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Page 1 ALUMNI/AE NEWSLETTER Third Quarter 2003

MIT CLUB MITCSC ALUMNI/AE NEWSLETTER Fourth Quarter 2003

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

*NOVEMBER*1 Sat. - Orange County Wine Tasting 88 Sat. - Bird Watching 28 Sat. - Magic Castle Dinner 1113 Mon. - Princeton in Hollywood 1116 Sun. - Event Planning Meeting 918 Tue. - Caltech / MIT Enterprise Forum 5

*DECEMBER*4 Thu. - Pasadena Lunch Group 86 Sat. - Young Alum Holiday Party 26 Sat. - Ballet: The Nutcracker 38 Mon. - TracQuest at Infineon Raceway 1315 Mon. - Handel’s Messiah 329 Mon. - Hedge Funds & Mkt Efficiency 5

*JANUARY*6 Thu. - Pasadena Lunch Group 816 Fri. - San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant 220 Tue. - Orange County Taco Tuesday 522 Thu. - Orange County Lunch 824 Sat. - Young Alumni Pub Night 228 Wed. - Real Estate Breakfast Club 8

*FEBRUARY*5 Thu. - Pasadena Lunch Group 821 Sat. - VinoQuest Wine Tasting 826 Thu. - Orange County Lunch 827 Fri. - Dinner Dance Social 1425 Wed. - Real Estate Breakfast Club 8

*MARCH*4 Thu. - Pasadena Lunch Group 87 Sun. - Madama Butterfly 316 Tue. - Orange County Taco Tuesday 525 Thu. - Orange County Lunch 831 Wed. - Real Estate Breakfast Club 8

*APRIL*1 Thu. - Pasadena Lunch Group 822 Thu. - Orange County Lunch 828 Wed. - Real Estate Breakfast Club 8

Newsletter prepared by: Jerald Cole ’82 and Jeff Arenberg ’86With contributions from: Adriana de Franco, Bill Chang, Burnadean Jones, Dora Gallo, Fred Stefany, Gary Hsieh, Gavin Greer, Gordon Moore, Lily Wong, Linda Johnson, Maria Gonzalez, Mario Vinci, Mark Connaughton, Melinda Skaar, Norma Garcia, Raul Cantalejo, Russell Kurtz, Ruth Shyu, Stefan Carp, Tamra Johnson, Teri Centner, Tina Xiao, Todd Serota and Thomas Glen Leo.

of Southern California

Contents

Section Page

Young Alumni Events . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Educational and Cultural Events . . . . . 3

MIT News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Sloan Club & Caltech/MIT

Enterprise Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Recent Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Regional Get-togethers . . . . . . . . . . 8

Upcoming Attractions . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The MIT Club of Southern California . 10

Section Page

Ivy League Assoc. of Southern California 11

Ivy Singles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

MITCSC Special Programs . . . . . . . 12

Board List and Membership . . . . . . . 12

Board Meeting Schedule . . . . . . . . 12

Event Coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14

President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

MIT Educational Council . . . . . . . . 15

Membership Application . . . . . . . . 16

HOW ABOUT BREAKFAST OR LUNCH WITH SOME OF YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI/AE?

One of the very enjoyable and important opportunities to get together and explore some common interests with your fellow classmates of all ages are the special interest breakfasts and luncheons that are held by the MIT Club of Southern California.

These interests can be geographic, such as the Orange County Lunch which is held the fourth Thursday of each month. This group is coordinated by Mario Vinci ’46 and has from 12 to 20+ participants each month. In August the group was well represented by participants from the Class of ’43 through the Class of ’91. The conversation covers all kinds of interests, and is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow club members in a geographical area.

Another example of this kind of activity is the Real Estate Breakfast Club. This group, under able leadership of Dora Gallo MCP ’92, brings together a group of alumni/ae who share interests in all aspects of real estate development, these interests range from individual investment property ownership to major development of property and all the issues surrounding each of these.

I had the pleasure of participating in both of these groups in August and seeing the interac-tion enjoyed by all who joined the groups. This is one of the ways your club helps you stay connected to the MIT Community and your own geographic or avocation interests.

Your President-Elect, Gordon W. Moore ’60

[email protected]

This year’s MITCSC President-Elect Gordon Moore ’60

ALUMNI/AE NEWSLETTER Third Quarter 2003 Page 2 Page 3 ALUMNI/AE NEWSLETTER Third Quarter 2003

Young Alumni Events

YOUNG ALUM HOLIDAY PARTYJoin the young alums for the second an-nual holiday party. Last year was a great time, with over 60 alumni gathering for an evening of food, drinks and socializ-ing. This year promises to be more of the same! Dinner and drinks will be provided courtesy of the MITCSC. An optional gift exchange will also take place ($10-$20, bring the gift wrapped).

When: Saturday, December 6th, 5 pm - wheneverWhere: Johnson residence 2415 Cloverfield Santa Monica, CA 90405 (Exit Cloverfield off of the 10, take a left. Go past Pico & Pearl, the house is on the left.) Cost: FreeParking: On streetRSVP: Stefan Carp, [email protected]

SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR

GENERATING STATIONThe San Onofre Nuclear Gen-erating Station provides power to nearly 20% of the Southern California population. Come with us to get a behind the scenes tour of how the nuclear plant works, what is done to ensure safety, and how the staff trains on the control room simulator.

When: Friday, January 16th, 2004, 12:30-3 pmWhere: San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, EOF Training and Educational Center (From LA, take 405 S to 5 S. Continue on the 5 to San Clemente, exit Basilone Rd, take a right. Go 1/4 mile South on Old Coast Hwy to first traffic light, turn right at light and proceed to guard gate. Go 1/2 mile to stop sign, to straight and turn into first parking lot.)Cost: FreeRSVP: Tamra Johnson ([email protected]) by January 1, 2004. Required information includes Name, date of birth, social security number, and citizenship status.

Photo courtesy SCE Corp.

BIRD WATCHING AT HUNTINGTON CENTRAL PARK

Did you know that bird watching is fast becoming one of the most popular outdoor activities in the United States? And that Southern California is one of the best places in all of North America for bird-ing, with watchers recording more than 550 of North America’s

total bird species count of roughly 900?

Come join Martin Byhower, award-winning sci-ence teacher, environmental activist and natural

historian with over 10 years experience as a private birding guide!!

We will see a great variety of sandpipers, ducks, herons, egrets, terns, gulls, loons, grebes, cormorants, pelicans, hummingbirds and have a good chance to see

raptors like osprey, Peregrine falcons, and turkey vultures. We may even see the rare and controversial California Gnatcatcher, as well as other rare species!

When: Saturday, November 8th, 8 am - 4 pm (you can leave any time!)Where: Starts at the Park Bench Café in Huntington Central Park 17732 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach, CA 92647Cost: $30 for Club Members and Guests $35 for Non-members and GuestsParking: Park on the west side of Goldenwest St, opposite the Park Bench CaféRSVP: Gavin Greer, 420 Cascada Way, Los Angeles, CA 90049 [email protected]: 20 PeopleProvided: Maps from HCP to Upper Newport Bay and from Upper Newport Bay to Bolsa Chica The species checklists and other print materials on natural history, etc. A limited number of extra pairs of binoculars. Bring: Binoculars (if you have them), Water, $5 - $15 for optional breakfast and/or lunch, Sunscreen, Hat or visor, A pen.

