Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/303138
Written by Naomi Thalenberg { SAM HOWE VERHOVEK } Member since 2010 DINING AND CAMARADERIE COME TOGETHER AT THE WAC { M E M B E R T O M E M B E R } A fter spending a summer playing basketball at the WAC, Sam Howe Verhovek's son Gordie Verhovek instantly recommended membership to his parents. Sam had visited the Club for events—including Gordie's basketball games—and always enjoyed it. After leaving his career as a correspondent for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, he decided the time was right to join the WAC. "I'm used to working in a mobile environment," Sam explains. "Now that I mainly work from home, it's great having another place to go." Since leaving his career as a correspondent, Sam authored Jet Age: The Comet, the 707, and the Race to Shrink the World and is currently working on his second book. He often visits the Voogd Library to get work done or to escape the downtown crowds. "It's great having a place to perch," he says. "Being a member, you feel like you're a part of an energetic community." When he's at the Club, Sam typically exercises in Men's Fitness and meets his wife, Lisa, at Torchy's or Hagerty's. "A good night for me would be meeting up with close friends at Torchy's and going out to see a movie," Sam says. He and Lisa have utilized the WAC's reciprocal program while visiting New York, where they've stayed atww the New York Athletic Club. "We immediately felt a little more plugged in to an extended community," he says. "It's a wonderful membership perk." A few years ago, Sam and Lisa invited close friends Anne and Shirish Mulherkar to dinner at Torchy's. When the check arrived, Sam told Shirish only members were allowed to pay. 16 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | MAY 2014