Celebrate “Wisconsin Alumni Association Day” on Oct. 14

If you live in Chicago, Minneapolis, Madison, Milwaukee — or anywhere in Wisconsin — Friday is a perfect day to thank a Badger.

As the Wisconsin Alumni Association celebrates its 150th anniversary with the Red Tie Gala on Friday, Oct. 14 during Homecoming at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, these four cities and the entire state of Wisconsin are officially celebrating Badger graduates.

The declarations of “Wisconsin Alumni Association Day” by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Madison Common Council, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett ’76, JD’80, and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s proclamation of “Wisconsin Alumni Day,” honor the contributions of Badger alumni who make positive differences in communities around the nation.

“Thank you for all the great work you do, not just for the university, but also for our city and state,” said Mayor Paul Soglin ’66, JD’72, as he joined Madison’s Common Council in approving the resolution sponsored by Ald. Mike Verveer JD’04.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also sent congratulations to mark the association’s anniversary, rounding out the celebrations in the cities with the top five populations of UW–Madison alumni.

“We commend the WAA for providing an invaluable network of support to the Wisconsin graduates who contribute so much to our city’s economy, culture and civic life,” Bloomberg wrote.

Other congratulations to date include a joint citation from state Sen. Fred Risser and state Rep. Mark Pocan ’86 of the Wisconsin Legislature, and a proclamation from Burk Tower, mayor of Oshkosh, noting the year 2011 as “Wisconsin Alumni Association 150th Birthday Celebration in the City of Oshkosh.”

Commendations have also been sent from the Waukesha County executive, the Brown County Board of Supervisors, and the mayors of Appleton and Washington, D.C. — all home to major populations of UW–Madison alumni.

Throughout 2011, the independent, nonprofit Wisconsin Alumni Association has celebrated its 150th anniversary at Founders’ Day events across the country, during Alumni Weekend, and at alumni chapter birthday parties in more than a dozen U.S. cities.

UW–Madison joined the celebration at a birthday party in June, where WAA unveiled its commemorative Babcock Dairy ice cream flavor — Mad Grad Medley — and presented its birthday gift to campus: new street signs featuring the university crest.

The Red Tie Gala on Friday, Oct. 14, will be a historic moment celebrating the association’s century-and-a-half of serving UW–Madison and its graduates. Alumni will make a red-carpet entrance to the premier Homecoming-eve event, raising up to $150,000 to support future alumni through the Great People Scholarship.

WAA has announced that its 150th anniversary gift to campus is Alumni Park, a new, $8 million promenade and green space along the shore of Lake Mendota.