From the President

Dear fellow Phi Betes, 

The recent controversy at the Smithsonian is a sober reminder of how easily history can be erased. The incident also poses a vital question: when is the removal of historical material an act of erasure, and when is it an act of responsible recontextualization? Consider the removal of Confederate statues in former slaveholding states. Both cases involve taking something from public view, yet the differences are essential. Reevaluating whom we choose to honor in public spaces is not the same as altering the raw materials of history itself. Relocating a statue from a civic space to storage or a museum leaves the physical object intact for future researchers; altering or removing archival material, by contrast, severs the evidentiary chain, making accurate future historical investigation impossible.

As members of a society founded upon the liberal arts, we are compelled to engage with these distinctions—not to simplify them into slogans but to examine the objectives and consequences of such actions critically. Both change how people interact with history, but they do so in fundamentally different ways. 

As you know, knowledge is difficult to reclaim once lost. Phi Beta Kappa honors the pursuit of truth, the protection of intellectual freedom, and the conviction that knowledge must be shared, not erased. I invite us all to reflect on these issues and share our thoughts within our PBKNCA community so we can continue the kind of open and thoughtful dialogue that keeps history alive and relevant for us all. 

I wish you a safe, engaging, and vibrant summer. 

Warmly,
Melissa Xanthe Stevens
President

All memberships (except Auto Renewals) expired on December 31.

If you haven’t yet joined, or renewed your membership, it is time to contribute now.

Don’t know if you are current? Check the directory at https://pbknca.com/Directory

or Contact Larry Davenport: lkdavn@aol.com

Go to pbknca.com/Join/Renew  or send your payment to:

PBKNCA, c/o Larry Davenport, VP Membership, 1501 Adeline Ave, Redlands, CA 92374

Scholarship Awards presented at the Key Room, Novato, May 4, 2025

In fulfillment of its mission to encourage scholarship and research, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association is honoring the following outstanding Phi Beta Kappa graduate students with $10,000 scholarship awards to assist them in completing their educational objectives.

Rear row: Robert (Robbie) Shepherd, Katarina (Katie) Michel, Susanna Faas-Bush

Front row: Keya Jonnalagadda, Brittany Peterson, Charlotte Wang

Not Present: Susanna Faas-Bush, UC Berkeley, Classical Archaeology (Hardardt award) ,  Margaret (Maggie) Kenney, UC Berkeley, Political Science,  Cody Mowery, UC San Francisco, MD/Ph.D. Immunology (Norall award),  Sophia Simon, UC Davis, Ecology,  Victor Wu, Stanford, JD/Ph.D. Political Science

The Scholarship Committee: Joanne Sandstrom (Chair) , Jeff Fenton, Lynne Fovinci, Rona Giffard, Jean James

Teaching Excellence Awards presented at the Key Room, Novato, May 4, 2025

The Teaching Excellence Award, which is given to teachers nominated by their students, consists of a Certificate and a $1000 honorarium.

Jonathan Gienapp, Nicol Hammond, Timothy McNeil, Joseph Nation, Nathan Atkinson

Teaching Excellence Committee: Melisa Lasell (Chair), Andrea Braga, Leilani Miller, Melissa Stevens

Upcoming Events

Currently, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association suggests masking for indoor activities.

Note: The price stated for events is for current PBKNCA members and their guests; elapsed or non-members will pay a surcharge. Full event information, and means of credit card payment, are available on our website https://pbknca.com/Events/.

If you won’t be able to make an event, contact O’Neil Dillon at oneilsdillon@gmail.com ASAP, or if it is the day of the event call him at 510-207-8761, as there may be others on the waiting list who will then be able to take your place.

No-shows do NOT receive a ref­­­und! Cancellations probably do.

Sign up for events at https://pbknca.com/Events/ To register for an event if you don’t have Internet access,

please contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Semifreddi's Industrial Bakery, August 29, 2025 10:30 AM, Alameda

We will be given a tour of the Semifreddi's industrial bakery in Alameda which runs 24/7, as well as a take home gift of various loaves of freshly baked bread worth $25. 

It all started on Oct 15, 1984 in a tiny 450 square-foot shop in Kensington/Berkeley CA, and on that day and every day since it’s been about family.  Tom Franier, his sister Barbara Rose and her husband Mike took a chance on a dream and brought Semifreddi’s to the world.

Long story short, it worked.   

Obsessed with quality, obsessed with giving back to the community and obsessed with taking care of their employees like family, Semifreddi’s grew over the next 40 years by sweating the small stuff and making it happen every single day 363 days a year.

