Category: Monthly Gathering

Join Ike McKinnon, Professor at UD-Mercy, former Deputy Mayor and Chief of Police of the City of Detroit, as he discusses Society and Education. Dr. McKinnon draws upon his own personal history growing up in Detroit, as a platform for explaining what is happening in American society and in its schools, and a widely held belief that our schools are not measuring up to society’s expectations. He will also analyze why public education is attacked by the media, politicians and citizens, and proposes strategies for supporting schools in the future

Isaiah “Ike” McKinnon was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1943, and moved to Detroit in 1953. At 22 Ike became a Detroit police officer. Working his way up through the ranks, he retired from the force in 1984 as an Inspector, to start his own security company. Clients included University Detroit Mercy, and the former Renaissance Center. From 1993-98, McKinnon rejoined the Detroit Police Department to serve as chief of police. When McKinnon left his position as police chief in 1998, he became a full-time professor at University of Detroit Mercy. In 2013, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan sought out McKinnon to join his transition team as deputy mayor. He served in this position until 2016. In his most recent retirement, McKinnon returned to teaching at University of Detroit Mercy.

Dr. McKinnon won an Emmy as the NBC News/Safety Consultant. He has authored three books and co-authored two others, in addition to numerous articles on crime victims. He has met six U.S. Presidents and Nelson Mandela, and has appeared on the “Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, “Oprah”, and “The History Channel.” He is a national motivational/inspirational speaker to Fortune 500 companies and schools. He earned his B.A. from Mercy College, M.A. from the University of Detroit Mercy and doctorate from Michigan State University. He is also a graduate of the FBI national Academy and the United States Secret Service School.

Join us on Saturday, May 19 at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield, for Dr. Partin’s in-depth overview of living on Mars! Doors open at 7pm. The program begins at 8pm.

Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets – $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission in the month of their birthday

Colonizing Mars has long been the stuff of science fiction. But we are now on the threshold of making the possibility of Martian colonization a reality. Elon Musk founded SpaceX to get people to Mars. The Europeans think we should colonize the Moon first to gain experience. But before you start packing, you should consider the many challenges involved with traveling to, and living on, Mars. Challenges such as the effects of prolonged reduced gravity, cosmic rays, growing food, and more.

Our guest speaker, Dr. Dale Partin, is a teacher of astronomy at Macomb Community College, and an amateur astronomer. He has a B.S. and M.S. in physics and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. His work has been published in over 80 scientific journals, he has 38 patents, is a fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of Sigma Xi and of the American Scientific Affiliation.

Join us on Saturday, March 17 at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield, for Dr. Partin’s in-depth overview of living on Mars! Doors open at 7pm. The program begins at 8pm.

Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets – $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission in the month of their birthday

Former Wayne County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Werner Spitz has offered his expertise on some of the most high-profile legal investigations of the century. He co-wrote a highly respected book on forensic pathology, and has often found himself in the position of criticizing the official investigations into widely publicized murders and wrongful deaths.

In 1969, Dr. Spitz testified on behalf of the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who died after Senator Ted Kennedy crashed a car in which she was the passenger. Years later, Spitz was called upon to re-examine the results of the investigation into John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Although Spitz agreed with the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, he said that the autopsy of Kennedy was “botched.”

Dr. Spitz went on to testify for the defense in the Casey Anthony trial, arguing that the autopsy of Anthony’s deceased child was “shoddy” and insufficient to pinpoint homicide as the cause of death. He also consulted on investigations into Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, JonBenet Ramsey’s death, and O.J. Simpson’s civil murder trial, to name but a few of his many cases.

Dr. Spitz was born in Poland and raised in Israel, where he received his medical doctorate, and began his career as a medical examiner. He moved to America in 1959. His decision to leave Israel was partly inspired by the lack of need for his chosen career path there. “In seven years in Israel, there was only one murder.” He said. “It just wasn’t the right place for a forensic pathologist.” Spitz later served as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland, and Chief Medical Examiner for Wayne County. Today, Dr. Spitz is a professor of pathology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, and an adjunct professor of pathology at the University of Windsor in Canada.

Join us Saturday February 17th at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield, to learn more about Dr. Spitz and his incredible career. Doors open at 7pm. The program begins at 8pm.

Around the state, and even around the country, Howell has the notorious reputation of being a hotbed of activity for the Ku Klux Klan. But is there any foundation to the KKK rumors? And how did Howell get this reputation? Buddy Moorehouse, the former editor of the Livingston County Press in Howell, will explain how it all ties back to a man who’s been dead for 25 years – a man who didn’t even live in Howell – Robert Miles, the former Grand Dragon of the Michigan Ku Klux Klan. Moorehouse will explain how this one man was able to taint a town’s reputation, and what Howell has been doing through the years to fight back against this unfair legacy. His presentation will include video clips and other historical pieces related to Robert Miles and his KKK activities through the years.

From 1983 to 2009, Buddy Moorehouse was an editor at the Livingston County Press in Howell, where he covered Robert Miles’ notorious life and times. Moorehouse is currently a blogger for the Livingston Post, where he recently wrote a piece surrounding the 25th anniversary of Miles’ death. He’s also an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and the Vice President of Communications for the state charter school association.

DATE
Saturday, November 18, 2017

TIME
Mingling begins at 7:00pm, program at 8:00pm

ADMISSION (Exact change appreciated)
Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets for $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission
in the month of their birthday

LOCATION
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

On October 4, 1957, in an unprecedented display of technology, the Soviet Union caught the world’s attention, with the orbiting of Sputnik, the earth’s first artificial satellite. This shiny metal ball, only 23 inches in diameter circled the earth every 96 minutes, beeping out a radio signal that proclaimed the USSR’s technical superiority to the world. This event marked a milestone in a competition between the USA and USSR, which had begun in 1945, at the end of World War II, and would not end until July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong took ”one small step for a man” on the moon. This presentation reviews the circumstances, events and the personalities of that epic struggle for political, military, and technical dominance in Rocket Science, which was a highlight of the “Cold War”, and captured the imagination of the world for over 30 years.

Guiding us on our trip through the cosmos will be, Jim Shedlowsky, a former Warren Astronomical Society treasurer and rockabilly legend. Jim worked for 36 years at General Motors as a Vehicle Development Engineer/Manager, retiring in 1999. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960 with a degree in Engineering Physics and spent two years as an Artillery officer in the US Army in Germany. In his spare time, he wrote and recorded music for Epic and Roulette Records as one of the “Skee Brothers”.

Jim’s astronomical interests include observing and outreach, and he owns several telescopes, but in recent years his “passion” for astronomical history and technology has become a major factor. He is a member of the McMath-Hulbert Astronomical Society, has visited a number of major observatories, and has assembled a significant library in this regard. Jim and his wife winter in Mesa, Arizona (…a great place for observing), where he participates in the activities of the East Valley Astronomy Club.

Join us on Saturday October 21 to learn more about the space race and to hear Jim sing “The Rocket Science Song”. Doors open
at 7:00pm. The program begins at 8:00pm.

DATE
Saturday, October 21, 2017

TIME
Mingling begins at 7:00pm, program at 8:00pm

ADMISSION (Exact change appreciated)
Adult members: $4, or a strip of 4 tickets for $12
Adult guests: $5
Children 12 and under: $2
Members receive free admission
in the month of their birthday

LOCATION
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

AFTERWARDS
The gathering adjourns to –
Buddy’s
31646 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334