Upcoming Lectures

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• Centennial Revisited: An Oral History of the Epic TV Miniseries

  • When
    October 28, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Wednesday, October 28, 2026

  12pm - 1:00pm

  Online via Zoom

  Registration is required

  Members can register a guest

  
  

  Centennial  is a 12-episode American television miniseries that aired on NBC for two years beginning in 1978. The miniseries follows the fictional history of Centennial, Colorado from 1795 to the 1970s and is based on the 1974 novel by James Michener.

  Perry Hibner, a retired Wisconsin journalist, communications director, and teacher, wrote his first book, Centennial Revisited: An Oral History of the Epic TV Miniseries, which was released in March 2026 by Dorrance Publishing. He will share why he decided to write a book, why he selected the topic he did, and share stories he heard from many of those included in his book. He will also explain why he went with the oral history format and more about the writing and publishing process.

  Hibner’s book contains more than 75 interviews with cast, crew, extras, locals, experts, and fans. Among those interviewed were Gregory Harrison (Levi Zendt), Barbara Carrera (Clay Basket), Cristina Raines (Lucinda McKeag Zendt), Cliff DeYoung (John Skimmerhorn), William Atherton (Jim Lloyd), Stephen McHattie (Jake Pasquinel), Kario Salem (Mike Pasquinel), Mark Harmon (Captain John McIntosh), and John Wilder, who adapted the James A. Michener best-selling novel for television and was the main producer. The book also includes excerpts from more than sixty primary sources.

  The hardcover, paperback and e-book are available on the Dorrance Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites along with select bookstores. 

  
  

  Perry Hibner worked for 25 years at the Wisconsin State Journal as a sports reporter, sports copy editor, designer and as assistant sports editor for his last 15 years. He also worked for a decade as the communications director for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District.  He worked as a social studies and journalism teacher at Green Lake High School in Wisconsin and continues to fill in as a substitute teacher in retirement. He also served as the lead survey strategist for The Donovan Group, helping Midwest school districts engage their staff, students, families and communities.

  
  

  REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ZOOM LINK TO ATTEND.  PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS.   ORAL AND WRITTEN QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED DURING THE EVENT.
  

  As this event is online, you can use your computer or smartphone to listen to the conversation and then add your voice to the conversation during the "Question & Comment" time.

  Questions? Contact lecture organizer,  Stephanie Steigerwaldt at info@platomadison.org

  Show details
• Noon Zoom - Analyzing the Election Results with Professor Barry Burden

  • When
    November 05, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Thursday, November 5, 2026

  12pm - 1:00pm

  Online via Zoom

  Registration is required

  Members can register a guest

  
  

  The Director of UW-Madison’s Elections Research Center Barry Burden will join retired WPR talk show host Joy Cardin for a post-election Noon Zoom on Thursday, November 5 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm to discuss the results of the key races and issues on the ballot and what the outcomes could mean for Wisconsin and the nation. 

  Who will be Wisconsin’s next Governor? Will the balance of power shift in the State Legislature and Congress?  What public policies could change as a result? We’ll examine who we voted for and why and what happens next on the November 5th Noon Zoom.  Questions and views from attendees will be welcomed. 

  Noon Zooms are a new PLATO Madison offering available to members. These occasional virtual discussions will feature a host and guest expert discussing an issue in the news with the opportunity for attendees to join in the discussion.  The offering is free, but you need to register to receive the Zoom link. 

  
  

  Barry C. Burden is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also Director of the Elections Research Center and is the Lyons Family Chair in Electoral Politics.

  His research and teaching are based in American politics, with an emphasis on electoral politics and representation. He is co-editor of The Measure of American Elections, author of Personal Roots of Representation, and co-author of Why Americans Split Their Tickets: Campaigns, Competition, and Divided Government. Burden has also published articles in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, and Electoral Studies.

  Burden is affiliated with the La Follette School of Public Affairs, the Center for Demography of Health and Aging, the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership, and the Election Administration Project.

  REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ZOOM LINK TO ATTEND.  PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS.   ORAL AND WRITTEN QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED DURING THE EVENT.
  

  As this event is online, you can use your computer or smartphone to listen to the conversation and then add your voice to the conversation during the "Question & Comment" time.

  Questions? Contact lecture organizer,  Joy Cardin at cardinjoy@gmail.com

  ----------------------------------------------------

  For another election related recap - see 

  
  

  
  

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• Lecture – Camp Randall: From the Civil War to “On Wisconsin!”

  • When
    November 12, 2026
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center

   

  Thursday, November 12 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  
  

  In-Person at Oakwood Village University Woods

  Arts & Education Center

  
  

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  Bob Block's lecture features his presentation on the 175-year history of Camp Randall, one of the nation’s most iconic football stadiums. He will trace its remarkable history from its beginnings as a Civil War training camp to its place as one of college football’s most iconic stadiums. The audience will learn why Camp Randall remains a lasting symbol of Wisconsin’s history, resilience and pride!

  

  
  

  A resident of Oregon, Wisconsin, Bob spent 34 years with the Wisconsin Crime Laboratory in Madison, retiring as head of the Drug Identification Unit. Over the course of his career, he testified as an expert witness 500 times. Today, Bob channels that same commitment into his work as a public historian. He brings decades of expertise and a deep passion for Wisconsin history to his presentations. As a member of the Oregon Historical Society, he has developed a collection of twelve engaging presentations on significant Wisconsin and American historical events, people and places. His programs are known for their strong research foundation, compelling storytelling, and accessible style.

