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The Circumnavigators Club is an organization for people who have made a trip around the world. Learn more about the Club on the international website. The Chicago chapter sponsors several local educational events each year. We also raise funds to support the Circumnavigators Foundation. We then work closely with Northwestern University to annually select a student to accomplish one of these Foundation-sponsored study grants that addresses that student's chosen research topic while travelling around the world to collect the appropriate data. |
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Our creed is:
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See all of our event summaries and photos grouped by year in the Photos and Events archive.
Below are the invitations a photos for our 2025 events.
Click on the photo thumbnails for early event information and to save the date on your calendar.
As events are formalized the invitation with full information and pricing will replace the thumbnails.
Sunday, March 16th, 2025
"Meet Lucia Barnum, 2024 Scholar"
at Evanston's Fire House #2 Grill (website)
750 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL 60202
Cash bar -- 12:15 - 1:00 Conversation
Brunch ---- 1:00
Program -- roughly 2:00 (you are allowed to keep grazing)
Friday to Sunday, May 16-18, 2025
"Annual International Meeting"
in Washington D.C.
Click on thumbnail to get invitation to this event.
Contact Tracy at club@circumnavigators.org to sign-up.
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
"Foundation Fundraiser: Come for the conversation, stay for the fireworks"
at the home of Mary Houston, Lake Point Tower in Chicago
Use the RSVP to acquire discounted parking at the Tower.
Click on thumbnail to get invitation to this event.
"2025 Club-wide Photo Contest"
Send your 5 best photos now to circumnavigatorscontest@gmail.com
4 categoies: Landscape, Architecture, Flora/Fauna, and Human Interest
Click on thumbnail to see contest details.
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Wednesday, September 17th, 2025
"Keynote Event Author Dinner Presentation"
at the Union League Club of Chicago)
Click on thumbnail to see the event details.
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Friday, December 5th, 2025
"Annual Holiday Party/Brunch"
at Chicago's Cliff Dwellers Club
200 S. Michigan Ave on Chicago's lake front
Click on thumbnail to see the event details.
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On Sunday, March 16, 2025, we gathered at noon at Evanston's Firehouse #2 restaurant (an actual restored fire house). This decomissioned firehouse still has the original fire polls! Due to updated regulations, the polls are no longer functioning. It is a student favorite hangout and is located within walking distance of the Northwestern University Campus.
We were meeting to enjoy fellowship and to listen to the study grant trip report from Lucia Barnum. She is our most recent Foundation Scholar. Her project: From the Ashes:A study of post fire community organizing.
Her research involved a series of expert interviews with professionals and scholars in a variety of fields. She focused on key fire disasters in different countries that radically impacted specific communities across the globe.
We were also introduced to her Northwestern Advisor as well as next year's Foundation selectee, Maya Kraidy. See their photos below.
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Left: Lucia's partner, Lucia Barnum, her NW advisor, Maya Kraidy and Deanna Padgett after prepping the presentation. Right: Members Don Blom, Amy Gardner and Don Parrish checking in with each other while member Carol Sommers talks to a guest not in the field of view. | |||
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Left: HQ President (and local member) Dan Peterson reviewing updates with Past Chapter President and International Board member Jeneane Blom. Right: Guest Nina Mauritz talks with member Dr. Pat Young and Nick Sommers. | |||
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Left: One last discussion before brunch is served, Members Don Blom, Don Parrish (back), Amy Gardner, Dan Peterson and Keith Sbiral, Jim Keating (green hat), members Carol Sommers, Deanna Padgett and Mary Houston. Right: Lucia Barnum performing the obligatory flag ceremony by naming and placing each flag for the countries she visited in order while Foundation Co-ordinator Deanna Padgett judges her accuracy and progress (she scored 100%). | |||
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Left: Chapter President Jim Franch, Co-ordinator Deanna Padgett and 2026 selectee Maya Kraidy "fly the flag" that will be used by Maya on her study grant. Right: The same shot for good measure (and because we ate all the food before we remembered to take the photo). | |||
On Wednesday night, July 23, 2025, we gathered at Mary Houston's fabulous Lake Point Tower condo that has a wonderful view of Navy Pier. The occasion was our annual Foundation Scholar Fund Raiser. It is our 25th year sponsoring such scholars so our Co-ordinator, Deanna Padgett, worked with our hostess, Mary Houston to add to the festivities with balloons and the like. In addition to the libations and canapes, other members brought several special offerings. Navy Pier's Wednesday night fireworks at 9PM added just the right spark to end the evening.
