U.S. University Family Sports Day 2004

Yale needs you — and your family! The U.S. University Family Sports Day, organized by the MIT Club of Hong Kong, is coming up on the first Sunday of November. This annual event is a day of fun and games — some competitive, some just for fun — for all ages and levels of fitness.

There games will include everything from relay races and tug of war to 3-legged races, golf putting, and much more. Each university forms a team for the competition, with adults and children in separate tracks.

So whether you're in top shape, a weekend warrior or just a couch potato, the Yale team can use you!

Please click here for photos from the U.S. University Family Sports Day 2003 where Yale placed second overall, barely losing out to sponsors MIT.

Monthly Meeting of the University Book Club

Tony Parson's Man and Boy is the selection for the November meeting of the monthly book discussion group, which aims to bring together friends new and old to share the pleasure of reading and good conversation.  "With more than 750,000 copies sold, Man and Boy, a witty, often eye-dabbing, always heartwarming love story between a father and his four-year-old son, has been on the British bestseller list for 50 weeks."

"Set in London, this is the not-to-be-forgotten saga of Harry Silver, who has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son and a great job in the media. But in one night of infidelity, he throws it all away. His wife leaves to take a chance on a new life, leaving Harry at home with the daunting and exhilarating task of raising his son by himself. How Harry Silver discovers parenthood, learns to love his own father, finds a new love and makes the hardest decision of his thirty-plus years provides the magic and tension of this novel."

"When Tony Parsons was 29 years old, he was awarded custody of his four-year-old son. And nothing was ever the same again... Tony Parsons was born in a blue-collar family in the East End of London. At 20, he was working in a factory that made gin. Then he became a music journalist, covering the new wave and punk rock explosion. Parsons married another music journalist and received custody of their son Robert when they divorced."

"Tony Parsons is the son of a former Marine who was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in World War II, the second highest award for valor in the British armed forces. These two relationships with the son he raised alone, and with the late father he worshipped form the spine and the heart of Man and Boy."

After this gathering on 18 November, the University Book Club will break for Christmas and will hold its next meeting in January. The book for January will be Ernest Hemingway's last novel, True at First Light, edited by his son Patrick Hemingway and published in 1999.

 Annual General Meeting & Dinner 2004; Guest Speakers Mr. Steve Nelson and Professor Victor Vroom

The Yale Club's Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2004, which is required by Hong Kong law for clubs and associations like ours, will be held on Saturday, November 20. The meeting itself, which is only 30 minutes long, will be followed by a short break and then a fine dinner, followed by a talk from Mr. Steve Nelson (Yale College '66, Yale Law School '69) and remarks from Professor Victor Vroom of the Yale School of Management.

Mr. Nelson is Partner in the International Practice Group of Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Co-Chair of the Asian Practice and the International Litigation and Arbitration Practice Groups. He will share his insights on the business and political climate during President Bush's second term.

Mr. Nelson's practice includes negotiation of and advice concerning international commercial transactions, distribution and licensing agreements, joint venture agreements, and mergers and acquisitions in Europe and the Asia-Pacific Region; structuring of cross-border investments and multi-national businesses, including United States and foreign tax planning; international litigation and arbitration.

Mr. Nelson received a B.A. from Yale College and a J.D. from the Yale Law School. He is a member of the NATO Board of Appeals-Brussels, WTO Working Group of the International Bar Association, American Bar Association, Union Internationale des Avocats, and International Bar Association.

Professor Vroom is John G. Searle Professor of Organization and Management and Professor of Psychology at the Yale School of Management. He is an authority on the psychological analysis of behavior in organizations, particularly on leadership and decision making. His 1964 book, Work and Motivation, is regarded as landmark in that field, and his books dealing with leadership, Leadership and Decision Making and The New Leadership, are widely cited as breakthroughs in the study of organizational behavior. A native of Canada, Professor Vroom has consulted to over 50 major corporations, including Bell Labs, GTE, American Express, and General Electric.

Professor Vroom  received his B.Sc. and M.Ps.Sc. from McGill University in 1953 and 1955 respectively. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1958.

Professor Vroom will offer brief remarks on "Leadership (in Politics, Universities, and Business)."

Please click here for a more detailed biography for Mr. Steve Nelson and here for a more detailed biography for Professor Vroom.

 An American Thanksgiving Dinner

The local alumni clubs of Yale, Columbia, and the other Ivy League schools again invite you to join in a fun American Thanksgiving Dinner — a couple of days early, but otherwise authentic! — in the garden at Brown Happy Valley. The BBQ menu will include Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and gravy, honey-glazed ham, leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, assorted German sausages, baked potato bar with fixings, roast seasonal vegetables, corn on the cob, a fresh salad bar, holiday desserts, assorted breads and a fresh fruit platter!

This will be a great time to relax, participate in an ancient American tradition, and enjoy the company of friends new and old. But sign up soon, as space is limited and reservations are filling up fast!

Viewing of The Game 2004 - Joint Event with the Harvard Club - Yale Club Happy Hour XI

In lieu of the Yale Club Third Thursday Happy Hour in November, The Yale Club of Hong Kong and The Harvard Club of Hong Kong invite you to a joint viewing of The Game 2004 at Bulldog's, the traditional location for the Yale Club Happy Hours in Lan Kwai Fong with its great air-conditioned balcony overlooking D'Aguilar Street.

Bulldog's has reserved the balcony for this event and will offer us reduced happy hour prices. The Yale anchor for this event will be Rose Choy (Yale College '99).

This is a great reason to get out those Yale paraphernalia and cheer for the Bulldogs as well as a great way to connect with people, both to network with new friends and to catch up with old ones. And no sign-up is necessary - all you have to do is show up!

Please click here for photos from the previous Third Thursday Happy Hours, here for the homepage of the Yale Bulldogs, here for "Elis, Cantabs, Boston cops at Game this year" published by the Yale Herald on 1 October 2004 and here for "A History of the Game" by the Yale Record.

Joint Alumni Club Christmas Mixer at Edge

Join other members of the Yale Club for an all-you-can-drink Joint Alumni Club Christmas Mixer at Edge on Wyndham Street in Central. There will be canapes served and music played by DJs.  The Yale Club of Hong Kong will be joining the Cambridge, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Princeton, UPenn, and Stanford Clubs of Hong Kong in this mixer.

Please click here for the PDF flyer for more details.

Let's get together again for Christmas dinner! Meet new friends and catch up with old ones as the year draws to a close. Our 18th annual December celebration will feature a holiday feast, singing of Christmas and Yale songs, and plenty of good cheer, fun and fellowship.

Please sign up to join us at the home of Caroline Van (Yale College '79, Yale College Parent '08) who has graciously opened up her place for this year's Christmas Party. We'll still have the infamous "Yale Club Christmas Gift Exchange" (see below) and we'll be singing carols around the piano... Come join in the fun!