Crystal Benefit–NBC 5’s news anchor Marion Brooks, Spelman College Class of ’88, and Muriel Ruth Ketchum Yarbrough, Spelman College Class of ‘49, have been selected as 2008 Alumnae Honorees when the Chicago Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (Atlanta) presents “A Crystal Blue Evening.”

Magic Music–A morning of seasonal music, themed “Embracing Hope,” ushers in the holiday season when Southside Friends of Chicago Sinfonietta host a Magical Holiday Breakfast Dec. 13, 8:30 a.m, in Navy Pier’s Crystal Garden. Some 500 guests are expected at the annual event, which will feature tasty treats including a carving station and special-order omelets.

Timothy Rand, entrepreneur, civic and business leader and one of 11 persons honored as a Chicago Defender Newsmaker on Saturday has been elected to the Board of Directors of ShoreBank, a subsidiary of ShoreBank Corp., the holding company. Rand is founder and majority owner of Midway Airport Concessionaires at Midway International Airport. When the company started in 1989, it was the airport’s only food and beverage concessions management company.

Still Tops!–Hats off to Roosevelt Moncure, catering and marketing director at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel, who for the ninth – yes, ninth! – consecutive year has achieved “Hyatt Master” status. And you ask, just what is a "Hyatt Master?”

Breakfast Bonus–South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 77, (ret.) of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, comes this way on Friday to receive a special honor from the Chicago Center for Cultural Con-nections at an Interfaith Breakfast at the Inter-Continental Hotel. The much-loved and celebrated human rights activist and Nobel Laureate, who achieved worldwide fame during the 1980s as a strong opponent of apartheid, will speak on The Dawn of a New Moral Awakening.

Carnivale Caper!–Jazz icon Ramsey Lewis and cultural, civic and community icons Lester and Nancy McKeever receive prestigious Humanitarian Awards at Ada S. McKinley Community Services’ 18th Annual Gala, “Carnivale!,” on Oct. 25 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago hotel. Also on the honor roster: Ch. 9’s retiring Merri Dee, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Demetrios Crawford, a client in the agency’s adult services division, receiving the Rev. Robert S. Moore Achievement Award.

It was cheers and tears all around when Chicago Defender staffers gathered last week to bid a fond adieu to Jimmie Wright, 83, and to celebrate her retirement after 31 years of dedicated and exemplary service as the newspaper’s cashier.

Party Hearty!–That time of the year is fast approaching! It’s when Carter Russell celebrates his birthday. And it’s always to benefit the women and children who find safe haven at Clara’s House. Carter is the major domo of Carter Russell Music LLC, a full-service marketing and promotions company that focuses on music, sports and comedy.

Welcome Autumn! It promises to be a night of fun – networking, socializing and the thrill and excitement of major league baseball under the stars – when the White Sox welcome “The Divine Nine,” the Black Greek-letter organizations (fraternities and sororities), to U.S. Cellular Field for the first-ever African American Greek Night on Friday.

Free Money for Teens–The Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations is giving students, ages 12-16 years, a $40 savings account to jump-start their future savings. It’s all taking place Saturday at Fenger Academy high school, 11250 S. Wallace, beginning at 9 a.m.