Here are three family members who are making names for themselves bigtime.

Up first, Uncle Ralph Kalisch’s acting career is flourishing mightily. His newest presentation of Branch Rickey, originally scheduled for 2 nights on Gaslight Square here in St Louis, had to be expanded to 3 nights, and all three are SOLD OUT! For those of us lucky enough to have tickets this will be a very entertaining evening in which Uncle Ralph’s soliloquy will vignette this colorful American baseball legend. A few Rickey quotes will give a sense of the man:

“Luck is the residue of design.”

“Problems are the price you pay for progress.”

“I find fault with my children because I like them and I want them to go places – uprightness and strength and courage and civil respect and anything that affects the probabilities of failure on the part of those that are closest to me, that concerns me – I find fault.”

Next in the lineup is Dr Qun Sha seen here in a recent photo with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon

Qun and CEO Bob Calcaterra are shown here in their office discussing with the Governor the advanced cardiac technology that their company (CardiaLen) is pioneering. This medical device company is focused on providing pain-free internal cardioversion therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) with a low-energy implantable atrial cardioverter. Governor Nixon is injecting millions into companies like Qun’s to spur technology in Missouri. You can read more about CardiaLen here.

On deck next is Dr Liza Halcomb, just back from Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.. Washington University Medical Center has been asked for a proposal to co-sponsor a new medical center there in partnership with Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR). To that end W.U. sent a team to Abu Dhabi where Liza’s pitch outlined the WU vision for graduate medical education. Here are two photos from the trip.

 

Liza at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Chancellor Wrighton and Liza Await Next Dune Buggy

 

Notes From the Minor Leagues….

To the relief of everyone (and amazement of many), we have received word that Burnell Chatfield avoided another strikeout and passed his most recent GED exam attempt. He was complimented by the examiners especially because of his age – “a record”, they said. We are looking for some current (i.e. since his parole) photos of Burnell which we hope to have by the next posting of OurRumpus. Stay tuned…

Respectfully submitted,

LC

Molly and Gareth Wynn-Owens hosted mom and dad Bill and Sarah Hollo last summer in Yerevan Armenia where Gareth is currently posted. Where exactly is this? Google to the rescue – look carefully at the center of the map below and up the magnification to see Yerevan’s location:

Clearly not a geo-political tranquility zone, tucked between Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq, and Georgia. Hence just the place for Molly and Gareth. The clan has been anxious to get a glimpse of our Middle Easter adventurers and thanks to Molly now we have one. Here they are:

 

Sarah and Molly at The Cascade
“A magnificent display of Soviet architecture in central Yerevan”

The stunning 4th century Gerghard Monastery, one of many in the region

Sarah, Gareth and Molly on Northern Avenue
The main shopping promenade of Yerevan

Bill, Sarah and Molly on the terrace overlooking the city

Bill & Sarah outside of Yerevan

 

Not your average Cancun Funjet Travel package eh?

Many thanks Molly and Gareth for sharing these photos and providing us a vicarious armchair glimpse of your exciting world…

LC

Awhile back we solicited summer travel photos from the clan – at long last here are a few. Thanks to Hugh, Katherine and Sarah Law for sharing pictures from their recent trip to Spain!

 

Sarah overlooking the old Arab Quarter of Grenada, from the Alhambra

Supplicant Katherine in front of the Episcopal Palace in Seville

Cathedral Bell Tower (former minaret of the grand mosque) in Seville
La Giralda

Sarah at La Pedrera (Catalan for ‘quarry’), in Barcelona

Hugh at Roman aqueduct in Segova

 

OK, we’re still awaiting pictures from Armenia. And from the Portofino MBA sailboat races too.

LC

Sarah Porter Law , Clare, Laurence and Darren O’Toole hit the beaches at Dingle, as Sarah Porter visits her cousins in Ireland.

Here is our report from Clare O’Toole

“We had a lovely time with Sarah. It’s was short, but very sweet and we enjoyed having her very much. She’s off sailing and the wind is mighty this week so the sailing course will be anything but dull.

Sarah was able to meet Laurence at the airport on his return from a business trip in Turkey and catch a ride down to the country. Darren and I met them half way and we toured Glendalough in Wicklow before heading back to the farm for dinner. We had a quiet rainy day at the farm shelling peas (they’ve all just come in at once!), baking and playing inside on Thursday (Darren showed Sarah all of his toys – she got the full toy tour) and then took off for our house in Kerry on the Dingle Peninsula Thursday night.

We were blessed with a gorgeous day on Friday, Laurence windsurfed and we played a bit at the beach before heading off to see some of the Peninsula and have dinner in Dingle. Darren was very taken with two little French girls at the restaurant and kept trying to walk/crawl over to their table – eating out with toddlers is always exciting, but the food was gorgeous and Irish restaurants are very laid back, thankfully, about kids.

Sarah was off then to Cork for her course. Before she left Sarah gave Darren a lovely cosy kitten puppet and story book, both of which he has really taken to. He has several stuffed animals, but the kitten is his favorite by far. He snuggles up with it before bed and nap times and swaps lots of kisses.

Pictures below.. Note the warning signs on the beach one of which clearly indicates “no swimming” neatly demonstrating an Irish disregard for any rules or regs!”

And here are the snapshots of this adventure:

 

Sarah Porter in Western Ireland

Sarah Porter with Cousin Clare

Men on the Beach – Laurence and Darren

 

Our thanks to Clare for providing this glimpse of the Emerald Isle and our cousins there. What a wonderful time – from shelling peas to windsurfing on the Atlantic – quite a wonderful spectrum, eh?

Be sure to send in any summer vacation or travel updates that you think the family would enjoy seeing, and also videos. As time permits we’ll paste them up – we’re woefully behind but will try to get them out as soon as we can…

LC

That’s how Helene Tatum described the availability of most of the EEC (East Coast Contingent) when she recently arrived to spend a few days in the Big Apple.

 

Your Winning Caption Goes Here…

 

If I didn’t know better I’d say this crowd has a “caught red handed” look, wouldn’t you? What do you suppose have they’ve been up to? This photo is crying for captions – if your suggestion wins the ECC Caption Contest, an OurRumpus Tee Shirt is yours. Deadline for submissions: April 15, 2010.

Missing in action is our favorite representative from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Visiting clients in the Caribbean perhaps?

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey’d monster…”
- Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello

Here’s the first dividend from our solicitation for Christmas photos from the clan – one which will turn you green with envy. While we here were shivering away (note the temperature on left), the Wynn-Owens and Easthopes were enjoying themselves in the Pacific tropical paradise of Bali. For the masochists amongst us here are the photos…

 

Vino Divinos in Ubud Rice Paddy

At Lake Tambligan

Suffering Through the Christmas Duck

 

Ouch!
But we do appreciate the pictures Molly, Gareth, Anne and David! And we want to see some pictures of Armenia too! Happy New Year…

LC