This month’s newsletter is available for download in PDF format.
Events Calendar
- Fall 2022 – WDCSA Stanford Football Game Watches
- October 6 – “Reflection on a Career with a Mike” with Pete Williams ‘74
- October 13 – Annual Potomac Cruise
- October 28 – Ghosts of Georgetown Tour
- November 6 – Stanford Parent and Family Connection Care Package Party
- November 13 – Washington DC Book Club Discussion
- November 14 – Baltimore Book Club Discussion
Upcoming Events
WDCSA Stanford Football Game Watches
Fall 2022
Crystal City Sports Pub
529 23rd St S, Arlington, Va
Come join the Washington DC Stanford Association and fellow alumni to cheer on the Cardinal this season.
- 10/8 vs Oregon State
- 10/15 at Notre Dame at 7:30pm
- 10/22 vs Arizona State
- 10/29 at UCLA
- 11/5 vs Washington State
- 11/12 at Utah
- 11/19 at Cal (Big Game)
- 11/26 vs BYU
- 12/2 Pac-12 Championship Game at 8:00pm
“Reflection on a Career with a Mike” with Pete Williams ‘74
Thursday, October 6, 6:30-8 pm
Stanford in Washington Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center
2662 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Thank You, Pete Williams ’74!
*A few seats remain*
Join us for an evening with Pete Williams, the Washington DC-based Department of Justice and Supreme Court correspondent for NBC News.
Our moderator will be Bob Cohn, President of the Economist.
Pete recently retired after covering the most consequential Supreme Court cases of the last three decades – from marriage equality and the legal battles over the Affordable Care Act – to major breaking news events like 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing.
According to Noah Oppenheim, President of NBC News, “There are too many scoops, firsts, exclusives, and interviews to count: Pete breaking the news of Justice Breyer’s retirement; his reporting on the January 6th investigation; his poignant remarks on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s funeral; and his interviews with FBI Director Christopher Wray and former Attorney General Bill Barr.”
Pete started his career with the Casper, Wyoming television and radio stations, and received a First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists while serving the Radio-Television News Directors Association board of directors. In 1986, he became press secretary for U.S. Representative Dick Cheney and followed him to be the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs in 1989.
Pete has supported WDCSA many times as the moderator of conversations with Stanford alumni guests Joaquin and Julián Castro, Congressman Adam Schiff, and Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter.
The evening will start with a reception including small bites & beverages The program will start promptly at 7pm with reflections, Q&A, and discussion.
The cost is $12 for WDCSA members, young alumni (undergrad ’11-’21, grad ’16-’21), and SIW residents; $17 for others.
Register here: https://groups.stanford.edu/networks/events/28604 by Oct 1st. Space is limited.
Contact Risa Shimoda, risa@theshimodagroup.com with questions.
2022 Annual Potomac Cruise
Thursday, October 13 5:40 – 7:45
Washington Harbour, Georgetown
31st and K Streets NW, Washington DC
The Potomac Cruise is back!
Join us for a sunset cruise past the monuments! We’ve rented a beautiful boat for the exclusive use of DC Stanford alumni. Mix and mingle with your fellow alumni, enjoying happy hour food and a premium open bar.
Early Bird registration for WDCSA members and guests: $47 (Registration ends October 3rd), Regular Registration for WDCSA members and guests:$57, Registration for Non-Members and guests: $67.
Washington Harbour is located across from the Riverside Grille on the dock. Please arrive no later than 5:40, as the boat will sail shortly thereafter with or without ticket holders.
Refunds will not be granted to those who arrive late, no shows or cancellations after October 10th.
In the event of postponement for bad weather, we will notify ticket holders and attempt to reschedule for a later date.
We will follow guidance from local authorities regarding COVID protocols.
Register here: https://groups.stanford.edu/networks/events/30333.
If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Arty, ’10, patriciaarty@alumni.stanford.edu.
Ghosts of Georgetown Tour
Friday, October 28, 6 and 7:45 pm
“Undisclosed Location” in Georgetown, Washington, DC
After a few years on Capitol Hill for Halloween, Boomers to Busters is returning to Georgetown, but for a different tour than in years past. Come hear about haunted parts of Georgetown. Get spooked out with other people who were undergrads in the 70s, 80s and 90s and remember making their own Halloween costumes because you could not buy them in stores!
Tickets are $25. Minimum age for this “adults only” tour is 15. Tour is one and a half hours and completely outside so dress for the weather. Tickets are refundable (except for Eventbrite fees) until one week before the tour. They are always transferrable.
Our Halloween tours always sell out. Thus, we are having two sections. Please be sure to sign up for the time you want. To register click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ghost-tour-of-georgetown-tickets-422061686867.
Meeting place will be provided to participants. You must be fully vaccinated to attend BtoB events. By signing up you are asserting that you are.
If you have questions contact us at boomerstobusters@gmail.com.
Stanford Parent and Family Connection Care Package Party
Sunday, November 6, 1:30-3 pm
Details provided upon RSVP
All who wish to send a care package to their children are invited to this indoor event in Potomac.
Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net
Get Involved
If you have registered to be an OVAL interviewer but have not completed your training, the 2022-23 Online Training Module is now available under the My Training tab on your OVAL profile for those who are ready to get trained or want a refresher. Please complete your training before the REA interview cycle in November. We are excited about your participation!
WDCSA Book Club Corner
Washington DC Book Club Discussion
Sunday, November 13, 5 pm
Meeting at a private home. Exact location information will be sent one week prior to the event.
The November book is The Anomaly, by Hervé Le Tellier.
An Air France airliner encounters a terrible storm during a flight from Paris to New York. Once it lands, the passengers discover that an identical version of the plane—with identical copies of all its passengers—had already landed safely at JFK airport four months earlier. What does it mean to have a duplicate of yourself walking around? How should the government respond? But the plot is not really the point, as the book is really a set of character studies. The publisher says that this novel “blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller” genres.
For further information, contact Don Bieniewicz, MS ’75, at donbien@erols.com.
Baltimore Book Club Discussion
Monday, November 14, 7:30 pm
Google Meet: Registrants will be emailed a link to join the meeting a few minutes before.
We are reading Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, which “examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power, and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century.” Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, “is a historian and commentator on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies. An MSNBC Opinion Columnist and author or editor of six books, with over 100 op-eds and essays in CNN, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, she brings historical perspective to her analyses of current events. Her insight into the authoritarian playbook has made her an expert source for television, radio, podcasts, and online events around the globe.” (From author’s website https://ruthbenghiat.com.)
Our January 9th book is The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy.