Dartmouth College
Class of 1969
Los Angeles (Pasadena) Mini-Reunion
Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
And the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
April 21-24, 2026
Hosted by
Peter Lawrence D’69 and Karen Lawrence (President of the Huntington).
The Mini-Reunion will begin on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 2:00pm at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (“JPL”) in La Cañada/Flintridge, California.
Please plan to arrive early. California traffic can be heavy, so do leave plenty of time.
Travel to LA:
If you’re traveling from the Eastern US, we suggest arriving in the LA area on Monday. In addition to LAX, and depending on where you’re coming from, there may be viable flight options to Burbank Airport or even to Ontario Airport. Out-of-towners will need to rent cars. With coordinated flight arrivals and departures, classmates could share rental cars.
Lodging:
We have selected as our headquarters two moderately priced Arcadia, CA, hotels (Springhill Suites and the adjacent Hilton Garden Inn) that are within reasonable driving distance of The Huntington campus. Please note the following:
(1) We are NOT reserving any block of rooms for our group. You will need to make your own reservations directly with your hotel, at the room rate that is applicable when you reserve.
(2) Breakfast is included at Springhill Suites, but not at the Hilton Garden Inn unless you opt for a rate that includes it.
(3) If you prefer more upscale lodging, contact Peter Lawrence about special rates at the Lanham, the Hilton, and the Cal Tech Faculty Club—all in Pasadena.
Currently Proposed Schedule:
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 2PM-4PM
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, With Charles Elachi
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, La Cañada/Flintridge
JPL is responsible for all of the US government’s unmanned space travel
- Charles Elachi (JPL’s Director for 20 years) will discuss the JPL program on unmanned space travel, including the Mars voyage.
- For a preview, look on the Huntington website, “Why it Matters: Charles Elachi in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence”)
- Hotel Check in.
Tuesday Dinner and Evening Activities
The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA
- 6:00pm – Pre-Dinner Reception at The Huntington President’s House (the Lawrence Residence)
- 7:00pm - “Wolfgang Puck” Pizza Dinner
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10 AM-6 PM
The Huntington Art Museum, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
- Our morning will begin at 10:00 am with a Tour of the Grand Masters Wing.
- 1:00 pm – Lunch on your own at The 1919 Café.
- The afternoon program will focus on the Contemporary Art Collection.
- Including American 18th, 19th, and 20th century art, furniture and quilts.
Wednesday Dinner and Evening Activities
The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA
- 5:00pm – Pre-Dinner Reception at The Huntington President’s House
- 6:00pm – Authentic Chinese Banquet at NBC Seafood Restaurant, 404 S. Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10 AM-6 PM
The Huntington Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Mateo
- We’ll begin at 10:00 AM with a Golf Cart Tour of Huntington’s 16 individual botanical gardens that span 100 acres.
- Next, guided by Nicole Cavendor, Huntington’s Director of Botanical Gardens, we’ll explore the Desert Gardens, including rare succulents and cacti.
- 1:00pm – Lunch on your own at Huntington’s Jade Court Cafe
- 2:00pm – Robert Hori, Huntington’s Curator of Asian Art and Gardens, will guide us on a tour of the Japanese Heritage House and Gardens.
- We’ll end the afternoon’s session with a tour the Chinese and Japanese Gardens.
Thursday Dinner and Evening Activities
The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA
- 5:00pm – Pre-Dinner Reception at The Huntington President’s House
- 6:00pm – A Traditional Mexican Dinner
Friday, April 24, 2026, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
The Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road, San Mateo
- Touring the Huntington Library, which is a research library consisting of over 12 million books, objects, and manuscripts, serving scholars from throughout the world.
- Although the Huntington Library is currently under construction, when we visit next April we will be treated to a series of presentations and lectures by the Library’s curators and senior staff discussing various topics in American history that may include documents of or about Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
- Our Huntington guides also will discuss printing, with the actual, genuine Gutenberg Bible in front of us.
- Other discussion topics will include the history of medicine and/or science (Vesalius, Fabricius, Darwin, Edison), sustainability, botanical cryopreservation, and literature (including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the “bad quarto” (English 3,4!), Thoreau, and/or the history of roses.
- 1:00pm – Lunch on your own at the 1919 Café.
- The afternoon will be filled with additional presentations from various collections in the Huntington Library.
Friday Dinner and Evening Activities
The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA
- 6:00pm – Farewell Reception and Bar-B-Que at The Huntington President’s House
Cost Estimate:
The current per-person cost estimate for the four dinners and admission to all of the events described above is $350. Please note that the cost for lodging, lunches, and any additional activities on one’s own (see below) will be additional.
Optional Post-Reunion Additional Activities in Los Angeles Area:
For those of you who want to spend some additional time in the LA area, here are some suggestions of things that you can do by making your own arrangements: a visit to the famous Getty Museum (with which the Huntington folks have a close working relationship), SoFi Stadium and Dodger Stadium tours, and a leisurely Saturday at the Laguna Beach home of Peter and Karen Lawrence.
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We are excited about this interesting program, and we hope you will join us in LA next April!
We would like to measure the level of interest in attending this spectacular program. Please respond as soon as possible to njacobs@spiritproducts.com with:
- Your name
- Whether there are 1, 2 or more in your party
- The likelihood of your attending:
- Definitely
- Probably
- Possibly
- No.
Thank you,
Pete & Karen, Dona and Norman