An Evening With Roberta Flack

Tonight we were serenaded by Roberta Flack at the Rainbow PUSH College Scholarship dinner Gala. It is the 37th Annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition Conference & of course ran into Rev. Jesse Jackson for the second time this week (see June 24th entry). Singing back-up to Roberta Flack was Tony Terry, an artist whose cassette single (yes, I am THAT old!) I bought in 1991 when he sang a song called “With You”. He sang that song this evening to the crowd.

Silver Wicket a Smashing Success!

Silver Wicket was amazing!! My sister & co-chair, LeAnita & I had a great time with a spectacular group of people. She and I resurrected an age-old tradition of our Woman's Club. It has been defunct for two years and we decided to bring it back. After spending a year last year as Junior League Sustainer Co-Chairs and New Member Chairs, prior to that, we put our "Wonder Twin Powers" to work yet once again. Needless to say, the day was gorgeous and then we had a major downpour right at the croquet kick-off. But it soon passed and the weather was perfect again. The court was flanked with Gatsby-esque attire and thanks to my Escada outfit, I won best dressed. We had some amazing classic and modern cars on the Green as well. My favorite was the Rolls Royce whose hood emblem would retract every time the car is locked & of course Mercedes through the years from classic to modern, including my own red sports model, which I have named Ralph Lauren (all of my cars have had men's names). Our event raised scholarship money for high school students. My niece & nephew were the youngest "croqueters" and did a fabulous job getting the ball through the wickets.

Chicago Sun-Times Social pages

Tonight my sister, LeAnita & I attended the N’Digo Foundation Gala at the Chicago Civic Opera House, chaired by Rep. Jesse Jackon, Jr. Approximately 1100 people attended the event, which honored six leaders in the community. Twenty-three students receives scholarships as a result of the fundraising. We appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times column, Susanna’s night Out

Happy Birthday Giuseppe!

For 17 years of my life, we had a little black and white shih-tzu named “Giuseppe”, which is Italian for Joseph. Seppe received his name after my mother, sister & I went on holiday to Europe when I was 12-years-old. In Italy, we rode on a bus driven by a Roman named Giuseppe who drove us from Rome through the Swiss Alps. He was quite adorable and a very nice guy. Shortly after our trip, my mother surprised me with a puppy for my birthday. Struggling to give him a name, my sister blurted out “Giuseppe” and it stuck. Although Giuseppe is no longer with us, I think about him all of the time-especially this week because it would have been his birthday. Several years ago, I did a feature on NBC 5 in Dallas about Seppe for “Take Your Dog to Work Day”. Believe it or not, after doing the show, he had a heart attack that evening, survived and lived another two years! When he died he was 17-years-old. I hope you enjoy Giuseppe hard at work as a news reporter.

Surgery is a Success!

Meeting Senator Kennedy while on holiday in Maine. The senator told us where to find his favorite Chowder House-for New England clam chowder of course, not Manhattan. After 3.5 hours in the OR, Senator Kennedy’s surgery was a success, according to his neurosurgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman at Duke University Medical Center. His next step is chemo & radiation to shrink what is left of the tumor. My favorite neurosurgeon on TV is Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He describes Kennedy’s treatment plan on his blog: Paging Dr. Gupta Above is a photo of the day I met Senator Kennedy in Maine. I had just graduated as a Mass Comm/PoliSci major and was asking him about KSG (Kennedy School of Government). At the time I was studying to apply to KSG for a Master’s in Public Policy. During this conversation I found myself asking him for the opportunity to work in his office instead. The senator was absolutely amazing & I ended up working in his office assisting his counsel. I spent much of my time researching technology & education issues. It is one of the best experiences I have had. One of my favorite memories is of Senator Kennedy’s dog, Blarney, running around the office in the Russel Building. Working in his office set me on a great path-especially as a political news reporter.