FWC's 5th General Meeting
SPRING Luncheon, May 21st 2024
It has been a special event including several program items. The featured speaker Darnell Hunt, now Interim UCLA Chancellor, could not attend the Program. Instead, Ayesha Dixon of the UCLA's Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center Association had divided her time between our Spring Luncheon and ERRC Arts and Crafts Exhibit.
Joy Frank, photo below, was honored as FWC's 2024 Outstanding Member:
 |
| Joy Frank, Professor Emerita at the General Meeting May 21st 2024 Photo credit: Zorana |
FWC's Past Presidents were honored for their dedicated work and leadership
 |
| A subset of FWC's Past Presidents was honored for their leadership: Sandy, Glorya, Marjorie, Mary Ann, Rochelle, Zorana, Helene, Marianne Photo credit: Amelita |
 |
| ERRC's Arts Exhibit at the May 21st 2024 event, UCLA's Faculty Club Dr. Neil Parker, one among the exhibitors, speaks about his work Photo credit: Zorana |
FWC's 4TH GENERAL MEETING with featured speaker
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR NEIL K. GARG
Professor Neil K. Garg discussed his teaching and research career at our Fourth General Meeting on April 16th 2024. He is the inaugural holder of the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry. He also served as Faculty-in-Residence in the UCLA undergraduate community for nine years. He is a co-founder of his start-up company ElectraTect, designed to develop technology for the drug testing industry, specifically targeting fairness in detecting consumption of THC.
More details about Professor Garg's academic achievements, his service to the UCLA community, and his background, are all published on the title page of FWC's newsletter UPDATE, April-June 2024 issue.
 |
| From left: Marianne Afifi, Past President (FWC) Ayesha Dixon, VP Programs, and Professor Garg Photo credits: Karen McClain |
The 4th General Meeting was our business meeting. The following officers were elected for 2024-25
Anne-Marie Spataru President
Renee Fortier President Elect
Helene DesRuisseaux VP Programs
Rochelle Caballero VP Sections
Katie Lee Corresponding Secretary
Dorota Dabrowska Recording Secretary
Jane Permaul Treasurer
Velma Montoya Historian/Archivist
Congratulations to All
WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR, GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS, and FUN
As of this morning in the Daily Bruin, February 16, 2024, under ARTS, we read great news about one of our FWC "scholars," a recipient of the 2014 FWC Scholarship, India Carney https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/15/qa-alumnus-india-carney-talks-passion-for-arts-education-upcoming-event-at-the-nimoy
I took a photo of India 10 years ago when she was a recipient of the FWC Scholarship:
 |
| India Carney in 2014 at the FWC Scholarship Dinner photo credit: Zorana Ercegovac |
India Carney is celebrating Young Artists at NIMOY. She is the singer, songwriter and producer's two-night "Riding the Rollercoaster: An Artist's Life in Los Angeles."
Many among our FWC scholarship recipients have had successful and productive careers.
Again, we start off the New Year with our annual Scholarship Dinner (February 6, 2024) and with another group of UCLA students who are awarded the Scholarship (see the group photo below).
 |
Dr. Victoria L. Sork holds two distinguished professorships: in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and the other in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. |
More details about Professor Sork are given on the title page of FWC's UPDATE, Jan-Mar 2024.
We will honor eleven FWC Scholars. I will update this BLOG, so visit us soon to see the group photo and more. UPDATE (Jan-Mar 2024, pages 2-3) gives short bios of each of the eleven Scholars.
In preparation for the Dr. Sork presentation, you can learn more about the UCLA BOTANICAL GARDEN, a 7.5 acre public garden on the UCLA campus, right here. Learn how to design your own sustainable garden, learn about their "open air" classrooms, research, and vast collections. During the Covid isolation era, I used to spend hours in the garden watching the plants, trees, blooms, fish and turtles in the stream flowing through the garden.
Here is a group photo of FWC SCHOLARS 2024.
 |
| From left: Our featured speaker Prof. Victoria L. Sorkin, 10 awardees and Marianne Afifi, Scholarship Committee Co-chair Scholars: Vanessa, Naomi, Paula, Deja, Ginger Rose, Alyssa, Emerald, Lanxin, Edgar Dr. Kele Kirschenbaum, Scholarship Committee Co-chair |
The event was well attended inspite of a heavy rainfall. We enjoyed seeing old friends with their guests and meeting the FWC 2024 scholars.
 |
| Our own FWC member and past President Margaret Churchill with her husband and grandson, visiting them from Sweden. Naomi Hammonds, a 4th year student majoring in psychobiology, joined them |
 |
| The event offered the unique opportunity for the student scholars majoring in different areas to network |
Lanxin is in the School of Public Health; Alyssa is the School of Engineering and Applied Science;
Edgar and Naomi are pursuing a degree in psychobiology, and Ginger Rose is a prolific harpist.
 |
| Wei Chen, our featured artist, performing on GuZheng ti be held on April 17th at 12 noon |