YOUNG ALUMNI PUB NIGHTStart the new year by joining other MIT young alumni from South-ern California for a pub night at the Newport Beach Brewing Company. Look for the “MIT” sign on one of the tables in the back.

When: Saturday, January 24th, 2004, 6 pmWhere: Newport Beach Brewing Company 2920 Newport Beach, CA 92663 (http://www.nbbrewco.com)

Tel: 949-675-8449Cost: whatever you spendParking: on-site parking lot and some street parkingRSVP: Stefan Carp ([email protected]) (949) 413-7217 by January 23rd.

MIT MAKES THE TOP 10 - AND THE TOP 5!

The Wall Street Journal, on September 26th, published a survey of the top “feeder” schools in the country. The survey measured which schools had the highest rates of graduates being accepted into the most elite graduate schools to study medicine, business and law. MIT ranked 8th on the list with 7.75% of last year’s graduating class having been accepted one of these 15 elite schools. In a side note, the article also mentions that MIT was also one of the best at placing graduates into the top business schools.

But who are these elite graduate schools? Well, lightening struck twice as MIT’s Sloan School of Business was selected as one of the five in that category. The selection was based upon interviews with graduate school Deans and Recruiters, as well as published rankings.


Educational, Cultural and Family EventsBALLET: THE NUTCRACKER

Join MITCSC and the Festival Ballet Theatre for a moving perfor-mance of this holiday classic by Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker.

For many, The Nutcracker has become an indispensable holiday tradition and Festival Ballet Theatre’s annual production has been enchanting Southern California audiences since 1989. This vibrant production retells the classic tale of Clara and her Nutcracker and their adventures with Herr Drosselmeyer, the Rat King, and the Sugarplum Fairy in Clara’s own living room and the Land of Sweets. This timeless family favorite is sure to please audiences of all ages.

Due to the limited number of tickets current members of the MITCSC will be given a preference prior to October 31 .When: Saturday December 6th, 2:00 pm

Where: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton Street Long Beach (Adjacent to the corner of Atherton and Palo Verde, take the Palo Verde Exit off the 405 Freeway)

Cost: Members and Family $18 Non-members and Guests $22

RSVP: Jerald Cole ’82 [email protected] Please fill out the coupon on page 13 or reserve online using SmarTrans at www.mitcsc.org

Handel’s Messiah –Disney HallAppearing in the newly opened Walt Disney Concert Hall - Join the chorus with hundreds of other music lovers in this immensely

popular, enjoyable and long-time tradition. Singing Handel’s Messiah with a professional orchestra and so-loists is invigorating and rewarding, and one of the most memorable ways to experience the spirit and warmth of the holiday season!

When: Monday, December 15th, 8:00 pm

Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles)Cost: $30 for MITCSC Club members and their guests $35 for Nonmembers and their guests RSVP: Tamra Johnson [email protected]

MADAMA BUTTERFLYThe famed story of love between an American Naval Officer and the fifteen year old Cio-Cio San, a young geisha in Nagasaki. Critic

Arthur Lazere succinctly described the opera as Giacomo Puccini’s retelling of the old story of “Girl wins boy, girl loses boy, girl commits hara kiri”. Come join the MITCSC for some fun and entertainment - and a great cry!

Theatre Artist Robert Wilson and Principal Conductor Kent Nagano have created this new production of Puccini’s masterwork for Los Angeles

Opera. This simple, yet powerful, account of a trusting young woman who commits herself to a man unworthy of her loyalty finds new life and new meaning in broad, bold strokes. With Cristina Gallardo-Domas and John Matz in the lead roles as Cio-Cio San and Lieutenant Pinkerton.

A pre-performance lecture scheduled to start one hour priorto the performance will be delivered by

Michael Hackett, Professor of Theater, UCLA.

When: Sunday, March 7th, 2004, 2:00 pm

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, at the Music Center, 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Cost: Members: $70 per person, Non-Members & Guests: $80 per person limit 20 persons

RSVP: Tamra Johnson ’01 [email protected]

DINNER AND A SHOW IIIOn Saturday, June 19th, 2004, the MIT Club of Southern Califor-nia will have a night at the opera! We start at 5:30 in the evening with dinner in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion private restaurant, follow with an educational lecture about the upcoming opera and continue with front balcony seats for Mozart’s most nearly perfect opera, The Marriage of Figaro, starting at 7:30 (running time ap-proximately four hours).

A sequel to Verdi’s The Barber of Seville, in this opera the Count’s wandering eye has landed on Figa-ro’s bride-to-be, and Figaro must do some quick thinking if he’s going to get her to the altar before the Count makes his move. In the end, though, it’s the women who out-scheme the men, saving the day and humbling a husband. Part of the celebration of Mozart’s 250th birthday, this new production stars Operalia winners Isabel Bayrakdarian and Er-win Schrott as Susanna and Figaro with Vzronique Gens making her Company debut as the Countess. For a complete synopsis (provided by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City), see http://www.metopera.org/synopses/figaro.html.

This is an MITCSC “Members Priority” event. Only Clubmembers may reserve tickets prior to Saturday, May 1.

We are limited to 34 seats – reserve early!

When: Saturday, June 19th, 2004, 5:30 pm

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, at the Music Center, 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles

Cost: $74.50 MITCSC members and their guests $89.50 Nonmembers and guests

RSVP: Fill out the coupon on page 13 or reserve with your credit card at http://www.mitcsc.org. Be sure to include a self- addressed, stamped envelope and your e-mail address for confirmation and further information.


MIT News

MIT OPENCOURSEWARE

It would be difficult to be an alumnus of MIT and not have yet heard about the MIT OpenCourseWare Program. But do you actually understand what it is and what it can mean? Not just for MIT, but for you and for the world at large?

My inspiration for writing this brief column stems from having recently read the September 2003 issue of Wired Magazine. This issue contains a reasonably well-researched article (MIT Everyware, by David Diamond) on OpenCourseWare and was published in synchrony with the first anniversary of the launch of this audacious venture. The brainchild of Hal Abelson, Steven Lerman, Toby Woll and Dick Yue, MIT OpenCourseWare has already touched the lives of uncounted people around the globe. The Wired article, available at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/mit.html describes the experiences of individuals and groups from locations as diverse as Karachi, Pakistan, Kansas City, the island nation of Mauritius, Nashville, and Vienna, Austria, among many others, all of whom have benefited from the program.

Having convinced my wife (Sandy Kobayashi ’80) to read the magazine, she later told me that it left her feeling proud just to be a part of such an institution as MIT. Sandy’s sentiment, it seems, echos those of many other staff, faculty, students and alumni of MIT.

So, time and space permitting, I’d like to follow up with a future article describing my own ex-perience and reaction to OpenCourseWare. But I’d like to hear from our SoCal alumni as well.

So please, visit http://ocw.mit.edu and then drop me a line to let me know what you think.

Jerald Cole, V.P. [email protected]

AFFINITY GROUPSAnother very important way to stay connected, and support the diverse body of students and alumni/ae of the Institute is to align with an Affinity Group:

• AMITA, dedicated to connecting alumnae• BAMIT, bringing together alumni/ae of African decent• BGALA, providing a network for social and professional development for bisexual, gay and lesbian alumni/ae and their supporters• CAMIT, MIT alumni/ae of Chinese decent• MITAA, the MIT Arab Alumni Association• Puerto Rican Alumni of MIT• FOMITC, friends of MIT Crew• AACRE, MIT Center for Real Estate Alumni

If there is a large enough population of any of these groups in a geographic area, they are encouraged to have local activities. If you are interested in any of these groups, visit the MIT Alumni Association web site and investigate further.

