News
The Armadillo Club
Singing Armadillos -
DRI Cocktail Party 2010
A few of the Armadillos who attended the Marty Jordan Family Benefit
Dawn, family and guest Armadillo
About 46 years ago.  John 1st on the left. I am the
third from the left.  We were both citizens of the
month in our respective classes. (He is a year
younger.)  I got mine because I was good. He got
his award because his dad was mayor... : )

Right:  About 38 years ago.
May 2011 from my Dining Room Window
looking up North Lake Shore Drive-- kinda
like in the movie Ten Commandments when
death goes creeping through the city...
August 23 - View from my office window about 2:30 pm.
Airshow
2011
(from dining room
and living room)
August 2011 Sunrises & Other Photos
Now, you'll notice a bunch of boats still in the water as this fairly obvious
storm approaches... It is always interesting to watch.  Two weeks ago, we
saw a yacht sink its wave runner because it was pulling it backwards as the
storm approached... I've seen boats get struck by lightening.
Someone asked for some shots of how the boats line up in the lake off shore to watch the airshow, so I added a few shots.
You can double click on any of these photos to enlarge. Then hit your "back" button to return to this page.
September 2011:  Sunrise/Sunset
9/1/2011 Sunrise
From
Chicago
to our
East
Coast
Armadillo
s with
Love
(View from my
husband's office
9/9/2011)
1992 The Original Endorsement  & 13 Members as of July 23, 1992.   11 of the 13 are still members.  Mary Sliwinski has retired.
December 1994 - Letter to the 30 members as of that date.  At least 25 of those members are still members almost 20 years later.    
      
Feb. 22, 1995   Letter to members
May 22, 1995  Letter to members - one of first mentions of our male counterparts... (Dan Jordan of course).
June 29, 1995   Letter to almost 50 Armadillos
October 10, 1995    Marty Hollingsworth (Indy) recommends Mary DeYoung in Seattle to be a member.
Nov. 7, 1995   We continue to expand beyond Chicago. Vicky Roberts joins.
Jan. 1996    I propose our first Sadie Hawkins Luncheon for February.
Feb. 21, 1996   Newsletter and RSVPs for 1st Sadie Hawkins luncheon. Brave men joining us were Dan Jordan, Keith Carlson,
Wayne Karbal, D.J. Sartorio and Mike Baughman.
June 1996    Newsletter with Fax Service list of about 66 members.
July 10, 1996   Acceptance of Kathy Waring & Kim Lane (then at Luce Forward) into the Club as we expanded to San Diego and NYC.
Aug. 21, 1996   Newsletter. Lots of good news.
November 13, 1996  6 Full pages of news and announcement of first Cookie Exchange --- everything from child rearing, to food tips to
career advice and how I saw captive coverage firms developing at the time. Who knew 7 years later I would be employed by one!
Jan. 14, 1997   Notice of joint luncheon with CPCU with Armadillo speakers.
Jan. 22, 1997   Lots of news, a childcare tip from Eileen Miller and we all learn to use the Internet and e-mail...  
Feb. 21, 1997   Second Sadie Hawkins luncheon & my son eloped...
May 1, 1997   Second Sadie Hawkins luncheon. It was reported that Bob Soderstrom was very entertaining and Steve Sonderby
was behaving. Dan Jordan couldn't attend cause he had just gotten married.    Cocktail hour and Investment Club.  
Sept. 10, 1997   Newsletter.  We have over 100 members now.
Nov. 13, 1997   News and Sara Thorpe or Gordon & Rees to attend the 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange.
Dec. 8, 1997   Brief announcements and Ms. Bondi Morrison is warned that oreos and 'Nilla Wafers did not meet the cookie
exchange criteria...   Ever-charming Don Rees mentioned.
Feb. 10, 1998   Announcement of 3rd Annual Sadie Hawkins Luncheon
May 6, 1995   Hope Nightingale nominates Vicky Kaiser Russell for membership.
April 20, 2000   I almost threw in the towel...  I guess I didn't.
April 9, 2003    First e-mail sent out since joining CNA's captive coverage firm. I had just taught myself how to build websites
and built this one.  Men have obviously been given full rights by now.  This service list has more than 50 women and more
than 100 women.
10/9/2011:   As I contemplated ending the Club, I found a folder with many of the newsletters from the beginning.  It was only after reviewing
them, I realized a couple of things:  

1)  Probably in March, the Armadillo Club will have been in existence for 20 years.  I joined Hinshaw in Feb. 1992, and it was shortly thereafter
that Karen Golden, Ellyn Dorf Hoffman and I got together for lunch and the Club was born.

2) Through all of these letters, I have shared much of my life with all of my friends for the last 20 years.  I always lamented that I never had time
to keep a diary.  I smiled as I read these letters as they comprise a diary of some very important events in my life and the lives of my friends.

For those of you who have traveled this journey with me since the beginning, I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did. I have another
large box in storage somewhere, but that's a job for another day... or week...or month...   You may need to zoom in once you open the page.
1997
1998
Three amateur shots from my
daughter's New Year's Eve wedding.
Double click on any photo to enlarge.
It was wonderful.
Okay, do I throw a good party???  : )   Now you can see the difference
a great professional photographer makes.  These three new photos
were taken by Andre LaCour. He was fabulous.  I can't wait to see the
rest. He teased us with these. Check him out at: http://andrelacour.com