Derrick Gragg named Northwestern’s new athletic director

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DERRICK GRAGG The NEW Athletic Director of Northwestern University

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TABLE OF CONTENT

COVER STORY

10 Derrick Gragg

Athletic Director of Northwestern University

DEPARTMENTS 07 BUSINESS Unify All Evanston

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16 FINE DINING Jilly’s Pure Romance

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18 OPEN TAB God of Fire | Malbec

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Circulated throughout the North Shore with a focus core of Evanston.

The great city leading the country toward a more equitable future.

19 The Grapeful Grape

22 Saying Fairewell: Comedian Vincent Hickney

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Editor’s Letter

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efore anything else I want to say that I hope you are all well and dealing with this still so challenging climate, we are in.

Surprisingly it feels like covid is gone there are still major signs that it is not. Anyhow it has been a great month of celebration for myself and my fraternity as we are Kappa Alpha Psi and we are stronger than ever in the Evanston area. This issue represents this as we celebrate.

EVANSTON MAGAZINE

Publisher Editor -in- Chief Aaron Foster

This fall edition of Evanston Magazine is one I am very Proud of. It has been a wonderful struggle to deal with the cargo issue our nation is having. There are ships waiting to unload the essential things we need.

Yet the politics of our country hinder that. We thrive in spite of this like the Americans we are.

In this issue of Evanston Magazine, we have on the cover a magnificent representative of the state our city is in. Evanston has always had a history of moving the needle forward in a positive way. Some may complain “not fast enough” yet time shows it was in due time. This cover represents that historically methodic growth. Northwestern University and the City of Evanston can be proud of its move to hire in an (unpresident) inclusive way. The level of experience was met tenfold but we know the job was not easily attained. History did not show favor to the melanated yet Northwestern led the college climate in its decision to hire Derrick Gragg.

This is a win in leadership. Please take the time to learn a little bit more about the athletic director of Northwestern University Derek Gragg who is also my fraternity brother.

Also and very important to me is a story that is included in this issue about Jilly’s Cafe. I think this is one of the countries hidden diamondlevel restaurants. Jilly’s was placed on this earth to encourage fulfilling marriages/love. In this issue, you will read that it actually did save a marriage. Please write in and tell me about your experience. I look forward to your emails as you respond to how you feel about Jilly’s Cafe.

I close this issue out with a personal story about a friend who is also a comedian in the midwest. Vincent Hickey was a drinking buddy of mine, We’ve done quite a few shows together and we’ve had the opportunity to sit and enjoy a beer/ conversation. Unfortunately, cancer took him away from us before he could fully reach his potential

Aaron Foster Editor in Chief EVANSTON Magazine

In Partnership Evanston Woman Magazine Linda Del Bosque Contributing Writers Zimmerman Wealth Management Sheetal DeCaria, MD. Robert Vega Keith Terry Heather S. Bormann Demona Hoffman Karen Kopan Anna Henscey Photographers Jeremy Pardoe Karen Kring Robert Vega Aaron Foster Jinnifer SchumaM

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BUSINESS

UNIFY ALL EVANSTON BUSINESSES Economic District Equity=Equality

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n 1987 downtown Evanston (formerly Evmark) was created to provide marketing and Management Services to the downtown Evanston merchants and businesses and is governed by a board of directors and work in partnership with the city of the organization was formed as a 501 C 6 nonprofit corporation and funded through a tax levy special services area SS a 9 Illinois equivalent of a Business Improvement District In 2016, the Main Dempster mile business district was created. In 2019, Central Street Business District was created.

How Business Districts Are Managed: A local commission appointed by the mayor and made up of SSA property owners and tenants oversee the services provided and determine SSA services and budgets annually SSA funds are controlled locally and must be spent on services that achieve the mission of the particular SSA How Business Districts Are Funded?

The budget is dispersed every year to each business district below you can see the annual amount that is dispersed by the City of Evanston.

Economic Justice Reform and unified all businesses in 21 business districts creates opportunities and inclusion for businesses in wards 5, 8, and south of Ward 2. Those districts seem to need a touch more assistance and seem to be currently neglected when compared to other districts.

The main question: Can Evanston community members, business owners, and surrounding interest groups count on the City of Evanston to be accountable to provide Equitable business resources? Equability for all business?

Impact And Solutions Each person who signed the petition has an interest in breaking down barriers and systemic racism that excludes businesses that are not located in downtown Evanston similarly main Dempster Mile and Central Street are to receive the same equal support to sustain their small businesses as other Wards.

A 1987 Evanston was not open so we’re Progressive structures by many of our communities are today.

To allow businesses to unify under one business district will create equity and equality from the money that’s given annually from our government through a tax levy please consider signing the petition with your friends family and community members who are working towards a more Equitable Evans fight for economic Justice requires help from all Races and social background.

Sign the Petition (https://tinyurl.com/UnifyEvanstonBusinessDistricts)

Derrick Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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Derrick Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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COVER STORY

Athletic Director of Northwestern University

DERRICK GRAGG

Evanston Magazine 0:00 Derrick Gragg congrats on the position. You have a very prestigious job over it at Northwestern, how’d it feel to receive that phone call? And did you get a chance to talk to good old Morty? (Morton O. Schapiro}

Derrick Gragg 1:07 It’s a blessing and it’s an honor. In this country there are only 130 jobs like this anyway, right? And I will consider about 40 to 50 of them to be elite. The Athletic Director of Northwestern is within the top 10 for sure, across the board.

So it felt very humbling. I think it’s a very good mutual win.

It is a mutual win because of what I bring to the table.

In my past role with the NCAA as the Senior Vice President for inclusion, there had 27 years of experience in college athletics, including six different institutions prior to this one.

Not just any institutions either. I’ve been a part of power five institutions like Vanderbilt, my alma mater Arkansas.

Another one of my alma mater for six years, Missouri.

Then get the chance to be an FBS Athletic Director for 14 continuous years. Tulsa was a favorite but obviously, those programs aren’t as prestigious as this one.

Evanston Magazine (insert) I have read that your history has some powerful people in it.

Derrick Gragg I always think about our you know, history. And I was raised by a mother who will integrate a high school at 65 in Huntsville, Alabama. So, being a pioneer is something innate in me. I’ve basically been carrying that strength everywhere I’ve gone in my career, as you can imagine.

Northwestern is a high-level BIG 10 (12) opportunity -you know, it’s as good as it gets.

Evanston Magazine 2:31 I thank you for your hard work and for your family’s hard work back in history, I know the level of racism that they may have had to climb through. I did read a statement that said that you were a proponent of the potential of studentathletes. So this being the position for you of power, what does that look like? How are you going to implement that frame of mind into your programs that will filter down into the school system?

Derrick Gragg 3:14 Right, well, I believe in educating and helping our studentathletes holistically. I’ve been addressing the teams over the days, and I have a meeting with one of the teams today but yesterday, I told the team, one of the main things that we expect them to use in athletes is to integrate into mainstream campus society and become something other than a jock. So if anybody knows anything about my will to influence students especially toward graduation and particular to graduation, the more in tune a student or student-athlete, particularly as with the campus to what’s going on, outside of, you know, just athletics is going to help them develop and obtain graduate status.

One of the things I’ve picked up on is a fraternity, but another thing I picked up on happened during my dissertation. I was doing my dissertation, which was about The Factors That Positively Affect Graduation and Retention for Black Football players. The research concentrated on holistic development. Being a part of something other than just being in the athletic department, for instance, fraternity, being a part of a fraternity that was a big thing that I picked up on spirituality. You know, how engaged the coaches are, with the player off the field, rather than just what’s going on with them on the field. Are they involved with their everyday lives? They know more about them, are they helping them develop? So that’s definitely something that and Northwestern always already does a really good job of that they have something that I had not seen in other institutions, all institutions we have something we can do career development force Madeline’s right but this David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program is as in-depth as I’ve seen. I got a chance to close out the program, which was held Sunday for the junior student-athletes, virtually.

I did the closing remarks and just how we develop our student-athletes along the way. Because no matter if you play 10 years in a professional league or just played here you have to do something to develop yourself outside of sport.

Evanston Magazine 5:27 Awesome- That brings me to my next question. Is there a student-athlete that you think we should all keep our eyes on this year?

Derrick Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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Derrick Gragg Absolutely.

It’s a couple of things matter of fact. I went as basketball player Veronica Burton. She was first-team all big 10 and she was on Team USA, they won a Gold medal over the summer. So she is NU big-time sports royalty. I love her. Then there’s another- Federico Burdisso, he was an Olympian. NU has five Olympian studentathletes. for his whole, you know, his own country, Italy. Okay, so this new handily won two bronze medals in swimming events in Olympics just this past summer. So those are the types of Student-athletes we have here. Everybody knows they have a lot of academic prowess. Northwestern has some big-time athletes as well.

