Osher Institute Instructors

Fall 2026 Instructor Bios

Dave Besson, Ph.D., University of Kansas professor of physics and astronomy, is a failed rock-and-roller who migrated from Ithaca, New York, to Lawrence over 20 years ago and is currently ensconced on Mount Oread.

Bob Dinsdale grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, went to undergrad at Baylor University, then to medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He and his family moved to Lawrence in 1990. Now retired, Bob started Lawrencehistorytours.com. He has a decades-long passion for history, especially the stories of the people and events that have shaped our town. He uses techniques learned in his medical training to find facts and see things in new ways.

Brian Edwards has researched the Kennedy assassination for five decades. He has interviewed hundreds of individuals connected with the case and has given numerous presentations on the assassination throughout the United States. Brian co-authored three books on the assassination: “Beyond the Fence Line: The Eyewitness Account of Ed Hoffman and the Murder of President John Kennedy” (2008), “Blueprint for Murder” (2020) and “Admitted Assassin” (2024). In 2019, he collaborated with and appeared in Oliver Stone’s four-hour documentary on the assassination, “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.”

Cameron C. Engelbrecht holds a master’s degree in early modern history from Trinity College Dublin and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Central Missouri. He currently serves as director of faith formation at two Catholic churches in the Kansas City area and lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife and daughter.

James Gaither, Th.D., holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Holos University Graduate Seminary. For over 25 years he has taught courses on the history of Western thought, world religions, metaphysics and ethics. He is currently “semi-retired.”

Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master’s degree in U.S. history from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels and at Kansas City’s Pembroke Hill School.

Baroque recorder player Jean Hein is a retired clarinetist and arts administrator who teaches Osher classes and recorder classes for lifelong learners. Hein served on the board of directors for Early Music America and as director of Columbia Baroque. She holds music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University. 

Russ Hutchins teaches U.S. history, Western civilization, economics, business, philosophy and business management at Friends University. He is a retired public-school administrator and educator.

German born and raised, Anette Isaacs is a historian and public educator who has presented hundreds of programs on more than 40 topics (all pertaining to her native country’s history, politics and culture) all over the United States. She holds master’s degrees in American studies, political science and history, and recently served as the director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida International University in Miami.

Marlene Katz, a University of Missouri graduate, was an adjunct professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she taught English and literature. Marlene has a 28-year teaching career and has been involved in storytelling for 20 years. Women in history is her specialty. Marlene has performed in a five-state area and has lectured for various groups, often in costume and speech of the character she is portraying. 

Milton S. Katz, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of humanities in the liberal arts department at the Kansas City Art Institute where he has taught courses on America in the 1960s; art, literature and film of the Holocaust; and peace and conflict resolution for 52 years. He authored three books, over two dozen book chapters, articles and essays, and earned several prestigious awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Kansas and Missouri Humanities, and the Fulbright Foundation.

William Keel, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of German at the University of Kansas, having taught the history and culture of German settlements in Kansas and Missouri.

Charles “Chick” Keller is a retired senior executive and retired professor. He worked 15 years each at Sprint and Black & Veatch in strategic planning and strategic marketing, rising to VP level both times. In 2000, he began a career as a professor in the University of Kansas engineering management program where he taught finance and strategic planning.

Richard Klin is the author of the novel “Petroleum Transfer Engineer” (Underground Voices). His writing has appeared in The Millions, the Atlantic, Cultural Daily, the Brooklyn Rail and many others.

Paul Laird is a professor emeritus of musicology who taught at the University of Kansas for 30 years. He has published widely on the American musical theater and taught dozens of Osher courses over the last three decades.

Aaron Margolis received his doctorate in history from the University of Texas at El Paso where he concentrated on Latin American and borderlands history. He is currently an associate professor of history at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Michelle M. Martin is a Michigander by birth and a Kansan and Oklahoman by choice. Martin earned her doctorate in history at the University of New Mexico. Her research probes interracial marriage, gender, race and power in the Mvskoke Nation in Indian Territory from 1870-1897.

Karl Menninger is a retired government lawyer who has found an avocation teaching courses on disability law, citizenship, comedy and James Bond, among other topics.

Taylor Cole Miller is an associate professor of media studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and co-editor of the academic collection, “The Golden Girls: Tales from the Lanai.” He also makes TikToks about TV history under the handle @tvdoc.

Abigail Olcese is the film editor at The Pitch, a contributor to Sojourners, Rogerebert.com and Paste, and the author of “Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies.” She is an experienced film critic with a special interest in the connections between movies, social justice and Christian spirituality.

Chuck Olcese is co-founder and president of Assistance for Immigrants and Refugees, a nonprofit organization in Lawrence, Kansas, dedicated to the resettlement of refugees and other immigrants in the area. He has trained in intercultural communication and presented workshops on these skills at numerous institutions. Before his retirement from the University of Kansas, Chuck founded Lawrence Interfaith Refugee and Immigrant Ministry (LIRIM), a communication network to facilitate assistance, advocacy and awareness of immigrants and immigrant issues in the area.

Vic Peterson is the author of “The Berserkers” (Hawkwood 2022/Recital 2023), set in a fictional Nordic country. He worked as a business executive and now divides his time between Lawrence, Kansas, and Northport, Michigan.

Paul Post, a native Kansan, received a bachelor’s degree in history from Kansas State University and a law degree in 1974 from the University of Kansas. Now retired from practicing law, he is a member of the Shawnee County Historical Society and an amateur beekeeper. He has authored essays on the history of SBA Hill/former Menninger Campus in Topeka, Topeka’s Bates Family, The Fred Harvey Company and Duke Ellington.

Lily Prince holds a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design, M.F.A. from Bard College and attended Skowhegan’s residency. Prince has exhibited widely nationally and internationally and was awarded commissions including the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and numerous hotels. Prince was awarded the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in painting in 2020.

Sarah Rosenson holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Jewish studies from the Spertus Institute. She practiced law, and then taught classes on ethics, philosophy and world religions at a private high school. She currently teaches adults both in person and on various online platforms, including several Osher classes.

Tom Schmiedeler, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of geography at Washburn University.

Gordon Sellon is an economist who spent 30 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, retiring as senior vice president and director of research. At the Fed, his research focused on monetary policy, banking regulation and payments systems. He also taught economics at KU and other universities. Gordon has degrees in economics from Harvard College and the University of Michigan.

Robert Smith, Ph.D., is the recently retired director of the Fort Riley Museum. He has a doctorate in history from Kansas State University and has published numerous articles on military history.

Anita Tebbe is a retired professor in the legal studies department at Johnson County Community College. She earned an undergraduate degree in history, a graduate degree in education and a law degree. Anita is a Kansas-licensed attorney and has more than 40 years of teaching experience at the high school and college levels.

Robert Thorp taught at Princeton and Washington University in St. Louis for 25 years followed by a second career as a tour lecturer in China and Japan. His publications include “Chinese Art and Culture” (2001), “China in the Early Bronze Age” (2006) and “Visiting Historic Beijing” (2008). He has visited China more than 50 times.