Levy Lecture Series | Levy Senior Center Foundation

The LSCF is proud to sponsor the Levy Lecture Series, an educational program for residents 55+ years who are passionate about learning. The series is free, but registration is required.

Lectures will be presented on Zoom through the end of the year. Register and you will be receive an email with easy-to-follow steps. Need more help? Watch this video. If you are still having trouble accessing the lectures, call the Foundation at (847) 238-2659.

Do you have questions about the Levy Lecture Series? We have answers.

Enjoy virtual lectures twice a month from September through December.

Tuesday, September 28 at 1pm

The Power of the Chinese Zodiac

Yvonne Wolf: cultural educator

Presented via Zoom.

The Chinese use the zodiac animals to inspire positive qualities in ourselves by learning from the natural world. The twelve zodiac signs were used to measure time, compatibility for marriage, compatibility with a chosen occupation, and many more areas in one’s life. Your Chinese zodiac animal may have hidden strengths you previously were not aware of. Come and find out why life begins at age 60 in the Chinese world.

Yvonne Wolf facilitates, trains and coaches individuals and groups in the areas of intercultural competence within Chinese culture to prepare clients for success. A native Mandarin speaker, Yvonne explains how body language, non-verbal cues, and etiquette, communicate distinct messages in corporate and non-profit settings.

Tuesday, October 12 at 1pm

Reducing Violence in Cities: Lessons Learned From NYC's Decline in Crime

Peter Moskos: author and professor

Presented via Zoom.

In 1990 more than 2,200 people were murdered in New York City. But then something astounding happened: over the next few years, New York City became much safer. Eventually murder and other violent crimes would decline nearly 90 percent. How did this happen? The New York City miracle wasn’t of divine origin; people--including policing--caused this change. Yet the mechanisms of the crime drop remain unknown, or at least misunderstood.

Given unprecedented rises in violence last year in Chicago and elsewhere, lessons on violence reduction are more important than ever. Based on years of research and interviews with New York City police officers who were on the job during the crime drop, Peter Moskos' forthcoming book describes the "New York City Miracle." It demonstrates how policing policies and the NYPD helped reduce violence, police use of force, incarceration, and racial disparities.

Tuesday, October 26 at 1pm

Megan Wells Presents Bram Stoker's Masterpiece, "Dracula"

Megan Wells: professional storyteller

Presented via Zoom.

Written in 1897, the Gothic horror novel tells the story of a solicitor, Jonathan Harker, who travels to Transylvania for a meeting with a new client, the nobleman Count Dracula. At the castle where Count Dracula lives, Harker is warned not to wander into certain rooms, a caution he ignores. He encounters three vampire women. Count Dracula rescues Harker from the women, but then abandons him as he leaves the castle to travel to England. Harker manages to evade the three women and escape the castle, but once outside, he collapses and is hospitalized with delirium.

Having arrived in England, Count Dracula begins to wreak havoc, destruction, and death among Harker's friends. He is pursued by the cunning physician and vampire hunter, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. As Dracula becomes increasingly more desperate, he travels back to Transylvania, where the ultimate denouement occurs.

Bram Stoker wrote the novel in the epistolary style, using diary entries, articles, and letters. "Dracula" is considered one of the most significant pieces of English literature in the world, and it continues to inspire creative people to this day.

Tuesday, November 9 at 1pm

Changing the Narrative: Evanston African American Heritage Site Program

Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr.: executive director and founder of Shorefront Legacy Center

Presented via Zoom.

Established in 1863, the City of Evanston benefited economically and socially from the contribution of its African American residents—a fact often diminished in, if not excluded entirely from, historical records and narratives.

With the leadership of Shorefront, the City of Evanston passed resolution 54-R-20 to recognize the sites and buildings that speak tangibly to the role African Americans played in shaping the community. While many buildings have not been afforded the formal protection of historic preservation efforts, the community is now committed to recognizing this cultural legacy with historic markers and education.

Dino Robinson will explore the first eight of these sites and discuss how this program took shape to establish and recognize their historical significance beyond established norms.

Tuesday, November 23 at 1pm

Spoon River with Paddy and Jon Lynn

Paddy Lynn: storyteller, actress
Jon Leslie Lynn: actor, director, teacher

Presented via Zoom.

Paddy and Jon Lynn present a one-hour performance of Edgar Lee Masters’ classic portrait of life and death in early Illinois. This fresh interpretation reveals the joys, sorrows, and secrets of Spoon River’s unforgettable characters.

2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters. The anthology is a collaboration of over 200 interconnected free-verse epitaphs spoken by former residents of a fictitious town called Spoon River, who speak from their graves, to tell the truth about their lives. And we all know that oftentimes, the truth can be uncomfortable.

"Spoon River Anthology" caused a sensation with its frankness on sex, moral decay, and hypocrisy. Masters grew up in Lewiston and Petersburg, two town located in Fulton County, Illinois. When it was published, the book was banned in Fulton County, yet it still captured the imagination of the nation. It quickly went through multiple printings and became one of the most popular books of poetry in the history of American literature.

Even today, "Spoon River Anthology" remains as relevant as it was in 1915 , the year it was written. This program captures the joys, sorrows, and secrets of the human condition.

Tuesday, December 7 at 1pm

Remembering Pearl Harbor 80 Years Later

Robert Watson: professor of American history at Lynn University

Presented via Zoom.

What did the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service accomplish on December 7, 1941 with a surprise attack on the United States, a neutral country at the time? That same day, Japan also attacked U.S.-held interests in Guam and the Philippines and British-held territories in Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore. Years later, at the Tokyo Trials, this unannounced attack by Japan on the U.S. would be declared a war crime.

At Pearl Harbor, 18 ships, including 5 battleships, sunk or ran aground; 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded, representing all branches of the service as well as civilians. Great Britain declared war on Japan within hours of being attacked. The U.S. declared war on Japan on December 8 and entered WWII. In solidarity with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S., and the U.S. responded by declaring war on those countries.

The attack unleashed a wave of anti-Japanese prejudice in the U.S. and racist policies that required moving selected Japanese families to detention camps.

WWII would last nearly four more years, only ending in Japan’s surrender after the U.S. bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to devastating effect.

Robert Watson, Ph.D. will share his insights about this devastating event in our country’s history.

Tuesday, December 21 at 1pm

Serious Funny Business

Andrew Moskos: co-founder, artistic director, and partner of Boom Chicago

Presented via Zoom.

Did you hear the one about how three Evanstonians (and one Dutch woman) turned Chicago’s unique art form of improvisation comedy into an international success?

Andrew Moskos, cofounder of Boom Chicago, shares stories about their Amsterdam comedy institution.

Started in 1993, Boom Chicago introduced the Chicago model of sketch and Improv comedy to a mainstream European audience. In the almost 30 years since then, then have made millions of people laugh at their theater, on TV and on line including the Netherlands’ biggest viral comedy video with 100 million views. They host international events and work with some of the world's biggest companies. Andrew even coached Prime Minister Mark Rutte and helped him write his ‘most successful speech ever’ for the Dutch Correspondents Dinner.

Their theater has launched the careers of a hundred comedians including Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Kay Cannon.

Join us for a lively talk about comedy, business and the dream of making a living doing what you love.