60's 65th

January 2003

Dear Friends

60’s 65th is shaping up to be our best class party ever. We estimate attendance of as many as 200 classmates and guests based on your responses to date.

This is a weekend that you will not want to miss. Here are just a few reasons why.

• You’ll get to see old friends and make new ones.
• You’ll eat well.
• You’ll stay in a fabulous hotel at an affordable rate.
• You’ll gain a special insight into one of America’s truly great cities.

We’ve developed a program that will appeal to everyone. From the Thursday night cocktail at Barry and Mary Ann MacLean’s apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, to a delicious Sunday brunch with friends, we guarantee an entertaining and stimulating time.

Here’s what you’ll find included in this mailing:

1. Information on our hotel and how to make hotel reservations (next page)
2. A detailed program for the three-day weekend
3. An “Event Reservation and Payment Form” (colored green) – return ASAP
4. Golf Outing contact information (next page)

Here’s what you should do.

• Make the decision to attend.
• Call Le Meridien right away for reservations to take advantage of the special rate.
• Fill in the “Event Reservation and Payment Form” and return it with your payment.
• If you’re interested in golf, get in touch with Marty Lower.
• Make your travel plans.
• Call your friends and tell them you expect to see them in Chicago in June.

We look forward to seeing you in June!

Alan Danson, for the 60’s 65th Working Group
Walter and Karen Freedman, Barry and Mary Ann MacLean, Jim and Marty Brannen

PLEASE SAVE THIS LETTER AND THE ATTACHMENTS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. THERE WILL BE NO OTHER MAILINGS. ON ARRIVAL, PLEASE CHECK WITH THE
LE MERIDIEN CONCIERGE FOR ANY CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM.

60’ 65th – Chicago, Hotel, Golf, Etc.

THE CITY

Chicago is a happening city that is easy and economical to get to. Called by some the country’s biggest small town, it has some of the best museums, restaurants and nightlife to be found anywhere, plus inspiring architecture, great music and theater, the wonderful Lincoln Park Zoo, professional baseball, street fairs, shopping and, of course, beautiful Lake Michigan for beaches and boating. For the fitness crowd, there’s jogging, biking and golf, and gamblers can take in the riverboat casinos. There’s something for everyone, and if you don’t believe us, just log on to www.metromix.com. And being Midwestern, Chicago tends to be a friendlier place than other big cities.

OUR HOTEL

We’ve obtained a favorable rate for rooms at the beautiful Le Meridien Chicago Hotel (www.lemeridien-chicago.com). Newly opened in 2001, the hotel is located on Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile, at 521 N. Rush Street at Michigan Avenue. Formerly the McGraw Hill building, the structure was declared a City of Chicago landmark in 1997, and marks the largest reconstruction of a landmark facade in the history of the city. This is truly a first class hotel, with European ambiance and service. The hotel is holding a limited number of rooms at the special rate of $189.00 per night (the rate is for single or double occupancy, and is before the 14.9% room tax). This rate is available from June 2 through June 11.

You must contact the hotel directly to make reservations.
Call 312-645-1500 between 8 AM and 6:30 PM CST. Ask for reservations and refer to the “Dartmouth Reunion Group”. Do not delay!

GOLF OUTING

Barry MacLean has made arrangements for a golf outing (co-ed) Thursday morning, June 5, at the Shore Acres Club in Lake Bluff. This is a wonderful opportunity for experienced golfers, as this Seth Reynor-designed course is rated in the top 100. Tee time is between 8 and 8:30 AM. Marty Lower will coordinate the event (making up foursomes, prizes and helping with transportation).

Please respond directly to Marty at malower1@aol.com or 847-970-4609. Space is limited, so respond ASAP.

BASEBALL

The Cubs will be in town during our stay. They play Tampa Bay on Wednesday and Thursday and the Yankees on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All the games are in the afternoon.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES INFORMATION

For information or suggestions on activities other than the official activities, feel free to contact Karen Harrison Freedman at home, 773-525-0111, or Walter Freedman, at 312-981-3776, during business hours.

60’S 65TH -- PROGRAM

Thursday June 5. Arrival. If you are planning to participate in the Thursday morning golf outing, you should arrive on Wednesday, June 4. Otherwise, plan your arrival for Thursday, June 5, by 3 PM, to give you time to get to the hotel and get ready for the first class event.

Thursday June 5. 5:30-7:30 PM. MacLean Cocktail. Barry and Mary Ann MacLean are hosting a cocktail party at their apartment, 800 North Michigan Avenue #5201, just five blocks from the hotel. You’ll enjoy the magnificent view over Lake Michigan while greeting old friends. There will be plenty of hors d’oeuvres to satisfy your hunger, but since Chicago is a city full of wonderful restaurants and entertainment venues (see the attached list prepared by the Freedmans or check the Metromix web site) after the cocktail party you may want to plan to go out with a group of friends to dinner or a show or concert, or both.

