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, California. 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

October Program Chairs: Roya Ardelan and Larry Fox

October 2 – “Recognizing, Understanding, and Meeting the Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease”

Speaker – MaryLou Marquez, former manager, Education & Outreach, Alzheimer’s Inland Empire and Alzheimer’s Greater LA

In most people with Alzheimer’s Disease, symptoms first appear in their mid-60s. It’s an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Estimates vary, but experts suggest that more than 5 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s. It is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., but recent estimates indicate that the disorder may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for older people. MaryLou will talk about how to recognize, understand, treat. and meet the challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. She earned a B.S.W. from Cal State L.A. and is certified in Gerontology and Geriatric Care Management.  

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship: Anne Sonner
Greeters: Lori McGrath, Tom Helliwell

October 9 – “Premature Mortality and Socioeconomic Status: the Size and Socio-political Implications of the Early Disappearance of the Poor

Speaker – Javier Rodríguez, Ph.D., Dept. of Politics and Government, Claremont Graduate University

From the opioids epidemic to electoral politics, this talk is a short tour across the economic, public health, and socio-political principles and trends addressing the increasing socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy in the contemporary U.S. This is a discussion on the current evidence addressing how these inequalities also intersect by race and sex, and how they have powerful consequences for the perpetuation of inequality, the overall wellbeing of the population, and our representative democracy.  Dr. Rodriguez is the Mary Toepelt Nicolai and George S. Blair Assistant Professor of Politics and Government and the co-Director of the Institute for Policy and Inequality Research at CGU, and a Research Affiliate in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He has done extensive research, and is a multidisciplinary scholar with studies in engineering and the social and health sciences. He earned a Ph.D. from UCLA and did postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan.

Introduction: Art Sutton
Fellowship: Don McDonald
Greeters: Pat Kelly, Art Parker

October 16 – “Jack London, Photographer”

Speaker – Sarah “Sue” Hodson, retired curator of Literary Collections, Huntington Library

Sue Hodson will present an illustrated lecture about Jack London’s career as a photographer. London, best-known as the author of such books as The Call of the Wild, was also an accomplished photographer. On assignment for the Hearst Syndicate, Collier’s, and other magazines, London made some of the first photographs after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and, during his voyage aboard the Snark, produced humane images of the South Sea islanders that contrasted dramatically with the period’s stereotypical portraits of indigenous peoples. Sue earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Whittier College and an M.L.S. from UCLA. She recently retired as curator of literary collections for The Huntington Library where she oversaw all British and American literary manuscripts. Sue was named Woman of the Year by the Jack London Foundation and has received numerous awards for her archival achievements.

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship:
Greeter: Peter Boniface

October 23 – “Physical Health for a Better and Longer Life”

Speaker – Kirk Jones, Head Athletic Trainer and Assoc. Professor of Physical Education, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges; and Annette Jones, Physical Therapist and Clinical Coordinator, Casa Colina

Get motivated to improve your health – and bring your questions about exercise and physical therapy. Kirk Jones earned a B.S.in physical education from Chapman University with emphasis on sports medicine and an M.S. in Physical Education with emphasis on exercise physiology from California Poly, Pomona. His research on the care and prevention of athletic injuries has been published in several journals. He has worked at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges since 1980. His wife, Annette Jones, is a physical therapist and clinical coordinator of the Urinary Dysfunction Center at Casa Colina. Annette earned a B.S. in P.T. from Cal State Long, a B.S. from Chapman University, and an M.S. from Cal Poly Pomona in P.E. with emphasis in exercise physiology, and is a Board-certified orthopedic specialist. Both are certified athletic trainers.

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship: Tom McGrath
Greeter: Bob Knell

October 30 – “The Qajar Empire and the World of 19th-Century Iran”

Speaker – Dr. Arash Khazeni, Pomona College, Department of History

The Qajar Era (1785-1925), named after the dynasty that ruled Iran during the long 19th century, saw the coming of some of the most decisive changes in the country’s modern history.  From a western perspective, its beginning roughly coincided with the French Revolution and the rise of industrialized Europe and its imperial power, and its end with the First World War and the demise of imperial systems worldwide. From the perspective of Iran’s history, the rise of the Qajar Empire brought to an end the political instability that had characterized Iran since the fall of the Safavid Empire in 1722, and became the crucial period when Iran encountered European imperialism at the height of its expansion, becoming influenced although not fully transformed by new political, economic, and cultural challenges. Resisting the expansion of the Russian and British empires, Qajar Iran escaped direct colonial domination, but it suffered territorial losses, diminishing prestige, and intervention before coming to an end in a climate of revolution and war in the first decades of the 20th century. Arash Khazeni earned a Ph.D. in history from Yale and teaches Middle Eastern, South Asian, and world history at Pomona College.  His research has been published extensively.

Introduction: Roya Ardelan
Fellowship: Bob Knell
Greeter: Anne Sonner
Birthdays: Julia Arias