WDCSA NEWSLETTER
December 2016
WDCSA LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
After months of hard work, we are pleased to announce the launch of our brand
new website! Visit www.WDCSA.com to discover the best, new place to see
what’s happening with Stanford alumni in DC. The new website is interactive and
gives our alumni access to the latest information on club activities, upcoming
events, WDCSA membership and getting involved with the club. We will be
constantly updating our content with new information and features. We hope
you like the changes! A special thank you to Kyle Duarte, ’05, and Bill Pegram,
‘73, who donated their time and energy to make the WDCSA website what it is.
If you have any feedback, please let us know.
DC Book Club Discussion
Sunday, December 11 5-7:45 pm
Bethesda, MD
The book group will discuss The Evolution of Useful
Things, by Henry Petroski. All are welcome to join the
discussion and participate in the potluck dinner.
This surprising book may appear to be about the simple things of life—forks, paper clips, zippers—but in fact it is a far-flung historical adventure on the evolution of common culture. To trace the fork’s history, Duke University professor of civil engineering Henry Petroski travels from prehistoric times to Texas barbecue to Cardinal Richelieu to England’s Industrial Revolution to the American Civil War—and beyond. Each item described offers a cultural history lesson, plus there’s plenty of engineering detail for those so inclined. Petroski provides an intricate look, in lay reader’s terms, at the technology and basic rationale behind a number of items we often take for granted. The list is comprehensive: kitchen utensils, zippers, tools, paper clips, fast-food packaging, and more. The text is far from a recital of mere facts. Petroski’s anecdotes and stories about individual designers and inventors are told with warm regard. Petroski also provides illuminating thoughts on the
theoretical, historical, and cultural frameworks that influenced these creations.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Presley, MA ’78, Ph.D. ’81 at Jenniferbpresley@gmail.com.
WDCSA Holiday Party
Thursday, December 15 6:30 – 9 pm
DACOR Bacon House,
1801 F Street NW
Washington, DC
Looking to add some Cardinal red to your holiday? Please join your fellow Stanford alums to celebrate the festive season at the DACOR-Bacon House. The venue (built 1824-25) is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has been home to several Supreme Court Justices, members of Congress, and a Maryland governor. The DACORBacon House will be decorated for the holiday season and complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be provided. The venue is located 4 blocks from the Farragut-West Metro station (Orange and
Blue lines).
The advanced registration price is $15 for WDCSA
members, young alumni (’12 – ’16), and guests; $25 for non-WDCSA members and guests. Please RSVP and pay online at http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event22522.
The price at the door is $20 for WDCSA members, young alumni (’12 – ’16), and guests; $30 for non-
WDCSA members and guests. We regret that no refunds will be given after December 9.
Please contact Kevin Coyne at Kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org with any questions.
Wreaths Across America
Saturday, December 17
Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, VA
WDCSA and the Stanford Military Service Network (SMSN) are coordinating a family-friendly community service opportunity with the Wreaths Across America organization. We will honor veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery by laying wreaths at their grave sites.
Please RSVP to volunteer and receive additional details. You can also find more information at the following link: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/volunteer-at-arlington/.
To RSVP, contact Adriana Lopez ’04, at aclopez@stanfordalumni.org
Stanford Women’s Basketball @ GWU
Wednesday, December 21 7 pm
Smith Center,
600 22nd St NW,
Washington, DC
The Stanford Women’s basketball team will be in town to take on the George Washington University Colonials at the Smith Center on the GWU campus. This is an unusual opportunity to see our nationally-ranked team in live action.
Tickets are $5. Register here: http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event22548.
Questions? Contact Chris Shinkman c.shinkman@verizon.net 301-229-4427
Sun Bowl Game Watch
Friday, December 30 2pm
Ventnor Sports Cafe,
2411 18th St. NW Washington, DC
Come out and join fellow Stanford Alums as we support our Stanford Cardinal take on the University of North Carolina in the Hyundai Sun Bowl! The watch football viewing party will be located on the second floor.
If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Arty ’10, patriciaarty@alumni.stanford.edu https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/events/details?event_id=22818
Re-Thinking the Science of Cancer
Thursday, January 19 6:30-8:30 pm
Stanford in Washington,
2655 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC
Join WDCSA for a seminar guided by Stanford alumnus, Henry C. Stevenson-Perez (“Steve”), MA ’73, MD ’75. In 1980, Steve was placed in charge of the first federal government translational research unit with the mission of discovering an immunesystem-based cure for cancer. By 1985, they had cured their first advanced metastatic cancer patient utilizing the novel AKM immunotherapy approach. Today, Steve and his cancer research colleagues are using the latest breakthrough cancer immunotherapy discoveries to ‘re-think’ the entire mystery of cancer, with expectations that a new broad-based cancer research agenda will emerge that will rapidly jumpstart a new immune-system based medication that prevents cancer in everyone. Steve will be joined by a group of federal cancer clinicians, researchers and patients that will be propelling this highlyinteractive seminar forward.
If you would like to learn more details concerning the exciting field of modern cancer immunotherapy – and the new dimensions of overall 21st Century health that these discoveries are promoting – please register for the event at http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event22768. Seating is limited to the first 40 participants, so please register early. Contact Kevin Coyne (kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org) with any questions.
Baltimore Book Club New Year Potluck and Book Discussion
Saturday, January 21 5 pm
3512 Newland Road,
Baltimore, MD
Bring your family and friends to our New Year Potluck to discuss The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. This book won the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for best historical fiction, was on the New York Times bestseller list for 20 weeks and the National Public Radio’s hardcover fiction bestseller list for 45 weeks, and is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by over 30,000 Amazon readers. TriStar Pictures is doing the screen adaptation of this story. The March selection is Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Ashlee Vance.
Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net or at (301)655-5871.
Get Involved
- WDCSA Basketball
Are you interested in playing competitive co-ed basketball with fellow alumni beginning in January? Contact Greg Billings billings.g@gmail.com
Stanford In the News
Nadav Lidor, who graduated from Stanford last year with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and symbolic systems, has been named a 2017 Rhodes Scholar. Lidor, who lives in Tel Aviv and will represent Israel, was one of 63 international scholars chosen from around the world for Rhodes Scholarships, which are considered one of the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world.
This month’s newsletter is available for download in PDF format.