In his salon of a studio, where feet went up on the table and lights often dangled carelessly into the frame, Cavett presided over discussions among the most interesting people around — including authors like Norman Mailer and Truman Capote — that were undirected, unhurried, often intellectual, and always intelligent.
Mr. Sovern, who served as Columbia's president from 1980 to 1993, oversaw the admission of the first women to the university in 1983 and presided over discussions that led to the trustees' decision to divest the university of its stocks in companies doing business in South Africa.
As a regular host of Channel 4's After Dark from 1987 to 1991 he presided over discussions as various as football with AJ Ayer and John Fashanu, and murder with Patricia Highsmith and a vicar who had served time for killing his mother.
The deal, struck Thursday, was worked out before Orange County Superior Judge Jerrold S. Oliver, who also presided over discussions that led to the breakthrough Harbor Lawn settlement last July.
At the Texas Conference for Women, women from Texas and beyond will channel that independent spirit through workshops, discussions and networking opportunities presided over by Anita Perry, the first lady.
And it flies by: the multiple intermissions are presided over by the World Famous Bob and feature a Discussion Disco, where theatregoers can chew over lessons they have learned from the flowers.
When Turner is forced to attend a critical salon presided over by his great champion, the supercilious John Ruskin Joshuaa McGuire), he endures a simperingly polite discussion of gooseberries.
Table 5 was presided over by Mary Margaret Smith.
Mr. Dvorkin abstained from voting on the matter and from presiding over discussions of it, ceding to complaints within his organization that he had a conflict of interest.
With his wife at one end of the table and himself at another, Mr. Segal would preside over discussions about the issues of the day, soliciting opinions from their guests.
It turned down his application last year.Still, this rare build-up of pressure was released last week when, to the dismay of the United States, the European Union and many others, Zimbabwe's minister of environment and tourism, Francis Nhema, was elected to chair the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, where he will preside over discussions on land and rural development.
