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• Dr. Wayne Wiegand, Historian and Author: "In Silence or Indifference: Racism and Jim Crow Segregated Public School Libraries”

  • When
    Tuesday, September 02, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Gateway Room

  Register

  HCC Speaker Series,
  Tuesday, September 2, 10am,
  Gateway Fireside Room

  

  Join Rossmoor’s own library luminary on Tuesday, September 2 at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room as Dr. Wayne Wiegand returns to the History & Culture Club’s Speaker Series.

  Wiegand, often referred to as “the Dean of American Library Historians,” is the author of many articles and books and is VP Development of the Rossmoor Scholarship Fund. He was also historical consultant for the PBS documentary “Free for All: The Public Library,” which will be aired on April 29.

  At the September meeting, Wiegand will discuss his new book, In Silence or Indifference: Racism and Jim Crow Segregated Public School Libraries, where he takes an unflinching look at librarianship during the Jim Crow era of 1954−1974.

  The idealized notion of libraries, charges Wiegand, was actually one of racism in the practice and customs of public school libraries during these decades. In fact, this led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Paradoxically, during this same period, the library profession was honing an image as a defender of intellectual freedom, the freedom to read, and an opponent of censorship.

  In this inaugural interview format, Wiegand will be joined by panelists Mary Taylor and Wayne Emrich and moderator Susan Moxley. Taylor is a social and racial justice activist advocating diversity, equity, and inclusion. Formerly a corporate sales and leadership professional, Taylor is currently Second Vice President of the Democrats of Rossmoor, Chair of the Black Lives Matter Committee of African Americans and Friends, and Chair of the Diversity Consciousness Committee of the Interfaith Council. Following a Fortune 500 accounting career, Emrich became a library assistant in Contra Costa County. A Texas University student in the 1950s, Emrich felt he should do his part to overturn Jim Crow and participated in social, nonviolent activism.

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• Day Trip: Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum & Edison Theater

  • When
    Tuesday, October 07, 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Meeting Place Announced with Reservation Acceptance
  • Spaces left
    48

  Tour, Tuesday, October 8.
  The Essanay Silent Film Museum, Fremont.
  Hosted lunch at Tyme for Tea

  The History & Culture Club travels back in time on Tuesday, October 7 to the Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont. This was Charlie Chaplin’s film studio - before ‘talkies’. Docents share early film memorabilia and equipment, show ‘shorts’ with Charlie and first movie cowboy, Bronco Billie. There is a museum shop.

  The hosted lunch is at Tyme for Tea Cafe & Shop. Enjoy a Victorian Tea with savory sandwiches, sweets and teas. Guests may access the vintage trunk filled with fun accessories or bring their own. The Cafe’s shop has many vintage and new items.

  Cost is $119.00. Registration starts on Wednesday, August 27 and closes Sunday, September 28. The cost includes all taxes and gratuities. Registration is via US mail only. Mail to History & Culture Club of Rossmoor, c/o Claire Mittler, 3674 Rossmoor Parkway, #3. Early mail, drop-offs and incomplete registrations result in wait listing due to fairness. Many wait listers go on tours. After the tour, checks are deposited or shredded.

  Your check secures your confirmed registration or wait list placement. Payment must include dietary and mobility needs along with home address, email and mobile number. Checks should be made out to History & Culture Club of Rossmoor, c/o Claire Mittler. There are usually weekly registration status emails.

  Board the bus at 8:00 a.m. at Rossmoor Gateway, return about 4:00 p.m. The bus cannot wait for late arrivals. 48 tickets will be sold via US mail. Tours are only for HCC members.

  This excursion is rated ‘Easy to Moderate’ with flat surface indoor walking and standing for 60 - 90 minutes with theater film seating. The Cafe is a block way.

  Direct Trip Content questions to Escort Barbara Britt at barbarabritt0314@gmail.com or 925.457.8609.

  Direct Reservation questions to Claire MIttler at claire.mittler@gmail.com or 650.504.5876

  HCC reserves the right to cancel any trip for any reason and returns a full refund. Individuals may cancel up to and including the day of the registration deadline, Sunday, September 28 and still receive a full refund. Thereafter, refunds are only given if the registration is re-sold by HCC. Registrants receive an email reminder about the trip date, bus boarding time and pertinent details on the weekend before the tour. Participants must be able to travel independently or with their responsible companion. All guests travel at their own risk.

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• Donato Cabrera, California Symphony's Conductor and Artistic Director

  • When
    Tuesday, December 02, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Gateway Fireside Room

  Register

  Tuesday, December 2, 10am, Fireside Room. 
  

  Donato Cabrera, Conductor and 
  Artistic Director of the California Symphony

  

  What does a Conductor do?

  Get ready for a treat! Mexican American conductor Donato Cabrera, Artistic Director of California Symphony, is renowned for adventurous programming, championing living composers, and dynamic community engagement. And he is coming to Rossmoor’s History & Culture Club on December 2, 2025! A leading advocate for living composers and digital innovation, he is keenly focused on outreach, engagement, and programming that reflects the communities he is serving. Don’t miss this dynamic presentation!

  Maestro Cabrera served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and  the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016. Cabrera is one of only a handful of conductors in history who has conducted performances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet. 

  Since Donato Cabrera's 2013 appointment as Music Director of the California Symphony, the organization has redefined what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st Century. In 2017, the California Symphony became the first orchestra in the country to make a public commitment to diversity. The statement underscores the orchestra’s commitment to creating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive artistic space and work environment both on and off stage. Furthermore, the California Symphony was one of the first orchestras to provide a bilingual Spanish and English website, allowing underrepresented segments of the Bay Area community to interact and engage with the orchestra.

  The California Symphony's concerts are regularly broadcast on KUSC in Los Angeles, KDFC in San Francisco, and across the country via the WFMT Radio Network, through the orchestra's radio series. 

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