Dear Friends,
As the President of Brandeis Desert Chapter for the last two years, I am savoring a huge sigh of relief that we have survived Covid and Zooming to arrive at in-person meetings and events. This has been a difficult year. We have lost some wonderful Brandeis members, Lorraine Lubin, Sydnie Geismar, Lavinia Hutner and Wendy Rudlin’s husband, Ron. We offer our sincere condolences to their families. If I have neglected to pay tribute to others who have left us, please forgive the oversight.
On a more cheerful note, our opening Wine and Cheese event at Sun City in Palm Desert drew a wonderful crowd of members, prospective members, husbands and wives. A small glitch left us without a bartender and Frank Bellagente stepped in and saved the day. As I said before, it takes a village.
On Friday, October 2, we held our Season Preview (Showcase) luncheon at the Renaissance Esmeralda hotel. We introduced new study groups and informed the members of openings in existing groups. We introduced our new Study Group Chairman, Gail Fisher and thanked retiring chair Carol Radin for a job well done.
On November 18 we will be holding a “new member” coffee at the lovely home of Barbara Price. We invite members to bring prospective new members and look forward to greeting those guests who have recently joined. The treats are always wonderful and our guest speaker, Jean Carrus, is always an inspiration.
Brush up on your British accent and come join us for an old-fashioned English High Tea. The event will be held on Tuesday, December 6 at 3:30pm in the Ventana Room at Sun City, Palm Desert. The menu is mouthwatering. The fabulous Jiggs Gallagher will be serenading us with songs from The Great American Songbook. All hats will be welcome.
On January 10 we invite everyone to the Desert Willows Country Club for our annual University on Wheels event. Our amazing Event Chair, Beverly Ross, has created a wonderful menu. Brandeis is sending Professor Maura Jane Farrelly as our guest lecturer. A flyer with all the pertinent information will be sent to everyone. University on Wheels is always a special experience…mark your calendars.
I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving holiday, and to those of our friends who are dealing with health issues, we are manifesting all good wishes.
Charlene Williamson
President, Brandeis Desert Chapter