The Alumni Leadership Conference recognizes the contributions of alumni/ae and encourages activities all over the world to stay connected and receive ongoing benefit from being a part of the greater MIT community. If you have ideas for the growth of the MIT Club of Southern California and would like to join the group of alumni/ae who are making it all happen, you are welcome and we will recognize your contribution.

PROFILE OF THE ADMITTED CLASS OF 2007

• 1,735 students out of 10,547 (16% admit rate)

• 51% men, 49% women

• 19% are members of underrepresented minority groups (African-American, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Native American, and other Hispanic groups)

• 73% attend public high school

• 19% attend private or parochial schools

• 8% attend foreign high school

• 11% - New England states

• 19% - Middle Atlantic states

• 16% - Southeast states

• 15% - Midwest/Plains states

• 10% - Southern states

• 20% - Western states

• 1% - Puerto Rico and US territories

• 8% - Foreign locations

• All 50 states and the District of Columbia

• 59 different foreign countries and territories

• 51% plan to major in one of the engineering disciplines

• 37% plan to major in one of the science departments

• 12% plan to major in architecture, economics, management, political science, linguistics and philosophy, urban studies & planning, or humanities (and many more will double major or minor)

• 44% of those who are ranked are #1 in their high school class

• 93% of those who are ranked are in the top 5% of their high school class

• SAT mean scores - Verbal 721, Math 760

• 8% scored 1600 on the SAT-I

• 61% had at least one SAT 800

Simmons Hall at MIT


CALTECH / MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS

November 18th, Tuesday Alternative Venture Financing

December 9th, Tuesday Venturing Opportunities in Homeland Security

January 17th, 2004, Saturday Space Ventures - “The Final Frontier”

February 17th, Tuesday Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Software

March 20th, Saturday The Global Entrepreneur

April 20th, Tuesday Venturing in Entertainment Technologies

May 18th, Tuesday Medical Devices and Healthcare Technologies - New Ventures

June 19th, Saturday Technology Trends for 2004-05

For more information and late-breaking details contact Melinda Skaar SM ’87 [email protected] or Ramon Frausto ’00 [email protected] or visit the Caltech-MIT Enterprise Forum Web Site at www.entforum.caltech.edu

Sloan Club & Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum

ABOUT THE CALTECH/MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM

Campus. Weekday events typically begin with a networking din-ner at the Chandler Dining Hall, followed by a Panel Discussion in nearby Baxter Hall. Saturday morning events are generally held in Baxter Hall. Other possible venues will be announced as required. Directions to all Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum Events are listed on the Enterprise Forum Web Site at www.entforum.caltech.edu/directions.html

TACO TUESDAYS IN NEWPORT BEACH:A SLOAN/MIT NETWORKING & SOCIAL EVENT

Purpose: Whatever you want it to be. Come have some tacos and drinks, complain about your job, look for a new one or just meet some people.

When: Tuesday, January 20th Tuesday, March 16th 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Where: El Torito Grill, Fashion Island 951 Newport Center Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 Phone: (949) 640-2875 http://www.eltorito.com/menus/el_torito_grill/

Cost: Whatever you spend

RSVP: Fred Stefany ’93 [email protected], (310) 846-3662, cell: (310) 902-5049

The Caltech/MIT Enterprise forum is a joint venture of Caltech’s Industrial Relations Center, the Caltech Alumni Associa-tion and the MIT Alumni Association

MissionThe mission of the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum is to encourage the growth and success of technology-based entrepreneurial ventures in Southern California.

HistoryThe Forum grew out of a series of workshops conducted by the MIT Alumni Association in Cambridge and New York in 1971. Formed in 1984, the Forum is a joint venture of the Caltech Industrial Rela-tions Center and the MIT Alumni Association.

ScopeThrough its monthly programs, the Forum provides advice, sup-port, education and networking opportunities to technology-based ventures in the Southern California area.Programs address a range of key entrepreneurial issues from fi-nancing, marketing and business planning to executive leadership and staffing. Case presentations feature companies in emerging technology areas reviewing their business plans with expert panel-ists. Special sessions examine new entrepreneurial opportunities, such as Internet ventures. And the annual Workshop utilizes small interactive breakout sessions led by experts and successful entre-preneurs to provide detailed information on starting and growing new ventures.

LocationThe Caltech/MIT Enterprise forum events are held on the Caltech

HEDGE FUNDS AND MARKET EFFICIENCY:EXCEPTIONS THAT PROVE THE RULE?

MIT Professor Andrew W. Lo will present some of his latest re-search on hedge-fund risks and returns, and discuss the apparent contradiction between the existence of successful hedge funds and the classical Efficient Markets Hypothesis, and what the im-plications might be for hedge-fund investors and managers. He will also describe some of the exciting innovations that are being implemented in the recently redesigned MIT Sloan School MBA Program.

When: Monday, December 29th, Time TBDWhere: TDB, check www.mitcsc.org for detailsQuestions: Melinda Skaar SM ’87 [email protected]

There will be a special e-mail notice to SoCal MIT Alumni/ae providingmore information as it becomes available


AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFICThis year’s Aquarium of the Pacific event drew forty-two alumni, family members and friends to Long Beach on Saturday, Sep-tember 6th. The weather was some of the best all summer and

provided a relaxing context for hours of fun, education, and petting sharks. One of the high points of the visit occurred when a group of children discovered a juve-nile clown fish in the tropi-cal fish exhibit. The boys and girls excitedly began screaming “Nemo is real!” to the delight of parents and friends.

Most of the visitors started the tour with a visit to the

mesmerizing jellyfish exhibit. This included examples of bio-luminosity, jellyfish at different stages of maturity, and an op-portunity to view the rare and beautiful black jellyfish.

Some of the exhibits contained familiar table fare, including spot prawns, mackerel and yellow fin tuna. At the other extreme were exotic and dangerous denizens of Pacific waters including poisonous sea snakes, toxic lion fish, and poison-arrow frogs. Parents and children alike were surprised to learn that sea ot-ters climb up on ice floes to keep from getting cold, and that the small fish swimming with the sharks were not there as snacks, but rather to help clean up the algae in the tanks!

Afterward, some of the MITCSC group meandered over to nearby Pine Avenue for a lunch of - what else? - shellfish and seafood!

RUTH SHYU PIANO RECITALOn September 14th, at the Brand Art Center and Library in Glendale, MIT Alumnus and professional pianist Ruth Shyu ’86 demonstrated her talents at a piano recital. The event attracted over 120 guests including MIT Alumni and members of the local community.

According to Lily Wong ’98, “She is so amazingly expressive in her renditions of Rachmaninov and Chopin, in particular the Schubert piece even moved a little 9-year old boy to tears! It was

a rare opportunity to enjoy Ruth’s own compositions including Bird Song No. 2, The Last Breeze, Lullaby in April and The Red Vineyard. And just when I thought the afternoon couldn’t end on a better note (literally) Ruth surprised us with a treat! An encore: her newest, only 2 weeks old composition of You frustrate me and Finding me.”

Ruth herself reported, “The program ran 1 hour without intermis-sion. I played 13 pieces altogether. Afterwards we had a nice re-ception in the courtyard, and the brownies were the first dessert to disappear. Since the program was filled with compositions from the Romantic era, I had to conclude that based on the unusual brownie consumption, the music was working as it should be.”

Recent Events

The real Nemo? A clown fish, part of the Long Beach Aquarium exhibit, brought excitement and delight to many of the visiting children.

