December ’23 Newsletter

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Campus in the Snow. Image borrowed from Mount Holyoke News, credited to Trinity Kendrick ’21. Do you have images from your time at MHC that you’d like to share? Send us an email! We’d love to use member images in our newsletters.

Happy December NorCal Alums! 

We closed out 2023 with another excellent SCOTUS Session led by Barbara Creed (Wellesley alum). Keep an eye out for her 2024 presentations. We are welcoming the holiday season on Sunday, Dec 17th with holiday neighborhood strolls in two locations! Join us in Alameda on Christmas Tree Lane (Thompson Ave) or find us in Sacramento in the historic Fab 40’s neighborhood (M & 40th). Register on Eventbrite, dress warmly and get ready for some holiday cheer. 

The board is already brainstorming ideas for events in 2024 and, as always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas or interest to host/co-host an event! Feel free to email us with questions or interest, or fill out this form at least a month in advance to make sure we get the word out.

Pay Your Dues

You can pay your dues for the 2023-2024 fiscal year or even become a Lifetime Member and never pay dues again! All dues payments and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law – the Club is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and help keep our volunteer-run Club afloat.    

Join the Board

We welcome alums from our entire Northern California region, not just the Bay Area. Our Board meetings are via Zoom, so location truly doesn’t matter. We would love to have representation from throughout our incredibly large region! 

Please peruse the board descriptions and reach out to us by email. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Check out our upcoming events below. As always, please reach out if there is programming you’d like to see, an event you’d like to host, or you simply want to say hello. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and join our Club’s Facebook Page!

Our very best wishes,

– The Board   

Upcoming Events:

Christmas Tree Lane Club Stroll
When: December 17th, 2023 at 7pm
Where: There will be two locations!
Alameda: 3200 Thompson Ave, Alameda, CA
We will meet on the corner of Thompson Ave & High Street in front of 3200
Sacramento: Historic Fab 40’s neighborhood (M & 40th)
We will meet on the westbound corner of M St., just west of 40th Street. 
Cost: Free but please register on Eventbrite so we know how many to expect.

Alameda’s “Christmas Tree Lane,” the 3200 block of Thompson (53 houses), has been lighting up for Christmas since the 1930s so it’s a great local spot for some holiday cheer! Dress warmly and bring a warm drink to enjoy while we stroll along the street checking out the homes and their creative and unique decorations. Parking around Thompson Ave is fairly easy, but be prepared to park a block or two away. AC Transit buses to Thompson Ave can be caught at Fruitvale BART. Stroll takes an hour or less. Open to alums, their family and friends. Crowd size can vary. 
Point person: Katie Wynen ’05

Join us in Sacramento for a family-friendly walk through the historic Fab 40’s neighborhood Christmas Lights. Deck yourselves in Mount Holyoke gear and be ready to meet new friends!
Parking in the immediate area may be difficult, so you can park for free in the City Bible Church’s parking lot (1101 51st Street) and take their free shuttle to M and 40th St. More details about the lot and shuttle can be found here: Fab Cab. 
Point person: Bekah (Harkins) Rabiroff ‘03

 

January Book Club @ The Movies! 
When: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Where: East Bay, exact location TBD
Our next meeting will be in person (yay!). Saturday, January 20, 2024 in the East Bay (exact location TBD until we get closer to the date depending on which theaters are showing the movie). We will go see an early matinee of the bold new take on the beloved classic, The Color Purple and then grab lunch together for connection and discussion afterward. Please feel free to read (or reread) the original text before the movie in order to compare/contrast. Not required but will hopefully generate lively literary discussion!
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03  

___________________________________________
Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________
Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

November ’23 Newsletter

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NorCal alums posing with Jane Hammond ‘72

Happy November NorCal Alums! First and foremost, a special thank you to Jane Hammond ‘72 who presented and spoke to the club on October 20, during the opening weekend of her exhibit at Berggruen Gallery. If you find yourself in San Francisco (SOMA neighborhood) stop by and see Jane’s work which is on display until November 22, 2023. The Gallery is BART & Muni accessible and free to enter. 

Our upcoming events to close out 2023 include our annual SCOTUS session with Barbara Creed, monthly book club, an East Bay Yoga & Hike event and some potential holiday strolls around neighborhoods that decorate for the holidays. The board is already brainstorming ideas for events in the new year and, as always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas or interest to host/co-host an event! Feel free to email us with questions or interest, or fill out this form at least a month in advance to make sure we get the word out.

