ΦΒΚ Alpha Association Events

On April 8, Alpha member Ben Palen led a virtual demonstration about gar­den­ing — how to start seens in containers and small spaces, vegetatbles and flowers that do well in our area, caring for plants once they are established, and basics of companion plantings. YouTube videolink: https://youtu.be/tjhDEKzzYMc

Alpha Association members and their guests enjoyed a virtual happy hour, with members providing ingredients for cocktails and mocktails, which were then paired with appetizers.

Zoom discussion of the movie Late Night, starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling.

The annual meeting was held via Zoom on October 17, 2020. Debbie Scheer, an emcee, benefit auctioneer, and humor strategist, spoke about “How to Strengthen Your Humor Muscle without Pulling a Hammy.” Debbie effortlessly uses humor as a way to break through the discomfort that prevents us from talking about the things that we NEED to be talking about. Her motto is, if we can laugh about it, then we can surely talk about it, regardless of what the ‘it’ is.

The Alpha Association hosted a Key Connections event for newer Phi Beta Kappa members in the Denver area. This year was a Zoom panel discussion on September 24, 2020, that dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — the new world of work, financial well-being, and personal coping skills, followed by a trivia contest. Click here for the PowerPoint slides or a list of resources. A private video of the discussion is available on YouTube.

The 2020 annual banquet was postponed due to health concerns about the Covid-19.

The DU Gamma Chapter co-sponsored a lecture entitled, Two-Mile Time Machines: Ice Cores and Abrupt Climate Change, by Dr. Richard Alley, a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar and the Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State.

The Alpha Association of Colorado’s annual meeting was held at the Denver Athletic Club. Jeff Shoemaker, executive director of The Greenway Foundation, spoke about “No Water, No Colorado: The Environmental and Economic Benefits of Engaging in Urban Waterways.”