The Arizona Objectivists Achieve Success

Four people met at The Institute for Objectivist Studies (IOS) Summer Seminar in Boulder, Colorado, in 1998 and decided to start an Objectivist discussion group in the Phoenix, Arizona area. They called the group Independent Valley Objectivists.

Today, the names of both groups have changed. IOS is now The Objectivist Center, and Independent Valley Objectivists is now Arizona Objectivists. Both are thriving.

The four people who met in Boulder were Jackie Hazelton, Bill Perry, Jim Kirk, and Shawn Klein. Hazelton had previous experience in leading Objectivist discussion groups and knew exactly what to do and what to avoid. Perry had been involved in other non-Objectivist organizations. Klein was about to begin graduate studies in philosophy at Arizona State University. Kirk had abundant knowledge of the arts. It was a good combination.

The four met at Hazelton's home to launch the group. For their first meeting they settled on the theme of an "Ayn Rand Revival," drawing on a recent revival of Rand's ideas in the culture. (This was right after the release of the Rand stamp, and when the Showtime movie The Passion of Ayn Rand was imminent.) To promote the meeting they contacted IOS and paid for a mailing to its list in the Phoenix area, then sent out a flier. That first meeting attracted about twenty people, and others contacted Hazelton but were unable to attend.

Hazelton thinks that it is important that the group meet on private property in order to encourage the salon atmosphere. The owner of the property can control the attendance. If someone gets out of hand, is rude, or attempts to dominate the discussion, the host can talk to that attendee politely and, if necessary, ask the person to leave or not invite the person to later meetings. Accordingly, the first meeting was held in the upstairs community room in Perry's downtown co-op apartment building—a setting reminiscent of Atlas Shrugged, with the lights of the city visible from the top floor of the high-rise.

Following the success of that gathering, for a few years the majority of meetings were held in Perry's apartment building. Its central location enabled people from all over the area to attend. (Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs are very spread out, and distance is a formidable problem.) Small groups met in his apartment, and larger gatherings met in the upstairs common room.

When Perry moved to the fringe of the Phoenix area, the meetings switched to the Hazelton home. Jackie and her husband, Lyman, live in Tempe, right off the freeway. This also provided an excellent central location and utilized Jackie's skills as a hostess, which contribute greatly to the group's success.

Soon the founders wanted to expand the group. They did this in part by attending libertarian functions and meeting people. Some of these new contacts became interested and attended regularly. Others came only for occasional events.

A listing on the TOC Web site also proved to be a useful tool. Quite a few members have come to the group from that source.

Arizona Objectivists also maintains its own Web site to make announcements and attract people to the group. All notices about the group are sent via e-mail. Hazelton maintains the list and sends only four to six announcements each month, so that people on the list are not inundated with mail—a consideration the recipients appreciate. Each meeting generates an announcement and a follow-up; with two meetings a month, that makes four announcements, and occasionally there may be one or two others as well.

The group meets twice a month, which is more often than most groups do. One meeting is held on the first Tuesday of each month (except in July), the other on the third Saturday. (These may be changed under rare circumstances, such as an appearance by a special speaker.) The Tuesday group is usually based on discussion of a Rand essay. Attendees don't have to read the essay. Instead, the moderator summarizes it briefly and then guides the discussion. The group has gone through every essay in The Virtue of Selfishness and Philosophy: Who Needs It? and is now alternating between the other essay collections.

The Saturday meeting is more like a salon. It usually features a speaker, followed by a session for questions. However, at least two of the Saturday events are parties, including a summer pool party in July and a solstice party in December. This social aspect has been an important part of the group's success and longevity.

One of the keys to running a successful discussion group is offering dynamic and attractive programs. Arizona Objectivists tries to host one major out-of-town speaker every year. In the past, Charles Tomlinson, David Kelley, Marsha Enright, and others have addressed the group. Perry and Hazelton have also traveled to other areas to address local groups and encourage speakers from those groups to come to Phoenix.

A talented pool of local speakers is also essential. Some of the Arizona Objectivists speakers test programs they will present at the TOC summer seminars. Hazelton and Perry do many of the presentations; Klein presents on philosophical topics; and Kirk discusses the arts from time to time. Jackie's husband, Dr. Lyman Hazelton, is an accomplished scientist and excellent at presenting scientific topics to lay audiences; his presentations are always well attended. Other members may also make presentations or lead the Tuesday discussions from time to time.

A third aspect of the group's success is having co-leaders. Most successful Objectivist groups have only one leader, but leading a group is difficult for a busy person. The Arizona Objectivists has found that a structure under co-leaders has helped them flourish. For most of the time, Jackie Hazelton and Perry served as co-leaders. Now Klein has taken Perry's place. Currently, Hazelton is the hostess and runs the e-mail list, and Klein is in charge of programs and serves as the Web master.

Over the years, the group's name has changed, but its basis has not. If you are going to be in Phoenix when the group meets, contact Jackie Hazelton at azobjectivists at cox.net to join in.

TOC can help you start or sustain a local discussion group. You can do a mailing similar to that done by Arizona Objectivists or obtain a listing on the TOC Web site. Contact Bill Perry for further information.