Cultural Series 2001-2002: "American Impressions and Expressions"
Posted August 9, 2001FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
York, Pennsylvania—Following the success of its Latin-American Cultural Series last year, York College of Pennsylvania will present "American Impressions and Expressions" as the 2001-2002 Cultural Series. The series will include lectures, movies, operas and an art exhibit. All of the events are free and open to the public.
The highlight of the Cultural Series will be a lecture by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an environmental lawyer, on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Wolf Gymnasium A. The list of speakers also includes Joe Clark, a renowned high school disciplinarian, and Dr. Dot Richardson, the U.S.A. softball team hero in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
The Cultural Series begins on Sept. 8 with The Great College Drive-In Movie featuring the musical "Grease," and ends in the spring with an art exhibit on American impressionists. Following is a complete calendar of events:
Sept. 8, The Great College Drive-In Movie, "Grease" (Penn Hall Parking Lot, 8:30 p.m.) Experience the nostalgia of the original drive-in movie, complete with concessions. "Grease" is a 1950s musical about teens, falling in love, and being cool.
Sept. 23, Film Series Movie, "Meet John Doe" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper, and directed by the legendary Frank Capra. A reporter's fabricated American hero becomes a reality and a pawn in a political plot to create a third party.
*Oct. 18, Lecture by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Wolf Gymnasium A, 7:30 p.m.) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has established a reputation as a staunch defender of the environment. He has earned this reputation from a number of successful legal actions, most notably for prosecuting governments and companies for polluting the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, and winning settlements for the Hudson Riverkeeper. Kennedy serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Oct. 21, Film Series Movie, "A Raisin in the Sun" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil. A financially challenged African-American family conflicts over how to spend a life insurance payment after the father dies unexpectedly.
Nov. 18, Film Series Movie, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring John Wayne and James Stewart, and directed by John Ford. A celebrated U.S. senator returns to a dusty frontier town to attend an indigent's funeral and divulges through a film-long flashback that he was not the true hero of the time.
Dec. 7 & 8, Operas, "The Telephone" & "The Old Maid and The Thief" (Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. & Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. in MAC Recital Hall) These two 50-minute, one-act American chamber operas by the renowned American composer Gian-Carlo Menotti are produced and directed by Dr. Frederick Schreiner, Director of York College's Division of Music, and feature York College music majors and music education majors.
Feb. 17, Film Series Movie, "Do the Right Thing" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring Danny Aiello and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Spike Lee. Because of an all-white "Wall of Fame" in their restaurant, a sole Italian-American business in a racially tense, black neighborhood becomes the target of a boycott, resulting in tragic consequences.
Feb. 20, Lecture by Joe Clark (Wolf Gymnasium B, 7:30 p.m.) On a single day during his first week as principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., Clark expelled 300 students for fighting, vandalism, drug possession, profanity and abusing teachers. A former Army drill instructor, Clark sees education as a mission and thwarts those who believe that the learning process is disrupted by tough discipline. After only two years of his leadership, Eastside High was declared a model school by New Jersey's governor and Clark was named one of the nation's top ten "Principals of Leadership" in 1986. His accomplishments are the subject of the Warner Brothers film "Lean on Me" starring two-time Oscar nominee Morgan Freeman.
March 14, Lecture by Dr. Dot Richardson (Wolf Gymnasium B, 7:30 p.m.) Dr. Richardson burst upon the American sports scene in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when she hit the game-winning home run in the U.S.A. softball team victory over China for the gold medal. She was an integral member, again, of the 2000 gold medal winning U.S.A. team in the Sydney games. Equally impressive has been Dr. Richardson's devotion to education and her academic pursuits, which have led to her receiving her M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1993. In her spare time, Dr. Richardson is a spokesperson for major corporations and is actively involved in the operation of the Official Dot Richardson Web site and the Dot Richardson Fan Club.
March 17, Film Series Movie, "Clueless" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash. A pretentious, ultra-rich Beverly Hills teenager who cares less about grades than wearing the right clothes, struggles with a desire to help those less fortunate and, in the process, reveals her more sensitive side.
April 7-May 19, Art Exhibit, American Impressionists (York College Galleries). When Claude Monet began painting in what is now known as the impressionist style, he was seeking to depict a moment in time. Little did he imagine he was actually creating a century-long movement that would ignite the imagination of artists from France and the rest of Europe to America. Some of the artists who first responded to this new style in the United States were from New England. The "Sunlight and Shadow" exhibit casts new light on a number of eminent impressionists who worked there during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
April 21, Film Series Movie, "L.A. Confidential" (DeMeester Theater, 7:30 p.m.) Starring Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe, and based on the best-selling novel by James Ellroy. A tangled, Academy Award winning story of good cops, bad cops, unscrupulous reporters, a love affair and the degenerate world of street crime.
For more information on Cultural Series events, call York College at (717) 815-1239.
* Media passes are required for the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. lecture on Oct. 18. Please direct all media requests to John Ertter, York College News Bureau Editor, at (717) 815-1309.
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