Eat Like a King

In late September, King—along with fellow alumnus Len Elmore ’78—decked themselves out in Terrapin T-shirts and dug into Ledo’s famously rectangular pizza—pepperoni, onions and extra cheese for King, an “Everything” for Elmore—while the TV cameras rolled and curious Ledo’s customers watched. The verdict? “On a scale of one to five,” King says, “Ledo’s easily scores a five.”

Afterwards, King toured the kitchen and discovered the secret behind the pizza’s addictive taste: smoked provolone rather than mozzarella cheese. Once the cameras stopped rolling, King chatted up the restaurant’s customers and apologized for the commotion. “She was very gracious,” says Ledo’s owner Tommy Marcos. “The whole thing was fun and a bit surreal.”

King’s segment on Ledo Restaurant aired November 1 on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” —AK

Terrapin Tale Seeks to Save the Turtle

JENNIFER KEATS CURTIS ’91, M.A. ’93 first encountered a diamondback terrapin during her freshman year at the University of Maryland. “I rubbed Testudo’s nose before all of my English exams, and I always did really well,” she says of the beloved bronze statue overlooking McKeldin Mall.

Her introduction to the terrapin was not unlike many other Maryland students, and this, says Curtis, is a concern. “Terrapins are our state reptile. It’s so sad that most kids haven’t had the opportunity to see a real one.”

That is something that Curtis hopes to change.

In a partnership with the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Curtis now visits elementary school classrooms with her terrapin sidekick Rascal and her recently released children’s book, Turtles in My Sandbox (Sylvan Dell Publishing), to educate students on how they can help save Maryland’s adored reptile.

Turtles in My Sandbox, Curtis’ second children’s book, tells the tale of Maggie, a little girl who finds diamondback terrapin eggs while playing in her sandbox. Maggie becomes a “turtle sitter,” and helps the eggs to hatch safely. She raises the hatchlings until they become big enough to fend for themselves, and then, with the help of experts, she releases them into the wild.

The story parallels two head-start programs in which elementary school students help to raise baby terrapins under the supervision of classroom teachers.

“When you’re a little kid, you think that there aren’t a lot of things that you can do, but in this case they really are contributing to the survival of this animal,” she says.

When not spreading the word about terrapin survival, Curtis works as a freelance writer for magazines, including Maryland Life, It’s Your Life and Corridor Inc. Her new book on ospreys debuts this year.

“I love writing for kids,” she says. “I have a vivid imagination and to be able to take my love of writing and combine it with real life stuff to create a lesson, it excites me.” -JP

For more on Turtles in My Sandbox as well as fun facts, an interactive lab and tips for school activities, visit www.terrapinbook.com.

Small Loans, Big Results

Alumna Maria Otero (right) advocates providing small loans to give others a step up.

MARIA OTERO ’72, M.A. ’74 has shared a stage with Bill Clinton and walked dusty Kenyan markets with billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates.

But as president and CEO of ACCION International, a nonprofit organization providing financial support to poor entrepreneurs, Otero also spends quality time with people of humbler means.

“Part of my effort is to visit the woman who bakes bread in a mud oven from her dirt floor house and talk to her about her life, find out what we can do to help her improve her life,” says Otero, who spends half the year traveling to meet and serve those living in poverty.

Otero studied English and romance literature at Maryland, hoping to become a professor. The Bolivian native was also involved with a student organization focused on Latin America, including the 1973 coup in which General Pinochet took control of Chile. It was a seminal time in Otero’s life.

She decided not to pursue her doctorate in literature, embarking instead on a two-year journey to Bolivia that convinced her to get involved in political economics.

Earning a master’s degree in international relations and being fluent in Spanish and Portuguese made her a natural for jobs in Brazil and other Latin American nations. She joined ACCION in 1986 and spent three years directing lending in Honduras.

Among Otero’s career highlights is the 1992 creation of the world’s first bank for the poor. The borrowers couldn’t qualify for loans through established lenders, but ACCION’s partner in Bolivia issued small loans to buy equipment or supplies. Through microfinance, amounts as low as $100 created sustainable businesses.

“That was very revolutionary,” says Otero. “It proved to people that you could do it in a way that was financially viable.”

When she became CEO in 2000, she took ACCION’s programs global, first to Africa and then to India. Today, microfinance is a celebrated economic tool with a historic repayment rate of 97 percent. That fact helps Otero convince donors and private finance organizations that a little help goes a long way.“We believe we are really helping people move out of poverty,” she says. -KM

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