Main Street
Anna Maria Soellner garners Luce scholarship
By Mary Ann Cook
LUCE SCHOLAR: Anna Maria Soellner of Los Gatos has been named a Luce Scholar for 2000-2001 and will spend a year in Hong Kong as a fellow in the office of Martin Lee. Lee is a member of the Legislative Council and chairman of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong.
Soellner, 23, was nominated by her alma mater, Smith College, where she earned a degree in 1998 in government and American studies, graduating with high honors. She spent a semester at Oxford studying British politics and history. She now works as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, when told she was leaving to fulfill the Luce scholarship, told her he was once a candidate for that same scholarship but didn't get it. "You've done all right," his assistant responded.
Other jobs Soellner held as a student included being a page in the U.S. House of Representatives during her high school years. Later, during college summers, she was an intern for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, and then at the White House. At the White House, she worked on civil rights issues in the Office of Public Liaison.
She also served on Anna Eshoo's campaign for U.S. Congress. In Hong Kong, starting in September, she will receive living allowances and expenses for language studies. The goal of the scholarship is to increase appreciation of Asian cultures in future leaders.
Soellner is the daughter of Walter Soellner of Los Gatos and Mitsuko Halpren of Atherton, who own Precious Objects on N. Santa Cruz Ave.
MARATHONERS: Bill Linder's feet were still swollen and there was residual pain in knees, ankles and feet for days after his marathon walk, but it was worth it to bring in $10,000 for Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer. One-third of that amount came from his Lions Club cohorts.
The walk went from San Jose to San Francisco over three days, covering about 20 miles per day. Linder, a real estate agent for Alain Pinel, has been in training ever since he signed up in January.
Two women broke their ankles along the way, but finished the marathon anyway by arranging for people to push them in wheelchairs. The 3,200 Bay Area walkers raised $6.2 million for cancer research.
The money also helps under-served women undergoing treatment with medical and child-care expenses. Linder's wife, Kris, is a cancer survivor. She owns Interior Design Source in Lyndon Plaza. "The walk was so well-managed, so slick," Linder says.
Pallotta Teamworks was the organizer, with plenty of hot meals and drinks, too. But sleep was another matter. The first campsite was Carlmont High School in San Carlos, but the second night at Skyline College was so chilly and foggy the campers got wet even under a tent.
AWARD WINNER: Designer Alison Whittaker's handiwork appears in the summer 2000 issue of House Beautiful Kitchens/Baths magazine. The project featured in the magazine is a redesign of a master bath for Willow Glen homeowners Ruth and John Moore.
The room was doubled in size by using half an adjacent bedroom. The shower was enlarged, an outside window added, and the bathroom now has a walk-in closet. Wall tiles and granite floor tiles echo the color scheme of sand, water and smoke.
The glass block window in the shower creates a watery effect on the tile as natural light pours through. Whittaker won two awards from the American Society of Interior Designers: its Award of Excellence for this bath design and an Award of Distinction for a house over 3,000 square feet in Kirkwood.
A magazine editor saw her designs in one of the Symphony Showcase homes a few years ago and thus was aware of her work. Her projects have appeared in Better Home & Gardens and American Homes Style and Garden and the March/April issue of San Jose Magazine, where the ASID awards were featured.
THANKS, TONY: Too bad there were no Los Gatans or Saratogans on a recent Who Wants to Be a Millionaire TV game show! They could have answered the $250,000 question: "Which species of tree does the cork come from?" if they had read horticulturist Tony Tomeo's gardening column that week in this paper.
The cork oak is the answer, the subject of his column the week of Aug. 2. Los Gatan Elle Stern alerted us to this corking coincidence.
GOLF TOURNEY: The L.G. Chamber of Commerce golf tournament will be held on Aug. 21, at La Rinconada. A best ball scramble, the cost is $200. Major sponsors: Harlan McHugh, Phil Johnson, Dan Doore, Jack Ryan and Phil Couchee. For information, call 408.354.9300.
LAST LUNCH: The last luncheon for this summer at Villa Montalvo will be Aug. 23 and features fashions by Tom Teifer of Los Gatos. For reservations, call 408.961.5823.
FALL SALE: You may not want to believe summer's nearly over, but the Discovery Shop Fall Preview is Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop benefits the American Cancer Society.
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