THE VIEW

FROM SAN RAMON Volume 35, Number 3 November 2018

Local Scholarship

Silent Auction Gala

Thursday, November 29 7:00–8:30 PM

San Ramon Community Center Terrace Room

Start Holiday Shopping Early!

Enjoy Snacks & Beverages!

Visit with Friends!

(See page 4 for details)

AAUW MISSION AND DIVERSITY STATEMENTS

American Association of University Women advances gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy. In

principle and in practice, AAUW values and seeks an inclusive membership, workforce, leadership team, and board of directors. There shall

be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, geographical

location, national origin, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.

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2018–2019 Board

PRESIDENT

Millie Kessler

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Millie Kessler

CO-PRESIDENTS ELECT

Chris Burchik Lucy Weed

CO-VICE PRESIDENTS, PROGRAM

Linda Mendonsa Sabina Zafar

CO-VICE PRESIDENTS, MEMBERSHIP

Betsy Hoffmann Margo James Alice Miller

VICE PRESIDENT, THE FUND

Pat Kelly

CO-VICE PRESIDENTS, LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP

Julie Gin Susan Walker-Christensen

VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE

Claire Mailhiot

CO-RECORDING SECRETARIES

Judy Bracken Pam Bugbee

AAUW San Ramon Information

Websites: Branch website: www.sanramon-ca.aauw.net Webmaster: Isabel Lau (isabel.lau13@gmail.com) Association website: www.aauw.org CA State website: www.aauw-ca.org CCC IBC website: ccc-ibc-ca.aauw.net

Branch mailing address: P.O. Box 336, San Ramon, CA 94583

Branch e-mail address: aauwsr@gmail.com

Facebook: San Ramon University Women/AAUW

Appointed Officers

ART & WIND FESTIVAL

Janet Williams

COMMUNICATION

Isabel Lau

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Lois Kamoroff

HOSPITALITY/FELLOWSHIP

Betsy Hoffmann

NEWSLETTER

Marsha Froines Carol Lombardi

PUBLIC POLICY

Cindy Alpert

TECH TREK

OPEN

TELEPHONE TREE

Renee Coles Lois Kamoroff

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Co-President Elect’s Message

It’s hard to believe we are heading into the busy holiday

season already! Now is a good time to reflect and be

thankful for the gifts of family and friends.

On a more serious note, make sure you vote on

November 6. The candidate forums held in the past few

weeks and the Propositions Review co-sponsored by the

League of Women Voters and the Danville-Alamo-Walnut

Creek branch will help us to make informed choices

during this critical election year.

The Northern California FUND Luncheon was held on

October 7 at the Crow Canyon Country Club, and several

of our members attended. We enjoyed a delicious lunch

and were introduced to five Fellowship and Grant

recipients, four of whom were from Berkeley and one

from Davis. Their chosen fields ranged from Physics,

Architecture and Design, and Environmental Engineering

to a STEM-centered community project for girls. Each

recipient inspired us with her story of challenges, courage,

support, and success. Our donations to FUND contributed

to their accomplishments, and they expressed deep

gratitude to AAUW for helping them to achieve their

goals. Thanks to our FUND committee and all branch

members who generously contribute each year.

Our Scholarship Committee is preparing for our biggest

fundraiser of the year, the Silent Auction Gala! Mark

your calendars—November 29 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at

the San Ramon Community Center. Come and bring a

friend or two and enjoy this festive, fun event! Local

businesses have generously donated over 100 items for us

to bid on. Beautiful theme baskets contributed by our

Special Interest Groups and individual members are also

ready to be raffled off! Every dollar we raise supports our

scholarship program for local high school girls and former

foster youth. Join us for a lively evening and support a

great cause! See you on Thursday, November 29!

There are several fun and interesting programs planned for

the year. Coming up next month is our Potluck Holiday

Party. Be sure to check the newsletter for date and time.

We continue to keep Millie and her family in our thoughts

and prayers during this difficult time.

Chris Burchik

Co-President-Elect with Lucy Weed

AAUW Fund

Thanks to Your Generosity,

the Funding Continues!

For the 2018–2019 academic year, 250 women and

community projects serving women and girls will receive

$3.9 million from AAUW. This level of funding for

women’s education and projects has a tremendous impact

on women and their communities by expanding women’s

potential and supporting their future promise.

By easing the pressure of financing academic and

community work, AAUW’s awards help women tackle the

growing burden of student debt and focus their efforts on

the task at hand: developing the skills and experience they

need to excel in their fields and lead innovative

community projects to empower women and girls.

Pat Kelly

Vice President, AAUW Fund

VOTE!

