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President’s Letter, November 2019 – Enlightening the Citizenry

It was good to see so many of you at our Annual Meeting – now popularly known as All Docent Day – held on Saturday, November 2nd.  Presentations by Paris Schutz, Michelle Woods, Doug Farr, and Lynn Osmond gave all of us a lot to think about. As a city, Chicago has much to be proud of and many serious challenges to grapple with.  Thanks to our hard-working program organizers from the Education Committee for shedding light on these issues. Quoting one of the Big Guys:  An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic. Or a Center.

Congratulations are in order for John Schneider and Carol Sue Garner, recently elected as new representatives on Docent Council. Their terms begin in January, when DC will also appoint (or re-appoint) chairs of the standing committees. Docent Council has accomplished many important goals in the past few years, promulgating or clarifying policies that affect us all. Committee chair term limits, the “No Tipping” mandate, a revised weather policy, and clarity about tour sign-up policy are among these accomplishments.  As always, I invite anyone reading this letter to contact me with issues that concern you, so that I can pass them on to the new Council for consideration.

Other notable news since the last letter:

  • The 9th Annual Open House Chicago set a new high for attendance – about 109,000 people explored almost 350 venues. Watch for big things next year when we celebrate 10 years of OHC. Mark your calendars for October 17/18 2020.
  • One of our own, John Syvertsen (Docent Class of 2016), received the Lifetime Award from the Illinois chapter of the AIA.
  • CAC membership is at an all-time high, with just under 14,000 members.
  • Attendance at the Center will hit and exceed the 100,000 mark this month.

 

By the end of the year, I hope to bring you up to date on DAN plans and share some first hints about the 2020 trip (which will be later in the year than usual ~ September).

Early wishes to you all for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!

Constance

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Mary Jo

    Thank you for all you’ve done for us the last three years!

  2. Thomas

    It would be good if people contributing to this website would identify themselves by both first and last names.

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