Pictured above are some of the many ornaments sent to us by alumnae and alumni for the Alumnae House tree. The ornaments from left to right in the image above represent countries and states where our alums reside: Canada, Alaska, Washington, Connecticut and Maine.

Hood College will be operating with a limited staff from Thursday, Dec. 22, through Monday, Jan. 2. The Alumnae and Alumni Programs staff will be checking voice and e-mail messages daily.

KUDOS: Lois Smith Harrison '45, former chair of the Hood College Board of Trustees, recently published a book titled "With Courage and Vision." The book covers the history of Christ's Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) of Hagerstown, Md. Lois, a member of Christ’s Reformed Church, has donated copies of the book to the Hood College Beneficial-Hodson Library. For information about the book please contact Lois at (301) 739-0030. Congratulations, Lois!

MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS RENAMED: The Hodson Minority Scholarship has been renamed in memory of a former trustee of the Hodson Trust, James H. Gilliam Jr., who passed away in 2003 at the age of 58. Renamed the Hodson-Gilliam Scholarship, it is available to incoming minority freshmen who demonstrate high academic achievement. Click here for the complete story.

ANNUAL FUNDS ANNOUNCES NEW STAFF MEMBER: Dennis McKinney has joined the Annual Funds staff as the assistant director of annual funds. Dennis comes to Hood College from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) in Washington, D.C., and has more than eight years' experience in fund raising. Please join us in welcoming Dennis.

ANNUAL HOLIDAY CRÈCHE DISPLAY IN THE BENEFICIAL-HODSON LIBRARY: The library staff invites the community to view the annual holiday crèche display in the library lobby. The exhibit includes 80 crèches, representing 30 countries, from the collections of Beulah Munshower Sommer '44, the Rev. Richard G. P. Kukowski of Silver Spring, Md., and Jan Samet O'Leary. In addition, Mrs. Sommer’s Crèche Tree, decorated with 200 nativity ornaments, is on display. The display will be on view until Jan. 14, 2006.

BRIGHTEN HOOD'S HOLIDAY SEASON: Are you struggling for a holiday gift idea for that certain someone who seems to have everything? Give the gift that keeps on giving—a gift to Hood College in honor of a special person. Hood will send a letter of acknowledgement to you and the person you are honoring. You can easily make your gift online here or by calling (800) 707-5280, option 4. Thank you for brightening Hood's holiday season.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADS TO LAS VEGAS: The current slogan of Las Vegas is "What Happens Here, Stays Here," but the Hood College men's basketball team will look to bring a few things home with it—namely a pair of victories—when the Blazers participate in the Adidas D3 Desert Shoot Out later this week. Hood (4-5) faces Defiance (5-3) Wednesday at 2 p.m. EST and then takes on either Benedictine (4-3) or Hartwick (5-3) Thursday at 2 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. EST. All games will be played at the McDermott Sports Complex on the UNLV campus. Click here for more information.

To R.S.V.P. or for information about the upcoming events, e-mail us at alumoffice@hood.edu, or call (800) 707-5280, option 2, or (301) 696-3900.

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz., Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, 5-7 p.m., at the home of Janet Hobbs Cotton '59. Please join area alums and welcome President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College.

TUCSON, Ariz., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006, noon, Skyline Country Club. Please join area alums and welcome President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006, noon, brown bag lunch at Amgen, Inc., 555 13th Street, NW, Suite 600 West, Washington, D.C. Please join area alums for an informal lunch get-together. The event is hosted by Donna Peterson '79 and Jewel Smith '96. R.S.V.P. to Jewel at (202) 585-9625 or jewels@amgen.com.

ATLANTA, Ga., Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006. Join area alums and welcome Peggy Bull Larsen, '74, M.S. '79, assistant vice president of alumnae and alumni programs, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College. More details to come.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Friday, March 3, 2006, Alaska Potlatch Dinner on the eve of the Iditarod. Please join area alums for this time-honored tradition. More details to come.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Saturday, March 11, 2006, luncheon. Please join area alums and welcome President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College. Hostesses: Jane Atmore Brown '59 and Suzanne Norman '88. More details to come.

BONITA BAY, Fla., Sunday, March 12, 2006, brunch. Please join area alums and welcome President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College. More details to come.

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla., Thursday, March 16, 2006, luncheon, Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Please join area alums and welcome President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College. Hostess: Sally Foss Banwart '52. More details to come.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sunday, April 23, 2006, 1-4 p.m., potluck luncheon and business meeting at the home of Kathie Zale Myhre '70, West Chester, Pa. Please join us in welcoming President Volpe, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College.

BALTIMORE, Md., Sunday, April 30, 2006, 4–6 p.m. Please join area alums and representatives from the College. More details to come.

Save The Date events are scheduled, and we will continue to keep you updated as plans become definite. If you have any questions about the upcoming events, e-mail us at alumoffice@hood.edu or call (800) 707-5280, option 2 or (301) 696-3900.

HOOD COLLEGE CAREER SERVICES: Take advantage of free lifetime services. We can help you with your résumé, give you advice on your job search, talk to you about career options and much more. Contact us at (301) 696-3583 or by e-mail at careers@hood.edu to schedule an appointment.

DARE TO PREPARE: Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, 2 p.m., Career Center. Be ready for all of the upcoming career fairs and job searching after graduation. Learn about resume writing, interviewing and more.

YOU CAN BE A RESOURCE FOR HOOD STUDENTS AND FELLOW ALUMS: Lend your professional expertise and register for the Mentoring Network. The Mentoring Network is a part of the College Center Network, which is the College’s primary employment, internship and networking resource.

BLAZERS ATHLETIC SCHEDULE CONTINUES THROUGH WINTER BREAK: Students may be on winter break during the month of January, but winter athletics continues. Be sure to check out the women’s and men’s basketball and swimming schedule and come to a home or an away game near you.

UPCOMING ART EXHIBIT: "New York City Love Affair," Feb. 1-March 12, 2006, Hodson Art Gallery, Tatem Arts Center. Artist Kathy Kershner presents a portrait of New York City as experienced over a period of 35 years. The exhibit will showcase artwork comprised of multiple images on transparent film as well as photographs, including images of Times Square, Coney Island and views from the World Trade Center. A reception is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006, from 6-8 p.m., in the Hodson Art Gallery.

THE COUNTESS, THE ABBESS AND THEIR BOOKS: PATTERNS OF TRANSMISSION IN A 15th-CENTURY GERMAN FAMILY: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, 7:30-9 p.m., Tatem Arts Center. Sara S. Poor, professor of German, Princeton University, will discuss a particular manuscript transmission setting that she discovered while researching the later reception of Mechthild of Magdeburg, a 13th-century female mystic. Her lecture will also explore what this record of transmission might suggest about the relationship between gender, inheritance practices, the vernacular and book production in the context of pre-Reformation religious reform.

NOEL LESTER ANNOUNCES HIS NINTH EUROPEAN STUDY TRIP: This musical journey, scheduled for June 2006, will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth with visits to Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czech Republic; and Krakow, Poland. This trip is being planned in conjunction with Smolka Tours, Inc.

Want to tell your classmates what's new with you? Click here to share your news in the next issue of Hood magazine!

Inter(net)actions, December 20, 2005: This edition of Inter(net)actions is also available on the Hood College Web site. Click here to view Inter(net)actions on the Web.