Ducoff Family Funds Library Lecture Series in the Arts, Humanities

Fans of the late Dr. Bernard Ducoff’s popular talks at West Orange Library can look forward to an exciting spring series in the Arts and Humanities.

The series will be held at 2 p.m. on three Sundays in March, April, and May. The free lectures will focus on a dynamic variety of topics in music, art, and history.

The programs are funded in Ducoff’s memory by his wife Helen, son Daniel, and daughter Miriam Smolen.

Ducoff visited the library often in search of books for his lectures on extraordinary Americans, such as, Abraham Lincoln and Louis Brandeis.

He worked closely with the library staff and enjoyed giving back to the community of West Orange through his lectures at the library and other community venues.

His family wanted to continue Ducoff’s tradition of expanding the community’s knowledge in a fun and informative way at the library and so was pleased to establish a fund in his memory for the Bernard Ducoff Lecture Series on the Arts and Humanities. The series promises to have something of interest to everyone.

The first program of the series will take place on Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. Musician and performer Fred Miller will present a Lecture-In-Song about George Gershwin. Seated at the keyboard, Miller will perform Gershwin songs and provide biographical and historical insight into the life and times of this great American songwriter.

Miller studied piano with Ralph Berkowitz, former dean of Tanglewood, studied acting with legend Geraldine Page and voice with Tony winner Helen Gallagher. He has acted in national commercials, broadcast his own radio program on 89.7FM, and for 25 years run the Copper Players.

On Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m., the Newark Museum will present “Picturing America,” a discussion highlighting American artists from the museum’s first-rate collection of colonial to contemporary art.

The museum’s collection ranks among the finest of any museum of its size in the United States, so the program promises to be engaging and informative.

Featured artists will include John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andy Warhol among many others.

Historian Phil Jaeger will present “Castles of New Jersey” on May 20 at 2 p.m. Although not as numerous or grand as their European counterparts, a surprisingly large number of castles were built in New Jersey a century or more ago. The program will highlight well-known New Jersey castles such as Lambert and Kip's, as well as lesser known ones throughout the state. Many of these castles still exist; some have been disguised over the years while others have vanished.

The library staff is thrilled by the Ducoff donation which enables them to provide a quality series to West Orange residents and is grateful that Ducoff’s tradition of entertaining and engaging lectures in the Humanities will continue.

Ducoff was a noted speaker and educator. He held an earned doctorate in Historical Studies from the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California at Berkeley. Ducoff served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Education Association of Metrowest New Jersey and as the editor of the International Journal of Jewish Education.