URI’s Tenth Annual Winter Gala promises elegant evening in historic Newport KINGSTON, R.I. — December 22, 2000 — Break the ice this February with other University of Rhode Island alumni and friends at the Tenth Annual Winter Gala, where the warmth and romance of historic Newport promises an elegant evening of dining, dancing, and live and silent auction entertainment. Since the gala’s inception, more than $400,000 has been raised for URI alumni scholarship and undergraduate grant funds. The annual event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Hyatt Regency-Newport on Goat Island, Newport. Honorary couple co-chairs for the event are Donna Ross and Mark A. Ross ’64, of Ross Simons Jewelry. A special Pre-Gala reception will be held from 6 – 7:30 p.m. and will feature an open bar, champagne, hors d’oeuvres, a unique gift for each person, and an auction preview. The Gala will follow from 7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. with hors d’oeuvres, a sit-down dinner, dancing, silent auction, live auctions and more. Black tie is optional. Tickets are $100 per person for the gala, and $175 per person for the VIP reception and gala. Tables of 10 to both the pre-gala and gala are also available. The Hyatt Regency-Newport Hotel is offering a special URI Winter Gala room rate of $95. Make checks payable to URI Winter Gala, and mail to: Winter Gala, URI Alumni Association, 12 Davis Hall, 10 Lippitt Road, Kingston, R.I. 02881-2011. Credit card orders may be placed by phone at 401-874-2242 or by fax at 401-874-5957. Items up for auction include: golfing in Scotland, game tickets and airfare for a Monday night football getaway, flight and golf for two at Martha’s Vineyard, a football autographed by Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Montana, a walk-on role in a Cardi’s commercial, and many other items. The first Winter Gala was held in 1992 to interest younger alumni in donating their time and money to the University. In the past decade, the gala has grown, and sells out almost every year. Companies and others are also invited to sponsor tables, the program, the reception, or other elements of the event. Call the Alumni Association at 401-874-2242 for sponsorship opportunities and rates. Seating is limited, so order early for this popular event! The Winter Gala committee is as follows: Member Hometowns Mark A. Ross ’64 and Donna Ross, honorary co-chairs Warwick Kimberly A. Rose ’78, chair Wakefield F. Steven DiMasi, chair Wakefield Raymond G. Lundgren Jr. ’54, chair Tiverton Nancy A. Lundgren ’54, chair Tiverton Tony Alexander ’02 East Brunswick, N.J. Lincoln D. Almond ’85 Kingston Lynn M. Almond Kingston Lori Carria ’86 Durham, Conn. Stephen D. Chmielewski ’86 Framingham, Mass. Salvatore J. Corio ’83 Cranston Mark Davis ’83 East Greenwich Dennis N. DiSano ’70, ’77 Warwick Kathleen Duffy ’80 Cranston Claire Kane Hall ’94 Narragansett Jay Hall ’93 Narragansett Chester W. Ham ’62, ’69 Warwick Angela M. Hilliard ’79 Cranston M.J. Miniati Krueger ’83 Cranston Steve Leach ’86 Warwick Robert S. Messinger Jr. ’73 Portsmouth Deborah O’Brien ’85, ’96 North Kingstown Daniel J. Pendergast Jr. ’59 Warwick Bonnie Saccucci ’81 Wakefield Martha Sheridan ’83 Kingston Jill Trautman ’88 Coventry Alan H. Wasserman ’75 Providence and Narragansett For Information: Jessie Kenyon, 401-874-4853, Jhodi Redlich, 401-874-2116, Jennifer Smith, 401-874-2116