Lisa Tracy '67 book signing

Lisa Tracy ’67 will be discussing and signing copies of her newest book, Objects of Our Affection, on Saturday, May 29 at 1:30pm at MindFair Bookstore in Oberlin, OH

After their mother’s death, Lisa Tracy and her sister Jeanne faced several households’ worth of furniture and memorabilia—much of it accumulated during their family’s many decades of military service in far-flung outposts from the American frontier to the World War Two–era South Pacific—and decided to take it to auction. The resulting memoir, Objects of Our Affection: Uncovering My Family’s Past, One Chair, Pistol, and Pickle Fork at a Time, is a captivating personal narrative that captures why Americans are so obsessed with our things—and why we find it so difficult to let go.

What begins as an exercise in information-gathering designed to boost the estate’s resale value at auction evolves into a quest that leads from Tracy’s New Jersey home to the Philippines and ultimately back to the town where she grew up. These travels open her eyes to a rich family history characterized by duty, hardship, honor, and devotion—qualities embodied in the very items she intended to sell. Each is catalogued here with all the affection and intimacy that only a family member could bring to the endeavor.

A paean to the pack rat in us all, Objects of Our Affection provides a captivating look at the emotional resonance of objects—and the fascinating stories that make us hold them close.

About the Author
Lisa Tracy writes, “I’m a paradox. An Army brat by family heritage, I’m also a native of Virginia, a state full of people with deep ancestral roots in the Old Dominion soil. I grew up in a town that claims both Robert E. Lee and T.J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson as former residents and was educated at Oberlin College and Rutgers University. I’m the mother of a 25-year-old son who is Bard College-educated and lives and works in New York City. I’ve worked as a journalist for most of my life; while I was at the Philadelphia Inquirer over a span of three decades (including a stint as the Home & Design editor), I lived in New Jersey. I was completely surprised to realize—fairly late in the game, when I started researching the furniture—that I had roots there too, and in Philadelphia as well.

After many generations of service to our country on both land and sea, our immediate family has come down to six of us, five of whom are now living in this small, elegant Southern town that was really not our home, but has become so. As Americans, we are such a transient culture. My family, Army people for generations, really epitomizes that. It might be that someone in any given family knows or has some idea of where the family came from, but if they do—in my experience—no one bothers to talk about it, or the older folks assume the younger ones won’t be interested, or the younger ones don’t ask, and the thread is lost. For me, Objects of Our Affection has been an experience in coming to terms with all of that, and from the numbers of people I’ve talked to all over the country about it, I’m hoping it may help others come to terms with their history and their heritage as well.

I’m now living in a house my grandparents built during World War II, when my grandfather was serving as superintendent of Virginia Military Institute. Here in this house, my dialogue with the furniture continues, as various old pieces assert themselves and I try to figure out how to downsize and yes, get rid of more stuff.”

Mindfair Bookstore is located within the Ben Franklin store at 13 West College Street; Oberlin, OH 44074. Their phone number is (440) 774-6463

Aimee Lee '99 presents class on Korean papermaking

Aimee Lee ’99 will be presenting a class on Korean papermaking, felting and weaving as part of the Morgan Conservatory’s summer classes. The class runs from August 7 – August 8.

Class Description:

Aimee Lee, the leading US hanji (Korean handmade paper) researcher, will guide you through the process of preparing fiber from mulberry bark, making sheets using the unique side-to-side Korean formation method, and drying hanji. You will also be introduced to joomchi, which is paper felting, and jiseung, which is paper weaving. Korean papermaking, descended from China and a precursor to Japanese papermaking, has a long and illustrious history. With the rise of industrialism and modernization, it receded into obscurity but is still practiced today in countryside mills. This class is an excellent introduction to eastern papermaking and low-tech applications for handmade paper.

Aimee is an interdisciplinary artist who specializes in Korean papermaking and its related craft forms. She earned her BA in Visual Arts from Oberlin College and her MFA in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts from Columbia College Chicago. Her post-graduate research has been funded by the US and Korea Fulbright programs. She exhibits internationally, and her artists' books reside in collections that include the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, Museum of Modern Art Library, and King St. Stephen Museum in Hungary. She travels widely for residencies that include Flax Art, Jentel, Ragdale, and Weir Farm Arts Center. In addition she provides information about hanji (Korean handmade paper) on her web site www.aimeelee.net.

Aimee’s Fulbright research grant in Korea was used to research Korea’s handmade paper tradition and related paper crafts. Her longer-term goal is to raise awareness of Korean papermaking outside of Korea, where it is endangered, and teach the things she has been so lucky to learn.

In preparation for the August class with Morgan Conservatory, Aimee has been volunteering her time and labor to create all the tools necessary to make Korean (or any kind of eastern) paper. These tools include screens, frames and a large vat. She is fundraising to cover her living and travel expenses through Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aimeelee/korean-papermaking-in-cleveland. She’s past the halfway mark, but still has a ways to go before her time runs out on June 9.

If you are so inclined, Aimee would welcome any interest you may have. Visit http://morganconservatory.org/tabs4-lst.html and click on “Hanji: Korean papermaking, felting, and weaving” for more information on the class.

Summer Picnic

The Oberlin Club of Cleveland invites you to a Summer Picnic in Longwood Park at Two Club Golf Center!

