UWFA Blog

Scholarship Celebration Dinner and Lecture at Piatti’s in University Village Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Dinner at 5:30pm, followed by a Lecture by Dagmar Shannon “Waterways of the Tsars, a Travelogue”

We hope you will join us for our Annual Scholarship Celebration and Lecture.  We will introduce and award scholarships of $7000 each to 3 deserving UW undergraduates and hear their inspirational stories.

Our speaker, Dagmar Shannon, a longtime UWFA member, is a gifted photographer and storyteller.  She and her husband have traveled to all 7 continents and almost 100 countries. This trip to Russia stands out as a favorite.  You will enjoy the trip from St. Petersburg to Moscow as Dagmar takes us up river and through many lakes, canals, and locks while we enjoy the history, palaces, riches of Russia.

Margaret O’Mara: “The History of Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America” Wednesday, February 8th, 1pm

Please join us as Margaret O’Mara presents a Zoom lecture on the history of Silicon Valley and how it spilled over into the Pacific NW as described in her latest book The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. This is the true, behind-the-scenes history of the people who built Silicon Valley and shaped Big Tech in America. Long before Margaret O’Mara became one of our most consequential historians of the American-led digital revolution, she worked in the White House of Bill Clinton and Al Gore in the earliest days of the commercial Internet. There she saw firsthand how deeply intertwined Silicon Valley was with the federal government–and always had been–and how shallow the common understanding of the secrets of the Valley’s success actually was.

Now, after almost five years of pioneering research, O’Mara has produced the definitive history of Silicon Valley for our time, the story of mavericks and visionaries, but also of powerful institutions creating the framework for innovation, from the Pentagon to Stanford University.

Margaret O’Mara, who received her B.A. from Northwestern University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, is the Howard & Frances Keller Endowed Professor of History at University of Washington and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. She writes and teaches about the history of U.S. politics, the growth of the high-tech economy, and the connections between the two, and is the author of two previous books Cities of Knowledge and Pivotal Tuesdays.

UWFA Lecture: Judy Bentley “Walking Washington’s History”
Monday, April 11, 1pm, 2022

Judy Bentley “Walking Washington’s History” Part One

Judy Bentley “Walking Washington’s History” Part Two

Our speaker today is historian and hiker Judy Bentley.  She has teamed up with veteran guidebook author Craig Romano to describe hikes for adventurers of all abilities along trails on the coast, over mountains, through national forests, across plateaus, and on the banks of the Columbia River in the second edition of Hiking Washington’s History.

For thousands of years people have traveled across Washington’s spectacular terrain, establishing footpaths and roads to reach hunting grounds and coal mines high in the mountains, fishing sites and trade emporiums on the rivers, forests of old growth, and homesteads and towns on prairies. These traditional routes have been preserved in national parks, restored by cities and towns, salvaged from old railroad tracks, and opened to hikers by Indigenous communities.  Her talk today about her book will offer a look at some of our state’s most fascinating historical trails.

The new second edition of Hiking Washington’s History is available at independent bookstores such as University Bookstore, the Elliott Bay Book Company, Island Books, Brick and Mortar Books, and online at Amazon..

UWFA Lecture: Dagmar Shannon, “Antarctica”
Wednesday March 9, 1 pm, 2022

Dagmar Shannon, “Antarctica” Wednesday March 9, 1 pm

Ultimate Antarctica and Patagonia

“Come travel and discover Antarctica with me. I am Dagmar Shannon, former UWFA President and co- Program chair with Nancy Kenagy. Born in Germany, I came to Seattle as an exchange student and later married the son of my host family. Even though I have been in the US for 50 years you might still hear a slight accent.

My husband Bill and I are avid travelers and on March 9th I’d like to share with you what I learned during our trip to Antarctica about the geography, the history and nature as it displays itself on the inhospitable ice and frigid water. It is a continent of great wonder and beauty and a place of superlatives. I will talk about some of our experiences, impressions and show you the pictures I took and part of a video the cruise line took of our trip via drone.

Is the ice really blue? Yes it is! Are the icebergs really huge? Yes they are! Are penguins really cute? Yes they are!

I look forward to seeing you on Zoom and talking about one of my favorite places on earth.”

UWFA Lecture: “Thom Lee, Korean Five Elements” Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Thom Lee  “Korean Five Elements” Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Several years ago, Thom Lee took a trip to South Korea to celebrate his mother’s 80th birthday.  This presentation will examine the trip in a thematic way using the traditional Five Element theory that pervades the country and culture.  The Elements are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal.  Please join us next Wednesday for this interesting lecture.

Thom Lee is a Washington native.  He was born in Everett, and spent most of his childhood and early teens in the state.  He has explored many disciplines including art, history, anthropology, philosophy, botany, culinary arts, and vocal music.  He holds a MFA from the Ohio State University, but has degrees and credentials from Binghamton University, University of Washington, and Ewha University in Seoul Korea.  He currently teaches ceramics, design and drawing at Everett Community College, but also lectures in Global Ethnobotany, Sustainable Nutrition, and Humanities classes. Classical Asian Five-Element Theory is a major interest of Thom’s, and his presentation will examine a recent trip to Korea through the lens of this philosophy.

Welcome to the UWFA Lecture Series

UWFA Scholarship Lecture November 10, 2021: Dr. Thomas Pruitt: “The Art and Photography of Calvin R. Smith”

“Canvas and Camera: The Art and Photography of Calvin Rae Smith”

Please join is for a lecture by Dr. Thomas Pratt, who will discuss collecting and restoring the work of his great-grandfather, Calvin Rae Smith, a New York City artist who painted in the Pacific Northwest and was a co-originator of an early single reflex lens used in cameras.

Who’s Watching You? – Do you ever have the feeling that you are being watched when you walk in downtown Seattle? You are probably right. Hundreds of eyes peer out from buildings in the city observing your every step. Neither human nor electronic, these ever-present watchers belong to dozens of carved and molded animals gazing out from Seattle buildings. Based on his book, Seattle Walks, this 1.5 mile virtual walk through Seattle’s central business district will reveal a menagerie of beasts fabled, fantastic, and fierce, including lions, eagles, ducks, and walruses, in addition to likely sightings of live birds and other animals in our city. Please join us, no binoculars needed.

UW Lecture, April 12, 2021: David B. Williams “Who is Watching You”

UWFA Lecture: Enjoying Birds All Year in the Pacific Northwest

Birds and birding in the PNW throughout the year” is part of the UWFA Lecture Series. Today we present our very own UWFA members, Vicki King and Donna Hahn. They are inviting you to join them on two virtual birding walks on March 10 at 1 PM.  One walk took place during the winter; the other one took place during spring migration.  We saw more than 30 commonly-seen birds in our region at close range and talked a bit about their biology and behavior during these walks.  It runs just under 50 minutes.  We hope you’ll enjoy the recording of this presentation.
See the presentation (on DropBox)

Welcome to the UWFA Lecture Series

Wednesday, February 10

1 – 2:30

Please join us this coming Wednesday, February 10, at 1 p.m. via Zoom as our own UWFA President Christine Newcomb gives a lecture entitled “Porcelain: Art and Objects of Desire”, based on visiting porcelain manufacturers in Germany.  Christine’s talk will encourage you to bring out and put to everyday use those pieces you might have tucked away in your cupboards.