The Mid-Atlantic Club of New York has invited OAANY members to attend a luncheon lecture on Tuesday, May 8. The speaker will be Ambassador Hugo Paemen, who will discuss the US-EU relationship and trade issues.

From 1995-1999, Ambassador Paemen served as head of the European Commission's Washington Delegation. He was the European Union's Chief Negotiator during the entire length of the Uruguay Round when he served as the European Commission's Deputy Director-General for External Relations, from 1987 until 1995. Previously, Ambassador Paemen held positions in the Belgian Embassies in Geneva, Paris and Washington, DC. Ambassador Paemen, who has degrees in Philosophy and Classics, and Political and Social Science, has been a distinguished visiting professor at the Catholic University of Leuven, where he lectured in European politics. He is co-author of a book entitled, From the GATT to the WTO: The European Community in the Uruguay Round.

Currently, he is Senior Advisor with the law firm Hogan & Hartson, LLP.

A reception will begin at 12:15 p.m. Lunch will served at 12:45 p.m.

To RSVP, please contact Derek Benham. The cost for this event is $50 per person. Checks, payable to the Mid-Atlantic Club, should be brought to the event.

Join us for a demonstration of singles and doubles real tennis (see below) by high-level players. The demonstration will be followed by a reception at which cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

There will be no charge for this event thanks to sponsorship by Aquamarine LLC, a New York-based Investment Management Company, which is managed by Guy Spier and Amanda Grasso - who are both fellow Oxonians, Brasenose 1984.

This event will be limited to 25 people, the maximum number that the viewing gallery overlooking the real tennis court can accommodate. Places will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. To RSVP, please send an e-mail message to Amanda.

If you attend this event, please note that club rules require business attire (jacket and tie for men, no jeans).

Real tennis, the precursor of lawn tennis, is an ancient game that has been played in Europe since the 12th century. In France it was called Jeu de Paume. While there are some similarities between lawn tennis and real tennis, the most dramatic difference is that real tennis is played in an indoor court where the ball can be played off the walls and may hit the floor a second time after rebounding off a wall.

The real tennis court at Hampton Court is still in use, but relatively few real tennis courts are maintained worldwide. New York is fortunate that two real tennis courts are located here at The Racquet and Tennis Club of New York City.

The Yale Club of New York has invited OAANY members to hear The Honourable Michael J. Beloff, QC, President of Trinity College, speak about "Old Universities in a New Age."

In addition to being a distinguished scholar, Mr. Beloff practices law. His wide-ranging areas of expertise include commercial, employment, media, human rights and sports law. In 1981, Mr. Beloff became a Queen's Counsel. His clients have included foreign governments, major corporations, sports bodies and clubs, trade unions, pressure groups and prominent politicians, writers and sportsmen. Mr. Beloff is the author of numerous legal books and articles.

In 1999, he was named as one of the top ten barristers of the decade. Last year, a feature on him in the Sunday Telegraph magazine was entitled, "Is this the Most Influential Man in Britain?"

Mr. Beloff has degrees in history (first class) and law from Oxford, where he studied at Magdalen. While a student at Oxford, he was President of the Oxford Union and a member of the Oxford Union Debating Tour of the USA in 1964.

There is no charge for this event, which will include a reception. To RSVP, please contact Erin Burns. If you plan to attend this event, please note that business casual attire (no jeans or sneakers) is acceptable at the Yale Club.

Derek and Joan Benham invite you to a summer afternoon supper party at their house in Otis, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. Closer to midsummer's day this year, we hope for warmer weather and certainly a longer evening than last year's mid-August party.

Children are welcome, so bring all the family to sit out on the deck or wander in the woods. Otis is no more than a three-hour drive from New York City.

If you want to spend the entire weekend in the Berkshires, we suggest you visit www.berkshireweb.com for lodging suggestions in the area, ranging from bed & breakfast farms to old inns and hotels. That weekend, Shakespeare & Company will be presenting Coriolanus at the Founders' Theatre and The Mount in nearby Lenox will stage The Comedy of Errors. Other places of interest in the area are the Norman Rockwell Museum and Naumkeag in Stockbridge.

Please RSVP to Derek by June 4. He will provide full directions. There may be opportunities to "carpool," so please let Derek know if you plan to make a return trip in one day and are able to offer a ride to other Oxonians.

The next Oxford Alumni Association of New York (OAANY) "young" alumni event is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We'll gather at the Commonwealth Brewing Company, located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, between 5th and 6th Avenues.

The Commonwealth Brewing Company makes seasonal beers. It recently won a number of awards at the Great American Beer Festival.

To reach the Commonwealth Brewing Company by subway, take the B, D, F, or Q trains to Rockefeller Center. Other subways making nearby stops are the 1, 9, N, & R. The phone number for the Commonwealth Brewing Company is (212) 977-2269. Charlie Douglas and let him know how many guests you plan to bring.

Cheers!