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Friends of the National World War II Memorial presents a Monthly Conference Series to learn more about the spirit of unity and shared purpose that defined the character of our country during World War II. This series of monthly half-day virtual conferences features discussions with WWII veterans, war orphans, published authors, and other experts. New York Times best-selling author and Friends' Resident Historian Alex Kershaw moderates the discussions after each presentation.
Register today, for free, to join this unique digital experience.
September - April
Third Saturday Monthly
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET
Presented by Stephen P. Pedone, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.), this talk recounts the intertwined wartime and postwar lives of his parents, Capt. Vito Pedone and 1st Lt. Geraldine “Jerry” Curtis Pedone, whose service placed them at the center of D-Day and the decades that followed. Vito served as co-pilot of the lead Pathfinder C-47 that delivered the first American paratroopers into Normandy on June 6, 1944, while Jerry was among the earliest U.S. Army Air Forces Flight Nurses, flying combat evacuation missions from Normandy back to England days later, often in the same aircraft. Drawing on family records and military history, the presentation traces their meeting and marriage during the war.
In Matisse at War, lawyer, educator, and author Christopher C. Gorham presents the dramatic story of Henri Matisse’s courageous choice to remain in Nazi‑occupied France during World War II and highlights the crucial roles his family played in the Resistance. From his son’s sabotage efforts in Nice to his daughter’s arrest, torture, and daring escape from Ravensbrück. As war raged, Matisse transformed his creativity into a subtle yet powerful form of defiance against fascism.
In this presentation, Ronald Osborn draws on his extensive research for A Good Man in Dark Times to examine the life and moral choices of John Henry Weidner, leader of the Dutch–Paris escape line during World War II. Osborn recounts how an otherwise ordinary man became responsible for helping hundreds, possibly thousands, of people escape Nazi persecution, while navigating betrayal, fear, and the practical limits of trust within an underground resistance network. Rather than offering a heroic legend, the talk presents a historically grounded portrait that acknowledges Weidner’s courage, discipline, faith, and flaws, using his story to explore how moral conviction operates under extreme pressure and what it means to act responsibly in times of profound human crisis.
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial’s education programs are generously supported by the Jack C. Taylor / Enterprise Rent-A-Car WWII Memorial Education Endowment.