Friday June 6. Morning. Architecture Tour by Boat. The New York Times last October 6 raved about the Chicago Architectural Foundation’s wonderful tour along the Chicago River and its three downtown spurs to see the glorious architecture of the Windy City from a unique vantage point. You will marvel at the soaring towers of Chicago's Loop while enjoying sparkling river vistas. We expect to have our own boat and to entice one or more of Chicago’s leading architects to accompany us to supplement the regular Foundation docents who provide (as the Times notes) “an Architecture 101 commentary about early Chicago, modernism and post modernism,” spotlighting over 50 historic and architecturally significant sites and offering a unique perspective on the city.

The embarkation point is only a short walk from our hotel. We’ll start at 10 AM and finish before Noon. Space is limited to 150, so please return your “Event Registration and Payment Form” ASAP. And, if you want to see more architecture, the Foundation offers city walking tours and Frank Lloyd Wright bus tours. See their web site -- www.architecture.org.

Friday June 6. Lunch and early afternoon. Free time for optional activites.

Friday June 6. 3:00 – 5:00 PM. Class Discussion at the Gleacher Center. This could be the most interesting event of the weekend. Our classmate, David Bond, and his wife Diane, who have just published a new book, Future Perfect – Retirement Strategies for Productive People, have graciously agreed to lead a discussion that is sure to send you home with a new perspective on what the future holds. We suggest that you read the book to prepare for the discussion. The book is available at www.amazon.ca (not .com). It is described as a thought provoking helpful guide to planning retirement that debunks widespread myths about the over 65 crowd and shows that continued productivity after 65 will benefit the economy, society and the retiree. The Bonds recommend active planning -- gaining an understanding of what it is that you really want to do and why and where, and generating the options that will ensure that your next career in "retirement" is even more fulfilling and rewarding than your previous one. Interspersed with savvy advice are case studies of well-known individuals who have successfully reinvented themselves upon retirement from their previous careers.

The Gleacher Center is the beautiful, new, downtown home of the graduate school of business of the University of Chicago, located along the Chicago River very near our hotel. Light refreshments will be provided. Again, attendance at the Gleacher Center event is limited to 150, so you are urged to return your “Event Registration Form” and payment ASAP. You won’t want to miss this enlightening discussion.

Friday June 6. 6:30 - 9 PM. Informal Class Dinner. This evening you will enjoy a “family-style” Italian feast in a private room at Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush Street Restaurant (very near our hotel). Dress is informal. You are encouraged to make plans to gather with friends after the dinner to sample Chicago’s varied nightlife.

Saturday June 7. Museum Morning. You cannot visit Chicago without visiting at least a few of its many world-class museums (see “MUSEUM PROFILES”). We will provide transportation to several of the most popular venues – the Museum Campus that includes the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium; the Art Institute; the Museum of Science and Industry; and the Children’s Museum. At most venues, we will have arranged for VIP treatment, with brief remarks from the museum director or another knowledgeable executive. You can visit some or all the museums, time permitting. A light lunch will be provided for us at one of the venues, hosted by a museum director.

Saturday June 7. Afternoon. Leisure time for relaxing with friends and optional activities. You can extend your museum visit and return to the hotel on your own, if you wish.

Saturday June 7. 6:00 – 10 PM. Art Institute Tour and Gala “Birthday” Dinner. This is the BIG event of the weekend. We will first be treated to a docent led tour of the AI’s world-famous Impressionist collection (see MUSEUM PROFILES). Then we will go on to cocktails and dinner in the unique Louis Sullivan-designed art deco stock trading room, originally part of the Chicago Stock Exchange, that has been reassembled in its own special wing at the Art Institute. Tony Jones, President of the School of the Art Institute and Co-CEO of the Art Institute itself, who is one of the foremost art educators in the U.S. today, will be our dinner speaker. He is a broadcaster, writer and historian of art and design who has hosted three television series for the BBC, so we can look forward to an entertaining and informative talk from Tony.

Dress for the Gala is elegant – black tie suggested for the men.

Sunday June 8. No specific events have been scheduled, but if your departure plans leave you extra time, we can suggest a brunch with friends (see “RESTAURANTS”), a bike ride along Lake Michigan or a visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

PROGRAM COST

We have arranged an attractive package price of $350 per person for the two dinners (Friday and Saturday), the Architecture Tour By Boat, and the Museum Morning. The Thursday cocktail and the Class Discussion at the Gleacher Center are open to all (on a space available basis for the Discussion) at no additional cost. The Saturday Gala Dinner is not optional, but if you are unable to attend the Friday dinner, a credit of $50 per person will apply, and if you are not interested in either the Boat Tour or the Museum Morning, a $10 credit per person per event will apply. Examples:

• 2 attendees all events -- $700
• 2 attendees all events except Friday dinner -- $600
• 2 attendees all events except Friday dinner and both tours -- $560

Since space is limited for some of the activities, we urge you to fill out the “Event Reservation and Payment Form” and return it with your check as soon as possible.

