Class 4
America, 1936 – 1945 is a series of reflections on events which shaped our national image during this critical formative period of the 20th century. The first two stories are about the sports of boxing and baseball. Louis versus Schmeling was more than just a prizefight, it was a reflection of the mental image of both the United States and Nazi Germany in 1938. Baseball as reflected in radio broadcasts became more realistic and more gripping than the real thing. Pearl Harbor awakened the American public to an ominous phenomenon which we will explore its origins in depth. The war brought great heroism especially from medics risking their lives to save others. We we will follow a group of surgeons behind the lines on D-Day before our troops hit the beaches. Finally, why and how did we get the bomb and not Nazi Germany. We will follow as a fortuitous happenstance lead to Einstein, a devoted pacifist, to persuade FDR to launch the Manhattan Project.
This series of talks is delivered by Berkshire Theatre Group’s, Vice President and enrichment lecturer, David L. Auerbach, on behalf of OLLI in the auditorium of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts and the amphitheater of Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Age group: Adults.
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Bio/Resume:
Vice-President, Trustee and Enrichment Lecturer Berkshire Theatre Group
Partner, Pryor Cashman LLP, 1964-2010,
Sr. Counsel, 2010 to present
Education: Harvard College BA 1952
Harvard Law School LLD 1955
Adjunct Lecturer in History, Williams Collage,
Winter term 2009
Lecturer Harvard Club NYC, American History Club
2001 to Present
Lecturer B.I.L.L., OLLI 2001-2015
Lecturer, Florida Gulf Coast University ,
Renaissance Academy 2010-2015
Keynote Speaker D-Day Heisville, Normandy France
2010
Keynote Speaker Dutch-American Friendship Day
World Trade Center, Amsterdam Holland 2015