Alumni Events and Activities
Alumni Knock ’em Out of the Park
Sam Perlozzo, BS ’73,
Randy Levine, BA ’77, Ted Lerner, AA ’48,
BL ’50
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Alumni Sam Perlozzo,
Randy Levine, and Ted Lerner enjoy friendly
banter while gathered at GW to discuss the
future of baseball.
Jessica McConnell
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On the baseball diamond they are fierce rivals,
but off the field, GW alumni Sam Perlozzo, Randy
Levine, and Ted Lerner teamed up for a historic
first.
Baltimore Orioles Manager Perlozzo, New York
Yankees President Levine, and Washington Nationals
owner Lerner were inducted as the first members
of the GW School of Business Sports Executives
Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame builds on the University’s
highly regarded sports management program, which
has trained scores of men and women in professional
sports, at athletic companies, and in the media.
In January, the trio came together before a standing-room-only
crowd in the Jack Morton Auditorium, and Major
League Baseball’s crisis in escalating free-agent
salaries dominated the discussion.
Lerner, owner of the Nationals, says he must
stay in the black while building a stronger team.
In 2008, the Nationals will open the season in
a deluxe new stadium. Still, Lerner said, he aims
to keep ticket prices affordable.
Perlozzo—a 23-year veteran of MLB as both
player and coach—says he wouldn’t
mind spending more money to boost the O’s
lineup.
Even for Levine, president of the well-heeled
Yankees, the bottom line matters: “Every
night… as I put my head on the pillow, I
say, ‘How can I come up with a way to limit
the amount of money Major League Baseball takes
from the New York Yankees?’” But he
also agreed that the sky is not the limit when
it comes to players’ salaries.
Lerner, a World War II veteran who attended GW
on the GI bill and went on to build a real estate
empire, praised GW—where he earned both
an undergraduate and a law degree—for providing
“a great background for whatever I might
want to do.”
Lerner also had the last word after Levine noted,
“We’re about winning every year. If
we didn’t win the World Series, it wasn’t
a good year.”
Perlozzo interjected, “I’m beginning
to dislike this guy.”
“I might add,” the National’s
owner noted wryly, “we’re not really
concerned with the World Series this year.”
Despite their differences, all three agreed that
one thing brings them together. They share the
experience of a GW education, which all believe
has been instrumental in their careers.
Education for Life
It’s never too
early—or too late —to build your personal
profile
Remember the excitement of poring over the course
catalogs before a new semester? Alumni can continue
to take GW courses without the stress of a degree
program or the full cost of tuition, thanks to
the Alumni Course Audit Program.
“Starting out my career in public service,
I’m looking for tools and resources to help
me build on my professional skills,” says
Mahak Nayyar, MPA ’04, who has enrolled
in “Executive Decision Making” and
“Managing Catastrophe.”
David Adam, MBA ’78, currently auditing
intermediate macroeconomics and econometrics,
says, “I’m retired, so I do it purely
for the pleasure and joy I get from understanding
a subject better. You have all of the fun of learning
and none of the pressure!”
The price is right, too: $125 per class and even
less for seniors. Visit www.alumni.gwu.edu/educ/courseaudit.html
for more details.
You Had to Be There
The GW experience
never ends for those who stay connected
through alumni activities.
In the past year, GW alumni across the
nation have had the opportunity to tailgate
at men’s basketball games with fellow
Colonials fans and visit with President
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg at receptions
held in his honor in 10 different cities,
including London and San Francisco.
The Office of Alumni Programs hosted more
than 200 events throughout the United States
and internationally for alumni and friends
of the University, including a chance to
view King Tut’s mummy up close while
enjoying Eric Cline, associate professor
of classics and anthropology, lecture on
the Golden Age of Pharaohs. In Boston, Michael
Brown, dean of the Elliott School of International
Affairs, offered an engrossing perspective
on Peace and Security in the 21st Century:
A Grave New World—the title of
his recent book. To learn about events in
your area, visit www.alumni.gwu.edu and
click on Calendar of Events. We’ll
see you there. |
Ready to Roll: Crespin Brings New Energy to
Alumni Association
Richard Crespin, BA ’93
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When Richard Crespin, BA ’93, moved to
New York City in 2001, he recalled, “I did
not have many connections there, but I found my
way to the Alumni Association chapter—and
found an instant home.”
Crespin, CEO and co-founder of the Delve Group
Inc., and chairman of Shared Xpertise LLC, began
making friends for life through the GW Alumni
Association. As Crespin prepares to assume the
presidency of the association on June 6, he hopes
to ensure all graduates have the same chance to
forge deep relationships with each other.
“9/11 made for a tough intro to the city,
and it made the GW connections all the more precious,”
he says. “We shared everything, from happy
hours to community service cleaning up a local
playground.”
Crespin has served as Alumni Association treasurer
and last semester presented a talk for students
and alumni on how to become a CEO before the age
of 40. His co-presenter was entrepreneur Jon Klonsky,
MPA ’99, one of the friends he made through
the New York chapter.
“If you ever need help connecting and don’t
know where to turn, think of the GWAA as an extension
of your family,” he says. “We welcome
all alumni to come get involved in everything
that’s going on.”
Reunions—Preview 2007
Get Back to GW: Don’t
Miss Our Best Year Yet
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Alumni
reconnect with former classmates at their
reunion celebrations in 2006.
