From the President...
The Seattle Illini Club extends a warm welcome to alumni and friends of the University of Illinois!
“No matter where you go, there you are”. Although originally attributed to various sources, I first heard that quote in the 1984 movie, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. But I think it applies quite well to the world of University of Illinois alumni as well. No matter where Illinois alums go after graduation, they’ll always find a UI presence there to give them a connection back to the University. There’s always a piece of UI wherever you find yourself. And in the Seattle area, we hope the Seattle Illini Club can be a strong part of that presence and that connection back to the University of Illinois.
The current incarnation of the local club was started by Laurie Jamieson, (1978, LAS) in the fall of 2010. Laurie should be commended for revitalizing and reinvigorating the club, and I am honored to follow in her footsteps as president.
A club is a member organization, and an alumni group like the Seattle Illini Club is only as strong and vital as its members make it. There are over 3000 University of Illinois graduates in the greater Seattle area, so there is a huge opportunity here for the local club to be active, whether that be in organizing and scheduling alumni events of various kinds, providing service in the community, offering scholarships to local students who plan to attend UI, and much, much more. But doing those kinds of activities requires the membership, support and participation of alumni in the area to make that happen. I and the other club officers are happy to help captain the ship, but we are only a part of what makes the club go – YOU, the University of Illinois alumni who live and work in this area, are the engine that drives the Seattle Illini Club. Join the club, attend events, volunteer to help organize or coordinate activities, and otherwise contribute to the club’s efforts in whatever way you can. Together, this ship can go far.
Yours in Orange and Blue,
Mel DeSart
President, Seattle Illini Club
’82, LAS ’87 GSLIS