Members of The Oyster Foundation:

Welcome to our newest member, Dick O'Hagan

I first became aware of Dick in the 1960s when I was covering the Kennedy White House for CBS and he was press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Lester ("Mike") Pearson.  In the '70s, under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Dick was posted to the Washington Embassy as Minister-Counselor for Information, which meant that I, now a CBC reporter, constantly tried -- unsuccessfully -- to get scoops and inside data from him.  In fact, it was amazing how popular he was with the Canadian press corps, given the fact that he, in contrast to his American counterparts, had an aversion to spilling the beans about official matters.  This reticent style caused Trudeau to promote him to what was informally called "Communications Czar"  in Ottawa, a post that put him in charge of the Government's entire public information network domestically and in embassies abroad.   When the Trudeau era came to an end, Dick left government to become vice-president of the Bank of Montreal. Today, from his base in Toronto, he is a member of the Boards of CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canadian Journalism Foundation, and in his spare time runs the consulting group, Richard O'Hagan Associates.

That's the official part. Personally, I can report that Dick O'Hagan is charming, highly civilized and a good friend even to those who always wished they could squeeze more out of him.

He can be reached at rohagan@idirect.com.

HOLD IT — A LAST-MINUTE ADDITION

                           Anna                                 

I'm not sure if Anna Berenfeld is joining our group as the daughter of existing members, Luda and Boris, or on her own.  She has impeccable credentials either way.  A graduate of Moscow University, Harvard, Wharton School of Business and L’École Polytechnique, she is fluent in Russian, English, French and Spanish, but regrettably has only a “basic” command of Italian. Bummer. She has worked in New York, Paris and London as a financial consultant and analyst.  But for all that, her heart is in sailing and ¡TANGO!

NUPTIALS, NUPTIALS, NUPTIALS

Peter Riddleberger, Joe and Betsy Schildkraut and Tim and Petie O’Brien have all been busy with their children’s weddings.

The marriage of Peter Schildkraut and Stacy Merola on May 30th was admirably ecumenical.  The ceremony was Jewish, the food was Indian and the entertainment was rock ‘n roll.  When Stacy and Peter were being tossed about in chairs during the Havah Nagilah, Peter waved his dinner napkin as if he were a rodeo cowboy. It was one more reason for the wedding guests to think, Yippee!

Kate Riddleberger and Mark Ivcevich (itchavitch) were married in a Catholic ceremony on June 12th at the Georgetown University Chapel.  At the reception, Mark noted that his ancestors were from Yugoslavia, where James Riddleberger, Peter’s father, Kate’s grandfather, had been US ambassador for many years. In her toast, Kate, whose voice had been uncharacteristically hushed during the ceremony, joyously proclaimed to her husband, “I’m going to have your babies!” 

Teresa María O’Brien takes her vows with Keith McGee on June 19th in Newport, Rhode Island, in what everyone is referring to as “a destination wedding.”  Unfortunately, The Oyster Foundation Newsletter is out of steam, and news of this event will have to drift down in Montreal from Tim and Petie.

“JE ME SOUVIENS”

(“I Remember” — Québec license plate slogan)

For your trip to Montreal, please remember:

1)    Your Oyster Foundation necklace (except newbies)

2)    Passport or birth certificate (except RO’H)

3)    Formal duds (except JJS)

4)    Some walking-around Canadian money (most bills can be paid by credit card)

5)    Notify Stephen of your hotel and date of arrival

ED MARKS’S GRANDSON ROUNDS OUT THE 2004 GROUP

Jethro is a Member of the Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa

 Photo by S.E.B.

Jethro Marks was named to the new position of Associate Principal Viola of the National Arts Centre Orchestra beginning in the 2003-04 season.

He has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe and Canada, and is a frequent collaborator with many artists and ensembles. He has performed at numerous music festivals, including Ravinia, Santa Fe, New York String Seminar, The Zukerman Summer Festival, and Mostly Mozart, as well as the Jupiter and Lyric Chamber Music Societies in New York. He has been heard on the stages of Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, performing with many American and European artists. He is also a member of the Zukerman Chamber Players, a string ensemble led by Pinchas Zukerman that completed a highly acclaimed tour of festivals in Canada, the U.S. and Europe in July 2003, with a similar tour planned for the summer of 2004.

Born in Vancouver, Mr. Marks began his studies at an early age, and made his violin debut with the Loudoun Symphony in Virginia at the age of 17. Intrigued by the rich, dark sound of the viola, he began to switch his focus and started studying with violist Atar Arad at Indiana University. Awards here included first prize in the Kuttner Quartet Competition, first prize in the concerto competition, and being presented with the prestigious performer’s certificate. In 1998, Mr. Marks was accepted into the Zukerman Program at the Manhattan School of Music as the only violist and won first prize in the MSM Concerto Competition. He subsequently performed the Walton Concerto to critical acclaim. His teachers there included Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec, and he participated in some of the first videoconferencing sessions with them. He made his CBC Radio debut in 2002.