Speaker: Dr. Craig L. Symonds, Author and Historian   Dr. Craig L. Symonds, Professor of History Emeritus at the U.S. Naval Academy, taught for thirty years and later served as the Ernest J. King Professor at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the award-winning author of eighteen books, including Nimitz at War, winner of the …

Speaker: Thomas Guay, Author and Musician (Eastport Oyster Boys)   Thomas Guay is the author of Chesapeake Bound, a historical novel tracing one young man’s perilous 18th-century journey from London to Annapolis—and the motivations that drove ordinary Britons to risk years of indentured servitude for a chance at a new beginning. A former Capitol Hill journalist, …

Speaker: Dave Gendell, Author, Historian, and AMM Board Member   In January 1941, a state-of-the-art British battleship quietly steamed up the Chesapeake Bay on a secret wartime mission. President Roosevelt traveled to Annapolis for a clandestine meeting, even as a team of American codebreakers embarked on a covert journey of their own that began right here …

Speaker: Dr. Richard Bell, Historian and Professor, University of Maryland   Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home, a finalist for both the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held distinguished fellowships …

Speaker: Dr. Julie Schablitsky, Chief Archaeologist, Maryland Department of Transportation   In 2020, archaeologists began searching the Eastern Shore wetlands for the home of Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father. Their work uncovered the remains of Ross’s homeplace and a second dwelling used by enslaved people. Drawing on documentary evidence and hundreds of artifacts, Dr. Schablitsky is …

Speakers:  Mimi Giguère, Principal Investigator & Historic Architect  Faye Belt, Former President, Columbia Beach Improvement Association   Founded in 1940, Columbia Beach was one of several thriving African American waterfront communities established in Anne Arundel County during segregation. Now the first African American community in Maryland approved for submission to the National Historic Register, Columbia Beach …

Speaker: Alex Pellegrini, Avian Ecologist Discover the fascinating world of the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the iconic “fish hawk” of the Chesapeake Bay. Avian ecologist Alex Pellegrini will explore Osprey biology, banding, reintroduction efforts, and the remarkable conservation journey that brought this once-imperiled species back to thriving numbers. Alex Pellegrini is an avian ecologist based in …