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July 20, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers '87

Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers '87 (Contra Costa Times/Eddie Ledesma/ZUMA Press)
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers '87 (Contra Costa Times/Eddie Ledesma/ZUMA Press)
Nearly two years after Sonia Sotomayor ’76 was sworn in as the first Latina justice on the Supreme Court, another Princeton alumna is on the verge of making history in the U.S. legal system. In May, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ’87, an Alameda County (Calif.) Superior Court judge, was nominated for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and last week, Gonzalez Rogers passed muster with the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed by the full Senate, she’ll become the Northern District’s first Latina judge.
 
Gonzalez Rogers, who majored in politics at Princeton, earned her J.D. from the University of Texas and practiced law for a dozen years at Cooley LLP in San Francisco, making partner at the firm. She joined the California state court system in 2008, receiving her nomination from then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
 
Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., had high praise for Gonzalez Rogers, calling her “an American success story” in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing July 13. “Her path in life has been extraordinary, rising from modest beginnings to graduating from one of the best universities in the country, Princeton,” Feinstein said. “During school breaks and weekends she worked cleaning housing, and cutting grass to help pay her tuition. She took pride in the calloused hands she got doing that work.”
 
Gonzalez Rogers was joined at the hearing by her husband, Matt Rogers ’85, their three children, and several family members who made the trip from Gonzalez Rogers’ home state of Texas.
 
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on July 20, 2011 at 8:55 AM | No Comments

July 8, 2011

Names in the news: Talking gay rights with the president

When the envelope from the White House arrived, Eddie Gutierrez *03 was surprised to see his name on it. The El Paso, Texas-based public relations professional had been invited to a June 29 gathering with President Barack Obama to discuss gay and lesbian issues with about 150 leaders from around the country.
 
Eddie Gutierrez *03 (Courtesy Eddie Gutierrez *03)
Eddie Gutierrez *03 (Courtesy Eddie Gutierrez *03)
Gutierrez, a Woodrow Wilson School graduate and former media director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), is used to working behind the scenes. “I’m in the business of helping other people get their stories out,” he said. But at the White House, he was part of what he called “a really honest discussion” of policy topics that are important to the LGBT community, including marriage equality. The meeting came just days after New York state legislators approved same-sex marriage, and that news “amplified and energized” the atmosphere at the White House gathering, Gutierrez said.
 
Gutierrez echoed the news summaries of the evening, noting that while Obama acknowledged there would be times when the gay and lesbian community would be frustrated with the pace of progress, he urged those in attendance to judge him on the promises he’s kept. In the big picture, Gutierrez said he believes that gay rights in the United States are “still moving in the right direction.”
 
Below, more alumni in the news this week.
Continue reading Names in the news: Talking gay rights with the president…
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on July 8, 2011 at 9:50 AM | No Comments

July 6, 2011

Where are we? PAW's July 6 photo contest

For the 10th installment of the “Where are we?” contest, we have taken the advice of readers and tried to supply a photo that can stump our eagle-eyed fans of Princeton architecture. If you can identify this image, then you probably spent part of your time on campus looking up.
 
Where are we? Post your answer on PAW’s Facebook page or e-mail it to PAW. The first correct response will earn a Princeton-themed prize. (Past winners are not eligible for the prize.)
 
Update: Facebook fan Nicole Basta '03 recognized the image above as the ceiling of an archway between Foulke and Henry halls. One of our former student bloggers, recent graduate John Wetenhall '11, also correctly identified the photo via e-mail. To see a different view of the location, click below.
Continue reading Where are we? PAW's July 6 photo contest…

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Posted by Brett Tomlinson on July 6, 2011 at 1:30 PM

July 6, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Lori Dickerson Fouché '91

Lori Dickerson Fouché ’91 (Courtesy Business Wire)
Lori Dickerson Fouché ’91 (Courtesy Business Wire)
In the last five years, Lori Dickerson Fouché ’91 has been recognized as a rising star in the business world, earning distinction as one of The Network Journal’s “40 Under Forty” (2007), Business Insurance’s “Women to Watch” (2009), and Black Enterprise’s “75 Most Powerful Women in Business” (2010). On July 5, Fouché earned the sort of promotion that those lists envisioned when she was named chief executive officer of Fireman’s Fund Insurance. The Novato, Calif.-based company is part of the Allianz Group, the world’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance.
 