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Program

Local Scholarship

Silent Auction Gala

Thursday, November 29 7:00–8:30 PM

San Ramon Community Center Terrace Room

12501 Alcosta Blvd., San Ramon

Start Holiday Shopping Early!

Enjoy Snacks & Beverages!

Visit with Friends!

This event is our Local Scholarship committee’s major

fundraiser to provide monies for the scholarships our

branch awards to graduating female seniors from San

Ramon high schools and young women in the Renaissance

Scholars program for former foster children attending

CSU East Bay. We need your support!

If you have any questions about this event, you can

contact either Julie Gin or Susan Walker-Christensen.

Hope to See You There!

Save the Date!

Sunday, December 9

5:00–7:00 PM

Holiday Potluck Party

for

Members

Prospective Members

Significant Others

Host: Sabina Zafar

Bring Your Favorite

Holiday Dish To Share!

Look for the E-vite invitation in early November to

RSVP for the party and sign up for a dish to bring! For

people who don’t use E-vite, please RSVP by

December 6 to Sabina or Linda.

For questions, contact either

Sabina Zafar or Linda Mendonsa

Linda Mendonsa and Sabina Zafar

Co-Vice Presidents, Program

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Public Policy

AAUW-CA 2018 Legislative Year Update

The content for this article was provided by Archana

Maniar, AAUW CA Public Policy Committee.

If you’ve been tracking AAUW California legislation in

the last few years, you’ll note the number of bills related

to closing the gender pay gap. We’ve made tremendous

headway since 2015 working with the Stronger California

coalition. The Fair Pay Act—SB 358 (2015), SB 1063

(2016)—has been improved, and California now limits the

use of one’s prior salary to establish a new salary. Just this

year, an additional refinement was made with AB 2282

(Eggman) so there is no doubt that an employer cannot

inquire or use one’s prior salary. There are still other areas

to be addressed, including pay data transparency, so that

employers and the public can better understand a

company’s pay practices. Unfortunately, our co-sponsored

bill on this issue—SB 1284 (Jackson)—was stalled in the

legislative process this year.

Momentum on the equal pay bills was assisted by the

#MeToo movement and awareness that sexual harassment

is fueled by disproportionate power dynamics, as is the

gender pay gap. Many bills made it to the governor’s desk,

with mixed results. Most important, Governor Brown

signed SB 1300 (Jackson), a bill addressing discrimination

and harassment in the workplace—also known as the “no

free grope” bill.

Our work is not done. To quote a former governor, “We’ll

be back” to work with the new governor to accomplish all

that needs to be done to make California a bastion of

equity and fairness for women.

For a full list of our bills in 2018, go to our website.

Update on Non-Profit Status of AAUW of California

A hearing was held on September 25 on the matter of

AAUW of California converting from a Mutual Benefit

Corporation to a Public Benefit Corporation. This

conversion was approved, and it will be final after the

lawyer files some papers for us.

Stay tuned for more information. Let’s all celebrate our

persistence! Nevertheless, we persisted!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cindy Alpert

Public Policy

Happy November Birthdays Harry Sachs 11/10 Carol Calloway 11/16 Pauline Nolte 11/16 Cheryl Thomas 11/17 Linda Louie 11/21

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Local Scholarship

Silent Auction Gala! Thursday, November 29

7:00–8:30 PM

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Silent Auction

Gala on at the San Ramon Community Center Terrace

Room. This is our major fundraiser to raise scholarship

funds for local high school students and Renaissance

Scholars at CSU East Bay.

Over 100 great items have been donated to our auction

from Tri-Valley businesses from San Ramon, Danville,

Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore. Look for the list of

donated items that will be sent via e-mail before the

auction for your perusal. You can plan ahead to bid on

items you're interested in. A few items include gift

certificates to Yersen Gelato Cakes, Pacific Catch, Piatti's

Ristorante, Brass Door, Esin Bar & Grille, Los Panchos,

Three Brothers, Faz in Pleasanton, Danville Chocolates,

Forbes Mill Restaurant, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Trader Joe's,

Dublin Bowl, four hours of organizing by Joy Perkins of

Omnibus Organizing, Buckhorn Grill, a golf outing for

four at Bridges, Katy's Korner, a wine-tasting party for

eight at Page Mill Winery, and much more.

Any member who brings a friend/guest will receive six

tickets for the theme baskets. The drawings for the theme

baskets will begin at 7:30 PM. Come at 7:00 to look at the

beautiful baskets donated by the interest groups, AAUW

members, and friends as well as all of the other auction

items. It will be a fun evening! Bring a friend or two with

you and, of course, your checkbook!

There will be a table with some nice hostess gifts for the

holidays. Victoria Bissell, one of our members, will be

selling her beautiful sets of natural stone jewelry. Loranne

Weir will also be selling her bracelets. All proceeds will

be donated to Local Scholarship.

