Social Scene

Mary Bird • February 8, 2012

Belgian Ambassador Jan Matthysen and Mrs. Matthysen recently celebrated the 20th season of the Institute for Education’s Public Policy Roundtable (INFO) at their residence. Two hundred past INFO speakers, more than 20 ambassadors, several senators, representatives and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer heralded 20 years of civility, collaboration and problem solving. IFE and INFO Founder Coach Kathy Kemper reflected on how INFO led the way for more “spin-off” roundtables on the forefront of issues facing the capital city, our nation and the world. Ambassador Matthysen presented Ina Ginsburg with the 2011 IFE International Diplomacy Award for her efforts to promote civility and collaboration between D.C. and world leaders. Her acceptance remarks in three languages captured the global spirit of the event. [gallery ids="100462,115602,115575,115548" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

With a tongue-in-cheek invitation to “vote once, drink often,” Janet Donovan gathered media pals at chef Enzo Fargione’s newly opened and already much acclaimed Elisir restaurant in the Penn Quarter Jan. 4 to rehash the Iowa caucuses. Mixologist Stephen Oshana had prepared a special cocktail primary “Libation Without Representation” menu of politically incorrect cocktails, encouraging imbibers to vote for a favorite GOP candidate in a cocktail straw poll with no political certainty. Selections included “Uh, The Uh, Um, Um …” which featured clove infused cognac and orange foam and “New Hampshire Or Bust” with vodka peach blossom tea and pomegranate liqueur.” This is reason enough to get out the vote. [gallery ids="100463,115630,115604,115578,115552" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird • January 4, 2012

The presence of so many ambassadors at the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on Dec. 6 for The Ertegun Jazz Series was assurance that jazz is an international language. The Embassy of Turkey is presenting the series in collaboration with Jazz At Lincoln Center in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the founder and chairman of Atlantic Records and the son of the second Turkish ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Tan welcomed guests calling Mica Ertegun, who came from New York for the evening, “our princess,” along with Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and other congressmen, “great friends of Turkey.” During the racially segregated period of 1934-1944, the Turkish Embassy was considered a refuge for African Americans as it hosted racially mixed jazz performances. Gretchen Parlato, an inventive modern jazz singer whose work has been hailed as “utterly, unfailingly mesmerizing,” enchanted the audience. She was accompanied by Taylor Eigsti on piano, Justin Brown on drums and Harish Raghavan on bass. [gallery ids="100437,114378,114337,114369,114361,114354,114347" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • December 31, 2011

The 12 Days of Merriment kicked off Dec. 10 at the PNC bank parking lot around the intersection of Wisconsin & M — karaoke for anybody willing to jump on stage with the HariKaraoke Band, fruitcake eating contest (Jay Gorman won), a gingerbread house making contest by The Georgetowner Newspaper and silly sweater contest. Also heard were Georgetown University’s a capella group, the Phantoms as well as dogs visiting the Lucky Dogs table. The crowd enjoyed hot cocoa and sweets, as Kelly Collis and Tommy McFly from 94.7 Fresh FM emceed. The Saturday party and the 12-day shopping promotion with parking and store discounts was organized by the Georgetown Business Improvement District; it continues through Dec. 20. [gallery ids="100438,114388,114380,114357,114372,114365" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird • December 20, 2011

National Rehabilitation Hospital held the 25th Anniversary Gala Victory Awards at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on Dec. 1. It was victorious in celebrating individuals who best exemplify exceptional strength and courage in the face of physical adversity. The cocktail reception was followed by a multi-course repast and live auction presided over by Kip Toner of Seattle. The evening’s honorees were Edward A. Eckenhoff, President Emeritus of NRH; entertainer Mickey Gilley, who cautioned “stay off the bull”; Robert David Hall, aka “Dr. Albert Robbins” on CBS TV’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Kevin Pearce, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while training for the Olympics, and opera diva Marquita Lister, who was treated at NRH for a critical inflammation of the lungs and muscles. One must not omit the equally stellar presenters headed by Dancing with the Stars and All My Children phenomenon J. R. Martinez and including Grammy Award winning singer Yolanda Adams and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. All of the evening’s proceeds will support NRH’s five-year, $25-million fundraising effort to retain medical rehabilitation leadership in the next quarter century.
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Samantha Hungerford • December 8, 2011

