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JFK, Conservative: A talk with author Ira Stoll

JFK, ConservativeThis November is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It is widely believed that had Kennedy not been killed he would have gone on to enact major liberal reforms as president. On Thursday, November 14, author Ira Stoll will challenge that belief when he discusses his new book JFK, Conservative (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) at Worcester Historical Museum.

Stoll will argue that JFK, by the standards of his time and our own, was a conservative based on the late president’s politics on tax cuts, domestic spending, military buildup, an emphasis on free trade, and his anti-communist stance on foreign policy. JFK, Conservative has been called a “wonderfully mischievous analysis,” by the New York Times and an “insightful and well- researched investigation,” by the Library Journal. This will be a not-to-be-missed program for any political buff or historian and will cause many to reconsider one of their icons.

Ira Stoll is the editor of FutureOfCapitalism.com and the author of Samuel Adams: A Life. From 2002 to 2008 he was vice president and managing editor of the New York Sun. Previously he served as Washington correspondent and managing editor of the Forward, as North American editor of the Jerusalem Post, and as president of the Harvard Crimson.

This program is free and open to the public. Museum doors open at 6:30 PM and the talk begins at 7:00 PM. For more information call 508.753.8278 or visit www.worcesterhistory.org.

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New Gallery at Worcester Historical Museum

My-Pictures22The Alden Family Gallery offers a new type of museum experience for children, families, teachers, school groups, and members to interact, explore, and discover Worcester history in a creative, community inclusive and in imaginatively new way.

Designed to incorporate four distinct spaces: CitySquare, which represents Worcester’s continued development; Salisbury Store, which connects children to late 18th century Worcester; The Factory, which focuses on the ingenuity of six Worcester residents; and Mrs. B’s Diner, where the past meets the present through oral histories, music and imaginative-play.

Each space offers options for imaginative play as well as opportunities to use math building skills, problem-solving and design skills with creative thinking. The Alden Family Gallery enhances the experience at Worcester Historical Museum for visitors from that of a passive viewer into an active participant through learning and play.