Fouché majored in history at Princeton, earned a certificate in American studies, and captained the varsity softball team. She holds an MBA from Harvard and has spent her entire career as an executive or consultant in the insurance industry. Most recently, she served as the president of commercial insurance for Fireman’s Fund.
 
In a 2009 interview, Fouché told Business Insurance that she entered the field as an intern during college and began to see it as a career shortly after graduation, when she started working full-time as an underwriter. “As an industry, I think we are in great shape and a good one to be a part of, and I think there’s a lot of diversity,” Fouché said. “There are a lot of roles available as the industry spans different skill sets and interests that people have. I think the opportunities are rich.”
 
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.
  

Posted by Brett Tomlinson on July 6, 2011 at 10:55 AM | No Comments

June 30, 2011

From the Archives: Nassau Hall in the nation's service

June and July are among the slowest months of the year on Princeton’s campus, with no classes in session and only a scattering of students in the libraries and labs. But in the summer of 1783, the University – then the College of New Jersey – was filled with activity. Anti-government protests by Continental Army veterans in Philadelphia forced Congress to leave the city and reconvene at Princeton’s Nassau Hall, beginning on June 30. In the excerpt below, taken from a 1956 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly that celebrated the 200th anniversary of Nassau Hall, history professor Thomas J. Wertenbaker explained the building’s brief role as the nation’s capitol.
 
From the “Nassau Hall Issue” of Princeton Alumni Weekly
Sept. 12, 1956
 
Historic Events
By Thomas J. Wertenbaker
 
… As Nassau Hall had been the first capitol of the state of New Jersey, in the summer of 1783 it became the capitol of the United States. As the Revolutionary War drew to a close rumors spread among the Continental troops that they were to be dismissed without receiving their back pay. Congress had been making desperate efforts to raise the money, but it was handicapped by the fact that it was not empowered to levy taxes. Late in June 1783, things took a serious turn, when a body of troops stationed in Philadelphia sent a threatening letter to Congress.
 
When Congress failed to meet their demands, they marched on the State House, two or three hundred strong, and stationed themselves around the buildings. Some of them went so far as to point their guns at the windows, and several actually laid hands on President Elias Boudinot. Congress was alarmed and deeply incensed at the insult to the authority of the United States. After it had made urgent appeals to the Pennsylvania Council for protection, and that body refused to call out the militia, it decided to move to Princeton.
 
Continue reading From the Archives: Nassau Hall in the nation's service…
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 30, 2011 at 1:30 PM | No Comments

June 29, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Diana Matheson '08

Diana Matheson '08 (© Beverly Schaefer)
Diana Matheson '08 (© Beverly Schaefer)
Princeton women’s soccer fans remember Diana Matheson ’08 for her dynamic and tireless play in the midfield during four All-Ivy seasons, including a memorable freshman year in which she helped her team reach the NCAA College Cup semifinals and became one of the program’s first All-Americans in over a decade. (Esmeralda Negron ’05, who recently rejoined the Tigers as an assistant coach, was an All-American that season as well.)
 
Tiger followers also may recall that Matheson, a native of Oakville, Ontario, had a distinguished career with the Canadian national team, beginning in 2003, when she deferred admission to Princeton in order to play for her country at the Women’s World Cup (Canada finished fourth). Matheson donned the red-and-white again in 2007 Cup, missing a couple of weeks of class at the start of her senior year, and played for Canada at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
 
After scoring five goals in international play in 2010, Matheson is back on the pitch this week as the vice-captain of Canada’s 2011 Women’s World Cup squad. The team dropped its opener to host Germany, 2-1, June 26, but will have two more chances to prove itself in group play, facing France June 30 and Nigeria July 5.
 
