Today, December 12, 2014, is the 99th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth. Although I was born too late to be a “bobby soxer,” Sinatra’s fans of the 1940s, I adore his music. I had the opportunity to see him in person in the early 1980s; I think the venue was in Hartford, Connecticut. There’s a post about Sinatra’s connection to Alpha Phi Delta at http://wp.me/p20I1i-1cy. I hear there are plans in store for next year’s centennial of Sinatra’s birth and I eagerly await them. Sinatra’s “Chairman of the Board” moniker was given to him by WNEW disc jockey William B. Williams.
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As a resident of Illinois, I offer my condolences to the family of Judy Baar Topinka, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, who died early Wednesday morning. She was elected the State Treasurer of Illinois in 1994 and served until 2007. She was the first woman to be Illinois State Treasurer and the first Republican in 32 years (in a very heavily Democratic state) to be elected Treasurer. She was currently the state Comptroller and she recently won a hard fought election battle against southern Illinois Sheila Simon, the daughter of former Illinois Senator Paul Simon.
At Northwestern University, she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. For her work and service, Alpha Gamma Delta gave her a Distinguished Citizen Award. Her membership in the West Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta is noted on her official website. If you’d like to know more about Topinka, I recommend this article http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/December-2014/Remembering-Judy-Baar-Topinka-a-Critical-Force-in-Illinois-Politics/.
Judy Baar Topinka (from her official website)
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Tomorrow it will be 12/13/14. I mention that just because!
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
