Fall 2013 talk of the town

Town & Gown

TALK President’s Message It’s the start of a new year for Town & Gown and the 20th season of our Lunch at the Forum series. Last year we pulled out all the stops to celebrate our 45th Anniversary of supporting Chapman University in many meaningful ways through student scholarships and campus gifts, and now we turn our sights anew.

There is something very invigorating about starting a new year. We have an entirely new season of thought-provoking speakers who will infuse us with new knowledge; new construction underway for the Musco Center for the Arts and new students arriving on campus filled with excitement; new T&G scholarship recipients and new T&G members to meet; new day trips and endless possibilities for theater productions, art exhibits, concerts and athletic events for entertainment.

Our Mission, to help foster a spirit that will integrate the campus into the surrounding community and provide scholarships for deserving students, has been our guiding beacon since 1968 but we could not do it without you, our members! Your gifts allow us to make significant contributions to Chapman, while encouraging the community to benefit from the university and participate in the myriad social and academic offerings it affords. I look forward to seeing you at our first luncheon on October 3.

Penni McRoberts President

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Lunch at the Forum Twentieth Season Opens with Raiders of the Lost Art and Our Changing Climate Whether you want to be entertained, inspired or enlightened, you won’t want to miss the 2013-2014 Lunch at the Forum series. The programs this year will leave you intrigued about looted antiquities, give you a better understanding of our fragile earth system, take you down a nostalgic musical road, inform you about producers in the entertainment field and enlighten you on how our children and grand-children learn in the internet age. The five-part series will begin in the fall and culminate in the spring.

Kicking off the season on October 3, is Dr. Justin St. P. Walsh, assistant professor, Department of Art, Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who will be speaking on Raiders of the Lost Art: Looted Archaeological Treasures. You will learn about illegally excavated works of art that have been smuggled from their nations of origin and sold on the art market. Dr. Walsh will explain how the practice of looting destroys archeological sites and deprives us of important information that would help us understand ancient cultures. He will also share some of his personal archaeological experiences with us.

On November 7, Dr. Hesham M. El-Askary, associate professor and director of hazards, global and environmental change and computational science programs, Schmid College of Science and Technology, will enlighten us on Earth’s Spheres and the Changing Climate: Are We in Denial? We always hear about global warming, rising temperatures and CO2 emissions, but internationally recognized expert. Dr. El-Askary says it is more than that. Here is your opportunity to learn and understand how our environment is impacted as he explains a complex subject in layman’s terms.

More detailed information about these and the remaining three luncheons is included in the Lunch at the Forum flyer which was mailed in August. You won’t want to miss these programs. I look forward to seeing you at each luncheon.

Linda Ruth 1st VP, Programs

Town & Gown Website

There is a great way for you to learn a lot of exciting information about Town & Gown!

Our website provides news and information about our membership opportunities such as Lunch at the Forum and upcoming trips around Southern California. You will also discover the many ways that you can support Chapman University.

To access the site, enter: www.chapman.edu/tg

45th Anniversary Celebration Continues Town & Gown’s 45th Anniversary Celebration began last year with a series of videos. The first one recalling Town & Gown’s initial membership campaign launched from Paris, with the invitations bearing French stamps and postmark.

The following videos defined Town & Gown’s purpose as connections to Chapman’s students, to its campus and to the Orange County community.

To coincide with the 45th Anniversary, an ambitious goal of adding 45 new members was launched. By May 2013, we exceeded our goal by adding 53 new members.

Our May luncheon was transformed into a 45th Anniversary Celebration. All former Lunch at the Forum speakers and college deans as well as many university staff were invited as guests. Add the number of friends our members brought and attendance rose to a record 225!

Featured speaker Dr. Myron Yeager, Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, enlightened us with his presentation, Reflections from the Gown.

To celebrate our 45th year and our ongoing dedication to increasing our endowed scholarship, Fund Our Scholars was introduced at the luncheon. The goal was simple, to invite T&G members and friends to help us increase our endowed scholarship through a special gift to the Town & Gown Endowed Scholarship.

Since 1989, T&G has provided scholarships to 25 outstanding Chapman University students. As the sole source of these scholarships is interest earned from our endowed scholarship fund, this tax-deductible gift is to make certain that in the years to come, T&G will continue to be known for its generous support to future generations of Chapman University students. At the time of this printing Town & Gown members and friends have helped us add $8,555 to the fund, which will be “invested” in Chapman scholars.

