A Glimpse in their Lives
2013 Honorees
Tom Fiene, MD, is renowned by his peers, students, and patients for his extraordinary diagnostic skills, bedside manner, and teaching abilities. Originally from La Crosse, WI, Tom earned his MD from Northwestern and served his residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford, completing a Cardio Pulmonary Fellowship along the way. Tom was a partner at Menlo Medical Clinic for 45 years until his retirement in 2012, and has been an adjunct professor at Stanford University School of Medicine since 1967. Tom has served on the boards at Channing House, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, and the Portola Valley Ranch Association. He has volunteered as a teacher at the Stanford Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose since 2009, and has been on the Stanford Hospital Biomedical Ethics Committee since 1998. Tom did his undergraduate work at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he served on the Alumni Council for four years, and from which he received the Alumni Exceptional Service Award in 2011. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Portola Valley.
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Together, Ben & Ruth Hammett form a philanthropic team, giving generously of both time and money to benefit the environment in general and the Mid-Peninsula in particular. They met while Ben was an undergraduate at Stanford; later, Ruth went on to earn a Master’s in Biology from Stanford and Ben a PhD in Psychology from the University of North Carolina. Before starting his own practice in Palo Alto in 1972, Ben held teaching and research positions for various institutions including Palo Alto’s Western Graduate School of Psychology and Palo Alto’s Mental Research Institute. He also served on the boards of both institutions for a combined total of 15 years.
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For over 30 years, Al Russell has volunteered on behalf of children and education. A San Francisco native who went to Stanford as an undergraduate and later earned his JD from UCSF Law School, Al is a tax attorney by trade. After founding Foundation for Education (PAFE) in 1987, Al served on its board and led several advisory and planning committees until 2004, when the organization merged with the All Schools Fund to create Partners in Education (PIE). He subsequently served as a PIE board member for four years, then joined its Education Grant Review Committee in 2009. In addition, Al has been on the boards of the Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto Community Child Care, Youth Community Service, and the Palo Alto Christmas Bureau. He was a program leader and fundraiser for Palo Alto’s YMCA, coached for the American Youth Soccer Organization for three years, and has been on the board of Palo Alto High School’s Gold Star Memorial Scholarship Fund since 1998. He worked for the Internal
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Judith Steiner’s expertise in nonprofit management has benefited countless organizations. A former elementary and junior high school teacher, youth employment counselor, and language teacher for both the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Judith was the executive director of Hidden Villa from 1994 to 2004. Her volunteering has primarily focused on public education, the environment, housing, and civil rights, with a particular interest in board development and governance. Judith founded Innovative Housing on the Peninsula, a program providing shared housing to low-income single parent families, in 1985. Some of the many boards she has been on include: Acterra, Sempervirens Fund, and the Alumni Consultant Team at Stanford Graduate School of Business. She was fundraising chair for East Palo Alto Kids Foundation and Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing and served on committees for the Palo Alto Rotary Club, Palo Alto Housing Group, Palo Alto Woman’s Club, the NAACP, the City of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission, CompassPoint, and the Palo Alto Senior Coordinating Council, which later became Avenidas. She
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Many beautiful gardens on the Mid-Peninsula were created by local landscape designer Katsy Swan. A Lexington native, Katsy did her undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky and taught school for three years after college. While raising her children, she was an active parent volunteer and member of the Palo Alto PTA. She became involved with the Garden Club of Palo Alto, teaching classes and making presentations. She was also in-demand as a volunteer flower arranger for local events. While redesigning the gardens at Stanford’s Hoover House, Katsy returned to school at UC Berkeley and earned a degree in Landscape Design. She has been involved with Gamble Gardens since its beginning, leading tours, giving classes, and serving on its advisory board. Her tours for Gamble have included trips to renowned gardens in England, Wales, Scotland, Italy, and France. Katsy is perhaps best known for designing the gardens at Stanford University Medical Center, but she also designed the UCSF Cancer Center courtyard garden, the Earth Sciences Courtyard at Stanford, and many local private gardens. Katsy and her husband Ben have called Palo Alto their home since 1964.
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