Mario Passes the Illinois BAR Exam & Turns 31!

Family, friends and fun were the three F's present at the Department in downtown Joliet this past November 4th, 2012. The occasion was a celebratory banquet for Mario A. Reed V.V.G. honoring him for his recent passing of the Illinois BAR exam (this past July), and turning 31-years-old (October 29). 

The event featured world-class cuisine, exceptional conversation and fellowship along with trivia, words of praise and encouragement and a few thoughts from the honoree. Big winners in the game of trivia were the Et Table, comprised of (Mr. & Mrs. Leonardo Zuniga, Mr. & Mrs. Atonio Smith, Mr. Cordell Collins, Ms. Erin Murphy, Mr. Reginald Winfrey, and Ms. Katrina Moore). 

The night also featured guest performances by Marshelle Hood and Marvin Reed--both of which elected to attempt to perform the theme song from the critically acclaimed Diff'rent Strokes, as written by Alan Thicke. Unfortunately, neither contestant successfully performed the song in its entirety--but it was entertaining nonetheless. 

Guests of the gala included everyone from Mario's parent's, significant other, closest friends, all of his brothers, two of his sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, former co-workers, future in-laws, daughter and many, many more guests. "I was absolutely thrilled to see the turnout, as well as all of the fun that people had while participating" commented Reed after the conclusion of the event. 

"None of this could have been possible without the love of my life, Letrusia May, and I am extremely grateful that she organized all of this and did so out of the goodness of her heart," praised Mario of his significant other's hard work in coordinating the phenomenal event. 

A video of the life and times of Mario A. Reed V.V.G. also played with a continuous loop throughout the event, and highlighted Mario as a young boy, his adolescent and teen years, and many of the people who contributed greatly to his successes. 

For a look at photos from the gala, feel free to go here, and to view the video, please feel free to go here. 

Mario would like to thank everyone who was able to attend, as well as anyone who wanted to or would have liked to had they have known about it. He apologizes to anyone who was not thanked on the evening, or because of his negligence and hastiness forgot to invite. Special thanks again to Letrusia May, Mark Reed Sr., Noah Reed and Marvin Reed for contributing to the commemoration and production of the event.