lifestyle

Panama Historical Society carries on, mostly in Spanish

by Eric Jackson

On October 1 the surviving officers of The Panama Historical Society stepped in and got the organization back up and running after the injury and ultimate death of the group's long-time president, John Carlson. Vice President Vicente Pascual, Treasurer Roberto Bruno, Recording Secretary Rick Wilde and Corresponding Secretary Fernando Pinel all attended the meeting, a officers' report was given but some of the business like taking of dues was put off, and there was a general discussion without any decisions being made about possible longer-term directions for the group. Unlike most meetings under the late John Carlson's leadership, most of the discussion took place in Spanish.

 

The featured presentation, a video about the search for the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, was in English. Afterwards Roberto Bruno spoke in Spanish to the 30 or so people in attendance about the laws and experiences in Panama and other countries with respect to old shipwrecks. He noted the problems that accompanied the discovery of a caravel near Nombre de Dios that may well be Cristopher Columbus's Vizcaina and the delays in the restoration of artifacts taken from that shipwreck. He pointed with approval to some of the efforts that the Dominican Republic is making to deal with problems of this sort.

 

There will be a meeting on November 5 at the usual time and place --- 7:30 p.m. at the Niko's restaurant in Balboa --- with Roberto Bruno giving a presentation about the Spanish treasure fleets. At the December 3 meeting, Niko Liakopulos will speak about the coins of Panama.

 

Details are yet to be worked out, but the society will be having its annual December holidays dinner.

Also in this section:
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Panama Historical Society carries on
Tuesday Talks
Scenes from the Handicrafts Fair
Comfort food, book exchange and more at the Dolce Coffee House
Canadian Thanksgiving
The American Society's tentative US election debate
Democrats Abroad
Paella lesson
Something of a pugilistic golden age

 
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