Talk:Around America on Greyhound buses half a century apart

Join me on two road trips around America on Greyhound buses in two very different eras.

The first was in 1969 - the early days of the Nixon presidency, when the first man walked on the moon, gay men and women rioted in New York and Kermit the Frog made his television debut.

The second was in 2019 - when the women's soccer team won the world cup, President Trump was impeached and 53 people were killed in public shootings in August alone. Looking back, it was a year dominated by the fault lines in American society that were to clash horribly a year later in the face of a pandemic and a bitterly fought election.

In my talk I draw on my diary from the first trip and my book from the second to look at how the country that once captivated me - and many others of my generation - has changed over half a century. I also look at what has happened to bus travel - and at how my 72-year-old I coped with revisiting the adventures of my youth.

The talk is illustrated with my own photographs, originally with a Pentax and latterly on a mobile phone!

I welcome questions and so far these have provoked some lively discussions.

A very interesting talk about the changes that America has experienced in the past 50 years, some good and some not so good - a great insight into how things are and what the future might bring.‘ – David King, Speaker Secretary, Bookham & Horsley Rotary

Business stuff

Timing: The talk normally runs for about 40 minutes

Speaker’s details: I was a journalist on national and medical newspapers and magazines, and after that ran a business teaching written communication skills to health professionals. I have written four books on medical writing and a memoir. I am an experienced public speaker and former chairman of Mole Valley Speakers Club.

Standard fee: £50

Zoom talks in 2020

October 1: Two Summers, Bookham and Horsley Rotary

October 15: Two Summers, Leatherhead U3A

November 12: Two Summers, Rotary Club of Hart

December 3: Pasadena 1969 and 2019, Pasadena Senior Center

Zoom talks scheduled for 2021

January 13: Two Summers, Rotary Club of Shepperton Aurora

February 15: Two Summers, Shepperton & Sunbury Rotary

March 4: Two Summers, Walton Rotary

March 11: Two Summers, Cobham WI

July 12: Two Summers, Woodhatch WI