Promise Keeping: AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) held its annual Make a Promise Gala. This year's event, titled "Don't Stop Believing," had a "Glee" theme. About a thousand attendees were in a spending mood, with the event raising a record $220,000. An ebullient Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary, emceed, while the UW-Madison MadHatters wowed with song. ARCW Executive Director Doug Nelson urged the audience to put partisan feelings aside for a Leadership Award that honored recall target Sen. Alberta Darling. Though eyebrows were raised, the crowd showed restraint and applauded her and other legislator awardees Tim Carpenter, Jon Richards and Robin Vos for their bipartisan support for HIV Medical Home legislation. Mary and Tim Bowers were honored as Philanthropists of the Year and Sherie Johnson took the Courage Award.
Spotted were Joe Pabst, sitting with Jerry Janis and Michael Ball; gallery directors Michael Flanagan and Debra Brehmer; attorney Peter Goldberg; and professor Jeannine Rowe, there with her husband, Andy, who had just passed his bar exam. Making the rounds were ARCW Board President Tony Bartell and his wife, Sara, board member Sean Rutter, table captains Dan Zimmerman from NML and Juan Carrasquillo from We Energies, B.J. Gruling, artist Paul Zidonowitz, Andrew Maruggi, and Billy Kirchen, whose musical Mirrors of Desire soon premieres in Berlin. ARCW Chief Development Director Dan Mueller, wife Pam and daughter Elizabeth enjoyed the show, as did ARCW's Erin Manian with her husband, Jacob, and Molly Neuleib with her husband, Jon. Both men are assistant district attorneys.
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Season Grand Finale: The Rep's explosive Death of a Salesman premiere brought out a packed house, with a standing ovation going to Lee Ernst as the iconic Willy Loman and Laura Gordon as his long-suffering wife. Circulating afterward were The Rep's powers-that-be, including Artistic Director Mark Clements, Managing Director Dawn Helsing Wolters, Annie Jurczyk and her husband, John Jansen, Cindy Moran and Todd Broadie, Lindsay Adams and past director Joe Hanreddy. Circulating were Badger Meter's Rich Meeusen and his wife, Maribeth, Associated Bank Senior VP Tom Peterson and his wife, Lou Ann, the ballet's power duo Michael and Jayne Pink, MillerCoors' Tom Cardella and his wife, Rhonda, plus the Bomb-itty of Errors cast after their Stackner show.
Local Locals: Members and potentials packed the grand opening of the Riverwest Public House Cooperative, gleefully "building community, one drink at a time." After months of sprucing up the old Golden Nugget roadhouse, the tavern was spit-polished for action. A cowbell rang as new members registered. The Squeezettes and the Western Starlanders performed, sparking dancing frenzy.
Among the revelers were board President Gene Gallistel and board members Wendy Mesich, Gibson Caldwell, Shea Schachameyer, Sarah Ditzenberger, Elena Pires, Joshua Sutton, Steve Whitlow and A.J. Segneri. Also celebrating were Jeff Davis, Lisa Schelling and Mark Teske (once a bartender at the old Nugget). Enjoying the music were artist Frank Ullenberg, Wa Wernecke, Charlie Simon and the Falcon Bowl's Lynn Okopinski. The youngest partier was 5-month-old Alika Marek, there with parents Mike and Kristin and brother Otto.
Book Works: Four local writers participated in the "Woman as Creator: Finding a Voice, Finding a Theme" panel at the Norman Gill Lecture Series, presented by the North Shore Library and its Friends group. The event was hosted by Nicolet High School, with Redbird Studio Director Judy Bridges moderating. Participants included filmmaker Susan Kerns, poet Marilyn L. Taylor, and novelists A.Y. (Anne) Stratton and Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick. Next Chapter's Lanora Hurley assisted with book signings. Library director Dick Nelson presented a plaque to Annemarie Quiles, daughter of outgoing board chair Tom Nedwek, for decades of service.
Humorist Julia Pandl, the youngest of nine from the iconic restaurant family, has written the funny and moving Memoir of the Sunday Brunch. Her book tour included a stop at Susie Popalisky's, where she regaled listeners with story snippets. Among guests were Popalisky's Coldwell Banker partner Cathy Rapp, Realtor B.G. Hook and book club pals Kathleen Warner, Julie Burr, Susan Forrer, Monnine Parnitzke, Beverly Groeschel, Colleen James and Maureen Zander.
PP Parties: More than 90 private parties were held around the state to celebrate Planned Parenthood's 75th anniversary and to counter radical right-wing assaults on the organization. Among Milwaukee-area hosts were Jackie Boynton, Mary Louise Mussoline and Marsha Sehler at the Boynton/McAvoy abode; Trina and David Haas and Barbara and Harry Drake; Lisa Remy; and Café LuLu with live music and drink specials such as the nicely naughty "French Tickler." Bela Eitel opened her new Belatees studio and showcased her T-shirts and Tia Torhorst's jewelry. Urban Underground promoted the "No Condom, No Way" program, and Planned Parenthood board members Edie Brengel Radtke, Jane Delzer, Karen Perzan, Synovia Youngblood and Andrea Taxman hosted at Mitchell Street Health Center.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the May 5 issue of the Shepherd.