JPL/NASA TOUR On July 15, 2003 the MITCSC was joined by 72 alumni/ae, friends and family on a very warm day in Pasadena. MIT classmates from class of ’34 to the present were on-hand to see the latest in tech-nology updates that explore new realms of outer space, including amazing discoveries from the Hubble telescope; a new substance called aerogel that is almost as light as air itself and looks like frozen smoke, delicate to the touch of your finger and tensile strength that is unimaginable. Jack Stocky ’62, an MIT alum and a current Man-ager at JPL provided the touring members with his staff to give up

their time and the most interesting descriptions of what is happening at JPL/NASA. Many of the alums like Leo and Goldie Celnicker ’38 were awestruck by the pioneering efforts laid out before them to review and ask one-on-one with any of Jack Stocky’s staff to answer questions.

SANTA BARBARA

WINE TASTINGOn Saturday August 16th, 25 young alums from the Los An-geles to Santa Barbara area met up in the Santa Ynez valley for a day of wine tasting and socializ-ing. Starting with lunch at Cold Springs Tavern and continuing on to the wineries, including Zaca Mesa, Andrew Murray, and Firestone, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery, and tasted some excellent wines. Thirty of us ended the day at the home of Bob Johnson ’63, who hosted a beautiful sunset ocean-view cocktail party. It was nice to meet alums from Santa Barbara, Ventura and L.A. Counties, and we hope to get together again soon.

Jack’s staff permitted all of the tour members an open discussion and the use of both still and video cameras - a first for any public tour. We observed all the new technologies available, like the 54- by 72-inch flat panel monitors in the mission control center, the types and names of satellites circling the edges of the solar system and still transmitting after more than 30 years of service.

Ruth Shyu ’86 (left) and Lily Wong ’98 at the Brand Art Center following Ruth’s Piano recital on Sunday, September 14th.

Tamra Johnson ’01 (front, cen-ter) led a group of thirty intrepid young alumni on a uniquely Cali-fornian wine-tasting experience.

Visitors on the JPL tour listen to a lecture as a full-size model of the Voyager satellite sits nearby


Recent Events

Ruth Shyu, who has received much coverage in these pages of late, has moved to Burbank, California and earlier this year founded Burbank Piano School. The school of-fers private instruction in classical piano performance, jazz piano performance, composition and improvisation.

Ruth graduated from MIT in 1988 (course 6-3). In 1989 she played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with the MIT Symphony. Six years ago she changed her career to music and in 2002 relocated to the Los Angeles area.

Maj. Teri Centner (USAF), Past President of the MITCSC, sent a note on the eve of hurricane Isabel’s arrival to say, “I’ve been in Norfolk since I left [Southern California] at the beginning of July, learning how to be a good joint staff officer.

“I’ll be flying over to Stuttgart, Germany, on October 10th. I’ll be in the Communications Directorate, but won’t know exactly what my job is until I get there.

“This weekend they closed school from Wed - Fri so we could get out of Hurricane Isabel’s path. I’m hanging out in Northern New Jersey until it’s over.”

Alumni News

Jerald Cole reports that his recently formed management consulting firm Hydrogen Ventures is finally taking off. “Since starting the business with two partners this past May it has largely been a game of networking, marketing and image development. Late this past summer, however, several clients signed up for a range of services from technical management to proposal writing to private placement financing.

“My partners and I originally decided to team up and start a com-pany because none of us was independently able to provide all of the services our individual clients required. Since starting the firm and getting the word out, however, we’ve discovered that the demand is greater than we had ever imagined. There are a lot of brilliant people out there developing marketable technologies, but who have little experience or patience for developing business plans and presenting themselves effectively to potential investors. That’s where we come in, and where we expect to make a difference.”

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

WHAT ABOUT YOU?Do you have some news you’d like to share?

• Have you started a new business? • Just had a baby? • Received an important promotion? • Maybe you’d like to organize a new group to pursue common interests? • Perhaps you’ve just moved into the area and want to touch base with old friends?

Write and tell us about it!

Send messages and photographs to:

[email protected].

The Annual Alumni Leadership Conference ( September 19-20 in Cambridge, MA ) was attended by more than 450 Alumni Lead-ers from all over the world. These attendees are representative of the 8,056 volunteers that are active in the leadership of the MIT Alumni activities around the world. Included are the Educational Counselors, Club Officers, Class Volunteers, Alumni members of the Corporate Visiting Committees, and the MIT Alumni Fund Volunteers. This group of dedicated volunteers has grown from just under 6000 in 2000 to over 8000 in 2003.

Southern California was well represented by 12 attendees. These included Mark Y.D. Wang ’87, Alumni Association Director for District 10 and L. Robert Johnson ’63, Past President of the Alumni Association. The MIT Club of Southern California Officers included: President, Russell Kurtz ’81; President-Elect: Gordon W. Moore ’60; VP of Placement, Melinda Skaar SM ’87; and Young Alumni Chair, Stefan Carp ’00. Representing the MIT Educational Counselors was Thomas Glen Leo ’75, Chairman for Los Angeles County.

It was exciting to have Southern California so well represented as the participants had the opportunity to get an update on ways we can provide better connections to the MIT Community and each other through our activities and leadership. The demographics are interesting with 113,668 living Alumni/ae, the Association is connected to 98,040 who have addresses in the Infinite connection database. Of these 87% are living in the U.S.; 16.42% are female

and 83.58% are male; 53% hold an undergraduate degree and 47% are graduate degree only.

Leading the MIT Alumni Association this year is Paula J. Olsiewski CM ’79, as President. Paula brings with her the recognition that the graduate-degree-only individuals are a key part of the Association and its programs. Her energy and enthusiasm is an inspiration to all. The conference provided excellent workshops related to the theme of the ALC this year: “MIT Makes a Difference in the World, Alumni Make a Difference at MIT.” Participants had the opportunity to learn how to become more effective as leaders in club and affinity group operations, class programs, and the Educational Council.

From left, Gordon Moore ’60, Alumni Association President Paula Olsiewski ’79, Russell Kurtz ’81, Melinda Skaar ’87 and Delmar John Knarr, Jr. ’71.


PASADENA LUNCH GROUPOn the first Thursday of each month, about one to two dozen MIT alums meet in Pasadena to enjoy a friendly lunch and discuss cur-rent issues. Feel free to join us if you are in the area.

When: Thursdays, December 4th, February 5th, March 4th, April 1st (really!, no fooling!) 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

Where: Beckham Grill 777 W. Walnut Street Pasadena, CA (Just west of Fair Oaks)

Cost: Whatever you spend

RSVP: If you would like to participate, please call Bill Mullen ’36 at (818) 241-5451 or Maria Gonzalez, Ph.D. ’96 at (626) 831-5089, [email protected], or just show up.

Regional Get-togethers

ORANGE COUNTY LUNCHJoin fellow Orange County alumni for lunch with stimulating conversation the fourth Thursday of each month. Note that we are at a new venue—the Hof’s Hut Restaurant in Irvine. Please remember to RSVP.

When: Thursdays, January 22nd, February 26th, March 25th, April 22nd 11:45 am

Where: Hof’s Hut Restaurant 18850 Douglas Irvine, CA (across MacArthur from John Wayne Airport)

Cost: Whatever you spend (no-host)

RSVP: Please call or e-mail Mario Vinci ’46, the MITCSC Orange County Liaison at (949) 494-7560, [email protected] for confirmation and directions.

REAL ESTATE BREAKFAST CLUBThe Real Estate Breakfast Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month in West Los Angeles. Join developers, structural engi-neers, real estate analysts, city planners, and others for a hearty breakfast and stimulating conversation on various topics of interest. Because the group occasionally moves the breakfast to different locations (to take tours of development projects, for instance), call-ing to confirm your attendance is recommended.

When: Wednesdays, January 28th, February 25th, March 31st, April 28th 7:30 amWhere: Dolores Coffee Shop 11407 Santa Monica Blvd. West Los Angeles (Corner of Purdue & Santa Monica Blvd.)Cost: Whatever you order

NOTICE!The Real Estate Breakfast Club is seeking a new coordinator. No pay, zero benefits, but great perks and flexible hours! For more information contact Dora Gallo MCP ’92 [email protected] or Russell Kurtz ’81 [email protected].

ORANGE COUNTY WINE TASTING - A WINE TOUR OF THE WORLD -

Join your fellow alums and other wine lovers for an afternoon tasting a selection of wines from many countries as Mark TeVault, our host, introduces and explains his eclectic selections. Mark has been in the retail wine trade for over 14 years and a personal friend of mine for the past eleven. His sometimes irreverent approach toward wine can be quite a contrast with the usual brown-bag, blind, formal tastings you might have experienced in the past. Mark opened The Wine Room almost three years ago in response to his friends’ and customers’ demands for high-value (read “low-cost”) and sometimes limited production wines of quality and outstanding character (for you die hards, he also carries the expensive stuff!). Light snacks will be served to complement the wine. While you’re there, let Mark help you select that truly memorable wine to serve with your Thanksgiving or other holiday meal. As an added bonus The Wine Room will extend a 10% discount on any wines purchased by attendees during this event.

If you need directions to the store on the day of the tasting, call Jerald’s cell: (562) 618-8641 or The Wine Room: (949) 585-9463.

When: Saturday, November 1st, 2:30 - 5:30 pm

Where: The Wine Room, 16 Technology Drive, Suite 163, Irvine

Parking: Free

Cost: Members and Guests $45 Non-members and Guests $50

RSVP: Jerald Cole ’82, [email protected] (562) 430-7994

The tasting and storage room at The Wine Room displays original works by talented local artists

WINE TASTING WITH VINOQUEST

SAVE THE DATE! Mark off Saturday, February 21st, 2004, on your calendar right now! Todd Serota ’80, owner of the Internet-based wine business VinoQuest, will be conducting a terrific wine tasting that day, likely with the participation of a top California wine maker from the Santa Ynez area northeast of Santa Barbara. Scheduling wasn’t 100% confirmed by press time for this newsletter, but specific details will be available shortly, and will be published on the MITCSC web site at www.mitcsc.org

Todd has been a passionate (OK - obsessive!) wine collector for 16 years and used to conduct all of MITCSC’s wine tastings and dinners in the 90’s under the auspices of the club. Those who went to one or more of those events know they’re not to be missed! If you have questions about the tasting as details firm up you may contact Todd by e-mail at [email protected].


Upcoming Attractions!WATCH OUR UPCOMING NEWSLETTERS FOR THESE EVENTS IN PLANNING

Rosalind Williams - Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society and the former Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education will come out from MIT to speak to both alums and new admits.

Professor Williams came to MIT in 1980 as a research fellow in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society. In 1982 she joined the Writing Program (now the Program in Writ-ing and Humanistic Studies) as a lecturer. In

1990 she was named Class of 1992 Career Development Profes-sor, and in 1995 she was named the Robert M. Metcalfe Professor of Writing. From 1991 to 1993 she served as Associate Chair of the MIT Faculty, and from 1995 to 2000 as Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education.

Information: Tamra Johnson ’01 [email protected] April 2004

Giselle - The Festival Ballet Theater once again will host the MITCSC for a special event, this time at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The performance will feature the acclaimed American Ballet Theater dancers Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel in the lead roles. Giselle, created in the 19th century, was the first story ballet. Described as the “Hamlet of Dance”, Giselle explores the conflict between desire and duty within a story of love transcending death.

Information: Jerald Cole ’82 [email protected] March 2004

Renaissance Pleasure Faire - Take a brief trip back to Eliza-bethan England and enjoy the splendor and pageantry of the Faire - all at the group discount ticket rate!

Information: Jerald Cole ’82 [email protected] May/June 2004

OTHER EVENTS IN PLANNING

Disneyland Underground - Gary Hsieh is working on an upcoming backstage tour of Disneyland

Placement Events - Melinda Skaar SM ’87, Gordon Moore ’60 and Katie Manty ’02 are planning a series of career and placement events starting in early 2004.

Science Lecture Series - Mark Connaughton ’80 & Alan Kouns are working to develop this periodically scheduled series of events.

Event Planning & Volunteer Appreciation MeetingMake a difference and make your voice heard! Join fellow alumni to discuss events you would like to see, or events you may be interested in organizing. Learn more about your club officers, and learn from the experiences of others who have organized events in the past.

The MIT Club of Southern California is hosting an Event Planning and Volunteer Appreciation Meeting on Sunday, November 16th at 12:00 PM at Westwood Brewery, 1097 Glendon Ave., Westwood, CA (310) 209-2739.

So come and join us for some good food, good company, and lively discussion!

For more information contact Tamra Johnson ’01 the MITCSC Vice President for Programs at [email protected]

Ancient Ivy Singles Ritual and Tradition - Now going into its third year Ivy Singles Chinese New Year / Pre-Valentine’s Day Dinner.

(Tentatively) Sunday January 23, 2004. Be on the look-out for more details in the Ivy Singles Weekly Update.

Any questions? Contact Norma Iris Garcia at [email protected] Or call (562)630-4691.

DON’T SEE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?If the events listed in this newsletter don’t fit your particular interests or needs, please let us know. Send your suggestions and requests to Tamra Johnson, MITCSC Vice President for Programs at [email protected]

Walt Disney Concert Hall - What a great follow up to the Messiah event in December. Tour the new concert hall and get a behind-the-scenes perspective on what make LA’s new music the envy of the performing arts world.Information: Adriana de Franco, [email protected] (323) 934-2405. March 2004

Pageant of the Masters - Back to MITCSC after a two-year hiatus, we are once again planning a very special visit to the Pageant of the Masters at the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts. For those who have never seen the Pageant of the Masters, the first experience is always awesome and breathtaking - and often unbelievable! Through the special effects of costume, makeup and lighting, paintings of the great masters are created on stage in a pleasant and comfortable outdoor setting near the Pacific Ocean. With each scene, just as the magic begins to sink in the lights come up and the illusion is broken as the actors break character and step off the stage. As in years past, we are working to arrange a behind-the-scenes tour for the MITCSC group after the performance.

Information: Melinda Skaar ’87 [email protected] Summer 2004

Huntington Garden Tea - Adriana de Franco will once again host this immensely popular and successful event.Information: Adriana de Franco [email protected]


MITCSC OFFICER NOMINATIONSIt is time to select the slate of Officers, Directors and Committee Chairs for the 2004/2005 fiscal year. If you have suggestions to fill next year’s slate, or if you would like to get more involved in MITCSC activities, contact the nominating committee members:

Russell Kurtz ’81 [email protected]

Mark Connaughton ’80 [email protected]

Gordon Moore ’60 [email protected]

WEB SITESwww.mitcsc.org ....................... MIT Club of Southern Californiaweb.mit.edu..................................................... MIT main web sitealum.mit.edu ................................................MIT Alumni web siteweb.mit.edu/entforum/www................... MIT Enterprise Forumwww.entforum.caltech.edu ........Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forumwww.centralcoastmit.com........Central Coast Enterprise Forummitsloan.mit.edu .................... MIT Sloan School of Managementocw.mit.edu ...............................................MIT OpenCourseWare

The MIT Club of Southern California

REGISTER YOUR E-MAIL DON’T MISS OUT

If you missed out on the Lion King, the Buttonwillow Raceway Driving, the Young Alumni Holiday Party or the LAX tour and reception then MIT doesn’t have your e-mail address. Don’t miss out on future MITCSC events that are must be scheduled on short notice. These events can be advertised only via e-mail . Send your current e-mail address to [email protected] today!

CLUB MEMBERSHIP HAS BENEFITS!If you are not already a member, be sure to join right away. MITCSC club members receive a range of benefits including:

• Discounts on most paid Club events!• Access to exclusive, members-only events such as the recent JPL

Tour.• First priority on oversubscribed events like The Nutcracker,

upcoming on December 6th.• Faster delivery of newsletters via first-class mail.• Greater networking opportunities with students and alumni.• The satisfaction of knowing that your dues support our summer

jobs program, scholarships, educational and alumni initiatives.

YOUNG ALUMS GET MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTDiscounted Membership: The Classes of ’99-’02 receive dis-counted Club membership for only $10. Current students and Class of ’03 receive Free membership in MITCSC. To take advantage of the discounts, you must send in the form on page 16 of this newsletter or sign up online at www.mitcsc.org!! Once you join, you are entitled to even more discounts. So join the Club!

SMARTRANS HAS ARRIVED!Have you used the new SmarTrans™ system yet? Do you know what SmarTrans is and what it can do for you?

The SmarTrans system helps to streamline dues payment and event registration by allow-ing MIT Alumni/ae to conduct these transactions on line with a secure credit card payment sys-tem. SmarTrans also simplifies the management of events and membership tracking for club officers and volunteers.

So, next time you plan to attend a MITCSC event, try logging on to the MITCSC web site at www.mitcsc.org and register online!

INFINITE CONNECTIONOne of the important ways that you can be connected to the Insti-tute and its programs is to join the Infinite Connection. This gives you access to all sorts of resources and has become an important way to indicate how you would like to be connected and what e-mail lists you would like to be a part of. As a member of this free service you can have a lifetime e-mail address in the form [email protected] which allows you to move from one Inter-net service provider to another without anyone losing track of you. This is also the place to keep your personal information updated. Is this significant to the MIT Alumni? The answer is YES with 50,000 Alumni/ae registered, and there were 6 million messages going through the system in August of this year compared with only 3 million a year ago.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL NEWS

The Educational Council year has begun, as it does each year, with a series of information sessions held throughout Southern California for interested high school students and their parents, this year featur-ing a presentation by MIT Associate Director of Admissions Lorelle Espinosa. Educational Counselors (alumni volunteer interviewers) have been interviewing applicants for freshman admission through late October for early action applicants, and will continue through December 15th for regular action applicants. The Los Angeles Region Educational Council will hold a meeting in late December for students in the Region admitted on early action, and another meeting in late March for all admitted students in the Region. These will be followed by the annual picnic in July for entering freshmen from the Los Angeles Region and surrounding regions.

If you are interested in learning more about the Educational Council or serving as an Educational Counselor, please contact the Edu-cational Council Region Chair for your Region, as listed below. The need for Educational Counselors varies by area (within each Region) and over time, so your help may be greatly needed, or you may be asked to agree to be contacted as need arises.

The Regional Chairs in the Club’s area are: Los Angeles Region Thomas Glen Leo ’75 [email protected]

Orange County Region Joanna Tan ’74 [email protected]

Inland Empire Region Robert Heinze ’68 [email protected]

Santa Barbara Region Daniel Brooks ’98 [email protected]


Ivy League Association of Southern California

MAGIC CASTLE GOURMET DINNER

AND MAGIC SHOWCome join other Ivy League Alumni (singles & couples) for an elegant gourmet dinner, a first class magic show and an exciting evening of general hocus pocus at the Magic Castle, in an authentic 1908 Vic-torian mansion perched in the hills above Hollywood.

The premier magic venue and the virtual center of the magician’s universe, the Magic Castle is the exclusive private clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Art. Come explore its hidden treasures and secrets and conjure up a special magical friend or two in the process.

When: Saturday, November 8th, 6:00 - 11:30 pmWhere: 7001 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood: one block north of Hollywood Boulevard, between La Brea and HighlandCost: By September 25th: $65 By October 25th: $75 After October 25th: $85RSVP: Norma Garcia (562)630-4691, [email protected] http://www.evite.com/[email protected]/MagicCastle

The Ivy League Association of Southern California (ILASC, or Ivy SoCal) is a consortium of alumni groups from the Ivy League and Seven Sisters schools, and MIT. The nineteen member groups of ILASC are:

* Barnard Club of Los Angeles* Brown University Alumni Association of Southern California* Bryn Mawr Club of Southern California* Columbia University Alumni Association of Southern California* Columbia University Business School Club of Southern California* Cornell Club of Los Angeles* Dartmouth Alumni Club of Southern California* Harvard Business School Association of Southern California* Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Southern California* MIT Club of Southern California* Mount Holyoke Alumnae Club of Southern California* Oxford-Cambridge Club of Los Angeles* Princeton Club of Southern California* Smith College Club of Los Angeles* University of Pennsylvania Southern California Alumni Club* The Vassar Club of Southern California* Wellesley College Club of Los Angeles* Wharton Club of Southern California* Yale Club of Southern California

One of the benefits of paid membership in the MIT Club of South-

ern California is joint membership in ILASC, and the privilege of attending many ILASC member club events at discount rates.

Anyone who spent more than a year at MIT knows that Harvard alumni are prominent in the fields of law and medicine. However, did you know that Princeton alumni figure prominently in South-ern California’s film and entertainment industries? And if you had attended Yale’s September 16th Yale in Hollywood Panel you would know that Yale alumni fill the ranks of writers and execu-tives for many popular television shows and networks. ILASC, therefore, offers the opportunity to extend your professional and social network.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT ILASC AND IVY SINGLES

PRINCETON-IN-HOLLYWOOD TELEVISION WRITERS’ SPEAKER PANEL

Join an exciting discussion with a distinguished panel of Princeton alumni writers from top television shows. The panel will feature Paul Ruehl ’91 (Executive Story Editor, The O’Keefes - WB), Stacy Rukeyser ’91 (Staff Writer, Fearless - WB) and Vanessa Taylor ’92 (Supervising Producer, Everwood - WB). The evening will be moderated by David Gerken ’87 (Staff Writer, West Wing - NBC).

7:00 - 8:00 pm Reception

8:00 -10:00 pm Panel Discussion

An RSVP & Advance Payment is required to guarantee your space. No payments will be accepted at the door!

