Three panelists provide an informed overview of the history of the amazing local Palo Alto and area music scene. Including the origins of the music influences on the area, the intricate web of relationships among local musicians, the significant venues where events were held and more! Presented by Stephen Dunne, Corry Arnold, and Javier Pacheco at the Museum of American Heritage

Mr. Alcorn was born in San Francisco in 1948. He went to Lowell high school in San Francisco, where he had a distinguished football career, eventually admitting him to the University of California, where he played football for one week and then quit. He got a Bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He was fixing radios and televisions since the age of 13 and manage to pay his way through Cal by working at a local television repair shop.

Mr. Alcorn began his career at Ampex in 1968 working on a high resolution document storage system called Videofile. In 1972 Nolan Bushnell hired Al to be the chief engineer at Atari where he designed the first commercially successful coin-operated video game called PONG. In 1974 he created the first video game on a custom chip (home Pong) followed by the Atari VCS home video game platform that launched the cartridge video game industry.

He was appointed a Fellow at Apple Computer in 1986 and while there he worked on several projects one of which turned video and audio into a digital format that could be used by computers. This led to QuickTime and MPEG.

He started Silicon Gaming in 1994 to develop a multi-media slot machine for casino gaming. The company went public in September of ‘96 and shipped their first machines in Jan of ‘97. The technology he developed changed the slot machine industry and is used in all of today’s modern slot machines 1997 Al joined Interval Research, and in 1998 founded Zowie Intertainment, a spinout from Interval Research. Zowie developed and produced a child's playset that had a location system that allowed the PC to respond to the child's play.

In 2005 Al co-founded Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI). IMMI measured media consumption using cell phones and acoustic matching algorithms and produced better media consumption information than Nielsen.

Mr. Alcorn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California. He is a member of the IEEE and holds several patents.

Richard Douglas provides a brief overview of his family's business "Douglas Fabrics" that was an integral part of Palo Alto for 50 years. Rich also discusses the process of making textiles from threads.

The Motion Picture Production Code controlled the content and final cut of all movies made in the United States between 1934 and 1968, and protected moviegoers from the slightest suggestion of sexual innuendo, undue violence, toilet humor, religious disrespect, and all forms of indecency, real or imagined. In discussing his Edgar-Award-Winning book, Hitchcock and the Censors, John Billheimer will use film clips to describe the forces that led to the development of the Production Code and describe Alfred Hitchcock’s interactions with Code officials as he fought to protect his creations, bargaining with Code reviewers and sidestepping censorship to produce a lifetime of memorable films.

John Billheimer, a native West Virginian, lives in Portola Valley, California. He holds an engineering Ph. D. from Stanford and is the author of the “funny, sometimes touching” Owen Allison mysteries set in Appalachia’s coalfields. A second series features Lloyd Keaton, a Midwest sportswriter with a gambling habit (Field of Schemes, A Player to be Maimed Later). He has written two nonfiction works, Baseball and the Blame Game, and Hitchcock and the Censors. He has taught courses in censorship, film noir, hard-boiled fiction on film, and the modern mystery in film and print at Stanford and Santa Clara Universities. www.johnbillheimer.com.

MOAH apologies for the poor quality of this video. This was our first in-person lecture in three years! We are working on providing better quality videos and live-streams for future events.

Colombia has the largest concentration of birds not only in the Americas, but in the world.There are at least 2000 species,and growing. It is also a very large country with an area the size of California and Texas combined. There is also a wide assortment of habitats. The three spines of the Andes through the country from south to north contribute to abundant speciation. Our Fall 2022 trip was our third time in the country. The first trip segment was to the west, the second segment the central valley and highlands, and the last trip segment was to Mitu in the far SE along the border with Brazil. This is the "white sands" - an artifact of a bygone era in Earth's geologic history before the Andes formed when this area was the Pacific coast. Geologically, it is very old. There are many ancient granitic exposures that are part of the Guina Shield - with some of the earliest rock and mineral deposits on the planet. Major river systems are found here that feed the mighty Amazon River. There is a wealth of species to be found if you are fortunate enough to visit between rains, like John did. Come join us for a lecture to learn about Colombia and its beautiful birds.

