WDCSA Newsletter – September 2008

Fri 9/5 Ivy Singles Event
Wed 9/10 All-Ivy Happy Hour
Sat 9/13 Stanford-Texas Christian Football Game Watch (NOTE CHANGE IN TIME)
Sun 9/14 Stanford Book Club
Fri 9/19 Cardinal Young Alums End of Summer Bash (NOTE: NEW SIGNUP LINK)
Thu 9/25 “Swing Voters and the 2008 Election" (CANCELLED)
Fri 9/26 Ivy Singles at Madame Tussauds
Tue 9/30 Five Rings in Beijing: A Perspective on the Beijing Olympics
Fri 10/24 Ivy Singles Event
Thu 10/30 2008 Election Preview
Wed 11/5&19 Stanford at the Opera
Sat 11/22 Stanford vs. Cal Big Game

Capital Alumni Network: Football,
Basketball & Volleyball Players Wanted

Fall Housing Request


Thank you for being a member of WDCSA! The Washington DC Stanford Association is your local volunteer alumni group that keeps Stanford connections alive and up-to-date in partnership, with our local partners – the Stanford Law Society, Stanford Black Alumni, and the Graduate School of Business Clubs of Washington DC.

WDCSA membership allows you to:

* Register for Washington, DC Stanford Association events at a discounted rate;
* Attend WDCSA ‘Members Only’ events;
* Receive this WDCSA monthly newsletter with exclusive news about local events;
Recent grads (up to five years out) often receive further discounts. New graduates can receive this newsletter FREE for one year.

Take advantage of your membership by attending an upcoming WDCSA event. Don’t know if you’re a member? Click on the following link: www.stanfordclubs.org/dc/listmembers.asp


Ivy Singles Event
Friday, Sept 5 6:30-9:30pm
National Building Museum,
401 F Street NW,
Washington DC

Kickoff a new social season with the Ivy Social Club Reception. We’ll meet in the Pension Commissioner’s Suite on the 2nd Floor of the National Building Museum for hors d’oeuvres and drinks overlooking the Great Hall.

The National Building Museum, among the most venerable buildings in Washington DC, it’s spectacular interior, highlighted by central fountain and grand Corinthian columns, has played host to Presidential Inaugural Balls and many grand galas.

Prepaid reservation only — NO WALK-INS Admission $20, Beer/wine $5, Soda $2: Drink tickets must be purchased in advance from https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quickForm/viewForm.do?orgId=ycwd&formId=47045 or please send check payable to MIT Club of Washington to Greg Howland, 6312 Carnegie Drive, Bethesda MD 20817.
Please write your school and number of drink tickets on the check

Please note that the Building Museum does not allow us to collect money at the site. Therefore, all transactions must be made in advance, including drink tickets. Send any questions to gregoryhowland@fastmail.fm


All-Ivy Happy Hour
Wednesday, Sept 10 5:30-7:30pm
Bay Café,
2809 Boston Street,
Baltimore, MD

Please join us for an all-Ivy happy hour in the Canton area of Baltimore. It promises to be another fun event for networking with our friends and colleagues from all the Ivies. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bruce Kennedy (GSB ’07) at bruceleekennedy2@gmail.com


Stanford – Texas Christian Football Game Watch
Saturday, Sept 13 1:00pm (note new time)
Summers Restaurant,
1520 North Courthouse Road,
Arlington, VA

Stanford and Texas Christian fans will gather to watch the Cardinal vs. Horned Frogs football game on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 1:00pm at Summers Restaurant 1520 North Courthouse Road (across from the Courthouse metro stop on the orange line). Join us for drink and food specials, friendly competition, and good fun. No RSVP required, but contact Chris Shinkman, c.shinkman@verizon.net 301-229-4427 with questions.


Stanford Book Club Meeting
Sunday, Sept 14 6:00-8:00pm

The WDCSA book group will meet at the home of Bill Albee on Sunday, September 14, at 6:00 pm to discuss the novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mukhail Bulgarov. The October selection is the first section of "Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust. People who are not already members of the book group can join the Yahoo! Group WDCSAbooks, or can contact alisoncolew@hotmail.com for information about the upcoming meeting.


Cardinal Young Alumni End of Summer Bash
Friday, Sept 19 7:00-9:00pm
Lucky Strike (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro),
701 7th Street, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20001

Come join your fellow young alums for a night of bowling and fun as we welcome the most recent Stanford grads to D.C.! Lucky Strike has been recognized as “America’s first true bowling lounge” and its Executive Chef has provided food for the Emmy’s and Grammy’s! We have reserved a private room with lanes for FREE bowling and food – and your first 2 drinks are on us. Looking forward to seeing you there!