Congratulations to T&G! A big group hug seems appropriate. Let’s keep on making a difference.

Mary Lou Savage 45th Anniversary Committee Ad-Hoc Chair

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Paul Sitkoff city of orange

Orange Blossoms In the November, 2009 issue of Talk of the Town, I wrote about the economic downturn, how Orange was weathering the storm and how the hibernating evergreens reminded me of our current situation. Extending the metaphor further, I let you in on projects that I considered to be sort of “green shoots,” signs that the economic spring was approaching.

I think we can safely say that our spring thaw is underway.

New businesses are cropping up all over Orange. Current businesses are expanding. Sales tax revenue for the city, which is a direct reflection of the health of our businesses, has been steadily climbing. Old Towne Orange retailers and restaurants continue to see a year-over-year improvement in their bottom line. Venerable institutions such as Chapman University, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and UCI Medical Center are seeing expansion and growth as well.

Chapman University recently broke ground on the new Musco Center for the Arts and opened the new Panther Village student housing at the former location of Quality-Suites.

Both CHOC and UCI Medical Center have opened new towers filled with state-of-the-art technology. Volkswagen returned to Orange in early July after a nearly 20-year absence, with a new dealership that took-up residence in the exact same spot occupied by the former VW dealership.

Another very encouraging indicator: The Orange City Council, for the second time in a row since the start of the economic downturn in 2007, was able to pass a balanced city budget.

We still have a long way to go before we can declare the metaphorical snow completely melted, but our “green shoots” are showing excellent growth and it wouldn’t surprise me to see some “flowering” in the coming year.

And we all know what follows the Orange blossoms, don’t we?

Town & Gown Tours Little Italy Our newest adventure will take place on Thursday, October 24 when we journey by deluxe motor coach to Little Italy in beautiful San Diego.

Lunch is first on our agenda, and an Italian feast awaits us at a local restaurant. Then we will journey back in time to the world of Italian immigrants and take an inspirational walking tour through this 150-year-old neighborhood. Each guest will have a personal headset making it possible to enjoy tour Little Italy in San Diego guide Anthony Davi as he shares the history of turnof-the century homes, historic grocery stores and bakeries and the back alleys where wine and spirits were made during the Prohibition era.

Throughout the day, your guide will impart to you his extraordinary passion for all things Italian. Following the gentle stroll through the Italian quarter, you will have time for browsing in the unique boutiques and sharing a refreshing taste of gelato with your T&G friends.

Do not delay making your reservations to join us for this great Italian getaway. Ciao!

Judy Crum and Donna Gladson 2nd VPs, Special Events

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Dale Merrill

Dean, College of Performing Arts

Have You Attended Some of These Performances?

Last year over 11,000 people attended 110 entertaining, and often moving, performances which are also paramount in helping young artists develop practical skills and artistic sensibilities that can only be learned outside the traditional classroom. In addition to our students performing, our season always includes choreography, direction and performances by our accomplished faculty members who are professional artists themselves. This collaboration between artists, students and our audience members is at the heart of the success of our college.

One of the exciting new chapters in our college’s history is the building of the new Musco Center for the Arts. This 1,100-seat facility will serve as the new home for all of the college’s signature productions. The Musco Center represents not only Chapman University’s commitment to the arts; it will also become an important space for the city of Orange and the Orange County community to experience the very best of what our college has to offer. Starting this fall, you will begin to see the beautiful new building take shape.

This coming year I look forward to many exciting productions. The Department of Theatre will be offering Present Laughter, directed by Andrew Barnicle, former artistic director of the Laguna Playhouse. The University Singers will be working with Maestro James Conlon, singing Britten’s War Requiem. This year marks the 50th anniversary of our college’s beloved Holiday Wassail Banquet and Concert, an event not to be missed.

We are grateful to our Town & Gown friends who continue to attend our performances. I look forward to seeing you again on campus at one of our productions and wish to thank you for your part in helping train our young artists for the future.

Mark Your Calendar for American Celebration Opening Night, Friday, November 1, 2013 This year’s American Celebration will tell the Chapman story in music and dance. The big question is, “What role will President Doti play?” The best way to find out is to attend the Opening Night performance on Friday, Nov. 1, in Memorial Hall.

The next question is, “Will Town & Gown uphold its historical reputation as a major supporter of Opening Night?” To make this happen, you can: (1) attend the event President Jim Doti as the King of Siam with yourself; (2) encourage others to attend; (3) T&G Life member Julianne Argyros as they ask your local business or restaurant for a perform Shall We Dance? gift card or (4) send a contribution (checks made out to Chapman University) for a gift basket. Please contact Special Events at 714-628-2750 with any questions.

