General Meetings

Open to members and their guests

Place: Branson Hall, Christ and Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane, Westport

10:45 am  Conversation

11:30 am  Meeting and Speaker

October 11: Dr. Sidney Gottlieb – ‘The Hitchcock Touch’

In this presentation, Sacred Heart University film teacher and scholar Sidney Gottlieb, PhD will use clips from a variety of films and quotations from the director himself to give an overview of the key components of what is often called “the Hitchcock Touch.” He will focus on some of the recurrent characters and themes in Hitchcock’s films, his signature cinematic style and techniques, and the director’s own thoughts, conveyed in his frequent interviews and writings, on how he approached making films and what effects he aimed for.

Sidney has been teaching at Sacred Heart University since 1976. He is the long-time editor of  two scholarly journals, the Hitchcock Annual (Columbia University Press) and the George Herbert Journal. His edited books include two volumes of Hitchcock on Hitchcock, Framing Hitchcock (coedited with Chris Brookhouse), Hitchcock: Interviews, and Roberto Rossellini's Rome Open City. He is also an active musician, currently playing with Ghost Radio in Connecticut and Sonia and Sid in Boston.

October 25:   Jim Childress – ‘Modern Libraries Around the World and at Home’

Jim Childress, a Principal of Centerbrook Architects and the lead architect for the new New Canaan Library, will take us on a tour of some the world’s most significant public libraries – in Norway, New Zealand, Vancouver, Delft, Paris, Alexandria, and elsewhere. He will describe how they promote civic pride and life-long learning, how they reflect community identity and values, how they encourage sustainable living and wellness, how they bring people together, and how, with ubiquitous modern technology, they still celebrate the printed word. He will then briefly explain how these libraries influenced the design of New Canaan’s new library, which will open in the spring of 2023.

A frequent lecturer on architecture, Jim received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1977 and 1978, respectively. He joined Centerbrook Architects in 1979, becoming a principal in 1996. Jim’s portfolio encompasses libraries, houses, independent schools, colleges and universities, laboratories, churches, museums, and corporate interiors. In addition to the New Canaan Library and 35 years as a lead architect at the world-renowned Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Jim’s work includes three projects at the University of Colorado, a new headquarters for the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming, a STEM center at Mary Institute & St. Louis Country Day School, and The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. Jim is a design Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, former Chair of the AIA Committee on Design, and received the national AIA Architecture Firm Award. His work has been recognized with more than 80 design awards.

TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!

Renew your Y’s Women membership now to enjoy our meetings, satellite groups, and more through June 2022. 

Send your $45 check for dues to Doris Levinson, 6 Beechwood Lane, Westport, CT 06880. Click here to download the Membership Form.

Don’t put this off – October 31 is the deadline to be included in the new Y’s Women Membership Roster. 

Y’s Women Names Two New ‘Fabulous Friends’

Each year the Y’s Women appoint a Fabulous Friend, honoring a long-time member who has gone above and beyond in her contribution to the organization. Since we didn’t meet during COVID, Fabulous Friends for 2020 and 2021 were named at the September 27th General Meeting. Honors went to Doris Levinson, Membership Chair, and Merle Spiegel, Communications Chair. Congratulations, ladies!

New Member Get-Together

New Y’s Women members are invited to a meeting at 10:00 am on Monday, October 11 (prior to the General Meeting) to learn more about Y’s Women and the various satellite committees available to members.

Mercy Learning Center Donations

Please continue to bring your gifts of non-perishable food to the first general meeting of each month. Or you can drop them off in the lobby of 597 Westport Avenue. They are much appreciated by needy clients of the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport. Questions? Contact Barb Stephen at 203-557-3551.

Satellite Groups

(Y's Women Members Only)

Book Group 2 will meet on Thursday, October 7 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. The book to be discussed is Writers & Lovers by Lily King, and the discussion will be led by Eileen Rosen. For questions, contact Nancy Bloom at nancyerb@aol.com or Arlene Bloom at bloomah@sbcglobal.net.

Book Group 3 will meet on Friday, October 8 at 10:30 am at Panera Bread in Westport. We will discuss Atonement by Ian McEwan, led by Marcia Goldstein. New members are welcome. Contact Doris Levinson at drjlevinson@gmail.com or 203-227-3371.

