by kfi | Mar 2, 2021 | Archives, North America Alumni Events |
Kodai Friends International (KFI) and Kodaikanal International School (KIS) jointly present to you “Quad Talks,” a unique opportunity to connect and engage with KIS alumni worldwide through a series of talks featuring notable alumni speakers on a wide variety of topics, sometimes familiar, sometimes new.
Upcoming Quad Talks:
Saturday, March 13
(Rescheduled from Jan. 16, 2020)
11:00 AM EST
The Politics of Meritocracy: A conversation on caste and the privilege of education in India
Prof. of History Dwaipayan Sen ’00 interviews Prof. and Chair of the Department of Anthropology and South Asian Studies, Harvard University, Ajantha Subramanian ’86 on the topic of caste in modern-day India, its effects on the educational system and Indian diaspora.
Register HERE to register for this Zoom presentation (free)
Saturday, March 27
11:00 AM EST
Murder He Wrote: Alan Johnson ’79 discusses his page-turning mystery Family Plot
English Professor Alan Johnson ’79 is the author of Family Plot, published in 2020. A work of fiction based on characters and settings he experienced as a child, the plot rivets around events taken place in South India.
Register HERE to register for this Zoom presentation (free)
Missed past Quad Talks? No worries. You can view past Quad Talks by clicking this link: Kodaikanal International School – YouTube and select “Videos” or “Alumni Corner.” More recent Quad Talks will be added once the recording is edited.
This one was a sell-out!
Hiking in the Sky Islands
Watch this community discussion with Sandy Schoeninger, Barbara Block, Ian Lockwood and Pippa Mukherjee about
the history of the hiking program, the changes brought by environmental and social impact, and stories and photos
of hiking through the ages.
by kfi | Dec 19, 2020 | Archives |
Three NYU professors were elected as American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellows — one of the most prestigious scholarly honors — on Thursday, April 23.
The new fellows are English Professor Emerita Mary Carruthers, Psychology Professor Gregory Murphy, Psychology Professor emeritus and Anthropology Professor Susan Antón. They are three of 276 members elected in 2020.
“It’s more like the Nobel Prize than anything else in Humanities,” Carruthers told WSN in an email. “I just got an email out of the blue one morning last week saying that I’d been elected to the Fellowship.”
In addition to the professors, the AAAS also inducted Vice-Chairman of NYU’s Board of Trustees Chandrika Tandon, although this was not stated in NYU’s initial press release. Following a 2015 donation of $100 million to the Tandon School of Engineering, the school was renamed after her and her husband. Tandon is the founder and chair of Tandon Capital Associates and chair of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Board of Overseers.
The award is multidisciplinary, encompassing fields such as education, democracy and justice, energy and environment, the arts and science and technology, the AAAS website states. Former recipients include Martin Luther King Jr., Georgia O’Keeffe, Toni Morrison, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.
The academy has elected more than 13,500 members since its conception in 1780. The election process begins with a nomination from two already-existing members — each from a different institution — and then prospective inductees are placed on a ballot.
Members vote on these ballots in sections and then place 12 members from each section to advance to a further round. In the next round, six out of the 12 members are chosen and forwarded to The Academy’s Council and Board of Directors, who then officially elect the members, according to the AAAS website.
“The primary criteria for election are excellence in the field and a record of continued accomplishment,” the website reads.
While inductees are generally chosen because they excel in their fields, the exact selection criteria remain unclear. Inductees are generally not told why they are selected, Carruthers said.
“Since the whole process is secret, I don’t know why I was selected,” Carruthers said. “I would guess it has to do with the range of other people’s research which my work has influenced over thirty years, in ways great and small.”
Though Carruthers is categorized as an English language professor, she believes that the category doesn’t reflect the interdisciplinary nature of her work, which includes research on art history and aesthetics. When her book “The Book of Memory” was published in 1990, she received correspondence from scholars in fields ranging from anthropology and sociology to computer science.
“I still regularly get questions from doctors who treat geriatric patients, and from people who work in secondary education,” Carruthers said. “I like having such a multidisciplinary audience.
by kfi | May 28, 2020 | Archives |
The Keith and Marcine DeJong Music Award is given annually from their legacy investment in recognition of KIS’ top music students(s) at Awards
Assembly each May. Congratulations to Stuti Susan Jerald James, who received the award in May of 2020!
