EthicalStL.org

Three members speak as we honor their decades of membership in the Ethical Society of St. Louis.

Each person (young and old, rich and poor) has the capacity to make a difference through thoughtful and strategic giving and community service. Krystal will share elements of her life story that compel and inspire her to service and intentional philanthropy. She will also provide practical suggestions of how to increase your family’s commitment to service and impact with philanthropy as well. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Krystal Snow White is a spouse, mother, sister, teacher, volunteer, humanist, optimist, and pragmatist. In addition to her service to the Ethical Society and MICDS, Krystal regularly volunteers at Hope Clinic for Women, the Saint Louis Area Food Bank, and as a Girl Scout troop leader. She firmly believes that each person can create positive change and that inspired people working together make our world a better place.

Jo-Ellen and Kent will celebrate their 50th Anniversary on August 15. This presentation will focus on their beginnings as a couple; a review of different marital definitions; their own marital path of trials and compromises; some observations on con-temporary marriage/relationships and the future; and finally, what are the essential ingredients for a Humanist marriage or relationship. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Kent amp; Jo-Ellen Ballak Forrest have been married for 50 years and have always lived in the St. Louis area. They have both retired following long careers teaching in the public schools systems. Jo-Ellen taught kindergarten and 1st grade while Kent taught secondary Social Studies and later computer education. They were members of the Ethical Society from 1967 to 1985 serving as Youth Group Sponsor, Sunday School Director(s) and various organizational activities. They returned to the Ethical Society in 2011 and have picked up again with a variety of committees and activities including Development, Building amp; Grounds, TWA and the Men's Group. They also run the book cart on Sunday morning after platform. They have two children and three grand-children who live in Ballwin and happily perform occasional guard duty with them. They are both Apple technology fanatics and have raised their family members accordingly.

A member of the Ethical Society for 43 years, Fred Tuttle will talk about experiences influencing how an individual thinks and acts. He observes the huge technology changes of our times, societal shifts and personal changes. He’ll also make comments on how changes influence the Ethical Society. How well we live depends upon our ability to deal with change that will occur and over which we have no control. Many people are very unhappy and make themselves ill because they can-not control individual and collective behavior and cannot stop change. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Fred Tuttle was born May 21, 1930, in San Francisco, CA. He was the eldest of three boys and a girl. He grew up in Arlington, VA, where his father worked for the Federal Government. His mother died when he was 20 from a heart condition. His father died when he was 27. Fred graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1952 with honors and a degree in Industrial Engineering. He worked continuously from age 12 until age 63 ½ with 38 ½ of those years at McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis. He pioneered real time digital computing in flight control systems and simulators. Fred married Bruce (Brucie) Miller in 1951 while still in college. They have three children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. They lived in Florissant for 50 years before moving to Friendship Village Chesterfield in 2007.

Laws like the recent 72-hour waiting period passed by the Missouri legislature are not isolated incidents created by a few rogue troublemakers. They are carefully planned strategies by those who want to criminalize all abortion services. Trends move around the country in predictable ways. Recent frightening trends include misinformation about contraceptive pills, blaming rape victims, and conscience clauses that excuse "religious" people from obeying law. Learn how to stop these negative trends and create positive trends to improve the climate for women in Missouri. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Reverend Rebecca Turner is Executive Director of Faith Aloud and a returning guest to the Ethical Society. She is a minister in both the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She was recently named the first "Resident Theologian in Reproductive Justice" at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. In recent years, she was named one of "13 Religious Women to Watch: Changing the World for Good" by the Center for American Progress, "Person of the Year" by the Abortion Care Network, and "Outstanding Contributor to Advance Women's Equality" by the Missouri Women's Network.

Regina Till, a twenty-plus year member of the Ethical Society of St. Louis and homeschooling veteran of two graduated home-schooled children, will talk about her family's experience homeschooling over the years, what homeschooling is and is not (maybe with some surprises), and answer questions from any interested. "I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." ~Albert Einstein lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Regina (Reggie), along with being a former homeschooling parent, had a professional career in ballet and has a degree in performing arts and English. Among other things, she has taught group classes in the great books, poetry, and dance, and is currently pursuing new directions in performance art and fiction writing, while reminding herself of that truism, once you think you have it all figured out, think again.

The highly resourced re-search universities of the United States command extensive financial, physical, and human resources. Yet with these resources come great expectations from multiple stakeholders on the roles that universities can play, and these often ex-tend significantly beyond teaching and research into community development, real estate, entertainment, economic development, K-12 education, and more. While the value of a college degree has never been higher, significant questions are being asked about the value of a college education, the rising cost of tuition, and the applicability of academic research. The solution to these questions is for universities to rededicate themselves to the core functions of research and teaching, to realize and demonstrate the benefits of academic research, and to ask hard questions about the nature of undergraduate education. Realizing these changes in an environment where there are great civic expectations of universities is a tremendous ethical challenge facing the United States and its college towns. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Provost Thorp became Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on July 1, 2013 and also holds an endowed chair in chemistry and medicine. Provost Thorp joined Washington University after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as the Chancellor of UNC from 2008 through 2013. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;A North Carolina native, Thorp started at UNC as an undergraduate student and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry with highest honors in 1986. He earned a doctorate in chemistry in 1989 at the California Institute of Technology and completed post-doctoral work at Yale University. In his research career, Thorp developed technology for electronic DNA chips and most recently co-founded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which is commercializing new drugs for anti-fungal and prostate cancer indications. He is currently a member of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees of the National Humanities Center, and is currently chairing a committee for the National Academy of Sciences charged with establishing and promoting a culture of safety in academic laboratory research.

Nearly 90% of Americans age 50+ desire to remain in their homes and communities rather than to relocate to age - segregated facilities. They want to maintain control of their lives in a safe and socially - connected manner. A national "village" movement now makes this possible. The village movement combines the best news ideas in the community that promote healthy aging and volunteerism to create the new face of aging in America. Madeline Franklin will describe STL Village which recently opened in St. Louis. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Madeline Franklin is a life-long resident of the City of St. Louis. She received her elementary and secondary education in the St. Louis Public Schools. She continued her education at Macalester College, St. Paul, MN and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. She has served in numerous capacities with nonprofit organizations as a legal adviser, board member, fund developer, and volunteer. She presently serves as Central Administrator for STL Village where she has been involved in its development for the past year. She is actively involved in numerous out- reach ministries at Central Baptist Church.

Reference letters and home studies, background checks and biometrics, dossiers and immigration approvals. It's all part of becoming a family when you choose to adopt internationally! Come learn more about adoption from someone who has navigated the process not once but twice.lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Leslie and her husband, Raj, made the decision to build their family through international adoption. They re-searched adoption for two years before formally be-ginning the process in March of 2009. In the summer of 2010 Leslie and Raj traveled to Ethiopia to meet their son (then 21 months old) and bring him home. In early 2013 they decided to expand their family. They recently traveled to China to complete the adoption of their 4 1/2 year-old daughter.lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Leslie grew up in the St. Louis area. She currently works in education at the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center.

Come celebrate Father’s Day with the thoughts and memories of members Jim Jordan, Alan Ranford, and Billie Teneau, as well as surprise guests. Our speakers will share their experiences of having and/or being fathers, and the joys and challenges of parenting and being parented. Last-minute gifts of ties and cologne not included!