Dear Fellow Phi Betes,

 

Not only does spring herald the return of milder weather and plentiful blossoms, it also brings with it our Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, which was held this year on Sunday, May 3, at the Faculty Club at UC Berkeley, once again under the auspices of Mel Shattuck. That afternoon we awarded $5,000 scholarships to six deserving students and $500 Teaching Excellence honoraria to three outstanding professors. Their names are listed below and on our website at www.pbknca.org. More information about these impressive individuals will appear in the November newsletter.  

The Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner was the direct result of the generosity of our members. It is your membership dues, donations, and Asilomar Conference registration fees that make these awards possible. A special thank-you goes to Burt and Maria Norall who once again fully funded a scholarship in memory of Cordie and Max McLain whose financial help allowed Burt to attend UC Berkeley. Of course, the hard work and dedication of our Board and committee members also ensured the success of the evening. Judy Hardardt, First Vice President, Programs, was in charge of all the arrangements and continued the outstanding performance she has displayed in organizing our many activities this year. (See page three to discover what she has in store for the coming months.)  

The dinner was also a time to honor our retiring Board members and welcome the new ones. Alex Harding is now Letitia Sanders’ official replacement as Third Vice President, Membership, although he had already assumed the duties of this office in January. Joanne Williams is the new Corresponding Secretary, replacing Georgia Maslowski. Our Asilomar Conference also has a new leader: Calvin Wood is taking over from Jae Emenheiser. Special thanks to Marvin Richards and his nominating committee for all their work in finding talented and willing candidates for these positions.  

This year a number of our members who had never before attended the annual dinner came, and they told me that their experience exceeded their expectations. Although the geniality of our members was no surprise to these “first-timers”, they were impressed by the excellence of the honorees. Anyone who feels pessimistic about the future of our country need only hear the Scholarship and Teaching Excellence awardees speak to have faith in the future restored.  

Although the annual dinner ended one busy year, another is about to begin. As spring turns into summer, and then into fall and winter, we hope we can count on your continued support of the Association and its many activities.

Jean Ellen James, President
, President

Scholarship and Teaching Excellence Awards Presented at the Annual Meeting, May 3, 2009

 

The Teaching Excellence awardees for 2009 are:

Kathryn Olmsted, Department of History, UC Davis

Noah Guynn, Department of French and Italian, UC Davis

William James Stover, Department of Political Science, University of Santa Clara

 

The Scholarship awardees for 2009 are:

Esther Cole, UC Davis, Ecology

Jordan Gans-Morse, UC Berkeley, Political Science

Emily Jacobs, UC Berkeley, Neuroscience

*Mariangela Lisanti, Stanford, Physics (Norall Family Scholarship, p.7)

**Laurel Seely, UC Santa Cruz, Literature (Elizabeth B. Reed Memorial Scholarship, p.7)

Amelia Wolf, Stanford, Biology

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* Norall Family Scholarship 

We are pleased to acknowledge a most generous gift by Burt Norall and former Board member, Maria Norall, in memory of Cordie and Max McLain. The McLains were wealthy rice farmers from Burt's home town in Butte County who enabled him to attend UC Berkeley by providing him with funds for his expenses. Burt chose to fully fund one of the Northern California Association’s scholarships this year in their names because he has seen how dedicated Maria and other Board members are, and he knew the full amount would actually go to a deserving student. Click here for more information.

** Elizabeth B. Reed Scholarship

The Elizabeth Buttler Read Scholarship, established in 1992 by the Association following a bequest from her estate, honors a remarkable woman who exemplifies the breadth of professions and skills one determined woman can master with enough grit and innate talent. Click here for more information about this outstanding woman.

ΦBKNCA PARTICIPATES IN CHAPTER INITIATIONS

ΦBKNCA volunteers will attend April through June initiation ceremonies at all eight of our affiliated college chapters in Northern California: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, University of the Pacific, Mills College, San Francisco State University, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University.

Thanks to our 2009 volunteers: Marci Coglianese, Jean James, Narcinda Lerner, Masako Miura, Janiece Nolan, Letitia Sanders, Joanne Sandstrom, and Margaret Williams.

ΦBKNCA participates in these ceremonies to increase awareness of our nation-wide PBK alumnae associations and to obtain nominations for our teaching excellence awards, as well as applications for our scholarships. Participation gives our volunteers a chance to meet the faculty and students at a campus and just plain have fun remembering our college days.

Please contact me if you are interested in participating in an initiation in 2010.

