For our community of supporters who believe learning is the journey of a lifetime.
From South Africa to the Pacific Northwest
Martha Bessac is Devoted to Road Scholar
Martha Bessac’s passion for learning, exploration and travel was instilled in her early in life. As the daughter of a career naval officer, Martha grew up on both coasts as well as Hawaii. During her senior year of high school, she studied in Guatemala for 10 months and received her diploma there. She shared her love of learning throughout her career — teaching community college and graduate school students. Since retiring as a United Methodist pastor, Martha’s pursuit of knowledge and new cultures is her way of life — leading her around the world with Road Scholar over the past 11 years.
From Sea to Shining Sea
In August 2013, Martha embarked on her first Road Scholar program, Lobsters, Wineries and Foods of New England. “That program was a wow,” says Martha. She immediately signed up for more programs, including an On the Road adventure from San Antonio to Big
Bend National Park, a barbecue experience in South Carolina and programs in the Pacific Northwest, Utah’s national parks and the Rocky Mountains. “I was addicted! The balance and depth of experiential learning and exposure integrated with local resources and people created a cohesive feeling.”
“I was able to immerse myself in the experience without worrying about the behind-the-scenes details,” she says. “It’s the best way you’re ever going to see the national parks.” She credits the group leaders for their knowledge, warmth and desire to help participants have the best experience possible.
Passport to the World
With so many wonderful domestic adventures under her belt, Martha chose Japan: An Exploration of History, Culture and Society as her first international program in 2014. Having taught conversational English in Japan for two years earlier in her career, she couldn’t wait to return.
→ Big Bend National Park is one of many destinations Martha has explored with Road Scholar
Learning for Every Season
s we turn the page from summer to fall, students everywhere are heading back to school. This season of learning stirs special memories of our early student days — new friends, new teachers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our new lunchboxes and covering new textbooks with brown paper bags.
It’s with your support that the Road Scholar community celebrates and continues this lifelong joy of learning together. You make it possible for like-minded adult learners to join a group on the adventure of a lifetime. Explore a new country, choose your favorite subject, add the Resplendent Quetzal to your birding life list or experience the Northern Lights. At Road Scholar, we embrace every season of life as an opportunity for growth and discovery and find inspiration in our community of lifelong learners.
Road Scholar as a way of giving back and saying thank you.
Discover the research and development that goes into creating Road Scholar’s innovative new programs for our adult learners worldwide as Associate Vice President of Programs Meghan Flynn gives a behind-thescenes look at the Road Scholar Trip Lab. Only with your ongoing support can her team continue to develop these engaging new learning adventures.
In this issue of Impact, we shine a light on our community of devoted supporters. Beginning with our cover profile on Martha Bessac, read how Martha’s thirst for learning and travel has led her around the world with Road Scholar over the past 11 years and why she supports
At Road Scholar, we embrace every season of life as an opportunity for growth and discovery and find inspiration in our community of lifelong learners.
As students head back to school, we look forward to seeing many of you on an upcoming learning adventure. You’re sure to find something or somewhere new to discover in our collection of domestic, international, shipboard educational voyages and online programs.
The joyful journey of learning never truly ends. It is my honor to have you share your journey with us. Thank you for your continued dedication to learning and to Road Scholar.
Sincerely,
James Moses Road Scholar President & CEO
(continued from cover)
Since then, she has gone on to travel the world with Road Scholar, participating in 41 programs and enjoying Adventures Online during the pandemic. From Japan and Costa Rica to China’s Yangtze River and the Aigas Field Center in Scotland — where she’s been twice because it was so much fun — Ireland, Australia, North Wales, Switzerland, India, China, France and Portugal, Martha has experienced a world of extraordinary people and places. She carries heartwarming memories of group leaders, motorcoach drivers, local families and fellow participants with her.
I went on a safari with Road Scholar, and it touched my soul in a way I wasn’t expecting.
“If you’re interested in people and culture, then Road Scholar programs are the way to do it,” says Martha. She recalls visiting a family in Portugal in 2018 and sampling their prizewinning wine. It was so special that Martha purchased a bottle. “I just shared it last Thanksgiving with my nephew,” she says. She remembers special moments, like hearing a choir practice a piece by Handel in Notre Dame and then watching the cathedral burn a week later on the news at home on April 15, 2019.
