DC IllinotesUniversity of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.Vol. 1 Issue 3 Fall 2015www.dcillini.orgIllinois in WashingtonRep.RodneyDavis,whorepresentstheUIUC andUIScampusesinCongress,spoketoIllini internsabouthiscareerandtheimportanceof supportinghighereducationduringtheNewIl-lini Welcome Reception on July 8. Theeventheldinthefall,springandsum-merattheD.C.officeofHunton&Williams welcomes local interns, recent graduates and oth-eralumninewtothearea,introducingthemto the DC Illini and some of its members. The fifth such reception since the DC Illinis outreach pro-gram began in 2013, this summers event brought in 45 attendees, including 20 interns. Following the reception, the interns and recent graduates participated in a series of small group speed dating discussions led by local alumni. TheDCIlliniisexcitedtocontinuebuild-ingthissuccessfulprogram,andweareseeking sponsors to fund similar events in the future.If you are an alum and/or local business owner in-terestedinsupportingtheprogram,orhaveany otherquestions,pleasecontacttheDCIlliniIn-tern Outreach Coordinator Eric Hutchins, at em-hutchi@gmail.com. nRep. Davis speaks at intern event for Illini students in WashingtonUniversity of Illinois Alumni Annual LuncheonWaking in the middle of the night to find your cot tearing when youre two-thirds of the way up Yosemites El Capitan. Getting caught in a whiteout near the summit of Mount Everest.More than 40 alumni and guests heard about the thrilling adven-tures of Dr. Francis Slakey, 2015 Alumni of the Year, at the clubs annual luncheon and meeting on May 17 at Wildfire-McLean. Slakey, who earned a doctorate in physics from UIUC in 1992, is the Upjohn Lec-tureronPhysicsandPublicPolicyatGeorgetownUniversity.Healsoisthefirst personinhistorytosurfeveryoceanandsummitthehighestmountainonevery continent,andwasthe28thAmericantoclimbEverestinanunguidedenviron-DC Illini President Julie HutchinsAnnual luncheon honors alumnus Francis SlakeyIllinois Alumni of the Year Chair Bob Bevins (lef) and Club President Julie Hutchins (right) greet 2015 Alumni of the Year Francis Slakey, a professor at Georgetown University and 1992 UIUC graduate. Rep. Rodney Davis spoke to Illini interns and recent graduates at the Clubs New Illini Welcome Reception in July.AsthenewpresidentofDCIllini,Imex-citedtoworkwithyoutomakeourcluba valuable organization for alumni and the uni-versity.First,letmebriefly introducemyself:I graduated with a degree innaturalresources andenvironmentalsci-encesfromtheCollege of ACES. At the Univer-sityofIllinois,Ihadso manyamazingexperi-ences and met some in-crediblepeople,includ-ingmyhusbandEric. We both have many family members who also attendedtheuniversitysvariouscampuses mysisterreceivedheraccountingdegree and my brother-in-law received his mechani-calengineeringdegreefromUrbana-Cham-paign,andmyfather-in-lawattendeddental school at UIC. The University of Illinois holds Welcoming our new club presidentPresident on Page 5Luncheon on Page 5ScholarshipwinnersannouncedUniversity of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.Fall 2015www.dcillini.orgThisyear,theClubselectedthreehighschool seniorstoreceivea$1,500scholarship.Their autobiographies are provided below. Kevin MurphyIwasborninNewMexico,buthavelivedin VirginiasinceIwastwo. Withparentswhoareen-gineers,nerdytechnical discussionshavebeenthe norm my whole life. Ilovebuildingthings andunderstandinghow andwhythingsworkas they do. 3-D printing, com-puter modeling, and graphene are my main areas of interest in the technical world.Ivebeeninvolvedinmusicmostofmylife, playingpianoforanumberofyearsandstudy-ing percussion privately for the past seven.I was invariousensemblesatWestSpringfieldHigh School(WSHS)andamcurrentlytheprincipal percussionistintheWashingtonMetropolitan YouthOrchestra.Ihavealsoplayedwiththe WashingtonMetropolitanPhilharmonic,the Fort Myer Chapel Bell Ringers and various other organizations. Ihavebeeninscoutssincefirstgrade,aman Eagle Scout, and am currently the Vice President inmyVentureCrew.Ialsoshootprecisionrifle competitively, came in ninth in regionals, and am co-captain of