Evanston Magazine 6:43 What policies of inclusion do you look forward to implementing on the campus of Northwestern? Their connection to the people of the city of Evanston is in need of a leader like yourself. We -the leaders of Evanston are trying to breach this a little bit better. Especially because we see you are such a politically aware person in a position like the one you have.

Derrick Gragg 7:20 In my former position with the NCAA, as chief diversity officer, I’ve learned very important lessons. I hope to bring that to NU. There we were really focusing on hiring policies and practices, fairness. Here at NU, we want to make sure that they’re diverse. The way you do that is to make sure that you have a diverse selection committee. If you don’t have a diverse selection committee, sometimes you’ll be limited, or the people may be limited in what they’re looking at. And you know, a lot of times we have a propensity to choose people who look like ourselves, right? So you want to make sure that you want to have a diverse selection, slate, selection committee. Then you want to have diverse candidates.

Fortunately, here, we have a chief diversity officer, Maria Sanchez, who is a Senior Associate Athletic Director with diversity and inclusion, allowing athletic departments, who was just starting to add that position with this woman was 12

EvanstonMagazine.net

created about a year ago. So I do give the former Athletic Director Jim Phillips, a lot of credit for his foresight, and creating his position because Maria is very, very, in tune with what’s going on here on campus, and I want to be able to use her out more in the area. diversity officers in the city, right, those types of positions, maybe create some synergies.

Evanston Magazine 8:46 I love to see a program that will invite grammar school and high school kids to the campus in a warm and welcoming way. Maybe let them shoot hoops on the collegiate floor. I haven’t seen that yet, not saying it doesn’t happen but as a media source we would publish that story. (afoster#evanstonmagazine:s. com: send a request for your child to participate) Evanston Magazine I’m absolutely proud of everything you’ve done, especially because of our fraternal connection and everything. So besides being hired by Northwestern, and the NCAA, what’s like a big highlight of your, of your life personally, let us know a little bit about you, you know, Derrick Gragg 9:35 absolutely what you know, the biggest thing for me is was celebrating my 20 years of marriage with my Evanston Magazine 9:42 wife, Oh, awesome.

Derrick Gragg 9:44 She has a sports background and when I met her she was working on a master’s degree in sports administration. I helped her with the title on paper and the title on title nine policy altogether.

The early development of my career within the first four or five years, my wife created the first PowerPoint presentation I ever gave. This PowerPoint was presented at the University of Michigan when I landed my assistant athletic director job there. So she’s been here since day one. And we were able to celebrate 20 years of marriage

Derrick Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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COVER STORY with several of our great friends, some of my teammates, some of my fraternity, fraternity brothers in Jamaica, about a year and a half ago. That was a highlight of my career on the personal side. And we have been together. I always preach family first.

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(DG cont) I always need to know what’s going on with the children, don’t spend all your time at the office. Don’t miss important moments in your life, because of your job.

Evanston Magazine 11:07 Oh, man, that’s awesome. And my girl is within earshot of this. This is gonna help me get focused on a 20 year anniversary.

I do have a little bonus question. Have you thought about any connections? Or any specific thing you want to do with the city of Evanston is in the position that you are in?

Derrick Gragg 11:45 One great thing we did this the second football game, we had city officials come to the game, we hosted them. We hosted the mayor, plus four or five city council members were there. I was able to interact with them, I got a chance to meet with them. And I didn’t even know we had black city council members.

Evanston Magazine 12:07 Oh, yeah. Evanston is very progressive. You are standing in the first city to put reparations on the table in the United States. The University does know what they are doing and you are walking in at the right time, you know?

Derrick Gragg 12:18 Absolutely. And I got a chance to be sure that we stay in tune with them, you know, we have this big stadium project going on, right. So we definitely will have to interact with the city and talk to them. We will dialogue with them about, you know, the process, the benefits we will bring to the city, and make sure that we’re in lockstep with them as this is a project. So a lot of those things take a lot of time and relationship building and we’re going to be doing a lot in the next couple of years.

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This Restaurant Is Pure Romance.

It Made My Wife Love Me Again

-Anonymous

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FINE DINING

Jilly’s Cafe 2614 Green Bay Road-Evanston, IL

I

f you are driving down Green Bay Road in the Evanston area you might pass it. The naked eye might blink and you may miss it, as it is a little french restaurant. The quaint building sits next to Heart automotive and on a busy corner. If you’re aware and you are looking for an incredible worldly top-notch experience you will see this diamond of a restaurant. Its name is Jilly’s Cafe.

