St. John’s 2025 Fall Coffeehouse Series
The St. John’s Independent Living Coffeehouse Series is back for the fall season with a full lineup of great visiting speakers. The Coffeehouse Series was started by a group of St. John’s Meadows and Brickstone by St. John’s residents in 2009. The series’ founding members — known as the Coffeehouse Committee — include Bizza Milliken, Judith Kharbas, Meg Upson, and Mary Hussong-Kallen. St. John’s Community Life Specialist Terry Neilon serves as a staff liaison to the committee. The group’s mission is to inspire thought-provoking and engaging discussions. 
This season’s calendar of speakers includes the following:
- Wednesday, October 1
Jordon Sahr, Community Director of Miss Julie’s School of Beauty, is an anti-trafficking organization and the nation’s first trauma-informed, therapeutic cosmetology school for survivors of sex trafficking and those at risk in downtown Rochester.
- Wednesday, October 8
Retired New York Court of Claims Judge Rick Dollinger on the Irish Influence in the construction of the Erie Canal.
- Wednesday, October 15
Richard Chamberlin about his relative, John Newton Chamberlin, who captained a corps of Black soldiers in the Civil War. Chamberlin’s letters and diaries give an insider’s view of the Union Army’s relationship with Black troops and the political and social implications of wartime events.
- Wednesday, October 22
Author Jack Butler will explore the life of Henry Durand, his relationship with George Eastman, and the shocking twist that occurs once they donate land to the City of Rochester. Following the discussion, Jack will sign copies of his book, “Durand Eastman Park: Yesterday and Today,” which will be available for purchase for $25.
- Wednesday, October 29
Historian and author Emily C. Morry will provide a virtual version of the Erie Canal walking Tour. Her first book, “Rochester Through Time”, co-written with Mary Grenier, was published in 2015. She is currently jointly appointed in the Office of Rochester and Monroe County History and the Rochester Public Library’s Local History and Genealogy Division.
St. John’s Resident Bizza Milliken says that she is “grateful to be continuing the series” with “wonderful and talented” speakers. The discussions are open to St. John’s staff and residents (and visitors when accompanied by residents) and begin at 6:15 p.m.