Rice alumni are lifelong learners, driven by curiosity and a passion for discovery — and the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls program brings that spirit to life around the globe.
Now celebrating its 55th anniversary, Traveling Owls has brought hundreds of alumni to remarkable destinations — from the pyramids of Egypt to the icy expanse of Antarctica to the savannas of Africa — all while creating lasting connections among fellow Owls.
With thoughtfully planned itineraries and enriching experiences, each journey offers more than just sightseeing: it’s an opportunity to explore the world through a Rice lens, fueled by a shared love of learning. In the stories that follow, you’ll hear from alumni and faculty whose adventures with Traveling Owls have deepened their bonds with Rice and with each other.
Orchestrating Adventures: Art Gottschalk and the Soundtrack of Alumni Travel | Jesse Diaz ’87: Next Stop, Adventure |
Emily Hawthorn ’70 and Anne Locke ’70: Tulips, Tortoises and Timeless Bonds
Orchestrating Adventures: Art Gottschalk and the Soundtrack of Alumni Travel
Shepherd School of Music professor Arthur “Art” Gottschalk is more than just a longtime music professor and composer — he’s a beloved Traveling Owls faculty host who’s turned cultural exchange into an art form.
Years before he led his first Traveling Owls trip, Art was forging global connections of his own, beginning with an invitation from Cuba’s Ministry of Culture to present at Primavera en La Habana, an international electroacoustic music festival. A Spanish speaker with deep ties to Hispanic music, Art was eager to go. But the path wasn’t easy. After being denied a travel license twice, once due to a mistaken identity involving a journalist with the same name, he was finally granted clearance. It was the first of several trips to the island.
When Rice’s alumni office learned of Art’s longstanding ties to Cuban cultural institutions, they asked if he would lead the first Rice alumni trip to Cuba. He didn’t hesitate. “I was dying to go,” he laughed. Thanks to his personal connections, the group gained rare access to cultural events and institutions not on the typical itinerary. The trip even launched the first U.S.-Cuba electroacoustic cultural exchange and kicked off a decade-long travel relationship that took him to the island ten times, often with Rice alumni in tow.
“I became like a de facto expert on Cuban tourism,” he said. “The last time we went, relations had improved so much that we were able to visit the rest of the island, not just Santiago and Cienfuegos and Havana, but all the way down to the southeastern part. We saw Castro's tomb. We saw San Juan Hill.”
Art jumped on the chance to serve as a faculty host for other Traveling Owls trips. “Rice alumni are just spectacular travel companions,” he said. “They're smart. They've traveled before. They're not U.S.-centric. They understand the differences with other cultures, respect them and appreciate them and are interested in them.”
Whether he is leading trips in Italy, Ireland, Greece or Croatia, Art always adds a personal touch. In Croatia, he arranged a private concert with the country’s most famous klapa group. The performance was so captivating that hotel staff paused their work to listen, and townsfolk pressed their faces to the windows. In Italy, he rerouted the itinerary to include the EuroChocolate Festival in Perugia. In Heraklion, an unexpected downpour turned into an impromptu night of desserts, drinks and conversing with locals at a portside restaurant.
“I don’t want to just lecture,” he explained. “I want to add value. Music is part of every culture, and Rice people are generally interested. They're flexible. They’re eager to learn. They’re tolerant. I’ve made a lot of my best friends from that alumni base. We get lunch once a month, go to baseball games — it's a great pool from which to make friends and acquaintances.”
Art enjoyed his time with the Traveling Owls so much that he and his wife even joined a trip to Iceland as participants. “Helge Gonnermann was the faculty host for our trip, and he and his wife were charming and immensely informative,” he said. “We really just appreciate traveling with the alumni.”
This year, Art’s personal and thoughtful approach earned him the Outstanding Enrichment Host Award from the Traveling Owls program, a fitting honor for someone who sees travel not just as tourism, but as transformation.
"Rice alumni are just spectacular travel companions. They're smart. They understand the differences with other cultures, respect them and appreciate them and are interested in them.”
—Art Gottschalk
Jesse Diaz ’87: Next Stop, Adventure
Jesse Diaz ’87 didn’t grow up jet-setting around the world. “When I was a kid, traveling meant loading up the family car and seeing relatives,” he said. But six years after graduating from Rice, Jesse and his wife, Kim, spotted a Mediterranean cruise in Rice’s annual travel brochure and decided to take a chance. “We met some great people and had a really great experience,” he recalled. “The only issue we had was saving up money to be able to go on another one.” That first trip ignited something in them: a shared joy for discovery — and a new way to stay connected to Rice.
Over the years, the Diazes joined another Mediterranean cruise and a small-group trip to Austria. “It was a great way to travel with other alumni and have some commonality when you're on the other side of the world,” Jesse said. “We saw the pyramids in Egypt, King Tut’s tomb, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. You’re standing in places that are thousands of years old. That kind of history — it’s amazing.”
As their family grew, travel paused. “Life changed,” Jesse said. For two decades, raising their son became their focus. But when he was grown and thriving, the travel bug returned. They were excited to reconnect with Rice through a holiday markets cruise until COVID-19 cancelled their plans. Undeterred, they used their travel credit after the pandemic to explore Africa instead, visiting South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. “We enjoyed it so much that we wanted to do more traveling,” Jesse said.