A Special Place in Her Heart
While Martha admits that she has a few favorites after all of these years of traveling, there is one place that will always remain nearest to her heart: South Africa. “I went on a safari with Road Scholar, and it touched my soul in a way I wasn’t expecting.”
Martha Gives Back
“I give to Road Scholar so that others can have a similar experience. It’s a way of putting my money where my mouth is.” Martha began supporting Road
Scholar annually in 2020 and rewrote her will to include Road Scholar. “It’s my way of saying thank you,” says Martha.
Martha is a strong believer in Road Scholar’s Caregiver Grants. “I was a caregiver, and I know how draining it is,” she says. “Caregivers need to know how important they are and be aware of this opportunity with Road Scholar.”
Martha wholeheartedly supports Road Scholar and its mission as a way of giving back and saying thank you for the lifechanging experiences made possible by the organization. “I have a warm place in my heart for Road Scholar,” says Martha. “I hope to do more online programs and possibly another domestic program with my family in the future.” ■
↑ Martha Bessac says she would travel to South Africa every year if she could.
Road Scholar educational adventures are created by Elderhostel, the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975, dedicated to serving the educational needs of older adults. Road Scholar Impact is published for the friends and supporters of Road Scholar. The purpose of this publication is to provide accurate information of a general character only. For advice in specific cases, the services of an attorney or other professional advisors should be obtained. The Elderhostel and Road Scholar logos, website addresses and other marks are owned by Elderhostel, Inc. If you wish to modify our communications with you, please go to www.roadscholar.org and log in to your account, or call us toll free at (800) 454-5768. Please direct inquiries to Ann Lamond or Ann Simanis, Road Scholar, PO Box 56033, Boston MA 02205-6033; telephone: (877) 737-0664; e-mail: ann.lamond@roadscholar.org or ann.simanis@roadscholar.org.
What’s Your Legacy?
In 2005, Sandy Willen enrolled in her first Road Scholar program at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. At the time, she lived and worked in the area and had attended several events there independently. “Yet, when I joined Road Scholar for a behind-the-scenes exploration of the concert hall, I was amazed by the many discoveries in a place I thought I knew so well,” says Sandy. Nineteen years later, Sandy and her husband, Jon, are devoted Road Scholars.
Since their very first program, Sandy and Jon have journeyed to Africa, Cuba and destinations
→ Sandy and Jon Willen are devoted Road Scholars.
in the United States with Road Scholar. Along the way, they’ve met many new friends who share their love of learning and travel.
“Both Jon and I know we are better for participating in Road Scholar educational adventures,” says Sandy. Because of that — and because they appreciate the impact Road Scholar has on so many others — Sandy and Jon named Road Scholar as a beneficiary in their will. “Our bequest to Road Scholar is our way of ensuring that Road Scholar will be there for others in the future,” she says.
SANDY AND JON’S TIMELINE WITH ROAD SCHOLAR
Why Name Road Scholar in Your Will or Trust?
Since 1975, Road Scholar has inspired more than six million older adults to learn, discover and travel. Over the years, Road Scholar has been strengthened by participants and supporters who named this not-for-profit organization as a beneficiary of their wills and estate plans. Road Scholar has received bequests of all sizes — from $5,000 to $50,000 to $1 million.
For many, leaving a bequest to Road Scholar is a way of giving back and saying thank you for the opportunities our transformational programs have provided. By naming Road Scholar in your will, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are leaving a legacy of education to enrich the lives of older adults for years to come.
How is Road Scholar Planning for the Future?
Thanks to bequests and other planned and major gifts, Road Scholar can grow and develop innovative new programs to meet the changing needs of older adults. Our commitment to creating learning adventures that enrich the mind, fulfill lifelong dreams and forge lasting friendships will never change.
Have you already named Road Scholar as a beneficiary of your will or trust? If you have, please let us know by contacting Philanthropy Officer Kase Martis at kase.martis@roadscholar.org or toll free at (877) 737-0664. We want to thank you for providing your gift for the future.
African Safari: Cape Town, Botswana & Victoria Falls
GIVING BACK: Sandy and Jon name Road Scholar in their bequest plans.
Read All About It!
Six Books by Our Road Scholar Experts
If you’re happiest with a book in your hands, we’ve gathered a few titles written by Road Scholar educators. Experts in their fields, many of our online and in-person instructors are also published authors. We’ve selected six of our favorites to share with you.
