Fall 2026 Lecture Series & Excursion

Amelia Earhart was the premier female aviator of the early twentieth century. Amelia Earhart, along with her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on July 2nd, 1937, while flying over the Pacific Ocean. Over the decades, facts have been skewed to support various theories. However, a close examination of all those facts may help us understand the truth.

Presenter Bio: Robert Jacob

Robert Jacob is an award-winning author and lecturer with a passion for history and a commitment to dispelling erroneous “facts” perpetuated by writers and historians throughout the centuries. Robert is a regular presenter at the Tampa Bay History Center, Saint Petersburg Museum of History, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Academia Hernando. Robert retired from the US Marine Corps in 2013 after thirty-one years of service.

Presenter Bio: Joey Vars

Joey Vars is a Florida historian based out of sunny Saint Petersburg. He is the official historian and Archivist for the town of Belleair and is currently a member of the Pinellas County History Preservation Board. Joey is completing his Masters Degree in Florida Studies from the University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg.

The Florida Highwaymen are a group of African American Florida landscape artists from the mid-1950s through the 1980s. Due to the racial segregation that was in place at that time, they faced many racial and cultural barriers. No galleries would accept their artwork, so these gentlemen sold their paintings door to door and often from the trunks of their cars, earning the moniker of the Highwaymen.

Presenter Bio: Dedee Aleccia

Dedee Aleccia has been a professor of both literature and art history for over 30 years. She also served as a Smithsonian Institution research fellow and was awarded a NISOD Excellence Award in teaching. She has lectured for Eckerrd College’s lifelong learning programs and continues to offer classes for their OLLI program. She believes that continued lecturing and researching keep her young.

Presenter Bio: Stacy Risinger

Stacy Risinger grew up in the Midwest and has called Florida her home for over thirty years. She holds degrees in English, Education, and Administration and has been successfully operating her organization since 2020.

Presenter Bio: Sheryl Long

Sheryl Long was born in Iowa and grew up on farms in Nebraska and Missouri before moving to Florida as a teenager. Sheryl worked for public television for WEDU in Tampa and spent the last 17 years as a corporate marketing and communications manager.

Presenter Bio: Dr. Joe Ponds

Dr. Joe Ponds is an educator, facilitator, and trainer for numerous organizations. He is the past president of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association of Florida. Dr. Ponds has written a book titled The 600 m.o.l. – Black Helicopter Pilots in Vietnam. He was recently inducted into the Maryland ROTC Hall of Fame at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Dr. Ponds has been a chapel speaker for Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Mets. He lives in Beverly Hills, FL, and is currently the Pastor of Beverly Hills Bible Church.

Presenter Bio: Beth Davey

BIO COMING SOON

Presenter Bio: Tom Stickrath, J.D.

With more than 40 years of experience in the criminal justice system, Tom Stickrath has had a career in multiple agencies in the state of Ohio. He has received many awards and recognitions for his dedicated work. He will share his lessons learned, “battle scars” and a bevy of interesting stories from his memoir, “My Life of Managing Crime”.

Excursion information coming soon!