There’s more! You can win the $1,000 Grand Prize or an iPad by purchasing a $20 drawing ticket. All funds raised go to student scholarships. You are welcome to speak with Barbara Parker or Bev Weatherill, T&G members of the Opening Night Committee.

Betty Bartley Member, Opening Night Committee

Membership Goals Were Exceeded!

Town & Gown surpassed our goal of 45 new members during the 45th Anniversary year of service to Chapman University. We are delighted to welcome our newest members: Terry and Jay Applebaum, Bridgett and John Baril, Barbara Cherno, Sharon and John Deacon, Patricia Foerster, Carolyn Hauk, Dean Janeen Hill, Jennifer and Brady Hogan, Maurice “Preach” Lyerla, Janet and Edward Mace, Dr. Joseph Mathews, Sandra McMillan, Karen Near, Terry and Carlos Ortiz, Alice Pernell, Cheryl and Sam Sarami, Susan Winton, Gemma and Jerry Wolf and Jody Zuvich.

Your membership in T&G contributes to funding scholarships for Chapman students and support for our campus projects, such as the reading alcove in Leatherby Libraries and the Town & Gown Gardens at Elliott Alumni House.

Each year we enjoy five Chapman University faculty with topics for all interests at Lunch at the Forum, side trips to the places only Southern California can provide and, best of all, new friendships and a myriad of performances offered by our faculty and students. So much to do, so little time, but we make the time and enjoy it all. We hope you will, too.

We look forward to seeing you in October at Lunch at the Forum and hope you will encourage friends and relatives to join T&G. Applications are available at T&G Forum luncheons, online at www. chapman.edu/tg or by calling 714-9976563.

Fran Lewis and Lynn Marie Domer Co-3rd VPs, Membership

in memoriam Our sympathy goes to the families of Town & Gown members

Bev Curtis Dean Echols Alice Nisson William “Bill” Stannard

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2013-14 Executive Committee Penni McRoberts 714-347-7909 President Linda Ruth 714-637-1201 1stVP, Programs Judy Crum 714-532-3264 Donna Gladson 714-921-3835 Co-2nd VPs, Special Events Lynn Marie Domer 714-637-7164 Fran Lewis Co-VPs, Membership Barbara Post 714633-4306 Treasurer Nancy Fleeman 562-432-1092 Recording Secretary Anne Wood 949-494-7849 Corresponding Secretary Ann Avery Andres 714-558-7775 Parliamentarian Melida Canfield 714-544-4436 Editor, Talk of the Town Editorial Board: Betty Bartley, Carol Howansky, Joanne Jurczyk, Jill McCauley, Penni McRoberts, Anita Storck

Thank you to the following Town & Gown members who have helped us celebrate our 45th Anniversary and make a difference by contributing to Fund Our Scholars through their special gift to the Town & Gown Endowed Scholarship.

Michele Bautista in honor of Marcia Cooley & Joanne Jurczyk Gale and Jane Bensussen Dr. Julye Bidmead in memory of Dr. Marvin Meyer Carol Bonner in honor of Joanne Jurczyk Dona and Paul Constantine Marcia and Robert Cooley in honor of the Town & Gown Board Judy Crum Dr. Shauna Farley Hugh and Lynn Galt Martha Garrett in honor of Mary Lou Savage Donna Gladson Carol and Carroll Howansky in memory of Dr. Barbara Gooden Mulch Jeff and Lynn Huston Joanne M. Jurczyk Darlene Knoop Shirley Lapier Gina and Bruce Lineberger

Sharon and Tom Malloy Jill and Arthur McCauley Ann and Jim McKown Colleen O’Harra Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Ortiz Elaine and John Parke Kathy and Anthony Paukstis Barbara and Ted Post Marcia and Paul Prichard Jim and Karen Reese Dr. Francine Rippy in memory of Dennis Savage Betty Rivera James Ruth Linda Ruth Joanie and Glenn Sailer Mary Lou Savage in honor of Dennis Savage Eric Scandrett Rosemary Sieve Judy Turpen Jeanie Wahlberg Beverly and David Weatherill

November 1, 2013 – 8 p.m. Memorial Hall Auditorium

AMERICAN CELEBRATION opening night Chapman University One University Drive Orange, CA 92866