Jilly’s Cafe is a french inspired throwback to the days of Restaurant Glory. Described as Intimate & popular establishment featuring French bistro fare with an American twist plus brunch. It is a place where your waiter understands fully how to take care of the people who patronize this white table cloth environment. The Service is only over shadowed by the menu.

The bouillabaise had the biggest and most succulent shrimp, and fish chunks in all of Evanston dining. It is a celebration of the sea crowned with an expertly prepared lobster tail (optional) The whole plate is covered in mussles and the dish is swimming in flavor.

You must try this restaurant- immediately call for reservations. ((847) 869-7636)

This French Bistro in the middle of Evanston serves food you would find in a Fendi or a Gucci ad. The menu is stacked with the type of food you may find in a movie. The mussels marinara alone should make any wife happy you did the extra work to make her happy. This restaurant has an Escargot A La Bourignonne (Appetizer) and where else can you get that? The veal dish is to die for. While dining at Jilly’s you might feel like Elizabeth Taylor might have dined there.

It is a place of Pure Romance. It is the place couple go to enjoy love. Personally, I had a conversation with a friend who was having trouble in his marriage. His wife was not happy and he could not find out why. My suggestion was that even though he lived over an hour away that he should drive into Evanston and take her to Jilly. The restaurants reservation list can fill up sometimes weeks in advance.

Nonethe less he took her. He stated that his wife said, “I believe it probably was the most romantic thing he is probably ever done”, while on the phone with his mother.

It was reported that for his wife to make that call felt like he had saved his marriage. He had made the right choice and taking her there now his problems seem to be erased.

Jillys is the experience women dream of. His wife stated “it is such a beautiful intimate restaurant”. After dining there no woman could feel neglected especially while she stares across the table from her lover and orders the bouillabaisse. (pictured left)

Derrick Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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OPEN TAB

God of Fire

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by Don Carlos Toro Cigar

am one to usually stay away from Super high-end cigars, they just seem to cost too much. One day while drinking with some high-net-worth friends one specific buddy stood up went to the front of the Cigar Lounge. He purchased a box of high-end cigars were named God of Fire, by Don Carlos Toro cigars.

I had never heard of it but I could tell by the way they came to the table that this was going to be something special.

I must say there is a difference between $12 cigars and $200 cigars. The burn of the cigar was slower. There was no tobacco sting in the cigar. The taste was extremely smooth had a nutty flavor, an earthy flavor, and almost a cinnamon caramel hint. If I were to say there was some maple in there- I don’t know if I would be challenged.

What I would say is this was the best cigar that I’ve ever had and I look forward to one day trying it again All God of Fire cigars can be considered mediumbodied, and all deliver a smooth, refined character and a satisfying, full flavor. Beyond those common traits, though, no further generalizations can be made. One must sample all of the God of Fire cigars to experience the wealth of flavors this line offers.

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Le Malbec the best Cigar Pairing

T

he pairing of a nice cigar and a bottle of wine is as old as the ritual of “talking to your friends”. Red wine has become a favorite of Evanston Magazine.

This Malbec from -Le Malbec has stolen my heart. The flavors brought out by the combination SWARTHY natural comb of a fine cigar and this wine should only be enjoyed by the person who has earned the opportunity. The hard working high value executive is to enjoy- a fine glass of wine and a smooth cigar.

Originally from the south-west of France, the Malbec grape goes by a number of different names including Auxerrois and Côt. It is said to be the result of a cross between the Magdeleine Noire des Charentes and the Prunelard Noir.

Malbec is a powerful and fruity varietal. It produces a masculine red wine with a lively, frisky character and Latin spirit. The Malbec thrives on the clay and limestone hills of the western Languedoc, terroirs that help it to obtain perfect maturity.

This wine is a joint venture between Vianney Castan and JP Bourgeois. Vianney owns the Chateau St Jean d’Aumiere, neighbor of the Mas de Daumas Gassac in Gignac. This wine is created under the watchful eye and extensive knowledge of Florencia Stoppini.

THE GRA a TEFUL GRA a PE THE GRATEFUL GRAPE

WINES FOR THE PEOPLE. WINES FOR THE WORLD.

WINES FOR THE PEOPLE. WINE FOR THE WORLD

SEI QUERCE WINES, AN ALLEGIANCE TO THE LAND The hills of Northern California are unique. They’re golden and round, speckled with groves of lush green shrubs. They smell of eucalyptus and dry grass, sweet and spicy and warm. On the hottest days, it smells of straw so strongly that the air can feel thick and humid.

