Dear Fellow Phi Betes:

   The school year may be winding down, but not the calendar of the Northern California Association. Two wonderful annual events have taken place since our last newsletter. First, our Asilomar conference, once again under the competent leadership of Jae and Pat Emenhiser, was an outstanding success. While having wonderful time in a beautiful place, we raised almost $10,000 for scholarships. (See Jae’s article about Asilomar) In addition, our May Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, planned by Stanley and Adeline Kahn, served as an inspiration to us all. Those who feel pessimistic about the future of our country need only hear the Scholarship and Teaching Excellence awardees speak to restore their faith in the future. The awardees are listed below.

   Besides these two major events, our Association has benefited since our last newsletter from a number of activities planned and implemented by the Kahns. Stanley, as First Vice President, Programs, served an extra year until his replacement, Judy Hardardt, was able to free herself from other obligations and assume the duties of the office. This newsletter introduces Judy’s initial programs. I hope that many of you will be able to join us on these outings. These events are fun and educational, and they also provide us with the opportunity to meet and socialize with other members. Participating in these events is a great way to get involved in the Association and make new friends. Judy is open to suggestions for events from the membership, so if you have any ideas, please contact her.

   Even as summer begins, our competent, hard-working Board continues its usual excellent work. Because each member fulfills his or her duties so well, my job as President has been very easy. And because most members of the Board have been in office for a number of years, we have been able to institute changes which benefit the Association. You have good reason to be proud of the work your Board has done and can confidently look forward to another successful year.

   In the fall, you will be receiving the September newsletter and the 2008 Association Directory, which we publish every three years. In the meantime, enjoy the wonderful events planned for summer by our new Program VP, Judy Hardardt.

Respectfully submitted,
, President

Scholarship and Teaching Excellence Awards

   At the Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on May 4, 2008, the Association presented nine outstanding Phi Beta Kappa graduate students with $5000 scholarship awards to assist them in completing their educational objectives; and conferred its 2008 Teaching Excellence Awards upon four distin­guished teachers nominated by their students.

These awards were made possible by the generous contributions of our membership. In our hard-copy newsletter (mailed early June 2008), we have acknowledged over 1200 members who have contributed to the Association. To preserve privacy, we will not list names here. We thank each and every one of you!
  
Scholarship Awards
   In fulfillment of its mission to encourage scholarship and research, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association is honoring the following outstanding Phi Beta Kappa graduate students with $5000 scholarship awards to assist them in completing their educational objectives:

Manisha Bahl* - UCSF - Medicine
Matthew Fujita - UC Berkeley - Integrative Biology
Lauren McGeoch - UC Davis - Ecology
Elizabeth McGuire - UC Berkeley - History
Victor Menaldo - Stanford - Political Science
Joanna Nelson - UC Santa Cruz - Environmental Studies
Veena Singla - UCSF - Cell Biology
Jessica Walter - UC Berkeley - Physics
Leslie Wang - UC Berkeley - Sociology

Further information about the Scholarship awardees is available on the Scholarship page of this website, and will appear in the November hard-copy newsletter.

*Elizabeth B. Reed Scholarship
   The Elizabeth Buttler Read Scholarship, established in 1992 by the Association Board 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. Visit our website at pbknca.org for more information about this outstanding woman.

Joanne Sandstrom, Second VP - Scholarship

Teaching Excellence Awards
   Keenly aware of the great worth of learning and of the extraordinary gifts, diligence, and amplitude of spirit that mark the best in teaching, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association takes pleasure in conferring its 2008 Teaching Excellence Awards upon these distinguished teachers:

Dr. John G. Forte - Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - UC Berkeley
Dr. Arthur Havenner - Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics - UC Davis
Dr. Garrison Sposito - College of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management - UC Berkeley
Dr. Elizabeth Tallent - English Department - Stanford

   Looking toward next year, the Teaching Excellence Committee has already received two nominations for the Teaching Excellence Awards that will be presented in the Spring of 2009. If you would like to nominate a favorite teacher you can find the nomination form on our website. Nominations must be received by November 30, 2008.

Narcinda Lerner, Teaching Excellence Chair

Asilomar 2008

Interpreting Science, Humanities, and the Law
   One hundred five Phi Betes and their guests enjoyed the 22nd Annual Northern California Association Conference at Asilomar, February 15-18. We participated in outstanding lectures and stimulating discussions, T’ai Chi, and quiet time for recreation and relaxation. President Jean James ordered gorgeous weather for Friday and Saturday, when several participants walked to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary under leadership of Bob and Dee Dee Baronian. Pictures are available on our website.

   Each morning on the patio in front of Fred Farr Forum, Cynthia Fels, M.Ed., a retired teacher, volunteer naturalist for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and certified T’ai Chi instructor, taught us simple exercises for 30 minutes before breakfast.

