Hiking & Book Club, plus save the date for the Admitted Students' Tea | |
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Welcome the start of Spring along with your fellow Smithies for a hike of the Stanford Dish. We'll walk the 3.7 mile loop as we enjoy the fresh air and and experience local habitats, wildlife, and spectacular views. The trail is rated as "moderate" and includes an elevation gain of about 574 feet. It generally takes about an hour and a half.
This is an informal event, so no RSVP is needed. Look forward to seeing you!
Park in the Stanford Dish Parking Lot on Stanford Avenue, across Junipero Serra Blvd from the trailhead entrance.
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ADMITTED STUDENTS' TEA
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Tis the season! Newly accepted students will get the good news from Smith at the end of March. To congratulate them, we are hosting an Admitted Students Tea on Saturday, April 13.
All Peninsula Bay Area admitted students and their families will be invited to join us in an Open House-style gathering. Look for details to follow very soon.
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MARCH BOOK CLUB
Wednesday, March 20
We'll meet at Sally Smith's home. Contact her at swslaurelcreek@comcast.net for address and directions.
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Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague
A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, wild creature who walks her family’s land and is known throughout the countryside for her gifts as a healer.
She settles with her husband in Stratford-upon-Avon and becomes a fiercely protective mother of three, including her their son Hamnet. She's also a centrifugal force in the life of her husband, whose career on the London stage is taking off when Hamnet succumbs to sudden fever. Four years later, her husband writes a play called Hamlet.
Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.
The book is available at Kepler's. Mention the Smith Peninsula Book Club to get a discount on this book.
April is poetry month! We'll discuss “The Book of Delights” by Ross Gay at April's Book Club. More details to follow!
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Where I Became on PBS
Did you catch Where I Became when it came out last year? If not, PBS re-aired it in February as part of Black History month, it's and now available to stream for free on the PBS website.
The film traces the incredible journey of fourteen women from childhood to discovering themselves through higher education in the College's South African Scholars Program.
Find it here: Where I Became
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2024 Galentine's Meetup
On Sunday February 11 we gathered at Blue Bottle Coffee in Palo Alto for our annual Galentine's Meet-up. Even though we had to compete with Super Bowl mania, we had a solid turn out and enjoyed each other's company thoroughly.
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BOOK CLUB - Wednesday, February 21st
Five of us met at the home of Nisha Thatte-Potter to discuss “The Women With Silver Wings” by Katherine Sharp Landdeck. We were all interested in this account of the 1000+ women who formed the WASP—pilots (at least one was a Smithie) who flew stateside missions during World War II to free male pilots for combat. Landdeck is an able historian who gives us ample facts about this little-known facet of the war years, as well as focusing on individuals to provide a sense of these spunky, talented, patriotic women, 38 of whom died while serving in the WASP. We felt the writing didn’t exactly sing, but we admired Landdeck’s straightforward style, full of details and quotes, and her even-handed treatment of Jacqueline Cochran, a famous aviator who help form the WASP but definitely had her faults. And we loved a brief documentary that Diana McDonough brought to the meeting, in which one of the pilots, Vi Cowden, at age 91, recounted her experiences with the WASP and vividly conveyed her love of flying.
Many thanks to Nisha for hosting us.
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Recognizing Smithies We've Lost
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We would like to recognize the passing of Maria Allo, M.D. (‘68) on November 9, 2023. After graduating with honors from Smith and completing a master’s degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Maria went on to obtain her M.D. at University of Michigan. Most important to her, she dedicated her life to the Christian ideal of serving others and believed in treating all individuals with respect and dignity. This commitment was reflected in all aspects of her life and career, including her volunteer work for her church and for Doctors Without Borders, where she shared surgical techniques and provided care in underserved countries. | |
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Residing in Los Altos since 1988, Maria was an ardent supporter of the Peninsula Smith College Club. She is missed dearly by those who knew her, especially by her husband Will Andrews and their two cats, her three sisters and her many nieces and nephews.
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Join the Fun! Become a Member!
As a paying member of the Smith College Club of the Peninsula, you will get proactive evites to every planned event, and the following additional perks:
- Discounted admission to Club events, including lectures by faculty from the College
- Evite invitations to fun programs geared toward the varying interests of local alums
- The opportunity to meet and form lifelong connections with intelligent, interesting alums
- A sense of satisfaction knowing that Club funds help Smith attract outstanding young women from the Peninsula and provide scholarship funds to enable them to attend the College
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Suggest a Group Event
We're always looking for new ways to meet up and connect. If you have great ideas for group events, there's a way to make those suggestions: Go to our website under the Events tab, or just click here, and you will be presented with a Google form to guide you through your event suggestion. Please complete the form, including as much information as you can. After you submit the form, someone from the club's events team will contact you.
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STAY APPRISED OF MORE UPCOMING EVENTS | |
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Follow us on social media to stay up to date on our virtual and in-person gatherings.
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