As we have started our new academic year we have again asked our members to renew their membership to SUWC. Enclosed with last month’s Preview we sent to you a membership renewal form.  If you’ve not already done so, please do remember to remit your form. You know your options are to send a check or pay via Zelle (a payment service offered through most banks). Being a member is particularly important these days because we offer so many  interesting programs, and many of them are via Zoom online. If you have a friend who is eligible to be a member of our group and who is interested in one or the other section activity, then please invite her to one of the section meetings and then ask her to become a member. As you know our sections are open only to members. We welcome your introductions.  Dues this year are being used to offset the cost of Zoom subscription for our sections and programs. If you need help getting on Zoom or using it, please reach out to Linda Kraemer. 

As we enter the 124th year of the Stanford University Women’s Club, nothing could have prepared us for being in the midst of a pandemic. These are truly unprecedented times and as in so many things, life at Stanford is not business as usual. As you all know, at the time of this writing, undergraduates will not be returning to campus.

That being said, the Board has made a clear statement that we will continue as much as possible with our sections and programs. Little did any of us know we would be thrust into the use of the latest technology that allows for remote group participation, particularly Zoom. Some of us have perfected the efficient use of Zoom for the book group, movie group, the visual arts group, and other sections and we are all becoming fairly proficient. It’s allowed us to see each other and still carry on with some great discussions and learning. 

Unfortunately, although at first the President’s Office was willing to hold our annual brunch, it became necessary to cancel the event as the situation at Stanford became clearer. It is always such a lovely kick-off event, but we are working on ways for us to do some of it online including section sign-ups. 

Many of our sections will continue on using Zoom. In addition, we are encouraging people to suggest ideas for any Zoom groups they would like to start. Please contact our VP of Sections Katie Vigeant with any ideas for a section you would like to start on Zoom. The SUWC will provide support for a Zoom account if you need one and your idea is approved. 

We also encourage members to invite friends who may no longer live here to join. We now have members who retired and moved out of the area who have recently joined us so they could participate via Zoom in section meetings. 

In addition, our Program Committee is planning a number of exciting virtual programs throughout the year until we can get together in person. 

This is a time for us to be creative and we will continue to offer many activities as we best can. So, be sure to complete the enclosed membership form and include your dues (dues this year will help support the use of Zoom and other expenses for the sections and programs). 

We look forward to sharing an interesting year with you!           

Ronna and Linda 

Many thanks to the women who volunteered to give their time to our club. 

   

Elected Positions

Co-presidents – Linda Kraemer and Ronna Widrow

Past presidents – Amy Krehbiel and Lou Ann Glader

VP Sections – Katie Vigeant

VP Programs – Vicki Blayney, Kathryn Kim, and Bev Sarver

VP Membership – Letitia Lai

VP Communications – Theresa Chung

Treasurer – Abi Fafchamps

Recording Secretary – Cheryl Houston

Corresponding Secretary – Ellen McLennan

Preview Editor – Marina Lewis

Appointed Positions

Refreshments: TBD

Hospitality: Teresa Judd

Decorations: Gerda Wilson

Mailings: Ann Vosti

Parliamentarian: Allyn Taylor

Historian: Zhenhua Wang

New Members: Kelly Zhang Steele 

When we started our year last summer, little did we guess that we would all be facing an international pandemic that would not only disrupt our group, but the world at large. 

During our shutdown, we have learned to adapt in a variety of ways. Several sections have kept in touch. For example, the Movie Section is watching “The Two Popes” on Netflix and will discuss the film electronically, the Visual Arts Forum discovered that there is a virtual tour of the “Rooted Trees in Contemporary Art” exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center https://canopy.org/rooted-exhibit-2020; Great Decisions found the electronic version of the series is available at this time free of charge on YouTube; the Book Group enjoyed the joys of Emily Dickinson Book Club: A writer ponders Emily Dickinson’s most pivotal moments. 

On a personal note, we became experts on a variety of electronic tools such as Bridgebase and Realmahjongg and we learned how to use Zoom video and audio conferencing. 

Of course we were hopeful that things would quiet down quickly, but at this point it feels as if it is best to cancel the rest of our activities through June, including the Spring Tea/Fashion Show and the Open Board meeting. If it looks as if we can hold either of these activities we will do so. In the event we cannot hold the Open Board meeting in June, we will vote by e-mail for the By-Laws change and the slate of officers for 2020-21. 

