Tempe Historical Society’s Lunch Talks
2nd Wednesdays at 11:30 AM
Tempe History Museum, 809 E Southern Avenue
Admission is free!
***Alternative Attendance Options***
Sessions are live-streamed via Facebook and recordings of the Lunch Talks can be viewed on our Facebook page.
There is limited seating for in-person attendance.
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022
Local Award-Winning Author Shares his Passion and Journey to Enrich Lives
Click link above for the video on Tempe History’s Facebook page
Albert Monreal Quihuis
Hispanic Heritage Month, we are fortunate to have local Multi-Award-Winning author Albert Monreal Quihuis as our guest speaker. He will share his surprise moment of finding his passion for writing, the stories behind the books and his journey of writing. Albert started writing “Sofia and Pepe Adventure Series.” He writes multicultural books, and different genres. Albert’s books inspire his readers to learn more about their culture, traditions, history and being proud of your heritage.
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022
ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration
Meet students from Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration for current events and a guided tour of September night skies.
Discover ASU’s involvement in present and future NASA missions by leading and building instruments including Mastcam-Z on board the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. This camera system is commanded by a dedicated team from ASU’s Tempe campus, where the exploration never ends! Come and explore!
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022
History of Railroads in Tempe
W. David Doiron
Take a brief look at one Tempe resident’s experiences and recollections from 1959 to the present and view historical photos related to Tempe’s growth and development, including information about its railroads.
David Doiron grew up in Tempe and has had a valid career. He worked at El Rancho Market, Monti’s, Gammage, and several other Tempe places. He has been an auto mechanic, a racecar driver, and a pilot. He flew the C-141 for the US Air Force, then flew for Western Airlines. He retired as a Captain for Delta Airlines in 2004, then built a 4,500 sq. food addition onto his home. He is currently Chairman of the Tempe Aviation Commission.
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
My Wa’alupe Yaqui Identity: Family, Cemetary, Church and Guadalupe School
Octaviana Valenzuela Trujillo
Studies on indigenous history and culture of our Pascua Yaqui Tribe have stimulated a genre of literature that has shaped the way we understand the historical processes of community formation and re-establishment patterns of mobility, and the continuity of our indigenous identity. Too frequently, anthropological studies examine indigenous peoples through a dichotomous lens that views us as static or displaced. Instead, we believe that indigenous peoples’ histories should be placed at the center of an analysis that portrays us as active social participants. We know that we shape our destiny.
Photographs, government documents and other archival material are shared to recount the stories and memories of the families forming the history and resilience of the people of Guadalupe.
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023
Overcoming: Growing Up in The South
Rosemary James
“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his or her goals.”
– Dorothy Height
What is it like to grow up in the south as a black person? Come along with me as I take you on an abbreviated, firsthand experience of my life in the south during the forties, fifties, and the Civil Rights era. You will surely leave this talk saying, “It was as if I had been there.” You may even be changed a bit if you open yourself up to what you hear.
I was born in a little town called Kentwood in Louisiana. I went to Grambling college in 1962 and moved to Arizona with my husband of 49 and a half years in 1965. We are Blessed with two wonderful sons who have grown into very accomplished men. I served as a classroom teacher of 3rd through middle school students, a school district staff developer, a school principal, and an education consultant for 39 years prior to retiring in 2009. My husband taught me to love traveling and we were blessed to have traveled to 6 continents prior to his death. I completed our planned excursion to the 7th continent of Antarctica in 2015.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Building a Sense of Place in East Arizona
Dr. Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez
In the late 1800’s many Hispanic families from the New Mexico Territory migrated to northeastern Arizona. They brought with them cultural practices and sheepherding traditions that helped to shape local economies and the way communities cultivated their sense of place. In this presentation, Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez will discuss the migration paths of Hispanic New Mexicans to present-day towns of Concho and St. Johns, Arizona. She will share the stories and histories of this region and discuss its importance within Arizona History.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Desert Blooms: Stories of the Japanese American Flower Gardens
Kathy Nakagawa
After World War II, seven Japanese American families turned Baseline Road into a tourist attraction with their fields of flowers and vegetables. Kathy Nakagawa will share her own family’s history and stories about the flower farms and some of the history of Japanese Americans in Arizona.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
The Legacy of William Boyce Thompson: A “Most Beautiful” Arboretum
Lynne Nemeth
Lynne Nemeth, Executive director of Boyce Thompson Arboretum, will talk about the Arboretum’s founder and the history of this 99-year-old institution, Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden. She will also speak about BTA’s transition from a State Park to a botanical institution and recommitting to Mr. Boyce Thompson’s original vision.
Lunch Talks generously supported by:
Series Sponsor