Newsletter | May/Jun 2002

Volume 30:3

If you would like to see corrections to this newsletter or to submit articles or suggestions for future newsletters please contact the Newsletter Editor.

In this issue:

Editor's Note - Mui Ho

Upcoming OWA Events

Laura Eichel bids farewell

30th Anniversary Celebration

The New OWA Web Site!

Member Interview - Rosemary Muller - Tricia Felber

Member Interview - Patricia McGowan - Tricia Felber

OWA May Event - Omo Maze Restaurant

OWA June Event -Fairyland

Members' News

Editor's Note

by Mui Ho | Share #518

It is a wonderful feeling to be back on the Steering Committee and working on the Newsletter. I still remember typing the first year's newsletters on a portable typewriter and laboriously cutting and pasting the paragraphs. All this work is now accomplished on a computer, faster and better but not without some frustration.

Upcoming OWA Events

Share #519

• 13-15 Sep - Annual Retreat at Westerbeke.
• 22 Oct - Annual Business meeting at HFA , Rm B-10.
• 10 Dec - Annual Holiday Giving Party at Laura's house.

Laura Eichel bids farewell

Share #520

The past 2-1/2 years on the Steering Committee, as both a member and as Chair, have been memorable and fun. I want to first thank the group - Tara, Lavina, Hillary, Tricia, Elena, Mignon, Margaret, Grace (and Mui!) --you have all been wonderful to work with! And I will miss you! Lavina, you will make a great new Chair and the best of luck to you (I am here if you need me!).

In brief, my years on the Steering Committee were spent busily managing and preparing for the ongoing events throughout the year. Some of our ongoing goals have been to streamline the administration of the organization by creating simple and sustainable systems that can be better passed on to new committee members. Our database is being fine-tuned, our new membership directory is shipping and our web site is developing by the OWA's 30th Anniversary Web Committee. We are now all connected as members via email which is an incredibly successful tool for increasing member attendance at meetings and other events.

In the past year, our Steering Committee has initiated phone interviews that are featured in the newsletter to keep us all up to date on what members are up to. Another focus has been an effort to connect new members with old as to foster mentoring opportunities within the organization.

In regards to OWA's future, I am very optimistic about the organization's continued growth in membership and advocating its mission of supporting women in design-related fields. I have always cherished OWA's focus on BOTH the personal and the professional well-being of its members and hope that this emphasis remains alive and well over time. In an era when nothing seems more precious than our time, we need open-minded groups such as OWA to keep us focused on redefining 'success' on our own terms and to foster fresh thinking on creating balanced and healthy lives.

30th Anniversary Celebration

Share #521

For the last year, the OWA 30th Anniversary Celebration Committee has been planning for activities to commemorate this important milestone for the Organization. We wanted to include a variety of events throughout 2003 to give our members, former members, and friends of the organization the opportunity to participate in as many events as planned. Our goal is to offer choices that will live up to the diverse interest of our members as well as accommodate their busy schedules.

As we get closer to the events, we will be soliciting volunteers to work on both the preparation of the events as well as participating in the events itself. We look forward to your support and collaboration to celebrate our anniversary.

--Gilda Puente-Peters

30th Anniversary Celebration Schedule 2003

8 March 2003
18 May 2003
14-22 June 2003
13 Sep 2003
19-21 Sept. 2003
4 Dec. 2003

Anniversary party at Treasure Island
Bay to Breakers Race
Trip to Ecuador
Symposium at UC Berkeley
Anniversary Retreat at Westerbeke
Christmas giving

Anniversary Memorabilia
OWA 30th-Anniversary Web Site

ANNIVERSARY PARTY
8 MARCH 2003

Everybody put on the Ritz! Next year we're celebrating OWA's 30th Anniversary at a Gala Ball, March 8, 2003 (it's, International Women's Day appropriately enough). We are planning a fun party so please mark your calendars. We've already booked Treasure Island's Casa de la Vista, a perfect vantage point for taking in the sunset during cocktail hour. We'll enjoy the music of the Berkeley High Jazz Quartet during our gourmet dinner. Later in the evening, a dance instructor will sharpen our fancy footwork! The Gala is a celebration for past, present, and future OWA members and friends, so please help us make it a success by helping to contact all our former OWA members. We also need volunteers to form a telephone tree to contact members and encourage everyone to join in the merriment. We plan to fill the hall with flowers and twinkle lights, so we're looking for decorating and clean-up volunteers on the day and night of the party. If you are interested in helping out or know the whereabouts of a former member, please contact Betty Woo 530-753-8115 ph, 530-753-4239 fax, bettywoo@jps.net.