Pay Your Dues

Our new fiscal year has started. You can pay your dues for the 2023-2024 year or even become a Lifetime Member and never pay dues again! All dues payments and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law – the Club is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and help keep our volunteer-run Club afloat.    

Join the Board

We welcome alums from our entire Northern California region, not just the Bay Area. Our Board meetings are via Zoom, so location truly doesn’t matter. We would love to have representation from throughout our incredibly large region! 

Please peruse the board descriptions and reach out to us by email. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Check out our upcoming events below. As always, please reach out if there is programming you’d like to see, an event you’d like to host, or you simply want to say hello. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and join our Club’s Facebook Page!

Our very best wishes,

– The Board   

Upcoming Events:

Hike & Yoga at Lake Chabot Regional Park
When: Sunday, November 12th, 8:50 am
Where: Lake Chabot Regional Park, 17600 Lake Chabot Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546
Cost: Free but please register on Eventbrite
We’ll explore the trails around Lake Chabot and close with a 20-30 minute Hatha/Vinyasa yoga practice. Please bring at least 16 ounces of water and a water resistant yoga mat. Feel free to bring some trail mix. Target is to get you energized for your Sunday and the rest of the week! We’ll aim to get back to the parking lot by 11:20 AM.
Point person: Susan Tom ’98. 

 

Barbara Creed – “Will The Court Come to Order?” 
When: Thursday, November 16th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. PST 
Where: Zoom. Register here.
Cost: Free but registration is required.
Join us on Zoom as Barbara Creed presents her new program, “Will the Court Come To Order?” It will focus on the significant decisions of the Court’s current term and preview the important issues the Court will decide in the term that begins in October 2023. Please review this New York Times article for background information!
Point person: Adrianne Wu ’21.

 

NorCal Book Club – Every Drop is a Man’s Nightmare, a debut collection of short stories that takes a “blazing, bodily, raucous journey through contemporary Hawaiian identity and womanhood,” by Megan Kakimoto, a Japanese and native Hawaiian writer from Honolulu.

When: Wednesday, November 29, 2023; 7:00-8:00 pm PT
Where: Join us and register for the event on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03. Please note that virtual book club meetings will now start at 7:00p PST.

___________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

October ’23 Newsletter

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Pictured: some of our Mountain Day socials in Alameda, Oakland, and San Francisco — featuring the same temporary tattoos offered to students at the top of the Mountain this year! 
If you have additional photos, please share with us. We’re also interested in seeing your photos from your Mountain Days past at MHC for a future feature.

Hello Northern California Alums, and happy October! We have a hike in honor of Mountain Day today, October 1st! If you’re local and feeling spontaneous, please consider joining us at 9:30am at Redwood Regional Park. We had a lot of wonderful events in September and have a lot to look forward to in October, too.

In September we had Mountain Day. We had a wonderful turnout in Alameda, Oakland, Sacramento and San Francisco. It was wonderful to get a chance to connect with so many alums in the area. We also heard so many great ideas and interest in hosting, so we’re trying something new! Do you want to host an event? Fill out this form at least a month in advance to make sure we get the word out. Feel free to still email us with questions or interest, as well.

The day after Mountain Day, Ann Blake ’85 hosted a wonderful and enriching Sustainability Tea in her garden in Alameda. 

Sustainability Tea at the home of Ann Blake ’85
L to R. Connie Ip , Ann Blake, Shaina Tantuico, Melody Wood, Tracy Zhu, and Peri Caylor

Pay Your Dues

Our new fiscal year has started. You can pay your dues for the 2023-2024 year or even become a Lifetime Member and never pay dues again! All dues payments and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law – the Club is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and help keep our volunteer-run Club afloat.    

Join the Board

We welcome alums from our entire Northern California region, not just the Bay Area. Our Board meetings are via Zoom, so location truly doesn’t matter. We would love to have representation from throughout our incredibly large region! 

Please peruse the board descriptions and reach out to us by email. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Check out our upcoming events below. As always, please reach out if there is programming you’d like to see, an event you’d like to host, or you simply want to say hello. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and join our Club’s Facebook Page!

Our very best wishes,

– The Board   

 

Upcoming Events:

NorCal Book Club – The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, a “a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South–and in America today” by ornithologist, naturalist, writer, and MacArthur “Genius” J Drew Lanham
When: Wednesday, October 25, 2023; 7:00-8:00 pm PT
Where: Join us and register for the event on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03. Please note that virtual book club meetings will now start at 7:00p PST.

