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

September Program Chair: Larry Fox

September 4– No meeting due to the holiday

September 11 – “Recent Books and News on Newspapers”

Speaker – David Allen, columnist for Inland Daily Bulletin, humorist, restaurant critic

As longtime columnist for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, David Allen is watching the implosion of newspapers from the inside. (It’s grim, but at least there’s air conditioning.) Could newspapers really go away? Is democracy in peril? David Allen got his start in newspapers in 1987 in Santa Rosa and has been with the Daily Bulletin since 1997. His previous books are “Getting Started,” collecting columns from 1997-2000, and “Pomona A to Z,” collecting columns from 2004-05. He will read from his work, including from his newly published third book.

This presentation will be preceded by a brief “9/11 Retrospective” conducted by Larry Fox.

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship: Ray Bragg
Greeters: Pat Kelly, Art Parker

 September 18 – “The Powerful Effect of Music on Our Community”

Speaker – Gabe Petrocelli, Conductor, Ontario/Chaffey Community Show Band

Dr. Gabe Petrocelli will explain why music has a powerful effect in our community. He will emphasize that music is a powerful element of communication that transcends the use of the spoken word and thereby requires no translation. Accordingly, the existence of community-based musical organizations has become an important social element in many communities across our nation and as well, in towns and cities worldwide. Dr. Gabe Petrocelli is a graduate of the Hartt Conservatory at the University of Hartford.  He earned a master’s degree in music cmposition and theory at California University, Los Angeles and a doctoral degree at the University of La Verne. Dr. Petrocelli is a virtuosi pianist. He has written nearly 150 arrangements for the Ontario/Chaffey Community Show Band and numerous others for high school bands and orchestras throughout Southern California.  In 2011, he composed the film score for a documentary movie entitled “Mayberry Days.”  He has composed music for NBC-TV and has written musical arrangements for Hanson Publications.

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship: Pat Kelly
Greeter: Peter Boniface

September 25 – “Remembering 9/11”

Speaker – Michael Hingsdon, 9/11 survivor, author and keynote/motivation speaker

Join us for this special program, presented by a 9/11 survivor – and rescuer. Michael Hingson is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, technologist and motivational speaker. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks with the help of his guide dog, Roselle. This story of teamwork and his indomitable will to live and thrive is the subject of his book, “Thunder Dog” and the major motion picture. Michael and Roselle saved dozens of lives by guiding co-workers down 78 floors and out of Tower One just before it collapsed on 9/11. In “Thunder Dog” Michael leads us through his moment-by-moment account from inside the tower. Roselle passed away in July 2011 but posthumously won the American Humane Association Hero Dog Award for 2012 in a star-studded gala in Beverly Hills and televised in a special feature presentation on Hallmark Channel.  Michael has a master’s degree in physics from UC Irvine and is an accomplished technologist. Michael worked with Ray Kurzweil for more than 30 years to develop the first reading machine for the blind. Today, the Kurzweil brand is the preeminent name in educational software and technology for students with disabilities, for which Michael is a national sales manager. The Innovative Speaker’s Network named Michael “one of America’s top 10 educational speakers”. Michael is a member of NACA and a member of the National Speaker’s Association.

Introduction: Larry Fox
Fellowship: David Sonner
Greeter: Bob Knell
Birthdays: Bob Knell