Doris Kearns Goodwin: An Unfinished Love Story

Wed Apr 29 2026 at 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm UTC-07:00

4120 Middlefield Rd | Palo Alto

Inforum at the Commonwealth Club
Publisher/HostInforum at the Commonwealth Club
Doris Kearns Goodwin: An Unfinished Love Story
Advertisement
Doris Kearns Goodwin shares her unexpected discoveries, fresh appraisals & “this unfinished love story with America.”
About this Event

Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of America’s best known and most popular historians, having told the stories of great American leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, and others. Now, she delves into her own life and the time she spent with her late husband, Richard Goodwin, to draw out fresh perspectives on many of the central figures of the 1960s.

The Goodwins were married for 42 years. Richard Goodwin helped design LBJ’s Great Society and was a close advisor to Robert Kennedy. Dorris Kearns was a 23-year-old graduate student when she was selected as a White House Fellow; she would work directly for President Johnson and later assisted on his memoir. The couple saw the momentous policies and movements of the 1960s from the inside, and they debated the achievements and failures of the leaders they served, and discussed just how much progress was made and promises left unfulfilled.

Drawing on their lives—not to mention more than 300 boxes of letters, diaries, documents and memorabilia Richard Goodwin had saved for more than five decades—Doris Kearns Goodwin produced her latest book, An Unfinished Love Story. The exploration of those boxes and her shared history with her husband gave them both an opportunity to reassess some of the towering figures of the time: John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, and especially LBJ, who greatly impacted both of their lives.

Join us as Doris Kearns Goodwin returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to share her unexpected discoveries, fresh appraisals, and the hope that the youth of today will carry forward “this unfinished love story with America.”

Notes

No large bags or backpacks; attendees subject to search.

This program is in-person only. If you have symptoms of illness (coughing, fever, etc.), we ask that you either stay home or wear a mask.

Photo by Annie Leibovitz; courtesy of the speaker.

All ticket sales are final and nonrefundable.

Cubberley Community Center Theatre
(near Montrose and Middlefield)
4120 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306

Speakers

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Presidential Historian; Author, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

In Conversation with David Kennedy, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus, Stanford University

5:45 p.m. doors open & check-in
6:30–7:30 p.m. program
(all times Pacific Time)

Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

4120 Middlefield Rd, 4120 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, United States

Tickets

USD 27.33

Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Palo Alto

Speed Weeders at Palo Alto at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Wed, 29 Apr at 09:00 am Speed Weeders at Palo Alto at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

Blindfold to Freedom Vocal Workshop
Wed, 29 Apr at 01:00 pm Blindfold to Freedom Vocal Workshop

Unity-Palo Alto

Inside Silicon Valley's Innovation Engine: Capital, Founders, & Technology
Wed, 29 Apr at 03:00 pm Inside Silicon Valley's Innovation Engine: Capital, Founders, & Technology

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

CSA San Francisco Chapter Meeting April 29th
Wed, 29 Apr at 05:30 pm CSA San Francisco Chapter Meeting April 29th

Endor Labs

Cousins Maine Lobster in Palo Alto, Orchard Commercial
Thu, 30 Apr at 11:30 am Cousins Maine Lobster in Palo Alto, Orchard Commercial

525 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1903, United States

Spring European Networking
Thu, 30 Apr at 06:00 pm Spring European Networking

J.P. Morgan Private Bank

Venture Capital Panel:  What's Hot, What's Not! #18
Thu, 30 Apr at 06:00 pm Venture Capital Panel: What's Hot, What's Not! #18

5 Palo Alto Square

Learn How to Solo Travel the World: Even If You Have Zero Travel Experience
Fri, 01 May at 11:00 am Learn How to Solo Travel the World: Even If You Have Zero Travel Experience

1213 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303-2907, United States

Earthwise welcomes Never Come Down
Fri, 01 May at 06:00 pm Earthwise welcomes Never Come Down

Johnson Park

The Black Church Reunion Honoring Dr. Clayborne Carson
Fri, 01 May at 07:00 pm The Black Church Reunion Honoring Dr. Clayborne Carson

New Sweet Home

Palo Alto is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Palo Alto Events