Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s legacy and historic visit Aspen to be celebrated in Aspen and Basalt

The legacy of Dr. Albert Schweitzer will be honored in the Roaring Fork Valley with two days of public events in Basalt and Aspen on June 30 and July 1, commemorating the 150th anniversary of his birth and the 76th anniversary of his historic visit to Aspen.

Organized by the Aspen Historical Society and the Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW), the celebration reflects Schweitzer’s enduring influence on regional values of service, compassion, and philanthropy. 

A Nobel Peace Prize-winning theologian, philosopher, musician, and medical missionary, Schweitzer delivered the keynote address at Aspen’s 1949 Goethe Bicentennial Convocation. His visit helped catalyze the founding of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies — now The Aspen Institute — and shaped Aspen’s identity as a hub for ethical and intellectual exploration. Schweitzer’s philosophy of “Reverence for Life” continues to resonate worldwide.

The Albert Schweitzer Sesquicentennial Convocation will explore the enduring impact of his ideas through music, film, literature, and discussion centered on public health, empathy, and ethical responsibility. 

All events are free and open to the public.

The program begins Sunday, June 30, at TACAW in Basalt, where Dr. Jim Withers, founder of the Street Medicine Institute, will screen a short film and speak about his work delivering healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh. 

Withers is widely regarded as carrying forward Schweitzer’s legacy.

“Schweitzer is someone whom I knew from my father as a kid, and I always admired him. In a much smaller way, I am finding that I take a lot of similar steps that he took,” Withers said. “I found that Schweitzer’s fundamental search for the power of an individual is a need to transcend the bounds that society places on you. That directly responds to people, life, and the planet genuinely, in contrast to doing what you’re told. Schweitzer was courageous with that.”

Reflecting on his work, he added, “Ironically, people tend to be experts on judging others the further detached they are from that individual. That serves as a convenience for prejudice, greed, and all other things of the people who are doing the judging. To me, that is an abomination. You really have to have a reverence for the reality that person is in, but you will never fully know.”

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Working with domestic violence survivors was particularly transformative, he said. 

“It was a real eye-opener for me to see how many people were living in absolute hell, and we do not see it because we have our own version of reality that we play along with. We decide who the good people are and who the bad people are, and to me, that shows no curiosity, no integrity, and is honestly just lame.”

Schweitzer has inspired a generation of medical professionals to adopt a more compassionate approach to care. 

“A great physician once said that ‘it’s more important to know the person who has the disease than what disease the person has;’ I think thats about being as present as you can, and let that person’s experience and essence, and the strengths of that person reveal themselves to you,” Withers said. “It’s important to approach people when they are broken this gently.”

Doors at TACAW open at 5:30 p.m., with appetizers and a cash bar. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. RSVPs are encouraged at tacaw.org.

The celebration continues on Monday, July 1, in Aspen. At 4:00 p.m., the Aspen Community Church will host Schweitzer scholar and organist Dr. James Welch, who will present a brief lecture and perform several of Schweitzer’s favorite Bach works. The evening then moves to the patio of the Wheeler/Stallard Museum for refreshments and a ceremonial proclamation.

At 5:00 p.m., Aspen and Pitkin County will jointly proclaim July 1 as “Albert Schweitzer Day,” honoring his lasting global and local influence. 

A panel discussion follows at 5:30 p.m., led by local author Paul Andersen, who will mark the release of his new book “The Second Coming of Albert Schweitzer” alongside Schweitzer scholars and historians.

Dr. Withers will return at 6:30 p.m. to deliver the keynote address in Aspen, reflecting on Schweitzer’s philosophical influence and the global growth of the street medicine movement. 

RSVPs for the Aspen programs can be sent to programs@aspenhistory.org.

This tribute is made possible through the support of the Aspen Historical Society, TACAW, the Aspen Community Church, and philanthropic partners, including the Alchemy Charitable Foundation, the Alford and Poschman families, John Dougherty and Human Service Innovations, Bobby Moyer, Lachlan Forrow, Todd Breyfogle, The Aspen Institute, and others.

Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman, one of the event’s organizers, said he hopes the celebration will inspire younger generations to pursue medicine and humanitarian work.

“This is a community-generated event, and seeing that our community has gone for seven decades since Albert Schweitzer came and kicked off Aspen’s cultural renaissance, we decided it’s good to remind ourselves, and inspire and educate the ones who do not know, about the Nobel provenance of Aspen — the beginnings,” Poschman said. “There was some idealism involved after the Second World War on how we were going to make the world a better place. Albert Schweitzer was brought in to help sort that out. It really kicked off Aspen’s cultural renaissance.”

He noted that the momentum from Schweitzer’s visit led to the formation of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, the Aspen Music Festival, and more.

More information is available at aspenhistory.org and tacaw.org.