The D&H Canal Historical Society will be inaugurating a series of presentations beginning on October 14 at its visitors’ center in High Falls. Entitled “Makers of History,” the series will feature talks by people working and living in our area whose work is of national and international importance. The society wants to play a role in showcasing leaders in many fields who are our neighbors.
Attendance at these talks will be free. A suggested donation of $15 per person will help support the society and its mission.
Talks will be held on Fridays at 7 p.m. each month except December.
The first talk will be October 14, by Malia Du Mont, an expert on the Chinese military and its territorial ambitions. Du Mont, who has lived in China and speaks Mandarin, now serves as chief of staff to president Leon Botstein at Bard College, and is a member of the Canal Society’s advisory board.
The November 18 talk will be by Dr. Casimir DeCusatis of Marist College, an expert on cybersecurity. He’ll talk about cyberterrorism, ransomware, hacking and related issues.
Among speakers tentatively lined up for 2023 are:
— Kevin Zraly, author of the nation’s best-selling wine book, on the changes in the wine and food world over the 50-plus years of his career, which began as bartender in the Depuy Canal House restaurant.
— Wall Street lawyer Hume Steyer on what rights artists retain in their work after it has been sold.
— Fred Hof, president Barack Obama’s envoy to the Syrian conflict author of “Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace,” and now Bard College’s diplomat-in-residence, on the Middle East today.
— Brian Wallis, photography curator and director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock, on the increasing study of family albums and photos as a tool of social history.
— Bob Anderberg of Open Space Institute and a senior staffer of another land protection organization, on challenges and opportunities in open-space preservation.
— Vassar geography professor Martha Kaplan on the subject of her soon-to-be-published book “Water Cultures: Fiji, New York, Singapore.”
— Woodstock Chimes founder and Nexus and Steve Reich and Musicians percussionist Garry Kvistad on his life in music. He has participated in and sponsored many world music cpncerts, including locally the Drum Boogie festival.
Join the family! 
