On the day after Halloween, on a blustery rainy evening, 45 members of the Seattle branch of the English-Speaking Union braved the elements and any remaining spooks and goblins, rush-hour traffic and parking problems to attend a dinner and a talk by a visiting British VIP taking place in a fabulous Queen Anne condo penthouse. The VIP guest was Christopher Collins and his talk was entitled "Thatcher to Reagan to the Present."
The Evelyn Wrench Speakers Program, named for the founder of the ESU, was established in order to make available to ESU branches around the country several excellent speakers every year. Wrench speakers address current events, cultural history and artistic subjects during their regional tours. The tours are planned by the National Headquarters with the cooperation and assistance of eight regional chairmen and the Branch Speakers Program chairs. The Seattle branch is part of region eight, covering Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona. The selected speakers share their specialized knowledge and experiences with the branches.
Over the years, the Seattle branch speakers programs have become very popular covering a variety of subjects from antiques to historic homes, to fine arts and paintings, to the Queen's treasures from Windsor Castle. There also have been dramatic Dickensian readings and an evening with Alice in Wonderland. The programs are among the highlights of the year, covering topics of interest to the membership and adding extra social events to the existing monthly receptions. These events also provide a fundraising opportunity to benefit local scholarship and education programs supported by the branch. The speakers programs are planned a year in advance to accommodate the presenters' travel schedules (I know because I do the planning).
Chris Collins is a longstanding member of Margaret Thatcher's staff. Educated at Oxford University, he went on to teach there for many years, holding a joint lectureship with Boston University. Collins helped Lady Thatcher write her memoirs and edited for a CD-ROM almost every word she ever said in public. He now runs the Margaret Thatcher Foundation official Web site - www.margaretthatcher. org - the largest contemporary history site of its kind.
His talk explored the personalities of Mrs. Thatcher, who he knows very well; he spoke about her special relationship with President Reagan, their achievements and interaction between Britain and the U.S.A. The talk included many humorous and personal anecdotes, followed by a well-informed question-and-answer session.
The program followed an excellent dinner accompanied by the view of the twinkling lights and raindrops falling in the shadow of the Space Needle. As the speaker departed with his hosts for the evening, he commented that he was most impressed by our fair city, and was off to prepare for his trip to the Portland ESU the next day.
The next speakers program, set for March 15 at the College Club, will feature Alfred Fisher, a specialist in stained glass. He is currently engaged in the restoration of glass for the National Trust. In 2003 Mr. Fisher completed a new window for Her Majesty the Queen's Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace. He also has designed windows for buildings in the United States, including the main Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tenn.
By coincidence, I attended a lecture/reception at the University of Washington on Oct. 26, just a few days prior to our speaker's dinner. The subject was "Public Leadership in Times of Crisis," presented by Winston S. Churchill. (Not the original, but his grandson, who entered the British Parliament in 1970 and was appointed spokesman for defense by Margaret Thatcher.) The current Churchill was born in London in 1940, educated at Oxford University and graduated in 1962. Entering Parliament in 1970, he was the youngest conservative member at the time and went on to serve there for 27 years.
He is the son of Randolph Churchill and Pamela Churchill, nee Digby; Pamela's later marriages included the American theatrical producer Leland Hayward and Averill Harriman, who had served as special envoy to Britain in 1940. After being widowed, Pamela Harriman was appointed ambassador to France by president Clinton. (More on the remarkable Pamela Harriman at another time!)
Mr. Churchill is an accomplished and engaging public speaker, journalist and author. A famed war correspondent on several continents, he fearlessly participated in combat missions in Vietnam, sharing directly in the dangers faced by American servicemen and women.
He was in Seattle to deliver the sixth annual Churchill Centre lecture, sponsored by The Evans School of Public Affairs, UW Alumni Association and the Churchill Centre as well as the English Speaking Union. His lecture reflected on the enduring challenges of leadership in times of crisis through the lens of his grandfather's legacy of leading Britain during World War II, and the special relationship between Britain and the United States. It included many excerpts from his grandfather's famous speeches, and some of the trials and tribulations - sometimes humorous, sometimes difficult - of bearing the famous name of Winston S. Churchill.
He delivered an excellent and informative lecture to a packed auditorium, which, I am pleased to say, included many young students. The speeches were very familiar to me, since I heard them firsthand during the war, as well as to the Churchill Center.
If you have any questions or want any information about coming ESU events, don't hesitate to give me a call: 282-8161.
TTFN
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