BAY TO BREAKERS RACE
18 MAY 2003

Come run with us! Come walk with us! Or simply come for a jolly good time to hang out with your friends and 70,000 other San Franciscans! We would like to encourage everyone to participate as a group representing OWA in this world famous eclectic foot race. Organized by San Francisco Bay to Breakers Foundation, the race will donate all net proceeds to the children-at-risk programs at The Glide Foundation, The Guardsmen, the What to Expect Foundation, and Larkin Street Youth Center.

To dress or not to dress in costume? That is yet to be determined. There are still many details to figure out but we want you to start thinking about it. The plan is to have everyone meet for a simple breakfast, nothing fancy, so that everyone can get acquainted. After the race begins, whether you plan to run or walk, the agenda is up to you. However, we can plan on re-grouping at the grand finale party in Golden Gate Park. And for you hardcore runners, don't worry we won't hold you back. Try not to lose your teammates!

If any of you have suggestions on how we can decorate ourselves, something simple and creative would be best. It would be a way for us to recognize and find each other in the maddening crowd. Please contact Mignon O'Young via e-mail mignonyoung@hotmail.com or via telephone 510-652-7176.

Motivate and prepare yourself for next year's run with OWA by checking out www.baytobreakers.com for updates on this year's race and related events, as well as next year's information.

TRIP TO ECUADOR
14-22 JUNE 2003

Come and join us in visiting one of the wonders of the world. Explore everything from its beautiful natural scenery to the colonial architecture that goes back to the seventeenth century. Visit Ecuador with your OWA friends and your Ecuadorian colleague Gilda Puente-Peters as a personal guide. Ecuador is a small Andean country with abundant cultural diversity to offer. We will be visiting the avenue of the volcanoes, staying overnight at colonial haciendas, having a taste of the local foods, visiting artisans, local markets, natural hot springs and folklore clubs.

Enjoy downtown colonial Quito, full of wonderful architectural treasures, churches, cloisters and art museums. The northern part of Quito, a very modern city has many places of interest where we can enjoy the culture, local cuisine and scenic views. The trip starts at 9,000 feet and only goes up from there!! Extended trips can be arranged to visit the rain forest, beaches or the Galapagos Islands. Committee for trip - Gilda Puente-Peters, jupeters@man.com and Marda Stothers,mqstothers@aol.com.

SYMPOSIUM
13 SEPT. 2003

The one-day Symposium will be held in the new Auditorium in Wurster Hall. It is cosponsored with the Department of Architecture to attract students' participation and to introduce students to our organization. The speakers we have invited are Dolores Hayden from Yale University, Kathryn Anthony from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana, Nasrine Seraji from Cornell University, Ananya Roy from the University of California,Berkeley, and Eleni Bastea from the University of New Mexico.

The theme of the symposium is about women design professionals in the 21st century. For more information, contact Mui Ho at muiho@uclink.berkeley.edu

RETREAT
19-21 SEPT. 2003

To celebrate the Anniversary year, the retreat Committee has extended the traditional three day retreat to four. For more information, contact Janet Crane at fsande@aol.com

MEMORABILIA
IN PROGRESS

The subcommittee for publication has been working on a commemorative brochure. It will document the history, milestones, memorable events, and achievements of OWA. It will summarize the influence that groups such as OWA and others alike have on the lives and careers of individual members. The format and content of the publication is not yet finalized. We are considering several formats and editing the contents for the draft. We hope to receive contributions from past and current members in addition to our own files.

If you are interested in joining the subcommittee or would like to contribute a paragraph please call Danica Truchlikova, 510-486-6511, e-mail: DETruchlikova@lbl.gov, or Inge Horton, 415 681-7594, e-mail: ingehor@pacbell.net.

The New OWA Web Site!

Share #522

Spurred by the occasion of its 30th anniversary, OWA will publicly launch its Web site by 2003. The goal of the Web Site Committee is to usher OWA into it's fourth decade by creating a dynamic, interactive forum for members, friends of OWA and sister organizations. The site will serve as an up-to-the-minute guide to special anniversary programs and functions.

