The Genius of Jefferson
In partnership with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, and the University of Virginia, thirty-five Aspen Institute Society of Fellows members and American philanthropists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to explore the genius of Thomas Jefferson in September 2015. This weekend-long immersion in the Founding Fathers world included a private tour of the house and grounds of Monticello, Jeffersons home, led by renowned gardener and historian Peter Hatch. This tour was followed by an exploration of Jeffersons letters and, later, a Feast of Reason prepared with ingredients from Jeffersons garden by James Beard Award-winning chef Frank Stitt. At breakfast the following day, landscape architect Thomas Woltz connected Jeffersons legacy of agricultural stewardship to large-scale sustainability projects taking place at Monticello and across the globe. The weekend concluded with a visit to Jeffersons Academical Village at the University of Virginia, which was followed by a panel on the future of higher education with the schools Undergraduate Dean, Vice Provost, and the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor.