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History & Geography
in Course Focus
The Gales of November
with Jerre Henriksen
Co-facilitator: Sandy Funkey
On this day of remembrance, embark on a review of The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, written by John U. Bacon. Your captains of the day will focus on Gordon Lightfoot who made the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald famous; the fabled Lake Superior; and the men and families at the center of this disaster. When you disembark, you will know much more about this seafaring legend.
Book: The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon (NOT REQUIRED)
Background: The Underground Railroad
with Ellen Neupert
Co-facilitators: Ann Hastert, Kim Carew
Why study the Underground Railroad (UGRR) when there are so many current events that demand our attention? Study to help give us greater and/or deeper understanding of today's events. Our study will be in two parts. Session 1: "Beginnings" will focus on those events dating from the Magna Carta in 1215 that contributed to a mindset that made the UGRR possible. Session 2: "Civil Disobedience" will go into detail on the involvement of First Congregational Church's pastors and members in this great endeavor. Be prepared to research areas mentioned that you don't know about and share your findings. Be prepared to share any knowledge you have of your church's involvement in similar acts of civil disobedience then and now - in today's "above ground" Underground Railroad.
Life for a Pint? Death by a Gallon! But What about Gerald
with Katherine Johnson
Co-facilitator: Ann Hastert
Aurora, Illinois in 1929, the “Roaring Twenties” were hastily coming to a close and Prohibition was in full swing. An illegal liquor raid, an innocent young mother killed in her own home, victim of a shotgun blast delivered by an overzealous Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy. Her husband Joe lay on the floor, unconscious from a blow to the head by the same deputy. Their twelve-year-old son Gerald picked up a gun and defended his family and their home. Thirty-eight-years-old, Lillian DeKing was just one of the many victims in a Noble Experiment gone awry. Lillian was the first woman to die as the result of a Prohibition liquor raid. Join us as Katharine DeKing Johnson, Gerald DeKing’s daughter, tells Lillian’s story including personal anecdotes, facts learned through extensive research, highlighting questionable activity in the legal processes and investigation into Lillian’s death.