Gentrain Society

07/31/2026

GENTRAIN SOCIETY LECTURE
at Monterey Peninsula College
INFLATION, AN ASSAULT ON SOCIAL JUSTICE
August 5, 2026 1:30 pm
MPC Lecture Forum 103
Professor Donald Morgan’s lecture will provide a
lecture focusing on the subject-matter of the social
science of economics, the causes of inflation (too
much demand, too little supply and pricing power)
and the policies that might be used to correct
inflation. He has been studying the social science
of Economics since the mid 1960s, graduating
magna cm laude from Xavier University in 1966. He attended graduate school
at The University of New Hampshire where he received a Master of Arts degree
in Economics. In the fall of 1968 he began a full-time position at St. Bernard
College in Cullman Alabama. Next he accepted a position at the College of
Steubenville in Ohio, and in the fall of 1972 he returned to The University of
New Hampshire graduate school PhD program. Over the following eight years
he taught at The University of New Hampshire, New England College, and
New Hampshire Business College. In 1980 he moved to Monterey and taught
at MPC for two years in the 1980s and then devoted his time to the business
of selling firewood and the building of a house on 40 acres of undeveloped
property that he purchased in Jamesburg in Monterey County, where he has
been living since 1982. In 1996 he returned to MPC as an adjunct instructor
of Economics .
No charge or registration required
gentrain.org

06/11/2026

Gentrain Society Lecture
June 17,2026 - 1:30 pm
EXERCISING YOUR BRAIN: WHAT RESEARCH TELLS US ABOUT A HEALTHY BRAIN
Please join us for Dr. Hasegawa’s follow up lecture to his recent Joyful Noise discussion. He will share scientific findings and applicable strategies that will help to keep your brain working.
Dr. Chris Hasegawa is a former Dean at CSUMB.
MPC Lecture Forum (LF) 103
No registration, no charge. Parking at MPC is $3.00

06/01/2026

Gentrain Society Lecture
June 3, 2026 - 1:30 pm
THE HISTORY OF COLOR
A Visual Lecture Inspired by Victoria Finlay’s Color: A Natural History of the Palette
June 3, 2026
Let’s savor Skittles (provided by Gentrain Society Vice President Becky Taylor) and learn about ART! This engaging 45-minute illustrated lecture explores the fascinating history of color through art, culture, trade, science, and storytelling. Inspired by Victoria Finlay’s celebrated book, the presentation traces the origins of pigments and dyes from ancient ochre cave paintings and Aboriginal color traditions to Renaissance ultramarine, royal purple, indigo trade routes, and modern synthetic pigments. Including some shocking secrets of historical pigment origins. Through compelling images and historical examples, audiences discover how color has shaped human civilization, artistic practice, identity, religion, economics, and global exchange. Join us on June 3rd to meet Melissa Shields Bispo, a Studio Arts MPC faculty member. She is a Monterey native and an
active member of the Monterey Peninsula Art Forum on Cannery Row. She studied art at the California College of Arts and Crafts
(B.F.A.) and earned her M.F.A at San Jose State.
MPC Lecture Forum (LF) 103
No registration, no charge. Parking at MPC is $3.00

05/14/2026

GENTRAIN SOCIETY LECTURE
at Monterey Peninsula College
GOOD MORNING JULIA CHILD
May 20. 2026
MPC LF (Lecture Forum) 102 (location for this date only)
Join Gentrain for a staged reading performed by an actor who magically transforms herself into the world famous French Chef, Julia Child. She is being interviewed in June 1994 by Alex Morgan on KPLX radio in Boston. In this interview, Julia reveals her passion for cooking, her deep love for her husband, Paul, and how it all began in Paris.
Carol Marquart, playwright, has written and produced staged readings of famous and infamous persons of the twentieth century. These readings have taken place all over the Monterey Peninsula. The subject of her plays have included Carol Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bette Davis, William Randolph Hearst and even Rasputin!
1:30- - 2:30 pm
No charge or registration required
gentrain.org

05/02/2026

Wednesday, May 6, 1026 - 1:30 pm
Fog and Climate Change
Along the California coast, fog forms when warm, moist air from the ocean moves over the cold sea surface close to shore. Dr. Daniel M. Fernandez, CSUMB professor of applied environmental science, is one of the "Fog Five," as they call themselves, a group of interdisciplinary researchers who have been awarded a grant to establish the Pacific Coast Fog Research Project. They will study how fog patterns shape life along the Pacific coast and how those patterns are impacted by climate change. Their work will also help identify how we can best harness our beloved fog as a natural resource, as well as its importance to coastal ecosystems.

Open to the public; no charge or registration is required
(Parking $3.00) -

The Gentrain Society, a volunteer auxiliary of Monterey Peninsula College, was formed in 1983 and offers a variety of courses to the community

04/11/2026

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - 1:30 pm
THE WISDOM OF THE GREEKS
Dr. Alan Haffa will be speaking on Greek Wisdom and Literature. In this talk he will explore some of his favorite quotes from Ancient Greek literature and discuss them in terms of what they tell us about the values of Ancient Greek society. Where possible he will try to draw lessons for us in the present. Dr. Haffa is the Director of the Gentrain Program and teaches literature at Monterey Peninsula College. His Ph.D. dissertation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison was on the topic of supplication in epic in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Vergil’s Aeneid, Dante’s Divine Comedy and Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered.
Open to the public; no charge or registration is required
(Parking $3.00) - www.gentrain.org