the WSHS team.Iworkasareceptionistandrunmyownpet/house sitting business. I appreciate the honor the DC Illini Club has given me, and look forward to being one of you in the future.Annie ThomasAnnieThomasiscurrentlyinhersenioryear at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. She has thoroughly enjoyed her four years of high school and has takeneveryopportunity tobeactiveandshowher school spirit at TJ. Shehasmanagedvar-sity football and soccer, and whennotmanaging,she wasavarsityswimmerfor TJ Swim and Dive. Outside of athletics, she is an officer of the National Hon-or Society and Russian Honor Society. Annie is also the electronics subsystem leader forTJsFIRSTRoboticsTeam,whereshededi-cates much of her time. Her love for robotics and electronics, inspired by her grandfather, a retired vicepresidentforHughesAircraft,iswhyshe plans on majoring in electrical and computer en-gineering at Illinois.Whennotinschool,Annielikestoreadand cook with her mom and sister. Annie, the oldest of four children, spends a lot of her free time with her parents and younger siblings. Outside of family, she hangs out with a group of friends who love to play Wii. Annie is thrilled to attend the University of Illinois next year. Go Fighting Illini! John KanI was born outside of Chicago and lived in the city for six years until I moved to Fairfax, Virgin-ia, in summer 2003. Since 2003 I have attended variousschoolsintheFairfaxCountyPublic School system. IamanInternational Baccalaureatecandidate thatwillbegraduating fromRobinsonSecondary School.Ihaveparticipated inavarietyoforganiza-tionsrangingfromScience Olympiad and Math Honor Society to National History Day and Rho Kappa. Inaddition,IamamemberoftheRobinson PhilharmonicOrchestraandcompetedonthe Robinsontennisteamforthreeyears.WhileI have dedicated much of my life to science and en-gineering, serving as the president and vice presi-dent of Science Olympiad as well as the secretary and vice president of Math Honor Society at Rob-inson, I also enjoy politics and reading the news. I look forward to attending Illinois and will be studying Electrical Engineering. nMeet the clubs 2015 scholarship winners Wearelookingforaphilanthropydirec-tortocoordinatetheclubscharityefforts andpeopletojoinourmembershipcom-mittee that is working on many new initia-tivestoimprovetheDCIllinimembership experience.We are also in need of event coordinators. Thesevolunteershelporganizeeventsthe clubisalreadyworkingon,oranewevent suchasatourofyourworkplaceifyou work somewhere interesting or a group out-ing.The time commitment is minimal and you will be assisted by our events chair. Formoreinformation,pleasecontact dcillinipresident@gmail.com.nBecome a DC Illini officer!DC Illini Event SpotlightNational Zoo veterinarian Dr. James Steeil, who completed his small animal internship at U of Is College of Veteri-nary Medicine, led two tours of DC Illini members through the veterinary hospital on July 19.The informational tours included the pathology and surgical areas of the hospital. Have a photo we should feature? Email it to dcillinotes@gmail.comUniversity of Illinois Scholarship Program Three local students head to Champaign-Urbana to pursue engineeringUniversity of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.Fall 2015www.dcillini.orgJimRoottookhisfriendand classmateBonnieJaschtothe ROTC Military Ball in 1964, but hadnt seen her since he gradu-ated later that year.Thatchangedwhenheat-tendedtheDCIllinisannual luncheonandmeetinginMay. RootsoldfriendJasch,last namenowMampe,happened to sit next to his wife Ann at the event, but none of the three re-alized it until they started chat-ting.I said, Do you realize I took youtoadance50yearsago? Rootrecalled,laughing.Nei-theroneofusrecognizedeach other.MampetoldDCIllinotes shehadfondmemoriesofthe evening:Fordinner,Roothad takentoherabowlingalley inChampaignthathedheard servedgoodfood,andshe laughed as she remembered the twoweresodeepinconversa-tionRootnearlyforgottopay the bill.To enter the ball, Mampe and Root had to walk under an arch of swords. And she remembered the women were all given dance cardsthatmenusedtosignup