RSVP by Sept 15 on the Facebook event page at www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=25554388455

Don’t have Facebook? Questions? RSVP or contact Kevin at kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org.


Swing Voters, Wedge Issues and the 2008 Election – CANCELLED
Thursday, Sept 25 7:00pm
Venue TBD

Join a small group of Club members and Professor D. Sunshine Hillygus of the Harvard Department of Government (Stanford Ph.D. 2002) for an intimate discussion of the Obama-McCain race. Professor Hillygus is the author of The Persuadable Voter (Princeton, 2008) and a national expert on campaign effects. She argues that campaigns can effectively use wedge issue to push voters to vote against their party affiliation.

We will have a no-host dinner in the private dining room of a downtown DC restaurant, in a group of about 10 on a first-come, first-served basis. To RSVP, or to ask for further details about our meeting venue, please contact Steven Kelts (Ph.D. ’02) at kelts@gwu.edu


Ivy Singles Event at Madame Tussauds
Friday, September 26 6PM-7:45PM
1025 F Street, NW

The Washington Wellesley Club and the Ivy Singles Social Club invite you to a private tour of Madame Tussauds.

Join us for a visit to one of Washington’s most unique museums – after the crowds go home. The museum will stay open exclusively for us. Mingle among the top figures in politics, music, sports, history and Hollywood – from George Washington to Denzel Washington…Madonna to Muhammad Ali.

Check in is at 6:00 pm, with tour beginning at 6:30pm. Visit concludes at 7:45pm.

Following our museum visit, we can gather at any of the nearby restaurants to purchase dinner.

Pre-paid tickets $17. Make checks out to Washington Wellesley Club and remember to include your school. Send to Deborah Tate, 1022 N. Cleveland St., Arlington, VA 22201 by Friday, Sept. 19. Reserve early as tickets are limited. No walk-ins.

Take metro to Metro Center or Gallery Place. Or park at Central Parking 10th St. (202-496-4200) or nearby Atlantic Parking (202-466-5050).

Questions? Debtate2001@yahoo.com or 703-527-9265


Five Rings in Beijing: A Perspective on the Beijing Olympics
Tuesday, Sept 30 6:30-8:30pm
Stanford in Washington,
2661 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20008

Did you know?
– The Nazi party invented the Olympic torch run.
– The Olympics actually reduces tourism during the Games.
– Lillehammer, the site of the 1994 Winter Games, is at the same elevation as Tulsa.
– For thousands of Olympic athletes, the highlight of the Games is free medical and dental care available to them at the Olympic Village.

The multi-national corporations that sponsor the Olympic Games would like you to believe it’s one big Kodak Moment. But Mike Hiestand, ‘79 and veteran USA Today Sports TV columnist who has not only reported on many Olympics but also covered the politics that have led up to past Games will answer questions such as:

Why does NBC’s coverage differ from the coverage in virtually every other nation — and why do their shows cling to production elements they know will annoy viewers? Why so Games go more smoothly when governments run the Games?

WDCSA will host Mike for a reception from 6:30 – 7:00 pm, hear his remarks from 7:00 -8:00 pm, and field Q & A from 8:00 – 8:30 pm on the gallery side of SIW. Light refreshments will be served. The charge will be $10 for young alums, SIW students, and WDCSA members, $15 for all others. You can sign up at You can sign up at http://pgnet.stanford.edu/goto/event4773reg or by sending a check payable to the "WDCSA" or Washington DC Stanford Association to Risa Shimoda, 601 Hudson Ave. #102, Takoma Park, MD 20912. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or include your email address to receive a confirmation. For more information, contact Risa Shimoda at 301-502-6548 or risa@theshimodagroup.com.


Ivy Singles Event
Friday, Oct 24 6:30pm
Woman’s National Democratic Club,
1526 New Hampshire Ave NW,
Washington DC 20036

Join the hosts, the Cornell Club of Washington, for an evening of exceptional non-partisan company and conversation in the Adlai Stevenson Ballroom of the Woman’s National Democratic Club.

The Woman’s National Democratic Club is located near Dupont Circle in the Whittemore House, one of Washington’s most elegant, historic mansions with ten function rooms and a garden. Each room displays political campaign memorabilia, portraits, photographs, political cartoons, and antique furnishings in handsomely appointed rooms.

