Nick Marinaro on “The CSS Hunley Part 2 of 3”

Nick Marinaro will present the second of his three-part series on the Confederate submarine the H. L. Hunley, the first underwater vessel to successfully sink a warship, the USS Housatonic. The Hunley was also sunk in the attack, then finally raised in year 2000, thanks largely to generous funding by the adventurer and novelist Clive Cussler. The Hunley has been painstakingly researched and restored ever since, by scientists at the Warren Lasch Center in Charleston South Carolina.

Nick Marinaro, born and raised in Fresno, California, since elementary school has been interested in Civil War history. Nick graduated from Clovis High School and Stanford University. In 2010 he retired as Fire Chief after a 38 year career with the Stanford University and City of Palo Alto Fire Depts. For 21 years Nick has been a Lions Club active member and officer. He also services on the board of the Palo Alto-Stanford PAST Historical Association. Nick has been a member of PCWRT for 2-1/2 years and currently serves as the PCWRT Treasurer.

Tom Roza on “New York City Draft Riots”

One of the ugliest events to occur during the Civil War was the Draft Riots that took place in New York City in July 1863. The riots exposed deep rooted racial, political, and ethnic divisions that existed in New York City; these prejudices were fueled by massive numbers of immigrants fleeing Europe to escape famine, political division, and war. The riots were driven by several root causes:

• Draft requirements that allowed wealthy white men to avoid the draft
• Pervasive racial hatred directed at Negroes
• Political corruption and division

Tom’s presentation delves into these root causes, what they caused, and the aftermath of the riots.

Tom Roza has been a student of history for over 60 years. His interest in history in general and the Civil War began with his elementary education in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has evolved ever since. As an officer and the Secretary of the South Bay Civil War Roundtable, Tom has made numerous presentations on the topic of the Civil War to both his Roundtable organization and other historical organizations in the Bay Area. Tom is also a published author of the book entitled Windows to the Past: A Virginian’s Experience in the Civil War, which has been accepted by the Library of Congress into its