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True Story of the Bird Girl
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February 1, 2008
Being
employed until age 91 is something of a challenge. To accomplish that is
a personal achievement deserving of honors. During the lunch hour on the
first day of February, The Cliff Dwellers paid tribute to Belton Calmes,
who was hired for the wait staff at the club more than 20 years ago.
This followed an even longer career as a Santa Fe railroad Pullman chef.
Known to members as “Cal,” he was joined by his daughter Deidra, who
came to Chicago to be present at the retirement ceremony. (Photo by
William Bowe)
Belton Calmes Retirement Lunch
Additional Photos and Slide Show by William Bowe
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January 14, 2008
Cliff Dwellers gathered in the
Kiva for the 101st Annual Meeting of the club, which
immediately followed the traditional steak dinner. Presiding was
outgoing president William Bowe, who introduced the various committee
heads giving their yearly reports. (Yolanda Deen, House Committee, Doug
Schroeder, Millennium Sustaining Fund Committee, and Trish Vanderbeke,
Arts Foundation, are shown in the photo.) Three new directors were
elected to the Board---Susan Aaron, Ed Gordon, and Paul Hamer. Tributes
were given to Chef Victor Perez for his continued culinary excellence as
well as to Belton “Cal” Calmes, retiring after 22 years of service with
the wait staff. Attending members were informed that the club closed the
2007 fiscal year with a surplus and the current membership stands at
399. (Photo by George Gabauer) |
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November 27, 2007
A near-capacity gathering of Cliff Dwellers and their
guests filled the Kiva in celebration of the club’s centenary. As the
culmination of events during this centennial year, the formal dinner
party was a festive occasion that included guitar music during the
reception and dining segments, a brief program of traditional jazz music
by a guest ensemble, and several presentations. Prominent among the
evening’s highlights were the display of a new painting by Robert Guinan,
CD ‘84, capturing the centenary theme, and an address keyed to
historical connotations of The Cliff Dwellers’ first hundred years. It
was delivered by Gary T. Johnson, President of the Chicago History
Museum. Use the following link to access the full text of the
presentation. (Photos by George Gabauer)
http://www.chicagohistory.org/aboutus/from-the-president/speeches-and-articles
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October
16, 2007
Just
how that classic musical “Oklahoma!” was created and how original it
remains after more than six decades were part of the story told by
Charles Troy, an informed and enthusiastic chronicler of Broadway
productions. Assisted by extensive audio-visual content, he traced the
development from its plagued origins through its inspired transition via
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. With extensive biographical
findings on the personalities involved, Troy offered an overall
appreciation of the creators who were responsible for this treasured
stage hit. (Photos by William
Bowe)
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October 5, 2007
Sustaining The Cliff Dwellers beyond this year’s centenary is the
financial goal of the club’s Millennium Sustaining Investment Fund
committee. A special reception and program, held in the Kiva, gave
attending members the latest information on the plans being made to
assure both the identity and continuation of activities beyond the
current lease period. Edward Gordon, in behalf of the fund committee,
offered a presentation that focused on the needs and progress of pledged
contributions for investment in “The Next 100 Years.” (Photo by
George Gabauer)
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July 27, 2007
Words invite images, and this is what guest speaker Errol Kindschy
accomplished as he presented Cliff Dwellers with a re-creation of Hamlin
Garland, one of the founders of our 100-year-old club. Kindschy, who
lives in the home that Garland occupied in West Salem, Wisconsin, has
taken his portrayal of the Chicago author to audiences throughout the
Midwest. (Photo by William Bowe)
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July 19, 2007
Less than a quarter-century after The Cliff Dwellers club was
established, a number of members became involved in creating yet another
private club on Michigan Avenue---the Tavern Club. That organization
chose to honor our club's centenary year with a private cocktail
reception at their site, highlighted by commentary from the presidents
of both clubs. There was a good showing by Cliff Dwellers, who spent
part of the early evening celebration checking out the views from the
26th floor terrace of the 333 North Michigan Avenue office building. In
September, members of the Tavern Club will be guests of The Cliff
Dwellers at a comparable reception, giving them an opportunity to sample
the much-admired views from our own current home. (Photos by George
Gabauer)

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May 19,
2007
It was an unusual Saturday at the club. While Art Committee members
and volunteers were preparing the new exhibition (photos and other
material from the archives), some three dozen strangers roamed through
the clubhouse. These were the fortunate ones who were able to snap up
the limited passes for touring some of Chicago’s “Great Places and
Spaces”---a special event sponsored by the Mayor’s office. The Cliff
Dwellers earned the opportunity to be included through Walker Johnson,
CD ‘84, shown in the photo addressing the group. Our club, by the way,
was dubbed “A Perch for the Arts” in the publicity listing. (Photos
by George Gabauer)

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April 14, 2007
Another in the series of presentations by members of the Class of 2007,
Artists-in-Residence, was presented in the Kiva by violinist/violist Nora
Williams. Joined by guest pianist Larry Simon, she offered an unusual musical
program that demonstrated the manner in which performers analyze and decide on
the interpretation of a standard work in the classical repertory. Using the
Brahms Viola Sonata in F Minor, Op. 120, No.1, as the model, the pair first
played a movement in a strict, straightforward manner. After the analysis that
followed, they then replayed the music with their agreed-upon interpretive
touches and opened a discussion with the audience about the results |
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April 11 & 13, 2007
"100 Years and Still Waiting" was the appropriate title for this centenary
tribute to Samuel Beckett, the Irish-born playwright, poet, and novelist born
on April 13,1906. Produced by Cliff Dweller Larry Lund, this was a one-hour
presentation of short poems and excerpts from several plays, the best-known
being "Waiting for Godot" (1952) and "Endgame" (1957). In the living-room
atmosphere of the Club, these chosen selections were given sympathetic
treatment via readings by a trio of excellent screen and stage actors: Terry
Gibson (who also directed this production), Steve Munro, and Kathryn Shubert. (Illustration of Beckett from the poster art by Mark Anderson.)
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January 24, 2007
An exposition on
the defense of capitalism was the theme of the January dinner presentation at
the club. Deirdre McCloskey, CD '02, discussed her most recent book, "The
Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce," which is the first of four
volumes to be issued by the University of Chicago Press. Members and guests had
the opportunity to have the author respond to their own questions as well as to
hear further insights on the subject.
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January 8, 2007
The Cliff Dwellers
celebrated the 100th annual meeting of the club with a substantial
turn-out of members for the traditional steak dinner. President William Bowe
was assisted by other officers and the various committee chairs in presenting
reports on the state of the club along with brief coverage of principal events
during 2006. Members responded with the expected pro-and-con outbursts,
nevertheless participating in the election of new Directors and in a rousing
rendition of “Zivio,” the club’s anthem.
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