To Kodai Friends International (KFI),I am honoured to be the recipient of the ‘DeJong Memorial Music Scholarship Award’ for the year 2020. I, Stuti Susan Jerald James, am a native of Kodaikanal. I have been at KIS since Grade 5 and have cherished the many opportunities that have been provided at KIS, especially those pertaining to music. This scholarship award is very special as my parents have been working at KIS for over 20 years now, and have known members of the DeJong family personally including Bruce, Garry and Suzanne. I am thankful to the DeJong family for this prestigious
recognition.
I have always had a passion for music and have been keen on developing my skills in this field. I have utilised every opportunity at hand to exhibit my skills, including accompaniments for assemblies and chapel services as well as performances on several occasions such as my graduation. Music has been a crucial part of my life and will continue to do so. Though I plan to major in psychology in university, I wish to continue learning music. Having completed my ABRSM Grade 6 in Piano, I hope to work my way up to a Diploma in Piano, and I believe that the money that accompanies this award will support me in doing so.
I would once again like to thank you for this appreciation.
Sincerely,
Stuti Susan Jerald James
KIS Class of 2020
by kfi | Oct 18, 2019 | Archives |
Dear Kodai Friends,
Mimi Lindell, Nancy Garrison, Lisa Lindell, Lynn Stoltz, Joe Kessler, Marion Greene, Wendy Riber, Mark Garrison
Marty Grubbs Rittman, Jacquie Hagstrom, Lydia Rittman, Miriam Naumann, Paul Wiebe, Vic Hagstrom, Donna Beth Wiebe, Lu Carman, Bob Carman
On our first day of snow this Winter, we had 29 folks come out for Kodai Lunch. We were honored by participation of Dr. Paul and Mrs. Donna Beth Wiebe from Iowa City. Others who honored us included Dr. Bob and Mrs. Lu Carmen, Rev Mark and Mrs. Nancy Garrison, Dr. Miriam Naumann and Mr. Ken Kaufman with daughters Peggy and Sue, Mrs. Judy Kessler and son Mr. Joe Kessler, Mrs. Lydia Rittmann, Mr. John and Mrs. Faye Naumann, Mr. Vic and Mrs. Carol Hagstrom, and sister Jacquie Hagstrom, Mr, Kris and Mrs. Wendy Riber, sisters Mrs. Mimi and Mrs. Lisa Lindell, Mrs. Marion Greene, Mrs. Lynn Stolz, Mr. Joel Otten, Dr. Steve Zorn, Mrs. Denise Cochran (ex Delhi International), and Mrs. Marty Grubbs and husband Joe Rittmann. Please find two pics attached. Regrets were received from Mr. Paul and Mrs. Margaret Christensen and daughter Elsa and granddaughter, Mrs. Pauline Yardy, Mr. Rob Ramer, Rev. Dale Howard (Woodstock) and Dr. Debby Choi.
Food was plenty, highlighting Coorg Pandi, Awadhi Biriyani, Rajasthani Khad, Murgh Musallam, along with dal with zucchini, tomato curry, and Kashmiri pulao. Along with potluck, Miriam’s dal, Jacquie’s samosas, and other many pots, thanks.
According to the four main themes for funding given out by KIS, a total of $390.00 was donated to KFI for KIS Environment and $30 for KIS Scholarship Fund for a total of $420. These funds were sent to Mrs. Sylvia Trautmann Rogers, administrator of KFI, for handling to KIS. Please also find attached a report of the local huts at Poondi Nature Center that our funds made possible.
Next Kodai Lunch is planned for April 18, 2020, Saturday at noon at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, St. Paul, MN.
Thanks to all for contribution of potluck savories, dal, rice. Thanks to Mart for setting up and to Kris and Wendy for cooking and for tea. And a huge thanks to Carol, Jacquie and others for washing and all others who helped clear (I didn’t get back to the sink to see who all helped, thanks.). And to all of you who are off to India, safe traveling.
Stay warm. Drive safe this winter.
Cheers, Joe (Rittman)