Last December, they joined a Christmas River cruise through Germany and France, alongside a dozen Rice alumni. “We had a great trip,” Jesse said. “The boat was beautiful, the itinerary well-planned and the people were wonderful. You could relax knowing everything was taken care of.”
When they moved back to Texas after 25 years away, Jesse and Kim attended the Traveling Owls’ annual Destination Debut, an event that unveils the upcoming year’s alumni travel program, featuring presentations, refreshments and opportunities to connect with fellow travelers and tour hosts. “You can mingle with alumni, meet the travel agencies, talk to people who’ve been on the trips and enjoy a drink or hors d’oeuvres,” Jesse said. “It’s a nice touch. Rice does a great job putting it all together and getting alumni excited about traveling the world.”
Now retired and ready to roam, Jesse and his wife have a full itinerary: a WWII-themed “Band of Brothers” trip in June and a cruise through Venice and the Greek Isles in September. They’re also signed up for their dream Serengeti safari next August, where they’ll be joined by friends they met on a previous Owl adventure. “We’ve been fortunate to have several trips of a lifetime and fortunate they’ve been with Rice,” Jesse said. “They make it easy. You see the world, meet interesting people and share something in common. That’s what makes it special.”
“We’ve been fortunate to have several trips of a lifetime and fortunate they’ve been with Rice."
—Jesse Diaz
Emily Hawthorn ’70 and Anne Locke ’70: Tulips, Tortoises and Timeless Bonds
After saving Rice travel brochures for years, Emily Hawthorn ’70 and her college roommate Anne Locke ’70 finally decided to take a trip to the Galápagos in 2024. “We had a marvelous time,” Emily said. “It was everything we hoped it would be.”
Over the course of the week, Emily and Anne visited eight islands, each teeming with wildlife and otherworldly charm. The Galápagos lived up to its legendary reputation with sea lions, flamingos, blue-footed boobies, sea turtles and the iconic Galápagos tortoises making frequent appearances.
“We saw eight islands, all so different,” Emily marveled. “And the animals aren’t afraid of people — you’re just feet away from them.” For Anne, some moments felt truly magical like watching mother turtles return to the sea after laying their eggs or sailing beside a pod of dolphins. “The dolphins were curious about us, just like we were curious about them,” she said. “It was enchanting.”
Evenings aboard the ship brought their own kind of wonder: National Geographic-led iPhone photography lessons, lively conversations and a special night where Rice travelers gathered to share stories from their lives.
“I loved every bit of it,” Anne said. About 50 passengers shared the ship, with nearly half being Rice alumni or their guests. “We didn’t know any of them beforehand,” Emily said, “but we made friends on the voyage, and we had a great time.”
For Emily and Anne, who had been college roommates for three years, the trip also became a celebration of enduring friendship. “We’ve stayed in touch all these years, and when we’re together, it’s like we’ve never been apart,” Emily said. “We spent so much time together in college that we’re almost bonded at the hip.”
Throughout the journey, Rice’s travel partners were there every step of the way. When a flight delay stranded Emily in Panama City overnight, Emily called the tour operator, Lindblad, for help. “They went above and beyond,” she said. “They got me on a flight to Ecuador with the last seat in first class. It wasn’t their fault, but they made it right.” That care set the tone for the week.
After her unforgettable exploration of the Galápagos, Anne decided to join the optional post-trip extension to Quito — and it turned into an adventure of its own. When plans changed unexpectedly, the small group of five travelers embraced a new itinerary that led them deep into Ecuador’s highlands. They stayed at a charming hacienda surrounded by stables and other working buildings of the hacienda. The small group also visited a centuries-old Jesuit mission now a family estate with a rose-filled barn and dined at another gorgeous hacienda amid the antiques of a past age. The unexpected change gave them a chance to experience Ecuador’s history and beauty in a way they hadn’t planned. “It turned out to be a great extension,” Anne said. “It was beautifully planned,” she added. “Every stop was special."
While Anne extended her time in South America, Emily was already planning her next Rice adventure — the Tulips and the Rhine cruise.Aboard the Emerald Sky, a 150-passenger ship, Emily explored the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland while enjoying a journey rich in color, culture and connection.
The trip kicked off in Amsterdam with a visit to Keukenhof, the world-renowned bulb garden open only eight weeks a year. “It was stunning,” Emily said. “Each grower had their own garden, planted in layers to keep the blooms going. It couldn’t have been greater.” From there, the cruise wound through charming cities and past centuries-old castles along the Rhine. Daily walking tours offered flexible options for every pace — from relaxed strolls to more active treks. “It was so well organized,” she said. “You saw everything, but you never felt rushed or worn out.”
One memorable experience came during an afternoon sailing through the Rhine Valley. “That stretch is famous for its castles,” she said. “It was fun sailing down and looking at the scenery.” The tours were thoughtfully curated with local guides who brought each city to life. “Every guide was someone who lived there,” Emily shared. “They knew the stories behind every corner.”
For Emily and Anne, these journeys were more than trips. They were a joyful continuation of a friendship forged decades ago and a reminder that adventure, like connection, only grows richer with time.
