Spring Speaker Dean Georges Van Den Abbeele, Friday eve., Mar. 7 at the Suzman's in West Newton, Mass.

Come join us Friday evening, March 7 for a delicious Mexican dinner by Mary Jane Suzman and a fascinating talk by UCSC Dean of Humanities, Georges Van Den Abbeele on:

"National Treasures: The Ethics of Cultural and Historical Preservation"

The fastest growing sector of the tourism industry today is in the cultural and historical area. Once the purview of talented amateurs and creative docents, sites of cultural/historical interest are increasingly coming under critical scrutiny by a new generation of tourists who are far more demanding and well-informed than past visitors. What are some of the key areas of concern and professional debate among those dedicated to preserving and interpreting the significant places of our heritage? Dean of Humanities Georges Van Den Abbeele is a leading expert in the history of tourism and travel literature, having both published scholarly research in the field and served as a consultant on a variety of preservation/interpretation projects.

Van Den Abbeele was appointed dean of humanities in July 2006. He began his career at UCSC as a visiting assistant professor of literature in 1981 and spent five years on the campus. Before returning to UCSC as dean, he spent 15 years at UC Davis where he was a professor of French and Italian and director of the Davis Humanities Institute and the Pacific Regional Humanities Center. Since 1999 he has served as president of the Western Humanities Alliance, a growing consortium of 23 west coast universities, that was founded at UCSC.

Check out the dinner menu!
Appetizers: empanaditas (small turnovers filled with a beef-chorizo filling, and a cheese and bean filling); guacamole and chips.
Main dish: chicken enchiladas, cheese enchiladas, cornbread, green salad with oranges and jicama.
Dessert: cornmeal pound cake with berries and butterscotch cream

ON THE AGENDA: a great talk, interesting discussion with fellow UCSC alums and a delicious light dinner cooked by our cherished host, Mary Jane Suzman.

WHEN:
Friday, March 7, 6:30-10 p.m. (7:30 p.m. dinner - 8:30 p.m. talk begins)
COST: $7

DEADLINE to RSVP: Wednesday, Feb. 27

WHERE:
At the home of Mary Jane and Peter Suzman, 14 Leonard Ave., West Newton, MA

RSVP and send your checks NOW made payable to "Erika Tarlin" to:
Erika Tarlin, 7 Bradford Ave., Somerville, MA 02145

Questions? Would like to share a ride? Contact Beata at tel. 617-496-1775 or by email: beata_panagopoulos@harvard.edu