Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1499272
SPRING / SUMMER 2023 13 Join us in celebrating college rug- by's top players at the eighth annual Sorensen & Scholz Collegiate Rugby Player of the Year awards ceremony and dinner on Saturday, June 10, in the Crystal Ballroom. e annual banquet honors the nation's best college rugby players, with the top women's player receiving the MA Sorensen Award and the top men's player receiving the Rudy Scholz Award. is year's ceremony will fea- ture United States Rugby Hall of Famer and former pro Cassie Law as guest speaker. e selection process begins with Division I rugby players across the country voting on three finalists from a group of nominees. Final selection of the winners is decided by a panel of college coaches and members of the rugby community. Last year, Dartmouth's Idia Ihensekhien earned the MA Sorensen Award and Army's Larry Williams took home the Rudy Scholz Award. is year's winners will be announced in May. e WAC is the official home of the Sorensen & Scholz Awards. first take centenarians / rugby awards Honoring college rugby's best Awards ceremony and dinner Saturday, June 10 • 6–9 pm Crystal Ballroom $50, includes dinner Reserve on the WAC app. William McAllister Born in Buffalo, New York, on March 5, 1923, WAC Life Member William "Bill" McAllister moved to Seattle's Madison Park neighborhood as a 7-year-old. Bill joined the WAC in 1947, the same year he graduated from the University of Washington. From then, Bill practiced law for four years before transitioning careers and founding two garment man- ufacturing companies. Bill's fondest WAC memories include playing racquetball with his friends at the Club in the 1990s aer picking up the game while living in San Diego years prior. "e Club had squash and hand- ball, but not racquetball at the time," he says. "We had to deal with the handball folks to play our racquetball on their court." As a Clubhouse regular well into his 60s and 70s, Bill routinely enjoyed the WAC's fitness facilities, which even earned him a place on the cover of the April 1988 issue of WAC Magazine. When asked about his secret to a long life, Bill smiles. "Exercise, exercise, exer- cise, and plenty of sleep," he says. For his 100th birthday this past March, Bill en- joyed dinner at e Capital Grille with his wife, Barbara, son Robert, daughter Jamie, and stepson John. Earl Reilly Jr. Life Member Earl Reilly Jr. was born in Seattle on May 21, 1923, and graduat- ed from Everett High School in 1941. Earl joined the Club in 1951. He recalls many decades of WAC memories. Along with routine weightliing workouts, Earl fondly recalls haircuts in the bar- bershop, bowling strikes in the bowling alley, enjoying prime rib and sticky buns in the Rio Room, and attending Jubilee. "e Club was handy to meet people, and I enjoyed the Club's social atmo- sphere and nice facilities," Earl says. Earl also enjoyed a 35-year career in broadcasting, and it's easy to see why given the timbre of his voice, even at the age of 100! Earl began working for King Broadcasting Co. in 1952. "I loved dealing with various personalities, dee- jays, and sales staff," he says. "Generally, I just enjoyed working with everybody!" Nowadays, Earl's legacy as a pioneer in Washington's broadcasting sphere lives on by way of the Barbara Groce Reilly and Earl F. Reilly Jr. Scholarship at Washington State University. Asked about his secret to making it to 100, Earl says it's all about healthy living and staying active. "Family genes helped, too," he says. Celebrating two WAC centenarians H A N N A H S H E I L ; C O U R T E S Y P H O T O u William McAllister u Earl Reilly Jr. with wife Barbara Groce Reilly.