service facility. Floy Biggs has over 30 years of experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, managing senior and long-term care programs.  Serving as CEO of Community Senior Services since 2006, Floy is a licensed skilled nursing facility administrator. She earned a BS in gerontology and a Masters in health administration from USC. Bea Kirkman has a Masters in education school administration and over 25 years experience in the field. Bea came to REAL Connections, where she is director, in 2015 after caregiving for her father who had Alzheimer’s and her mother who had macular degeneration. Bring your questions!

Introduction: Tom Helliwell
Fellowship: Bob Knell
Greeters: Milt Wilson, Peter Boniface

June 26 – “Anxieties of Authenticity: American Yoga and the Problem of Whiteness

Speaker – Dr. Amanda Lucia, Associate Professor, UCR

In this time of racial conversations, have you ever wondered how yoga – which originated in India – became a white multi-billion dollar commercial enterprise in America? Telescoping on a case study of modern postural yoga, Dr. Amanda Lucia discusses the intersections of race and religion, suggesting that the transience and mobility of modern globalization have produced simultaneously a determined quest for roots and a flippant disregard for lineage, both of which are derived from a preoccupation with authenticity. Amanda Lucia (MA, PhD, University of Chicago) is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at University of California-Riverside. Her forthcoming book, White Utopias: Spirituality, Transformational Festivals, and American Yoga, focuses on race and American adoptions of Indic spirituality.  Her first book, Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace focused on transnationalism and gender in a global guru movement. Her articles have been published in leading journals in the field.

Introduction: David Sonner
Fellowship: Don McDonald
Greeters: Sam Mansour and Bob Knell