Ethereal Elegance
Blooming in hues of white and pink, cherry tree blossoms are a much-anticipated perennial favorite. In 1912, Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees — also known as the Sakura — to the United States. Road Scholar instructor and author Ann McClellan writes about the ethereal beauty of these trees in “The Cherry Blossom Festival: Sakura Celebration.”
For Green Thumbs
Road Scholar instructor Jenny Rose Carey is an avid hands-on gardener, author and former senior director at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She just finished her second book about flower gardening, “The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide.”
Dive Into Dickens
If you’re a fan of Charles Dickens and the first half of his career, you’ll want to read “Other Dickens: Pickwick to Chuzzlewit” by one of our Road Scholar experts, John Bowen. In this book, John brings a fresh voice to Dickens’ early novels, including “The Pickwick Paper,” “Oliver Twist” and “Martin Chuzzlewit.”
Reform of the British Army — 1902-1914
If you want to read a fresh inter pretation of the Boer War and the opening months of World War I, award-winning historian and Road Scholar expert Dr. Spencer Jones offers just that. In “From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army, 1902-1914,” he explores specific connections between these two wars.
Storied Pasts: Britain’s Kings and Queens
Discover the details you may have forgotten in “Britain’s Kings and Queens,” a book by Road Scholar program leader and author Kevin Flude. This guide features tales of murder, adultery, beheadings, civil war and madness as it retells Britain’s history chronologically in “bite-sized chunks.”
American History — Past and Present
Road Scholar expert and author Louis P. Masur offers a sweeping yet compact history of America in “The Sum of Our Dreams.” In this book, Louis distills and connects the significant events and figures in our country’s past. From the Colonial Era to the Revolutionary Period, the Early Republic and the Civil War, Louis explores the divisiveness that has characterized America’s civic life over the last 40 years.
Read All About It! Check out these titles plus others at Road Scholar’s Bookshop: www.bookshop.org/shop/roadscholar
The Art & Science of Creative Program Development
Made Possible by Donors Like You!
It takes a village — more accurately, dozens of team members in the Road Scholar Trip Lab — working in concert behind the scenes to plan and develop innovative new programs for our adult learners. This group must keep their eye on the needs of our participants — activity level preferences, solo travel interest, popular locations, topics and more — while constantly monitoring the quality of Road Scholar’s existing programs. The staff hours dedicated to programming would not be possible without the unrestricted support of our generous donors.
Road Scholar’s Associate Vice President of Program Strategy & Management Meghan Flynn says, “We are always monitoring our programming and reviewing what our providers around the world are proposing to us.”
shoreline and we aren’t offering this, we need to add that learning adventure to our programs,” she says.
Most importantly, Meghan and her team listen to what Road Scholar participants are asking for, from more solo traveling opportunities to slower-paced programs to specific requests like birding in Costa Rica.
“If everyone is flocking to Prince Edward Island to cycle its
For example, two years ago, Road Scholar began developing learning adventures in the newly independent country of Georgia. Offering a new, in-depth learning adventure in Georgia for 2024 is Road Scholar’s way of bringing business and awareness to this emerging country. Road Scholar worked closely with local businesses to create these new programs sustainably. This extraordinary new Road Scholar destination is rich in flavor and history — highlighting
traditional Georgian cuisine, wine made from diverse varieties of native grapes and 14th-century landmarks. “Once you’re aware of a new program, things grow. We are committed to trying out new areas worldwide,” says Meghan.
Another example of creating a new opportunity involved mounting evidence that a slower-paced program option was needed in Rome and Florence. From this, Italy at a Slower Pace: The Best of Rome & Florence was born, with programs beginning in March 2025.
“It’s hard to get around in Rome and Florence,” says Meghan. “We focused on creating a similar version of our traditional program there with the
↑ Meghan Flynn
same content, but we have added days to the itinerary, slowed down the pace and addressed mobility challenges by adding additional transportation including golf carts and providing seated lectures.”
Road Scholars are also asking for out-of-the-ordinary domestic programs, prompting the creation of On the Road: Cuisine & Culture in Acadiana Louisiana for 2025. “While New Orleans is the main attraction in Louisiana, there are many smaller, off-the-beaten-path cities rich in culture, flavor and history,” says Meghan. “This program begins in New Orleans, but we have extended it to eight days on the
road so we can explore Baton Rouge, Lafayette and the shrimping industry in the Bayou.”