When: Thursday, November 13th, 7:00 - 10:00 pmWhere: KCET Studios, 5401 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA Cost: $10 per person for PCSC Member & First Guest $20 for all others Payments Must be Received by November 6th!RSVP: To RSVP, send your name, school, class, e-mail address along with a check payable to Princeton Club of So. California (PCSC) c/o: Burnadean Jones, 450 N. Van Ness #105, Los Angeles, CA 90004

IVY SINGLESILASC also sponsors the popular Ivy Singles group. Ivy Singles offers the opportunity for singles to come together and meet in a relaxed but structured environment. As an MIT alum, if you are single, that qualifies you to receive the Ivy Singles Weekly Update. This is a Weekly electronic newsletter that contains notices of all of the upcoming Ivy Singles Events, along with instructions to RSVP for the event. As an added bonus, the Weekly Update has been expanded to include the individual Ivy Club events that are open to all Ivy League Alumni. As a result of the expanded coverage, there are more than enough events to keep one’s calendar full.

If you want to find out more about Ivy Singles and our Weekly Update of Upcoming Events, contact Ivy Singles at [email protected].

“With Ivy Singles, Women are From Venus, Men are from MIT

...Well it’s true!”

Linda Johnson, Chair, Ivy League Singles


MITCSC Special Programs

MIT SCIENCE & ENGINEERING TEACHER PROGRAM

Regular readers of this newsletter will knowthat each year the MIT Club of Southern California sends

two or three local science teachers to Cambridge to participate in the MIT Science and Engineering Teacher Program. These local scholarships are paid for in part by Jim Mikkelson ’70 and by The Denver Foundation.

Recently Melinda Skaar SM ’87, our program coordinator for the past year, received a letter from Raul Cantalejo, a science and math teacher in Santa Clarita, and a recipient of one last year’s scholar-ship awards. A portion of that letter is printed below.

Melinda,

Regarding the MIT program for teachers, I must certainly say that it was excellent! The experiments presented to the participants were exciting and breathtaking. I was amazed by the interesting, exciting, colorful experiments in physical science, chemistry and biology that could be conducted within a such a short time. I and my students will soon be doing these experiments together. I have talked to the principal and been informed that the school is very supportive and willing to buy the necessary materials. I have also heard from the Parents and Teachers Organization’s Chairman who said that they too have allocated funds for the improvement of the science class.

The training I received from the MIT program has made me more confident, prepared but challenged to do what I must do as an educator. This also brought me to a new horizon in my career as an educator. I met people who are experts in almost all areas of science. They encouraged all of us to continue our education, to continue our masters, to seek scholarships in different universities, and to look for opportunities of free training sponsored by well-known colleges and universities.

Melinda, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. To all the people behind your organization, I may not know you person-ally but I really mean this: thank you very much.

Through this program I was able to mingle, share ideas and ex-changes different views about teaching, students and opportunities with the best teachers from different parts of our country. I was able to meet a Nobel prize winner, a former NASA scientist, a teacher awardee, a former member of the National Standard Testing Com-mittee, and many more.

In short, IT WAS GREAT!!!

Raul CantalejoOur Lady of Perpetual Help School

Santa Clarita, CA

MITCSC Board List & MembershipBOARD OF DIRECTORS, JULY 2003-JUNE 2004

Russell Kurtz ’81 President (310) 592-7901 [email protected] Connaughton ’80 Immediate Past President (562) 926-7284 [email protected]

Gordon W. Moore ’60 President Elect (714)225-6646 [email protected]

Tamra Johnson ’01 VP Programs (310) 664-3714 [email protected]

Jerald A. Cole ’82 VP Communications (562) 430-7994 [email protected]

Jack Wei Chao ’99 VP Membership (626) 354-5225 [email protected]

Melinda Skaar SM ’87 VP Placement (323) 478-1801 [email protected]

Sloan Co-Chair

Peter Gottlieb ’59 Secretary (310) 471-6762 [email protected]

Tina Xiao ’99 Treasurer (626) 817-2225 [email protected]

Gary Hsieh Director at Large (714) 779-3955 [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Young Alumni Stefan Carp ’00 (949) 725-0076 [email protected]

Communications Jeff Arenberg ’86 (310) 306-4573 [email protected]

Electronic Comm Lily Wong ’98 (714) 389-1839 [email protected]

Webmaster Haj Sano ’82 (626) 797-5995 [email protected]

Placement Divya Agarwalla ’02 (310) 489-3422 [email protected]

Sloan Club (Co-Chair) Ramon Frausto MBA ’00 (818) 566-1734 [email protected]

Real Estate Currently Open

Orange County Liaison Mario Vinci ’46 (949) 494-7560 [email protected]

Santa Barbara Liaison L. Robert Johnson ’63 (805) 963-4600 [email protected]

LA Educational Council Thomas G. Leo (213) 617-5467 [email protected]

OC Educational Council Joanna Tan ’74 (714)638-2573 [email protected]

SB Cty Ed Council Dr. Sandra Seale (805)687-5383

Lifetime Governor Antonia Schuman ’58 (310)764-3426 [email protected]

Lifetime Governor Frank Wyle ’41

Lifetime Governor Harold Strauss ’38

BOARD MEETINGS

Officers of MITCSC have regular meetings. Issues discussed in-clude Event Planning, Volunteer Recruiting, Club Membership, Newsletter Preparation and alumni relations and services.

Meetings are held at various venues across the Southland. If you are in-terested in attending or participating in one of our upcoming meetings, please RSVP.

When: December 13th February 21st April 10th June 5th

Where: To be announced

RVSP: Russell Kurtz ’81 [email protected] or (310) 592-7901.

Or check the club web site www.mitcsc.org for the latest schedule and venue information.


the instructors in their cars at speed, which for many is more fun than driving themselves! Lodging for this event is a five-star resort and spa in Sonoma with a very special room rate of $129 per night - about 1/2 of the normal room rate. There may also be an optional Napa Valley wine tour on the weekend before the event if there is sufficient interest.

MITCSC members will receive a special $50 discount off of the $700 early discounted entry fee, which includes gourmet catered food at the track and an incredible banquet at the Lodge at Sonoma on Monday night, with wine. Anyone wanting more information should visit the TracQuest web site at www.tracquest.com and/or contact Todd Serota at [email protected] or (310) 316-4929.

Event CouponsBallet: The NutcrackerSaturday, December 6th, 2:00 pm

Name _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________No. _____Members & Family@ $18 each .................$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $22 each ........$ _____

Members priority before October 31st

Orange County Wine TastingSaturday, November 1st, 2:30 - 5:30 pm

Name _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________No. _____Members & Guests @ $40/$45 each .........$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $45/$50 each .$ _____

Deadline for Advance Registration: October 15th

Handel’s Messiah – Disney Hall Monday, December 15th, 8:00 PM

Name _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________No. _____Members & Guests @ $30 each ................$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $35 each ........$ _____

Dinner and a Show - IIIThe Marriage of Figaro

Saturday, June 19th, 2004, 5:30 pmName _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________No. _____Members & Family@ $74.50 each ............$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $89.50 each ...$ _____

Members priority before May 1st 2004

Madama Butterfly Sunday, March 7th, 2:00 pm

Name _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________No. _____Members & Guests @ $70 each ................$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $80 each ........$ _____

Harborlight Dinner-Dance SocialFriday, February 27th, 2004, 6:45 - 11:00 pm

Name _______________________________ Class _______Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________Phone H: ____________________ W: __________________e-mail: ____________________________________________Through Dec. 13 $20 each for Club Members and Guests $25 each for Non-members and GuestsThrough Feb. 14 $25 each for Club Members and Guests $30 each for Non-members and GuestsAfter Feb. 14 $35 each for Members and Guests $40 each for Non-members and GuestsNo. _____Members & Guests @ $______ each ........$ _____No. _____ Non-Members & Guests @ $_____ each ..$ _____

DRIVE YOUR CAR ON A RACE TRACK AT INFINEON RACEWAY (FORMERLY SEARS POINT) IN SONOMA!

