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Ruth and Clyde Williams, SCS '56, '65 Ties of Friendship, Generosity Keep Pair Close to Hopkins At age 14, the first time she met Clyde Williams, Ruth Gatton knew he was the person she wanted to marry. "He was a little harder to convince," she laughs, but by the time she was 18 and he was 20, they were engaged. This year the two are celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary. The couple who introduced them at that long-ago party also married, and today the Williamses, who reside near Houston, visit these close friends during their trips to Baltimore. Clyde and Ruth have strong ties in the Baltimore area, where both grew up and lived until Mr. Williams was transferred to Michigan by his employer, Bendix, in 1974. They were back in Maryland, in Fort Washington, from 1979 to 1985, when his job took them to Texas. Among their closest friends on the East Coast are men and women they met at Johns Hopkins after World War II when Clyde, returning from service in Europe, entered the School of Continuing Studies to pursue a bachelor's degree in business, which he completed in 1956. In 1948 he was elected to the business fraternity for part-time students, Delta Sigma Pi, where investment clubs, golf clubs, and lifelong friendships were formed. "There was a very close feeling among the friends who had survived this horrible war," Mrs. Williams reflects. "People were very ready to help each other, more so than seems the case these days. The friendships were very important, and they still are." For many years, the Johns Hopkins Club was a popular meeting place for these friends and colleagues. "We had dinner at the Club probably 40 Sundays a year, plus holidays," Clyde Williams remembers. The wives would visit in the library lounge after dinner, he says, while the men went upstairs to play billiards. Today, besides making annual gifts to Johns Hopkins, the Williamses have been particularly generous to the School of Continuing Studies on an unrestricted basis. Their most recent commitment is an especially substantial one that will provide an endowed fund for student aid at SCS. "We would like to help somebody else out," Mr. Williams says. "I was fortunate to attend Hopkins on the GI Bill, and when I earned my master's, Bendix paid for it." He was in the first class of the School's pioneering Master of Liberal Arts program, graduating in 1965. "The folks at Bendix said, 'This degree doesn't have anything to do with business,' but they were glad to pay for it because of the other skills--writing and speaking, for example--that it gave me." Now officially retired, Mr. Williams still consults part of each year for his old company, now known as AlliedSignal. He has served on Hopkins' National Alumni Council and, as a member of the University's National Alumni Schools Committee, interviews prospective students in his region. He also makes himself available to SCS students seeking career advice. The Williamses enjoy travel and have seen many areas of the world. Ruth Williams volunteers with the local Meals on Wheels and with the Houston Symphony League. "We have a wonderful docent program," she relates. "We do a puppet show to introduce first-graders to all the various instruments. It's so much fun and the children seem to love it." In Baltimore this fall, the Delta Sigma Pi chapter at SCS--one of the oldest chapters in the country--will celebrate its 75th anniversary. The Williamses, and the friends they made in the fraternity 50 years ago, have played a large part in its history- -and it in theirs.
Doubling the Rewards
Margaret (Peg) Cushman, Nurs '69, is taking advantage of the
opportunity presented by the Trustee Challenge to give twice as
much to the Annual Fund as she usually gives--already a generous
amount. The University's trustees will match the increased
portion of her gift.
"I received a superb education at the School of Nursing that has
been very valuable throughout my career," says Ms. Cushman, CEO
of VNA Health Care, a multi-agency visiting nurse association in
Connecticut. "I'm grateful for that education, which is why the
future of the school is so important to me."
Besides her regular support through the Annual Fund, Ms. Cushman
has made gifts for the new School of Nursing building through the
Johns Hopkins Initiative campaign. "I know full well that
operating costs never go away, so I continue to support the
Annual Fund too," she explains. "This year, the Trustee
Challenge compelled me to double my gift, so that with the
trustees matching the increase, my contribution is even more
valuable."
Ms. Cushman is not alone. According to Fritz Schroeder, director
of annual giving, early returns indicate that the $1 million
Trustee Challenge for the Annual Fund will boost participation as
well as dollars from Johns Hopkins alumni. His office is
receiving increased contributions, like Ms. Cushman's, along with
gifts from alums who have never participated or whose
participation has dropped off in recent years.
"The trustees set out to underscore the importance of annual
giving, even within the context of a major campaign," Mr.
Schroeder said. "We are grateful for their commitment and
gratified that it has evoked a response in so many of our alumni.
We are on our way toward meeting our goal of adding at least
3,300 new alumni donors to the annual giving rolls."
As announced in the September Johns Hopkins Magazine and
in letters to alumni from board chairman Michael R. Bloomberg,
Engr '64, the University trustees have pledged to match the first
$1 million in new and increased gifts, up to $10,000 each, during
fiscal year 1997-98.
This challenge will match, dollar-for-dollar, gifts from alumni
who have never made a gift or who have given in the past but did
not do so in 1996-97. In addition, the trustees will match the
increased portions of gifts from current alumni donors who raise
their contributions from last fiscal year.
Besides helping with day-to-day expenses, the unrestricted moneys
contributed to the University and its divisions through annual
giving provide the president and the deans with the flexibility
to "seize the day" when unexpected opportunities arise to further
teaching, research, and medical care. Enhancing the quality of
student life, assisting promising junior faculty, and obtaining
the most advanced research equipment are some of the ways in
which these funds are used.
For further information on how your gift to the Annual Fund can
be matched by the trustees call 410-516-3400 or 800-548-5422.
Nominations Invited for Alumni Association
Awards
Association invites nominations for three prestigious awards to
honor deserving graduates and friends of The Johns Hopkins
University. The deadline for nominations is December 1.
The Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Government
Service, established in 1990, honors alumni who have brought
credit to the university by current or recent distinguished
service as elected or appointed officials.
The Heritage Award, established in 1973, honors alumni and
friends of Johns Hopkins who have contributed outstanding service
over an extended time to the progress of the university and the
activities of the Alumni Association.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award, established in 1978,
honors alumni who have typified the Johns Hopkins tradition of
excellence and have brought credit to the university by their
personal accomplishments, professional achievements, or
humanitarian service.
To nominate someone for any of these awards, please submit the
nominee's name, along with Hopkins affiliation and year; the name
of the award; and a summary of specific reasons why the nominee
deserves the award.
Send the nomination--along with your own name, address,
affiliation, and telephone number--to the JHU Alumni Association,
Alumni Awards Nominations, 3211 North Charles Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21218. Fax: 410-516-6858; e-mail:
rrothgab@jhudis.dev.jhu.edu.
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1997-98 Travel Program Offers Wide Range of
Adventures The Alumni College in Tuscany, Italy, last July was an extra-special occasion for former Peabody student Joan Wolman Hollander and her husband, Bernard, celebrating their 50th anniversary, and for Duncan MacRae Jr., A&S '42, and Jane Sharp, just married in May. For them and the other 36 alumni and friends of Hopkins who made the excursion, it was fascinating sights, sounds, and flavors of an Italy both old and new. Amy MacRae, Duncan's daughter, who traveled with her husband, Gerald Brown, put her experiences into poetry: To Tuscany
As we bid farewell to the land of
As we gaze at perfect, sun-dappled hills,
We wish we could capture this simple life in
We feel connected to the past--to thoughts,
And we know we will return here some The 1997-98 Alumni Travel Program holds myriad experiences for adventurers all around the globe. For further information on any of the following trips, call 410-516-0363 or 800-548-5481; fax 410-516-6858; e-mail korkud@jhu.edu; or visit the Alumni Homepage at http://www.jhu.edu/~alumni. 1997-98 Travel Schedule
Alaska's Mount McKinley and the Midnight Sun Express--August 9-22
Amid Crabs and Picnics, Students Get Warm
Local Send-offs
At seaside and lakeside, in backyards and parks, with barbeques,
picnics, crabcakes, and hardshell crabs, alumni and parents
around the country--and the globe--gathered this summer for a
warm send-off to students departing for Hopkins.
Alumni Association chapters holding send-off events, and their
gracious hosts, were as follows:
New York City--Matthew Levine and Sara Pasternak (A&S '74)
Washington, DC--Chet (Med '55) and Mary Haverback
San Diego--King (Engr '48) and Paula Schultz
Istanbul, Turkey--Steve Martin, director, International
Program, and Korkud Egrican (Engr '95), assistant coordinator,
Alumni Relations
Boston--Dennis (Engr '64, '68) and Prebble Eklof
Pittsburgh--Stephen (A&S '73) and Barbara Strelec
Dallas--Allan (Engr '66) and Jane Huston
Long Island, NY--Linda, Leslie, Alana, and Adam (A&S '98)
Libow
Philadelphia--David (A&S '70) and Merril Levien
Chicago--Mary and Carl Liggio and Carl (Engr '96) Liggio
Jr.
Seattle--Christopher (A&S '77) and Jaime Howard
Los Angeles--Steve Galen (A&S '88)
Rochester, NY--Ray (A&S '67) and Sharrie Della
Florida Suncoast--Don Haynie (A&S '62)
Southeast Florida--Jed (A&S '59), Lynn, and Jon (A&S '90)
Jacobson
New Jersey--Gary (A&S '67) and Heide Krakauer
Northern California--Craig Johanson (Med, fellow '64)
Southern Connecticut--Jim (A&S '64), Joyce, and Amanda
(A&S '96) Miller
Northern Ohio--Warren (A&S '73) and Debra Rosman
Cincinnati--George (Med '60) and Linda Callard
Singapore--Steve Martin, director, International
Program.
Peabody Symphony To Make NY Debut
The Peabody Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director
Hajime Teri Murai, will make its New York debut at Lincoln
Center's Alice Tully Hall on Saturday, May 2, 1998, at 8 p.m.
The program will feature a new commissioned work by Peabody
Conservatory faculty member Chen Yi and a saxophone concerto
performed by faculty soloist Gary Louie. The concert will be
followed by a private reception for Hopkins affiliates. For
ticket information, call the Alumni Relations Office at
410-516-0363 or 800-548-5481.
Attention, Fencers!
The Hopkins men's and women's fencing teams would like to update
their alumni address lists. Both teams send weekly e-mail
reports during the fencing season. Please send your current
information, including your e-mail address, to: Carl Liggio/Dick
Oles, Fencing Alumni, Athletic Center, 3400 North Charles Street,
Baltimore, MD 21218; or e-mail
CLiggio@jhu.edu.
RETURN TO
NOVEMBER 1997 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
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