On May 2, 2024, PSPA took a trip back in time to discover the Philadelphia connections to a key event in opening up the western United States. Dr. Rick McCourt, Curator of Botany, Director of Systematic Biology and Evolution, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University discussed Lewis and Clark and their agricultural-related explorations.

President Thomas Jefferson introduced Meriweather Lewis to many of the premier naturalists of the day who not only shared skills in identification but also in preserving speciments. There are 222 dried, pressed plants in the Lewis & Clark Herbarium that reside in the Academy of Natural Sciences and another 10 specimens of Meriwether Lewis reside in the Royal Botanical Garden in Kew, England. Connections between the Lewis & Clark Herbarium with several prominent horticultural people in the late 1800s, were discussed. 

Also, Ambassador Torres Rivera, Cuban Ambassador to the United States, was a special guest, talking about a possible Trade Mission to Cuba led by PSPA in Fall 2024.

Eighteen students from FFA and Mannrs Chapters at Lankenau, Saul, and the U School High Schools joined the meeting for fellowship and reflection on career information.