| Modrea Mitchell-Reichert |
(a taste only)
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The Music Beat THE CONCERT: The opening concert for the Tuesday Musical Club’s 2010-2011 Artist Series presented the acclaimed trio of Navah Perlman, piano; Giora Schmidt, violin; and Zuill Bailey, cello. The basic program consisted of Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Opus 70 No.2 by Beethoven and Piano Trio in C Major, Opus 87 No. 2 by Brahms. The major performance pieces were enhanced by the addition of three “bonbons” – two transcriptions of short Schubert selections and one by Brahms. FIRST TAKE: The opening movement of Beethoven was like a bashful
teenager’s first step onto a dance floor and by the piece’s
finish, all shyness had disappeared. OF NOTE: The evening’s performance was recorded for a delayed broadcast over KPAC (88.8 FM). |
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Magazine's 'bio' full of adventure Web Posted: 01/02/2005 12:00 AM CST Modrea
Mitchell Reichert Explorer's
House: National Geographic and the World It Made The men who walked inside the Cosmos Club on a soggy January night in 1888 came by invitation from the prominent Washington lawyer and entrepreneur Gardiner Greene Hubbard. These somberly clad arrivals were men who held scientific exploration as a critical element to help mold the nation. Each man had earned a reputation for resourcefulness and determination during some personal quest or adventure. Hubbard knew the strength of these men, so he offered them a simple proposal: "To establish a society of kindred souls who would meet regularly to share ideas of geography, which by broad definition took in all of life." By the time the men left the meeting, they had formed the National Geographic Society, with Hubbard as president. The fundamental principles were modest: Appeal to nonspecialists, encourage self-improvement, promote useful research to enhance the members' sense of wonder for the world. The loosely structured organization would sponsor informative lectures given by leading explorers and scientists, who would recount their adventures from the snowy cliffs of Mount McKinley to the faraway shores of the Philippines. As an afterthought, it was decided that the lectures should be printed and bound into a journal to be sent out to the members. The pieces were in place to begin building one of the 20th century's most beloved and iconic institutions. Yet this society almost expired when nine years later Gardiner Hubbard died. The fledgling society was leaderless. Hubbard's immediate family moved to prevent his vision from dying with him. They cajoled, pushed, prodded and finally installed his son-in-law, Alexander Graham Bell, as the society's president. Poole details how the society languished for the first year even with Bell at the helm. He knew what he wanted: Bell envisioned a journal that would build interest and membership outside the Washington area. Finally, he initiated his plan after finding a young man named Gilbert H. Grosvenor. Soon after beginning his tenure at the new society's magazine, Bert, as he came to be called by family and close associates, found himself spending more and more time at the Bell home. Bell had engaged Bert's intellectual and organizational skills, but his eldest daughter, Elsie, captured Grosvenor's heart. For the next 55 years Bert Grosvenor would channel his formidable energy and enthusiasm into the National Geographic Magazine in an attempt to fulfill Bell's principle ambition to find something "in the world and all that is in it to interest ordinary people." Author
Robert Poole left his 21-year career as executive editor at National
Geographic to pen this account of the society's history in simple
chronological order. Poole's insider status and access to the Grosvenor
family archives enrich the book. He has fashioned a riveting journey
filled with genuine people, power struggles and harrowing adventures
in uncharted regions of the world. |