   Our lectures began Friday evening with Dr. Marcia McNutt, President and CEO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, presenting a number of fascinating scenarios for “Engineering the Oceans”. Saturday morning, Professor Kermit Roosevelt III, who teaches law at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke on “Interpreting Supreme Court Decisions”. Written for non-lawyers, his latest book, the stimulating The Myth of Judicial Activism (Yale University Press, 2006), was the common reading for our conference and served as the source of our small group discussions Saturday afternoon. Before dinner, participants joined in an enjoyable wine-tasting seminar led by Dr. David McCuan of Sonoma State University. In the evening Dr. John Churchill, Secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, brought us news from FBK headquarters in Washington, D. C., and evaluated the state of liberal arts education in the U.S.

   Sunday, we were treated to lectures by the Houstons and by the spouse of our member, Mary Granger. In the morning, James D. Houston, a keen observer of western America and a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, explained his inspiration for his latest books Snow Mountain Passage and Bird of Another Heaven. After lunch, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, co-author of Farewell to Manzanar and friend of our member Masako Miura, spoke on her novel Legend of the Firehorse Woman. After dinner Dr. Ed Granger, President of Ontario Beach Systems and Chief Technical Officer for Delta E, interactively demonstrated his work on color vision and image displays.

   The conference concluded with Ranger Roxanne Jacobus, our favorite California State Park Ranger, along with newcomer Ranger Andrea, leading us on a walking tour of the history of Asilomar and the many buildings designed by California’s first woman-architect, Julia Morgan.

   The conference registration fees helped fund two of the graduate student scholarships awarded during our Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club on May 4 (see left column). After expenses were paid, each registrant may deduct $79.19 as a charitable gift on his or her income taxes. But since we do not give tax advice, please confirm this with your accountant.

   On their evaluation forms, participants made valuable suggestions that are being included in planning for next year’s program. The responses were 15 to 3 for reading in common, and discussing a book by one of the speakers. Most suggestions favored non-fiction.

   Over 60 members have already submitted their $100 registration fees for next year. Please spread the word among your Phi Beta Kappa friends and feel free to bring a guest with you next year, President’s Day Weekend, February 13-16, 2009. Send your check for $100 per person, payable to PBKNCA, to me at 2898 Sand Pointe Dr., McKinleyville, CA 95519. When I receive your check, I will mail you the Asilomar housing reservation form.

Jae Emenhiser, Asilomar Chair

 

Thanks to Cal Graduates and Others

   Sincere thanks to all of you who responded to our request for donations that enabled us to sponsor a reception for new Phi Beta Kappa initiates at UC Berkeley. Because of your gener­ous contributions, we will be able to provide a lovely recep­tion for this year’s group and still have a little left over for next year’s reception. (All contributions for the reception were earmarked specifically for that use.)  You will make the initia­tion more memorable for all involved.
   Many, many thanks,
Georgia Maslowski, Corresponding Secretary

, (Cal ’71)

Tour of the Buck Institute on Aging - July 17, 2008

While the process of aging is one which none of us can escape, as Winston Churchill once remarked, “It’s better than the alternative!” As those years roll by at an ever speedier pace, we all recognize the problems that arise with aging. Some of us may have already experienced these in our parents: alterations in physical status, cognition and memory, ability to carry on the activities of daily living, (the ADL’s of the geriatrician), medical care including medications, boredom and in some instances, especially in women who tend to live about five years longer than men, loneliness.

The problems bear especial relevance in the US with the aging of the baby boomer generation. As a result of a number of factors, the percentage of our elderly population, as in all developed countries is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that by 2050, one third of the US population will be elderly.

The Buck Institute, located in Novato, California, funded by the Buck Trust was established to approach aging problems through research and education.

Dr. Leonard Buck was a pathologist on the staff of University of California Medical Center; his wife was trained as a nurse. Prior to Mrs. Buck’s death, she wisely asked that part of the estate “extend help toward the problems of the aged.”

Located on approximately 488 acres on Mount Burdell in Novato, The Buck Trust opened its research Institute in 1999. To learn about some of its research projects, as well as its facilities for education, visit the web site: www.buckinstitute.org where a wealth of information on the nature of the Institutes’ priorities and programs may be found. Better still, visit the Institute in person, by filling out the coupon for our private, pre-arranged tour, and mailing it with payment as indicated on the coupon.

