Each year as I approach the editorial summary of the past year I try to think in terms of the journalist’s 4 W’s: who, what, w

Each year as we approach the editorial summary of the past year we try to think in terms of the journalist’s 4 W’s: who, what, when and where, but this year the 4 W’s are better characterized as Wow, Wheeee, Whoa, and Whew!

In the “Wow” category we get to brag about Jean graduating from Ellis School with both the English prize and the Mathematics prize, honors never before bestowed on the same student. She’s now a freshman at Swarthmore College, near Philadelphia, and loving the exciting mix of ideas, people, and freedom (especially from parents who think she should go to bed before 2 a.m.).

David, too, gets “Wow”s for his honors ranking as a junior this year in high school; for his dedication to the sport of rowing (sometimes we think he’s really on the cross country team because he regularly runs 6-mile practice sessions on his own); and, at six feet two, he’s as tall as Walt!

Ten Thousand Villages, “Sue’s store”, doubled its size by moving in June and hopes to do nearly a half million dollars in sales this year! Pretty good for a non-profit retail store specializing in fair-traded handicrafts from developing countries. We have more than 80 volunteers working faithfully to make this mission a success. (For the location of a store in your area, check www.tenthousandvillages.com.)

We’re debating where (as a “Wow” or a “Whew”…) to include the news that Psychology Software Tools, Walt’s business, has actually turned a profit and finally paid us after 16 years. But it is good news!

In the “Wheeee” news we can include a whole lot of traveling (total 102,000 miles). Sue visited Ten Thousand Villages artisans in Bangladesh and India for four weeks during February. The group of 12 from the US and Canada were always met with incredibly warm hospitality in both workshops and homes. Sue was especially delighted to visit the papermakers in Bangladesh, see their operations producing handmade papers, cards, boxes, stationery and journals, and even make a sheet of paper herself. But beyond that, one of her strongest impressions is the pride with which one of the artisan women showed us her new one-room concrete, wood and tin house, built from her earnings and strong enough to withstand the monsoons that had destroyed her previous mud and mat house. Her steady income from papermaking supports her husband (a laborer) and two children.

In May, Walt had a conference in Hawaii—so we all tagged along for a week of sun and surf on Waikiki beach while Walt worked. Then together we toured the island of Kauai for a week before Walt headed on to more work in Japan and we headed back home for the kids to face finals and wrap up the school year. During the trip Jean worked on her “senior project”, studying the physics of surfing while learning to surf and hanging out with cute surfing instructors. Unfortunately, her project became more theoretical after her foot was bit by a shark (10 stitches and crutches for the rest of the vacation).

The family also tagged along when Walt had work in England in June. In a rented car, which Walt drove expertly on the left, we scooted around southwestern England. We saw the baths in Bath, stones at Stonehenge, cottages in the Cotswalds, Shakespeare in Stratford-on-Avon, and lots of museums and theatre in London.

After all that traveling, we all said “Whoa!” and spent the rest of the summer at home. Jean worked her first full time job, an internship at the Westinghouse Science and Technology Center where she researched nuclear waste disposal issues. David ran his lawn mowing business, solo this year. Sue worked at the store and did all those things moms have to do to keep a family running smoothly. And Walt did all those things professors and entrepreneurs have to do to keep the science moving and a staff of thirty productive.

After Jean’s departure, our nest was not “empty” very long before Coorin Mata joined us in mid-November. Coorin is a high school exchange student from the Dominican Republic, a country that shares the Caribbean island of Hispanola with Haiti. One of our great delights was to see her excitement with her first snowfall. She even made “snow angels” (while wearing her sandals!!).

We have sad news in Sue’s faithful “puppy” of nearly thirteen years died in November. Chelsea was a happy friendly dog, who gave us much joy over the years.

As the year draws to a close, the adventures are memories we can wrap around ourselves like a cozy blanket as we chat in front of the fireplace. The Christmas tree lights add a special glow to the room. Jean will be home soon with her first finals under her belt and lots of tales to tell. Contentment and peace are here—we wish the same for you. May God’s grace and blessings be abundant in your lives throughout the coming year.