Special Events

In 1992, Todd Serota ’80 began running instructional track days for MITCSC. This ultimately led to him forming TracQuest in the beginning of 2000, which now puts on such Driver Education (DE) events at top race tracks around the country.

The next TracQuest event on the West Coast is at Infineon Raceway (formerly known as Sears Point) in Sonoma, truly one of the best race tracks anywhere in the world, on Monday-Tuesday, December 8-9th. This is NOT wheel-to-wheel racing, or even competitive time trialing, so no safety equipment is required other than a helmet, which can be borrowed if necessary, and all makes of cars are welcome. Specific passing rules (fairly strict in the novice group) help to make for a safe event.

Top quality instructors are in the passenger seat of students’ cars at all times if desired. Participants not only get to drive but also to ride with

Todd Serota’s yellow Porsche, Yel-lowCab, is a prominent feature at Tracquest Events


Ballet: The NutcrackerSaturday, December 6th, 2:00 pm

Please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope and your check made out to the MIT Club of Southern California.

Mail To: Jerald Cole 1219 Studebaker Road Long Beach, CA 90815Members Priority before October 31st

Event Coupons

Orange County Wine TastingSaturday, November 1st, 2:30 - 5:30 pm

Please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope and your check made out to the MIT Club of Southern California.

Mail To: Jerald Cole 1219 Studebaker Road Long Beach, CA 90815

Handel’s Messiah – Disney Hall Monday, December 15th, 8:00 pm

Please enclose your a self addressed, stamped envelope and your check made out to the MIT Club of Southern California.

Mail To: Tamra Johnson 2415 Cloverfield Santa Monica, CA 90405

Madama Butterfly Sunday, March 7th, 2:00 pm


Mail To: Tamra Johnson 2415 Cloverfield Santa Monica, CA 90405

Dinner and a Show - IIIThe Marriage of Figaro

Saturday, June 19th, 2004, 5:30 pm


Mail To: Russell Kurtz 11260 Overland Ave. #17c Culver City, CA 90230

Harborlight Dinner-Dance SocialFriday, February 27th, 2004, 6:45 - 11:00 pm


Mail To: William W. Chang 5732 Scotwood Drive Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

HARBORLIGHT DINNER-DANCE SOCIAL By popular demand, the MIT Club of Southern California and Ivy Singles invite you to join us for our Mid-Winter Harborlight Dinner-Dance Social. Experience a memorable evening of

socializing, dining, and dancing while taking in a breath-taking view of the LA Harbor and Terminal Island.

Enjoy a fantastic Seafood Buffet (with other delicious alternatives) in a private club that has a unique architectural style and Night Club atmosphere, which is further enhanced by an enchanting view of the harbor. Listen and dance to a Live Band that plays great ballroom dance

music. Plus, Scott Shea, former dance instructor at Arthur Murray

Dance Studios, will be giving free lessons during intermissions. This is expected to be great fun!

If you are an Eater . . . . not a Dancer . . . . come join us anyway! The dinner, the view, and the company are well worth it!

When: Friday, February 27th, 2004, 6:45 – 11:00 pm

Where: A private club in the South Bay, overlooking the LA Harbor and Terminal Island – RSVP to receive location details.Cost: See coupon on page 13 for detailsDress: Semi-formal – Men, Jacket or suit and tie; Women, dinner dress.RSVP: Contact Bill Chang at W: (310) 375-2295 or [email protected]

Special Events


MIT AND LEADERSHIPI just returned from the Alumni Leadership Conference at MIT. This got me thinking of a few questions. Does MIT foster leadership in its students? In what ways is MIT seen as a leader in the world? What does MIT do to stifle leadership?

As it happens, one of the symposia I attended addressed this subject. MIT is indeed considered a leader in the world, and is therefore held to a higher standard than other universities. If there is a student problem at one of the campuses of the University of California, it might be im-portant here, and might get a brief mention in East Coast newspapers. When there have been student problems at MIT, they were announced in the front sections of most papers in the country – and on the front page of the New York Times. The lesson to be learned from this is that, if you are a leader, people will have higher expectations of you – just as MIT has higher expectations of its students than other colleges.

One problem with the higher expectations, though, is that we don’t always achieve them. MIT undergraduates are chosen from among the top 0.03% of world high school students. These people are used to being the best in their area. Then, at MIT, as one of my fraternity brothers said, on the average, these people are average – by MIT standards. There is no support system, no praise for doing well, because MIT students are expected to do well. Yet there is condemnation for not doing as well. The system doesn’t help students get used to the fact that 50% of them will be below average at MIT. This can foster insecurity, which can reduce their effectiveness in their work.

On the other hand, the sorts of classes students take force them to be-come leaders – even those at the bottom of the class. When I was an undergraduate, one of my final exams included four major unproved theorems. We were not told that these were major theorems, nor that they had never been proved (despite over a century of effort). Three of the theorems were proved by students—one in two different but equally valid ways—and the fourth was disproved. The students in that class tore down the structure of what was known about that subject, and then built a new structure. That is the essence of an MIT education: iconoclastic yet synthetic. That is also a large part of leadership.

President’s Corner

Previous Transylvanian Ambassador and current MITCSC President Russell Kurtz ’81 [email protected]

MIT Educational Council

How do you know if you’re a leader? If you sincerely ask the question, you probably are a leader. If your supervisors constantly receive promotions, you’re a leader. If your sub-ordinates constantly receive promotions, you’re a leader. If you constantly receive promotions, you’re a manager, not a leader. A manager helps people get their jobs done. A leader inspires people to be able to do their jobs – then gets out of their way.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Managers are very important. But MIT teaches more about leadership than about management (except Course 15, of course!). Students learn about leadership in their classes, in their homework, and by in-teracting with each other. They learn management from classes, planning homework, and organizing groups. Both leadership and management are important. But, as Admiral Grace Hopper said, “No one ever managed people into battle.”

ABOUT THE COUNCILThe MIT Educational Council, composed of a network of alumni members called Educational Counselors (ECs) and an on-campus staff, works with the Office of Admissions to recruit the best and brightest students for MIT’s freshman class.

The MIT Educational Council creates a vital link between sec-ondary schools, students, teachers, and the parents of prospective students. As advocates and ambassadors for MIT, Educational Counselors recruit, interview, and respond to the concerns of ad-missions candidates within communities across the country and abroad. Uniquely positioned to put a human face on the Institute, ECs encourage and assist students and their parents in discovering MIT’s educational, social, and extracurricular opportunities.

HISTORY OF THE MIT ECThe Educational Counselors of today uphold a tradition begun in 1931 when MIT President Karl T. Compton appointed a number of outstanding graduates in major US cities and some foreign countries as Honorary Secretaries of MIT.

By 1950, they were overloaded with applicant interviews, and the Institute clearly needed greater alumni involvement in public rela-tions. The solution was the establishment of the MIT Educational Council, which took over both the interviews and the liaisons with secondary schools. Today, ECs assist the Institute in a variety of ways - as recruiters, community resources, and interviewers -help-ing the Office of Admissions to find the best and the brightest for each year’s freshman class.

For more information about the MIT Educational Council:To contact your local Educational Council Region Chair, see “Southern California Educational Council News” on page 10

Telephone: 617.253.3354Fax: 617.258.9414

E-mail: [email protected]

MIT Educational CouncilMassachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Ave., Room N52-419Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

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