My 2009 Holiday Note

December 2009

5 Alban Mews
New Albany, Ohio 43054

A holiday note to my family, friends, and colleagues –

Another year has passed so quickly! As I have continued to search for where I can make my next professional contributions, I’ve kept productively engaged in my various board activities and taken on new responsibilities with the Cornell University Council and Peace Lutheran Church. I also began delving into social networking on the Internet and started to write down my thoughts on a wide variety of topics in a blog. Education and public policy, of course. And food! But engaging in these activities has also helped me realize why I don’t want simply to retire.

I have come to recognize that I’ve led a fairly unusual life so far. I grew up in New York City, the capital of the world. I received a marvelous education from a loving, caring, and capable family, and from talented educators in fine public and private schools and universities. I’ve continued learning through tremendously varied yet deep experiences in management consulting, government, and education, and through living and interacting with colleagues, friends, and neighbors from widely diverse environments and backgrounds. With all that, I have found that I’ve developed an unusual ability to synthesize across all that I’ve learned and to apply it to the needs at hand. Given my dedication to accumulating this knowledge and experience, I want to continue to apply it to important challenges as part of a team of similarly committed individuals. So I continue to search for that next wonderful opportunity to learn and serve.

Meanwhile, I have appreciated the unusual luxury of having extra time to enjoy with my tremendously generous family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. I am pleased to share the highlights of my past year’s enjoyments with you — and to thank you for helping make the year a happy one, despite the economic challenges we all have suffered. My family joins me in wishing you and yours a healthy, joyous, and bounteous 2010!

With my very best wishes,
Rod

Email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo: rgwc@insight.rr.com
My blog: http://rodchu.blogspot.com
My photo website: http://rgwc.smugmug.com (photos from all events)

Special Celebrations

JAN: Surprised old friend Vera Wang on her induction to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame at the U.S. championships in Cleveland. I was invited by IWFS friend Barbie Holland, President of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Joined Vera’s family in meeting almost all the skating stars I’ve come to know on TV, including Scott Hamilton, Paul Wiley, Nancy Kerrigan, & Dick Button.

JAN: My Cornell professor and now friend for 40 years Joe Thomas & his wife Marney caught the Met performance of Orfeo ed Euridice with me. We then joined Mom at Blue Hill at Stone Barns on the Rockefeller Estate for a stimulating and spectacular 7 course tasting dinner helping me acknowledge - reluctantly - my big birthday.

MAY: Celebrated my godmother Aileen Pei’s 97th birthday in NYC at the magnificent Park Avenue apartment of her nephew Hamburg & Miranda Tang with her daughter Patty, my Mom, and many other friends. A chamber music quintet performed a special concert in Auntie Aileen’s honor.

SEP: Mom & I joined I.M. Pei and many other friends and relatives lavishly celebrating Juliana Koo’s 104th birthday at NYC’s Hotel Pierre, hosted by daughters Shirley and Gene Young, and son-in-law Oscar Tang. We joined Auntie Juliana dancing to the 1940s music of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.

AUG: Don Gorman met his balloon effigy on his birthday. Lisal prepared a delectable dinner for family & friends.

Fantastic Foodie Feasts and Fun with Friends

JAN: Accompanied Bob Gorman, Bill Fein, & other IWFS friends at Bob’s colleague Brian Edwards’ home for an Italian food & wine tasting flown in & prepared by Roberto Angelini & family from Enoteca Properzio, Spello, Umbria.

FEB: Ray Chen invited me to dinner at NYC’s classic Four Seasons for a delicious, impeccably served dinner.








FEB: Greeted the Year of the Ox at Karen Hsu’s Chinese New Year banquet at Tang Pavilion in NYC with Nautica’s David Chu, Shun Lee’s Michael Tong, Mon Ling Landegger, Miranda & Hamburg Tang, Jim Chang, & many others.

APR: Tom & Pat Shiah invited me to NYC’s beautiful new Bouley for foie gras, other delicacies, & great wines.

APR, MAY, JUN, AUG: Ate & drank heartily from our 900+ bottle cellar at our Int’l Wine & Food Society-Columbus dinners hosted by Lisal & Don Gorman, Sherran & Roger Blair, Skip & Karen Yassenoff, and Vivian & Jack Davis.

MAY: K.S. & Gina Liu introduced Mom & me over lunch to Tiger Woods photographer Jules Alexander at Trump Nat’l Golf Course in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Helped Jules tune & print his photos in the Liu’s villa with K.S.’s computer toys.

JUN: Cornell roommate Bob Crane visited New Albany from California after his 40th reunion at the College of Wooster.

JUL: Lunched at DB Bistro Moderne in NYC with Dominie & Adrian Tanovic & gallery hopped on their visit from Oxford.








JUL: Our IWFS-Columbus group hired a bus for Veggie U’s Food & Wine Celebration in Milan, OH. Dozens of chefs and wineries from all over the U.S. stuffed us with yummy tastes, demoed, & cooked-off, judged by the Food Channel’s Michael Ruhlman, to fund healthy eating education for kids.

AUG: Enjoyed drink, nosh, and the good company of my very nice neighbors at our monthly Alban Mews get-togethers.

AUG: Ray Chen introduced old dining friends - including Mom, authors Roxane Wit, Eunice Fried, Fred Ferretti & Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, and me - to NYC Chinatown’s new Three Ocean restaurant, with a 20-course 12-wine dinner.

