WESTFIELD — Since its inception, the Hale Speaker Series has continued to gain in popularity with local residents who enjoy hearing from individuals with ties to Westfield.
The 16th annual series, which begins soon at the Westfield Memorial Library, will feature talks by four speakers who are Westfield High School graduates or Westfield residents.
Gavin Shulman, the senior television producer for “Today with Jenna and Friends” on NBC, will kick off this year’s offerings on March 19, with a talk entitled “Which Leads Me to Today: How Westfield Inspired My Career in TV.” Mr. Shulman, a 2001 alumnus of Westfield High School, will detail his path from work on the school’s newspaper to his current post.
Westfield resident Kathryn VanArendonk is a television and comedy critic for Vulture and New York magazine. Her talk, set for April 2, is entitled “Why Do We Need TV Critics in the Age of the Algorithim?” Ms. VanArendonk, who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University, is president of the Westfield Memorial Library Foundation.
Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro, a 1991 graduate of Westfield High School, will speak October 15 on “The Westfield Police Department: Crime and Public Safety in Our Town.” Chief Battiloro, a Clemson University graduate, joined the Westfield Police Department in 1997.
Stefanie Lalor, who has owned an art/framing business for a quarter of a century, will discuss “The Artist Framer” in a talk scheduled for November 19. Ms. Lalor, an awardwinning artist, is a 1988 alumna of Westfield High School and was awarded her Master of Fine Arts in Figurative Painting from the New York Academy of Art.
The Wednesday evening hour-long talks begin at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 550 East Broad Street. They are open to the public but pre-registration is required online at www.wmlnj.org or by calling (908) 789-4090, extension 0. The programs also are available on the library’s YouTube channel.
The Hale Speaker Series was founded by the late Lee Hale in memory of his wife, Anne. After Mr. Hale’s passing, the series was dedicated to both of them. Their daughter, Barbara Hale, is a member of the Speaker Series committee and introduces the speakers.
The Friends of the Westfield Memorial Library hosts the Hale Series that is funded by The Lee and Anne Hale Fund and The Glasser Foundation.
Linnea Rhodes serves as chairman of the Hale Speaker Series committee that also includes Sherry Cronin, Marcy Lechner, Mary Orlando, Ellen Albertson and Tina Lesher.
