J David Gladstone Institute

A member of the family was getting an award from Gladstone and so that meant me and the wife had to attend the ceremony slash holiday dinner party at the Hotel Kabuki. It was a nice dinner — not too swanky and the food was decent. The only thing I dreaded was the speeches after dinner.
Here’s the thing: I actually learned something about this place and have to say I’m seriously impressed.
The Gladstone Institute is basically a bunch of postdoctoral fellows and research scientists doing studies on cardiovascular disease, HIV/​AIDS, and Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. Pretty cool and inspirational. *que the violins*
It’s one of the few times I felt like a place was contributing something to the betterment of our future.
The surprisingly nice thing was they know how to show their appreciation for all the people who work there. The award ceremony wasn’t just for the researchers who found some breakthrough discovery. It also thanked the lab techs, IT folks, and administrative staff for all their contributions as well.
The spirit of the night was best captured when I saw the President mingling with everyone there. He even joked to me and the wife that dancing too close to the speaker would deafen us. Nice guy.
Are all non-​profits this amicable?
If so, I need to find a new job.
And just to break one stereotype, when the lights went down and the DJ started spinning the House music, these same scientist-​type folks really knew how to let loose. Weird.
At one point, I just wanted to raise my hands up to the sky and scream, «Go Science, Go Science, Go Science.»