July 22: Indianapolis
Millikin Club of Indianapolis Event at Marsh Symphony on the Prairie in Fishers, Ind. "1950s: The Golden Age of Black and White" will feature MU alum group Chapter 6. For details, click here. For further info, send an e-mail to Louise Kidd in the alumni and development office.

July 31: Chicago
Annual Family Picnic and New Student Send-off Party, 1-3 p.m. Lombard Park, Grace Street and St. Charles Road, Lombard, Ill. All alumni, current student families and friends are encouraged to attend. Bring a dish to pass; meat, beverages and tableware provided. Call the Alumni Office toll free at 1-877-JMU-ALUM for info and reservation or drop an e-mail to alumnews@millikin.edu.

Aug. 6: Chicago 
Join an alumni and friends pre-race gathering before Sunday's Chicago Distance Classic. We'll meet at 6 p.m. in the Hilton Chicago hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner on your own. For more info, e-mail Mandi Landacre Podeschi '02  at apodeschi@millikin.edu or call her toll free at 1-877-JMU-ALUM (568-2586). (Locally, dial 424-6383).

Aug. 7: Chicago
Meet the Penguin: Millikin will hold an alumni & friends event in at the Chicago Distance Classic, a half-marathon and 5K race. MORE

Aug. 7: St. Louis
Annual Family Picnic and New Student Send-Off Party, 1-3 p.m.  Horseshoe Lake State Park in Granite City, Ill. The picnic is a chance to meet future Millikin alums and wish them well. All alumni, current student families and friends are welcome to attend. Bring a dish to pass; meat, beverages and tableware provided. R.S.V.P. by calling toll free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM (568-2586) by Aug. 4. 

Aug. 11: Decatur
Informal get together and interest session for a proposed Millikin Club of Decatur alumni group. See details at right.

Aug. 11-14: Chicago
SAEs from the '60s gather for fun and fellowship in downtown Chicago. For more info, e-mail Steve Mathias '67 at samathias@aol.com

Aug. 12: Springfield
Millikin Day at the State Fair is Aug. 12. See details at right.

Sept. 24: on campus 
Reunion of 1989 CCIW championship football team. The team will be  honored at half-time of the MU vs. Albion football game. For more info, e-mail Tom Mahoney '90.

Oct. 14-16: on campus 
Homecoming 2005. Class reunion packets, including class rosters and reservation forms, have recently been mailed. Contact us in a couple of weeks if this is your reunion year and you haven't received a packet.

Hot links
Big Blue Sports  

Big Blue  wedding album. New bride or groom? Submit your wedding photos and info by e-mail, or call toll-free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM for details..

Add high school students to MU's mailing list for prospective students. MORE

Shop online: 
First Step Records
Millikin bookstore  
First Step Publishing

All alumni actors, artists, writers, singers, dancers and musicians: Send us details of upcoming engagements or releases for the Millikin website. Drop a line to alumnews@millikin.edu, or fax your performance schedule to 217-424-3755. Click here to see where your fellow alums are performing.

MU RELEASES NEW STUDY.
Results of a just-released Millikin study indicate that supporting entrepreneurship, through a collaborative and regional approach, is key to Central Illinois reaching its full economic potential. MORE  

WE SENT SOME STUDENTS 
TO AFRICA.
A Millikin group  that included Dr. Dan Miller from the mathematics department, Amanda Musser Oliver '01, and Dr. Judy Parrish of the biology department just returned from an African trip. While there, the group took a five-day safari and also experienced a fynbos habitat and baboon raids. They also visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Table Mountain, Langa Township, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned. In Langa township, the class visited an orphanage for infants through 5 year olds, taking along picture books, soccer balls, cleaning supplies and bubbles. They spent a couple of hours holding, playing with and reading to the children. The bubbles were a special hit (although the kids didn't know whether to chase, pop or eat them -- some did all three).

WHERE'S MY QUARTERLY?
The summer issue of Millikin Quarterly magazine is headed toward your mailbox. Let it out! Inside this issue, you'll find a salute to entrepreneurship, including profiles of some alumni who run their own businesses or organizations. In connection with the issue, we've started Big Blue Biz, a new online directory of alumni-owned businesses. Help our directory grow by sending in info about your business.

BIG BLUE IN A BIG WAY.
Looking to get involved further as an alum? Live in the Decatur area? The Millikin Alumni Association Board of Directors is determining interest in starting a Millikin Club of Decatur and needs dedicated alumni, "...who would like to network and socialize with fellow alumni, volunteer their services to Millikin, become ambassadors to support and champion the university and become greater involved with the campus community." For more info, come to an informal get together and interest session on Thursday, Aug. 11, at Tuscany Pasta and Steak House (1099 W. Wood St.) from 6 to 8 p.m. RSVP by completing the form on our website, or call (217) 424-6383 by Friday August 5th.

It's in the bag.
Look for the Millikin name all over downtown Chicago in August. The Big Blue will be featured on the gift bags given to runners participating in John "The Penguin" Bingham's '70 Chicago Distance Classic. MORE

IT'S A FAIR THING. 
Millikin Day is Aug. 12 at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Come out to the Millikin building in the old Tech Town across from Food-a-Rama to visit with MU alumni, friends and current and prospective students. Beat the heat in the air conditioning and enjoy Big Blue bottled water and other giveaways. Don't miss the Caleb Keith band performing in the morning and Chapter 6 performances from 1-3 p.m. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m.

HOT WEATHER, HOT TRIVIA.
What was the name of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon canine mascot who received an honorary degree in canineology in 1935?

A. Blue
B. Alpha
C. Bud
D. Sig

Send your answer to alumnews@millikin.edu and be sure to include your name and address. Five winners will be selected from a random drawing of all who respond correctly and each will receive a prize! 

Last month's winners --

Dale Kenyon '52
Ross Mullen '53
Dick Dechert '54
Kirke White '53
Clint Hawks '90

each won a magnetic write on/wipe off memo board for correctly answering that 1951 was the year that the Big Blue men's basketball team finished second in the nation.