YORK COUNTY —York County Senior College’s Winter 2019 Gary Sullivan Memorial Lecture Series begins in January with a focus on history, both familial and geographical.

All Senior College lectures take place in the morning and afternoons of Jan. 16, Feb. 20 and March 20 at the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Alfred.

Leading off the series is Fred Boyle, who was instrumental in initiating this winter activity for seniors. His topic is “The Richness of Genealogy.”

A former teacher and professional genealogist, Boyle has authored nine books, five of which are “Early Family” books of Sanford-Springvale and the surrounding towns.

An active member of the community, Boyle is a moderator and choir member at North Parish Church and has served on the boards of the local Red Cross and Springvale Public Library as well as the Sanford School Committee. He has been a member of the Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club as well as a council member for York County Senior College.

Dana Peck, president of the Biddeford Historical Society, provides the afternoon lecture, illuminating how the area participated in the Industrial Revolution in “Saco-Biddeford Mills: The Melting Pot.”

Peck grew up in Biddeford and has lived in the area most of his life. He was the first president of the Biddeford Mills Museum.

February brings an eclectic mix of topics, with Elsa Geskus, educational director of The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, demonstrating the iconic pipe organ in “Kotzsch in a Box,” and Kennebunk Chief of Police Bob MacKenzie presenting a film and discussion about “Battling Opiods.”

The series concludes in March with a look beyond the U.S. borders, as Kim Jae Woong treats the audience to “Korean Spirit and Culture” and Monica and Bill Grabin explain the exotic species of fish and coral of the area east of Indonesia in “The Heart of the Coral Triangle.”

Morning lectures take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and a second lecture, given from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

All winter lectures will be given at Denis Hall on the campus of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, 133 Shaker Hill Road, Alfred (off Route 202).

The fee for each day’s program is $20 for York County Senior College members, $25 for non-members, payable at the door by cash or check made payable to the York County Shelter Program, and includes lunch, as well as coffee breaks.

Should classes be cancelled because of weather, notice will be given on local TV stations and may be heard on the YCSC answering machine 282-4030.

Call 282-4030 for reservations by the Monday before each lecture.

York County Senior College, providing low cost educational and social opportunities for adults, is affiliated with the University of Maine System. Classes in the spring and fall semesters are given in Saco and Springvale, starting in March and September. Winter lectures are open to the public; membership in Senior College is not required.

The mission of York County Senior College is to provide a curriculum of intellectually stimulating learning opportunities and special activities for persons 50 years of age or older. Begun in 1999, Senior College is governed by a volunteer committee who oversees its general operations. York County Senior College is a program of the University of Maine System University College.

For more information about Maine’s senior colleges, go to www.maineseniorcollege.org.

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