June 21, 2025 10:30 AM

1980 North Loop Rd., Alameda, CA, 94502

Cost: $25 (all for scholarships)

PBKNCA rep:  O'Neil Dillon

Limit 21 – May be full by now

Signup at pbknca.com/event-6179887     Website Semifreddis.com

San Francisco Presidio and Tunnel Tops, September 13, 2025, 10 AM

Lawmakers transformed the Presidio into a National Park in 1996, and since then it has become one of the greatest (and greenest) places to explore in all of San Francisco. Join us on a walk-through San Francisco’s panoramic, luscious park, with wooded areas and scenic views as far as the eye can see including the newly-created Tunnel Tops.

From Spain, to Mexico, to the United States — The Presidio has been home to more militaries than almost any other fortress in America. And for good reason: it’s a sprawling, fortified estate strategically located at the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. During the Spanish-American War, it was where America’s troops were trained and shipped across the Pacific. A decade later, it would be an oasis for earthquake survivors, housing refugees and coordinating rescue efforts.

When:  September 13 @ 10AM

Where:  Meet at the Officer's Club, 50 Moraga Ave., at the Main Post. Parking:  Paid parking on the street.

Cost:  PBKNCA Members $35 (part to scholarships); all others $45 (part to scholarships)

Maximum group size: 30 (with two docents)

PBKNCA representative:  O'Neil Dillon

Sign up at pbknca.com/event-6139159 or contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Exploring the Skies at the Aerospace Museum, Saturday, Oct 11, 11 AM McClellan, CA

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!  Previous events have steamed through the California State Railroad Museum and cruised by the California Automobile Museum—now it’s time to take to the skies and explore the wonders of flight and technology at the Aerospace Museum of California.  

Located on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base, once a fighter modification and repair facility, the museum features a 40,000 square foot exhibit hall, over 40 historical aircraft and rockets, and an extensive fighter collection with the F-80 Shooting Star – America’s first operational jet fighter, F4-Phantom, F-101 Voodoo and more. 

The museum also has ten flight simulators and, while not part of the tour, signup in advance if you’d like the opportunity to “pilot” your own aircraft. 

When:              Saturday October 11. 2025. 11AM

Location:         3200 Freedom Park Drive, McClellan, CA 95652

Cost:                Members $25 (part to scholarships), Non-members $40 (part to scholarships)  

Group size:      20 maximum 

Sign up at https://pbknca.com/event-6306867 or contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Cal State Maritime Academy, Vallejo, in November 

SHIPS AHOY! We visit the California State University Maritime Academy in Vallejo Friday in November. 

Most of us have been driving past CSUM for years but have never stopped. This is our chance to make up for that as we will be touring the Maritime Academy, founded in 1929.   This includes a visit to the training ship Golden Bear. Our tour of the Academy, the only degree-granting maritime academy on the west coast of the U.S., will start with an orientation to the property, and then we will be visiting key sites on the campus. These include the training ship Golden Bear and, if it is not in use, the Ships Bridge Simulator which recreates an actual ship's bridge. This simulator can simulate wind and wave conditions as well as navigating to many places in the world.

A campus map is available at the school’s web site: https://www.csum.edu/web/about/location     

Sign up at https://pbknca.com/event-6296432 or contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Uprooted: The Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II, Jan 17, 2026, 10 AM  

We will gather for a docent led tour of this newly rebuilt and reopened exhibit focusing on the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The exhibit explores how they responded to their forced removal and incarceration, ranging from quiet endurance to heroic valor to conscientious resistance. The exhibit also highlights Japanese Americans’ ongoing efforts to ensure no other groups experience similar civil rights violations. 

Interactive displays and unique artifacts donated by incarceration survivors supplement visitor favorites from the previous installation including a video introduction by George Takei and a replica barracks and guard tower. Features added in 2023 include a theater experience and an interactive display that allows visitors to hold virtual conversations with three survivors by using AI to match visitor questions with answers drawn from a bank of responses recorded in their own words.

 https://pbknca.com/event-6306941

When: Saturday Jan. 17, 2026 at 10 a.m.

Location: California History Museum

1020 O Street, Sacramento

https://californiamuseum.org/visit/visitor-information/ 

Cost: $20 for members; $25 non-members

Sign up at https://pbknca.com/event-6306941 or contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Parking: On-street parking is available in metered on street spaces during the Museum’s regular business hours Tuesday through Sunday. On weekdays and Saturdays, parking is also available in the hourly garage located at 1500 10th Street across the street from the Museum (now accepts credit card in addition to cash).

 Group size: 20
PBKNCA rep: Jim Richardson

39th Annual Asilomar Conference Feb. 13–16, 2026. Save the weekend!

Register now for 2026 at pbknca.com/event-6076572, 

We now have the speakers lined up! See more information about them and their talks at  pbknca.com/event-6076572. You can register there as well, or use coupon on page 8.  For more information, click the links, or contact Deirdre Frontczak, (707) 546-4238, dfrontczak@scu.edu.

