Near the shore of Lake Ontario, a diverse group people gathered in Toronto to celebrate what would have been the 97th birthday of Milton Friedman. Those present included professors, lawyers, bankers, students, economists and engineers. Some were already adults when Dr. Friedman started writing for Newsweek in 1966, while others weren’t born when he published his last column in 1984. The one thing that all attendees had in common was an appreciation for a man who did so much to spread the ideas of freedom.

Over Niagara wine and a selection of appetizers that included mini-bison burgers, the free-market devotees mingled and discussed current events, occasionally pausing to hear a story from someone who had met or worked with the man who was perhaps the twentieth century’s most influential economist. Mid-way through the evening, Peter Jaworski, a Director with the Institute for Liberal Studies who once interviewed Dr. Friedman for the Queen's University newspaper, lead the crowd in a toast. A little later, a picture of the birthday boy was circulated and guests took turns posing with a man whom most of them had never met, but who had been an inspiration to them all.

Reception with viewing of The Power of Choice

The event was held as an evening cocktail so guests could mingle in a relax atmosphere. Prof. Richard Wong, the deputy vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong; Prof. Francis Lui, professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (both of them were students of Dr. Friedman); and Mr. Yeung Wai-hong (friend of Dr. Friedman), publisher of Next Magazine, spoke in the panel. They talked about contributions that Dr. Friedman delivered during his lifetime and went on to explain how his ideas are still impacting our lives. They discussed how his monetary policies might change the course of the current recession, how application of his theory could be used to stable the free-falling economy, etc.

Thirty-seven guests attended the event, many of whom are executives from media, financial, real estate and academic sectors. Celebrities in town like George Yuen, independent non-executive director of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Ltd.; Nicholas Sallnow-Smith, chairman of the Link Management and Cho Chi-ming, executive director of Hong Kong Economic Journal also attended the event.

• View photos from the event.

Luncheon

Lunch and a movie! - Viewing of Dr. Friedman on Charlie Rose

• Video Diary discussing Dr. Friedman and his views.

Luncheon and Talk with door prizes

Luncheon and discussion

Lunch with speaker

Guest speaker during lunch

Lunch with speech on Dr. Friedmans's thoughts of the Federal Reserve by Dr. Barry Poulson, Independence Institute Senior Fellow and Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Evening Lecture

Lecture

HACER hosted a breakfast discussion with young college students, summer interns working at local think tanks (Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Cato Institute, Freedom House and Institute for Humane Studies) and young policy leaders from foreign countries (from the United Kingdom, Peru, Guatemala and Venezuela) at the new building of The Fund for American Studies, in the downtown area of Washington DC.

Jon Perdue, Director of the Latin American Program of the Fund for American Studies (TFAS) explained the key influence of Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys in the successful economic transformation of Chile, providing details about the reforms that allowed that country to become a model of economic development for the region, and more importantly a benchmark of success for the rest of the developing world to aspire, study, and hopefully emulate.

Professor David Levy, a Historian of Economic Thought at George Mason University and a former student of Milton Friedman, discussed Friedman’s contributions to the American economy in the past and analyzed current global and domestic economic challenges in the light of Friedman’s ideas and principles.

Dr. Alejandro Chafuen, President of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and Chairman of the board of HACER, moderated the discussion and also provided anecdotes and memories about Milton Friedman, the man.

At the end, they raffled 4 copies of the book “Milton Friedman: Un economista liberal” published by FAES (the think tank of former President Jose María Aznar) in Spain.

• View pictures from this event.
• HACER's Friedman Day page.

Lunch with high school students

Presentation on the Georgia voucher bill and special needs scholarships.

• Photos of the event posted on Facebook.

Members, non-members, and legislators gathered together for our annual Milton Friedman birthday celebration. The luncheon was held at the Japanese Cultural Center and proved to be a spirited affair with a positive atmosphere and lively conversation. High school students representing their campus economics clubs were also present, and the students had an opportunity to learn about a view of economics not taught in most schools.

The guest speaker was Clint Bolick, Director of the Goldwater Institute in Arizona. He painted a warm portrait of his friend Milton Friedman: a man who wrote a response to every letter he ever received and who insisted on reading a book cover to cover before writing a review for it. Mr. Bolick came to know the Friedmans through their efforts to encourage voucher programs as a means to improve public education.