We’ll be featuring delicious baked goods from local

bakeries.

Enjoy light appetizers, desserts, coffee, and sparkling cider

while you bid. Wine will be available for purchase.

Themed Baskets Reminder

The Silent Auction Gala is coming soon on November 29.

As you know, this event is the main fundraiser for our

high school and Renaissance scholarship programs, so

your support is very important. We need gift baskets that

can be raffled off that night. You can put your basket

together as part of a group, with a friend or two, or

individually—your choice! You can also donate individual

items that we can combine into one of the baskets.

Regardless of how you choose to help, your participation

is most appreciated... Thank you!

Please let one of us know if you plan to donate a basket

for the event. Baskets should be delivered to us BY

Tuesday, November 13 OR we can arrange to pick up

your creation.

Loranne Weir

Susan Walker-Christensen

Julie Gin

Co-Vice-President, Local Scholarship with

Susan Walker-Christensen

Local Scholarship Committee Members:

Sally Blackwell, Pam Bugbee, Pat Campbell,

Anna Fehrenbach, Dayna Hannum, Millie Kessler,

Sally Scholl, and Loranne Weir

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Membership

Membership Matters

When you receive your updated AAUW San Ramon

Branch Directory, please check your personal listing and

verify that all information is correct. Be sure to contact

Margo James with any changes or corrections so that we

can keep you updated on all of our wonderful programs

and events.

In November, the AAUW national organization purges the

records of all expired memberships from the database, and

those names will be removed from our branch directory

and all mailing lists (such as newsletter and special

interest groups) as well, so please keep this in mind if you

have not yet renewed.

If you have not recently visited the Member Benefits page

of the AAUW website, it is worth a look:

http://www.aauw.org/membership/benefits/

All purchases support AAUW’s vital work.

We are thankful for your continued support of the AAUW

mission and the San Ramon Branch. We look forward to

seeing you November 29 at the annual Silent Auction Gala

supporting our scholarships. We also look forward to

seeing current and prospective members, spouses, and

significant others on December 9 for the Holiday Party.

We especially hope that our new members will join us so

that we can all get to know each other better.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Membership Team.

Alice Miller

Co-Vice President with

Margo James and Betsy Hoffmann

Member Spotlight

Elaine Graves

Birthplace and other places I’ve lived: I was born and

grew up in Burlingame, California. Post-college, I lived in

Belmont, California until moving to San Ramon in 1988.

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Business

Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San

Diego State University in 1980.

Spouse: Gary Graves

Children: Lauren Graves, age 29, lives in San Francisco.

Andrew Graves, age 26, lives in Oakland.

Significant Mentor or Hero: My brother Dan, who has

spent his adult life as a pastor in the Fruitvale District in

Oakland helping South East Asian immigrants adapt to

their new country. He works tirelessly for social justice for

all in Oakland as well. He is committed to making a

difference in his local area and is passionate toward

helping people with more needs than his own.

Current and Previous Employment: I work as an

independent contractor for two freight brokerage

companies and have done so for the last 18 years. Prior to

that, I worked as a business consultant in the

microcomputer industry.

Current Interests and Pastimes: I am an avid hiker and

downhill skier and always seek opportunities to pursue

these interests.

I love different cultures and foods and travel often both

within the U.S. and internationally. Next year, I am

planning to visit Japan and Croatia.

Member Spotlight continued on next page

8

Membership, continued

Locally, I enjoy going to ClubSport to take stretch, yoga,

and Zumba classes and also go often to concerts, movies,

and live performances of all kinds. I enjoy reading,

cooking, gardening, and spending time with family and

friends.

Memorable Experiences/Adventures/Accomplishments:

Climbing Mount Whitney was a memorable

accomplishment several years ago. Last year, I hiked from

the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim in

one day. I plan an annual endurance hike with a group of

friends so we can continue to push ourselves mentally and

physically.

When I was 13, I was a long distance runner and ran my

first 26.2-mile marathon in Petaluma in the freezing rain.

The high school cross country coach at Burlingame High

in 1972 knew of my distance running and asked me to join

the boys’ team prior to my freshman year as there was no

such thing as girls’ cross country running. I accepted, and

it was the first year in California history that girls were

allowed to run on boys’ teams. The handful of girls that

ran in California that year started the trend for girls to run

cross country in high school.

Traveling to China, Russia, and Thailand are some of my

most memorable adventures. Also, spending four months

after college graduation with my younger sister traveling

by train in Europe created my travel bug for life.

Something that might surprise people: I savor my time

being a couch potato and watching reality TV shows like

America’s Got Talent and World of Dance.

Pleasant Hill-Martinez A.A.U.W.

