Second Annual EF Day Celebrated

Hundreds of Fellows from around the world celebrated second annual Eisenhower Day of Fellowship with events taking place worldwide on or around October 14. Here’s a look at the celebrations that took place:

L-R: Tim Cahill, '07; Bob Halperin, '02; Susan Eisenhower; Stuart Brotman, '00; and EF Vice President Dan Geisler.

North America

New England: Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower, Chairman Emeritus of the Eisenhower Institute and an Eisenhower Fellowships Trustee, was the special guest speaker at the EF Day celebration of the New England Fellows. Ms. Eisenhower spoke on “Challenges in American Foreign Policy from Eisenhower to Obama.” The program was hosted by the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. Prior to the address, Fellows and Steering Committee members were invited for a private reception. Also joining the New England Fellows were Alicia Guajardo Alatorre, '07, Mexico; and Irina Anghel, '08, Romania; who are both completing fellowship programs at Harvard; and Sam Thenya, '08, Kenya, as well as several Fellows of the 2009 Common Interest Program.

Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Fellows Tine Hansen-Turton, '05, and Nick Torres, '08, launched the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, the first regional web-based journal of its kind, which joins Philadelphia’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs to recognize and solve current social issues. More than 100 people attended the launch on October 14.

More than 400 attendees turned out for the RTNC EF Day event. U.S. Army NCNG-PAO photo by SSG. Joseph E. Rey

Research Triangle, NC: On October 18, the RTNC Fellows of hosted a Fall Festival for members of the National Guard and their families. The day featured a barbeque, games, live music, pumpkin carving, and a Halloween costume contest. More than 400 soliders and family members were in attendance, as well as Major General William E. Ingram, Jr., and local dignitaries who addressed the crowd, including U.S. Congress Representatives Bob Etheridge and Brad Miller, and Reuben Young, the state secretary of crime control and prevention. Reports Joan Myers, '05, vice president of the RTNC EF Alumni Association, "General Ingram was tremendously thankful and very excited about the event. Our program honored President Eisenhower and I dare say that he would have enjoyed his 'birthday' party! Best of all our Eisenhower team was absolutely amazing. I believe our event will leave a warm feeling in all our hearts for months to come and it has been a great experience to help share the significant leadership and wonderful people that our fellowship team embodies."

St. Louis, MO: USA Fellows and St. Louis Steering Committee members joined the visiting CIP Fellows for a dinner and roundtable discussion hosted by Ameren. Ameren President and CEO Warner Baxter and EF President John Wolf gave opening remarks, followed by presentations from Ameren executives on topics such as climate change, energy efficiency, and renewable sources. Fellows then participated in an open forum with commentary and Q&A.

South America

2010 Brazil MNP Fellow Marcos Pinotti speaks at the EF Day panel discussion.

Brazil: EF Day was organized by '06 Fellow Marcelo Knobel in Campinas, São Paulo State as part of the ACE Charitable Foundation Speaker Series. The participants focused on innovation, bioengineering, and technological development with panel presentations and discussions.

Uruguay: Daniel Pagliano, '00, reports that five Fellows from Uruguay met on October 14 to celebrate EF Day. He says, "The opportunity was excellent to review -and enjoy again- our own EF experiences, exchange new ideas and enhance the friendship, one of the most valued capital of our Fellowship."

Europe

Giuseppe Cassano, '67, France, speaks in Paris

Finland: Fellows organized an event that focused on key changes and challenges in the media sector, especially in the US. The event was held at the Museum of Newspapers in Finland.

France: One of the largest celebrations took place in Paris where Fellows from Asia, America, Africa, and Europe each spoke of the significance of EF Day amidst an international conference on energy. The audience of Fellows representing 40 countries, EF Trustees, sponsors, and special guests heard the sentiment underscored numerous times that Fellows felt the urge to "give back.” Many spoke about the fellowship experience as the most important experience in their professional and personal lives. (Photos from the Paris conference and EF Day celebration there are available here.)

Ireland: The Eisenhower Fellows of Ireland celebrated with a dinner in Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, on November 21st, at which Sir Kenneth Bloomfield delivered an address on “The History of President D. Eisenhower’s Relationship with Ireland.” The event coincided with their celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Ireland Single Area Program.

