Special Events

MAR: The Museum of Chinese in America’s annual Legacy Awards Gala at Cipriani South Street in NYC. MOCA Board of Directors’ and Gala Co-Chairs Patty Pei and actor David Henry Hwang welcomed the hundreds of attendees – among them, architect Sandi Pei, artist Maya Lin, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Mike Hearn, and Dehan Chen & Pamela Tung. MOCA President Nancy Yao introduced speakers including Senator Chuck Schumer, Legacy Awardee Gov. Gary Locke, and Maya Lin, designer of MOCA’s new museum.

APR: Members of former Ohio Governor Bob Taft’s cabinet and staff gathered in Columbus to celebrate his 80^th birthday. It was good to see old friends & colleagues: Joyce & Tom Johnson; Jo Ann Davidson & Betty Montgomery; Ann Womer & David Benjamin; Jim Mahoney & Shaun Yoder. Gov. Mike DeWine was among the political and staff leaders there to offer praise of Gov. & Mrs. Taft. 

MAY: Pleased to represent Columbus friends at Kory Blair & Elie Farkas’s wedding in NJ, with her Mom Sherran, and sisters Kay and Dee. Tons of good food. I learned much, as it was my first Orthodox Jewish wedding, with Orthodox men and women dining and dancing separately, and my being warned not to touch the bride – until Kory rushed up to declare it was okay by giving her “Uncle” Rod a big hug. 

Gardening

 

APR-OCT: Wanting to try my hand at growing vegetables, I rented a 4x8’ plot in the New Albany Community Garden, behind our village hall. It was a good learning experience and my efforts resulted in some nice herb plants, a few tomato plants, and tasty snow & sugar snap peas. Meanwhile, the perennials in my front garden did well as did my houseplants that I moved out to my patio, with a Garden Tower planter letting me grow over 50 plants in it, including strawberries, marigolds, chives, and herbs. Mom’s Night Blooming Cereus rewarded me with 3 rounds of big blossoms before I moved the houseplants back indoors to my sunroom and living room just before our first frost.

Friends' Cooking Classes

 

OCT:  Sharon Dunn taught a small class at New Albany’s Heit Center to make Montreal-style Bagels. My team made Everything Bagels and they turned out beautifully! Now I’ll need to regrease my 50-year-old Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer so I can make more of these at home. NOV: Shawnie Kelley’s Tuscan Farmhouse Feast class at Columbus State Community College’s beautiful culinary facility. My teammate Barbara and I were among 8 teams that made a yummy grilled flank steak, mushroom risotto, arugula salad, and Florentine chocolate budino dinner.

Columbus' BalletMet

FEB, APR, MAY, SEP, OCT: I’ve been thrilled that with Edwaard Liang’s arrival as Artistic Director of BalletMet 10 years ago, the company has developed to offer truly world-class quality performances. I’ve attended all their shows when I’ve been home this year including the classic Giselle, and Edwaard’s Cinderella and Four Seasons. As a donor, I’ve gotten to attend private informational rehearsal sessions. I was honored to be elected to the Board of Trustees of BalletMet in June, letting me tap my arts experiences as a trustee of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and as a 25-year member of the Metropolitan Opera Club. The new season began with a free outdoor performance at Bicentennial Park with excerpts of the upcoming season’s ballets. I was delighted to invite Jenny Bowen, Mike Durik, and Kate & Tony Thomas to be my guests for the season opening performance of BalletMet at the Ohio Theatre and Jim Miller for Dracula at the Davidson Theatre.

Cornell Meetings

MAR: With Cornell’s October Trustee-Council Annual Meeting having been canceled for two years due to COVID, we happily gathered on campus in the spring for a Cornell Leadership Week. Gligor Tashkovich & I congratulated fellow Johnson School alumnus Kraig Kayser as Cornell’s new Board Chair. Joe & Marney Thomas again hosted my stay with superb wines and food in their lovely home where I admired  Marney’s prowess in raising the cutting from Mom’s Night Blooming Cereus plant to a lush 6+ foot tall beauty. I was among the family and close colleagues who celebrated the life of our beloved late President Frank H. T. Rhodes in Sage Chapel, emceed by Susan Murphy – televised on campus and webcast – and at a private reception: Joe greeting Rosa Rhodes; Ezra Cornell & past Board Chair Bob Harrison.

OCT: Back to Ithaca for the Trustee-Council Annual Meeting on our normal fall schedule. Joe, Marney, and I enjoying wines from his cellar and their magnificent Cayuga Lake view. Wine expert Richy Petrina welcomed us with some wine in his new wine tasting/event space in downtown Ithaca. Fall colors were the most vibrant they’ve been for TCAM in many years. I joined many fellow prior recipients to welcome the new class of Frank H. T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award winners at dinner in the Statler Hotel’s Carrier Ballroom. 

Peace Lutheran Church

DEC’21: Our Children’s Ministry again conducted a COVID-safe Drive Thru Nativity for the local community to enjoy. Spent a quiet Xmas at home. APR: Arose early for our Easter Sunrise Service led by Pastor Tony Katko on a chilly morning with Alan Hewett. JUL: Using my power washer, my team cleaned years of dirt from the Labyrinth at our Memorial Columbarium, making the path more visible to guide walkers.

Printed 2022 Letter

 I fit all the above into one double-sided legal sheet to include with my Christmas cards. Since Adobe stopped supporting its InDesign app except on a monthly subscription basis, I bought Affinity Publisher at a reasonable one-time purchase cost and made the easy switch to it to lay out this year's letter. If you'd like a hard copy, I'd be happy to mail you one - just send an email with your mailing address to me at roderick.chu@att.net.