Hobbyist beekeeping does not fit one specific definition, though hobbyists tend to have many things in common. Essentially, those who keep bees as a hobby have a different day job, and simply find beekeeping or its related practices enjoyable. Rarely do hobbyists keep a substantial number of colonies, often just enough to keep at home in the backyard or within a few minutes drive.

The Board of Regents unanimously appointed Dr. Joseph Shepard the 15th President of Western New Mexico University (WNMU) on April 27, 2011. Dr. Shepard assumed the office on July 5, 2011 and now leads the Silver City campus, as well as learning centers in Deming, Gallup, Lordsburg and Truth or Consequences. Prior to arriving at WNMU, Dr. Shepard served over 15 years in senior level leadership positions at Florida Gulf Coast University. Throughout his years at FGCU he held the positions of Chief Student Affairs Officer, Chief Business Officer, and Chief Financial Officer

Explaining themes in Navajo weaving over the quarter-century represented by the Santa Fe Collection, Hedlund focuses on the development of modern rug designs and the influence on weavers of family, community, artistic identity, and the marketplace. She also introduces each section of plates with a description of the representative style, its significance, and the weavers who perpetuate and deviate from it. In addition to the textile plates, Hedlund's color photographs show the families, landscapes, livestock, hogans, and looms that surround today's Navajo weavers. Navajo Weaving in the Late Twentieth Century - Kin, Community, and Collectors

Do women over 50 need to see a Gynecologist? Topics include a broad overview of health issues affecting women in this age group, such as menopause symptoms and hormone replacement. A question and answer session will follow. This is the second in a series of health talks on Hot Topics about Women’s Health.

Victor Nwachuku, MD, FACOG
Victor Nwachuku was born and raised in Nigeria and is the eldest of six children. He came to the U.S. in 1979 and received a B.A. in Biology from California State University and his M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University Medical School in Pennsylvania. His residency was served at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Victor is Board Certified in OB/GYN and moved to Silver City in 2000 to practice obstetrical and gynecological care. He opened his own practice, Cassie Health Center for Women, in 2001. He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Gila Regional Medical Center. He is married to Nkechi Nwachuku, who is a Registered Nurse at GRMC, and has two sons and a daughter.

Michelle Diaz, MD
Michelle Manning Diaz was raised alongside her twin brother in Silver City. She received a B.S. in Zoology at Western New Mexico University and her M.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Her residency was served in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico Hospital. She returned home to Silver City in 2009 to do what she loves - "taking care of the women of Grant County." She is a physician at Cassie Health Center for Women and on the medical staff at Gila Regional Medical Center. Michelle is married to Raul Diaz and has a daughter and a son.

A panel discussion, moderated by the Rev. Tyler Connoley, about building support among straight people for those of different sexual orientations. Participants include a retired professor of human relationships and sexuality, two local leaders of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and two community activists in Silver City.

Joe Wells, PhD, University of Connecticut; MA, Western Carolina University; and BS, Ohio University. He has taught and published for most of his career at the University of Northern Iowa as a professor of human relationships & sexuality. He has been recognized for his teaching, research, and service by being selected as a recipient for the Regents Award from the State of Iowa, as well as being an invited member of Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World, based upon his research and publications. Since becoming an emeritus professor at the University of Northern Iowa, he has published his first novel with a second in process.

Damie Nelson, BS in Education and MA in Teaching from New Mexico State University. She has taught secondary English and History for 32 years (17 of those years on the Navajo Reservation; 15 at Cliff High School). After losing a beloved cousin to AIDS in 1991, she became more aware of LGBT people in her life and is working to be a stronger advocate and ally. She joined PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) about 10 years ago in order to support an out-student and counteract bullying; has served as PFLAG Silver City secretary-treasurer since 2005; elected president this past spring. Her primary focus these days is bullying prevention in the schools.

Nancy Kailing, BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and MA in Community Psychology from University of Alaska-Fairbanks. She taught elementary school in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and did private counseling in Mimbres & Silver City. She and her husband, Steve, are parents of lesbian daughter and co-founders of PFLAG-Fairbanks. She has been a past president of PFLAG-Silver City and remains an officer in this organization.

Dallas Rychener, BA, Goshen College and MSW, University of Tennessee. His first career was in Home Health and Hospice administration followed by a career in Child Welfare Services. He is currently employed by the State of New Mexico as a Protective Services supervisor. He is a member of Valley Community Church, United Church of Christ and served as Chair of its Open and Affirming Committee. He and his wife, Barbara, moved to Silver City from Denver in 2005.

Jeff Goin is a community leader who organized A Vigil for Acceptance - Deriving Meaning from the Death of Tyler Clementi where leaders of the Silver City community shared their thoughts on ways that we, as a society, can come to accept and, indeed, embrace our differences whether they be sexual orientation, race, class, gender, or religion. This well attended event was held in: Gough Park on October 11, 2010.

This Lunch and Learn session will be a panel with memoir readings by Patty Reed, Lee Gruber, Sue Sherman and Alexandra Todd. The session will include discussion with the panel and the audience. For Women's History Month, another panel and discussion will take place on First Friday April 6, 2-5pm at the Silver City Museum Annex.

Lee Gruber: I am a cultural entrepreneur at heart and co-owner, with husband David, of Syzygy Tileworks. I am passionate about my business and the work I do. I am the proud mother of two delightful daughters and grandmother to three exceptional grandsons and one exceptional granddaughter.

Patty Reed: I was a marriage and family therapist for forty years, and a co-founder of WILL. My avocational passions are bridge, tennis, reading, and writing. My husband, Dr. Fred Fox, and I have two grown sons, college-educated and doing well.

Sue Sherman: Childhood summer physical labor on an island in Maine, a father who allowed me to disagree with him, and strong women gave me the will to grow and thrive in a life of change. I’ve lived in twenty places on five continents, putting down and pulling up roots, teaching students to find their individuality, as I worked to find mine. Life is far more joyful, painful, and interesting than I imagined at age eighteen, when I feared I’d go to university, turn twenty-one, marry, live happily ever after, and be bored to tears. Above all, I’ve learned that, despite my planning, life unfolds as it will, in surprising ways.

Alexandra Todd: I am a sociology professor emerita at Suffolk University in Boston, which has allowed me to spend my life reading, writing, and talking. More recent passions are poodles and bridge. And have I told you about my perfect grandson, Max?

Gary Emerson, WILL's resident astronomer, will discuss one of our most tantalizing mysteries: the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. Narrated with slides and Gary's twinkling sense of humor.

During Gary Emerson’s career, he worked as a lunar observer, solar observer, astronomy technician, optical engineer, senior systems spacecraft engineer, and research and development laboratory supervisor. Spacecraft and instruments that he helped design and build are now scattered throughout the solar system. Since retiring from Ball Aerospace in 2005, Gary has built and is running the Tyrone Observatory making observations of comets and minor planets in support of current NASA space missions. Gary came to Silver City for its clear dark skies.