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Each year we gather with a few hundred of our closest friends to celebrate James Thurber’s 120^th Birthday. Thurber House friends and supporters gathered at The Westin Columbus around for drinks and appetizers, followed by dinner, and of course, birthday cake. Our wonderful host, Wayne Lawson, made sure that the “laughter” portion of our mission was a big part of the evening with his charm and wit. As the role of the host is often to make sure that everyone knows each other, he asked our new Executive Director, Jennifer Gregg, a series of questions to give the crowd an idea of who she is and what she likes (yes, cheesy chips came up… more than once). She also had a surprise for the audience in the form of Golden Tickets that a handful of lucky guests found under their chairs, each of which held a gift certificate to the upcoming series of our 2015 Evenings with Authors.

The evening moved forward with our featured guest, Dan Zevin, the winner of the 2013 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Zevin’s book, Dan Gets A Minivan, Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad, is the hilarious account of how he discovered and coped with the changes in life that come with being a father. His stories were accompanied by hilarious home movies, and passages from his book.

Last but not least, a party is not a party without gifts! Thanks to the generous contributions from organizations and businesses around the city, many guests took home prizes that ranged from wine, to hand made ceramics, to a great adventure at the Columbus Zoo.

Special thanks also to our corporate sponsors (listed below), The Westin Columbus,
The Ohio Arts Council, GCAC, and The Columbus Foundation!

Crane Group
Friends of The Ohio State University Libraries
Huntington National Bank
Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter
Nationwide
The Office of Student Life at The Ohio State University
Park National Bank
Phi Kappa Psi, In Honor of Norm Spain
PNC Bank
State Auto Insurance
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease
The Westin