WDCSA NEWSLETTER
March 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 D.C. Stanford Association is hosting basketball watches with fellow PAC-12 Alumni Associations. See below for the upcoming schedule:
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 PAC-12 tournament games).
If you have any questions, contact Patricia Arty ’10 at patriciaarty@alumni.stanford.edu or Graham Gilmer ‘05 at grahamgilmer@gmail.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.
DC Book Club Discussion
Sunday, March 12 5-7:45 pm,
Potomac, Md
The book group will discuss A Man Called Ove: A Novel, by Fredrik Backman. All are welcome to join the discussion and participate in the potluck dinner.
At 59, Ove is a grumble-Gus of the first degree. Rules are made to be followed, signs are meant to be obeyed, and don’t even get him started about computers and mobile phones. In truth, Ove has been this way his whole life, but he’s gotten worse in the last four years since his wife, Sonia, died, taking with her all the color in a world Ove sees as black-and-white. Ove has decided life without Sonia is not worth living and plans to join her in the next world. But a young couple and their two children (a third is on the way) move in next door, his oldest friend and most feared enemy is about to be forcibly removed to a nursing home, and a street-scarred cat insinuates itself into his life. Suddenly, Ove’s suicide plans get delayed as he helps solve neighborly crises large and small.
Upcoming book selections:
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.
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.
WDCSA Distillery Tour
Saturday, April 1 4 – 6 pm
District Distilling,
1414 U St NW,
Washington, DC
Join WDCSA for a tour of one of Washington’s newest distilleries. Opened in 2016, District Distilling distills several varieties of spirits on site, and sports a tasting room, bar, and restaurant.
Our tour will include a walk-through of the facility’s distilling and storages spaces, an explanation of the distilling process, a tasting flight of District Distilling’s products, and light appetizers upstairs in the bar.
Due to space constraints, we can only accommodate the first 30 registrants and guests, and our group will be split up into two thirty-minute tours/tastings, one at 4 pm and one at 4:30 pm. Appetizers will be set out upstairs in the bar around 5 pm, and we’ll have reserved space in the bar until about 6 pm. Additional drinks and food will be available for purchase.
$25 for WDCSA members/guests; $30 for nonmembers/
guests.
For more information, contact James Barton, ’09, JD ’15, at jamesbarton09@gmail.com.
Ivy / Seven Sisters Chess Social
Wednesday, April 5 6:45 – 9 pm
Marrakesh Restaurant,
2147 P Street, NW,
Washington, DC
Join IVY/Seven Sisters alumni for a chess social for players of all levels and ages.
Advance registration for player / observer: $10 per person by check or credit card Door admission for player and observer: $15 per person by check or cash only. Cash bar/restaurant menu available.
All payments must be received by April 4th to qualify for the advance registration price. Requests for refunds must be received by 3 pm on April 4th. There will be chess sets available at the event, but guests are encouraged to bring their own sets; please email the organizers if you plan to do so. There will also be a learning session from 7-7:30 pm.
Registration and Payment methods:
Mail Registration with a Check: Harvard Club of Washington D.C. 3220 N Street, NW #295, Washington DC 20007
or
Credit Card Registration and Payment: www.harvard-dc.org (please indicate playing level on RSVP fields).
For more information, contact Kuni Matsuda at Stardust@smart.net or 240 294-5736 (w) Bob Kolodney, BobkoLive@gmail.com
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 i
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.
Get Involved
- WDCSA Elections
WDCSA is a volunteer organization led by a team of four officers: President, two Vice Presidents, and Treasurer. We are currently seeking candidates for two offices, President and one of the Vice Presidents, for a term of two years, beginning in April. The other two officers’ terms end in 2018. We hope you will consider nominating an enthusiastic alum (self- nominations are welcome) to help us move the organization forward! The following is a description of the position responsibilities:
President
• Oversee WDCSA’s daily operations
• Liaison to the Stanford Alumni Association and other Washington, DC-based Stanford alumni
organizations
• Oversees all WDCSA sponsored events
• Delegates the planning, implementation of events
• Conducts, facilitates planning meetings
• Sets agenda for planning meetings
• Ensures copies of the Agenda, Treasurer’s Report, and other materials are provided for sharing at meetings
• Sets planning meeting dates and location
• Attends or assigns Alumni Leadership training on Stanford campus
• Serves as an ex-officio officer for six months to one year, as agreed upon, after her/his term ends
Vice President
• Assist with WDCSA’s daily operations
• Plans and presides over meetings, in coordination with the Co-Vice President, in absence of President
• Chairs special events and ongoing activities
• Prepares and posts minutes of meetings
• Becomes acting president when presidential position is vacant
• Attends planning meetings, keeps weekly communication with President
• Serves the President on special assignments
If you are interested in running for one of the two positions, email a short Bio/Statement of Interest (100-150 words in length) and photo to John Smithson at jsmithson@gmail.com by Wednesday, March 15th. Voting instructions will be emailed to WDCSA members, and the polls will be open until March 31st. Thank you for your interest and support for WDCSA!
Stanford In the News
Jennifer Widom, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University for 24 years, was named dean of the School of Engineering,
This month’s newsletter is available for download in PDF format.