Upcoming Events

AOI's Monthly Luncheon Meetings

Eight times a year, the AOI holds luncheons at the Capitol Skyline Hotel (10 I ('Eye') Street, SW), hosting (on average) 75 members and guests and presenting well-known and respected speakers on topics of historic interest.

In addition, AOI frequently celebrates each New Year with a New Year's Day reception (from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm).

As scheduling permits, AOI sponsors field trips for its members. Some of our past excursions have been to historic Mount Aventine estate, the Navy Yard grounds and museum, a cruise along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers aboard "The American Spirit," and a coach tour of Civil War sites in the District.

See the AOI's latest monthly newsletter embedded version below. AOI's monthly newsletters provide a recap of the past month's luncheon meeting. The recap in the newsletter becomes the 'official' record of the luncheon meeting and maintained under MS422 in the Kiplinger Research Library Archives of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

AOI Luncheon Topics for 2020

[Guests speakers have been invited to appear and have confirmed; however, last-minute program changes sometimes occur.]

Scheduled Events:

March 20, 2020 -- CANCELLED - Covid-19 Pandemic
April 17, 2020 – CANCELLED - Covid-19 Pandemic
May 15, 2020 – CANCELLED - Covid-19 Pandemic
June 19, 2020 -- Scheduled -- watch for announcements: Mary Belcher, “A Place of the Own Making: How African American Activists Created the Mt. Pleasant Plains Cemetery"
Sept. 18, 2020 -- Postponed from March: Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of the DC Public Library, "The DC Public Libraries: Transforming and Adapting"
October 16, 2020 -- Postponed from April: Peter Sefton, “Preserving NC Wyeth's Recorder of Deeds Building”
November 20, 2020 -- (unconfirmed) Dr. Frank Smith, “Bullets to Ballots: The Civil Rights Legacy of the US Colored Troops” and annual election of Officers & Directors

Click here for luncheon reservation details

AOI Provides On-line Audio of Luncheon Talks

Since 1999, audio cassette recordings of AOI's monthly luncheons have been filed in our archive (MS422) at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Beginning with the February 2016 luncheon we will be capturing our business meetings, announcements and featured speakers in digital form. These 60-90 minute files will be aggregated, burned to a CD/DVD or other archival media and placed on file at the Historical Society at the end of the calendar year. We realize that taking this approach, we may be delaying access to these talks While we do not have statistics to support the use of these audio files in the past, we do not want to place at a disadvantage anyone who would like access to the talks in the mean time. So, we are going to provide the audio portion of the monthly luncheons here on our web site so they might be enjoyed by those unable to attend or by others who may want to use components of the talks in their research. If any of the contents is used or quoted in published works, essays or blogs, please give proper credit to both the speakers and the AOI of DC.

We would be interested in any feedback, concerns or questions regarding this new feature. Email your feedback via our Contact Us form.

We Have moved the audio of our luncheons to a new, separate page of our Audio Archives.

AOI Rings in the New Decade with its Annual New Year's Day Brunch Buffet

Seventy-seven AOI members and their guests ushered in AOI's 155th year and the new decade.

AOI Kicks Off It's 154th Year With a New Year's Day Brunch Buffet

Forty-nine AOI members and guests gathered at the Capitol Skyline Hotel to ring in 2019.

2018 New Year's Day at the Capitol Skyline Hotel... with a breakfast/brunch buffet. Fifty-two members and guests enjoyed fellowship and welcomed in the New Year.
(Again, not pictured: Pat Brown who took these photos, John Herron, Roger Thiel and Bill Brown)

AOI Celebrated the New Year... last year
...on Sunday, January 1, 2017 by resuming its annual New Year's Day event... last year: a breakfast at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.
Not pictured: Patricia Brown who took these great photos and member John Herron.