Date: Monday, October 26, 2026 10:30 am – 12 Noon
Tortolita

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In the first class we will watch snippets of Alfred Hitchcock movies starting with his European made films in the 1940s and 1950s. The second class will concentrate on the movies Hitchcock made in the U.S. during the 1960s to the 1970s.

Presenter: John Abeln is a retired novelist who previously had a career in International Healthcare. He has lived in the Highlands for five years and helps with managing the Lifelong Learning program.

Date:  Monday, October 26,  2026
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Tortolita

Course Description:

We will discuss topics in the philosophy of love, especially the puzzle of whether “unconditional love” makes sense and whether this can be
reconciled with the notion that you can love someone for good reasons. I will plan to give a brief presentation and then lead a discussion of this topic. My hope is for plenty of back-and-forth with the class.

Presenter: David Baker (Ph.D., Princeton) is Associate Professor of
Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He has joined us for thought-
provoking discussions via Zoom from Ann Arbor for the past several years. This year, Dr. Baker will be joining us in person here at the Highlands.

 Date:  Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026
10:30  – 12:00 Noon
Catalina II

Course Description:

To many people, the word “airliner” just means Airbus or Boeing. But there are airlines in the US (and here in Southern Arizona) that have never flown an Airbus or Boeing airplane, and probably never will. This session will be an introduction to the world of “minor league” airlines, their sometimes surprising business models, and the collective bargaining and regulatory environment that created them. We’ll also see why most observers think these models will not be sustainable much longer, and speculate on how the airlines may adapt.

PRESENTER: Alan Jones is a lifelong aviation enthusiast, with a brief flying career in real life, and a new interest in flight simulation gaming. Alan and Eileen have been snowbirds in the Highlands since his retirement from Boeing in 2014, where he worked for 30 years in design and manufacturing.

Date:  Tuesday, October 27, 2026
1:30 – 3:00
Catalina II

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Trump’s return has marked a break from 80 years of U.S. foreign policy leadership, embracing an “America First” approach. This chapter explores the risks of isolation and diminished influence in relation to Trump 2.0 foreign policy.

Presenter Biography: Part of the Great Decisions* program from the Foreign Policy Association. Facilitator: Ed Laake

Date:  Friday, October 30, 2026
10:30 AM – Noon
Catalina II

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Seven of the top ten causes of death — Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, cancer — share a single risk factor: age. Our current “sick care” system waits for disease to strike, then tries to fix it. Aging science offers a different approach. In this talk, Dr. George Sutphin will explain how researchers are targeting the biological processes that drive aging, aiming to prevent many
of our most common diseases simultaneously while extending healthspan—the healthy, functional years of life. This shift from reactive treatment to prevention, from addressing diseases individually to targeting their shared root cause, represents a coming revolution in healthcare. Discover how understanding aging can transform medicine.

 Presenter Biographer: UA Science Lecture Series: This year’s series, Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World: Building a Better Future, showcases the groundbreaking research at the University of Arizona that is driving innovation and shaping the future we aspire to create.

Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
1:30 – 3:00 PM
Catalina II

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

A performance and discussion with University of Arizona’s reed quintet Tumblereeds. A reed quintet is a modern ensemble that is quickly growing in popularity. It features five instruments that all use reeds to produce their sound. This results in a more homogenized and piercing sound that excels in playing highly energetic and exciting music. Tumblereeds comprises oboe,
clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon.

presenter Biography: The Tumblereeds are a graduate reed quintet from the University of Arizona. The group began in the fall of 2022, and even with consistently changing members each year, the group continues to spread the wonderful music of this more contemporary ensemble.

Date:  Monday, November 2, 2026
10:30 am – 12:00 noon
Tortolita

Course Description: see above, Monday, Oct 26.

 Presenter: John Abeln is a retired novelist who previously had a career in International Healthcare. He has lived in the Highlands for five years and helps with managing the Lifelong Learning program

Date: MOnday, November 2, 2026
1:30 pm– 3:00 pm
Tortolita

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Art has a healing quality that is recognized across a diverse number of cultures. This Art Talk examines its role in three such cultural settings. First, Southwest Indigenous – Navajo, with a focus on Navajo sand paintings and the art of David Chethlahe Paladin. Second, Western Medicine, with a focus on its role in creating a healing environment along with its therapeutic value. Third, The East – Traditional Japan, with a focus on the healing dimension of Japanese temple gardens.

