Clubs & Groups

Clubs & Groups

Dartmouth clubs and groups put on many great events this winter, covering a wide variety of activities from skiing and ice skating to cozy book clubs. Quite a few clubs also organized outings to theaters and shows. These types of events are usually pretty involved to organize, but often offer special opportunities for behind the scenes access or uniquely social ways to experience events with other Dartmouth alumni.

Two theater gatherings were planned as part of Washington, D.C.’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival this winter. One was an outing cohosted by the Dartmouth Club of D.C. and the Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth to see the world premiere of the newplay, Sovereignty. The historybased plot included Native American characters who studied and lived at a school in Connecticut called the Foreign Mission School. The schoolwas an example of a series of attempts to educate Native American youth inNewEngland. It reminded alumni in attendance of Moor’s Charity School, founded by Wheelock in Lebanon, Connecticut, and the alma mater of Samson Occom, which would later relocate to Hanover with Wheelock when he migrated north to found the College in 1769. This event was planned by Christopher Chavis ’12 and Barbara Rollins ’84. Attendees included Kevin Hudak ’07 and the event featured a post-show discussion with the playwright, a female Native American professor of constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania who has been an active contributor to many Democratic presidential campaigns. The other theater event, cohosted by the Women of Dartmouth of Washington, D.C., and Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA), was an outing to the Mosaic Theater’s world premiere production of Queens Girl in Africa. The play, performed by Helen Hayes award-winner Erika Rose, is a touching coming-of-age story of a woman finding her place in civil war-torn Nigeria. The event included the post-show discussion “Black and Abroad: Traveling Beyond the Limitations of Identity” with Solia Bickerstich, Heather McCleod (international relations specialist) and Chanel Jaali (visual-performance artist), plus a dinner for alumni following the show. Cathy Solomon ’82, of the Mosaic Theater board of directors, and Meredith Benedict ’92 and Meg Sommerfeld ’90, co-chairs of Women of Dartmouth of Washington, D.C., organized this special event.

Women of Dartmouth of New York also cohosted a theater event with BADA this winter in New York. The event was an alumni outing to The Lion King, featuring Dartmouth’s own Kimberly Marable ’05. After the performance, alumni were invited to join Kimberly and her fellow actors at a talkback session. The event was followed by a social gathering at a restaurant nearby.

The Dartmouth Club of South Florida helped to organize the South Florida Health Care Innovation Forum this winter, an All Ivy-plus event created in partnership with Holy Cross Research Programs. The event, organized by Omar Rashid ’00, featured Dartmouth graduate and world leader in biotechnology and entrepreneurship Cuong Do ’88, Tu’89. He is currently the Samsung global strategy executive vice president and is a board member of True Image Interactive. The discussion covered emerging issues in biotechnology entrepreneurship, drug and medical device development, and intellectual property, and included audience Q&A.

Finally, the Dartmouth Club of St. Louis reported on its wonderful winter events. Nick Holekamp ’82, the chief medical officer at Ranken Jordan, hosted the Dartmouth Club of St. Louis for its annual Christmas-holiday gathering onDecember 21. Ranken Jordan is the world’s first and only pediatric bridge hospital, a nonprofit, free-standing, independent facility serving medically complex children in transition from hospital to home. More than 45 alums enjoyed a delicious lunch and a tour. Distinguished guests included Peter Holekamp ’78, Holly Benson ’93, Cindy Heidenry ’96 and her father, Thomas Weigle ’72, and David Leonard ’95. On January 14, the active club headed to the St. Louis Art Museum for lunch and a private tour. If you live in the area and would like to join the club’s listserv, please email Ken Bower at kbower@claytonfinancialgroup.com.

Don’t forget to send me updates about the great events that your club, association or affiliated group has organized! Newsletters and other email updates are also welcomed.

—Stina Brock ’01, PO Box 9274, Jackson, WY83002; stina.brock@gmail.com