The Metropolitan Opera: Club Guests and Opera Stars Up Close & Personal

DEC-MAY; SEP-NOV: Dined elegantly with many friends at the Metropolitan Opera Club before performances. Guests (& operas) included: Mom, Jeannette Wang & Alan Neiditch (La Bohème); Tom & Pat Shiah, Uncle Kenneth & Auntie Denise Sze (Lucia di Lammermoor); Kate & Molly McNamara (Il Trovatore); Mom, Auntie Lily Liu (Il Barbiere di Siviglia);

... Michael & Adassa Richardson, Michael Hodgson (Madama Butterfly); Pat Shiah, Norm Haffner, Michael Richardson (La Sonnambula); Russ Isaacs (the new production of Tosca - a disaster! A huge mistake to replace Zeffirelli’s production with this minimalist one!); K.S. & Gina Liu, Mom (Turandot);

... Mabel Freeman (Die Zauberflöte); Susie Rusk, Don Honeman, Evelyn Hu DeHart (Aïda); Lisa Lu, Mom, Chester Mah (Turandot). Zeffirelli’s Turandot is still my favorite!

DEC, JAN, MAR: Pat Shiah & I enjoyed Renée Fleming’s stirring performance in Thaïs on Dec. 30th. Then 2 days later, Mom & I were thrilled to meet her in person at Shirley Young’s scrumptuous Chinese Hot Pot dinner for Renée and her family (I coached Renée on poaching the myriad raw foods). I greeted her again at the Opera Club’s dinner honoring her in March. One of the world’s greatest operatic sopranos, she’s delightful and generously gracious.

APR: Attended Chinese baritone Shenyang’s Met debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni. Went backstage to congratulate him, as did opera great Marilyn Horne and actress Tyne Daly. Also greeted the noted bass Samuel Ramey. Shirley Young had a congratulatory reception for Shenyang in her apartment after his wonderful performance.

Cornell University Activities

APR & OCT: I was elected a Vice Chair of the Cornell University Council, so I’m now doing even more for Cornell! Luxuriated in gorgeous spring & fall colors at the Council’s Admin. Board & Annual meetings in Ithaca. Greeted by Pres. Emeritus Frank Rhodes & serenaded by Pres. David Skorton. Again enjoyed CU football spirit and stayed with my professor, now Johnson School Dean Joe & Marney Thomas, who continue to wine & dine me so scrumptuously.

FEB: The Cornell Asian Alumni Association’s annual dinner honored family friend Eugenie Shen, with Mom, Mimi Chen, Fred Teng, Alice & Howei Chen, at The Asia Society in NYC.

MAY: NYC’s Public Library was the fun venue for Cornell’s Tower Club reception. Saw old Ithaca maps and caught up with National Tower Club Chair Kelly Brown, Accenture colleague Doug Calby, and Debra Paget & Jeff Berg.

Board Trips & Other Volunteer Activities

JAN: Mom joined me and the pool’s iguana at the lovely San Juan Ritz-Carlton for the College Board’s annual Trustees’ Retreat. Dined under the stars with Puerto Rican leaders.

APR: In DC’s Willard Hotel for a joint College Board/Asia Society dinner honoring Mme Liu Yandong, State Councilor of China. Renewed friendship with Mme Xu Lin, Director of Hanban, whom I met last summer in Beijing.

OCT: Visited Palisade Prep School in Yonkers, NY - one of our College Board Schools using the Board’s materials to prepare each of its middle school kids for college success.

NOV: Fellow State Farm Bank Advisory Board member Gilda Gonzalez hosted our board’s visit to The Unity Council’s FruitVale Village in Oakland, CA - an inspiring mixed-use development including low- and market-rate housing, Head Start pre-school, high school, & retail shops instead of the originally-planned parking structure around a BART station.

Spring/Summer: I was elected to the Vision Board of Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna. Joined fellow church members Joe Scmitt, President Doug Evans & others on mission trips to build our food/clothing distribution center in Appalachian Ohio & cooking dinners once each month for homeless families at the Columbus YWCA Family Center.

Vacation & Wedding in the British Isles

SEP: Visited Sally Craddock in her 500-year old Oxford farm house and met China historian & Ohioan Aaron Moore. Shopped at the Covered Market for steak & kidney pie and other goodies. To the Windrush River valley to visit Dominie & Adrian Tanovic in their old Mill House. Fed wild ducks and toured painfully picturesque Cotswold villages.

Up to Scotland to see Edinburgh Castle & Hollyrood Palace with Sally. On to Perth and a delicious dinner with Michael, Amina & Adassa Richardson, and Alton Alexander before Zanna Grant & Saxon Izatt’s grand country wedding - the Grants & other Scots in strikingly handsome regalia.

Family Gatherings in Massachusetts

DEC, MAR, JUN, AUG, NOV: Steven & Kelly joined us for Xmas. Mom & I drove again to Laura & David’s to see them, Karen, Gian, A.J. & Alex for: Karen’s new Moxie Wellesley shoe/accessory boutique opening; the Bolton Fair; a family vacation in East Orleans, Cape Cod; and Thanksgiving.

The Chu family joins me in wishing you and yours a healthy, joyous, and bounteous 2010!