The Insider: 5.24.17

Congrats to Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women on its recent 150th anniversary. With international headquarters in St. Louis (Town & Country), the group provided 40,000 new books this year to underserved children in our community. Interestingly, Pi Beta Phi was founded in 1867 at Monmouth College in Illinois, and was a leader in the sorority movement at a time when few universities even admitted women students. Today, its philanthropic effort, Read, Lead, Achieve, helps youth in need succeed through literacy. Pictured above: Cara Sutcliffe, Julie Carney, Paula Shepherd, Hallee Winnie, Julie Willeman, Rae Maier, Alison Heafitz, Marla Wulf, Diane Bielman

You won’t want to miss native daughter Maureen Chiquet (Burroughs ‘81), who will appear at the Jewish Book Festival May 28 to discuss her new book, Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms. The event is free and open to the public. Chiquet, the daughter of Alan Popkin and Rochelle Popkin, grew up in Creve Coeur.

Kudos to the 2017 Women of Achievement: Claire Applewhite, Christine Buck, Adrienne Davis, Marlene Hammerman, Rosemary Hanley, Margaret Hopkins, Kathy Lambert, Elizabeth Mannen, Colleen Kelly Starkloff and Asha Zimmerman.

Ever wonder what really went into men’s fashion trends over the past three centuries? A new exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum, Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015, opens June 25. Be prepared to be wowed by the articles on display, most from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which organized the exhibition. And by revelations about how cinching and padding the body are not exclusive to women!

Congratulations to the honorary degree recipients at this year’s Washington University commencement: John Bachmann, senior partner at Edward Jones; Rev. Gary Braun, director of W.U.’s Catholic Student Center; Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., co-founder and chairman emeritus of Hospital Corporation of America; David Steward, chairman of World Wide Technology; and Dr. Virginia Weldon, first woman chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.