Netherlands: The Dutch Fellows gathered for dinner to celebrate EF Day and share their fellowship memories.

Turkey: Fellows celebrated in Istanbul with a luncheon. Special guests included Ambassador James Jeffrey, U.S. Consul General Sharon Anderholm Wiener, and other Turkish dignitaries.

Asia

Fellows in Korea celebrate EF Day

Japan: Fellows gathered to exchange views on recent issues on politics and economies on Japan. Fellows attending included Tomiji Akabayashi, '06; Go Ito, '05; Shigeru Hayakawa, '99; Shigeru Hotta, '92; Hiroyuki Suzuki, '91; Osamu Watanabe, '90; Kiyoko Fujii, '77; and Toshiharu Kitamura, '86.

Korea: A seminar was held that covered North Korean issues such as reunification of Korean peninsular and North Korea Economy issues. Ji Yi Chung, '06, spoke about her recent visit and meeting with Kim Jong-Il. Hyung Joong, a North Korea expert, discussed the reunification.

Taiwan: Twenty-five Fellows gathered for a banquet and roundtable forum on "The Current Taiwan Economic Situation and the Expectation for the Government," introduced by Jeffrey Koo, '71, and followed by keynote remarks by H.E. Vice President Vincent Siew, '85. The keynote speech was delivered by H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Li-luan Chu, '03, and panelists included Earle J. S. Ho, '80; Dr. Jih- Chu Lee, '01; and Prof. Chung-Hua Shen, '06.

David Lim, '98, President of the Singapore EF Society

Singapore: More than 170 individuals gathered to hear speeches and Q&A from Peter Allegeier, U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, and Dan Shields, Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy. Allegeier spoke about the rapid economic integration underway in Asia and what it means for the United States so it will not be sidelined -- a topic chosen to reflect the APEC meetings held in Singapore the following week. Dignitaries present included Ambassadors from Kuwait and Switzerland; Ambassador Standertskjöld, Head of Delegation, European Commission to Singapore; Mr. Lee Kwang Boon, Secretary-General, United Nations Association of Singapore; and many others.

Sri Lanka: In November 2009, Fellows in Sri Lanka are sponsoring an essay contest on "Ike and his Presidency" involving students from international and regional schools. The contest is being organized in collaboration with the American Center and U.S. Embassy in Colombo. The contest, launched in early November, will run for several weeks with three themes for different age groups.

Thailand: Somkiat Tangkitvanich, '08, Thailand, reported that the Fellows of Thailand launched their alumni association, EF Alumni Thailand, in honor of EF Day. The launch was hosted by Dr. Kittipong Kittiyarak, '01, permanent-secretary of the Justice Ministry, at the Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel. Tangkitvanich says, "As a result, we already have a vehicle to organize public events and promote visibilities of EF. The founding members are very happy to meet one another and have a chance to do something good together, as you can see from smiles in the photos. We have also planned to organize a few public seminars on human rights, IT and media and perhaps economic update in the coming months. More events are also being planned as our human and financial resources allow. Please share our excitement and stay tuned..."

Palestine Fellows Hazem Kawasmi, '05; Iman Hammouri, '05; Iyad Masrouji, '08; Muammar Orabi, '09; and Wafa Abdel Rahman, '07, celebrate EF Day in Palestine.

Middle East

Israel: Gil Pereg, '07, organized the first meeting of EF Israel alumni, where they launched their alumni association. Nine alumni Fellows were present.

Palestine: In September, the five most recent Palestinian Fellows gathered for dinner. The group agreed to increase their EF involvement and work together on Fellowship activities.

Saudi Arabia: Amr A. Al-Dabbagh, EF Trustee, will connect the Saudi Arabia EF Day celebration with the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, planned for January 2010.

Africa

Kenya: Five fellows met in Nairobi and were joined by the 2010 MNP Fellow Carol Musyoka over lunch. During the lunch session, Sam Waruhiu, '65, gave an account of his six-month fellowship. The other Fellows, who were not in the interviewing panel, also had occasion to meet Carol Musyoka and welcome her to the Fellowship fraternity. The group discussed its intention to host a regional conference in March 2011. David Ndii, '07, will be leading the process of defining a theme as they develop the idea.

*Celebrations that will be taking place in late 2009 and early 2010 include Chile and the Philippines.