April 15, 2025 is our 4th General and Business Meeting, via zoom
Our Business meeting will have the opportunity to vote on the slate of the election of Officers:
Monday, March 31, 2025
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
FWC's WOMAN of DISTINCTION and Scholarship Recipients
Faculty Women's Club honored Carol Block, our Woman of Distinction at the 3rd General Meeting and Scholarship Dinner. A lively conversation with Carol Block was moderated by FWC's president Anne-Marie Spataru (photo below). The event was well attended, and many of us were happy to meet old friends after the Los Angeles devastating fires of January 2025.
 |
| Carol Block (right) is the recipient of the FWC's Woman of Distinction Award 2024 Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac |
The event was held at the Faculty Club. Here's a short video which captured the vibes of the evening.
In addition, the program featured recipients of the Scholarship Programs, some of whom are photographed in an informal group discussion with Scholarship co-chairs Marianne Afifi and Kele Kircshenbaum.
 |
| A subset of FWC's amazing scholarship recipients, photographed in an informal setting with co-chairs Marianne and Kele Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac |
 |
| Former UCLA's Chancellor Gene Block with his wife Carol Block Anne-Marie Spataru, FWC President, nominated Mrs. Block as FWC's 2024 Woman of Distinction Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac, February 4, 2025 |
Friday, July 26, 2024
SUMMER and early FALL WITH GREAT UCLA'S RESOURCES
Before FWC had Sections, starting in 1925,
we had General Programs featuring different music genres
 |
| Music was always an important part of FWC General Programs (1922) from: PERSONAL REMINISCENCES of the First Twenty Four Presidents of the Faculty Women's Club, UCLA NEW: FWC's archival materials are held in UCLA Special Collections, located in the basement of the Young Research Library (Special Collections Library at UCLA). It is part The Online Archive of California, also known as OAC. NEW: FWC's archival materials contain numerous files, some of which are now available to you in this BLOG. An example is ORAL HISTORY LEGACY with our members who told their personal stories and anecdotes related to their activities and memorable events. This is an open ended Project which started during 2012-2013 as a preparation for the FWC's Centennial Celebration in 2018. Please let Zorana Ercegovac know if you wish to contribute your interview transcript to the FWC Oral History Legacy Project. NEW: Another major project was based on the FWC historical records from the UCLA's Special Collections. It was used in my presentation at the General Meeting on April 17, 2018. Part I of the General Meeting was the Album Presentation:  Part II of that celebratory Meeting was a piano recital performed by Victor Shlyaktenko. NEW: I have arranged to have a special workshop (February 19th 2025) on how to care, organize, and curate our own family archival materials. This is organized by the Music in Cultural Context section. More information will be posted later. |
| Today FWC has Special Interest Groups, FWC Sections, including Book discussions (English, French, German), Bridge, Birthday, Galleries & Sights, International Cooking, Hiking, Music in Cultural Contexts, Play-Reading, Gardening, and Genealogy. |
NEW: FWC GENERAL MEETINGS have always been important to our entire membership. Our member Phyllis Amboss prepared a list of Seventy-Five Years of FWC Programs: 1935-2011. It is of interest to anyone, especially to our members, as a survey of topics and featured speakers. I am in process of making this Project complete, by adding the General Meeting topics since 2012.
FWC's 2nd General Meeting : November 19th 2024 at 1:30 pm with Prof. Yizhou Sun
 |
| Professor Yizhou Sun, in the Department of Computer Science, UCLA The topic,"ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: WHAT YOU NEED to KNOW," discussed how AI is affecting our daily lives and helped us understand more about this timely and complex technology. A few of the slides from Prof. Sun's presentation show a bit of the AI history and the evolutionary tree, starting in the 1940s through ChatGPT in the 2020s. She also discussed impact of AI on science, law, healthcare, finance, education, and entertainment. Slides covered such topics as potential limits of AI technologies as well as risks and safety concerns. Prof. Sun's presentation engaged the audience of 43 attendees, many of whom had important questions and comments. It was a great and timely theme for the FWC's General Meeting.     FWC's 1st General Meeting was on October 15, 2024 at 1:30 pm |
 |
| FWC President Anne-Marie Spataru (right) with Helene DesRuisseaux, VP Programs, introduced Professor Hasen |
Professor Richard L. Hasen, the Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair of Law, professor of political science (by courtesy), and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law, will present "Preserving Democracy," addressing issues of voting rights and the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions. See UPDATE, Sep-Dec 2024 for details.
 |
| Ginger Rose Brucker & Jennifer Jo are featured artists October 16, 2024, UCLA Faculty Club Program to be announced soon: Music in Cultural Contexts |
Above: Zorana and Lorraine in the Music Section
Here is our new GARDENING Section.
