Making History: The Public Policy Forum celebrated its first hundred years at the Wisconsin Club with an impressive collection of political operatives, elected officials and legal eagles. Forum President Rob Henken hosted, with greetings by Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. The board of trustees’ chairperson Susan Hatch then ran a lightning-swift annual meeting and the program concluded with an overview of the Forum’s history by UW-Milwaukee Professor Mordecai Lee and Jeff Bentoff, author of Just the Facts: The 100-Year History of Milwaukee’s Public Policy Forum.
Milwaukee County Treasurer Dan Diliberti, the Marcus Center’s Paul Mathews, Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines, Milwaukee County Board Chair Marina Dimitrijevic and Waukesha County Board Chair Paul Decker circulated. Cheryl Berdan, Jeff Roznowski, Kathleen Causier and Greg Walz-Chojnacki were among a contingent of Wauwatosa alderpersons.
Gallery Gala: The King Drive Commons Gallery and Studio was the place to be on Gallery Night with fabulous jazz music by the Larry Moore Trio. Also, there was a performance by Hansberry-Sands Theatre Co. with Willie Abney channeling Martin Luther King Jr. and music by Ozara Odé and Marrian Efua. There was also a moving display of photographs of King; art by Milwaukee native David Anderson, now living in Atlanta, Damon White and others; plus, a scrumptious spread by B.R. Smiths Catering.
|
|
Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp. executive director and new Growing Power board president Welford Sanders attended, as did the gallery’s artistic director, Marquita Edwards, who also teaches yoga at the center; Walnut Way Conservation Corp.’s Sharon Adams; city planning commissioner J. Allen Stokes; quilter Rita Cox and her sister, master barber Linda Ponds; Diane Wilkins, executive director of Hansberry-Sands; Reggie Finlayson; and Julia Doyle.
Afterwards, B&D couldn’t resist stopping at the opening of the new Habitat for Humanity ReStore, adjacent to ComedySportz on S. First St. Performing were the store’s manager Jake Brandt, drummer with Cozy Danger, and guitarists Phil Gieschen and Marinette’s Warren McKenney, who makes guitars from salvaged materials. On display was art from ReStore material including work by C. Kai Marquardt, there with his wife, Hannah Marquardt from Danceworks; Cindy Gear, who designed a bar and stools; and John P. Jones’s painted glass windows. His friends Kevin and Sandra Kubesh stopped by.
AIDS Aid: A crowd of AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) fans gathered at the condo of Jerry Janis, now senior vice president of strategic planning and project management for Aurora Health Care. Janis’s cousin, Sara Nics from WPR, moderated a briefing with ARCW President and CEO Mike Gifford at the event. Others from the organization were Dan Mueller, Kathy Fargo, Bill Keeton, Mary Hartwig and Jenny Weber. Meg Kasch was with her sister, Cathy Harrison, and their cousin, Pat Desmond. Aurora Health Care attendees included executives Patrick Falvey, Philip Loftus, Eva Chess and Cindy Moon-Mogush. A Bon-Ton gang included men’s designer Wayne Klebe, Kay Swanson and Pierre Colorado, plus Knock Out Rose creator Bill Radler and Milwaukee newcomer Dan Sawall. Miki Herman of Moss added a floral flair to the evening.
Adios, Beertown: The Milwaukee Ale House was packed for the Packers’ sad season finale. But a more festive 120-plus-strong crowd gathered for a fond farewell party for Lisa Blythe of LisasList.org and Rob Baker. The pair is heading to Roatan, an island off Honduras, to run the Blue Bahia Resort’s restaurant and bar. On hand were Blythe’s daughters—Rachel, Erin and Meghan—plus Laurie Suehring, Brian Atkinson and Rob Vaccaro, Baker’s ex-coworkers from MillerCoors.
Other partiers were Michael Gurican and Adriane Galliher, who are planning their May wedding; artists Trish Hundhausen and Heather LeMay, who ran into MIAD pal Troy Tatlock; Karla Brish and Tim Lee; Valerie and Bill Hess; EMA Design/Build’s Ellen Angelo; Len and Diana Smeltzer; Tom and Patty Ptak; Heidi Calaway from BVEN Boutique; J.J. Holz of Saz’s Catering; Brookfield dentist Tom Tang; Susan Zuelke; and Jeff “Minnow” Wilcox.
Blues Night: An overflow crowd at Morton’s Wisconsinn in Cedarburg got on down to hot blues riffs by harmonica impresario Jim Liban, backed by his son, drummer Matt Liban, and guitar masters Kurt Koenig and Greg Koch. The latter played a prototype Landric, custom-made by Grafton partners Rick Land and Steve Wolf. Mike Lyon handled sound.
Young bassist Evan Paydon stood in for several numbers as his friend Maggie Reid listened. Among her family there was aunt Julie Reid, sister of the late artist/musician Rob Reid whose memorial was held recently at Linneman’s. At their table were Peg and Greg Bohl, Nancy Chamberlain Schelble, Dan and Stacy Fetherston and Judge Mary Kuhnmuench.
A contingent sitting in from the Grafton Blues Association included Eric Gutbrod, along with Peter and Kris Raymond, heading off to the 29th annual Memphis International Blues Challenge in February. Others in the packed house included pals Michael Nick and guitarist Ned Lange; Madison’s Rita Renner, bluesman Steve Cohen; and Southbound lead vocalist Stan Lukasz and his wife Rhonda.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Feb. 7 issue of the Shepherd.
