A Voice for Children's Health
On the occasion of its 45th anniversary, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health was named in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, '44. In the early 1960s, Shriver extolled the benefits of such a child health institute to her brother, President John F. Kennedy, and later worked with Congress to ensure its creation. The NICHD also updated the name of its Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers Program to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers Program. The founder of Special Olympics, Shriver has long worked on behalf of children with special needs.
This Cheese Stands Alone
Bret Caldwell, '88, has been chosen as one of 12 members of Mickey Mouse's newest club: the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. He and the 11 other parents on the panel answer questions of would-be Walt Disney World visitors in an online forum.
Okay, Caldwell's a dad, but he's so knowledgeable about the ins and outs of Disney World that the company selected him to respond to queries such as: “Can you explain the Mickey Pirate and Princess Party?” “Is it worth it for us to take the dining plan?” and “How do I get to the Wide World of Sports from my hotel?” We figure it's only a matter of time before Disney stops mousing around and renames this forum the Parents Panel. Meanwhile, Caldwell works his magic at www.disneyworldmoms.com.
A Fond Fiscal Farewell
Elizabeth Hill, '73, who led California's nonpartisan legislative analyst's office for two decades (“Show Me the Money,” September/October 2004), will retire at the end of the current legislative session in August. Widely praised on both sides of the aisle for her analytical skills and budget savvy, Hill calls her post a “dream job.”
Spoiler Alert
Green Party darling and onetime San Francisco mayoral contender Matt Gonzalez, JD '90, has signed onto Ralph Nader's independent ticket as the vice presidential candidate. Observers have noted that the main effect of the long-shot candidacy may be to nudge the Democratic nominee leftward. “The question of my joining the campaign is whether or not I can have a positive impact on how the issues are discussed, which issues are discussed,” Gonzalez told the San Francisco Chronicle.
A Stream Runs Through It
Peggy Stewart, '60, has been given the President's Volunteer Service Award by the Environmental Protection Agency for her role as a citizen advocate for the Arroyo Seco Master Plan. The plan calls for water management, watershed restoration and reforestation in the dry gulch canyon that runs from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Los Angeles River. Stewart has been active in conservation efforts through the Pasadena Garden Club for more than 20 years.
Climbing Ev'ry Mountain
A heart-transplant recipient who scaled Mount Fuji and scattered her donor's ashes atop it. A man who suddenly went blind at age 80, then became a renowned sculptor. A new mother who stared into her freezer and decided to send her extra breast milk to Africa, then enabled 1,000 other women to do the same. These are three of the 50 stories in What's Possible! 50 True Stories of People Who Dared to Dream They Could Make a Difference (Meredith), by Daryn Kagan, '85. When her contract with CNN was not renewed, longtime news and sports anchor Kagan took the opportunity to create an eponymous website of inspirational stories; this book is a product of that work.
