WDCSA NEWSLETTER
February 2017
Stanford Basketball Game Watches
Winter 2017
Ventnor Sports Café,
2411 18th St NW,
Washington, DC
Basketball season is on its way and this season the Washington DC Stanford Association is hosting basketball watches with fellow PAC 12 Alumni Associations. See below for upcoming schedule:
Saturday, February 4th at 4:30 pm vs. Utah — Location: 529 23rd St S, Arlington, Va
Friday, February 17th at 10:00 pm vs. Cal – Location: Ventnor Sports Café
Saturday, February 25th at 4 pm vs. Oregon – Location: Ventnor Sports Cafe
Saturday, March 4th at 4:00 pm vs. Utah – Location: Ventnor Sports Café
Visit the WDCSA and Cardinal Young Alumni Facebook pages, or the WDCSA website for updates (we may be adding additional games throughout the season).
If you have any questions, contact Patricia Arty ’10 at patriciaarty@alumni.stanford.edu or Graham Gilmer ‘05 at grahamgilmer@gmail.com.
DC Book Club Discussion
Sunday, February 12 5-7:45 pm
McLean, VA
The book group will discuss Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. All are welcome to join the discussion and participate in the potluck dinner.
A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe and his son (the author)—a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father’s story and the history of the holocaust. Spiegelman, a stalwart of the underground comics scene of the 1960s and ’70s, interviewed his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor living outside New York City, about his experiences. The artist then deftly translated that story into a graphic novel. By portraying a true story of the Holocaust in comic form—the Jews are mice, the Germans cats, the Poles pigs, the French frogs, and the Americans dogs—Spiegelman compels the reader to imagine the action, to fill in the blanks that are so often shied away from. Vladek Spiegelman and his wife Anna are resourceful heroes, and enough acts of kindness and decency appear in the tale to spur the reader onward (we also know that the protagonists survive, else reading would be too painful). This first volume introduces Vladek as a happy young
man on the make in pre-war Poland. With outside events growing ever more ominous, we watch his marriage to Anna, his enlistment in the Polish army after the outbreak of hostilities, his and Anna’s life in the ghetto, and then their flight into hiding as the Final Solution is put into effect. The author captures the everyday reality of fear and is able to explore the guilt, relief and extraordinary sensation of survival—and how the children of survivors are in their own way affected by the trials of their parents.
In 1992, this book became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, which caused problems in many bookstores. Back then, bookstores routinely stocked every book that won a Pulitzer, but few bookstores had a graphic novel section in which it could be placed—bookstore owners thought such a genre was for children. After this prize was awarded, many general bookstores began stocking graphic novels.
Upcoming book selections:
March 12th- A Man Called Ove: A Novel, by Fredrik Backman
April 9th- Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World, by Roger Crowley
May 14th- Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi
June 11th- Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville
For more information, please contact Jennifer Presley, MA ’78, Ph.D. ’81 at Jenniferbpresley@gmail.com.
Dinner with Stanford Professor Arthur Bienenstock
Wednesday, February 22 6-8 pm
Home of Nelson Roos, ‘00
Capitol Hill,
Washington, DC
Join fellow alumni for a casual dinner with Stanford Professor Arthur Bienenstock. Sponsored by the Washington DC Stanford Association and Stanford Alumni Association, the dinner will be held at the home of Nelson Roos, ‘00. After a brief description of Stanford’s Wallenberg Research Link, the discussion will focus on some of the most important recent issues faced by the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation.
Arthur Bienenstock is a professor of photon science,
emeritus, director of the Wallenberg Research Link and special assistant to the president for federal research policy at Stanford.
In 2012, President Obama appointed him to the National Science Foundation’s governing body, the National Science Board. Formerly, he served as associate director for science of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Clinton. At Stanford since 1967, he served as vice provost for faculty affairs, director of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, associate director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and vice provost for research and graduate policy.
Professor Bienenstock has published over 100 papers in scientific and science policy journals, and his graduate students and postdoctoral associates hold major research and leadership positions throughout the world. In 2009, he received the Cuthbertson Award for exceptional contributions to Stanford, and in 2013 he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The registration fee for this event is $20, which will offset the cost of dinner. Space is limited. Registration is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register online at http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event23162.