Friday evening - Seeta Chaganti 2023 Teaching Excellence Awardee, Professor of medieval literature. English department, UC Davis 
Carceral Angels: Medieval Sheriffs and Modern Police Abolition 

In recent months and years, modern policing has raised a number of urgent questions for western societies:  Who do police represent, and where does their power come from?  What traditions have shaped these structures, and do they fit our current realities? Are our policing practices consistent with the values that a democratic, pluralist society must uphold?  

Saturday morning - Thomas P.  Lyon, Professor, University of Michigan 
 Rebuilding Institutional Trust through Corporate Political Responsibility 

There is a global crisis of trust in institutions, with only 36% believing the next generation will be better off. Over 60% have issues with business, government, and the wealthy. Business can help rebuild trust since many view it as competent and ethical. The talk will discuss corporate political responsibility as a solution to this problem.

Saturday afternoon - Christine Kurtz, Master Beekeeper
Bees, Bees, Bees! Would you like to learn more about our most important pollinators and their problems?

Christine Kurtz is a long time Sonoma County resident with 20 plus years of beekeeping experience under her belt. She is a believer in regenerative and treatment free all-natural hive management and strongly supports locally adapted bee colonies. She patiently educates local beekeepers and encourages them to share their knowledge and their bees. 

Saturday evening - Giovanni Peri, Department of Economics, UC Davis 
Immigrants’ and Refugees’ economic success and their contribution to the US economy 

Dispelling myths that they displace US workers and depend on welfare, 25 years of research show that immigrants and refugees in the US quickly achieve strong economic integration and success and that their inflow contribute to the employment and economic growth of local US economies as well as to entrepreneurship, innovation and growth of its companies. They bring different skills, increase demand and dynamism and in the recent year the US economy, including its workers, would have benefitted from more immigration, rather than less. 

Sunday morning  - Francisco Jimenez, Modern Languages / Literature, Santa Clara University 
Living and Writing a Migrant’s Life

I will share a personal narrative rooted in my experiences growing up in a family of migrant workers and how those formative years have shaped my writing. The talk will explore the intersections of farm labor, migration, identity, and storytelling, reflecting on the challenges and resilience that marked my upbringing—experiences that echo in the lives of many migrant families today. To provide visual context and bring these stories to life, I will use PowerPoint to present childhood photographs from that period and screen The Unbroken Sky, a 24-minute dramatic film adapted from my memoirs.

Sunday afternoon - Mohan Gurunathan, Food systems / sustainability (Stealth Startup; MIT)
The Earth on our Plate: Why Changing our Diet Is Essential to Saving our Planet 

The impact of agriculture on our planet far exceeds that of any other human activity. Yet, most of us rarely give it a second thought when we sit down to eat.  In this presentation, we’ll explore the surprising connections between our daily food choices and some of the world’s most pressing issues: climate change, deforestation, species extinction, water scarcity, pollution, world hunger, human health, and many other serious environmental and social issues. You’ll learn how simple dietary changes—adopted on a societal scale—are essential to solving many of humanity’s greatest challenges, and play a critical role in preserving our planet for future generations. 

Sunday evening  - Susanna Faas-Bush 2025 Scholarship awardee (Hardardt award). Classical Archaeology, UC Berkeley
Reconstructing Everyday Life in Pompeii: The Mysteries of the Boscoreale Treasure

On April 13th of 1895, a worker on private excavations just outside of Pompeii reported something dazzling - a buried hoard of over 100 coins, golden jewelry and silver dining ware found at an otherwise modest Roman villa/vineyard. The drama of this find, and its subsequent sale to the Louvre, would far overshadow the rest of the villa’s excavation. This rich archaeological material has never been fully mined for what it can tell us; moreover, Susanna Faas-Bush has discovered more than 300 additional pieces from the collection, stored separately in Pompeii but forgotten for decades – a discovery, she states, that “has never gotten the attention it deserves.” 

Monday morning - Jim Richardson B.A., M. Div., PBK: UCLA 1975, California History / Politics 
The Remarkable Life and Legacy of Willie Brown 

Born in racially segregated Texas in 1934, Willie Brown rose to become the Speaker of the California State Assembly in the 1980s and ’90s — and arguably the most powerful African American politician in the country at the time. With a flair for clothes and controversy, Brown was certainly among the most entertaining political figures of our age. Brown went on to serve two terms as mayor of San Francisco. 

We are delighted to invite you to share in a weekend of learning, dialogue, and fellowship at the Asilomar Conference Center on the spectacular Monterey Coast.

But this is more than eight interesting speakers; it is an opportunity to renew old friendships or make new friends at meals; walk on the beach or the trails. Explore the historic buildings of the Asilomar State Park. Visit the Butterfly Grove Inn to see the beautiful Monarch Butterflies, and much more. 

View the full program or sign up at pbknca.com/event-6076572