Chicago, Aug. 25. . . Chicago’s elegant Union League Club may still feel quite a bit like a sedate, posh, gorgeously retro men’s-only club, but today several hundred members of the National Federation of Press Women gathered here for its annual communications conference, titled “Face 2 Face.” Founded in Chicago in 1885, the Illinois Women’s Press Association is celebrating its 125th anniversary. We promise to keep you updated on all the happenings with daily blogs.
The evening began with a stroll over to Giordano’s, a popular local spot for a pizza and salad buffet. On of the first people we ran into was longtime press woman Kathy Cordova of Taos, now secretary of the NMPW Northern Chapter and national co-chair of student membership (in orange, below). Several went on to “Billy Elliot,” and the rest of us toured the Willis (formerly Sears) tower, arguably the world’s tallest building. Built in 1973, it is 103 stories high and attracts a million and a half visitors a year. The tour includes an exhibit of Chicago history and personages, from Abe Lincoln to Carl Sandberg to John Belushi to President Obama. Talk about diverse! The city’s contributions to literature, music, architecture and commerce are immense. The University of Chicago has won 72 Nobel prizes, for example. Then there is the New Mexico connection, specifically, the genesis of the Manhattan Project leading to the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos took place here. (more…)