The Movie Club will meet at Panera in Westport on Wednesday, October 20 at 1:30 pm. We plan to meet informally at 1:00 to give people a chance to socialize and/or eat lunch, and our discussion begins at 1:30. We ask all attendees to have been vaccinated and to wear masks when not eating.

We will discuss Mystic Pizza and My Octopus Teacher. Mystic Pizza is being shown at 9:00 pm on October 9 on the WNET network of PBS as part of Reel 13 Classics. If you do not see or record this movie when it’s originally broadcast, you may be able to see it through a PBS playback system (such as Thirteen Passport) or other streaming service such as Hoopla. Also, the DVD of Mystic Pizza is listed in the catalog of the Fairfield Library. My Octopus Teacher is available on Netflix.

Mystic Pizza is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama that charts the lives and loves of three unforgettable waitresses in a little town called Mystic. For sexy Daisy Araujo (Julia Roberts), her sensible sister Kat (Annabeth Gish), and their wisecracking friend Jojo (Lili Taylor), the summer after high school is a summer they’ll never forget. Slinging pizza at a local restaurant, the three girls share their hopes, dreams, and plans for escaping their small town.

My Octopus Teacher is a documentary film about a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest. The film shows how, in 2010, Foster began free-diving in a cold underwater kelp forest at a remote location in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa. He started to document his experiences and, in time, met a curious young octopus that captured his attention. The film shows Foster’s growing intimate relationship with the octopus as he follows her around for nearly a year.

If you wish to be added to the email list for future events, please contact Margaret Mitchell at 203-255-9094 or margaret06824@yahoo.com. 

Wisest Investment Group: Curious about the stock market? Interested in public companies, enjoy coming up with investment ideas and seeing where it leads you? Then the Wisest Investment Group (WIG) is the place for you. WIG has been in existence for more than 20 years; in up years and down years, we have invested and reaped the results. Currently our portfolio holds companies you probably know, like Estee Lauder, and some you may not know, like Terex Corporation. We meet on the fourth Thursday of each month from 9:30 am to noon. We have room for one or two more members, so if this interests you, contact Lois Block, President, at 761-1177 or loisblock@optonline.net.

The Memoirs Group is still meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. We know we will have to head indoors soon, but have met for the last couple of months at the Sherwood island Pavilion. If you have questions, please contact Cary Peterson at carypeterson3@gmail.com.

The Lunch & Trivia group will meet at noon on Thursday, October 21 at the VFW on Riverside Avenue. The cost of lunch is $20. Please contact Ann Lloyd at 226-4145 or Arlene Bloom at 254-9096 if you are interested in attending.

Solos (women single by circumstance) will continue meeting on Tuesdays in October at Compo Beach.  

Tuesday events include:

- 10:00-11:00 am walking group, which meets near the cannons.

- 4:00 pm socializing group, which meets near the picnic tables located to the right of the cannons. Bring your own dinner and chair. If the weather becomes challenging, group members will meet in the covered area near the snack bar.

All Y’s Women are welcome to attend these Tuesday events at Compo. No beach stickers are needed in October!

Solos members look forward to resuming weekend lunch/dinner events this October. The first Solos luncheon will be held on Saturday, October 16 (noon to 4:00 pm) at VFW, 455 Riverside Avenue, Westport. Current Solos members who wish to attend this event should contact Terry Queirolo at tmq44@icloud.com or 203-847-4121 before October 9 to reserve a place.

If you would like to join Solos and be included on the email list for future events, contact Jane Malakoff (janedith215@optonline.net), membership chair. 

Carpool & Go  

    

We will return to the Yale University Art Gallery on Saturday, October 16 (they are only open Friday evenings and weekends at this point) to see the current special exhibition On the Basis of Art: 150 Years of Women at Yale. This show celebrates and showcases women artists who are Yale graduates on the occasion of 50 years of coeducation and 150 years since women were students at the Yale School of Fine Arts. It is comprised of works in many different media by approximately 80 artist/graduates, including Maya Lin (whose pastel is shown below) and other well-known figures. We will view the show on our own (no guided tours are being given at present to those outside the Yale community), and afterward we will have lunch at Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant across the street – which should have good fare and prices at the end of New Haven restaurant week.

We will meet in the Trader Joe's / Wells Fargo parking lot at 9:45 am for a 10:00 am departure. There is no charge for museum entry (one can donate what seems appropriate on arrival). Please have cash on hand for drivers ($5) and to share the cost of parking in New Haven. To reserve your spot, please contact  Lydia Menendez (lydiamnndz12@gmail.com or 203-319-1110) ASAP so we know how many tickets to order, indicating also if you are willing to drive and if you’ll be staying for lunch.

