The Westmont Chamber Orchestra presents An English Evening Friday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort, and Sunday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at Anapamu and Garden Streets. These performances are made possible in part by the generous support of Prudential California Realty.
Dr. Earl Rosenthal, a professor emeritus of the history of art at the University of Chicago who died last year, donated more than 250 books to Westmont, some to be kept in the college’s rare book collection. Susan Savage, chair of Westmont’s art department, befriended Rosenthal during his retirement years in Santa Barbara. She says some duplicate and specialized books have been shipped to UC Santa Barbara and UCLA.
Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier more than 60 years ago, blacks were only allowed to play in the Negro Baseball League. Author Byron Motley will talk about this fascinating era in American sports history at a free lecture, “The Negro Baseball Leagues: An American Legacy,” Friday, Feb. 1, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Founders Dining Room Lounge. Refreshments will be served at 3:15 p.m.
Fareed Zakaria, one of the world’s leading journalists and commentators on international affairs, will speak at Westmont’s third annual President’s Breakfast, Feb. 25, at 7 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort.
Westmont theatre students will present Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Created by seniors Suzanne Galletly and Lynne Martens, this design-based production is free and open to the public.
Conceived as a culmination of their theatre education, the play is “a very avant garde sort of piece” according to Martens, who designed the costumes. “My designs play with gender issues, disguise, and the inability to maintain disguise.”
The Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge will honor David Newton, Westmont professor of entrepreneurial finance, with one of the 31st Annual Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Awards for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education at the March 7-8 Leavey Summit and Awards Dinner in Pennsylvania. Newton was the only winner this year in the college and university category.