D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A on the upper and lower ends. Aside from having a catbird seat in watching the activities and vagaries of the ambitious, driven participants—who are often very smart and clever, not to mention a healthy dollop of greedy, venal, and misdirected—I have often seen a better side, a higher side, in many of the charities which have been created, grown, and developed over the past two decades. Many times, when I choose to go a specific dinner such as last night’s International Women’s Health Coalition evening, it’s because the news of the world around us is so distressing and despairing that I’m consciously looking to see
a better side, a better angle, a better idea. Call it a pacifier, call it hope, but you can also call it courage. This is what the International Women’s Health Coalition is about. Incidentally, I know very little about the organization, factually, but you can learn about it quickly by going to iwhc.org. I was introduced to it a few years ago by a couple of women I know, Ann Unterberg and Marlene Hess, both of whom are actively involved. Marlene is the head of the board now. On this mid-September evening, they were celebrating their 30th anniversary at the Pierre Hotel. The organization stemmed from the idea
of one woman who endeavored to promote and protect the sexual and reproductive rights and health of women, particularly adolescent girls, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The approach is to seek out those in their societies who can work on their behalf within the communities. In other words, turn women on to helping themselves out with their dilemmas and barriers. The evening’s guest of honor was associate justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court. Ginsburg is only the second female justice on the Supreme Court and the first Jewish female justice. The evening was
basically an interview of Ginsburg and Aryeh Neier, another great humanitarian (as well as a lawyer) who is president emeritus of the Open Society Foundations and cofounder of the Human Rights Watch. The interview was conducted by Françoise Girard, current president of International Women’s Health Coalition. The discussion centered around Ginsburg’s history as a lawyer and as a judge in the area of women’s rights in reproduction and decisions regarding health. Amazingly, there are many parts of the world—namely sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—where women’s rights are almost entirely nonex-
R EC E P T I O N FO R P R I S C I L L A P R E S L E Y AT T H E D I X O N G A L L E R Y A N D G A R D E N S I N M E M P H I S
Elizabeth Coors 34 QUEST
Kevin Sharp
William Eubanks and Priscilla Presley
Bonnie Thornton, Dodie Hunter, Sarah Haizlip, Kathy Butler and Sally Shy
Dabney Coors
Pam Martin
CO U RTE S Y O F DA B N E Y CO O R S
Julie and Van Spear