According to columnist Richard Starnes of The Ottawa Citizen, Matheson will be a key factor as Canada tries to advance from the group stage:
 
“Often [Matheson] slips under the radar, something that may have hindered her progress in the past. To the casual observer she is seldom noticed. Closer scrutiny shows she is always on the go. She is the engine of the Canadian team and it is hard to imagine Canada making the strong challenge it is capable of in Germany if she has a bad tournament.
 
However, there’s the true worth of the player, the reason why [Canadian coach Carolina] Morace relies on Matheson so heavily. She hardly ever has a bad game. She has deceptive speed, superior skill and the strong decision-making ability that can make her a game changer.
 
Midfielders who always seem to have time to make their moves are seldom rushed and can set the tempo to suit the team. Matheson has that ability.”
 
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.
 
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 29, 2011 at 7:45 AM | No Comments

June 27, 2011

Names in the news: Medicine, jobs, and a 10,000-year clock

wb_alumni.jpgAn op-ed by doctor and mother Karen Sibert Haddy ’74 argued against doctors working part-time – and sparked a vigorous debate among readers. PAW reprinted a Haddy essay on work and family in May. [New York Times]
 
Former Sen. Bill Bradley ’65 outlined a series of ideas for stimulating job creation in a recent op-ed piece. [USA Today]
 
What would you pay for a clock that runs for 10,000 years? Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos ’86 is investing $42 million. [Wired]
 
In an appearance sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor ’76 spoke about her own childhood experience with the disease. [USA Today]
 
LOCOMOTIVES: President Barack Obama appointed Hyman Bass ’55, a University of Michigan mathematics professor, as a member of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science. … Lisette Nieves *01, a public policy professor at the City University of New York at Brooklyn College, was named to Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Princeton professor Marta Tienda also will serve on the commission. … University of Buffalo law professor Guyora Binder ’77 was promoted to distinguished professor, the highest faculty rank in the State University of New York system. … Professional cyclist Tyler Wren ’03 was belatedly named the winner of a mountain stage in February’s Vuelta Chile, a prestigious road race. Wren finished second, but the original winner was disqualified due to a positive doping test.

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Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 27, 2011 at 11:40 AM | No Comments

June 24, 2011

Princeton Summer Theater opens season

As the business manager of Princeton Summer Theater in 2008, Kelvin Dinkins ’09 learned about theater management and customer service at the Hamilton Murray Theater box office. As an actor in the PST production Urinetown shortly after his graduation, he took a final bow on the Princeton stage. And this summer, Dinkins has returned to campus as PST’s artistic director, leading the summer stock company through four main-stage shows before heading to New York to start an MFA program in theater management and production at Columbia University.
 
Princeton Summer Theater's production of Into the Woods opened June 22. (Courtesy Princeton Summer Theater)
Princeton Summer Theater's production of Into the Woods opened June 22. (Courtesy Princeton Summer Theater)
Dinkins, a president of the Princeton Triangle Club during his undergraduate years, said that the 43-year-old summer program has helped generations of students explore careers in theater, on stage and off.
 
“It’s really an experience that you won’t get going to work [as an intern] for a producing office or a casting office in New York,” he said. “It’s a unique experience for collaboration between artists, from many different backgrounds ... and you feel that ownership of your own season.”
 

Continue reading Princeton Summer Theater opens season…
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 24, 2011 at 9:00 AM | No Comments

June 22, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Joe Kennedy '81

Joe Kennedy '81 (Courtesy Pandora Media Inc.)
Joe Kennedy '81 (Courtesy Pandora Media Inc.)
Pandora Media Inc., the company behind the popular internet radio service Pandora, had an up-and-down week on Wall Street following its initial public offering June 15, and CEO Joe Kennedy ’81, who was on hand to help ring the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell, seemed ready to manage expectations with his comments before the IPO, calling it “just one step in the process of building a lasting great company.”
 