Reservations: $30 by check to Steve Piekarec, 2535 West Meredith Drive, Vienna, Virginia 22181, by Monday, October 20th. Make checks payable to "The Cornell Club of Washington" and note your school on the check. $35 for email (Spiekare@verizon.net) or phone reservations (703-281-4311) and walk-ins. Please RSVP if possible to the e-mail address.


2008 Election Preview
Thursday, Oct 30 6:30-8:00pm
Stanford in Washington,
2661 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20008

Join two distinguished Stanford alumni as they preview the 2008 elections! Doyle McManus (’74, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times) moderated the Los Angeles Presidential debate earlier this year and has reported on Washington issues for more than 30 years. He is a four-time winner of the National Press Club’s Edwin Hood Award and leads the LA Times Washington Bureau, which has four Pulitzer Prize winners. Doyle appears frequently on CBS’s “Face the Nation”.

Since 2000, Nancy Tate (’70, Executive Director, League of Women Voters) has led the nation’s premier nonpartisan political organization that encourages active citizen participation in government and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues. Before accepting the top staff position at the League, Nancy was Chief Operating Officer of the National Academy of Public Administration, which was chartered by Congress to improve government effectiveness at all levels.

We will begin with light refreshments from 6:30-7:00, followed by one hour with the panelists’ remarks and Q&A. Don’t miss this exciting evening that promises to provide special insights just before the November 4 elections!
The price for WDCSA members and non-members who pay by Oct. 24 is $10, and $20 respectively. Otherwise, a payment of $25 will be collected at the door.

To reserve your space, send a check payable to WDCSA to: Garry Tyran, 6691 Hillandale Road,
Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Questions? Contact Garry or Barbara Tyran ’75 at gktyran@aol.com or 301-652-6632.


Stanford at the Opera

Lucretia Borgia – Donizetti
Wednesday, November 5 @ 7:30 pm.
Renee Fleming, one of the greatest sopranos of our day makes her WNO debut in a new production and company premiere conducted by Placido Domingo. Prime Orchestra $156.50. 2nd Tier $76.50. (Special pricing for this opera only. Tickets will NOT be available to the general public.) The deadline for ordering is October 3. Tickets will be mailed week of October 13.

Carmen – Bizet
Wednesday, November 19 @ 7:30 pm.
Denyce Graves, in her defining role in the Francesca Zambello production from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Prime Orchestra $141.50. Orchestra $99.50. 2nd Tier $69.50. The deadline for ordering is October 17. Tickets will be mailed week of October 27.

To order your tickets, please send a check payable to WDCSA to Betty Byrne, 1822 Ingleside Terrace NW, Washington, D.C. 20010. Contact Betty for more information or if you are
interested in the “American Ring” in November 2009 at bettybyrne@stanfordalumni.org or 202.483.4048.


Stanford vs. Cal Big Game
Saturday, November 22

Mark your calendars and join us for this year’s Big Game and Annual Stanford-Cal Big Game Party, which will kick off on November 22!

All Stanford fans are invited to watch Cardinal football take on rival UC Berkeley. We will be joined by the DC Area Berkeley Alumni Association. More details to follow!


Football Players Wanted

Still dreaming of being the hero of Big Game? Then join the Stanford team in the Capital Alumni Network (CAN) flag football league this fall. Along with DC’s own "Little Big Game" against Cal, we will play a schedule of games on Saturdays and Sundays for ten weeks, with a season-ending tournament in early December. If you’re interested, contact Steven Kelts at kelts@gwu.edu. Do it soon, because we began organizing the team in late August, including one or two practices, and Stanford’s first game is September 6th or 7th.

Basketball and Volleyball Players Wanted

The Capital Alumni Network (CAN) is the umbrella organization for all college and university alumni chapters in Washington. In addition to many other activities CAN sponsors club competition in a variety of sports. Stanford currently fields teams in softball and flag football (see notice in this newsletter). WDCSA would also like to put basketball and volleyball teams on the court this winter if there is sufficient interest. Please contact Chris Shinkman c.shinkman@verizon.net 301-229-4427 if you would like to play on either or both of these teams.


Fall Housing Request

My name is Mrinal Menon, I graduated this past June with a major in I.R. and a minor in E. Asian Studies. I will be completing an internship in D.C. until the end of September and probably staying on for 2-3 years before attending graduate school. I would appreciate assistance with finding housing over the summer while I’m still trying to get settled in the city. While I would ideally love to find something that lasts until the end of September, I am flexible in terms of the dates, and whether the arrangement involves sub-letting, house-sitting etc. I can be reached at mmenon86@gmail.com, or 804-317-3692