In 1897 a family bought a piece of land in these hills, in more specifically what is now the famed Alexander Valley. At the time it was even more rural than it is now, and while agriculture was the major industry of the area, it wasn’t until 2010, when the current (and only second) owner, Hal Hinkle discovered the true potential for this land… to make wine. And ‘make wine’ he has.

After a few years of selling their fruit to the most prestigious labels in Napa and Sonoma, in 2014 Hal Hinkle and winemaker Jesse Katz released their first vintage.

They named the estate Sei Querce after the six oak trees that pepper the center of the property and knew at first sip that they had crafted something pure and beautiful.

Among Sei Querce’s outstanding wines are two elegant Cabernets: Six Oaks and Ranch House. Both are distinguishably unique, but each is as delightful as its other half. Six Oaks, made from grapes harvested first, is silky and smooth with pronounced notes of boysenberry, pomegranate, marzipan, and chocolate. Ranch House, made from grapes picked a few weeks later, is warm and toasty, with notes of sage and orange peel. At my first tasting, I was determined to declare a favorite, but after countless sips back-and-forth, the only declaration I could make was that these wines are intoxicating.

Beyond the exceptional quality of the wine, something of even greater importance lingers beneath the label – a vow to care for the land. Hal has made every decision based on sustainability and is working tirelessly to produce the country’s first certified carbon neutral wines. They use bottles that are made from 40% recycled material which weigh the smallest amount legally possible, reducing waste and allowing for a lighter load in the shipping process. They have eliminated the traditional cork enclosure, keeping one additional piece from our bins, and in an attempt to keep their footprint as small as possible, Hal and Jesse use a communal

Images Courtesy of Sei Querce

winemaking facility instead of building their own.

Wine is a luxury, and the price should not be paid by the land. In our time, it is not enough to make something delicious if it depletes the earth. And it is not enough to feed the earth if we are left unnourished and uninspired.

Hal understands this. In celebration of the land, he will leave it better than he found it, and while he’s at it, he will give us a glass of something impressive to toast it with.

It seems to me - and I would wager to all who have tasted these remarkable wines - that Hal Hinkle has struck gold in the magical hills of Northern California. How sweet it is to have your wine and drink it too.

Sei Querce is imported by JP Bourgeois. To find Sei Querce wines near you, please contact: Anna@JP-Bourgeois.com

ABOUT JP BOURGEOIS IMPORTS

JP Bourgeois is a highly specialized wine importer of French, Spanish, Slovenian, and US wines, focusing solely on handcrafted, sustainably farmed, and certified organic wines.

Written by Anna Henscey, Midwest Account Manager for JP Bourgeois Imports. Henscey grew up in San Francisco and currently lives in Chicago, IL with her fiancé Nick and two dogs, Garcia and Mavis (named for two of her favorite musicians). Henscey is a WSET Level 3 Award recipient and feels inspired to make wine a more approachable topic for all.

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Jp Bourgeois | Derrick Organic | Sustainable | Biodynamic Gragg: Athletic Director of Northwestern | EvanstonMagazine.net

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Saying Good Bye Is Never Easy

Comedian VINCENT HICKEY

September 20, 1978 ~ September 5, 2021 (Age 42)

I

n an article on the University of Illinois hospital website our friend, Vinny Raponi was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia but he never stopped smiling.

According to the article, he was generally doing comedy around the city and one night woke up with a swollen tongue. He went to the hospital. They ran tests and of course, he had feelings when they said “you might want to sit down”. That’s how Vinny Raponi found out that he had leukemia. Nonetheless, Vinny was tough.

In fact, he beat leukemia. Then a short time later was diagnosed with a different kind of brain cancer.

Vinny disappeared and friends of his like me wondered where he was? We did not worry about him because he was a strong Chicago guy. In fact, he was from the Bridgeport area. An area is known for its blur collar “grit”. I’m sure he had many battles and we watched him win consistently against cancer, but as you know cancer never loses. Cancer only waits for its next moment and if you don’t win. One and done- the game is over.

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Yep, you guessed it, unfortunately, we lost Vinnie Raponi and so we got together. The couple of comedians that had the opportunity to spend time with him celebrated his life with his family. The pictures of the event Vinny appeared all across Chicago. Vinny will be missed. He will always be best known for his appearances in the plays he specialized in. The biggest play: Death of a Cannoli Salesman. We miss you Vinny and we look forward to seeing you in the afterlife my friend go up there and make them laugh. I wanna thank Vinnies mom for sharing him with us one last time.

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