Speaker Information
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Our October Speaker Will Be Rick Jackson
Former LAPD Detective/Crime Drama Consultant
Our branch is pleased to host Detective Rick Jackson (ret. LAPD) for our October luncheon program. Rick will talk about his three decade career as a homicide detective at the Los Angeles Police Department as well as his work as a consultant for best-selling crime fiction writer Michael Connelly, best known for his numerous books on fictional LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.
Rick was assigned to the specialized homicide section known as Robbery-Homicide Division for 23 years. As a member of RHD, Rick worked in three very unique, homicide-oriented units: the Major Crime Investigation Section (MCIS), the Homicide Special Section (HSS), and the Cold Case Homicide Unit (CCHU). The Cold Case Homicide Unit’s work also included the identification of suspects and the solving of several serial murders cases.
During the last decade of Rick’s career, and since his retirement, he has been a consultant for Michael Connelly, who has a long list of novels that reached No. 1 nationally. Immediately following his retirement Rick worked as one of the technical advisors on the Amazon-produced television series, “Bosch,” based on the Michael Connelly novels. He worked in that capacity for Seasons 1 and 2. For the past two years (2017 to present), Rick has returned to his “cold case passion,” currently working part-time in the Cold Case Homicide Unit for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Our November Speaker will be Rick Thom
Museum Director of the National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum
Museum Director of the National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum
Rick Thom served in the U.S. Navy from 1973-1981 and was based at NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Upon his Honorable Discharge, Rick worked for several airlines in Ramp Operations and Passenger Sales. He continued later with Continental Airlines/Continental Micronesia Airlines in Passenger Sales where he retired as Director of Sales-Pacific and Asia.
Rick continued to consult with various airlines in the area of Route Development in and throughout the Pacific and Asia.
Senior Managing Director at Westpac Consulting 2000-2015 Honolulu, Hawaii
Director of Sales North America Pacific & Asia with Continental Micronesia 1994 - 2000 Los Angeles Ca & Guam.
International Sales Manager at Continental Airlines, Inc. 1985 - 1994- San Francisco, Ca.
Director of Station Operations at Sunworld International Airways 1983 - 1985 Las Vegas, NV.
Area Sales Manager at Capitol Air 1981 - 1983
In 2002 Rick started working for the USS Hornet Museum Sea, Air & Space Museum in Alameda, Ca. On 01 July 2022 he stepped down as Chief Operating Officer (COO) to semi retire and now as of May 8th 2023 will be fully retired but maintains a CEO advisory position plus a "all matters advisor" regarding Aircraft.
Still keeping busy he volunteers today as the Museum Director of the National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum in Jacksonville, FL which is in development, ( Bill 3670 HR ). Rick embraces the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum vision which will pay tribute to more than 140,000 service members. Approximately 95,000 of these heroes were classified as missing in action with only 12,000 of those having come home. The National POW/MIA Memorial is designed to connect with all who visit on an emotional, intellectual and physical level. It is designed on the hope that visitors will leave enriched, reverent and called to tell the story of the nation’s Prisoners of War and Missing in Action heroes.....Rick currently live in Reno, NV. when not in Jacksonville or Alameda.
Our January Speaker will be Beverly Lane
Local San Ramon Valley historian, author, & former Danville mayor
Local San Ramon Valley historian, author, & former Danville mayor
Beverly Lane is a local historian, open space advocate and co-chair of the Friends of San Ramon Creek. She has lived in Danville for fifty years and been deeply involved in the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House, and the Museum of the San Ramon Valley (Board of Trustees, chair of exhibits and currently history curator). Lane has written four history books about the San Ramon Valley, Alamo, Danville and San Ramon and curated many exhibits on these communities.
A former Danville Mayor and East Bay Regional Park Director, she is passionate about the virtues of local government and the democratic process. She spoke to our group in late 2021. She will talk with SIRS is titled “The San Ramon Valley, Water and Change”.