Michele Zack, our Altadenablog columnist and local historian, will be giving a luncheon talk Sat., Jan. 15 to the Huntington Westerners at Beckham Grill, 77 W. Walnut St., Pasadena, at noon.

“How Illness Helped to Spread the California Dream” is the subject: using Altadena, Sierra Madre, and Pasadena examples, Zack will show in an illustrated talk how important illness was in driving western immigration between the Civil War and the 1920s — and why this legacy has been underestimated by historians.

Zack is the author of two local/regional histories, both of them recipients of national honors from the American Association of State and Local History. Her latest book, Southern California Story, will be available for sale and signing.

Cost is $21 for lunch, RSVP to 626-577-5222.