Note new time and place for this week only.

January 19^th at 1:30

With this concert CCR resumes its tradition of including live musical performance in its schedule.

Paul Thomas, Organist and Choir Director of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul, will present a recital of organ music for us on site at the historic Cathedral Church, 126 Coming Street on the Peninsula.   Paul earned degrees in organ performance from Furman and Yale University as well as the Certificate in Church Music Studies from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. He received the Cathedral’s call to serve as organist in 2014. He says, “I look forward to engaging midtown Charleston with this living tradition as we seek glimpses of God’s beauty in our offerings of praise.”

Although we have been unable to make arrangements for such a large group to eat at a single nearby restaurant, we suggest that members carpool and arrive at a restaurant of their choice about noon.

The parking garage on St. Philip Street between Calhoun and Vanderhorst Streets is two blocks from the church.

1:00
Vision for the College of Charleston’s School of Languages, Cultures & World Affairs (LCWA)
Dean Antonio Tillis will give an overview of LCWA and its role at the College of Charleston. He will address how the mission of the school meets the needs of an increasingly interconnected world. He will specifically address globalization as it relates to world affairs and a shrinking economy.

2:30
Fort Sumter 1829-1947
Rick Hatcher, Fort Sumter Historian Emeritus, will discuss the famous fort in Charleston’s harbor. The April 12-13, 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter marked a defining moment in American History – the beginning of the Civil War. Sumter was one of the coastal fortifications built after the War of 1812. During the 1863 to 1865 Siege of Charleston (the longest military operation of the war) the fort was the focal point; more than 7 million pounds of artillery rounds were fired at the installation. After the war, Fort Sumter continued to operate as one of the nation’s coastal defenses through the end of the Second World War.

We have a new website!  We are now hosted on the college’s website and are working on getting it to be in conformance with the college’s and the School of Professional Studies style guidelines.  We are also working on getting its URL to be more user friendly.

The calendar for the Spring of 2016 has been posted.  This already contains changes from the calendar distributed just a few weeks ago.  Mayor Summey, who was going to be our keynote speaker for the spring, has his swearing in ceremony scheduled at the same time as he was going to speak to us.  Hopefully we will be able to reschedule Mayor Summey in the future.  Instead, Jennifer Scott, Marketing and Public Relations Director of Spoleto USA, will be speaking on Spoleto Festival USA, while our second speaker discussing Piccolo: Spoleto’s Sister Festival is still to be determined.

1:00
Growth in the Tri-County Region

Frank Hefner, Professor of Economics at the College of Charleston will lead a discussion about the recent history and trends in economic development locally (the Trident Region), South Carolina, and US.

2:30
Two Fascinating Cities: Suzhou China and Lhasa Tibet

CCR member Maxwell Mowry will present slides of two fascinating Chinese cities, Suzhou (which Marco Polo called the Venice of the East) and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

1:00
There’s Something About Mary:  Evolution of the Representation of the Mother of Jesus Through the Ages
Robert Westerfelhaus, Professor in the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston, will trace the evolution of Mary from a poor Jewish woman living among a conquered people on the fringes of the Roman Empire to her current place at the center of religious devotion on the part of millions.  This talk will point out the economic, cultural, religious and social implications of this devotion in the past and its continued influence today.

2:30
Charleston’s Mayoral Race
Our presenter will be Kendra Stewart, Professor of Political Science at the College of Charleston and Director of the Joseph P. Riley Center for Livable Communities.  Dr. Stewart will discuss the issues facing Charleston with which the next mayor will have to contend after more than 40 years of leadership by Mayor Riley.  Charleston will be facing a new era with many new challenges that will require our new mayor to hit the ground running.

Sydney Frasier, Master of Horticulture at Middleton Place, will discuss with us one of the great stars of Charleston horticulture, the camellia.  In particular he will discuss how one goes about grafting these beauties.

1:00

Balance and Safer Falling

Tomas Mendez, director of Resident Services at Franke at Seaside, says that falls are not a part of the normal aging process and in most cases can be prevented.  He asks that you come and learn everything you ever wanted to know about fall prevention and how you can reduce your risk of falling.

2:30

The Art of Food Writing

In the online reviewing era, every diner is really a critic.  Take your food assessment skills to the next level with the Post and Courier’s chief critic, Hanna Raskin, who will cover how to use all of your senses when eating and  how to translate your insights into words.  Raskin will also touch on canonical pieces of food writing and what makes them great.

**New programs will replace both programs previously scheduled for this week.**

1:00

Andy Brack, publisher of the Statehouse Report and former U.S. Senate press secretary and reporter, will join us to discuss the political climate in South Carolina.

2:30

Have you ever wondered about the sounds of the low country marshes?  Dr. Melissa Hughes, Professor of Biology at the College of Charleston, will reveal the answers.