Stay healthy, 

Ronna Widrow and Linda Kraemer

Co-Presidents

Download the powerpoint from the 2018 Personal Emergency Preparedness & Crime Prevention Talk here:

One of the best reasons to join SUWC is all the interesting women you may meet from our community. Many have lived and traveled around the world including Molly Agras. Molly has been a member for more than 40 years. Her friend Sunny Scott describes her as a “power house of inter-connectivity.”

When her husband joined the Medical School Faculty in 1972, Molly came to Stanford via the U.K having left Great Britain in 1956. For about five years, she served as President of the Medical Wives’ Club which dissolved in the late 70’s. Molly has been an entrepreneur for most of her life. She owned and managed “Courtyard Collection” in downtown Palo Alto, from 1977–1995, where she sold imported furnishings, art and textiles. A particular focus was the flat woven rugs called Kilims. She recalls fondly that there were many small businesses being run by local women. Molly traveled the globe including Europe and Eastern Asia to collect goods. Her talent for interior design led to more work after the shop closed.

Later in life Molly found a passion for jewelry making. She calls her style “classic ethnic” where she incorporates tribal silver with incredibly beautiful beads from many countries.  Molly personally invites you to come check out her lovely pieces at a benefit being held at Sunny’s campus home (610 Gerona Road) on Friday & Saturday, November 3 & 4, from 3-5 pm. All profits support worthy causes including the Ecumenical Hunger Program and other not for profit organizations.

If you know another interesting member that you would like to see profiled, please contact Audrey Gold.

Author’s Coffee: Thursday, October 19th at 1:30 pm

We are honored to begin our Author’s Coffee section with Professor Barbara Babcock sharing her memoir Fish Raincoats: A Woman Lawyer’s Life.  Professor Babcock was the first female Stanford law professor, the first director of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, one of the first women to be an Assistant Attorney General of the United States, and the biographer of California’s first woman lawyer, Clara Foltz. Survivor, pioneer, leader, and fervent defender of the powerless and colorful mobsters alike, Barbara Babcock led by example and by the written word. Her books will be available for purchase at the meeting.  Please check the Preview newsletter or contact Teresa Judd for the address of this event which will be held at a home on campus.   Teresa reports  “I have heard Professor Babcock speak and can promise you a fascinating afternoon on Thursday, October 19th, at 1:30 pm”    We appreciate Teresa and Andrea Van Niekerk organizing this opportunity.

The French Conversation Group bids a fond farewell to Nancy Creger, who passed away on August 17 at the age of 92. Nancy was the beloved leader of the French Conversation Group for a half-century. Under her leadership, the group grew to be one of the most popular sections of the SUWC, meeting every week during the academic year. Nancy and her late husband, William Creger of the Medical School, bought their house on Cabrillo Ave in 1956, and for many years they hosted a “Déjeuner sous les arbres” for the group every spring on their shade-dappled patio.

Before Nancy took the helm, our group was not as organized as now, and members even spoke English! Nancy was very disciplined and encouraged everyone to not only socialize but also make an effort to improve their French. The format Nancy established continues to this day, with a half-hour of socializing over coffee, followed by an hour of conversation in French. We’ve formed many friendships and also improved our French-speaking skills.

The first quarter-century of Nancy’s tenure, before computers were such an integral part of our lives, Nancy used to write out the membership list in beautiful calligraphy. Nancy was always welcoming and charming, and she always had a smile on her face; we never heard a complaint or any negativity. We always admired her serenity and aspire to age as gracefully as she did.

While we wait for our own programs to be announced,  we have been invited to join the Stanford Women’s Club of San Francisco for their 2017 Three-Part Fall Lecture Series:

Understanding the Middle East

September 19, 2017:  An evening with Dr. Ahmad Ghoreishi
“Islam, Politics and Conflict in the Middle East”

October 3, 2017:  An evening with Stanford Professor Abbas Milani
“Aesthetics as Dissent”

November 2, 2017:  A morning with Social Entrepreneur Humaira Ghilzai “My Pilgrimage to Mecca as a Secular Woman”

For details click here  Flyer Fall Lecture Series Understanding the Middle East