Philip A. Glotzbach: On Freedom
Philip A. Glotzbach will join the Saratoga Torch Club to explore a question that sits at the heart of civic life: what does it truly mean to take responsibility for one’s beliefs? Drawing on his experience as an educator and leader, Glotzbach will reflect on how convictions are formed, tested, and expressed in a time of rapid social and intellectual change. His presentation will consider the difference between holding opinions and owning them — intellectually, morally, and publicly. By examining how thoughtful people engage disagreement, evidence, and uncertainty, he invites us to reconsider the role belief plays in shaping both character and community. The evening promises a searching and timely conversation about integrity, accountability, and the habits of mind that sustain a healthy democracy.
Tom Denny: Open Space Preservation on South Broadway
Tom Denny will share the story behind the SoBro Conservancy and the transformation of a neglected city parcel into a living ecological classroom. His presentation will explore how small urban spaces can be reimagined to support pollinators, improve neighborhood character, and invite residents to see conservation as a civic practice rather than a distant ideal. Drawing on the creation of the SoBro Triangle, Denny will reflect on what it takes to move a project from vision to reality through partnerships, persistence, and community involvement. He will also consider how pocket parks and native plantings can help cities respond to environmental challenges while strengthening local identity. The evening promises a thoughtful look at how modest places, shaped with care, can have an outsized impact on both landscape and civic life.
Anthony Hayes: The Future of Public Media in a Fragmented Age
Anthony V. Hayes, President and CEO of WMHT Public Media, will join the Saratoga Torch Club to discuss the evolving role of public media in a time of rapid technological change and shifting public trust. Drawing on his national experience in broadcasting and digital engagement, Hayes will explore how public media organizations are adapting to serve communities across multiple platforms while maintaining their commitment to education, culture, and civic dialogue. His presentation will consider how local storytelling, regional partnerships, and new forms of audience participation are reshaping what it means to be a public broadcaster today. He will also reflect on the responsibilities public media carries in strengthening informed citizenship and sustaining shared cultural life. The evening promises an insightful look at how one of our region’s most important media institutions is navigating the future while remaining rooted in public service.
Greg Veitch: The Mob’s Heyday in Saratoga
Greg Veitch brings to the Saratoga Torch Club a deep and engaging exploration of the city’s Prohibition-era underworld, when Saratoga Springs briefly stood at the crossroads of gambling, organized crime, and political intrigue. Drawing on years of research into local archives, personalities, and places, Veitch traces how mob figures, entrepreneurs, and public officials together shaped a shadow history that still echoes in the city’s landscape. His talk will illuminate how Saratoga’s reputation as a playground for high-stakes leisure made it fertile ground for both opportunity and corruption. Far from romanticizing the era, Veitch examines the social and civic consequences of this period and what it reveals about power, influence, and community identity. Join us for a fascinating look at a chapter of Saratoga’s past that is as instructive as it is colorful.
Sweet Days in March: Preparing for Thurman Maple Days
We’ll celebrate the arrival of Thurman Maple Days by bringing together the people who make the region’s maple tradition more than a harvest—it’s a living community. From multigenerational sugar makers and first-time producers to tubing innovators, wood-fire traditionalists, chefs, historians, and the volunteers who help welcome thousands of visitors each spring, this conversation will spotlight the full ecosystem behind the syrup. We’ll explore how craft, science, land stewardship, and neighborly cooperation converge in the sugarhouse and across the hills of Thurman. We’ll offer stories from the woods, reflections on how the industry is evolving, and a chance to recognize the individuals whose work sustains one of the Adirondacks’ most beloved seasonal rituals. Join us for a warm, community-centered discussion that honors both the people and the landscape that make Maple Days possible.
Patrick Lynch: How to Outsmart AI and Thrive
In his newly published How to Outsmart AI and Thrive. Patrick Lynch shifts the focus of the AI conversation away from speculation about machines and toward the choices facing people and institutions.
Rather than asking whether AI will transform society, Lynch asks how we will respond — and what habits, values, and strategies will allow individuals and organizations not merely to survive technological change, but to grow wiser within it.
A professor at the Hult International Business School who draws on decade of experience in advising advised leaders and organizations on technological disruption, Lynch argues that the decisive advantage in the AI era will not belong to those who deploy the most powerful tools, but to those who cultivate judgment, adaptability, and purpose. His framework offers a roadmap for maintaining human agency in systems increasingly influenced by automation, data, and algorithmic decision-making.
In this Torch Radio conversation, we’ll explore the essential insights of Lynch’s book and invite listeners to consider what thriving alongside AI might truly mean — for our work, our institutions, and the kind of society we hope to build.
Philip A. Glotzbach: Winning Strategies to Succeed in College and Life
Philip A. Glotzbach, Skidmore College’s seventh president from 2003 to 2017, spent nearly two decades nurturing a campus culture built on curiosity, intellectual freedom, and moral purpose—an influence that continues to shape his thinking about the future of liberal education. In Embrace Your Freedom: Winning Strategies for Success in College and Life, he argues that success rests less on innate talent than on the habits students cultivate, urging them to treat college as a laboratory for engagement, relationships, reflection, and intellectual risk. More than a guide to academic achievement, the book invites readers to consider who they hope to become, framing education as preparation for responsible citizenship, purposeful work, and a lifetime of intentional growth.
Abby Tegnelia: Saratoga Journalism at the Turning Point
Saratoga Dispatch Founder and Editor Abby Tegnelia will describe her journey from print to Substack in this far-reaching conversation about the future of journalism in Saratoga.