Please join alumni, parents, current and incoming students for a fun-filled casual picnic before the start of the school year. Bring your family, friends, Oberlin memorabilia, pictures, GOLF CLUBS and pot luck treat and drink to share!

DATE:
Saturday, June 19th

TIME:
1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

LOCATION:
Longwood Park at Two Club Golf Center - host Kenneth Martin '74
1566 E. Aurora Road
Macedonia, OH
Directions: www.mapquest.com/mq/5-FI35

One of the largest Metropolitan Parks in Ohio, Longwood is located on the former estate of Colonel William Frew Long, the first Mayor of the City of Macedonia. This 292 acre area on State Route 82 offers many recreational opportunities. Sponsored by the Oberlin Alumni Association and the local Alumni Club, the summer picnics are an Oberlin tradition where incoming students and their parents meet other students, parents, alumni and staff members in an informal setting over the summer.

If your last name begins with, please bring the following:

A - H: appetizer or side dish
I - P: main dish
Q - Z: dessert

RSVP by calling the Alumni Office at 440-775-8692

To learn more about the 2010 Oberlin Summer Picnics nationwide visit
www.oberlin.edu/alumni/oberlinClubs/picnics.html

Summer Housing for Obies

Ericka Zarowin will be a senior at Oberlin this fall, majoring in environmental studies. This summer, she will coordinate -- with three other folks -- a project in Detroit Shoreway to deal with energy efficiency, weatherization, urban gardening, and environmental policy development on the neighborhood level. Those of you living in in Detroit Shoreway may already know Tim Krueger, who will be another of the project's coordinators. The project is also related to the work of Neighborhood Progress, Inc.

Ericka, and several other Oberlin interns working on this and other Cleveland projects, will need places to live for the summer. They don't have money to pay rent, and they can take care of their own food costs, for the most part.

Might you have a room in your house? Any takers? Please contact Ericka at 617-413-3148 or by e-mail at ezarowin@gmail.com. You can talk with her and learn more, or invite her to meet with you.

Thank you for considering this.

Hike/Bike the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

Join the Oberlin Club of Cleveland for brunch and a hike/bike ride along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail on Sunday, May 16.

Located in the heart of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Towpath Trail is a piece of history, originally constructed from 1825-1827 as part of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Mules walked along the path to tow canal boats loaded with goods and passengers. Features of the Ohio & Erie Canal abound along the trail. Look for locks that raised and lowered boats through elevation changes and markers that indicate mileage as measured historically. Enjoy indoor exhibits at the Canal and Boston Store visitor centers. As you become familiar with the canal, you will discover its importance as apart of 19th-century transportation infrastructure that connected Ohio to the rest of the settled United States. The trail is level and hard-packed for easy usage.

Location & Time:
We will meet at Fisher's Cafe & Pub at 11am for brunch, located 1607 Main Street (State Route 303), Peninsula, OH. We will be allowed use of their parking lot all day. A breakfast/lunch special will be available, if desired. Check out their menu at http://www.fisherscafeandpub.com

We will then head off on the Towpath Trail a little after noon. You are welcome to bike or hike at your own pace, for your desired length of time. You can bicycle one way and return by train for $2 using CVSR's Bike Aboard! service. You can catch the train at any boarding station and train staff will load your bike onto the train. Schedules are available at boarding stations, visitor centers, and online at www.cvsr.com .

Bike Rental:
If you would like to rent a bike, across the street from Fisher's Cafe & Pub is Century Cycles. Their address is 1621 Main Street (State Route 303), Peninsula, Ohio and their phone number is 330-657-2209.

Century Cycles does not open until 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, so please come and have brunch with us first! The bicycle rental rates are $8.00 per hour with the helmet included. Sunday is their busiest day, so be sure to be there at noon. Reservations are not accepted.

Peninsula, OH is a small village on the National Register of Historic Places, located in the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

There are a number of art galleries, specialty shops and buildings dating from as far back as the 1800s. Feel free to wander around and take in the town.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be canceled.

RSVP by calling the Alumni Office at 440-775-8692.

Michael King Trio at Nighttown

"The trio consisting of Mike King , Alex Frank and Alex Morris, is a pleasure to hear. The members of the trio communicate well with each other, play together with an excellent feeling, and perform a variety of interesting compostions and creative arrangements. They are three very talented young musicians who are a wonderful representation of the high level of talent in the Oberlin Conservatory jazz program."
-Dan Wall, Associate Professor of Jazz Piano, Oberlin Conservatory

Come hear the Michael King Trio perform Saturday, May 29th at 8pm as they forge headlong into musical life after Oberlin. Celebrating the graduation of two of the founding members (Alex Morris and Alex Frank), the trio will be performing the music they have represented Oberlin with across the United States and in China. This it the culmination of their experiences during their past 4 years in the Oberlin Jazz Studies department, and will be a memorable moment as they say farewell to this chapter of their creative lives.

The venue will be Cleveland's Nighttown, a renowned Jazz Club featuring fine dining and one of the most impressive live music calendars in the state. For more information visit nighttowncleveland.com. Tickets may be obtained by calling 216-795-0550

Nighttown
12387 Cedar Road (top of Cedar Hill)
Cleveland Heights, OH