Presenter Biography: Keith White grew up in Oregon, except for three formative grade school years where he lived in Detroit, Michigan and became a lifelong Detroit sports fan. His 40+ year career was spent working in Portland, Oregon in the energy industry, with a particular focus in strategic planning. Upon retiring in the winter of 2017-18, he moved to the Tucson area. Retirement has freed his time to focus on his lifelong interest in art. He has pursued this by beginning to dabble in abstract painting and through his activities as a docent at the Tucson Museum of Art.

DATE: Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Date:  Friday, November 6, 2026
10:30  – 12:00 Noon
Catalina ii

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Insects outnumber humans by billions and predated us on earth. While we diverged early in the evolutionary tree, we still share a vast majority of our genetic sequences, making studies of the insect nervous system insightful for understanding the building blocks of learning, memory, motion, aggression, and development of complex organs like the brain. In this talk, Dr. Martha Bhattacharya will explain how scientists use fruit flies to uncover fundamental tenets of how the brain responds to injury, disease, and stress. In the process, she will describe how her work in flies has identified new genetic pathways involved in dermatitis, epilepsy, and cancer. In the future, insect studies could also provide information on how to survive in a warming world. 

 Presenter Biography: UA Science Lecture Series: This year’s series, Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World: Building a Better Future, showcases the groundbreaking research at the University of Arizona that is driving innovation and shaping the future we aspire to create.

Date:  Friday, November 6, 2026
1:30 – 3:00 PM
Catalina II

 COURSE DESCRIPTION: U.S. alliance skepticism may drive countries like Japan and South Korea to reconsider nuclear options. What are the implications of the Trump administration’s rethinking of the U.S. alliance system for regional and global security? Will this new uncertainty alter the way allies and rivals in various regions make decisions about security and nuclear weapons?

Presenter Biography: Part of the Great Decisions* program from the Foreign Policy Association. Facilitator: Ed Laake

Date: Monday, November 9, 2026
10:30 – 12.00 Noon
Tortolita

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Excessive light at night, otherwise known as light pollution, has serious adverse effects on Astronomy Science, our enjoyment and wonder of the night sky, and also on all living things. These lectures will discuss both technical and cultural aspects of our illuminated world and suggest possible solutions.

 Presenter Biography: Sam Miller is an Advocate with DarkSky International and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, DarkSky Southern Arizona Chapter. In that role, he works to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation. Sam is a career pilot and avionics engineer, and an amateur astronomer.

Date:  Monday, November 9, 2026
1:30 pM – 3:00 PM
TortoLita

Course Description:

Nuclear fusion, the reaction that powers the Sun, offers the promise of a clean, safe, and abundant energy source capable of meeting the ever-growing global demand. Today, the stellarator — one of the earliest types of toroidal devices developed to confine fusion fuel with magnetic fields and control the reaction — is at the forefront of research and innovation across
both science and engineering. Stellarator design involves strategic choices about the device’s geometry to enhance performance while reducing construction costs. In this lecture, the speaker will focus on mathematical modeling and computational methods for stellarator optimization, highlighting some key challenges, recent progress, and future goals in this field.

 Presenter Biography: UA Science Lecture Series: This year’s series, Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World: Building a Better Future, showcases the groundbreaking research at the University of Arizona that is driving innovation and shaping the future we aspire to create.

DATE: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
10:00 am -11:30 AM
Catalina II

Course Description:

A selection of past winners of the Manhattan Short Film Festival. Founded in 1998, this festival is one of the leading film festivals
dedicated to short films and has become international in scope.

 Presenter Biography: Caleb is a resident of the Highlands, a board member of
LLRH and one of the presenters of the animated short film festival last spring.

Date:  Tuesday, November 10, 2026
1:30 pM – 3:00 PM
Catalina II

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

With reduced U.S. support for NATO and Ukraine, Europe faces strategic uncertainty. The Trump administration has signaled an intention to reduce its security role in Europe. What are America’s stakes in NATO and Europe’s strategic dilemmas, and how might Europe respond?

 Presenter Biography: Part of the Great Decisions* program from the Foreign Policy Association. Facilitator: Ed Laake

Date: Tuesday,November 10, 2026
3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Ballroom

Course Description:

North by Northwest is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures”. The film was released on July 1, 1959, to critical and commercial success. It topped the box office in the United States for seven consecutive weeks. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards

Presenter Biography: Alfred Hitchcock was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of cinema.

  Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
10:30 AM  – Noon
Tortolita

Course Description:

Mosquitos are considered the deadliest creature on earth. They are estimated to be the cause of most Homo Sapiens deaths throughout our history! On average 600,000 – 1,000,000 people die a year from mosquito related diseases. Surprise question! Which one of our tech giants has “invested” in mosquitos?

Horses have driven cultures, empires & wars. The wild horse was hunted to extinction 5,500 years ago. Our deep relationship with horses goes back to domestication, the dating of which is still violently debated! The war chariot was the first complex machine & the mounted archer marked the dawn of an empire. Do you know how much horsepower your car has?

Presenter Biography: John Lenzi worked for universities for 30 years after brief stints on Park Avenue and Wall Street. His academic credentials are in psychology, but he was a history buff from childhood & continues to read ancient
and US history.

Date:  Friday, November 10, 2026
1:30 – 3:00 PM
Catalina II

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

How was the American dollar originally invented. Who was the inventor? How has our dollar evolved since its origin? What is our current economic situation?

 Presenters Biography: Donald Swenson is a Valuation consultant and teacher of economics since 1968. He is a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. He has taught economics at Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, Wi. and at Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI.

 DATE: Monday, November 16, 2026
10:30 AM – 12 noon
Tortolita

Course Description:

See Above – November 9

 Presenter Biography:

 Presenter Biography: Sam Miller is an Advocate with DarkSky International and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, DarkSky Southern Arizona Chapter. In that role, he works to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation. Sam is a career pilot and avionics engineer, and an amateur astronomer.

DATE: Monday, November 16, 2026
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Tortolita

Course Description:

Human curiosity, for millennia, has driven us to explore the mysteries of our blue planet and its place in the cosmos. The story of the Earth, as we tell it, is really a synthesis of Earth science. Today, we have access to more data and computation than at any other point in human history. Artificial intelligence shows great promise for simulating Earth systems and uncovering
new patterns. Will this render human investigation obsolete? In this talk, Dr. Laura Condon will explain how these advances are transforming our ability to study the planet, while also highlighting why human insight remains essential. Now, more than ever, we need human reason and ingenuity to ask the right questions and build new understanding that can drive us forward.

Presenter Biography: UA Science Lecture Series: This year’s series, Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World: Building a Better Future, showcases the groundbreaking research at the University of Arizona that is driving innovation and shaping the future we aspire to create.

 ATE: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
10:30 AM – 12 NOON
Catalina II

Course Description: This class will examine modern, critical scholarship about the origins of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), and how the Documentary Hypothesis came to be the dominant academic understanding of how these texts were edited and redacted into their contemporary form. We will also explore how, through the process of Hellenization, otherwise obscure Hebrew religious literature became one of the dominant cultural forces of the Western world.

Presenter Biography: The Rev. Dominic Moore is a priest in the Episcopal Church and the Vicar of the Church of the Apostles in Oro Valley. He is a faculty member of the Diocese of Arizona’s Deacon Formation Academy and holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

DATE: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Catalina II

Course Description:

As democracy and human rights retreat globally—and the U.S. pulls back—how can civil society and legal norms remain effective in a divided world? What is the role and force of international law in this era of impunity?

Presenter Biography: Part of the Great Decisions* program from the Foreign Policy Association. Facilitator: Ed Laake

DATE: Friday,November 20, 2026
10:30 AM – Noon & 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Catalina ii

Course Description:

The 1960s and 1970s represent a pivotal era in the history of music, a period marked by unprecedented innovation, experimentation, and social change. The music of this time served as a powerful voice for a generation grappling with war, civil rights, and shifting cultural norms. It was a time when artists pushed boundaries, challenged conventions, and
created a diverse soundscape that continues to resonate today. Album covers from the ‘60s and ‘70s are a perfect example of this shift. As the lines between the fine arts and the popular arts increasingly blurred, the album cover became a new canvas to explore. For many of us, investing in vinyl albums became an affordable way to collect works of art. This talk will explore some of the most iconic and influential albums of those decades.

Presenter Biography: Jaye-Lynn spent her career as an educator, teaching grades 5 – 8. She holds a BS in Education and a MA in Humanities. She also conducted teacher workshops and wrote curriculum guides for the Dennos Museum in Traverse City, MI and for the Michigan Legacy Outdoor Sculpture Park in Northern Michigan. In 2013, Jaye-Lynn and her husband moved to Tucson where she trained as a docent at the Tucson Museum of Art. Offering Museum tours and giving Art Talks allows her to continue learning and interacting with others who share a love of the arts.