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PROBUS Club of Durham West- HOME
- SPEAKERS
APRIL SPEAKER |
 Prof. Mark Rector: "OH CANADA"! Our home and Inventive Land A widely acclaimed public speaker, and author of the smash best-selling book "OH CANADA! Our Home and Inventive Land!" now in its fourth printing with thousands of copies sold and in 65 stores and museums across the country! A passionate, entertaining and gifted presenter with an ability to hold an audience and bring stories and anecdotes from across this land to life in a fun and engaging way. Mark retired as a Professor and former program co-ordinator in 2019 and was well liked by many students and highly rated in written reviews by thousands of students for 19 years in college classrooms. He has published numerous technical articles, contributed to a nationally published text book, and his first book published in Aug 2018 is already in its 4th printing!! See his website for locations to get your copy at a store near you or book a speaking gig! A former 16 year veteran of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force, his experience was in a mission critical, public safety, land mobile radio environment where he was responsible for maintenance, installation, repair and system integration of several large scale 9-1-1 trunking and conventional voice and data radio systems from numerous manufacturers including Motorola, GE, Ericson, and MDI. Other experience included Public Safety training video production and classroom training of public safety personnel. |
March 2023 Speaker: Rev. Susan Sheen: Lions Foundation of Canada Guide Dogs A former teacher and retired Anglican Minister Susan Sheen has been fostering service puppies for the Lions Foundation Guide Dogs for over 10 years. She is seen above with her 11th poodle puppy Kaden. Zaide pictured on the right recently went off to guide dog University in the hearing program. Rev. Sheen has been an ordained Anglican priest for the past 33 years. Before retirement, she taught French, English, and History at Cartwright High School in Blackstock, Ontario. For most of her life, Susan has been a member of Girl Guides, including presently with the Trefoil Guild. Her many interests encompass canoeing, gardening, reading, travelling, and dogs. Susan holds a degree in Modern Languages and Literature from the University of Toronto. |
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February 2023 Speaker: Dr. Tommie Sue Montgomery: Empire of the Sun: The Incas Dr. Tommie Sue Montgomery is the author of three books on El Salvador, editor of books on Mexico and peacekeeping in Latin America, and has written widely for academic and popular publications. She has lectured at more than 60 colleges and universities in the western hemisphere and has served as a consultant to USAID and the UN. Since 2005 she has been an enrichment lecturer on over fifteen Holland America cruises in Latin America. Since 2017 she has provided expert witness declarations and testimony on country conditions for Salvadorans and Guatemalans seeking asylum in the United States and Great Britain. She will explore the mysteries of coastal Peru’s earliest civilizations. The Inca Empire was the largest in pre-Columbian America. The Inca civilization arose from the Peruvian highlands sometime in the 13th Century. Dr. Montgomery will take us back for an educational look into the past. |
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January 2023 Speaker: Lianne Harris – Undressed, A Short History of Hygiene In this lively, visual presentation, Lianne Harris scrubs away the surface of what we might think of as hygiene – soap and water – to the essential reality of survival in former less-than-sanitary conditions. From quirky personal practices to religious instruction to political intervention, to our perception of smell and its medical significance, it all comes out in the wash. Come, and soak up a short history of hygiene. |  |
For a summary of our 2022 Speakers Click Here