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Left: Lake front view from Mary's living room at 6:30PM. Right: Megan Wood (one of Northwestern's grant administrators) and Don Parrish meet for the second time. Back when Megan was a young girl doing a service project cleaning up a gravesite she met Don who had researched and proven that it was the grave of long forgotten Revolutionary War veteran! | |||
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Left: Members Katie Valleau, Nathan Martin, Deanna Padgett and NW's Megan Wood convene in the kitchen with Carol Sommers in the back. Right: Members Jan Aaron, Marii Mak Tucker and Jacqui Winship get to know each other. | |||
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Left: A discussion pod of Dr Pat Young, Nick Sommers and Dan Peterson with Mary Houston in the background. Right: Megan Wood and Deanna Padgett lead the formal meeting with Dr Pat Young (back) Dan Peterson, Don Parrish, Rich Aaron then Mary Houston and Carol Sommers (both back), with Marii Mak and Jacqui Winship in the foreground. | |||
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Left: Fireworks after 9PM with this green starburst followed by shooting stars near the start. Right: The ending volley much later included this red explosion quickly followed up with the white one just forming. Mary played appropriate music throughout. |
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On this elegant starlit night downtown we gathered at Chicago's oldest and most august club (the Union League Club) for an elegant dinner and serious talk about tariffs. A world-recognized expert (and a local chapter member) Ngosong Fonkem packed an amazing amount of knowledge and perspective into 25 minutes and then took questions. I now know why Nordstrom's has its dress slacks still made of fine Italian cloth but constructed in Toronto. If you missed it, you will have to wait until next year for his update as tariffs have been used by countries for centuries and the tactics on both sides are constantly changing.
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Left: is member Jack Piliponis talking to guests Jim Keating and Simone Baptiste while members Jan Aaron and Mary Houston try to get the bartender to break a smile to no avail. Right: All but Jim Franch (the photographer) manage to pose for a picture between the salad and main course. | |||
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Left: Leslie Pollock (our newest member) finally receives his official membership certificate (and new member badge) from Past-President Jeneane Blom. Right: Ngosong Fonkem introduces the topic by reminding everyone that tariffs were the country's only source of revenue when initially founded. | |||
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Left: Ngosong highlights that 25 years ago the US was the world's dominant exporter and importer but now markets have many major players. This fundamentally changes the dynamics of tariffs. Right: Ngosong concludes his prepared remarks with the current top mitigation strategies US firms are employing to deal with the tariff changes. | |||
We celebrated 2025's Holiday Party at the downtown Cliff Dwellers Club (the site of next year's World-Wide Annual Meeting) and it was enjoyed by all. This time we saw Chicago's iconic lakefront in a Christmas-festive fashion. As is tradition, we elected next year's chapter officers, installed new members and had an open mike for those members who had memorable trips this year. The mini-talks, food, decor, service and view were outstanding.
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Left: Past-President Jeneane Blom introduced the officer slate and conducted a voice vote. At the table were members Tim Foufas, Mary Houston, David Waring, Carol Sommers, Rich and Jan Aaron. Right: Here are the other attendees. Hidden at the table for 4 was Pat Smith, member applicant Debbie Taggert and at large member from St Louis Charles Miller. At the other table you see Jim Keating, Dr Pat Young, Jacqui and Kent Winship, Marii Mak-Tucker's husband and Marii. Several others were not in view. |
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Left: Jacqui Winship presents Jack Piliponis with his membership certificate and has convinced him to share a bit of his background as a corporate lawyer in the banking industry. Right: Here is Jacqui presenting Charles Miller his certificate. Charles frequently travels to Chicago which allowed us to do this. He is a dermatologist by trade and had an interesting story about his medical contributions in several war torn nations of Central Asia. |
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Left: Rich and Jan Aaron visited a number of European and African nations this year. Here is Jan experiencing a fully automated AI-based wheelchair take her (and her carry-on) to her Spanish Gate. Right: Even our petite Mary Houston had here challenges navigating Cappadocia's tunnels. She absolutely recommends this Turkish experience if you have never been there. |
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Left: Our newest member applicant, Debbie Taggert literally just got back from Saudi Arabia. Here she is posing next to a modern mirrored building. Notice that the locals are also taking advantage of similar photo opportunities behind her. This country is definitely trying to attract western tourists without abandoning their traditional values. Right: David Waring did a bit of extreme hiking throughout Nepal and Bhutan while trying to visit Mt. Everest's base camp. Here he is taking a quick break before finishing the trek to this famous Buddhist monastery (the Tiger's Nest in Bhutan). |
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