Deborah Kalkstein, with her dark hair and eyes, looks just as sleek as her modern, designer furniture, architecture and home décor store, Contemporaria in Georgetown. She sat down with The Downtowner to talk about holiday shopping and to recommend some of her favorite gift-able items in her chic boutique. As the days left to finish your holiday shopping tick away, don’t forget to slow down and enjoy taking in all that the D.C. retail has to offer. At Contemporaria, Kalkstein and her staff will be holding open houses where shoppers can peruse the store’s beautiful pieces with a champagne toast. “People come to browse our new collection and enjoy a bit of the holiday cheer,” Kalkstein says, a scene which sounds even more appealing when described in her lilting Peruvian accent.

The Downtowner: What’s your favorite gift you’ve ever received?

Kalkstein: Oh my God, that’s nice and simple. I just got, from my husband, a week in a spa Sedona by myself. So, I tell you, it was the most thoughtful and amazing gift that somebody could have given me because I would have not ever bought it by myself.

DT: How about the worst gift?

K: Also from my husband. He gave me this beautiful gardening James Bond suitcase. And I hate gardening. So, I was like, after being married for 20-something years don’t you know? It’s sitting in my house unopened and unused. It was not awful, but it was really not for me. But I’ll never forget it.

DT: How about your favorite gift that you’ve ever had a chance to give to someone?

K: I’ve given some really nice gifts; I have to think about it! I think one of the best things, for me, was to give my mother the watch that she always wanted and to be able to buy it for her. It gave me a lot of satisfaction.

DT: What are your three favorite gift-able items that you have in the store right now?

K: Right now we are doing, which I love, we have these Missoni throws that are very cozy and plush. You can give it to anybody from older to younger to men or women to use on your bed or couch or anything like that. They come beautifully boxed and they’re a gorgeous gift. Then we have, since we are a design-oriented store, we have the miniatures by Vitra that are all the little miniatures of all their museum-quality pieces. They’re really beautiful to have around because they remind you of design and they remind you of a beautiful thing every day. And the third, I love this new lamp we have by Floss. It has the technology of a LED light, and it’s so cool to put on your desk or a night table or anywhere.

DT: Is there anything that you’d like to say to holiday shoppers who come to Georgetown?

K: Support Georgetown! It’s a beautiful part of town. We are here for a cause because we love it here, and we all want to be here to stay. We all need the support of Georgetowners and the support they can bring to bring people from out of town, and I mean out of town like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Arlington, to come by Georgetown and support business here . . . There’s this misconception that coming to Georgetown there’s only expensive things, but it’s not. You can find everything from all lines of work. It’s one of the only places in town that you can walk around and feel a very European mood and enjoy it and share it.
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Mary Bird •

The Links, Incorporated, an international nonprofit service organization of professional women of color, recently hosted its 65th Anniversary in Washington, D.C. Events included a rededication and ribbon cutting ceremony of Links’ newly renovated National Headquarters, a state of the art LEED certified building. At a black-tie gala at the Marriott Wardman Park, for the first time the organization’s highest honor was bestowed upon an organization. The Links Medal was presented to Johnson Publishing Company Chairman Linda Johnson Rice on behalf of Ebony magazine. The recipient must have significantly impacted the lives and culture of African-Americans and other persons of African ancestry. Links brings together more than 12,000 distinguished women who are individual achievers and have made a difference in their communities and the world.

