January 12 - The Woman Who Built an Empire: Estée Lauder (Beverly Marshall)
“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” - Estée Lauder
True to her word, Estée Lauder turned ambition into a global empire. Born to immigrant parents, she discovered her passion early in a quest to create high-quality, affordable cosmetics. Driven by relentless determination, she built a visionary brand that grew into a $30 billion beauty juggernaut, cementing her family's status as one of the wealthiest in America. This session explores the extraordinary story behind her rise, her grit and her timeless legacy.
January 19 - Virginia Hall: The Woman the Gestapo Feared (Steve Solomon)
Virginia Hall defied expectations and physical handicaps to become one of the most effective Allied spies of World War II. She built resistance networks in occupied France, coordinated sabotage missions, arranged supply drops and helped Allied airmen escape capture, becoming one of the Gestapo’s most feared opponents. She left a legacy as one of history’s most effective spies and proved that determination, resourcefulness and courage could overcome extraordinary obstacles.
January 26 - Amy Beach: America's Most Famous Woman Composer (David Click)
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach is one of America’s most successful classical composers. Born in Henniker, New Hampshire, Beach was a musical prodigy, giving her first concert recital at age 8. Her Gaelic Symphony was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896. In 1910, she began touring Europe where she met wide acclaim. She was the only woman to be included in the New England School (or Boston Six) of?composers. Although she published over 300 pieces of music, it is only in the past decade that Amy Beach’s music has been rediscovered and recorded.
February 2 - Aretha Franklin: The Great Performances (John Peterman)
According to her biographer, Aretha Franklin was “one of the greatest talents in all American culture.” After only a few short years of making recording history in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she had rightfully earned the title “The Queen of Soul.” The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Franklin broke barriers and paved the way for generations of female singers to become superstars.
In this session, we’ll explore Franklin’s troubled childhood, her journey from gospel to soul and R&B, and her powerful support for the Civil Rights Movement. We’ll watch and discuss some of her greatest live performances, spanning an extraordinary 50-year career. From intimate gospel roots to unforgettable moments on the world’s biggest stages, we’ll experience the voice, passion and artistry that made Aretha Franklin an American icon.
February 9 - The Scandalous Victoria Woodhull: Suffragist, Stockbroker, Presidential Candidate (Laney Sammons)
Explore the astonishing life of Victoria Woodhull — spiritualist, Wall Street broker, publisher and the first woman to run for U.S. President, in 1872, decades before women could vote. This class traces her path from poverty to national notoriety, examining her fights for suffrage, labor rights and marriage reform, and the scandals that made her both trailblazer and an outcast.