Monthly Programs

Map published by Paolo Forlani, 1565

Most months a member will give a presentation, discussing a current work in progress, the research and writing process, or an area of personal interest and expertise. A collegial Q&A ensues, and the speaker can, if they wish, ask for suggestions for improvement in case they will be giving the talk at other venues. These programs are usually held at 2:00 PM on the third Sunday of the month, except for December; exceptions can be made as necessary. A digital projector and screen are available. Another member volunteers to take notes and write a report for the newsletter, or the speaker may provide a synopsis instead.

We try to have a speaker each month, though this is not always possible. Ideally, we schedule the programs as far in advance as possible. Members who are interested in giving a talk or other program (such as a film or exhibit tour) should email president@tihs.org.

Videos of some presentations can be viewed on our YouTube Channel.

Next Monthly Program

Saturday, September 20, 10:00 am, Monthly Program via Zoom.
The Making of a Pilgrimage: Fort Ross, 1925 2025
A presentation by Maria Sakovich

In 1925 the fraternal organization Native Sons of the Golden West invited the rector of San Francisco's Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral to hold a service in the chapel at Fort Ross, the first since 1841. A small group of recently-arrived refugees from the Bolshevik revolution along with their pastor and the rector of the Santa Rosa Episcopal Church made their way to this former Russian settlement on the coast of Sonoma County on the Fourth of July to join the American Sons in their celebration and to hold the first 20th-century service in the small, modest wooden chapel. Over the past one hundred years Northern California Orthodox churches have continued this unique Fourth of July tradition. Long-time Institute member Maria Sakovich will preview her keynote talk for the October conference “The Story of Orthodoxy at Fort Ross, Then and Now.”

Maria Sakovich (MPH, MA) is a public historian and independent scholar who researches, writes, and has developed exhibits and presentations in the areas of immigration, family, and community history. She joined the Institute in 1992 and received her MA in history in 2002. For many years she has been documenting the history of the refuge-emigrants from Russia who arrived in San Francisco in the 1920s and 1930s. Their experiences have been included in several of her articles which have appeared in anthologies and journals as well as online. Her booklet The Chapel at Fort Ross: 150 Years of Russian and California History (2019) will be reprinted in a limited edition for the October conference (to be held in Santa Rosa, California.

You are welcome to invite friends and colleagues to attend.
The presentation will be recorded, and posted on YouTube. If you don’t want to be on the recording, just make sure your video is off. And please remember to mute your microphone!
You are welcome to invite friends and colleagues to attend.
The presentation will be recorded, and posted on YouTube. If you don’t want to be on the recording, just make sure your video is off. And please remember to mute your microphone!
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