The class of 2001.
The class of 1956, joined by alumni emeriti—those
who have already celebrated their 50th class
reunion.
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Alumni Reunion Weekend in September, open to
all GW alumni and friends, will appeal to alumni
of all ages—to those with either party-hearty
or more refined ideas of what makes for a fun
gathering.
The weekend , Sept. 28-30, will be launched with
a festive kick-off party featuring live music,
food, and spirits. This event will be followed
by a concert featuring renowned jazz guitarist
John McLaughlin in Lisner Auditorium.
Alumni Reunion Weekend 2007 will also include
the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards, an
author series, a film viewing, Classes Without
Quizzes lectures, tours of campus and Washington,
D.C., landmarks, and athletic activities.
The heart of Saturday’s lineup will be
the 5th, 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, and 50th reunion
parties. The Black Alumni Association, LGBT, and
other shared interest groups will enjoy their
own reunion celebrations, and the business, law,
and medical schools will hold reunions as well.
The weekend will culminate with a Yankees v.
Orioles game and tailgater at Camden Yards. For
details, please visit the Alumni Reunion Weekend
Web site at www.alumni.gwu.edu/reunion
or call Andrew Kaufteil, director of reunions,
at 202-994-6596. Get back to where you still belong!
New Network
Keeps Young Alumni Connection Alive
More than 200 GW grads packed the Gordon
Biersch Brewery & Restaurant on F Street
on a blustery day in December. But it was
more than the hot appetizers that drew them
in. They were there for a chance to mingle
with other alumni who graduated within the
past five years and hadn’t been back
in touch with GW.
The event was a kick-off for GW’s
new Young Alumni Network, which offers recent
graduates social, education, and networking
events, targeted by age group, that offer
a fun way to stay connected to the University.
“This new program was created to
be a bridge between graduation and the five-year
reunion,” said Scott Mory, assistant
vice president for alumni relations and
annual giving. “And more important,
to keep the GW ember burning in their hearts.”
To learn more about upcoming events, please
visit the alumni Web site at www.alumni.gwu.edu,
and click on Calendar of Events. |
GW Alumni Live And In
Person
Two programs provide GW students with
direct access to generous alumni eager to
share inside views of their careers.
Last semester, the popular “How Do
I Become A …?” lecture series
partnered students with a Drug Enforcement
Agency crime scene investigator, one of
D.C.’s top lobbyists, and two young
CEOs who offered career-building tips. The
crime investigator especially impressed
senior Priya Ramanathan: “She actually
showed us equipment she uses and slides
of what she does on the job.”
Sometimes the way to students’ minds
is through their stomachs. In the “Dinner
with Alumni” program, small groups
of students join an alumnus or alumna off
campus for fine cuisine and stimulating
conversation.
Senior Kirsten Vernegaard attended a dinner
hosted at the City Club by Barry Strauss,
executive director of the law firm Wiley,
Rein, & Fielding. Shaking out his napkin,
Strauss said, “What do you all want
to know? I am here for you.” A business
major, Vernegaard chose to tap into Strauss’s
perspective on managing a law office. “Other
students were more interested in summer
internships and interview and resume advice,”
she said. “He was amazingly helpful.
And he was laughing because we all ordered
meals like steak and lobster—I needed
to go to the gym after that meal!”
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Out in Front
GW Alumni Leading the Pack
# of GW alums in U.S. Congress—14
# of GW alums on the cover of Time
magazine—20, at last count
# of GW alums who are Hollywood film
producers of a 2006 Oscar-winning best picture
title—one (Roy Lee for The Departed)
GWAA Annual Meeting
All GW alumni are invited to
attend the annual meeting of the George Washington
Alumni Association (GWAA) on Wednesday, June 6.
In advance of the meeting, nominations are being
accepted for members at-large of the Association’s
Board of Directors. RSVP’s are required.
For more information, or to RSVP, please contact
the Office of Alumni Relations at 202-994-6435
or alumni@gwu.edu.
Alumni Can
Now Access Online Library Resources
Searching for an article from the 1980s
about Microsoft? Need a pithy quote about
Hamlet? Now, thanks to GW’s Gelman
Library and the George Washington Alumni
Association, this information is at your
fingertips. With support from GWAA, Gelman
now offers GW alumni access to premium electronic
databases such as ProQuest (alumni edition),
ABI/Inform (alumni edition), and Project
Muse.
To use the Alumni Resources Gateway, all
you need to do is register with the Alumni
Online Community at https://my.gwu.edu/login/alumni.cfm.
Then visit the Alumni Resources Gateway
at http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/alumni/portal.cfm—knowledge
awaits you. |
Friend Finder
 No,
it’s not the latest online social networking
site. It’s the 2008 GW Alumni Directory,
a listing of some 170,000 individuals, published
by the George Washington Alumni Association. In
this directory, you will find:
• Names and addresses of long-lost classmates
• Listings of GW alumni who live in your
city or state
• Listing of GW alumni by profession
The Directory is a terrific resource—and
it is published only every five years. Please
help us in our quest to make next year’s
volume as accurate as possible by responding to
the George Washington Alumni Association survey.
The survey will arrive via e-mail this spring,
with a mailed copy to follow. The directory hits
the stands early in 2008.
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