Issue 1, 2024
Feathers and Flappers
Jayhawks to celebrate milestone Rock Chalk Ball with nod to 1920s
Editor’s note: Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Association has canceled the Rock Chalk Ball and Gold Medal Club reunion. As Association staff members and alumni volunteers work to determine next steps, Kansas Alumni and the Association will share new information.
Alumni in the nation’s largest KU community will celebrate the exuberance and excitement of the Roaring ’20s—as well as a historic Alumni Association milestone—at the 25th annual Rock Chalk Ball, Saturday, May 2, at the LEX, a sleek space in the lower level of Municipal Auditorium. The theme for this year’s event is “Feathers and Flappers,” and guests are encouraged to dress in their finest 1920s-themed attire.
Hosted by the Association and its Greater Kansas City Network, the annual fundraising event, which dates back to 1996, will benefit the Jayhawk Career Network and the Student Alumni Network. In 2019, SAN became the largest student alumni organization in the Big 12, and it now includes more than 6,700 members.
Honorary chairs who helped organize the ball over the past 25 years will be recognized at this year’s celebration. “They’re spread out all over the country now,” says Kelsey Hill Galle, c’12, assistant director of Kansas City programs. “Some people are coming in from California, Arizona, Texas and maybe haven’t been in 20 years. We’re excited to be able to honor them and all the work they have done to make Rock Chalk Ball what it is today.”
Returning to emcee this year’s event is John Holt, j’81, l’84, co-anchor of Fox 4 News. Sasha Flores Boulware, c’98, g’00, and Billy Marshall, c’00, will serve as ball committee co-chairs for the third consecutive year. Boulware is a Presidents Club member and serves on the Associaton’s national board of directors. She and her husband, Al, c’98, l’02, g’02, co-chaired the 2005 ball. Marshall is a Life Member and a Presidents Club donor. He also is a longtime ball participant.
Trisha Brauer, owner of Taking Bids Benefit Auctions, will rally the crowd again this year during the live auction, and guests also will have the opportunity to bid on silent auction items through the BidPal OneCause app. “We have some really great auction items this year,” Galle says. “There’s something for everyone, whether your budget is $10,000 or $10.”
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