Adventures in Lifelong Learning - Norwich

This afternoon’s wrap up session for the spring semester 2026, Connecticut State College at Three Rivers, in Norwich, Connecticut, was held in the multipurpose room F – 117. Attended by over 65 attendees, this popular year end event was catered by the cafeteria staff. Sandwiches included, chicken salad, ham, salad, turkey, tuna, fish, and there was fruit and macaroni salad along with chips and cookies. A wonderful sponge cake, dessert topped with strawberries and whipped cream finished up for dessert. President Mary Pineault got up and spoke about this semesters offerings, its presenters and classes. She thanked the college instructors and staff for donating time to give seminars. She also thanked the Dean and the President of the college. President Mary Jukoski and the Dean were in attendance at this event. Larry Erhart got up and spoke briefly and congratulated Mary Pineault for her tireless effort to put this program on, a round of applause echoed as we thanked Mary. We look forward to an another exciting and educational program in the fall semester 2026.

Join us for the 2026 Spring Semester Wrap Up Session in F-117 at 1:00 PM on Thursday May 14, 2026. Finger sandwiches, chips, fruit, vegetables, dips, macaroni salad, cheese, crackers, punch, coffee and cookies will be catered by the cafeteria staff.

Ronn Nagel presented Monday morning's seminar on Protest songs in Rock ‘n’ Roll history. He described the many different aspects of protest in music, including political, including social, including culture, including gender and race. Many of the songs that were popular were related in protest to the Vietnam war with band such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, Stephen Stills, John Fogerty, Eric Burdin and the Animals, Edwin Starr, Elvis Presley, country Joe MacDonald, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Morrison and The Doors and Barry Maguire with his song Eve of Destruction.

Dr. Purba Mukerji who is a Professor of Economics at Connecticut College in New London, presented a seminar today, entitled “the Roots of Inflation”. She spoke of the theories into the driving forces that help create increases in prices and a gap between actual buying power and cost of goods and services. She showed many graphs using the.FRED data which included population, employment, labor, markets, business cycle, prices, consumer, price, and indexes, federal fund interest rates, federal government debt, and financial indicators. She commented on the major causes of chronic inflation. She also noted during the 1970s the two events that helps spur inflation in 1973. The first was the first OPEC Oil crisis during the Israeli war, the second being they second OPEC Oil embargo with the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. The U.S. Economy was also impacted by the 2008 mortgage crisis and the big recession with massive job layoffs. In 2015 inflation was at a near zero rate. Inflation also was impacted by the Covid epidemic in 2020. She also briefly talked about cryptocurrency and gold and its impact on the economy. A lively question and answer. Followed the seminar.

Wednesday’s morning seminar was given by Numismatist Larry Erhart. He is a retired Pfizer researcher who owns a rare Coin and currency business since 2002. He’s currently the state Director for Rhode Island for the New England Numismatic Association. He is also an officer in the Pawcatuck Valley Coin club and the Mansfield Numismatic Society. His talk began with the early Coins that were in use in colonial days, including British half pennies, shillings and pence. Also Spanish mill pillar dollars from Peru, Spain and Mexico. A new system of coinage was needed for the New fledging country of the United States. The first Coins for use where the continental dollar and the Fujio cent. The United States produced the first half disme, which was equivalent to five cents. In 1793 the United States Mint was located in Philadelphia and produced half cents and one cent Coins made of copper. However, the design was not well like since Liberty look like she had seen a ghost and the reverse of the Coin had 13 links in a chain symbolizing unity of the 13 states, but people thought it looked like chains for slavery. This design was dropped and a wreath was put on the reverse instead. Larry went onto describe the evolution of Coins up until the modern age. He also talked about the evolution of Paper Money from the early colonial. NOTES produced by Timothy Greene in his print shop located on Bank Street New London. As the industrial revolution, progressed and steam powered printing presses were invented, coinage was mass produced efficiently and at a higher rate. Larry discussed how the federal law states that only a dead person can be put on a coin and the design can only be changed after 25 years. 1948 the Franklin half dollar was in SERVICE and on November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. To honor him, they decided that since he was deceased, and Franklin had been on the half dollar for 25 years, this was an ideal Coin to change the image to JF Kennedy. Finally, Larry discussed the upcoming plans for the 2026 world celebrations in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Gettysburg, local events, and the big celebration in New York City.

Michael Carta presented a seminar on the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyrics of Tim Rice. Dr. Carta is a professor of chemistry and department head at Connecticut State College at Three Rivers. Mike presented the biography of Andrew Webber from his childhood in South Kent England. He met Tim Rice when he was 17 years old and they collaborated together since he needed a lyricist for his early musical work. Some of his greatest musicals included Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Joseph among many others.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass.
Several of Lloyd Webber's songs have been widely recorded and widely successful outside their parent musicals, such as "Memory" from Cats, "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita, and "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2001, The New York Times referred to him as "the most commercially successful composer in history".[1] The Daily Telegraph named him in 2008 the fifth-most powerful person in British culture, on which occasion lyricist Don Black said that "Andrew more or less single-handedly reinvented the musical."

Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita; Aida (with Elton John); and, for Disney, Aladdin, The Lion King (with Elton John), and the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

The Live Entertainment with Sal Basile presentation you are registered for with the Adventures in Lifelong Learning date has been changed. The new date is:

Tuesday, May 5th at 1:00pm in room B127.

Judy Hardy
Secretary for the Adventures in Lifelong Learning
CT State Three Rivers Campus
574 New London Tpke.
Norwich, CT 06360