Please contact Kevin Coyne at Kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org with any questions.
Ivy/Seven Sisters Winter Indoor Mixed Doubles Tennis Party
Saturday, February 25 6:45-11:45 pm
Four Seasons Tennis Club,
3010 Williams Dr, Merrifield, VA
The Harvard Club of Washington DC invites Stanford alumni to join the Ivy schools plus the Seven Sisters for one of its most popular events. Celebrating its 22nd year, the Winter Indoor Mixed Doubles Tennis Party is an enjoyable way to socialize, meet potential partners, and network with alumni members and their guests.
Admission for players with advance registration is $25. Door admission for players is $30 and is payable by cash or check, no credit card. Admission
is $10 for non-players. Register at www.harvarddc.org by February 24 to receive the advance registration rates. Refund requests must be received by 3pm on February 24.
For any questions, please contact Kuni Matsuda (Harvard), 240 294 5736 (w), 703-622-7999 (m), Stardust@smart.net or David Federbush (Yale), 301 657-4691;federbus@erols.com.
WDCSA MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
Afternoon at the Gridiron Club’s 2017 Reprise
Sunday, March 5 2-5 pm
Renaissance Hotel,
999 Ninth Street NW,
Washington, DC
Join WDCSA members and their guests for a special invitation to The Gridiron Club’s 2017 Reprise at the Washington Renaissance Hotel. Watch Gridiron members such as Al Hunt of Bloomberg, John Dickerson of CBS, John King and Jake Tapper of CNN, Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd of NBC, Judy Woodruff of PBS, and Bret Baier of Fox News perform songs and skits in costume!
The Gridiron Club is the legendary press club that has performed an annual musical show for Presidents and members of Congress since 1885. The Reprise recaps the formal white-tie Gridiron dinner and musical show held the previous night. The Reprise’s orchestra is conducted by the director of the U.S. Marine Band, Lt. Col. Jason Fettig. The Sunday performance is traditionally given exclusively for Gridiron members’ friends and family, but the Gridiron Club has extended a special invitation to WDCSA members and their guests once again.
Meet Gridiron Club members during the reception starting at 2pm. Enjoy beer and wine during the reception hour. The show begins at 3pm. Dress is business casual.
Event tickets are $70. Contact Kevin Coyne at kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org with any questions or to register for the event.
Baltimore Book Club Discussion
Tuesday, March 21 7:30 pm
Mother’s Federal Hill Grille,
1113 S. Charles St.,
Baltimore, MD
The March selection is Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. This New York Times bestseller is named one of the best books of 2015 by The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Amazon, Fast Company, and Audible. It is also an international bestseller translated into 40 languages. The May selection is a Pulitzer Prize winner, The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net or at (301)655-5871.
President Marc Tessier-Lavigne
Tuesday, April 25 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Newseum,
555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC
Save the date to join us in welcoming Marc Tessier-Lavigne as Stanford’s 11th president. More details to follow from the Stanford Alumni Association in the upcoming weeks. This event will be free of charge.
Beyond the Farm: Alumni Day of Service
Saturday, May 6
Save the Date! Mark your calendars and plan to join WDCSA in a local community service project as more than 200,000 alumni around the globe participate in an annual day of service. One day can make a world of difference. Look out for details in upcoming newsletters.
Parents Connection Spring Social
Sunday, May 7 2-4 pm
Location TBD
Join the Stanford Parents Connection for our spring social to welcome the new Stanford Class of 2021 parents. A panel of Stanford in Washington students will be on hand. Come to fellowship, ask questions, and share your experiences and insights. Please bring a snack to share.
Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net or at (301)655-5871.
Stanford In the News
Stanford bioengineers have developed an ultra-lowcost, human-powered blood centrifuge. With rotational speeds of up to 125,000 revolutions per minute, the device separates blood plasma from red cells in 1.5 minutes, no electricity required.
This month’s newsletter is available for download in PDF format.