International House Berkeley

laws: 1) All problems are essentially problems of diplomatic history; and 2) Always save room for dessert! His full and well-rounded life included lecturing about the history of European diplomacy as well as on Mozart and Beethoven; advocating for and mentoring gay students at Reed; and lending his name to the student history majors' softball team, the "Flock of Segels." 1970s Natalie Hahn (IH 1970s) was affectionately nicknamed "the bear lady" by I-House residents because she tirelessly sewed stuffed Cal bears for children during the holidays. Close friend of the international community of Berkeley, she was also an active member of the University Section Club, which funds annual room and board scholarships for I-House residents. Natalie was a professional librarian and a talented actress who remained active well into her 80s as a volunteer for the Berkeley Public Library and an actress in the Town and Gown women's club. 1990s Daniel Rydzewski (IH 1991-93) completed his master's in civil engineering from UC Berkeley while living at I-House and spent the bulk of his career working to enhance the public highway system in the State of Virginia. Throughout his life, he often repeated how lucky he was to spend his graduate years at I-House where he developed many lifelong friendships, which were nurtured during annual gatherings at Lake Tahoe. Friends Richard C. Blum was an internationally recognized business leader whose dedication to combating global poverty and advancing educational opportunities in developing countries spanned more than five decades. A thought leader and philanthropist, Blum founded the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley, which educates and inspires students as a new generation of global citizens. He served as Chairman of the University of California Board of Regents, as the trustee and member of the executive committee of The Carter Center in Atlanta, and as Honorary Consul to Mongolia and the Kingdom of Nepal. I-House was honored to recognize Dick as our Global Citizen of the Year 2008. Didier de Fontaine led an adventurous life. He was born in Cairo under the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza, was pushed in a stroller by Albert Einstein, and spent his youth traveling throughout Europe with his Belgian diplomat father. He obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago before moving to UC Berkeley where he taught and inspired countless graduate students for 15 years as a material scientist professor. Although they never lived in I-House, Didier and his wife, Danielle, were longtime, generous supporters of I-House and the I-House mission. Although Norman Y. Mineta did not live in I-House while a student at UC Berkeley, throughout his life, he endeavored to advance a more just and peaceful world. Mineta, who was among the 120,000 Japanese Americans forced into internment camps during World War II, later became one of the country's highest- profile Asian American leaders as a big-city mayor, a ten-term congressman, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation. While in Congress, Mineta was the driving force for passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, through which the U.S. government officially offered apologies for the injustices suffered by Japanese Americans during World War II and authorized payment to individuals who were interned. I-House was one of the very few institutions in California that protested the Japanese Internment camps. Three of his siblings were I-House residents: Aya Mineta (IH 1930s), Albert Mineta (IH 1947- 48), Helen Mineta (IH 1949-53). We were pleased to welcome Norman Mineta as our Gala Honoree in 2001. Richard Wezelman was a longtime friend of I-House who loved the international world of culture and art. Together with his wife, Beany, he was a world traveler and an importer of handicrafts from Africa, Nepal, Thailand, India, and Pakistan. Through their generous support, I-House has been able to support room and board for many scholars from Africa. 22 International House Times In Memory

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