for dances.It was a positive experience, shesaid.Themilitaryballwas always a fun thing to go to at Il-linois.Aftergraduatingwitha mathdegree,Rootwenton toserveintheAirForceand laterworkedforanonprofitin D.C.Hessinceretired.Mean-while,Mampelaterearneda mastersdegreeandcompleted coursework for a doctorate. She workedforseveralgovernment agencies,severalconsulting firmsandownedaNorthern Virginia barbeque restaurant.Itwasnicetoknowafter allthislongperiodoftimethat someonefromIllinois,from thatlongago,stillremembers you and that you can make a connection, Mampe said. nFriends reunited at luncheon after 50 years apartAnnual luncheon What is your favorite club memory? There are so many memories but I have to say it all goes back to my first event: a simple happy hour. I didnt know what to expect when Igotthere,but,withintwohours,I went from not knowing many people in D.C. to making four great friends I still hang out with every chance I can.Why would yourecommend peoplejoining the club?Youneverknowwheretheworld isgoingtotakeyou,butitsgreatto have fellow Illini during the journey. If you told me before I joined that Id betravelingtoAlaskawithmywife andfellowDCIllinitovisitaDCIl-lini member working in Anchorage, I wouldnthavebelievedyou.Theop-portunitiesseemlimitlesswhenyou havesuchagoodgroupofpeopleat your side. MywifeandIhaveonlybeenin D.C.forfouryears,butwehaveal-ready made friendships we know will last the rest of our lives.nThe opportunities seem limitless: Reflections from the clubs 2015 service award winnersJason A. Cantone (lef), the clubs scholar-ship director and newsletter chair, won the Mulvaney Award for Exemplary Service presented by Merle Mulvaney (right). Photo courtsey of James RootLoyalty Award for Exceptional Service: Linda Moll What is your favorite club memory? Idonthaveasinglefavorite memory.Someareofattending club-anduniversity-sponsored eventsatwhichIvechattedwith D.C. movers and shakers, mem-bers of Congress and the Supreme Court,orwell-knownjournalists Id read since college days. Whilethatmightberoutine hereinD.C.,itsnotsomething IimaginedmyselfdoingwhenI wasgrowingupinIllinois.Other memoriesseemmoremundane butperhapsaremoreimportant forthelongtermmeetingfel-lowclubmemberswhodointer-esting work, who become friends, who are just charming and giving peopletospendsomefunhours with.Why would yourecommend people joining the club?Idurgepeopletojointheclub andparticipateinitsactivities tolearnmoreaboutthena-tionscapital,toreminisceabout thegooddaysatschool,maybe to network with for that next job, and to give back to the University of Illinois. nLinda Moll (right), outgoing Secretary for the club, received the Loyalty Award for Exceptional Service from UIAA represen-tative Allison Henning (lef) at the annual luncheon. Mulvaney Award for Exemplary Service: Jason A. Cantone University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C. Fall 2015www.dcillini.orgIn March 2015, the club invited mem-berstocompleteasurveyaboutwhat type of events they would be interested in attending. More than 100 responded andprovidedcommentsthatwillhelp strengthenourfutureofferingsand continue to serve our membership.Membersnotedthegreatestinterest in attending professional events related totheirspecificmajororjob(63per-cent), networking events for all ages (47 percent)andgeneralinterestspeakers aboutcurrentevents(46percent).As expected,membersunderage30were muchmorelikelytobeinterestedin young Illini networking events.Theclubalsounderstandsmembers budgetlimitations.Everymembersaid theywouldconsiderattendingfree events,butthatdroppedto85percent if the event costs up to $20, 69 percent if the event costs $20-$45, and down to 37 percent if the event costs more than $45.Thisvariedbythemembersage, with younger members strongly prefer-ring less expensive events.The survey also asked about the clubs game watch events. Members interested in these events were split on how influ-ential ease of parking is to their attend-ing a game watch, with 44 percent say-ingitisverydesirableand40percent saying it is not important to their deci-sion.Metro accessibility was important to 66 