“Rice receives outstanding alumna award from DU school of international studies” |
| Rice receives outstanding alumna award from DU school of international studies Posted: 28 Aug 2010 12:23 AM PDT  Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state for President George W. Bush, talks Friday night with Ved Nanda, a teacher with whom she has kept in touch over the years, at the annual University of Denver Korbel Dinner. (Leah Millis, The Denver Post) Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a crowd gathered in her honor Friday night that the optimism of Josef Korbel can lead the world. Rice, the alumna of the year for the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, spoke at the University of Denver's 13th annual Korbel Dinner. She recounted how her mother and father worked at DU, and how she enrolled as a music major, dreaming of a career as a concert pianist, but graduated with a passion for international relations. "I found not just a major but a passion, and feel very, very fortunate to discover that passion at the hands of my teacher, Josef Korbel," Rice said of the former Czechoslovakian diplomat, who escaped Nazism and Stalinism. Rice was introduced by Korbel's daughter — Madeleine Albright, secretary of state in the Clinton administration. Albright said her father referred to Rice as "his favorite student." "And this is why this wonderful black woman from Alabama was writing her dissertation on the Czechoslovakian army," said Albright. Albright recalled when Rice told her she was a Republican. "Condi, how could you?" Albright recounted. "We had the same father." Rice moved to Denver as a 12-year-old in 1967, when her father became associate dean at DU, and her mother worked in the admissions office. Rice received her bachelor's degree from DU in 1974 and doctorate from the Korbel school in 1981. Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, made no mention of current international events such as the end of combat operations in Iraq or the road ahead in Afghanistan. She did not take questions from journalists or the audience. The Korbel Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center drew a record crowd of more than 1,000 donors. The gala honors alumni and community leaders who share Korbel's values of "humanitarian and scholarly ideals." MillerCoors chief executive Leo Kiely and his wife, the Rev. Susan Kiely, founder of Women with a Cause, which helps impoverished women around the globe, received the International Bridge Builders Award. Kiely said he and his wife made a deal when they married: "I'll take care of business, you take care of the world." The pair gave a humor-filled speech. As Susan concluded her talk about philanthropy, she said, "By the way, it really helps when you sleep with your funder," and handed the microphone to her stunned husband. "I don't know how to follow that," he said. "But thank you, Rev. Kiely." The Josef Korbel Humanitarian Award was presented to J. Landis Martin, founder and managing director of Platte River Ventures, for his work as vice chairman of the Denver Art Museum, chairman of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and chairman emeritus of the Central City Opera House Association. He thanked his parents and spoke of their Nebraska values of community service. "They led by example and I have strived to follow," he said. Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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