Join the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society for a series of noontime lectures in the University’s tradition of open and intelligent dialogue.

In-person participation for all programs will take place at Illini Country Club in Springfield, IL. The in-person registration fee for noontime programs ($40/person, per program) includes a chef-prepared hot lunch and free parking. 

Buffet lunch service for noontime programs will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT. All noontime presentations will begin promptly at 12 p.m. CT, and conclude by 1 p.m. CT.

Live complimentary virtual participation for all programs is also available via Zoom Webinar. 

Thursday, October 10 | The Marvelous Land of Oz!

2025 will mark the 125th anniversary of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which spawned the classic 14-book series. Prolific author L. Frank Baum spent much of his life in Illinois, writing and producing children’s books and literature. He penned 41 novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. The 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.   

Presenter: Mark W. Sorensen, President of the Decatur Public Library