Free Tuesdays At Compo Beach

We have arranged a permit enabling Y’s Women without Westport beach stickers to enjoy Compo Beach on Tuesdays during the summer. You can go between 10:00 and 11:00 am or after 5:00 pm – just tell the gatehouse attendant that you’re a Y’s Woman. If you go at the end of the day and bring a picnic dinner, head for the Cannons and you’re likely to run into other Y’s Women.

Enjoy the beach!  

In Memoriam

We are sad to announce the death of Barbara Kelley, at the age of 95, from complications resulting from Alzheimer’s disease.

If you know of any of our members who are ill or who pass away, please contact Cary Peterson, our Y’s Care Coordinator, at carypeterson3@gmail.com.

Mercy Learning Center Needs Help

Y’s Women have long been donating nonperishable food and other necessities (such as diapers, clothing, and accessories) to the Mercy Learning Center (MLC) of Bridgeport. Other members send checks and gift cards to Mercy Learning Center, 637 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604. These donations are needed more than ever during this time of Covid, and Mercy Learning Center is very grateful for our continuing support.

Please continue to bring your gifts of non-perishable food to the first general meeting of each month. Or you can drop them off in the lobby of 597 Westport Avenue. They are much appreciated by needy clients of the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport. Questions? Contact Barb Stephen at 203-557-3551.

Trips coming up!

Because of the uncertainty as to when the United Nations will be able to reopen for tours, the April 22 trip has been canceled. We will consider a future trip to the UN when conditions are safe to do so. 

As for the present, stay home and stay safe. If you wish to have your check returned, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Geri Hanslick, 117 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT 06880. If you prefer to have us void and destroy your check, contact Geri at (646) 789-3013 or gerihanslick@yahoo.com.

                  

About our monthly newsletters

Printed monthly newsletters are no longer being mailed to members. Instead, they are provided as printable computer files in Adobe Portable Document (PDF) format. To print them, the Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer. If it is not already there, download it here.

Around the 25th of each month, the link to the next month's printable PDF newsletter is provided in two ways: in an email to members, and on this website (upper right corner). In addition, the newsletter's listings of dates and places are viewable on this website at a glance.

If you are not already receiving emails, please check the Membership Roster to be sure we have your correct email address. Notify Doris Levinson of any changes or corrections: 203-227-3371 or drjlevinson@gmail.com. A member's e-mail address will only be used for the monthly newsletters and for occasional important announcements.

To prevent our emails from landing in your spam/junk folder add info@yswomen.org to your address book.

About General Meetings

General Meetings are held the second and fourth Mondays of the month, September through May, at Branson Hall of Christ and Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane, Westport. Coffee and conversation begins at 10:45 am, and the meetings start at 11:30 and are usually over by 12:30 pm.

Meetings feature speakers on a wide range of topics - from health to the arts to local, national, and international issues. Details can be found in the monthly Y's Women newsletter at www.yswomen.org.

For more information contact Barb Stephen, President, at 203-557-3551.

About Membership

The Y's Women Membership Form July 2021 - June 2022 Date______________ Name______________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________________ City/Town _____________________________________ State______  ZIP ______ Home phone __________________    Cell ___________________________ Email _______________________________________________________ DUES INFORMATION Dues are $45.00 annually. Make your check payable to the Y's Women. The dues deadline is October 31 to be listed in the Membership Roster. If you join in April or later, your dues are in effect through June 2023. Membership is complimentary after age 90. If you qualify please indicate that on your membership form. To join Y's Women send this form and your $45 check to Doris Levinson,  6 Beechwood Lane, Westport, CT 06880.  FOR NEW MEMBERS: In which of these Y's Women activities do you plan to participate? _____Twice-monthly meetings             _____Newcomer lunches at Local Restaurants _____Holiday and spring parties          _____Current Events Group _____Book Group                                     _____U.S. and Foreign Travel _____Bridge Marathon                            _____Solos Social Group        _____Investment Group                          _____Lunches with Trivia Games _____Memoirs Group                              _____Day Trips _____Movie Group                                  _________________________________________________________________ Membership questions?  Please contact Doris Levinson, membership chair, at drjlevinson@gmail.com or 203-227-3371.