Bagger to Speak at Hale Series

            Former Westfield Mayor Rich Bigger will kick off the 2011 Anne M. Hale Speaker Series with a talk on Wednesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Westfield memorial Library, 550 E. Broad St.  His topic will be “Managing State Government During Economically Challenging Times.”

            The lecture is the first of four to be held this year as part of the series that has attracted many top speakers over the past few years.

            Bagger, now the chief of staff for Gov. Chris Christie, spent a decade in the state Assembly where he served as Majority Conference leader and head of the Appropriations committee. He also spent two years as a state senator.

His corporate background includes 16 years in varied posts with Pfizer, where he was senior vice president before assuming his current role with the governor.

In keeping with a Westfield theme, Bagger will be followed on the Hale schedule this year with a talk on June 1 by Dr. Mark Taylor, a former Westfield resident who is a professor of religion at Columbia University.  He is the author of “Crisis on Campus,” a book that promotes a plan to reform colleges and universities, and his talk will center on that topic.  

Dr. Roy Vagelos, who lived in Westfield as a youngster, is slated to speak on Oct. 5 about “The Changing Pharmaceutical  Industry,”  and Bob Wischusen, the play-by-play announcer for the New York Jets and a broadcaster for ESPN, will speak in November on a date to be announced. Wischusen’s lecture is titled “Living the Dream.”

The Hale series is named after Anne Hale, a Westfield resident and library patron who passed away in 2007. Funding for the talks comes through grants from the Thomas Glasser Foundation and the Lee and Anne Hale Fund. The series, free and open to the public, is hosted by the Friends of the Library. Those planning to attend are asked to register on the Online Calendar posted on the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org  of by phoning 908 789 4090 Extension 7951.