The Virtual Long Walk
invites you to
Committed to the Future:
Emeriti Faculty Observations of the Past
and Visions for the Future
with
Lesley Farlow
Professor of Theater and Dance, Emerita
Michael Lestz ’68, P’13, ’19
Professor of History, Emeritus
and
Maurice Wade
Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus
and moderated by
Borden Painter Jr. ’58, H’95
President and Professor of History, Emeritus
Thursday, November 16, 2023
7:00 p.m. ET
Zoom
Lesley Farlow
Lesley Farlow has had an extensive professional career as a dancer, choreographer, actress, writer and vocalist, Off and Off Off Broadway, as well as all over the U.S. and in Europe. Her own work has been seen in major New York venues such as the Joyce/Soho, Danspace, Dixon Place, as well as elsewhere in the U.S., Canada and Europe. In addition, while performing and choreographing in New York, she ran the Oral History Project at Lincoln Center’s Library for Performing Arts Dance Division, which afforded her a rare opportunity to meet and work with internationally renowned dance artists. She also created the AIDS Oral History Project to document the profound effects of the AIDS epidemic on the vulnerable dance world. Currently, she is writing a book about how AIDS affected the New York dance community: the artists and the art form.
What drives Lesley is a passion for the performing arts and the transformational possibilities of live performance. As a teacher, she seeks to foster the creative spirit and the critical thinker in all of her students. In addition to the practical components of her technique, choreography and repertory courses, she asks her students to develop analytical thinking and the ability to write articulately about dance and theater.
As an artist, Lesley creates solo dance/theater works that combine myth and legend with images of contemporary culture through dance, text and song. For the past fifteen years, she has been working with the First Generation Project, a youth movement/theater company based in Springfield, MA. The current ensemble members are from Tanzania, Sudan and Nepal, as well as from families who immigrated from Puerto Rico. For a number of years, Lesley was a member of the Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble. She was honored to participate in residencies and performances with women incarcerated at York Correctional Institution, in Niantic, CT. This type of work exemplifies her belief that the demands of the creative process and performance can contribute to both personal and social transformation.
Michael Lestz ’68 P’13, ’19
Professor Michael Lestz ’68, P’13, ’19, joined the Trinity faculty as a member of the History Department in 1980. Early in his career, he was a principal architect of Trinity's emerging curricular offerings tied to Asia and twice directed the International Studies Program. He taught both Chinese and Japanese history and twice served as chair of his department. Until his retirement in 2020, he also directed the O'Neill Asia Cum Laude Endowment and the Charlotte Riggs Scholarship Bequest. These two funds, created by Trinity parents, enabled over a hundred students to join innovative courses designed and taught by College faculty in China, Nepal, Cambodia, and elsewhere in Asia.
Lestz's own scholarship was tied to 20th century China and, in the latter part of his career, he carried out research on 13th century Cambodia. He led numerous credit-bearing courses in Asia, including eighteen treks in Nepal, and in 2018 his name was added to Trinity's highest alumni award, the Eigenbrodt Cup. Since his retirement, he has been active in his graduating class's successful effort to inaugurate a set of scholarships for exceptional students and presently serves as Vice President of the Class of 1968.
Borden Painter ’58, H’95
Professor Painter taught courses in English and European History, including Tudor and Stuart England, Renaissance and Reformation Europe, and Modern Italy. He served as department chairman twice, dean of the faculty (1984-87), director of Italian programs (1989-2004) and interim president twice (1994-95, 2003-04). Upon retirement in 2004 the trustees named him Trinity’s 20th president.
Since retirement Professor Painter writes occasional book reviews for scholarly journals, has completed two books, and published several articles for reference works. He spearheaded the effort to establish Trinity’s first organization for retired faculty and professional staff.
Maurice Wade
Maurice L. Wade graduated from Yale University in 1974 with a B.A. in Philosophy and from Stanford University in 1982 with a Ph.D in Philosophy. After being a member of the department of Philosophy and Religion at North Carolina State University from 1980 to 1983, he joined Trinity’s Philosophy Department in the Fall of 1983 and also served as a contributing faculty member in the Public Policy and Law Program and the International Studies Program. His teaching interests included environmental philosophy, philosophy of the body, Merleau- Ponty, African philosophy, ethics and public policy, race theory, and Latin American and Caribbean philosophy. He has published on Rawls’ theory of justice, philosophy of sport, ethics and medical technology, ethics and public policy, and Frantz Fanon. Since his retirement in 2021, he has been working on the social and political ideas of the Trinbagonian intellectual, Lloyd Best, leading a reading group on James Baldwin, and working with a team of Trinity faculty and library professionals to develop digital resources for the College’s Center for Caribbean Studies.
Please reach out to Bonnie Wolters, senior associate director of alumni relations, at bonnie.wolters@trincoll.edu with any questions about this event.
Watch these recordings of past Virtual Long Walk events highlighting emeriti faculty!
Emeriti Faculty Reflections (2021) with Ward Curran ’57, H’12, P’92, GP’12; Drew Hyland P’87, ’91, GP’15; Milla Riggio; Robin Sheppard M’76; David Winer P’86, ’93; and moderator Borden Painter Jr. ’58, H’95.
Tuesdays in Rome: A Conversation with Livio Pestilli (2021) featuring Livio Pestilli and hosted by Borden Painter Jr. ’58, H’95 and Henry DePhillips P’82, ’83, ’88.
Looking at the Past: Preparing for the Future (2020) with Borden Painter Jr. ’58, H’95; Henry DePhillips P’82, ’83, ’88; Leslie Desmangles P’91; Judy Dworin ’70; and Joan Hedrick.
Visit the Virtual Long Walk to view recordings of all past virtual events.
See all upcoming events.