Day & Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009

Place: Park Hyatt Hotel, 24th & M Sts., NW (see map below)

Parking, Metro: Valet parking (additional); limited on-street after 6:30 pm. Metro: Foggy Bottom

Attire: Business Attire

Click here to reserve your place(s) (or make your donations)!!!

Schedule:
• 6:30-7:30 pm: Reception

• 7:30-8:30 pm: Welcome, followed by dinner with the outstanding cuisine of the popular Blue Duck Tavern, one of Washington's premiere fine dining landmarks, featuring the award-winning high Zagat-rated culinary creations of Executive Chef Brian McBride and his outstanding team. The hotel and restaurant reopened last year after a $24 million dollar remodeling, with our Wharton Award Dinner as their first event. Members of this great team have resumed their award-winning ways, and we are the fortunate beneficiaries.

• 8:30-9:30 pm: Program:
--Brief reports:

• State of the Club and the School

• Scholarships to Local Students

• Presentation of Joseph Wharton Awards to Honorees and Comments by Their Introducers

• Susan Small Savitsky, CW'75, PAR'08, Board of Overseers of Penn's School of Arts & Sciences, past president, Penn's Middle Atlantic Advisory Board, a leader for Penn and in DC's nonprofit community
• to be introduced by Steve Lerman, Esq., a past Wharton Award Recipient
• David Vise, W'82, WG'83, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and best-selling author, now in private equity as Senior Advisor, New Mountain Capital, active in service to Wharton and Penn while a student and as an alum, listed among 125 prominent and accomplished Wharton alumni in the School's special 125th Anniversary publication
  
• to be introduced by Joseph Perpich, M.D., J.D., President, JGPerpich, LLC
• Pradeep Wahi, WG'87, PAR'13, Chairman & CEO, Antenna Research Associates, Inc. (ARA, Inc.) (which he analyzed as an MBA student before deepening his involvement two years after become an alum - a tremendous Wharton success story), our Club's first Lifetime Member
• to be introduced by

• Concluding Remarks

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Register now for what is usually the most popular event in the Club's calendar each year. This year, the 40th Annual Dinner, promises to be no exception. Anywhere from 175 to 225 or more Club members and guests, including prominent Washingtonians and diplomats, typically attend for the reception and dinner. With this year's honorees, this year could be at the upper end of that range.

Click here to reserve your place(s) (or make your donations)!!! (Thank you!)

--If you have any questions not answered on this webpage or have any trouble registering online, please call our Club at 301-365-8999.

We are again at our favorite venue for this gala event, the Park Hyatt Washington. Besides honoring two outstanding alumni and giving members an opportunity to get together, the dinner generates funds for scholarships for talented Wharton students from the D.C. area.

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Special guests: We are expecting as honored guests some of the Ambassadors and other diplomats who have hosted our Club in recent years joining us at our reception and dinner.

Tables: Rounds of 10.

Sponsorship opportunities:
Please call us directly if your company would like to consider becoming a sponsor with one or more tables. You will have a listing in the program and many other potential benefits, depending on the category you choose. Just call Alan Schlaifer, our Club's President, at 301-365-8999, to discuss the benefits and options.


Executive Chef Brian McBride of the Popular AAA 4-Diamond Blue Duck Tavern at
the 4-Diamond Park Hyatt Washington, DC

The Blue Duck Tavern has received rave reviews and ratings, and underlining its theme: Simple Elegance. Modern American Style: Celebrating the Region's Best Purveyors.. These are a few "tastes" of what awaits you - just a sample of many positive reviews since the restaurant opened, and more recent ones have simply confirmed the earlier praise:

• Every “outstandingly original” dish is “a winner” declare early fans of this “wonderful addition” set in the Park Hyatt hotel that showcases regional New American cuisine crafted by chef Brian McBride (ex Melrose[, the hotel's prior restaurant in the same space]); the “chic” Tony Chi–designed space boasts a “stunning” open kitchen with a cobalt-blue, state-of-the-art, wood-burning Molteni range....”
• 100 Very Best Restaurants by Washingtonian Magazine - 2009
• AAA Four Diamonds 2009
• Zagat Survey - America's Best Restaurants 2008
• "Food & Wine's 2007 "Go List"
  
• Nomination for New Restaurant of the Year by Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington
• Voted Best New Restaurant by Washingtonian Magazine readers
• Voted Top 10 New Restaurant in the U.S. by Gayot.com 100
• "The city always has had a few great restaurants...More important, the dining scene has acquired depth...with the arrival of Blue Duck Tavern... explore the "back to our rustic roots" concept to its fullest...a nifty feat given that their workspace is tucked inside a sleek, modern urban hotel...there's nothing kitschy or precious here. The flavors of the simply prepared dishes are pure, the roasted squash was simply perfect, and they create a timeless sensation...In an ideal dining world, every neighborhood would have a modest gem like this on the corner." - USA Today, December 14, 2006
• "On the surface, the Blue Duck Tavern is an oasis of up-to-the-moment sophistication...at heart though, the newcomer is a tribute to local farmers and growers...the food is at once straightforward and elegant...the Blue Duck gives fresh meaning to the word tavern." - Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, August 20, 2006
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Menu (Vegetarian, Kosher and other options also available for those with dietary preferences) - this is last year's; this year's to be posted later, but will again be delicious:

• Entreé
Roasted Pancetta Basil-Wrapped Veal Tenderloin Vise
with Aged Cheddar Grits, Honey-Glazed Carrots
Rosemary Jus

Special dietary requirements:
If you are joining us, please let us know at once by calling 301-365-8999 if you have special dietary requirements (vegetarian, Kosher, no seafood, or otherwise); we’ll do what we reasonably can to accommodate you. You should also note that on your online or mail-in registration form.

Directions: see the map below
If you have any questions, please call the Park Hyatt at 202-789-1234. Parking & Metro: See above

Questions: Please call us at 301-365-8999. The best way to reserve is online by clicking below through our secure website; you may then print out your receipt. You may also fax your reservation to the Club at 301-365-0486.

Tax deductibility: To the extent permitted by law (please check with your tax advisor):
--Business: Full amount may be deductible as a business expense
--Individual: Full amount of Scholarship Fund contributions plus the amount in excess of $135 per person for the dinner as a charitable contribution (as the Club is a Section 501(c)(3) organization).

Click here to reserve your place(s) (or make your donations)!!!

For best seating, reserve early, whichever method you choose for reservations - online, mail, fax, or phone.

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Click here to reserve your place(s) (or make your donations)!!! Thank you for your support!