The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society's annual meeting took place on the weekend of April 12th this year. For the new scholars, the weekend began on the afternoon of the 10th. I took a train into the city, and met Elvin Leech (European VP), Lars Kirkegaard (Scandanavian Coordinator), Steve Lindfield (Australasian Scholar) and Eline Feenstra (European Scholar) at our hotel. We quickly grabbed a cab over to Rolex USA were we were greeted by John Flaherty and Randy Greenberg. We were allowed to see our incredible Oyster Perpetual Submariners just long enough to ensure that the fit was perfect.
Mike Emmerman and Pat Stockhausen treated everyone to a very enjoyable performance of The Conscientious Objector on Thursday night. On Friday the new scholars were introduced to the board of directors, and the 2007 scholars submitted their formal reports. Afterwards Steve, Eline and I managed some time to sneak off with Eline's parents to the Whitney and the Frisk Gallery. The Whitney was all right, but we were all quite impressed with the quality of the Frisk's collection.
Friday night my family arrived, and there was an informal dinner courtesy of Ted and Barbara Janulis followed by a short time at the bar. I probably should have held myself back a little more than I did on Friday night, because Saturday morning featured a series of lectures given by the 2007 scholars and interns, guest speakers, and Catalina's own Karl Huggins! The lectures were interesting, but it was a long morning. The highlight of the weekend was the formal awards banquet held at the Explorer's Club. Matt, Igor and Brenna showed their movies (which were incredible), and Steve, Eline and I were presented as the 2008 Rolex Scholars. It was an incredible evening, topped off with a great party at the Black Sheep. The weekend closed with a great brunch at Mike and Pat's house.
The entire weekend was so incredibly packed with introductions, meetings and parties it seems unreal. On the train back to Stony Brook I was feeling a mix of sheer exhaustion and disappointment in knowing that I'm going to have to wait an entire year for the next OW-USS weekend. At least I know it won't be a boring one! Although it was bewildering at times, it was really special to find this astounding family of people, and be welcomed into that family with open arms by every single member. The sense of community and genuine warmth was unbelievable. It's truly a privilege, thank you guys.
3 comments:
Way to dominate the back row with your tallness. You, my friend, are a destructive force!
Indeed. Just look at who snagged the babes in the back row also.
now that, my dear, is HOT! way to continue rocking life before it even begins. you're still my hero :)
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