Sue, Walt, Jean, David and Coorin

Emails to Sue: sues1514@hotmail.com

Details: http://schneider.lrdc.pitt.edu/home.htm

Swell Times at “Swat”

This year I left the ‘burgh and entered the bubble, the Swarthmore bubble that is. After a lovely high school graduation (despite or because of our tears, smiles, and silly white hats), I packed off to the wonderful world of higher education. Currently, I’m finishing up my first semester in the cloistered community of Swarthmore College, outside of Philadelphia. In the lovely idea-rich soup we have here, various germs of thoughts have been mixing and multiplying and I have been doing all those things that college students are supposed to do: partying, studying, complaining about institutional dining, hanging out, finding myself. So far, myself seems to be a cheerful, questioning but slightly shabby (“casual”, right?) college student except on Tuesday nights when I straighten up and twirl to the Argentine Tango for a few hours. My other activities include co-directing a 20-minute modernist play and helping organize student panel discussions on issues such as race and homosexuality. All in all, I’ve been having a great time, learning a lot.

Postcards (the zanier, the better) and care packages welcomed:

Jean Schneider, 500 College Ave. Swarthmore, PA 19081 jschnei4@swarthmore.edu

Coorin Mata Comes to Pittsburgh

Coorin comes from Santa Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican people are known for their friendliness, and Coorin certainly proves that right! As an AFS exchange student, Coorin is learning English, about US culture and the high school experience. She really enjoys the many activities offered in the school. She was in the school variety show, “I did a dance mix between American music and Latin music.” She’s on the bowling team: “I’m not too good yet, but I’m working on that.”

“The school for me became a really good experience. I am learning to make ceramics and to take beautiful pictures. This year I saw snow for first time; it looks so perfect. I am really happy for life with the Schneiders, they are a great family and they made me feel like I am in home and that is a wonderful feeling.” Adios (bye).

Walt’s Worlds

It has been a good year at Psychology Software Tools (PST) and at the University of Pittsburgh. PST released its major product E-Prime for psychology. It has become the top software application for experimental psychology, used in 3000 laboratories worldwide. (See www.pstnet.com.) PST has matured as a company with the staff taking on most of the work and Walt working only as a part time scientist there. The University work has progressed well with a new detailing of a model of brain systems. (Sue did the drawing.) See www.pitt.edu/~schlab for details. His lab has clear results predicting how areas of the brain work together enabling learning and cognitive control.

Walt is now teaching David to drive (one of those times we are glad we have an “old” car). Walt found visiting colleges, helping Jean to pick a “good one,” quite challenging but with a happy ending. On a sad note, Walt’s best friend, Norm Hummon, died this year of cancer. Walt helped Norm and his family and continues to assist his wife to cope with a difficult year. Walt misses his good friend of many years.

David Flies

After years of watching skateboarding on TV and playing video games about it, David finally thought he should forget the “virtual” and try the “reality”. “So I got my first board and started with learning to move. Once I got that, I began to try some tricks. And now almost a full year later I have gotten a couple of tricks added to my repertoire: the 180° casper flip and the pop shov’it, both of which are simple tricks involving spinning the board.” After this year he has an appreciation for the amount of time and energy required for someone to be reasonably good at skating.

The Puzzler

Last year’s puzzler was won by Dale Finke, long time high school friend and best man at our wedding 29 years ago! Answers must be in by Feb. 1, 2003, answers will be posted on the web site.

Watch that Stutter

Each answer in this puzzle is a phrase in which the last syllable is said three times in a row. Example: Muffled sounds from an African monkey: __lemur murmur___

1. Isthmus mother

2. You can “walk the dog” with it in Japan

3. French dance performed by a large-billed bird

4. An improvised ballerina’s dress

5. A panda’s food mishap

6. Stupid bird from Denver

7. Driving by a New York state prison

8. Lollipop for a nursery rhyme character

9. What Santa says while riding to the hounds.

In the last answer, the final syllable appears four times in a row.

10. Humdinger in Hawaii

Send your attempt at the answers (you probably won’t get them all!) to:

PUZZLER, 511 Bevington, Pittsburgh, PA 15221

Or email: sues1514@hotmail.com

Deadline: February 1, 2003