With a focus on diversity, one new program in 2025, The Heart of the Civil Rights Movement With Your Family, will allow grandparents to share their firsthand experiences living through this period with their children and grandchildren. “We are very proud of this unique program that will deepen the learning and strengthen the bonds among family members,” says Meghan.
Thanks to our donors’ generous support, Road Scholar can continue to create innovative new programs to meet the diverse needs of older adults while caring for our global classroom for generations of lifelong learners to come.
Please Consider Road Scholar During the Season of Thanks and Giving!
As you start planning for the season of thanks and giving, please consider adding Road Scholar to your gift-giving list by December 31!
Remember that making charitable gifts to Road Scholar this calendar year can be beneficial in many ways, providing essential support for Road Scholar, while producing a 2024 charitable income tax deduction for you if you itemize.
To donate by phone, call (877) 737-0664. You may also make a gift on our secure website at www. roadscholar.org/D125
↑ Road Scholar is creating innovative new programs around the world, (clockwise from top left) from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Montgomery, Alabama, to the country of Georgia.
THE HEALING PROPERTIES OF SUN & SALTWATER
Caregiver Grant Comforts Michelle M.
Michelle M. was always an attentive daughter. She called and visited her dad, Henry, weekly at his assisted-living facility. In his 80s, Henry was a happy-go-lucky man who was fondly considered “The Mayor” of the facility. He and Jessie, his lady friend, were inseparable. Sadly, these good times did not last long enough. Life became much more difficult for Michelle as she worked at a full-time job in sales and, at the same time, became more involved in her dad’s daily care as his health declined.
When her dad lost Jessie, Michelle began visiting more frequently.
“Without Jessie, he became depressed and soon after was diagnosed with liver cancer,” says Michelle. “He seemed to decline so fast and he required more care than the facility could provide.” Michelle would slip away and
check in on Henry three times a week and on the weekends.
“I pushed for him to start chemotherapy, because he was so vibrant,” says Michelle.
Unfortunately, Henry did not handle it well. “He became nauseous, dizzy and lost his
appetite,” she says, “and he required oxygen and more hands-on care.” As he worsened, Michelle sneaked away from work to take him to doctor’s appointments and check on him whenever the facility called.
Michelle reluctantly accepted her dad’s decision to stop chemotherapy, and considering his quality of life and prognosis, he was placed in hospice. “I could no longer keep up the charade at work and care for my dying father,” says Michelle. “I used the Family and Medical Leave Act and devoted myself to his last days, sleeping on a cot in his room to be by his side.”
Henry died peacefully within six months of his diagnosis after falling and slipping into a coma. “I’m grateful I had the chance to be there for him,” says Michelle.
Michelle heard about Road Scholar’s Caregiver Grant from a friend and applied last fall, hoping to find respite. For her journey, she chose History and Ecology: Okefenokee Swamp, Amelia & Cumberland Islands. Upon receiving the grant, she made plans for February 2024. “I chose this Road Scholar program to Florida with my dear friend, Freddrika, because my father would say that the sun and water have healing properties,” says Michelle.
→ These coastal islands off of Georgia and Florida are rich with flora and fauna.
CHANGE A CAREGIVER’S
Gifts of All Sizes Make a Difference
Michelle enjoyed learning about the history of Amelia and Cumberland Islands, back to their native inhabitants. She found Cumberland Island so inspiring that she read “Untamed,” a book about biologist Carol Ruckdeschel, who still lives on the island. “By coincidence, Carol happened to be on the island’s south end the day we were visiting,” says Michelle.
“I chose this Road Scholar program to Florida with my dear friend, Freddrika, because my father would say that the sun and water have healing properties.”
Michelle found the others in her group friendly, and she especially appreciated Peggy Benton, their expert group leader. “Thank you to Road Scholar for making the Caregiver Grant available. It has brought me peace and joy,” she says. And like her father always said, Michelle found the saltwater and sun restorative in so many ways.
Imagine that you could help a caregiver like Michelle by providing a time of rest and rejuvenation, allowing them to learn something new and make a new friend along the way. When you support Road Scholar Caregiver Grants, you do just that. Your donation allows us to send a deserving caregiver on a Road Scholar learning adventure to immerse themselves in an educational experience. During that time, they also have the opportunity to rest and recharge.
Road Scholar Caregiver Grants make a difference in the lives of caregivers. To learn how you can donate to or endow a Named Caregiver Grant Fund, call us at (877) 737-0664 or learn more at www.roadscholar.org/ caregiver
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