Your update from Alaska: We opened up the summer with a backyard BBQ. Our guest speaker was Bob Shake, senior vice president with Northrim Bank, discussing the state of the banking industry in Alaska. For the Fourth of July, we hosted a tailgate party in Eagle River and watched the fireworks in the twilight sky at 11:00 (in June/July is does not really get dark enough to truly enjoy fireworks). For the end of summer, the Club took a cruise to Portage Glacier, followed by a road trip to Whittier (via the new $80 million tunnel) for dinner. For the homecoming game against Purdue, I�ll be hosting a breakfast buffet (game time here is 8:00 a.m.). If the Cats make the Rose Bowl, the Club is planning on making the trek to Pasadena. For Christmas, we are planning a holiday dinner. Our scheduled guest speaker is Mike Anderson, chief stewart of the MV Kennicott, the newest ship in the Alaska Ferry Service. Mike will be talking about using the Alaska Marine Highway System to tour the southeast portion of Alaska. The Club is planning a trip on the ferry system for May 2001.