Recent Events
Annual Churchill Society events include lectures, movie night, Wine Wit and Wisdom, and celebrating Churchill’s Birthday with a dinner and lecture. Members and their guests are invited to attend all CSNO events.
ANNUAL DINNER A GREAT SUCCESS!
On November 30, 2023 at the New Orleans Country Club, the Society held its annual celebration of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill. The evening was attended by 110 members of the Society and their guests, one of the biggest crowds in the Society’s history.
Gregg Collins, the Society’s “Prime Minister”, presided. He was pleased to present the first “Herschel Abbott Award” to Dr. Brett S. Shufelt, who has not only been an inspiring teacher of Churchillian qualities at Copia-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi and at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, but for many years had taken students to attend Society events in New Orleans held in conjunction with the National WWII Musuem. Dr. Shufelt and his wife were present, as were Herschel Abbott’s widow and daughter, Anne Abbott and Cathryn Jones who unveiled the Award.
The Victory Belles then performed, for the second year, a wonderful selection of songs, ending with stirring renditions of “God Save the King” and “God Bless America”.
Toward the end of the evening, our featured speaker, Michael Bell, a decorated Colonel (Ret.) in the United States Army, graduate of West Point and Director of the Study of War and Democracy at the National WWII Museum, spoke on “Churchill and Roosevelt-The Forming of the Special Relationship”, primarily about the first meeting of the two great men in December 1941.
Movie Night
September 13, 2023
On September 13, 2023, about 35 members and guests attended a screening of The Battle of Britain at Loyola’s Bobet Hall, and enjoyed the snacks (including popcorn!) Thanks to Walter Wolf, wines were again provided by Wine Sellers.
Wine Wit and Wisdom
May 2, 2023
A program of “Wine, Wit and Wisdom” took place at the large meeting room in the Andrew Jackson apartments, thanks to Jackie Gamble, starting at 6 p.m. Close to 100 members and guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, including sandwiches from Chez Nous and wine, water and soft drinks, and enjoyed hearing three of this year’s Essay Contest winners read their winning essays. After that, about a dozen of those in attendance spoke to the group with quotes from or about Churchill, which added to the “wit and wisdom” part of the evening. About 10 Churchill books were given away, with the essay-contest winners getting first choice.
Annual Dinner
November 30, 2022
About 100 members and guests attended a memorable dinner at the New Orleans Country Club, to celebrate Winston Churchill’s 148th birthday. President Gregg Collins presided. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, were delighted by a 20-minute performance of the Victory Belles of the World War II Museum, and elected by voice vote the members of the Society’s Board of Directors (also known as “the Cabinet”). Jon Gegenheimer, who besides serving as Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court, is also a Churchill buff, gave an entertaining talk on the imaginative book he is writing on “Churchill v. Hitler: the Golf Match that unmasked the Fuhrer and Saved the West”. Gregg introduced Nicole Spangenberg, a French resistance fighter during World War II, who attended with Anne Abbott.
Movie Night
September 20, 2022
About 40 people attended a screening of Ike: Countdown to D-Day, starring Tom Selleck as the chain-smoking grand commander, at Bobet Hall on the Loyola campus. Doors o;ened at 6, and those in attendance enjoyed snacks and beverages before the movie started. Churchill made a satisfactory appearance.
June 6, 2022
Emma Soames Speaks
Emma Soames, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, spokle at the World War II Museum on the book she had just published, Mary Churchill’s War, taken from her mother Mary’s wartime diaries. Members of the Society had the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Soames, who was (not surprisingly) quite charming.
Wine Wit and Wisdom
April 26, 2022
This year our Wine Wit and Wisdom event was held in the large meeting room at the Andrew Jackson Apartments, with sandwiches from ‘Chez Nous and wine from Wine Sellers. About 75 attended and about 15 spoke with quotations or stories of Churchill. Three Churchill-related books were awarded randomly to speakers (other than Cabinet members).
EVENTS OF YEARS PAST
Nov 30th, 2021
The Churchill Society of New Orleans (USA) packed the New Orleans Country Club ballroom last night to celebrate Winston Churchill’s 147th. The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by a dinner program with welcoming remarks by Churchill Society of New Orleans President J. Gregg Collins. Singers from the Loyola University Chorale, accompanied by Carole Rausch of the New Orleans Opera, sang a medley of WWI and WWII songs. A superb dinner with fine wines was served, followed by a captivating presentation from world-acclaimed military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones on his new book, Winston Churchill: Master and Commander, Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945 (Foreward by Andrew Roberts). Following the dinner program, Tucker-Jones delighted members by signing their copies of Churchill: Master and Commander.
