The Insider: 11.2.16

Clayton High School alum Michael Rohrbaugh (’00, pictured above) will enjoy a homecoming of sorts when his short film, American Male, appears in the St. Louis Film Festival at 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Tivoli. The talented writer and producer has worked for NBC Universal, Bravo, Oprah and Z Living. This is his fourth short, and he is currently developing a full-length feature—and making St. Louis proud!

One of the recipes in a new Joan Nathan cookbook about Jewish heritage cooking was taken from Helen Starkman Fischer, mother of T&S editor Dorothy Weiner. Sarah Weiner (Clayton H.S. ’98) worked with Nathan to trace the origins of the recipe, Blueberry Buns, to Bodzentyn, Poland. The book, King Solomon’s Table, publishes April 4, 2017.

Chalk up another great book to the credit of hometowners Dan and Connie Burkhardt. The Missouriphiles have penned Growing Up with the River, a book chronicling the history and beauty of the Missouri River Valley. Illustrations are by Missouri artist Bryan Haynes, and all proceeds from book sales go to the conservation nonprofits Katy Land Trust and Magnificent Missouri.

A big congratulations to Dr. George Macones, head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University, for being among the 79 new members inducted into the National Academy of Medicine last month. Members are chosen based on their contributions to advancing public health. Macones, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, is renowned for his research on the safety of vaginal birth after Caesarean and directs the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at W.U.