Harvard Club of Saint Louis

Welcome to Harvard Club of Saint Louis

Dear Harvard Alumni,

I invite you to celebrate our 140th year of the Harvard Club of St Louis, 2021-2022! I would also like to sincerely thank you for the support, fellowship, and memories we have enjoyed – especially in this exciting time of returning to in-person events and social opportunities. If our club’s record turnout at the June Annual Dinner at the Zoo is any indication of our member’s enthusiasm, – we are in good stead for the year ahead. The Harvard Club of St Louis is also at an all-time high membership and we look back at an academic year with record student applicants both for our region and for Harvard. We also wish to congratulate an exceptionally talented class of 2025 on their admission to Harvard: Rachel Beard, Paige Clark, Gabriel DiAntonio, David Ditton, Shruti Gautam, James Glaser, Devin Kancherla, Omarion Perez, Emma Price, and Faith Schmidt. I am deeply grateful to the efforts of the presidents who came before me and their success towards engaging both our club members and community. With this exciting confluence of moments, members and opportunities – I would like to highlight an exciting agenda in the year ahead as well as volunteer opportunities:

Events:

Fall 2021: Central Library event – "Great City, Great Architecture: The Steedman Library and St. Louis," August 19 4:30; Harvard vs. Yale Football Game Party (Nov 20). Winter: Holiday Party (save the date – Dec 21) graciously hosted this year by Karen Kalish, and in the spring, Wine Tasting and TEDx May 21 and Annual Dinner June 11. Please check our events page as dates and details are confirmed.

Volunteer opportunities:

The Harvard Club of St Louis is proud to support committees, working groups and collaborations focused on supporting our community and students. We invite you to find an initiative that matches your interests, passions and skills and look forward to connecting with you!

Harvard Club Interviewing:

One of the most rewarding activities our club offers is the chance to meet and interview the bright minds of the future. Each year, our Harvard Club of St Louis members have the opportunity to meet and interview student applicants from our region and summit interview reports to Harvard Admissions. We look forward to the academic year ahead with Ruth Raskas and Lisa Stevenson serving as Schools and Scholarships committee Co-Chairs for this upcoming interviewing season. Please contact them if interested in volunteering to interview student applicants or with your interest in serving as a Vice-Chair to support the important work of this committee. We also award Harvard Prize Books to worthy students across the St. Louis area every year.

Join a Harvard Club of St Louis Committee:

Members of the Service Committee focus on planning activities and events focused on service and involvement in the local community such as fund raisers, food and school supply drives. Important working groups on this committee include both the Educational Disparities Group – striving to ensure equity in education and Early College Awareness – focused on inspiring middle-school students to aspire to higher education. The Membership Engagement and Communications Committee is responsible for communications and recruiting alumni to the Harvard Club of St Louis as well as maintaining the website (actively looking for a webmaster – so please contact me if interested!). The Young Alumni Committee welcomes members 35 and under to connect at planned social events throughout the year. There are several exciting efforts also underway – from student mentoring initiatives to support for the arts and more. Please check back for updates to our upcoming events and opportunities.

Digitization and History Project

This past spring, we initiated a digitization effort of the old secretary notes from the Harvard Club of St Louis 1882-1940. Please help us transcribe, edit and curate versions of that document here. Related to this effort is a broader interest in understanding the role that the Harvard Club of St Louis members have played in St Louis from the late 1860’s to present. We encourage our members to help us document the many institutions, companies, philanthropic organizations, the arts, notable architectural sites and more in a fascinating, dynamic network of time, people and place (please email me).

In closing, I truly appreciate the warm welcome my family and I received from the Harvard Club of St Louis after moving to St Louis. In the years since, I have been inspired by the remarkable students applying to Harvard and my opportunities to give through volunteer service have always given much more to me in learning, fellowship and memories. It is the same sentiment I read in the pages of the secretary’s note from 100 years ago and I will look to foster this inspiring spirit of giving for our members and future students. Thank you for this special opportunity and please join (or renew) your membership in the Harvard Club of St Louis, get engaged, and find the right volunteer opportunities for you in order to help us continue to be a force for good in our community.

Sincerely,

Carrie

Carrie Roy Ph.D.

President

Harvard Club of St. Louis

carriearoy@gmail.com

c. (608) 886-7882