Mary Bird •

WTOP’s “Man About Town” Bob Madigan announced the much awaited arrival of Santa and Rudolph for the 8th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Fairmont Washington, D.C., on Nov. 30. The annual event, which benefits Toys for Tots, opened with a raffle drawing, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Color Guard and entertainment by the Georgetown Visitation Madrigals. Santa and Rudolph descended the stairs to pose for photos in front of the Grinch-themed Gingerbread Village created by the hotel’s gifted pastry team. The tree was lit and children decorated holiday cards as everyone enjoyed complimentary hot chocolate, mulled wine and cookies. [gallery ids="100420,113618,113609,113557,113600,113592,113567,113584,113576" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • December 2, 2011

If one could have spied on a singular event illuminating America’s awesome firepower in intelligence, surely it was the OSS Society’s annual awards dinner last month. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel was electric with civilian and military leaders, young soldiers, sailors and marines, old spies, patriots and a trace of media. The main event: The 50th anniversary presentation of the William J. Donovan Award to Adm. Eric Olson and an off-the-record speech by CIA Director David Petraeus.

Olson, retired commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, whose last big mission was taking out Osama bin Laden, and the popular Gen. Petraeus, newly appointed U.S. spymaster, joined 600 others and the likes of such soldiers as the Masson brothers, Sgt. Thomas Costello, wounded in Afghanistan, and his wife Jennifer. Led by Maj. Gen. Victor Hugo, the night’s master of ceremonies, they saluted those who hold and have held America’s tip of the spear against her enemies. All rose to toast the U.S.A., the commander-in-chief, allies, the OSS, Bill Donovan, lost and missing comrades — and the ladies.

Maj. Gen. John Singlaub, who received the Donovan award in 2007, presented it to Olson, who spoke of the “OSS Simple Sabotage Manual” (Good read; check it out). The man of the night — who had been the longest serving SEAL on active duty, “a bull frog” — took part in Desert Storm and Somalia. His actions during the Battle of Mogadishu, recounted in “Black Hawk Down,” earned Olson a Silver Star. The admiral said the “New Normal” required clever people and solutions. He certainly was in the right place to find them.

The OSS Society is dedicated to those who served during World War II in the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Operations and honors the memory of legendary Gen. “Wild Bill” Donovan, OSS founder. Tributes to Donovan are not overstated: “What a man! We have lost the last hero,” said President Dwight Eisenhower. Donovan’s OSS men have been described as “PhDs who could win a bar fight.” The OSS’s influence on today’s spies and special ops also cannot be overstated. Others awarded the Donovan prize include Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan and George H.W. Bush as well as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Lord Mountbatten, William Casey, William Colby, William Webster, Ross Perot — and Petraeus two years ago.

The society works to continue that influence, as it educates the public on “the continuing importance of strategic intelligence and special operations to the preservation of freedom in this country and around the world.” During the Oct. 15 gala, the non-profit debuted designs for the National OSS Museum — “telling America’s greatest untold story.” The OSS Society is hunting for locations — especially in Northern Virginia. Says its serious president Charles Pinck, tongue not entirely in cheek: “I’m responsible for a group of very dangerous senior citizens.”

Oh, and Petraeus’s speech? Not to worry: he basically thanked everyone and . . . well, the rest is off the record. [gallery ids="100407,113338,113330,113307,113322,113315" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird • December 1, 2011

On Nov. 14, Vice Skracic, Acting Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, hosted a reception for invited guests, donors and sponsors of the 2011 Capital City Ball, which is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Board member Liz Sara thanked supporters. The Capital City Ball raises funds to combat human trafficking. In his remarks, the acting ambassador said that Croatia is a transit country for trafficking and is working with various groups to raise awareness of this scourge. Beneficiary organizations in and around D.C. are seeking to “bridge the gaps” by providing counseling, therapy and legal services to victims of trafficking. Capital City Ball founder and co-chair Bruce Freis said that the ball, now in its fifth year, is a “great party” that supports and creates synergy among its charity partners. [gallery ids="100411,113347,113398,113389,113380,113372,113357,113365" nav="thumbs"]