 |
| Left to Right: Joe
Savitzky, Dvorah Savitzky, Dave Eisen, Mary Hussey, Virginia Sharp, Julio Urbina, Tom
Logue, in front of the Illini Union.
|
One sunny morning in Jerusalem, Israel, Joe Savitzky received the daily mail at his home and began to sort it out and look at it. There was Cosmo Connections, on schedule, and Joe began to leaf through it, reading some of the articles as he progressed. Among the items was the regular one written by the Alumni Chair containing the rather wistful but hearty invitation to all alums to visit the U of I campus and the Cosmopolitan Club. This time Joe took a second look at the article and its invitation, and he began to contemplate possibilities.
He had not been on the U of I campus for many years, and it occurred to him that he might enjoy a visit there. First, he would need to consult his wife Dvorah, who was unfamiliar with the area, and it was a long trip. This hurdle was soon cleared, and Joe and his wife immediately began to plan the journey from Israel to Illinois.
There was an added incentive to Joe's visiting Illinois: he had a friend in Chicago whom he had not seen in many years, David Eisen, also an alumnus of Cosmo. "So," thought Joe, "We'll fly to Chicago, visit Dave and his family, and together we'll go to Champaign-Urbana and visit Cosmo." Joe and Dave belonged to the U of I class of 1951, and the class members had not kept in close touch with each other over the years. Here was a splendid opportunity to visit his friend and the Cosmopolitan Club at the U of I.
|
| Left to Right: Joe
Savitzky, Dvorah Savitzky, Dave Eisen, Mary Hussey, Virginia Sharp, Julio Urbina, Tom
Logue, in front of the Illini Union.
|
Now, at the other end of this upcoming journey, the Cosmo Club was elated that these alumns were coming and began to make plans. Lunch at the Illini Union Ballroom would be the highlight. This would be attended by the four visitors; the Cosmo house manager, Julio Urbina; the Cosmopolitan Club Executive Director, Andrea Shields; the Alumni Committee chair, Mary Hussey; and another Cosmo member of long standing, Virginia Sharp.
So at the appointed time (12:30 pm) on August 8 for meeting at the Cosmo house, the house manager drove the Alumni Chair to the house to greet the visiting alums and their wives. While the house manager was parking the car, the Alumni Chair went in the house and saw a lone gentleman standing in the middle of the living room, with nobody else in sight. She immediately and enthusiastically went forward with outstretched hand to greet and welcome either Joe or his Chicago friend, but to her amazement, this gentleman was neither Joe nor Dave, but a U of I classmate of theirs and a fellow Cosmo alum who had come from his home in Mattoon (fifty miles south of C-U) to see them. This was Tom Logue, also class of '51.
Joe and David arrived in a matter of minutes and there was a general enthusiastic greeting and handshaking.
Soon the whole group proceeded to the Illini Union. Unfortunately, Dave's wife was unable to join the alums on their trip from Chicago. At the ballroom, the group was met by Andrea and Virginia Sharp, a member of the club of long standing.
Surprise #2: Joe and the visitor from Mattoon were army buddies (Korean War). Tom had joined the luncheon group, and the conversation was heartwarming and hilarious.
Come visit us. Maybe you too will find some surprises.
Continue to the next article.
Return to the Cosmo Connection May 1999 contents page.
Return to the Cosmopolitan Club home page.