Jim Boren, former executive editor of the Fresno Bee and current executive director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State, interviews Bob Woodward during the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Fresno’s all-volunteer San Joaquin Valley Town Hall celebrates 90 years with speakers, scholarships and community engagement.
Melissa Montalvo
Fresno Bee
Eight times a year, upwards of 1,000 people pack Fresno’s Saroyan Theatre and other venues to hear leading thinkers and innovators speak on ideas shaping our world.: The San Joaquin Valley Town Hall will enter its 90th season this fall as the oldest non-profit, volunteer-run town hall in the country.
The organization’s original purpose, to “sponsor and present lectures, panel discussions and programs of an educational, literary and cultural nature,” really hasn’t changed — it simply has grown. Its new and updated purpose is to “bring nationally and internationally renowned, thought-provoking speakers who inform, educate and entertain,” and reflects a re-energized modern mission with an expansive and inclusive scope.
The 25-member working board — plus more than 75 community ambassadors — is poised to launch this nonagenarian nonprofit into the next decade, as they continue to hone its vision for the future. A public benefit corporation’s immortality is never a given nor a minor task to achieve. How does it stay relevant and better serve the diverse communities of the San Joaquin Valley? This is an evolving, innovating work-in-progress.
Early origins
Town halls can be traced back to the 1820s, when a social movement for adult education began near the shores of Chautauqua Lake in New York. The movement spread across the country, featuring speakers, teachers, musicians and specialists of the day. Public gatherings in the form of town halls were important — a vital way to keep citizens informed and entertained. Think: Ted Talks of the 19th century.
These gatherings were an important opportunity for community members to experience new things, hear varied viewpoints and expand horizons. The San Joaquin Valley Town Hall proudly carries on that tradition today.
Through a cadre of volunteers, the town hall exists in the ether of its own collective energies. No bricks and mortar or paid staff, just a shared passion for lifelong learning and lots of sweat equity.
Hanford woman to thank
The idea for such an organization began with one trailblazing woman in Hanford: In 1937, after attending a speaker series in San Francisco, Clio Lee Aydelott was hooked. As a writer who belonged to a “letters society,” Aydelott and her colleagues convinced Dr. Alan Rappaport to bring the unique format to Fresno to enhance the intellectual and the cultural life of the Valley.
Among the earliest speakers to grace the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall stage in the late 1930s were diplomat Nicolas Roosevelt, a cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt; the Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, the youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy; and Emma Linda Palmer Littlejohn, an Australian feminist, journalist and radio broadcaster known for her advocacy of women’s rights.
Ninety years of community engagement
Since then, the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall has procured over 500 notable speakers across a wide spectrum of disciplines, such as Alistair Cooke, Henry Kissinger, Maya Angelou, Judy Woodruff, Condoleezza Rice, Anthony Bourdain, Gloria Steinem, Ben Vereen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Vincente Fox, Rick Steves, Roseanne Cash, Jimmy Chin, Michael McFaul, Father Greg Boyle and Amy Tan.
Thanks to the continued support of our audiences and sponsors, the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall hosts students free of charge, awards scholarships to high school Merit Scholars and provides Certified Sign Language interpreters. We also offer livestreaming to all paid ticket-holders and are in the midst of expanding streaming services to groups who might not otherwise be able to participate.
Our 90th anniversary celebration officially begins September 16, with Saturday Night Live comedy legend, Colin Quinn. Other guests will include CBS News Senior Correspondent Norah O’Donnell; NASA Chief Engineer Kobie Boykins; award-winning chef and Food Network Host Tyler Florence; and actress Christine Baranski.
In the digital age, as new technologies provide instant access to anything anytime, opportunities for true human connection are increasingly rare and even more important. San Joaquin Valley Town Hall continues the long tradition of community gatherings for a shared purpose and invites you to come along.
The San Joaquin Town Hall’s 90th birthday is an occasion to celebrate all this amazing organization brings to San Joaquin Valley communities. It is a touchstone for education, entertainment and inspiration.
Phyllis Brotherton is a San Joaquin Valley Town Hall board member and programming vice president.
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