Celebrating Life with Music, Fellowship, Kindness, & Hope
Here is what we have for you starting as I write this BLOG post, all FREE OF CHARGE, one of the perks this Music Section gives to all FWC members, not to music section members alone.
 |
| WISHING A HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of you who celebrate summer special days |
We will socialize right after the concerts (optional), with delicious light lunch (eg., Playa Cafe and Taco Tuesdays), at the Faculty Club, just across the street from the UCLA School of Music.
We start with The Henry J. BRUMAN SUMMER Chamber Music Festival on July 30th.
https://www.1718.ucla.edu/about/bruman/ All other three recitals are held at Lani Hall, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Noon-1:00 pm. Each of these three outstanding programs and events will be held:
August 1 (Thursday) Noon-1:00 PM.
August 6 (Tuesday) Noon-1:00 PM.
August 8 (Thursday) Noon-1:00 PM.
The Program for July 30th is posted below (their program notes are equally outstanding and will be available at each of the performances).
BONUS: The performers are excellent artists, gifted educators, and wonderful lecturers & leader. There will be plenty of time to talk to each of them after their programs.
Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
Three Romances for Violin and Piano, op. 22
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Sonata in A Minor No. 1, op. 105
Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)
Sonata for Viola and Piano, op. 11, no. 4
 |
Friday, January 19, 2024
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 |
Music Section in Cultural Contexts, chaired by Zorana Ercegovac, is one among the first in-person
SING-A-LONG sessions, performed in November 2023 at the home of Jarka and Tom Wilcox.
We have invited members from other FWC sections to join in, including play-readers, hikers, and guests.
AT-A-GLANCE: Mark your calendars
Wednesday, February 21st at 12:30 PM via zoom -- there will be a special presentation on a theme of
SOUND <-> IMAGE <-> POETRY
with guests reading selected poems by William Blake, and much more.
STAY TUNED.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
FWC WOMAN OF DISTINCTION HONORED at the October 17, 2023 FWC General Meeting
Sheila James Kuehl, BRUIN, lawyer, politician, California State Assemblymember and Senator, Los Angeles County Supervisor, educator, activist, actress, and our FWC WOMAN OF DISCTINCTION!!
 |
| Sheila James Kuehl, FWC's Woman of Distinction at the October 17, 2023 General Meeting |
Sheila is the woman of FIRSTS, and she described and explicated in such a wonderful way some of the major achievements in the areas of improving the quality of life for LA County residents!!
THANK YOU, for sharing your life experiences with us BRUINS!!
 |
| Our dearest Bruin Bear at the HOCO 2023!! Sheila has been a true BRUIN all these years |
More details are published in the DailyBruin Oct 23, 2023.
 |
| Chancellor Charles E. Young DailyBruin |
For the FWC Centennial 2018, I (Zorana Ercegovac) prepared an Album of FWC's Voices, photos, and stories (digital, annotated). An important part of our historical (and archival) images include Chancellor's wife Mrs. SUE YOUNG, who was an active participant in the lives of our programs and events. This memory has been made alive through images of Mrs. Chancellor as the hostess of some of our events at their UCLA residence.
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
SPRING VIBES 2023 at the UCLA'S Faculty Women's Club, at the Faculty Club
The GROUND THEFT ECO: Environmental Futures of Los Angeles project was presented at the Spring Luncheon by Ursula K. Heise and Daniel Snelson.
 |
| Daniel Snelson and Ursula K. Heise speak at the 6th GENERAL MEETING May 16th 2023 The Faculty Club |
FWC Spring General Meeting has awarded Bette Billet as FWC's 2023 Outstanding member. CONGRATULATIONS !!
 |
| Bette Billet, the FWC Outstanding Member 2023 with Marianne Afifi, President 2022-2023 and Helene Desruisseaux, Past President |
Finally, here is a celebratory group of FWC's 14 Past Presidents with traditional yellow roses.
 |
| Past Presidents with our current 2022-2023 FWC president Marianne Afifi |
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Exploring Jupiter and its moons with magnetometers
Prof. Margaret Kivelson was our featured speaker at the FWC's 4th General Meeting. Her research focused on Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and Jupiter's Galilean moons. Prof. Kivelson earned her degrees including her PhD at Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She holds appointments as research professor at both UCLA and the University of Michigan. She is the recipient of numerous distinguished honors and awards.
 |
| Magnetometer measurements helped us understand the space environment of the planets |
Since these pioneering days, much more has been discovered due to technologies for data capturing, analyses, processing, and interpretation.
 |
| Large teams of scholars and scientists are needed to sort out massive data sets |
A lively QA session followed the presentation. As always, refreshments were always a treat, especially on a rainy March 21, 2023.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)