Regional Clubs

A chance to network with and learn from a leading entrepreneur brought a sold-out crowd to a forum co-hosted by the NU Club of Chicago and the student group InNUvation on Nov. 11. Larry Levy (EB66, KSM67), chair of Levy Restaurants and chair and CEO of the Levy Organization, a real estate development company, shared his business experiences and touched on the challenges of entrepreneurship in the current economic climate before a gathering of more than 100 students and alumni.

The NU Club of Philadelphia got into the spirit of Make a Difference Day on Oct. 12 by cleaning and landscaping a public park. A group of 15 alumni and friends removed garbage, cleared branches and beautified a playground before settling down for a picnic in the park.

Also in October, the club met in Camden, N.J., for dinner followed by a performance by the group Symphony in C. Alumni met the symphony's principal trumpet player, Chris Van Bergen (GBSM99), at a reception following the event.

On Nov. 11 the NU Club of the San Francisco Bay Area took over the University Club of San Francisco and Black Cat Bar to enjoy live music, chocolate and an assortment of fine wines. More than 60 alumni gathered to celebrate the launch of the online wine store Bibola.com, founded by Tempe Reichardt (GJ84).

The NU Club of Washington, D.C., joined forces with the Northwestern Alumni Association and the Medill School of Journalism to host A Night with Northwestern in D.C. on Nov. 6 at the National Press Club. "How the West Wing Was Won: Journalists Size Up the 2008 Vote" featured a discussion with panelists David Chalian (C95) of ABC News (see "At the Controls," fall 2008), Kwame Holman (GJ82) of PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Susan Page (J73) of USA Today. Medill professor Ellen Shearer moderated.

Politics wasn't the only item on the Washington club's agenda, however, as the group scheduled several football watch parties throughout the season. The gathering for the Wildcats' win over the University of Illinois on Nov. 22 brought out 80 revelers to BlackFinn Restaurant and Saloon in Bethesda, Md.

Purple pride also found its way to the heart of Red Sox Nation on Oct. 18, when the NU Club of Boston hosted a Homecoming watch party. More than 25 alumni gathered at the sports bar Game On! Laura Lukehart (WCAS07) won an iPod nano in a raffle benefiting the club's scholarship fund.