Aris Melissaratos, whose job title at Johns Hopkins University would eat up half of this column?s word count, held a gathering at his Greenspring Valley home recently, not only to show appreciation for all those who made the 2007 HeartBall a success but also to issue a challenge to make HeartBall 2008 an even greater achievement.

The guest list included many top Maryland business leaders and philanthropists, whose generous support of this year?s ball ? co-chaired by Brown Advisory?s Greg Barnhill and his wife, Lisa ? benefited The American Heart Association.