Bob Cordy needs little introduction in this venue —or in the world of Massachusetts jurisprudence. A former board member of Revolutionary Spaces, Bob served 16 years as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, our state’s highest court, and, notably, held the Court’s Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. seat during his tenure there. Until recently a partner at the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, Bob now sits in judgment of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Richard “RJ” Lyman is a lawyer in Boston. He is also author of the new Substack newsletter “History, Looking Ahead,” which explores various aspects of the past in Boston, the Commonwealth, and beyond, with particular focus on their continuing relevance to the challenges and opportunities of today. He previously served as a senior advisor to former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and currently serves on various for-profit and nonprofit boards. For 20 years, he lived next to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.’s summer house in Beverly Farms. Dr. Todd Peppers is a political science professor in the Department of Public Affairs at Roanoke College as well as a visiting professor of law at the Washington and Lee School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University, his JD at the University of Virginia School of Law, and his PhD in Political Science at Emory University. His areas of research and writing include the death penalty (he has co-authored three books on the topic) and Supreme Court history. His first play, Holmes, premiered in 2023. Dr. Peppers is currently working on a biography of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. Ed O’Connell is the Civic Engagement Manager at Revolutionary Spaces. A lawyer by training, a civic education advocate by profession, and a Holmes devotee by ardent avocation, O’Connell is also responsible for overseeing the slate of public programs at Revolutionary Spaces.
Old South Meeting House
Joseph M. Bagley is the city archaeologist of Boston, a historic preservationist, and a staff member of the Boston Landmarks Commission. He has worked for multiple local and state historic preservation offices, including the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. In 2016, he published his award-winning first book, A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts (Brandeis University Press). Robert J. Allison is a professor of History at Suffolk University and a lecturer at the Harvard Extension School. He holds several appointments with local historical organizations, including serving as president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and chair of Revolution 250. He is a life trustee of the USS Constitution Museum and an elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Allison is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776-1815 (OUP, 1995); Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero, 1779-1820, A Short History of Boston, and Revolutionary Sites of Greater Boston.
Old South Meeting House
Moderator: Alexi Cohan, Program Moderator Alexi Cohan is a digital producer for GBH News specializing in politics, digital video, and special projects. She also reports stories for GBH News' website and radio, and is the lead producer on Politics IRL, a video series centering Gen Z voters. Before coming to GBH, Alexi was a reporter at The Boston Herald covering health and education. Alexi is a graduate of Hofstra University, where she studied journalism and Spanish. Alexi is from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and currently lives in the Boston area.
Old South Meeting House
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Leslie Reid, Chief of Investment Programs; Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp.; Kelly Viera, director of Investigations and Outreach, Housing Discrimination Testing Program, Suffolk University Law School; Daniel Weidknecht, director, Roxbury, and Leonard Egerton, owner, Frugal Bookstore. The Rev. Willie Bodrick II, J.D., Senior Pastor at Twelfth Baptist Church and President/CEO of The American City Coalition, TACC will serve as the afternoon’s moderator.
Roxbury Branch, Boston Public Library
A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor of articles and book reviews to publications and organizations that include American History magazine, Politico, The Boston Globe, and the Bill of Rights Institute, Steve has also taught history at Suffolk University in Boston and at UMass-Boston. He also has developed and taught numerous writing workshops for high school and college students, as well as for adults who aspire to be writers. Steve holds a master’s degree in history from UMass-Boston. His master’s thesis, “From Italy to Boston’s North End: Italian Immigration and Settlement, 1890-1910,” has been downloaded more than 25,000 times by scholars and readers around the world. Steve is also a Massachusetts Historical Society Fellow and is a past recipient of the prestigious i migliori award, presented by the Pirandello Lyceum to Italian-Americans who have excelled in their fields of endeavor. Steve and his wife Kate, who live south of Boston, donate a portion of his book proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). His latest work is The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union (2024), a biography of U. S. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts.
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
Author Nicholas Nugent and moderator William Fowler, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Northeastern University.
Virtual
Miles Borrero in conversation with Pascale Florestal
Virtual
Rick Kfoury is a railroad historian and author with an express interest in New England railroading in the second half of the twentieth century. He has authored four books on the subject, The New England Southern Railroad Volumes I and II, Queen City Rails: Manchester's Railroads 1965-1990, and Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story. A 2018 graduate of the Keene State College history program, Rick currently serves as President and Newsletter Editor for the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and is employed in college admissions for Southern New Hampshire University. The Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization composed of people who want to share their knowledge, and learn more about, the history and operations of the Boston and Maine Railroad, its predecessors, and successors. The Society was founded in 1971 and comprises over 1,000 active members from the New England region and beyond.
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
Jehuda Reinharz, PhD, and Alexander Kaye, PhD,
Suffolk University - Sargent Hall
Margery Eagan, co-host of GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College professor of history Eileen McNamara, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist and Brandeis professor emerita of the practice of journalism
John F. Kennedy Library
For the latest information regarding each event please contact the presenting organization.