Iconic performer Connie Stevens headlines lecture series to benefit OU scholarship

Iconic performer Connie Stevens headlines lecture series to benefit OU scholarship
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens, who has entertained audiences worldwide during her 30-year career in show business, will kick off the 2016-2017 Macomb Town Hall Luncheon/Lecture Series on Oct. 16, 2016.

Tickets are now available for the 2016-2017 Macomb Town Hall Luncheon/Lecture Series, which benefits an endowed scholarship for Oakland University students. 

 

This season begins on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2016, with a presentation by longtime singing and acting star Connie Stevens. In her talk, titled “A Woman for all Seasons,” Stevens will share highlights from her more than 30-year show business career, which includes roles in film and television and on Broadway. While perhaps best known for playing Cricket Blake on the hit television series “Hawaiian Eye,” the New York native also gained fame as the first recording artist signed to Warner Brothers Records. She charted several songs, including “Sixteen Reasons” which reached no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has performed for four U.S. Presidents, as well as for U.S. troops overseas. She continues to perform live concerts worldwide and runs a successful cosmetics company, Forever Spring.

 

The series continues on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 with a talk by Jan Dolland, titled “Quilting at Gee’s Bend.” Dolland made her first trip to Gee’s Bend, Alabama in 2003, where she befriended the now famous quilters who live in the rural, African American hamlet nestled along the Alabama River. Their uniquely designed and individually produced quilts have been exhibited at art museums around the United States and critically acclaimed by the New York Times. Dolland has made more than 40 visits to Gee’s Bend and sent the quilters more than a ton of quilting fabric that she has collected over the years. Her presentation will include a short video of the quilters sharing their stories, as well as a display of some of the quilts they have made.

 

Rounding out the series on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 is “Abraham and Jefferson: A Presidential Press Conference.” The duo of Robert Brugler and David Walker will play the roles of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis during this talk that will give audience members a glimpse into the Civil War Era. Standing 6’ 4’’ with an authentically styled beard, stovepipe hat and 1860s era clothing, Brugler brings the nation’s 16th president to life. His presentations chronicle Lincoln’s humble beginnings in the Kentucky wilderness to his years as president during the Civil War to his last evening at Ford’s Theatre. Walker has been portraying Confederate President Jefferson Davis for the past eight years. He is a member of Lee’s Lieutenants, a group that portrays notable men and women in the Civil War period. A retired teacher, Walker has entertained and enlightened audiences around the country. His first performance was in Jackson, Michigan, where he debated an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.

 

Proceeds from the series benefit the Gladys McLean/Macomb Town Hall Endowed Scholarship at Oakland University. For more than 50 years, the Macomb Town Hall series has generated scholarship support for deserving Macomb County students, who now make up nearly one-third of the OU student body.

“From Connie Stevens, to Jan Dolland, to Abraham & Jefferson, this year's luncheon/lecture series in Andiamo’s in Warren has something for everyone,” said Macomb Town Hall President, Cheri Daniels. “It's going to be a very entertaining series, and of course, we are extremely excited to be continuing our support of an endowed scholarship for OU students."

 

The luncheon/lecture series takes place at the Andiamo Banquet Center, located at 7096 East 14 Mile Road in Warren. All luncheon/lectures begin at 11 a.m., with seating starting at 10:15 a.m.

 

Tickets cost $125 for all three luncheon/lectures ($120 if purchased by Wednesday, June 15) and must be purchased in advance. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Sharon Betts at (586) 246-9017.