Date: Thursday, July 17, 2008
Time: 10:15 AM-Please be prompt!
Minimum: 10
Maximum: 30
Deadline: June 17
Fee: $10.00
Driving Directions
The Buck Institute is located 25 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge

From the South-San Francisco Airport/San Francisco, South Bay:
Take Highway 101 North across the Golden Gate Bridge
Take the last Novato Exit # Atherton/San Marin Drive (just north of the Delong exit) Turn left at the stop light, go west over the freeway overpass
Get in the right lane and turn right at the second stoplight onto Redwood Highway Go approximately ½ mile, turn left onto Buck Center Drive
Stop at the security gate give your name using the intercom
At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking lot

From the East Bay--Berkeley/Oakland
Take Highway 80 to Highway 580 West, cross the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge (toll bridge) Take 580 until it merges with Highway 101 North in San Rafael
Take the last Novato Exit # Atherton/San Marin Drive (just north of the Delong exit) Turn left at the stop light, go west over the freeway overpass
Get in the right lane and turn right at the second stoplight onto Redwood Highway Go approximately 1/2 mile, turn left onto Buck Center Drive
Stop at the security gate, give your name using the intercom
At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking Lot

From the North Through Sonoma County
Take Highway 101 South
Take the first Novato Exit (Atherton/San Marin Drive) Turn right at the stop light, stay in the right lane Take an immediate right onto Redwood Highway
Go approximately 1/2 mile, turn left onto Buck Center Drive Stop at the security gate, give your name using the intercom
At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking lot

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Tour of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory – Thursday September 11, 2008, 10 AM; Deadline August 28

Since our first tour of the famed Laboratory overlooking the UC Berkeley campus was oversubscribed last year, we were obliged to turn some prospective attendees down.

  The reason for limiting registration to twenty persons is that the Lab bus, which transports us from downtown Berkeley to the Lab, seats that number and no more.

  You will recall that the Laboratory was founded many years ago by late Berkeley professor Earnest Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron. Dr. Lawrence was the first member of the UC Berkeley Faculty to win a Nobel prize. Since then, this same research facility has received at least ten more Nobel awards. Owned by the United States Department of Energy but operated by the University of California, its research facilities are available to any qualified scientist in this country, and possibly from other countries as well. We have been promised guides who will discuss topics of research at the Lab different from those that were discussed on the prior tour. For more information prior to attending the tour, consult www.lbl.gov/

A map of the site, as well as directions, may be found at http://www.lbl.gov/Workplace/Transportation.html

Please note that the Lab requires that the citizenship of each person attending be provided, so kindly list your citizenship status on the coupon.

Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008.
Time: 10:00 am-Please be prompt. Don’t miss the bus!
Fee: $ 10.00
Meeting Site: Corner of Center Street and Shattuck, downtown Berkeley, adjacent to the Wells Fargo Bank building at 2144 Shattuck. There is a downtown BART station at that location as well.
Deadline: August 28, 2008
Remember to include citizenship status on coupon as well.
Minimum number 15
Maximum number 20

Directions and Parking. If convenient, take Bart to Downtown Berkeley station. The Wells Fargo Bank is a very short walk from the station. It’s a high rise building, which one cannot miss.

If arriving by car, either bring lots of quarters for parking meters, or preferably park in the Public Parking Deck on Center street, a short distance from Shattuck. From the north, take US 101 South to the Richmond Bridge via-580 East. Exit at University Avenue. Take University Avenue to Shattuck, and turn right. Wells Fargo Bank Building is at 2144 Shattuck, at the corner of Center Street. From the Peninsula, cross Bay Bridge and take the Berkeley exit, enter I-80 North and take the University Avenue exit, and proceed as mentioned above. From the South, take I-880 N and merge into I-580 W/I-80 E. Take University Avenue exit. Continue as above.

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Jack London State Historic Park – Friday, September 19, 2008

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
than it should be stifled by dry rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time
Jack London (1876 - 1916)

   Once known as Jack London's "Beauty Ranch," the park's 1400 acres include the Beauty Ranch, Museum, Wolf House ruins and more than 10 miles of trails. Our visit to the park will include a docent-guided tour that will include the House of Happy Walls, the Londons' gravesites and the ruins of the Wolf House. A service is available for members needing assistance getting to the Museum and the Wolf House. We will enjoy a picnic at the park after the tour so bring a brown-bag lunch. After lunch, you are free to explore other areas of this fascinating facility. For those with ambulation probleMs., a cane may be useful, since some of the paths are a little narrow. For additional information, including a video of the park, see http://www.jacklondons.net/museum.html
Date and Time: Friday, September 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM. Please be prompt as docent-guided tour starts promptly at 11:30 AM.
Deadline: August 22, 2008.
Meeting Place: Follow the asphalt path from the lower parking lot (to the left of the entrance station) to the Museum.
Costs: $10 per person plus park entrance fee of $6.00 (or $5.00 for Seniors). Free parking in lot to the left of the park entrance. Note: If you can carpool, you can share the cost of the entrance fee.
Minimum: 10; Maximum: 20 (additional registration with a second guide may be an option)
Access is by car only.
Directions: From Santa Rosa: take highway 12 towards Sonoma, turn right on Arnold Drive to Glen Ellen; in Glen Ellen take London Ranch Road to the park.
From Sonoma: take Highway 12 towards Santa Rosa, turn left on Madrone Road, then right on Arnold Drive to Glen Ellen, then left on London Ranch Road to the park.
From Highway 101: take 37 to 121. Turn left at 121 and go to 116 (Arnold drive). Stay on Arnold Drive until you get to Glen Ellen. From Glen Ellen, turn left onto London Ranch Road.
From Walnut Creek: Take I-80 E toward Sacramento. Exit onto CA-37 W toward Napa, take a sharp right at Arnold Dr/CA-121 N (signs for CA-121 N/Sonoma). Continue to follow Arnold Dr. as above.

