Charter Gala

Have you ever heard of the Charter Gala? I hadn't.

Just two weeks ago, I received this e-mail:

Hi there,

On behalf of the CNR Dean's Office, we would like to invite you to
attend the Charter Banquet as a guest of the Dean on March 24th at
Fort Mason in San Francisco. The dinner begins at 6:30 and there will
be about 20 people in the party for CNR -- donors and friends of the
College, as well as Executive Associate Dean Gilless and CNR Major
Gift Officers Alex Evans and Laura Oftedahl. We always invite a
student or two and would love to have you join us.

If you could let me know as soon as possible if you can attend I
would appreciate it.

Thank you!
Aimee

Aimee Kelley
Events & Awards Coordinator
College of Natural Resources

The first thing that popped through my mind? Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, with the lyrics: "The Prince is giving a ball! The prince is giving a ball! His royal highness Christopher Rupbert..." After that brief community theatre flashback, I went Googling for a little more information on the event. I found this site:
http://alumni.berkeley.edu/CAA_Events/Charter_Gala/2007/awards.asp

It's a huge event that the Alumni Association puts on every year to celebrate the anniversary of the school, and to honor alumni that have made a spectacular impact on the world. 900 proud alumni, sponsors of the school, and representatives from each college come together for a spectacle that includes a gourmet banquet, performances by student groups, dancing, and an open bar. The last event that I attended with folks as well-dressed as at the Gala was...well... I was going to say Prom, but that was so many years ago a girl is bound to see another spectacular event every six years or so... about 3 years ago I went to an 80th birthday party of a dear friend that took place at a castle. Anyhew...

The Charter Gala is an impressive event, and I was honored to attend. Gina Lopez came, too. A Senior in Forestry, Gina is a fun girl to hang out with. We sat at separate tables, but that's all right - mainly it seemed that we were present to help keep folks entertained. Trust me, they didn't need much help! It was such a fun event. The Cal Band came to play, slap dancers from a sorority, and an acapella group called Decadence. What a great time!