May 18, 2021
The first gathering of Society members since the onset of the Covid19 pandemic took place on May 18, 2021. This was “Wine, Wit and Wisdom”, held in the open upstairs area of The Rink, at Washington and Prytania streets in New Orleans. About 100 people attended, and enjoyed edibles and potables and just being together after the long suspension of Society activities. The two students who won First Prizes in the 2019-2020 Essay Contest read their essays. Elizabeth Northup of International High School and NOCCA attended with her family to read her essay. Sam Chang of New Jersey attended by Zoom to read his essay. In addition, about ten members or guests spoke up to contribute bits of Churchill’s wit and wisdom.
September 19, 2021
The Society revived the annual summer “Movie Night” on September 19 at Bobet Hall on hte Loyola campus. Despite concern about a spike in Covid19 cases, about 30 people showed up, to enjoy wines and other beverages, and small sandwiches, prior to the screening of episodes 2 and 7 of a superb BBC production entitled “Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years”.
January 19th, 2020
Radio interview with Emma Soames, Churchill’s granddaughter
Listen here at IHeartRadio
The Founders Show
December 3rd, 2019
Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, the Founding President and CEO Emeritus of The National WWII Museum was our featured speaker at our annual Birthday dinner on December 3rd which was held at the New Orleans Country Club. He presented his book Everything We Have: D-Day 6.6.44.
In March of 2019, an interview was held at the WWII Museum with Dr. Mueller for the official launch of “Everything We Have,” which tells the American story of the Normandy landings through personal accounts, images, and artifacts from the collections of The National WWII Museum.
Offering rare insight into the experiences of the soldiers, airmen, and sailors who overwhelmed Hitler’s forces on D-Day, Dr. Mueller’s book tells the personal stories of the people involved in Operation Overlord in their own words, some for the first time.
October 23rd, 2019
Sonia Purnell , the featured speaker at the third Orlin Russell Corey Lecture, presented her book, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII [can this be in italics or underlined?], to a packed house in the Louisiana Pavillion at the National WWII Museum. The story of Virginia Hall, an American woman who had an amputation of one of her legs at a young age, was riveting as presented by Ms. Purnell. Virginia Hall, aka Diane, Germaine, was the first British SOE agent in her beloved France to organize the French Resistance into what became an effective fighting force as the Allies invaded the France beginning on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Ms. Purnell’s presentation was fascinating, riveting and poignant. A standing ovation revealed the audience’s appreciation of her talk.
May 16, 2019
The 2019 edition of Wine Wit and Wisdom took place on Thursday, May 16, at 6330 St. Charles Avenue. Churchill Society members were joined by other Churchill enthusiasts at that location which resulted in a standing-room only crowd. In addition to the usual interesting and entertaining quotes and stories from about a dozen members, and the wine and hors d’oeuvres, we enjoyed a revival performance of the “Interview With Churchill”, starring Herschel Abbott and Ted Martin. And the winner of the 2018-19 High-School Essay Contest, Rachel Leith, read her prize-winning essay to the audience entitled “Drifting steadily against our will: the dangers of appeasement”.
December 1, 2018
In 2018, the Annual Dinner of the Society took place on December 1, at the World War II Museum. Society members met for an hour by ourselves, and then joined those who were attending a seminar at the Museum, so that we could all hear a speech by Andrew Roberts, author of the recently published biography, Churchill, Walking with Destiny.
September 26, 2018
Movie Night:
Our annual summer movie night took place this year in Bobet Hall at Loyola University. We screened the recent prize-winning film about Churchill’s trials in May of 1940, Darkest Hour. In addition to the movie, those in attendance enjoyed sandwiches and drinks, and were treated to a reading by Baton Rouge student Alyssa Macaluso of her essay, “Operation Dynamo: An Unparalleled, Energizing Success”, which won first prize in the Society’s 2017-18 Essay Contest.”
May 31, 2018
Orlin Corey Lecture: At the National WWII Museum
Craig Lee Symonds, Author/ Speaker
April 25, 2018
Wine, Wit & Wisdom: At the home of Ms. Patricia Strachan
May 12, 2017:
CSNO hosted our annual Wine, Wit, and Wisdom, during which members enjoyed refreshments, then took turns speaking about Churchill, often in relation to current events. Our Essay Contest winner for 2017 received her award and read the winning essay.
August 22, 2017, Pol Roger Night:
Members and their guests gathered at Hoppers Wine to enjoy Churchill’s favorite champagne, Pol Roger. Board Member Walter Wolf spoke about the unusual relationship between Churchill and the Pol Roger label. It is estimated that Churchill may have consumed a box car worth of Pol Roger in his lifetime.
Fall 2017 The Birthday Dinner:
A formal reception and dinner, was held on November 30 at the National WWII Museum. After hearing songs from Gilbert and Sullivan presented by Loyola University students, professor and author Hal Klepak, spoke about his new book, Churchill Comes of Age, Cuba, 1895. We think that the Great Man would have felt very much at home on this grand occasion.
Year Round:
Lectures are held as the opportunity arises.