Jane Hammond ‘72. Solo exhibit at Berggruen Gallery
When: October 20th, 2023 (tentative date)
Where: Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, CA. 

Jane Hammond ‘72 will be having a solo exhibition of her Botanical Collages at the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco from October 19 – November 22. Join us as Jane gives a walk-thru, talks about her work and hosts a Q and A with some wine and other beverages. More info coming soon, save the date! 

Barbara Creed – “Will The Court Come to Order?” 
When: Thursday, November 16th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. PST 
Where: Zoom. Register here. 
Cost: Free but registration is required.

Join us on Zoom as Barbara Creed presents her new program, “Will the Court Come To Order?” It will focus on the significant decisions of the Court’s current term and preview the important issues the Court will decide in the term that begins in October 2023. Please review this New York Times article for background information!

_____________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

September ’23 Newsletter

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Tea x Talk  at the home of Athena Kashyap ‘91
L to R. Lena Miyamoto, Melody Wood, Eleanor Chang, Diane Jones Lowrey, Athena Kashyap

Hello Northern California Alums! We hope you had a nice long weekend to honor Labor Day and are ready for the start of another great month. In August we had a second Decades Meet-Up at the home of Athena Kashyap ‘91. The idea for Decades Meet-Ups came from club members, not the board! We love hearing about your ideas and getting your feedback. It’s been a while since the board surveyed our membership on event interest and general feedback. We’d appreciate it if you could complete this brief survey. We welcome your honest feedback and will use it to shape events that support our large and diverse NorCal alums. 

Interested in hosting your own Decades Meet-Up? We’re looking forward to having several, anywhere (and everywhere) within our Northern California Region over the next year. Email us with any questions or interest. 

The club has several events coming up for the remainder of 2023, including a Mountain Day hike and ice cream gatherings across our region. The board will have members hosting ice cream meetups in Sacramento, San Francisco and the East Bay. If you are interested in gathering in your region (Napa, Eureka, Tahoe, etc) please contact the board and we can help promote and get the word out. 

Pay Your Dues

Our new fiscal year has started! You can pay your dues for the 2023-2024 year or even become a Lifetime Member and never pay dues again! All dues payments and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law – the Club is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and help keep our volunteer-run Club afloat.    

Join the Board

We welcome alums from our entire Northern California region, not just the Bay Area. Our Board meetings are via Zoom, so location truly doesn’t matter. We would love to have representation from throughout our incredibly large region! 

Please peruse the board descriptions and reach out to us by email. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Check out our upcoming events below. As always, please reach out if there is programming you’d like to see, an event you’d like to host, or you simply want to say hello. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and join our Club’s Facebook Page!

Our very best wishes,

– The Board   

 

Upcoming Events:

Friendly reminder that there is a virtual MHC event for the Common Read, Disability Visibility, on Sept. 7th, 4p-5p PST / 7p-8p EST. Register here. This event is through the college!

NorCal Book Club – Arsenic and Adobo, “The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes–one that might just be killer,” by Filipino-American writer Mia P. Manansala
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2023; 7:00-8:00 pm PT
Where: Join us and register for the event on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03. Please note that virtual book club meetings will now start at 7:00p PST. 

 

Sustainability Tea – Calling all alums in sustainability! As we all know, “sustainability” is a broad topic, so if you self-identify as working in the field, whether it’s corporate sustainability, biomaterials, social entrepreneurship, climate adaptation, permaculture, sustainable finance or anything in between, come and join the conversation!
When: Saturday, September 23th, 2023; 3 to 5 pm
Where: Register on Eventbrite; Ann Blake ’85 will host a tea in her beautiful garden in Alameda and address will be provided upon registration.
Cost: Free, please register on Eventbrite
Requests: Light hors d’oeuvres, iced tea, and sweet treats will be served— participants are welcome to bring their own favorite beverage or snack to add to the festivities.
Host: Ann Blake ’85
Board Member point person: Eleanor Chang ‘78, chang.eleanor@gmail.com
Please RSVP by September 21th

 

Jane Hammond ‘72. Solo exhibit at Berggruen Gallery
When: October 20th, 2023 (tentative date)
Where: Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, CA. 