About Our Speaker
John Richardson received degrees in Biology and History. His curiosity and inquisitive nature prepared him well to study how our species interacts with biodiversity. He is interested in landscapes and disadvantaged countries where the environment is at risk. John captures images of birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians and insects. Watch it HERE.

This presentation shares the background and history of the two archaeological sites that Bobby has had the privilege of working on. He will share what his own experience was at the Campo della Fiera Field School in Orvieto, Italy in 2018, and his experience at the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Archaeological Survey in 2022. At both locations Bobby worked as a Trench Assistant in the summer months under the direction of both American and local experts. The goal of this presentation is to demystify some of the work being done to research the ancient Mediterranean world, and share the challenges and benefits of working as an archaeologist in a different country.

About Our Speaker, Bobby Gamba
Bobby Gamba graduated in 2020 from the University of Arizona with a degree in classics and anthropology, with a focus on Classical Archaeology. He has field experience in both Italy and Greece, as well as anthropological research through the International Traditional Knowledge Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and Arcadia, Greece. He is currently a volunteer at MOAH as a docent, and works as a Collections Catalog Assistant at Filoli Historic House and Garden.

In relation to our newest exhibition, Hot Stuff and Cool Ideas: Vintage Heating and Cooling Inventions, MOAH's own Exhibit and Operations Manager is giving a lecture on the history and methods of preserving food. Michelle will discuss the variety of ways one can preserve food and how these methods came to be. She'll specifically focus on the different ways to preserve food using hot and cold temperatures. Michelle Fabian is a Palo Alto native and has worked at MOAH for over three years. Michelle has her master's degree in History and enjoys gaining new knowledge. She currently lives in Monterey County and will highlight some fun facts about Monterey's canning industry during her lecture. Watch the lecture HERE.

Adam and Simone Williams have been members of BayLUG, the Bay Area LEGO Users Group, for 7 years. They are key leaders in the club, including managing the holiday show at MOAH. They are known in the Bay Area for their custom architectural and landscape creations with moving elements, including this year's jungle volcano. Adam and Simone will share their experience in the LEGO hobby, including their past and present creations, tips and tricks about the craft, and general information about BayLUG and the Adult Fans of LEGO community. This lecture will be virtual and conducted on Zoom webinar. Watch the lecture HERE

After nearly 30 years Jamis and Margaret MacNiven retired from the day to day operations at Buck's Restaurant of Woodside

Buck's has been taken over by the three MacNiven boys who have kept the interior. Jamis thought that at the end of his tenure he might have to sell the collection of artifacts but who would buy such stuff? Much of it is pretty firmly nailed down and it wouldn't mean much out of context. So last year he realized he might be able to sell a photo of his collection and still keep the items. He did it and it sold for an astounding sum. Join Jamis as he will lead you on a virtual tour of the Buck's collection and reveal what the NFT sold for. Watch the lecture HERE

Join Museum of American Heritage (MOAH) president Jim Wall online when he presents some of the weird, unusual, and cringe worthy artifacts from the museum collection and beyond. What is it that makes something disturbing, terrifying, or just makes us uncomfortable? A wide ranging talk spanning vintage advertisements to physical artifacts from the museum collection. Take this opportunity to find out about some of the world's most disturbing medical artifacts and the history behind them. Watch the lecture HERE

The iris was beloved by two remarkable Palo Alto women, Dora Williams and Elizabeth Gamble. Learn how their passion for these stately, fragrant flowers became the signature of their gardens nearly a century ago and how we continue to enjoy them today. Join Betsy Fryberger for a fascinating look at the historic Williams garden on Homer Avenue which features many bearded iris introduced in the 1930s. In her talk, she will share photos and try to answer the question, "Did Dora Williams and Elizabeth Gamble know each other?" This program is co-hosted by Gamble Garden, The Woman's Club of Palo Alto, and The Museum of American Heritage.

Betsy Fryberger, former curator of prints and drawings at the Cantor Museum at Stanford, is an avid gardener who is especially interested in historic gardens. She has been a dedicated volunteer in the garden for many years at both The Museum of American Heritage (MOAH) and the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Watch the lecture HERE.