The University of Lynchburg’s popular LIFE@Lynchburg program returns for its fifth year on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Held weekly, LIFE@Lynchburg features a variety of engaging speakers and topics for adults aged 50 and older.
As in previous semesters, all sessions will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays in Schewel Hall’s Sydnor Performance Hall. The fall schedule kicks off with Taz Daughtrey and “Are We Alone in the Universe? The Search for Life on Other Worlds.”
Daughtrey describes himself as a “true child of the Space Age.” He avidly followed all the adventures from Sputnik through the earliest astronaut flights, missions to the solar system planets, and now the International Space Station.
He has served as a resource for the National Air and Space Museum, is a certified lunar sample custodian, and was a columnist for the newsletter of the National Space Institute.
He earned physics and science education degrees from the University of Virginia and pursued graduate studies in history and philosophy of science at Princeton. He has taught physics and astronomy in the Lynchburg public schools and at James Madison University and the University of Lynchburg.
Daughtrey was a youth pastor in his home church on the night of the first moon landing, and he was later credentialed by the Lynchburg newspapers to report from the site of the initial space shuttle launch.
LIFE@Lynchburg continues over the following nine weeks with speakers who will talk about everything from wooly worms and weather forecasting to body snatching. A complete schedule, including speaker bios and topics, can be found on the LIFE@Lynchburg website.
“When I look back over the last four years, I think about how much we’ve grown,” said Sarah Rhodes ’26 HAA, LIFE@Lynchburg’s program director and director of donor relations and endowment administration.
“In our first year, I wasn’t sure if we’d ever fill Sydnor Performance Hall, and now I worry sometimes that we won’t have enough seats for everyone. I feel fortunate to have witnessed the growth in membership and the impact on the Lynchburg community, from day one.
“This program is about more than learning; it’s about friendship and community. Our members spend time together, dine together, and travel together. They come together to support local nonprofits.
“They look out for one another and their neighbors. LIFE@Lynchburg brought them together, but the program has evolved into something bigger and more meaningful. I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Register online by selecting your membership on the LIFE@Lynchburg website. A semester membership is $100 (virtual: $55) and annual memberships are $175 (virtual: $85). Individual classes are $15.
Memberships include a variety of perks, such as reduced meals in the dining hall, borrowing privileges at Knight-Capron Library, reserved parking on Wednesdays, and access to live recordings after the event via an emailed link.
New to LIFE@Lynchburg is a reading list based on the semester’s presentations. Once participants are registered for the semester or year, they can visit Knight-Capron Library and check out books from a special LIFE@Lynchburg collection.
The books were provided by the Treadway Family Fund, one of LIFE@Lynchburg’s sponsors, and will be donated to the library at the end of the semester.
Several scholarships are available for LIFE@Lynchburg. Five of each will be awarded this fall. The full scholarships cover the entire 2026-27 academic year. You may apply for yourself or on behalf of someone else through Friday, Aug. 28.
- Becky & Rick DuFour Scholarship: For retired K-12 public school educators.
- Burnette Family Scholarship: For those committed to giving back to the greater community.
- LIFE@Lynchburg Community Scholarship: For anyone interested in LIFE@Lynchburg, and funded by gifts to the program.
In addition to the Treadway Family Fund, LIFE@Lynchburg is sponsored by The Summit, an upscale retirement community in Lynchburg.
For more information, contact Rhodes at [email protected] or 434.544.8084.
