International Edition
Search
CNN.com Home Page -
CNN Exchange
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Bushes to Attend Alfalfa Club Dinner
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President and Mrs. Bush and members of their family plan to attend Saturday night's annual black tie dinner of the Alfalfa Club, a 94-year-old Washington social club.

Among the 620 guests expected at the Capital Hilton Hotel are VIPs, including members of the Cabinet and Supreme Court, as well as former President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush. Both Presidents Bush have been former presidents of the club.

The current president of the club, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, will be succeeded at the dinner by incoming President Gen. P.X. Kelley, former commandant of the Marine Corps. Among VIP guests expected are singer Pat Boone, actress Ashley Judd, tennis stars Andre Agassi and his wife Stephanie Graf as well as Baseball Hall of Fame members Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs and David M. Winfield of the San Diego Padres.

Nine new members to be installed at the dinner are: Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr., New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Sens. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, and Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, Michael Dell, chairman of the Dell Inc. computer firm; Bradford M. Freeman, co-founder of the institutional money management firm of Freeman- Spogli & Co. of Santa Monica, California and Former Ambassador Roger Kirk, now vice chairman of Atlantic Council of the United States.

The Alfalfa Club was started by four southerners in Washington's Willard Hotel in 1913. It gets its name from a thirsty plant that sends its roots deep down looking for liquid refreshment. Its sole purpose was an annual night out for the boys. However, in 1994, women were admitted to membership and the dinner now includes women members and prominent women guests.

According to club spokesman Richard E. Pearson the dinner is "off the record." But he did report on the expected guests and the nine new members to be elected.
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNN makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNN may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
Search
© 2007 Cable News Network.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map.
Offsite Icon External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pipeline Icon Pay service with live and archived video. Learn more
Radio News Icon Download audio news  |  RSS Feed Add RSS headlines