60’s 65th -- MUSEUM PROFILES

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world’s most famous art museums, particularly known for its collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by artists like Monet, Renoir, Seurat and Caillebotte. Favorite works (aside from the stone lions at the front entrance) include “A Sunday Afternoon on La Grand Jatte––1884” by Seurat, “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper, and 33 of Monet’s paintings. The contemporary art exhibit features a Warhol portrait of Mao as its centerpiece.

The Chicago Children’s Museum. This multicultural playground at Navy Pier is filled with blocks, mechanical waterfalls, foam-rubber flying machines, paints, clay and more. In the “Inventing Lab,” kids design flying machines out of foam rubber, then put them on a vertical conveyer belt that carries them to the ceiling and surrenders them to gravity. In “Waterways,” kids can borrow raincoats to help build a dam on an imitation waterfall, examine the workings of a waterwheel and fit pipes over jets of water. The centerpiece of the museum is the “Climbing Schooner,” a three-story-tall replica of an 1850s sailing ship that kids can climb on.

The Field Museum. Part of Chicago’s Museum Campus, the Field Museum educates and entertains visitors with exhibits about nature and culture, prehistoric to present. One if its most popular attractions is Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T.rex dinosaur skeleton.

The Adler Planetarium, part of the Museum Campus, has state-of-the-art exhibits like the CyberSpace Gallery, where visitors can take a virtual tour of the International Space Station. Travel through the Milky Way in the StarRider Theater, step into infinite space in “The Gateway to the Universe,” or plunge into the sun’s in “Solar Storms.” See how ancient celestial observatories predicted the sun’s movement in the America’s Courtyard where a collection of 60 stone pieces stands like Chicago’s own Stonehenge.

The Shedd Aquarium is also part of the Museum Campus. With nearly 80 tanks filled with more than 300 species of aquatic creatures from around the world, the Shedd is the largest indoor aquarium in the world. Catch a feeding at the Coral Reef exhibit, when divers describe sea animals swimming around them, including sharks and turtles. “Amazon Rising” brings to life one of the world’s most diverse environments, where anaconda, piranhas and arawanas make their home.

The Museum of Science and Industry. "Titanic: The New Exhibition" is drawing big crowds to this Hyde Park institution, but long-time favorites, including a U-505 German submarine from World War II, a "fairy castle" doll house and a coal mine, continue to please locals and visitors.

60’s 65th -- RESTAURANT GUIDE

Here are just a few of Walter and Karen Freedman’s recommendations (most are easy to get to from our hotel). Prices range from moderate to expensive. All of these and many more can be reviewed at www.metromix.com. * = open for lunch

STEAKS (for which Chicago is famous)

• Gibson’s 1028 N. Rush St. 312-266-8999 Expensive The place to be seen, with amazing portions
• Tavern on Rush 1031 N. Rush St. 312-664-9600 Expensive Great red meat
• Gene and Georgetti’s 500 N. Franklin 312-527-3718 Expensive Classic Chicago, Italian as well, retro 40’s atmosphere

ITALIAN:

• * Coco Pazzo 300 W. Hubbard 312-836-0900 Moderate to expensive Great anitipasto selection; unusual entrées; Tuscan
• * Coco Pazzo Cafe 636 N. St. Clair 312-664-2777 Moderate Sister restaurant to above –very close to the hotel
• Dinotto Ristorante W. Wells Moderate Old Town neighborhood; great pasta choices
• * Spiaggia 900 N. Michigan 312-527-3700 Very expensive Amazing view of the lake; beautiful food presentations

VIETNAMESE:

• * Le Colonial 937 N. Rush St. 312-255-0088 Moderate Great choice for those wanting to try something different
• * Pasteur 5525 N. Broadway 773-878-1061 Moderate Unusual presentations, lovely atmosphere—but a cab ride away (15 min)

FRENCH:

• * Kiki’s Bistro 900 N. Franklin 312-335-5454 Moderate Everything is good, particularly the calf’s liver
• Les Nomades 222 E. Ontario 312-649-9010 Very expensive A very special evening with delectable choices: fixed-price menu only
• Mon Ami Gabi 2300 N. Lincoln Park West 773-348-8886 Moderate Classis bistro selections with great French fries
• Ritz Carlton Dining Room 160 E. Pearson 312-573-5223 Very expensive Beautiful room with one of top chefs in the country

GREEK:

• Costa’s 340 Halstead 312-263-9700 Moderate, ethnic, in Greek Town

SUNDAY BRUNCH:

• House of Blues (gospel brunch) 333 N. Dearborn 312-245-0333 nearby
• Bistro 110 110 E. Pearson St. 312-266-3110 nearby
• Adobo Grill 1610 N. Wells St. 312-266-7999 in Old Town
• The Peninsula, The Ritz and The Four Seasons all have good (and expensive) brunches
  

Alan Danson, for the 60’s 65^th Working Group aland@vailnet.com

Attachment:

• Registration and Payment Form PDF file
• Registration and Payment Form Web page