Insider: 4.30.14

Mystery writer and former St. Louisan Elaine Viets reads from her latest book, Catnapped!, May 8 at Left Bank Books in the Central West End. The novel, the latest in Viets’ Dead-End Jobs series, follows husband-and-wife private investigators Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont as they try to solve a murder and search for a missing show cat. Tickets are $30 and include a copy of the book. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Animal House Cat Fund Shelter.

Need to get in fighting shape for bikini season? Former  St. Louisan Heather Berkin Corndorf, now based in Minneapolis, has created a series of 20-minute online workout videos called MOXIE. “They’re fun, effective, and perfect for people who are short on time,” says Corndorf, a Parkway Central High School grad (class of ‘96) who trained as a dancer. The workouts are available at heathercfitness.com. Parents Carol and Lewis Berkin live in Town & Country.

Dr. Richard Masland, professor of ophthalmology and neurobiology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, has won the fifth annual Jay Pepose ’75 Award in Vision Sciences from Brandeis University. The award is funded by a $1 million endowment established in 2009 through a gift from St. Louisans (and Brandeis alums) Dr. Jay Pepose (class of ’75) of Pepose Vision Institute, and his wife, Susan Feigenbaum (class of ’74). Masland was recognized for his pioneering research on retinal cell organization. “It may lead to a better understanding and treatment of glaucoma and inherited retinal disorders,” Pepose explains.

Eight promising young artists from our sister city of Stuttgart, Germany, paid tribute to St. Louis’ 250th birthday by creating one of the 250 ornamental cake sculptures around town. On display under the valet portico at Missouri Athletic Club-Downtown, it’s part of STL250’s Cakeway to the West art installation. The artists, accompanied by Stuttgart’s deputy mayor Isabel Fezer, were guests of Bob Schott, director of the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities committee.

Soon-to-be-inducted Baseball Hall of Famer and former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will deliver the 2014 commencement address May 14 at Washington University. During his 33 years as a manager, La Russa won three World Series championships and 2,728 games, making him third in all-time Major League wins. He’s also the first manager to win multiple pennants in both leagues and only the second manager to win the World Series in both leagues. He’s also known for his animal rescue work and instilling his players with an interest in giving back to the community.