Yale Day of Service

Thirty-seven volunteers, all of whom somehow connected to Yale University, manned the Beacon on Saturday May 16, 2009. Located in downtown Houston, the Beacon provides basic services such as a noontime meal, showers, and laundry for Houston’s homeless population.

Registering the near 500 homeless as they arrived at the opening shift were Jenny and Jessica Allen, Lily Berniker, and Bill Hixon. The girls are students at St. John’s High School as well as children of Yale graduates. Serving in the kitchen were Chinhui Juhn, Eddie Allen, an interloper from Princeton and husband of Chinhui and father of Jessica and Jenny, and Eric Berniker, father of Lily. They chopped and diced an infinite supply of fruits and vegetables. The coffee accoutrements cart was ably handled by Jane Curtis and her fifth grade daughter Hannah. While Chinhui wore her Yale Day of Service t-shirt and others donned Yale attire, my favorite was Hannah’s simple Yale shirt leaving no doubt of her affiliation.

Chip Cowell, his girlfriend Ronnye Patterson, Travis Torrence, and Robin Preussel served in the laundry room. Arriving and staying late were Austen Furse and his fifth grade daughter Katherine and her friend Tessa Twiford.

The second shift commenced at 11:00 and an energetic group of twelve relieved our hard working early arrivers. Fairfax and Risher Randall and Leslie Goldman took over at the registration desk. Joe Sassin and his daughter Alexa, a recently admitted high school senior, served in the kitchen along with Sylvia and John Freeman, Linda Weiner, Carolyn Swann, and John Gealy. William Booher took over at the coffee accoutrement cart. Omar Rouchon was our sole representative in the laundry. At this time of day, the Beacon is bustling with activity as lunch is being served.

Clean up began in earnest with the third shift. Nena and David Karohl, Kevin Lewis, Blake Barnett, and the Kantor-Stone family served on this final shift. All was done by 4:00 p.m. While by the Beacon’s standards, the crowd was smaller than usual, all our volunteers were put to work doing useful assignments. Several took the business card of Mike Puccio, the Beacon’s Executive Director, and were considering a return visit with their church, synagogue, employer, or just individually.

The celebratory reception was not well attended but we did see Marlon Castillo, captain of our Habitat for Humanity project, which had taken place at the same time as our project at the Beacon. He reported that some fifteen volunteers helped construct a home for a needy family in Pearland (south of downtown Houston). All together, fifty-two volunteers from the Yale community in Houston spent a day giving back a little of its time to help others and paradoxically gained much more. The “can do” spirit is alive and we thank the AYA for fanning the flame.

You're invited to view my online photos at the Gallery.
Enjoy! - Risher

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bzgzgp0q.1qxqzf1m&x=0&y=-7pf5j&localeid=en_US

You can save these photos after viewing them by creating a free Kodak Gallery account.

Spring String Soiree

On Friday, March 27, a group of Yale alumni and friends gathered at the home of Joe and Barbra Munisteri for an evening of champagne, dessert and chamber music. The musical masters of the evening were the Boolean Quartet who charmed the audience with such well-known favorites as Mozart’s “The Hunt” and Dvorak’s “American” string quartets. The quartet also had the audience in stitches when they played spoofs of Strauss waltzes by Paul Hindesmith, a Yale Music Professor who had actually taught our very own Joe Munisteri! The perfect note was completed with Italian Cream Cake from Epicure, and more wine all around. The highlight of the evening was the showing of Joe’s special violin collection, including a vintage 1703 violin from Venice made by Francesco Gobetti, an apprentice of the famed Antonio Stradvari. The sounds of the beautiful instruments lingered as the audience reluctantly headed home.

Annual Dinner

Annual Dinner

Featuring a presentation by
Dr. Ellen Lust

Elections in the Arab World: Meaning and Prospects

Join Yale Political Science Professor Ellen Lust as she shares her intimate
knowledge of the politics that are shaping the Arab World.

Dr. Ellen Lust is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University. She received a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan. Her publications include Structuring Conflict in the Arab World (2005) and Political Participation in the Middle East (2008). Her work broadly examines the politics of authoritarianism, and through this, the prospects for development and democracy in the region. She is currently working on a book manuscript examining the politics of elections in the Arab world. Dr. Lust has studied, conducted research, and led student and alumni groups in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Israel, Palestine and Syria.