Thank you.
Janiece Nolan, Ph.D., Chapter Liaison,

Please keep checking the ΦBKNCA website (www.pbknca.org) for new events which always include the details of our tours, as well as other information regarding ΦBKNCA.
 
And don't forget that if you haven’t attended an event lately, you are missing some terrific experiences! You might be pleasantly surprised at not only what you may learn, but also by the wonderful camaraderie of our members.

Due to limited space and the increasing cost of the newsletter, we can no longer provide directions from all points of the compass for each event. We suggest you use Google, Mapquest or your GPS to get specific directions from your home. If you cannot do this, you may email me at for general directions.

If you cannot make an event, even if it is at the last minute, call my cell phone (707) 696-9498. There may be others waiting that can take your place. And please be on time – we will not wait for, nor give refunds to, late-comers.

Judy Hardardt, First Vice President - Programs

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A Visit to Bay Area Turtle and Tortoise Rescue- Saturday, June 6, 2009

We had a great time! Pictures from the event are available here...

Lewis Carroll: "We called him Tortoise because he taught us…Achilles had overtaken the Tortoise, and had seated himself comfortably on its back... 'You flatter me - flatten, I mean, said the Tortoise; for you are a heavy weight, and no mistake! Well now, would you like to hear of a race-course, that most people fancy they can get to the end of in two or three steps, while it really consists of an infinite number of distances, each one longer than the previous one?' "
The largest tortoise refuge in northern California is in our own backyard, where Ginger & Gary Wilfong care for hundreds of injured, threatened, and unwanted tortoises and turtles at their home in Castro Valley. We will visit the refuge and learn how this dedicated couple found their mission in life, rehabilitating and releasing back into the wild when they can, and how they care for the tortoises and turtles when release is not possible.

The Bay Area Turtle and Tortoise Rescue doesn’t have a website, but some articles have been written. For links to some great pictures and more information, see http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/10/BA2Q125KOG.DTL and http://www.ktvu.com/news/17307498/detail.html

 

 

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009 Deadline: May 16, 2009 Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (please arrive no later than 10:45 a.m.) Minimum: 8, Maximum: 15 Price: $8.00 Directions: The refuge is located at 20038 Butterfield Drive, Castro Valley, CA 94546. Check Google, Mapquest or your GPS to get specific directions from your home. If you cannot do this, you may email Judy at for general directions. Click on the B for customized directions ->

View Larger Map

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Did you Know? In the three days following the 1906 earthquake, the Army's refugee camps at the Presidio issued 3,000 tents, 12,000 shelter halves, 13,000 ponchos, 58,000 pairs of shoes, and 24,000 regulation blue shirts.  

Did You Know? In 1915, a tragic fire at the Presidio claimed the lives of General Pershing’s wife and his three daughters. Pershing's son, Francis Warren, survived the blaze and chose to enlist in the army as a private during World War II. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of major.  

Did You Know? The Presidio has a rich cultural history spanning back to the time of the native Ohlone people. The Spanish arrived in 1776 to establish the northernmost outpost of their empire in western North America. The Presidio then fell under Mexican rule for 24 years before the U.S. Army took control of it in 1846. Over 148 years, the U.S. Army transformed the Presidio grounds from mostly empty windswept dunes and scrub to a verdant, preeminent military post. Since 1994, the Presidio has been a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  

Our tour of portions of the Presidio by one of City Guides’ docents will cover the extensive history of the Presidio while we explore its historic places.

Website: www.nps.gov/prsf/historyculture/index.htm  

Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Deadline: July 1, 2009

Time:  11:00 a.m.

Minimum: 10

Maximum: 20

Price: $15.00

Directions : Extensive directions are available on the web at www.presidio.gov/directions/visitor.htm, or by contacting the Presidio Trust at (415) 561-5300.

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"I will always be a stranger who never feels at home…who must always be a little in love with death." The Long Day’s Journey of Eugene O'Neill began in New York City where he was born in 1888. It encompassed infancy in hotel rooms and theater wings, Catholic boarding schools, Princeton University, Honduras, South America, flop houses, a TB sanitarium and so much more.

One of America’s most prominent playwrights, Eugene O’Neill won four Pulitzer Prizes and the Nobel Prize for Literature for his playwriting. He is often thought of as the father of modern American drama for the new, uniquely American style of tragedy he created. Eugene wrote what he considered, and what many critics consider, his best work while living at Tao House.