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History Cruise on the USS Potomac: Thursday, October 2, 2008

The USS Potomac was first commissioned "The Coast Guard Cutter Electra" on June 30, 1934. She was subsequently re-commissioned "The USS Potomac" in 1936, after being chosen to become the Presidential Yacht, enjoyed by then-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As Roosevelt's "Floating White House" the Potomac is docked in Jack London Square. The history tour will include the story of the ups and downs (literally) of the ship, how she was adapted to serve the needs of a physically handicapped President, and all the while we will be enjoying the very special views one can only get from the waters of the San Francisco Bay.
Be sure to bring sunglasses, a jacket and a cap or hat that will not blow off and land in the water. Binoculars and cameras are also a good idea. We will meet at the dock at Jack London Square no later than 10:30 AM as the ship leaves the dock at 11 AM. We will complete the tour at approximately 1 PM. Lunch will be available at area restaurants of your choice.
Website: www.usspotomac.org
Access: The Presidential Yacht Potomac does not fully comply with the facility access standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The facility allows limited access for the mobility impaired. Potomac docents or staff are available to provide access assistance to mobility-impaired.
Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008
Deadline: September 4
Time: 10:30 AM
Minimum: 20; Maximum: 40
Cost: $40
Directions: From the North: I 80 West to I 580 West, 980 Downtown, exit 12th Street, becomes Brush Street, left on 3rd Street, right on Washington St, enter Jack London Square
From the East: 24 West to 980 Downtown, exit 12th Street, becomes Brush Street, left on 3rd Street, right on Washington St, enter Jack London Square
From the West: I 80 East over the Oakland Bay Bridge, Merge onto I 880 toward Alameda/Airport/San Jose, exit Washington St/Alameda, right on 5th Street, right on Washington St, enter Jack London Square
From the South: I 880 North, exit Washington St, left on Washington St, right on Water Street
Parking: Washington Street Garage between 2nd and Embarcadero Streets, one block from the Potomac. Sorry, they do not validate.

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Tour of John Muir Home and Historic Site: Saturday, November 15, 2008

   My life these days is like the life of a glacier…one eternal grind…soon I'll throw down my pen and take up my heels and go mountaineering once more. So said John Muir on one of those days we all have now and then. But for Muir, this was not a fanciful dream but a definite reality, for Muir was to many of us the original mountain man. Famous as a preservationist and as a naturalist - if it hadn't been for John Muir, Yosemite National Park might never have been created. Muir was also personally involved in the creation of the Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Mt. Rainier National Parks. Muir is also credited with the creation of the Sierra Club (with William Colby) in 1892 and served as the Club's president until his death in 1914.
   The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez. Our tour will include a docent-led tour of Muir's home and the property that surrounds it.
Website: www.nps.gov/jomu/
Accessibility: For the grounds, a golf cart is available for rides up the hill to the house. There is also an "easy access" path for those of you who would like an easy saunter up to the house. Paved pathways also make it easy to navigate your way around the park. A wheelchair lift makes the first floor of the Muir home accessible to everyone. The first floor of the Martinez adobe is also accessible from the south side. ADA approved picnic tables are in the park for your convenience as well.
Be sure to bring a picnic lunch as we will be able to enjoy lunch together following the tour.
Date and Time: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 9:30 AM (tour starts promptly at 10 AM)
Deadline: October 17
Minimum: 12; Maximum: 15
 Cost: $8.00 per person
Directions: Eastbound I-80 to eastbound Highway 4. Exit at Alhambra Avenue, turning left at bottom of the ramp. Cross beneath highway. Site is immediately on your left.
I-680 northbound or southbound to Highway 4 westbound. Exit at Alhambra Ave. Turn right at bottom of ramp. Site is located immediately on your left.

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   If you subsequently can’t make an event, others may be waiting - kindly notify the appropriate Program VP:

Stanley Kahn (Buck and Berkeley) - home (510) 665-5987, cell day of event (510) 926-9326;

Judy Hardardt (all others) - home (530) 297-7150, cell day of event (707) 696-9498.

, First Vice-President, Programs