Presents

Betty Reid Soskin

Wednesday, November 7 at 2:00 PM

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 1601 Mary Drive

Pleasant Hill, CA 94553

Admission: Free

Betty Reid Soskin presents a fascinating

and riveting description of her 97 years

beginning with her childhood in New

Orleans to her adult life in the East Bay,

including becoming a famous National Park

Ranger at the Rosie the Riveter NHS.

Betty also calmly and honestly depicts

life at its best and its hardest for an

African-American Creole from the 1920s

to now. Don’t miss it!

(Her autobiography, Sign My Name to Freedom,

will be available for purchase.)

For questions, please contact either

Harriett Burt or Nancy Hobert

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Interest Groups

GAME NIGHT

First Saturdays

Saturday, November 3; 7:00 PM *Note special time*

Host: Fran Bartholomew

Kindly RSVP to Fran.

Have questions? Contact

Lucy Weed

LUNCH BUNCH

First Tuesdays

Tuesday, November 6; 11:30 AM

This group meets for a friendly lunch with fellow

members. We talk about anything and everything while

dining on delicious food and always get separate checks.

This month, we’re dining at

Imperial Delight 867-2888

290 Market Place, San Ramon

Be sure to notify Marsha on the prior Sunday if you will

attend. To join the e-mail reminder list, also contact:

Marsha Froines

CHINESE MAH JONG

First Tuesdays and Third Thursdays

Tuesday, November 6; 7:00 PM

Julie Gin

Thursday, November 15; 7:00 PM

Chris White

Kindly RSVP to the host.

If you have questions about this group, contact

Linda Louie

Interest Groups

WALKING GROUP

Saturday, November 10; 9:00 AM

Meet at the Bollinger Park and Ride at 9:00 AM to carpool

to Windemere Tassajara trailhead for an unpaved trail out-

and-back. Gentle slopes; 3 miles. Let us know you are

coming, and we will look for you.

Diane Griffiths

Lois Kamoroff

DAYTIME READERS

Second Mondays

Monday, November 12; 1:00–3:00 PM

We’ll discuss The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Host: Jane Young

For questions about the Daytime Book Group, please

contact Margo James.

THE NIGHT BOOK GROUP

Third Monday

Monday, November 19; 7:00 PM

Chris Burchik will review Before We Were Yours by Lisa

Wingate.

Host: Fran Bartholomew

Questions? Contact Cheri Ng

BRIDGE

Third Tuesdays

Tuesday, November 20; 7:00–10:00 PM

Host: Chris White

RSVP required: Contact host as soon as possible to let

hostess know if you are playing or not.

Questions? Contact Chris White

10

Interest Groups

FOURTH FRIDAY FLICKS (FFF)

Friday, November 30 *Fifth Friday*

Organizer: Mary Venkat

Watch for date, location, and time.

The monthly Organizer will send out a notice to those on

the e-mail list with movie information. If you would like

to receive these e-mails, please, contact

Chris White

Interest Groups

TRAVEL GROUP

Save the Date

Saturday, January 19, 2019; 7:30 PM

Our middle presentation will feature Isabel Lau showing

us the recent trip she and her husband Danny took to

Switzerland. After enjoying their presentation of Italy

previously, we know that this presentation will beautifully

illustrate the glories of the Swiss Confederation.

Host: Anne Hayden

Travel Group programs are open to AAUW members,

their spouses, friends, and significant others. We'd love to

see you at our events this year! Because refreshments are

served at our events, please respond positively to the

event's hostess if you can attend.

Renae Buckser

Anne Hayden

11

NOVEMBER 2018

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 7:00 PM

Special Time

Game Night

Fran

Bartholomew

4 5 6:00 PM

Board Meeting

Cindy Alpert

6

Election Day:

Vote!

7 8 9 10 9:00 AM

Walking

Group

Diane Griffiths

11:30 AM

Lunch Bunch

Marsha

Froines

7:00 PM

Mah Jong

Julie Gin

11 12 1:00 PM

Daytime

Readers

Jane Young

13 14 15

Newsletter

Deadline

16 17

7:00 PM

Mah Jong

Chris White

18 19 7:00 PM

Night Book

Group

Fran

Bartholomew

20 7:00 PM

Bridge

Chris White

21 22

Thanksgiving

23

24

25 26 27 7:00 PM

IBC Meeting

Cindy Alpert

28 29 7:00 PM

Silent Auction

Gala

Julie Gin

30

Special Date

Friday Flicks

Mary Venkat

SNIPPETS

If you have a Snippet item (family events, career changes, etc.) that you would like to share with branch members, please

contact Marsha Froines. This column depends on member contributions.

Save the Dates

December 9: Holiday Potluck Party; RSVP by December 6

January 19: Travel Group presents Switzerland