OWA-USA.org will include the following sections:

1. OWA philosophy/history
2. Newsletter: Current issue and 2002 archives
3. Yearly activities updates and retreat information
4. Publications and links to related Web sites
5. OWA Bylaws and articles of incorporation
6. Table of contents for OWA newsletters (1973-present)
7. Membership
8. *Moderated open dialogue on bi-monthly themes
9. *30th Anniversary calendar
10. *Photo album

To encourage broader participation from members:

1) Invite members of one decade to enter into dialogue with members of another decade and highlight their conversations on the Web site.

2) Post book reviews to launch discussions online. A review of Kathryn Anthony's Designing for Diversity for example, could stimulate a debate on gender and architecture.

If you would like to share your thoughts and reflections about OWA, send photos, comments, and ideas to the Web site committee:

Lauri Puchall at lpuchall@aiasf.org,
Mui Ho at muiho@uclink.berkeley.edu
Wendy Bertrand at wendyb13@juno.com
The Web Site committee thanks Bill Hocker for designing and setting up the OWA web site and his continued care of maintaining it.

Member Interview - Rosemary Muller

by Tricia Felber | Share #523

Rosemary Muller, an OWA member since 1972, was the first treasurer of the organization. She now is an Architect and President of her 16-person firm, Muller & Caulfield Architects that she started in 1977. She is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Among her list of accomplishments is being the architect for Thousand Oaks School, a new elementary school on Colusa Street in Berkeley. Rosemary is proud of her recent historic preservation award for the Plaza Building in Oakland. This project involved a seismic upgrade and restoration. Her clients are mostly public agencies and non-profit organizations whose decision making process are complex and slow. Her master planning, in addition to the design, helps clients gain a better scope of their project. To learn more about Rosemary's projects: her website is www.MullerCaulfield.com. Rosemary has focused on offering growth and learning to her talented designers. She plans to attend the retreat in September and looks forward to seeing the Mentorship Program develop.

Member Interview - Patricia McGowan

by Tricia Felber | Share #524

Patricia McGowan is a licensed landscape architect and urban planner who have interwoven these two disciplines throughout her 20-year career. She is currently working for the City of Oakland where she undertakes the environmental processing, planning and urban design review of major development projects. As a Planner VI, Pat's goal is to facilitate new development, to ensure the highest quality urban design and build on the momentum that Jerry Brown has brought to Oakland. While she was the Design Review Planner for the City of Berkeley, she was influential in expediting the design approval of new commercial and industrial buildings. In addition, she helped renovate storefronts and improve signage. Patricia worked to improve the design of poorly conceived projects and ensure creativity. Pat has been an OWA member since 1990 and was a Steering Committee member in 1996 and 97. She is interested in seeing the Mentoring Program develop and in acting as a mentor.

OWA May Event - Omo Maze Restaurant

Share #525

MARIAN RING DESIGN presents ONO MAZE RESTAURANT

Date: Tuesday, 21 May 2002, 6:30-8:30 PM
Location: 1616 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, Ca

Please join OWA member Marian Ring in an evening of "show and tell" at Ono Maze, a Pan-Asian restaurant, her most recent design project. Join us to sample new green products and spend some social time together. Please RSVP to 925-926-0237 or ringdesign@hotmail.com by May 12th. See the March/April newsletter for the complete article on this event.

OWA June Event -Fairyland

Share #526

TOUR OF FAIRYLAND

Date : Tuesday 18 June 2002, 6:30-7:30pm
Location : NE corner of Lake Merritt
Tour starts at entrance of Bellevue and Parkview

Fairyland is like a secret garden for children. Redesigned by Lucia Howard, it features Mother Hubbard's shoe, a golden Chinese dragon, the Magic Lamp in Arabian Nights and the Johnny Appleseed's Café for starters. The Village Square exhibits a multicultural cast of architecture from around the world. New construction is underway for a new Carousel and expanded Hansel and Gretel restrooms.

Members' News

Share #527

Congratulations Lavina ! Lavina Liburd, OWA Steering Committee chair was recently accepted by the architecture Ph. D program at Harvard University, MIT and UC Berkeley. She will be attending UC Berkeley in the Fall.