Ankeny has been a volunteer at ACS for more than 25 years and has been an oncology nurse for 31 years. Combining her professional experience with her volunteer passion, she has helped improve the quality of life for scores of people through the years who are battling the disease.

And Ankeny has educated healthcare workers and the general public about the impact of the disease. She calls her talks to at-risk high school teenagers one of the most rewarding of all the volunteer work she does. "They listen," she says. And it's amazing how many students have been touched in some way by cancer.

The long-time nurse teaches the I Can Cope classes, an educational series, for ACS, as well as facilitating various support groups, including the Colon Cancer Support Group. Ankeny's compassion is unparalleled, say those who work with her.

Colleagues in her training seminars have been so inspired by her dedication that they have sometimes joined Ankeny in volunteering. She helps her listeners understand what cancer means so they can better care for their patients.

Besides her professional and volunteer work, Ankeny is pursuing a master's in nursing via online classes through the University of Phoenix. Her husband Bruce is a nurse at O'Connor Hospital's Home Care program. The Ankenys have four adult children and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary.

Being a volunteer for cancer patients is an incredibly rewarding job, she says, bringing "more job satisfaction than I've ever had. They have such needs, such courage that they are an inspiration to me."

NEW DIMENSIONS: Maria Chen is the president of Dimension Performing Art, a small Chinese-American group that has set itself the daunting task of bringing Chinese performing arts to the Bay Area. Vice president of the group is Stella Ying, and Linda Evjen was on the event committee. All three are Saratogans.

DPA has been in existence since '96 and has concentrated mainly on programs for schoolchildren. Its annual Celebrations explores Chinese legends and folktales about the rites of passage. In the past few years the group has expanded into the adult market.

Last month Dimensions brought the Contemporary Legend Theatre to San Jose for two performances of the Chinese opera version of Macbeth, called The Kingdom of Desire. In this version of the story the battles are fought between ancient Chinese warlords, and Lady Au-Shu delivers the mad hand-washing scene.

The costumes from the production are artworks in themselves and have been exhibited extensively.

The two principals of the show spoke--with the help of a translator--and gave a sampling of their unique talents at a premiere gala before the shows. A video of scenes from the production was also shown.

Earlier in the evening was Yangqin Zhao of San Francisco played background music on what appeared to be an ancient instrument. She played, among other offerings, Swanee River, which I found amazing but was assured that the hammered dulcimer was as well-known in Appalachia as in China.

Another amazing thing about this musician, besides her obvious artistry, is the fact that her name and the instrument's name are the same. Yangqin is the Chinese name for hammered dulcimer. So evidently Ms. Zhao had her destiny and her career spelled out for her from birth.

WINE TRIP: Eleven local vintner couples took a wine trip to the Solvang area, and celebrated the 89th birthday of George Cooper of Cooper-Garrod Vineyards. The Coopers invited former Saratogans Robin and Dan Guehr, now of Solvang, to join them for dinner.

Dan reminisced about their grand days in Saratoga and Congress Springs--the Guehrs owned the Congress Springs Winery--and then the Bay Area group appreciatively sampled some of his current wines.

SHAKESPEARE NEEDS STORAGE: Paul Dubois has joined the board of directors of the Festival Theatre Ensemble, the group that brings the Shakespeare Festival to Oak Meadow Park every summer. Dubois is an apt choice because he and wife, Mary, were responsible for bringing the festival to Los Gatos in the first place.

And thus did Shakespeare in the Park open four years ago. This July we'll see King Lear, Two Gentlemen of Verona and That Rascal Scapin, by Moliere.

On another note, the group is losing its set-storage space and is desperately seeking same.

If anyone out there has an unused barn or other suitable storage area, contact Jennifer Selden at 408.504.9605.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.