Pulse: Ironman finishes race, but still fundraising

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Updated: November 30, 2011 12:37AM

Although he finished in the top third of the competitors at the Ironman Wisconsin earlier this month, Howard Weiss is more proud of the response he received for his cause.

Weiss, a Naperville resident with two sons impacted by autism, participated in the Ironman to fundraise for Turning Pointe. The Naperville nonprofit organization’s mission is to provide care, guidance, education, recreation, social and vocational opportunities for children and adults impacted by autism.

“(The Ironman) was very emotional, exhausting,
and in the end, very rewarding,” Weiss said. “I can’t tell you how great it felt to have so much support from friends, colleagues and our community. There were several points in the race that I pulled from that support to get me through a tough spot.”

Of his $10,000 goal, Weiss has raised $6,000 so far. He will continue to fundraise from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Rizzo’s in downtown Naperville when he hosts an afternoon to celebrate his completion of the Ironman and continue to bring more awareness to Turning Pointe. The event, which is open to the public, will include live music, food, a cash bar and raffle. The cost is $20.

“I am so excited about the awareness that “Ironman 4 Autism” has brought to Turning Pointe and the work we are doing,” Weiss said.

Gentleman, scholar

Dillard COD award’s
first recipient

The leadership at College of DuPage is pretty impressed with the leadership shown by State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale).

Not long after helping secure
$25 million in state funds to pay for construction projects on the Glen Ellyn campus, the longtime Republican state legislator became the first recipient of the newly established Presidential Leadership Medal. Dillard received the award at the college’s annual foundation dinner Sept. 19.

COD President Dr. Robert L. Breuder saluted Dillard for his support for higher education, and praised his dedication to providing scholarship assistance to make it more affordable.

“I was honored to receive this recognition,” said Dillard, a member of the foundation board, in a press release. “The College of DuPage is
a wonderful institution that enriches our community and provides superior educational opportunities for more than 31,000 students
every term.”

The state funds Dillard helped arrange are earmarked to cover
the cost of replacing original “temporary” buildings on the COD campus that were built more than 30 years ago.

‘til you drop

Style tour returns
to Westfield mall

Fashion shows, free makeovers, style consultations and wardrobe fittings are in store at Westfield Fox Valley retail center this
weekend.

The acclaimed Westfield Style Tour will kick off Friday. Hours for the event are 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Visitors will receive complimentary copies of Westfield Style Magazine, with pages packed full of fall trend details, retailer profiles and hot product lines. Wardrobe fittings will be offered by representatives of Style for Hire, who are chosen and trained by Stacy London, star of TLC’s “What Not to Wear” and a frequent contributor to NBC’s “Today Show.”

Call 630-851-7200 or go to www.westfield.com/foxvalley.

Blog about dude

Dashner to bring
vision of future

“The Dashner Dude” is coming to Naperville.

Author James Dashner, who bills himself as the dude on his blog, will appear at Anderson’s Bookshop on Oct. 24 to promote the final book in his “Maze Runner” trilogy.

“The Death Cure,” which goes on sale Oct. 11, wraps up the science fiction series about teenagers in a post-apocalyptic world.

“I had a general vision of where the story was going and how it would end, but it definitely changed quite a bit as I wrote the three books,” Dashner said.

A native of Georgia, he now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family and writes full time. He draws inspiration for his books from his teenage years.

“That’s the age when I fell in love with reading,” Dashner said. “I feel like in some ways I’ve just frozen myself in that time.”

In fact, elements of Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game,” which Dashner first read as a youth, can be found in “The Maze Runner.”

Read Dashner’s blog at www.jamesdashner.com.

Camelot coming

Kennedy’s visit
postponed, sold out

Don’t worry, she’s still coming, but if you don’t have a ticket already, you’re out of luck.

Caroline Kennedy’s Wednesday visit to Pfeiffer Hall was postponed till Oct. 5 because of a death in her family.

According to Anderson’s Bookshop website, that visit is sold out.

Kennedy’s visit coincides with the release of her new book and audio set, “Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations about Life with John F. Kennedy.”

The 1964 interviews were recorded with Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a biographer of historic figures. The book and eight-CD audio set includes the seven 1964 interviews Jacqueline Kennedy recorded about her life with John F. Kennedy.

Name’s in the Booze

Council makes way
for brewery

Members of the Naperville City Council voted Tuesday night to amend the municipal Liquor and Tobacco Control Act and create a new Class P Brewery/Retail license classification.

And that’s good news for the proprietor of Solemn Oath Brewery, who wants to set up shop and brew and sell beer here.

The license hasn’t been issued yet, nor has the
site of the brewery been determined.

But if the owner’s name is any indication, his concoction is probably going to be pretty good for what “ales” you.

That name? John Barley.

(For all you teetotalers out there, beer is brewed from barley. And John Barleycorn was the embodiment of brewers and beer-drinking, as immortalized in an old English folk song.)

Got Pulse? Email readers’ editor Heather Pfundstein at hpfundstein@stmedianetwork.com with quirky, interesting, funny and notable people and events in Naperville