percent of members interested in game watches, with the majority noting thataD.C.locationwasverydesirable (40percentand18percentpreferred aNorthernVirginiaorMarylandloca-tion, respectively).Members were not partial to either a sports bar or family-friendly sports bar, but were generally not interested in at-tendingofficialgamewatchesinthe home of a club member. In addition, 76 percent were interested in an organized triptoanEastCoastsportsmatch-up (such as Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland or a non-conference game).Forvolunteeringactivities,63per-centwereinterestedinoutdoorac-tivitiessuchastheArlingtonCemetery wreathlayingand60percentwerein-terestedinindooractivitiessuchasat the DC Central Kitchen.Thesurveyalsoaskedifclubmem-bers were interested in a variety of oth-er social events. The most popular ones were: tours of local sites and landmarks (57 percent), wine tastings (52 percent), localCubsgames(51percent),perfor-manceevents(forexample,comedy shows,theater)(44percent),andlocal Blackhawks games (41 percent).TheMembershipCommitteeand Eventschairthankeveryonewhopar-ticipated in the survey. If you have event ideas or more feedback, email eventsd-cillini@gmail.com.Welookforwardto better serving you in the year ahead. nSurvey results are in:Help keep our scholarship program strong by donating to the DC Illini scholarship fund! Donations can be made online at http://bit.ly/1vMtAsd.DC Illini attend Cubs at NationalsClub members attended the Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals baseball game in June, one of the Clubs well-attended annual events. Membersoffersuggestionstoimprove andexpandtheClubseventofferingsDC Illini Events CalendarD.C. Central KitchenAug. 14, 5 p.m.Join fellow Illini and help prepare meals for the homeless in D.C.Illini Happy Hour @ BlackFinnAug. 19, 5:30 p.m.Get together with other grads for a few drinks afer work. Tour the National CathedralAug. 29, 10 a.m. Discover the story of this Washington landmark; purchase by 8/15Illini Football Game WatchesDates VaryJoin us for Fighting Illini football game watches all season long! Big Ten Capitol Area Golf OutingSept. 201:30 p.m. shotgun start at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia.Blackhawks @ CapitalsOct. 15, 7 p.m.The Stanley Cup champions come to town; purchase tickets by 8/15Campus Alumni Network SoftballThe 2015 DC Illini sofball team won their division in the Capital Alumni Network league with a 9-5 record that included wins over Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, and Iowa. They are currently playing in the 68 team alumni tournament where they have advanced to the round of the final 32 teams.Fighting Illini Game WatchesJoin fellow Illinois football lovers for game watches with rafle prizes featuring great Illini swag!Game watch dates and locations will be sent in DC Illini e-mails and posted on the DC Illini Facebook page throughout the season.For more information, or to host a game watch at a local bar, contact Susie Wachowski at swachow2@gmail.com.aspecialplaceinmyheart,andImhonoredto work with so many wonderful fellow alumni who volunteer in various capacities for the DC Illini.One of my priorities as president is to improve theDCIllinimembershipexperience.Wehave recentlyformedavibrantandmotivatedmem-bership committee under the leadership of Mem-bershipDirectorBrianLegan.Thecommittee continues to grow, and members are developing innovative ideas to boost membership.Wearealsointheprocessofrollingouta Members Only section of our website that is ac-cessibleonlytodues-payingDCIllinimembers andregisteredrecentgraduates.Similartoser-vices many other professional organizations offer to their members, this section will offer exclusive forumswherememberscancommunicatewith fellowalumniontopicslikeemployment,hous-ing and upcoming events.TheDCIlliniBoardrecentlyvotedtobegina corporatesponsorshipprogramsimilartothose atotherUniversityofIllinoisalumniclubs. Throughtheprogram,businesseswillhavethe chancetoadvertiseonthewebsiteshomepage and in DC Illinotes. The membership committee iscurrentlyworkingoutthedetailsofthepro-gram,butallrevenuereceivedwillbeinvested