At the same time, Kennedy has envisioned growth opportunities for the company, which draws revenue from advertising and subscriptions. Pandora has 90 million registered users and accounts for about 3 percent of U.S. radio listening, Kennedy told New York Times Dealbook reporter Evelyn Rusli. That should continue to expand, he said, as it becomes easier to access the personalized radio service in cars, homes, and “everywhere people want to use Pandora.”
 
Kennedy, a veteran executive who previously served as CEO of E-Loan, majored in electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton. The New Jersey native includes a few home-state tracks in his Pandora favorites (see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes), and last week, Pandora’s hometown of Oakland, Calif., also was eager to claim Kennedy as one of its own, using the company’s success to promote the city as a technology hub. “This is the place where [Kennedy] can find the kind of talent he needs to make his business possible,” Mayor Jean Quan told the Oakland Tribune. “We are proud that Pandora grew up here.”
 
 
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.
 
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 22, 2011 at 8:35 AM | No Comments

June 16, 2011

Reunions 2011, by the numbers

7 Returning classmates at the Class of 1936’s 75th reunion. 218 Registered runners in the second annual Princeton University Reunions Run, held Saturday morning at the West Windsor fields. Greg Finck ’91 and Isabella dela Houssaye ’86 were the top finishers among men and women, respectively. 102 Kegs of beer consumed at the Class of 1986’s 25th reunion – more than 16,000 servings. 2,450 Estimated attendance for the 15 Alumni-Faculty Forums. Top draws included discussions of foreign policy, investing, and health care. 1,700 Pounds strawberries served by Dining Services during Reunions and Commencement. 991 Reunions-weekend tweets that contained the hashtag #PUReunions11, according to TweetTags.net. $10,000 Value of legal advice and consulting awarded to TAG Optics, Inc., a laser imaging and processing startup that won the top prize at the Princeton Entrepreneurs’ Network Business Plan Competition, part of PrincetonEN’s 15th annual Reunions conference.
 
Photo credits: John O'Neill '13 (Class of 1936, cup); Brett Tomlinson/PAW (Reunions Run, Alumni-Faculty Forum); La Grande Farmers Market, via Flickr.com (Strawberries).

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Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 16, 2011 at 9:10 AM | No Comments

June 15, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Roger Berlind '52

Roger Berlind '52 (© Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com)
Roger Berlind '52 (© Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com)
When The Book of Mormon won the Tony Award for Best Musical June 12, co-creator Trey Parker accepted on behalf his collaborators. “We did this because we all secretly wanted to have a big, happy Mormon family,” Parker said, “and now we do.”
 
Producer Roger Berlind ’52 was part of that happy family, congratulating his peers on a side stage that Parker jokingly called the “circle of doom.” The Book of Mormon headlined the night, winning Tonys in nine of the 14 categories in which it was nominated – great news for Berlind and for Jordan Roth ’97, president of Jujamcyn Theatres, which owns The Book of Mormon’s Broadway home. (One more Princeton connection: The theater is named for Eugene O’Neill, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright who briefly attended Old Nassau as a member of the Class of 1910.)
 
The Book of Mormon is the 15th Berlind production to win a Tony for best musical, best play, best revival of a musical, or best revival of a play. This May, Berlind received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the playwright-development workshop New Dramatists. In announcing the honor, New Dramatists artistic director Todd London said Berlind’s projects “exemplify taste, intelligence, and a love of theater.” The Tony voters seem to agree.
 
 
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.
 
Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 15, 2011 at 8:45 AM | No Comments

June 14, 2011

Princeton Reunions photos: More reader submissions

Since Reunions, PAW readers have passed along some of their photos from the weekend. Below is another gallery of our favorites. Click the images for a larger view of the photos, as well as captions and credits. The larger photos also can be viewed as a slide show; advance to the next photo by clicking on the right side of the image.
 
Keep sending your short video clips and must-see pictures from Reunions to pawvideo@princeton.edu. Alumni photos may appear in the July 7 issue of PAW or at PAW Online.
 
See more reader photos on PAW's Facebook page.

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Posted by Brett Tomlinson on June 14, 2011 at 10:10 AM | No Comments
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