As a city councillor, now mayor, of Newark, N.J., Cory Booker has faced the media any number of times to talk about bad news. But in September, Booker, '91, MA '92, was happy to brief reporters on a $100 million gift to the city's troubled schools from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The young billionaire said the impetus for his donation was simply meeting Booker at a summer conference and being impressed with his plans.
Planners of last summer's Ride Against AIDS, a cross-country bicycle expedition that featured five Stanford students, hoped to rally alums along the 4,700-mile route and raise funds for the FACE AIDS organization. The result: a groundswell of support providing riders with places to stay, home-cooked meals and introductions to community leaders and media—and proceeds of almost $53,000, more than double the ride's 2009 figure.
FACE AIDS executive director Julie Veroff, '07, says the funds can provide 400 shunned and orphaned HIV/AIDS patients in Rwanda with anti-retroviral drugs for a year. FACE AIDS was started in 2005 by three Stanford students.
The Stanford riders were crew team members, continuing a tradition that began with the ride's inception in 2007. They were sophomores Claire Fisher, Shane Hegde, Jason Lupatkin, Sanford Roberts and Zane Silver. But anyone interested in participating in the 2011 ride can contact FACE AIDS.
Polymath Edward Tufte, '63, MS '64, well known as a data and design guru, sculptor and publisher, professor and presidential appointee, has added Manhattan art gallery proprietor to his accomplishments.
On display until November 27 at ET Modern, 547 West 20th Street, is Multiplicity, 70 Tufte sculptures in a space that NPR's Scott Simon likened to "a playroom for children—at MIT."
