Please join us for our November Torch Club dinner. The presentation at the November meeting will be by Terry Meyers who will discuss “The Bray School Story.” We look forward to a wonderful evening with you and your guests.
Your timely response about your plans for dinner is very important-RSVP by November 15 at noon.
TORCH CLUB OF WILLIAMSBURG MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
NOVEMBER 19, 2024 Dinner Meeting
LOCATION: Colonial Heritage Clubhouse
6500 Arthur Hills Drive Williamsburg, VA 23188
Meeting Agenda
5:30 p.m. – Mingling; registration; cash bar
6:00 p.m. – Announcements and reports
6:15 p.m. – Dinner
7:00 p.m. – Program/Questions
8:00 p.m. – Adjourn
MENU
-Salad-Spinach salad w/goat cheese, blueberries, onions; or penne pasta tossed/ tomatoes, fresh herbs
-Entree-Flank steak w/port wine sauce; or char-grilled salmon with lemon herb and butter; or cod w/ wild rice, and baby carrots
and Dessert
Bob Spitzer will be our greeter for the evening.
A Word from President Peter Mellette…
Now that the national election is over and the dust is settling, we can shift our focus back to what is happening in our own community. Earlier this month, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation commemorated the opening of an exhibit highlighting the school which taught free and enslaved African American children in Williamsburg between 1760 and 1774 (see Williamsburg Bray School | Colonial Williamsburg Foundation).
What you may not know is the serendipitous route that the original structure and its original purpose was identified. As the Washington Post reported last week, “the school … was long hidden in plain sight. … Historians had long known of it. But it took a curious scholar of Victorian poetry willing to look beyond the town’s famous forefathers, and to connect some forgotten dots, to find it.” William and Mary Professor Emeritus Terry Meyers is that scholar, and he will talk with us about how he got interested in the Bray School and how the structure was found. It should be a fascinating story that occurred right down the street. I encourage everyone to attend this timely talk.
More on the story is here: English professor Meyers uncovers new details of College’s past | W&M News Archive | William & Mary.
Last month SUNY-Courtland professor emeritus Bob Spitzer put this week’s election into context, and his talk prompted an engaging discussion.
Speaking of which, thanks to everyone for your continued interest in Torch! I have enjoyed getting to know so many interesting people in the Williamsburg area since we were chartered in June 2023. The Torch Club of Williamsburg is for you – it is dedicated to lifelong learning and to building new connections to information and interesting people in our community.
Your Board met on November 7 and noted that we continue to have guests showing interest in the club. Our Treasurer Bill Evers will be at the November meeting to accept dues payments for those who have not yet paid.
Speaking of the Board, we could use a few good people. The job is not time consuming (1 extra monthly meeting) and it keeps Torch alive in Williamsburg. Please consider being a Board member. If interested, please let me know.
Membership growth continues to be a focus for our club. Please be sure to invite guests to the upcoming meetings, particularly if they have an interest in the topic. I had several guests at the September and October meetings, and I plan to continue to share the value of Torch with guests at our November meeting. Please remember that if you invite a guest, introduce the guest to Camilla Buchanan, our membership chair. Also, either the guest or the member needs to cover the meal cost with the Treasurer.
The Program Committee continues to plan informative and engaging topics for each meeting. The talks ahead range from local history in November (the Bray School story), to aging in December, to garden design, government oversight, space exploration, and spiritual women in the Winter and Spring and to what love is on Valentine’s Day week. We welcome your recommendations on future talks and invite your participation as we finalize meetings for future years.
We look forward to continuing to build on our successful first year! See you on November 19th and please be sure to let Denise know by noon on November 15 if you and your guests plan to attend.
Thanks.
Williamsburg Torch Club 