Enjoy a customized menu created by the chef including your choice of cod filet cooked with Moroccan flavors or char-grilled USDA choice filet of beef with bordelaise sauce. Finish with the triumphant Raspberry Eruption!

Date: Friday, April 24, 2009
Time: 6:15 pm Cocktails 1 hour open bar; cash bar thereafter
7:00 pm Dinner & Close of Election
7:15 pm Yale Club business
7:30 pm Presentation

Location: The Briar Club,
2603 Timmons, 713-622-3667

Fee: Yale Club members & their guests $50
Young Alums ’98 to ’08 $35
Non-members $60


Mail check to:
The Yale Club of Houston
4810 Florence
Bellaire, TX 77401
Phone: 713-668-4702
shudson7@comcast.net


Please note your dinner choice(s) below.
If no dinner is selected or you RSVP late,
you will be served fish.

Annual Dinner RSVP by April 21


Name(s) ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Print clearly your name(s) as it (they) should appear on the nametag

______ Fish ______ Beef Total enclosed $________ Number of people to attend _________

Lil Elis Easter Egg Hunt

Lil Elis Easter Egg Hunt

Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday

Date: April 11, 2009

Location: Roberts Elementary School Park
6000 Greenbriar (between University and Holcombe) in the Med Center/Rice Univ area.
This is the same location as last year (and the previous year).

This event is free. Light refreshments will be served. About 400 plastic eggs will be hidden for the hunt and many will contain candy inside. All ages welcome.

Please call Karen Tripp if you have any questions.
Phones: Office/Home: 713 658-9323; Cell: 832-798-7576.

Rain date will be the following Saturday, April 18—same time and place—please call to verify postponement to this date if April 11 is rainy.

Yale Movie Night at Landmark River Oaks Theatre

2009 W Gray StHouston, TX 77019

Friday, March 20th
Meet outside at 7 PM
Discussion afterwards at Epicure Café

(Movie to be Announced week of March 16th)

Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 17

to Andrea Hite
713-467-9985

Spring String Soiree Featuring the Boolean Quartet

Join the Yale Club of Houston for an evening of champagne, dessert, and the glorious music of Mozart and Dvorak. Experience chamber music as it was intended to be heard - in the intimate setting of a lovely home. Joe and Barbra Munisteri have graciously agreed to host this evening of music and fun for Yale alumni and friends.

Friday, March 27, 2009
8 – 10 pm
(Music will begin at 8:30 p.m.)
3132 Midlane Street
(Between Westheimer and Richmond-- look for flags flying in the balcony)

Questions?
Email Chinhui Juhn:
cjuhn@uh.edu

RSVP & make checks payable to:
Yale Club of Houston
c/o Ms. Stuart Hudson
4810 Florence St.
Bellaire, TX 77401
713-668-4702


******** SAVE THE DATE: ANNUAL DINNER WITH YALE PROFESSOR
ELLEN LUST-OKAR, APRIL 24TH AT THE BRIAR CLUB ***********


Spring String Soiree – RSVP by March 25th to shudson7@comcast.net

Name(s): ______________________________________________________

_______ $20 members, spouses and guests ($25 at the door)

________$15 young alums ($20 at the door)

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CLUB OF HOUSTON

HARVARD UNIVERSITY CLUB OF HOUSTON
invites you to a presentation on:
“How to Deal with a Resurgent Russia”

With Professor Timothy J. Colton
Director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Harvard University

Thursday, March 5th, 2009 (6:30 – 9:00PM)
6:30PM – Reception (cash bar)
7:00PM – Dinner and Presentation

Houston Briar Club
2603 Timmons Lane
Briar Club - Google Maps(near corner of Timmons & Westheimer)
Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (713) 622-3667

$35 per person for Recent Grads[1] or Incoming Students$45 per person for Harvard Club Members (and family members)$55 per person for Non-Members

RSVP by Monday, March 2nd, 2009,
[2] to Maureen Garnett at HClubHouston@att.net or
RSVP on-line at the Harvard University Club website at https://clubs.harvard.edu/university/houston.
You may pay on-line or mail your check payable to the
Harvard University Club of Houston in advance to
Maureen at 9307 Woodmeadow Lane, Houston, TX 77025.

For questions, call 713-660-9137 before 8pm.

[1] Class of 2004 or later.
[2] There will be a $5 additional charge for signups after the 2nd.