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IN HELVETICA BOLD - people

people

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NOTHING LIKE THE SUN
Last year Martin Vosseler and a crew of four other Swiss adventurers made a historic crossing of the Atlantic aboard Sun21—a solar powered catamaran. This year Vosseler, a doctor by vocation, decided to take his message of solar power and energy renewal—on foot. Since January (2008) he has been walking across the United States. Helvetica Bold caught up with the itinerant doctor by phone when he spent the night with friends in Beebe, Arizona:
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RE-PRESENTING TOM KUNDIG
We're pleased to announce that Tom Kundig, who we profiled here several months ago, is the winner of the 2008 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Architecture. Facing off with formidable future-forward talents of Weiss/Manfredi and the industrial chic of Lo-Tek, Kundig's graceful mechanics set in nature won out. As Mark Robbins, Dean of the Syracuse University School of Architecture and jury member noted, "All the jurors responded to the very direct poetry of the work that comes from the juxtaposition of late 19th-century industrial forms against the landscape. He [Kundig] has a great sensitivity to landscape—"

Elsewhere Kundig has been praised for his exploration and reinvention of parts of architecture that are overlooked or “forgotten,” such as doors, windows or stairs, as well as for his use of kinetic architectural elements.
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FIVE PRESIDENTS AND A BOUT OF SOUFFLÉ
Originally from Altdorf, Switzerland, Henry Haller first apprenticed at the famed Park Hotel in Davos, Switzerland in 1939. He spent a decade perfecting his craft in hotel and restaurant kitchens of Switzerland and then later Montreal. In 1953 he arrived in the United States and a few years later he was the Executive Chef at the Sheraton in New York, commanding a staff of fifty.

In 1966 The White House put out an open call for a Chef. Haller (indifferent to the excitement surrounding this) actually told his wife, 'Well, if they want me, they can call me." He actually did receive a call from Lady Bird Johnson, the nation's First Lady at the time. And he did get excited when he was invited to tour the White House and its kitchens. On January 20 1966, Haller officially became the Executive Chef of the White House. He served under five presidents in a period spanning twenty-two years.
He retired under the Reagan administration and has lived since in Virginia with his wife Carole. We gave Mr. Haller a call to reminisce about his White House days... + more...
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NEXT GENERATION: SERENA JOST
In the technology world, the next generation or beta version of any product is hugely anticipated and hyped as "The Next Best Thing". In the cultural realm the “next generation” could mean a number of things: if you're a Star Trek aficionado it could involve Captain Piccard, and if you're from the "Old Country" it could signify a population bracket born in the New World—but with similar complications. Ex-Rasputina (a “well corseted cello group”) member, Serena Jost, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is one such individual. Ladies and Gentlemen for your consideration, the next generation… + more...
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THE NEW FACE OF SWITZERLAND
Thabo Sefolosha, NBA rising star is not your typical NBA rising star. He's part Swiss and part South African: born on Lake Geneva, raised in Montreux; lived in five countries, fluent in three languages, plays a mean shooting guard for the NBA, reads Paul Auster, listens to Method Man...
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Swiss Roots Interviews International Pop-Star Jewel
Jewel shot to fame with the song "Who Will Save Your Soul" from her first album, "Pieces of You." Since then, she's created eight more albums, including her latest, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," and has been nominated for three Grammies.

From yodeling onstage to traveling to Switzerland, Alaska-born Jewel, whose grandfather immigrated to the US, has embraced her Swiss roots from a young age. She talked about her music, heritage, and future plans in an interview as a featured Swiss Roots celebrity. + more...
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Interview with U.S. Football Star Ben Roethlisberger
At just 23 years old, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win the Super Bowl this past February in Detroit, Michigan. He's also the first quarterback of Swiss descent to play in—and win—the big game.

Roethlisberger is also exploring his Swiss roots. This May, he'll make his first trip to Switzerland to visit his great-grandfather's village, embark on outdoor adventures, and maybe even meet Miss Switzerland. We'll let you figure out what he's looking forward to most! In the first of a series of interviews with Swiss celebrities, Swiss Roots chats with one of the NFL's rising stars. + more...
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