backintoimprovingtheDCIllinimembership experience,likeimprovedmember-onlyevents andnetworkingopportunities.Sostaytunedto learn more about this exciting new program!Ifyouareinterestedinbecomingmorein-volved with the DC Illini or I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me at dcil-linipresident@gmail.com.Ilookforwardtosee-ing you at future DC Illini events!Julie HutchinsDC Illini Presidentmental expedition. (For more on Dr. Slakey, see hisbiographyontheclubswebsite:http://bit.ly/1fYcxA4)Hesaidheandhiscompanionssurvivedthe whiteout through teamwork. Wecaredaboutthewelfareofsomeonebe-sides ourselves, he said. Slakey also cares about energypolicyandglobalwarmingeverygla-cier Ive climbed is smaller now, he said. His latest pursuit is the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize (www.guep.org), a mul-tiyearcompetitioninwhich50U.S.communi-tieswillworkwiththeirlocalgovernmentsand utilitiestodecreaseenergyuseandeducatethe public and students in energy efficiency. He rec-ognized in particular a 10-year-old girl who lob-bied her city to get involved: All of you know the community, he said. [Its] Urbana.Attheluncheon,ScholarshipDirectorJason Cantoneintroducedclubmemberstotheclubs threescholarshiprecipientsforthe2015-2016 academicyear.AnnieThomas,JohnKanand KevinMurphywilleachstudyadifferentengi-neeringfieldattheUniversityofIllinoisatUr-bana-Champaign. They were very grateful for the $1,500 scholarship made possible by club mem-bers dues. It is clear that these students are academic all stars, but they are so much more than that, said Cantone,a2004graduateoftheCollegeofLib-eralArtsandSciences.Theyareactiveintheir community, in sports, in their schools and will be great additions to the University of Illinois.Invited speaker Allison Henning brought news from the U of I Alumni Association and the cam-pus,includingabouttheinductionofTimothy Kileenaspresident,thegraduationof20,000 students,andcontinuedbudgetconcerns,espe-cially with proposed large cuts in state funding. HenningpresentedLindaMoll,aUICgradu-ateandlong-timeclubsecretaryandScholar-ship Committee member, with the U of I Loyalty Award for Exceptional Service. Board member Merle Mulvaney presented the Mulvaney Award for Exemplary Service to Jason Cantone,whohasbeenscholarshipdirectorfor twoyearsand,thisyear,ledtherevivalofthis club newsletter as newsletter chair. Clubmembersatthemeetingalsoapproved theboardslateforthecomingyear,whichis available below. nUniversity of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington D.C.Fall 2015www.dcillini.orgOFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERSLUNCHEON from page 1The DC Illini strive to support the educational purposes of the University of Illinois, cultivate friendship among club members and express loyalty to the university.We are also committed to providing community service to the area as well as to the U of I. We do this through a variety of educational, social, cultural and athletic activities, and programs. Graduates, former students and friends of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago or Springfield may join. DC Illini provides a great way to get to know the area and to expand your social and professional networks. Dues-paying DC Illini members receive discounts on club events. Club dues are $30 per year. Two-thirds of your annual dues go directly to the club scholarship fund to support local students going to the University of Illinois.Events ChairClaire HuberMembership DirectorBrian LeganScholarship DirectorJason CantoneSocial MediaPaige DeckertAnnual Luncheon ChairEmily BardalesIllini of the Year ChairBob BevinsBears Viewing ChairJim BillamoriaJan Mulvaney Award Dir.Merle MulvaneyWebmasterBurt WagnerGame Watch CoordinatorSusie WachowskiPresidentJulie HutchinsVice PresidentEric HutchinsSecretaryBonnie MaidakTreasurerLloyd StallingsPRESIDENT from page 1This issue included articles by Julie Hutchins, Eric Hutchins, Jason Cantone, Whitney Wyckof, Claire Huber, Linda Moll, and Susie Wachowski.Newsletter ChairJason CantoneNewsletter DesignAdam NekolaNewsletter EditorWhitney Wyckoff