Betty Derrick Memorial Lecture – and Discussion
The first Betty Derrick Memorial Lecture and Discussion was held on Friday, November 18, 7:00 p.m. at the UU Church! Dr. Leslie Sandra Jones, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Valdosta State University, was the first guest lecturer and facilitator. Her topic was “Untangling Biological Diversity from the Social Construction of Race.”
The second guest lecture held on March 3, 2017, was a panel of political scientists, who discussed “Election 2016.” The panel included Dr. Dick Saeger, Dr. James LaPlant, and Dr. Bernard Tamas, all from the VSU Political Science Department.
The speaker for the 3rd Betty Derrick Memorial Lecture and Discussion was Dr. Dennis Marks and his title was “The Unity of the Universe.” Dr. Marks is a long-time friend of Betty Derrick and is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, Valdosta State University. Dr. Marks is also chair of the Literacy program for the Rotary Club of Valdosta and chair of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library project, which is sponsored locally by the Valdosta Rotary Clubs.
Betty Derrick, who passed away in March, 2016, was the coordinator of our book group, among other activities here at the church. In honor of her life devoted to science, learning, and social justice, we plan to start this lecture series at the church. These evenings will be patterned after the book group discussions, but rather than reading a book ahead of time, we will have a guest speaker briefly present a topic and then facilitate a discussion in an informal setting. Watch this space or our Facebook page for announcements of future lectures.