Reflections on Queen Elizabeth II and Great Britain

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Luther College Professor Emerita Rachel Faldet will join our group to speak about the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Family in general, and to reflect on her considerable experiences in Great Britain. Elizabeth II was was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death on 8 September 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the longest recorded of any female head of state in history, and the second-longest verified reign of any sovereign in history.

An alum of Luther College, Rachel Faldet grew up in small town Wisconsin and holds a degree in what is now the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa. An active essayist, she is editor of the anthology Our Stories of Miscarriage, which helped break the media taboo surrounding the emotional aspects of pregnancy loss and landed her on NBC’s Today show. In one of her favorite freelance projects she worked with Decorah’s Spectrum Network, developing and editing From My Perspective, a collection of essays written by people with disabilities, celebrating their stories, their voices. A three-time co-director of Luther’s year-long Nottingham Program in England and frequent January-term co-leader to the United Kingdom, she has a harmless obsession with the British royals.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.