During our tour, we will no doubt learn some tidbits about O'Neill's family and background, such as the fact that his father was the famous late 19th Century actor James O’Neill who is best known for playing the Count of Monte Cristo over 6,000 times. Or, that Greta Garbo made her talking picture debut in the 1930 MGM version of O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Anna Christie.”

Accessibility: Transportation is accessible to wheelchair users with advanced notice. The first floor of Tao House is accessible. A media presentation of the second floor guided tour is available.

Website: www.nps.gov/euon

 

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009

Deadline: September 1, 2009

M aximum: 14

Minimum: 8

Price:  $10.00

Time: 10:00 a.m. We will meet at the park shuttle stop in front of the Museum of San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Ave., Danville. The museum is located at the intersection of Railroad Ave. and Prospect.

Please be there no later than 15 minutes ahead of this time. Parking is available on the corner cattycorner from the museum.

We will be transported via shuttle to O'Neill's Tao House where we will have a guided tour and have time to explore the grounds before returning to Danville on the shuttle. The tour will last approximately 2 ½ hours.

Directions: Take I 680 to Danville. Exit I 680 freeway at Diablo Road. Go west on Diablo Road to Hartz Avenue -

from the north, go to the right; from the south, go to the left. Turn left (south) on Hartz Avenue, go one block to Prospect Avenue. At Prospect, turn right (west). Go one block west to Railroad. There is only one parking lot available to us the day of the event, cattycorner from the Museum at the Railroad and Prospect intersection.

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Programs in the Planning Stages. Be sure to check this website for updates on these programs as they will be posted as soon as they're finalized. (For members who are not online, feel free to call Judy Hardardt at (530) 297-7150 and ask to be on the "To Be Notified" list when the program plans have been completed.)

  1. October: Delta Eco-Tour. A cruise aboard the Tule Queen, exploring the diverse environment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by boat. We're trying for a Saturday so that more members will have a chance to enjoy this unique experience.  

2.  November: A Chocolate Lover's Tour of San Francisco. Can we say this will be guilt-free as we'll be walking off all those calories we’ll be taking in?

 December's plans are still being developed.

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   If you subsequently can’t make an event, others may be waiting - kindly notify the Program VP,
Judy Hardardt home (530) 297-7150, cell day of event (707) 696-9498.

, First Vice-President, Programs

Asilomar 2009

The tax-deductible amount of your Asilomar payment for your 2008 taxes is $61.34. Use Novato CA as the ΦBKNCA location.

Ninety-seven Phi Betes and their guests attended our 23rd annual conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove over President’s Day Weekend, February 13-16. Stimulating lectures and discussions alternated with relaxing time to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.

Our speakers presented various views on “Changes in American Life: Past, Present, and Future.” Friday night Mr. Peter Hannaford spoke on “Presidential Leadership and the Nature of Change,” followed by a lively discussion led by some of our physicist members who commented on Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. Saturday Dr. LeAnn Flesher spoke on the influence of premillennial dispensationalism and the Left Behind fiction series that cobbles together biblical references out of context and interprets apocalyptic literature as prophecy. Saturday night Dr. Ellen Hanak excited the group when she addressed the future of water in California and rehearsed the pros and cons of a peripheral canal. On Sunday we heard about ergonomics helping workers and saving Intel thousands of dollars in workmanship compensation insurance costs from Mr. Earnest Ray. In the afternoon Miss Julia Morgan (aka Betty Marvin) made an appearance across space and time to tell us about her life and how she became California’s first woman architect. Jonathan O’Bergin, owner of Gryphon winery in Carmel Valley, joined us for a delightful wine seminar and tasting of his Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. That night Ms. Sharon Burke arrived from Washington to tell us about President Obama’s proposals for changes in the nation’s approach to national security. On Monday morning Dr. Sara Gilliland explained how new discoveries in neuroanatomy are helping physical therapists improve the quality of life of their clients.

Now is the time to reserve your space for next year, the 24th Annual ΦBKNCA Conference at beautiful Asilomar, February 12-15. Just send your $100 registration fee to Calvin Wood, new Asilomar Chair, at 420 Lincoln Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550. When he receives your check payable to PBKNCA, he will send you the Asilomar housing form. The sooner you return the form to Asilomar, the more likely you will be able to obtain the room of your choice.

Remember the registration fee largely goes to support our graduate student scholarships. The more persons who attend the conference, the more awards we can give to deserving students in northern California.

Hope to see you in 2010,
Jae Emenhiser.
For more information, contact Cal Wood, (925) 447-8666 or email , Asilomar Chair