                                                                                                                            

  ________________________________________

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details
• Lecture – My Father’s World War II

  • When
    November 19, 2026
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center

   

  Thursday, November 19 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  
  

  In-Person at Oakwood Village University Woods

  Arts & Education Center

  
  

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  About 16 million Americans served in the military in World War II; only 31,000 of them are still alive, so the voices that can tell us about their experiences are fast disappearing. Rebecca’s late father, David Warner, served in the Army in Europe during the war. He left photographs, letters, and memoirs along with his Eisenhower jacket and other possessions. During her lecture she will share brief selections from his writing and play a video recorded interview in which he describes the event that had the greatest impact on him in his own words. His stories describe unique situations with interesting details, and they have themes in common with letters and diaries published by many other veterans. Her lecture will remind many in the audience of parents and relatives who served our country in World War II.

  
  

  
  

  Dr. Rebecca Warner earned her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon in Social Relations and a PhD from Harvard in Social Psychology. She was a professor at the University of New Hampshire until she retired in 2017. She has published journal articles in statistics and psychology, statistics textbooks, an edited collection of her father’s writing, and two historical novels. After moving to Madison in 2025, she joined PLATO and Attic Angel. As a recent arrival in Madison, she is looking forward to learning more about Wisconsin!

                                                                                                                            

  ________________________________________

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details
• Noon Zoom - The Data Center Debate in Wisconsin

  • When
    December 01, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Tuesday, December 1, 2026

  12pm - 1:00pm

  Online via Zoom

  Registration is required

  Members can register a guest

  
  

  The December Noon Zoom will focus in on the growing concerns over data center construction in Wisconsin.  What are the pros and cons of data centers?  Should we be concerned about their impacts when it comes to energy and water use?  What about their implication on taxes? 

  Terry Shelton, former city editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, will discuss these issues with two guests from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.  President Jason Stein and Senior Research Associate Tyler Byrnes will share information from their latest report: Grounding a Charged Debate: Data Centers in Wisconsin and a report released earlier this year - Data Centers May Change Wiscnsin's Utility Landscape

  Noon Zooms are a new PLATO Madison offering available to members and their guests. These occasional virtual discussions will feature a host and guest expert discussing an issue in the news with the opportunity for attendees to join in the discussion.  The offering is free, but you need to register to receive the Zoom link. 

  
  

  

  Jason Stein has worked with the Wisconsin Policy Forum since 2018, serving as President since July 2024 and prior to that as Vice President and Research Director. In his time with the Forum, his reports have received multiple awards from the Governmental Research Association.

  Before joining the Forum, Jason worked as a Capitol reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and for the Wisconsin State Journal. He is the author with Patrick Marley of More than They Bargained For: Scott Walker, Unions and the Fight for Wisconsin. His reporting was recognized by journalism groups such as the American Society of News Editors, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Milwaukee Magazine also named him as one of the city’s most influential media figures in 2015.

  He serves on the board of Neighborhood House in Madison and previously served on the board of the Government Research Association as well as the board president of both the Wisconsin Capitol Correspondents Association and of The Daily Cardinal, the University of Wisconsin-Madison student newspaper. He speaks English and Spanish and holds a master’s degree in journalism from UW-Madison and bachelor’s degree in classical languages from the University of Kansas.

  Tyler Byrnes is a Senior Research Associate at the Forum. He was awarded his PhD at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Byrnes most recently worked at the conservation nonprofit Gathering Waters to identify the fiscal impact of conservation land purchases on local governments. From 2008 to 2016, he served as an Executive Budget and Policy Analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Administration, working directly with former Gov. Scott Walker and former Gov. Jim Doyle on their state budget proposals. Byrnes has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Northern Iowa and a bachelor’s degree from Ripon College.

  REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ZOOM LINK TO ATTEND.  PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS.   ORAL AND WRITTEN QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED DURING THE EVENT.
  

  As this event is online, you can use your computer or smartphone to listen to the conversation and then add your voice to the conversation during the "Question & Comment" time.

  Questions? Contact lecture organizer,  Joy Cardin at cardinjoy@gmail.com

  Show details
• Lecture – Old Farm Country Christmas

  • When
    December 10, 2026
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center

   

  Thursday, December 10 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  
  

  In-Person at Oakwood Village University Woods

  Arts & Education Center

  
  

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  Along with her late father, Jerry Apps, Susan Apps-Bodilly has written a new book entitled, Old Farm Country Christmas. In her lecture she will take the audience on a journey to Christmases past—when the first snowfall signaled the start of the holiday season and simple joys lit up the long, dark Wisconsin winter. In her lecture Susan will use vivid family memories, interviews, historical research and vintage photographs to take the audience inside farmhouse kitchens, one-room schoolhouses, rural churches, and through snow-packed fields to share Christmas stories from the mid-twentieth century. She will re-create a time when holiday traditions were handmade, inspire memories of personal holiday celebrations and invite the audience to rediscover the warmth and wonder that make this holiday so special!

  
  

  Susan Apps-Bodilly is a retired educator and writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction. When she is not reading or writing, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, hiking at the family cabin, kayaking, and trying new recipes with produce from her garden. She is the author of One Room Schools, Seeds in Soil, The ABCS of Wisconsin Cheese, and a coauthor with her father, Jerry Apps, of Timber! and Old Farm Country Cookbook, all published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband.

                                                                                                                            

  ________________________________________

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details