Jane Hammond ‘72 will be having a solo exhibition of her Botanical Collages at the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco from October 19 – November 22. Join us as Jane gives a walk-thru, talks about her work and hosts a Q and A with some wine and other beverages. More info coming soon, save the date! 

Barbara Creed – “Will The Court Come to Order?” 
When: Thursday, November 16th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. PST 
Where: Zoom. Info coming in October newsletter 
Cost: Free but registration is required.

Join us on Zoom as Barbara Creed presents her new program, “Will the Court Come To Order?” It will focus on the significant decisions of the Court’s current term and preview the important issues the Court will decide in the term that begins in October 2023.  

_____________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon! 

August ’23 Newsletter

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July Decades Brunch with alums from the classes of ‘66, ‘67, ‘70 (2), ‘79 (2), ‘81 and ‘85. 
Hosted at the home of Ann Berkey ‘70 (far left)

Hello fellow alums, and hello August! With the record breaking heat of the last month we hope you are staying cool and safe. 

Luckily, the heat did not hinder our first Decades Meet-Up. In late July, alums who graduated prior to 1990 met at the home of Ann Berkey ‘70 for brunch, coffee, and connection. Our next Decades Meet-Up is happening on August 20th in Noe Valley, San Francisco at the home of Athena Kashyap ‘91. Athena’s Tea x Talk is open to all decades, and alums from the early 1990s are especially encouraged to attend. Thank you Ann and Athena for opening your homes. 

The idea for Decades Meet-Ups came from club members, not the board! We love hearing about your ideas and getting your feedback. It’s been a while since the board surveyed our membership on event interest and general feedback. We’d appreciate it if you could complete this brief survey. We welcome your honest feedback and will use it to shape events that support our large and diverse NorCal alums. 

Pay Your Dues

Our new fiscal year has started! You can pay your dues for the 2023-2024 year or even become a Lifetime Member and never pay dues again! All dues payments and donations may be  tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law – the Club is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and help keep our volunteer-run Club afloat.    

Join the Board

We welcome alums from our entire Northern California region, not just the Bay Area. Our Board meetings are via Zoom, so location truly doesn’t matter. We would love to have representation from throughout our incredibly large region! 

Please peruse the board descriptions and reach out to us by email. We’re always looking for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Check out our upcoming events below. As always, please reach out if there is programming you’d like to see, an event you’d like to host, or you simply want to say hello. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and join our Club’s Facebook Page!

Our very best wishes,

– The Board   

Upcoming Events:

Tea x Talk
When: August 20th, 2023; 3:00 pm- 5:00 p.m.
Where: Noe Valley, San Francisco. Address will be provided upon registration.
Space limit: 25 alums
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums, and classes from the early 1990s are especially encouraged to attend!
Requests: Attendees are asked to bring drinks (tea, soft drinks, wine) or nibbles to share. Athena is generously providing some wine, tea, and lots of snacks to get us started!
Host: Athena Kashyap ’91
Board Member point person: Eleanor Chang ‘78, chang.eleanor@gmail.com
RSVP by August 15th on Eventbrite

Tea, snacks and wine! Pump yourself up for an amazing tea party to celebrate friendship, talk about anything MHC, and more! Accessibility/Directions: Street parking is available for those who drive. It is also accessible by public transportation via BART or MUNI. Please register for details, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support arranging a carpool!

Interested in hosting your own Decades Meet-Up? We’re looking forward to having several, anywhere (and everywhere) within our Northern California Region over the next year. Meet-ups can happen at your home or any public space. Each host decides on the format and theme, as well as the number of guests they are comfortable with for the gathering.​ Small groups are encouraged for personal interaction. If they become a continuous occurrence, even better! Email us with any questions or interest. 

NorCal Book Club –  Disability Visibility, an “urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people” edited by Alice Wong, which is this year’s MHC Common Read
When: Wednesday, August 23, 2023; 6:00-7:00 pm PT
Where: Join us and register for the event on Zoom.
Cost: Free. This event is open to all alums.
Point person: Hannah Fairbanks ’03
There will be a virtual MHC event for the Common Read on Sept. 7. We encourage you to attend if possible. 

_____________________________________________

Virtual Programming from the Alum Association

The College is offering a range of virtual programming and opportunities to connect. Learn more on the AA Events page.

_______________________________________________

Let’s Get Social!

To hear the latest about our programming in-between our monthly newsletters, we encourage you to connect with the Club on one or more forms of social media. We hope to see you at an event soon!