Exciting Speakers Enriching Futures

May 26, 2026

"Eldercare Experiences in the Claremont Area"

Speaker: Gus Boesch, Rita Dixon, Charleen Krueger, and Jack Mills

Speakers who live at four eldercare facilities will talk about why they made the choice to move there and how it has been going. On our panel are residents from Hillcrest, Claremont Manor, Pilgrim Place, and Mt. San Antonio Gardens. This will be a personal and informative session (no sales reps!). If you’re considering making residence decisions, or you know anybody who’s considering making residence decisions, this is the meeting for you.

Gus and Martha Boesch have lived in Claremont for over 35 years. Gus spent a varied career in the healthcare industry from which he retired in 2014. They moved across the street to Pilgrim Place in 2022. Gus has managed logistics for the Pilgrim Place Festival for four years and serves as a medical advocate for patients.

Rita Dixon worked as Assistant Superintendent of Business for several school districts in the Los Angeles area and was Chair of Association of California School Administrators for the greater L.A. region. Once she retired, she volunteered for various positions at her church and community and is now is Chair of the Residents Association for Hillcrest Retirement Community where she and her husband moved in 2021.

Charleen Krueger had a 50-year nursing career, serving patients and their families from prenatal care to hospice. In her later years she was “Parish Nurse” for the Claremont Quaker Meeting. She and her husband Bob moved to Claremont Manor in 2023 when they were unable to safely manage his vascular dementia at home. 

Jack Mills and wife Susan Lominska moved to Claremont in 1975 for Jack to enter the PhD program in psychology at CGU. He worked for the insurance arm of Kaiser Permanente for 20 years, followed by 23 years as an independent program evaluation consultant in education.  He spent 14 years on the Claremont Board of Education and is currently board president of CLASP—Claremont After-School Programs. Jack and Susan moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens in 2023 after Jack received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Sycamore Room, Doubletree Inn, 555 W Foothill Blvd, Claremont
11:30 am: social • 12:00 pm: lunch • 1:00 pm: speaker
Lunch $25 (subsidized by the Club)

June 9, 2026

"Traffic and Transportation Commission and Route 66 Anniversary"

Speaker: Sonja Stump, chair of Traffic and Transportation Commission and owner of Sonja Stump Photography

Sonja Stump is a Claremont businessperson who has served the community in many ways. She is currently chair of the City of Claremont Traffic and Transportation Commission. She has served on many community organizations including Claremont Heritage, Claremont Chamber of Commerce, Claremont High School PFA, and Claremont Meals of Wheels.

A graduate of Azusa Pacific University, Sonja has been a photographer for 48 years, specializing in photos of Claremont. Her community honors include Grand Marshal in the Claremont 4th of July with husband Bob in 2025.

Sycamore Room, Doubletree Inn, 555 W Foothill Blvd, Claremont
11:30 am: social • 12:00 pm: lunch • 1:00 pm: speaker
Lunch $25 (subsidized by the Club)

June 23, 2026

"NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Ambitious Science and Engineering Challenges"

Speaker: Leo Bister, Jet Propulsion Lab, retired engineer

Leo spent 43 years helping to turn ambitious ideas into spacecraft that explore the solar system. After earning his Electrical Engineering degree from Cal Poly Pomona in 1982, he joined JPL and never looked back—contributing to missions that have expanded humanity’s understanding of planets, oceans, and distant worlds. From Saturn’s rings on Cassini to Martian soil with Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers,  and most recently the journey to Europa, his work has helped carry science millions of miles from Earth.

Much of his career was hands-on at the sharp end of exploration—assembly, test, and launch operations—often traveling to Florida to see missions through their final steps into space. Along the way, he balanced a full life at home: 44 years of marriage to his wife, Rosie, three children, and four grandchildren. Now retired, he’s shifting his focus closer to home—running, biking, traveling, and giving back through local volunteering.

Sycamore Room, Doubletree Inn, 555 W Foothill Blvd, Claremont
11:30 am: social • 12:00 pm: lunch • 1:00 pm: speaker
Lunch $25 (subsidized by the Club)