Region : United States
City : Washington, D.C.
Country : United States

Chapter Leader

Dr. Anny Wong
(EDUC 91-96, ASSO 96, 98, REP 97-98, ET 98-99, EWSem 00)
RAND Corporation
Arlington, VA 22202
E-mail: wonkifer@hotmail.com

Mary Jo Furgal continues her hospitality activity with the “Visiting Fellows” to the DC/EWC office. In 2011, two visiting fellows came. One was an American from MD who commuted to her home daily. The other, an Indian economist, who had lunch and Thanksgiving dinner with the Furgals. By February, 2012, chapter member Mary Furgal and her husband, will travel to Sri Lanka. Both were posted in Sri Lanka twice, in their work with the State Department. In 1980, local EWC alumni gathered following Mary Jo’s lead to celebrate the 20the anniversary of the EWC. In 1990-1993, Mary Jo revived the local alumni chapter. She will be meeting with local alumni on their visit this year and will report on their activities there.

The Hospitality Committee Chair of the Washington, DC Chapter was responsible for the following invitations extended to the East West Center DC based Visiting Fellows: 1)  an invitation to a neighborhood community Halloween event and 2) an invitation for Thanksgiving dinner at the home of the Furgal’s.  With the departure of three of the four EWC Visiting Fellows (hosted at a September reception by former Ambassador Dave Kaeuper’s Shenandoah Valley Farm last September), two or three Visiting fellows will be in DC this month.  Mary Jo Furgal will be in touch with the EWC Washington DC office about extending Chapter hospitality to them.

Thanks to the excellent initiative of Hospitality Committee Chair, Mary Jo Furgal, the Capital Region chapter continues to support visiting fellows and scholars to Washington DC. in cooperation with the EWC Washington office.

The Hospitality Committee of the Washington DC Chapter partnered with the EWC Washington office at the reception for North East & Southeast Asia Visiting Fellows, EWC Washington office held on September 13th.

Hospitality Chair, Mary Jo Furgal sponsored a dinner reception for seven Chinese media participants at her home on September 16th.

Former Ambassador Dave Kaeuper and his wife hosted a most enjoyable and successful picnic on September 18th at their beautiful farm in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.  The visiting EWC fellows and alumni feasted on good food and great company,  Approximately 22 people attended and the Chapter shared a picnic picture with the EWCA Alumni office.  

The site:  “Cross-Cultural Storytelling:  The Lighter Side of the EWC” is operational and the most recent submission was one of the stories presented by Esrella Besinga Sybinsky and Peter Sybinsky  at the 50th Conference panel “The EWC: A Half Century of Legacy II.”  The Conference presentation succeeded in engaging the audience to actively participate and share their own cross-cultural stories during the question and answer period.