Red Tie Gala to celebrate 150 years of alumni legacy

Alumni will make a red-carpet entrance this October as they celebrate University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni and traditions at the Red Tie Gala, the capstone event of the Wisconsin Alumni Association‘s 150th anniversary.

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

“This will be an amazingly spirited and meaningful moment for alumni to get decked out in their Badger best while helping a great cause,” says Martha Vukelich-Austin of Madison, co-chair of WAA’s Red Tie Gala alumni advisory committee. “Black tie attire is certainly welcome, but ‘red tie’ style and Badger sophistication is highly encouraged.”

The gala will be at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Town Center on Oct. 14 from 7–11 p.m. Attendees will arrive to a luminous red-carpet scene and enjoy historic photos, recognition of WAA members and alumni chapters, and favorite Badger traditions throughout the evening.

Alumni and guests will dance to a live band; dine on gourmet heavy hors d’oeuvres, local beers and wines and “Sesquitini” signature cocktails; and mingle with classmates and alumni, special guests and Badger celebrities.

Honorary hosts for the Red Tie Gala include Wade ’59 and Beverly x’60 Fetzer; Jere ’63 and Anne Fluno; Carl PhD’78, JD’81 and Mary MS’74, MS’98 Gulbrandsen; Ted ’69 and Mary ’68 Kellner; Mike and Karen Knetter; Chuck ’49 and Mary Ann La Bahn; Pat ’64, JD’71 and Renee Richter; Al ’95 and Jane ’85 Toon; and interim Chancellor David MS’62, PhD’63 and Judith ’64 Ward.

Valet parking will be available, as well as deluxe coach transportation to Madison for alumni from Green Bay, the Fox Valley and Milwaukee. Tickets are $150, with 50 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Great People Scholarship. Registration is available at uwalumni.com/gala.

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 that will expand public access to the lake and showcase the impact of UW and its alumni around the globe.

WAA also continues to receive commendations in celebration of Badger alumni who make positive differences in communities around the nation. The mayors of Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis — among the top five populations of UW alumni — have proclaimed Oct. 14 “Wisconsin Alumni Association Day.” Other congratulations being sent include those from the Waukesha County Executive and the mayors of Madison, Appleton and Washington, D.C.

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.

A look at the history and legacy of the Wisconsin Alumni Association is at uwalumni.com/150.