In his speech, Mr. Bolick also shared stories of cases where individuals have been protected by their state constitutions such as that of the City of Mesa vs. Bailey concerning private property and eminent domain. He described the fighting spirit of Arizonians to protect their individual rights, something that hopefully Arizona, Hawaii and the rest of the country will continue to embrace.

Click here to read an article from the Hawaii Reporter

Private Memorial luncheon for staff

The Heartland Institute hosted lunch today for more than 80 people, including a Fox News reporter and a local cable reporter, in downtown Chicago. Joe Bast was one of four speakers, and really captured the reason for the Legacy Day celebration. An email written by Mr. Bast was sent out to nearly 5,000 Heartland donors, members and friends entitled A Toast -- and Debt of Gratitude -- to Milton Friedman. Further, the local NPR outlet in Chicago, WBEZ, read the following dedication during “Morning edition:”

A cocktail reception was held at the Indianapolis Conrad begining at 4pm. Over two hundred guests were in attendance. The highlight of the afternoon was an empassioned speech by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett who spoke of Indiana's need for quality in our education.

Photos are available on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Friedman.Foundation.

Iowa ACE held a dinner for Christian school leaders and area legislators at the Fire Creek Restaurant in West Des Moines, Iowa. Twenty people were in attendance, including local politicians, representatives of private schools and STOs, and friends of Iowa ACE.

Trish Wilger spoke to the group about Milton Friedman, the school choice movement, Iowa ACE and the STO program. Trish also read the greeting letter from Robert Enlow. Afterwards there was a Q&A and a discussion of school choice ideas and the STO program's outlook.

Roundtable lunch discussions in Witchita, Kansas City, and Topeka

Breakfast at the Faculty House on the campus of Western Kentucky Unviersity

Speaker and cocktail reception

The Maine Heritage Policy Center held a luncheon on July 31st to pay tribute to Dr. Milton Friedman. Three staffers and 24 attendees participated in the event including the Mayor of Waterville, ME, school teachers, and former elected officials, as well as many school choice supporters.

On July 31, 2009, the Maryland Public Policy Institute hosted its third annual Friedman Legacy for Freedom luncheon in Annapolis, Maryland. The topic of this two hour event was “It’s About More than School Choice” and honored Dr. Friedman’s legacy of encouraging and valuing individual freedom and parental choice in education.

More than 20 attendees heard from guest speaker Neal McCluskey, Associate Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the CATO Institute, who spoke about school choice options in Maryland and the current challenges and opportunities facing the state. The audience included several delegates of the Maryland General Assembly and educators in the Maryland public school system who discussed ways to expand educational reform across Maryland.

Breakfast

Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s event focused considerable attention on identifying a unique way to celebrate Dr. Friedman’s birthday, using an entertaining format and event to share with college students the importance and relevance of his ideas.

The event, titled “Milton does Motown,” was held in Detroit at the Motown historical museum, Hitsville, USA. The day got started at 2 p.m. with a tour of the original home of Motown, Hitsville, USA, where a crowd of 30 people listened to museum guides discuss Berry Gordy and his family. Guides talked about the family’s entrepreneurial sprirt, Gordy’s hard work to achieve his vision, and the resourcefulness of one small label to freely compete in the music industry and create opportunities for Detroit artists and the African-American community. The students even learned about very clever, practical examples of Coase theorem.

Later, a larger crowd of nearly 50 people gathered at the New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck to hear a Mackinac Center-arranged public event and Friedman Legacy Day concert featuring Johnnie Bassett.

In the end, Mackinac Center employees Bruce Walker and Chris Deming tied all of the lessons together and explained the relationship between the success of Motown and the ideas Dr. Friedman championed throughout his life and career. The tour of a national destination, a presentation by Susan Whitall, and a concert from a former Motown musician came together to demonstrate the value of Dr. Friedman’s teachings and how his ideas put into practice by Berry Gordy resulted in greater liberty, more jobs, greater prosperity and encouraged artistic expression and grand cultural achievements for the African-American community.

In addition to the event, Students for a Free Economy Director Christopher Deming penned the article “Ball of Confusion” and honored Dr. Milton Friedman and Berry Gordy with setting examples that can restore economic vitality to Michigan, and even our country. Thus far, 441 individuals have requested and read the article. The article is available here.

Breakfast featuring Dr. Art Rolnick (a former student of Dr. Friedman)

Lunch with a guest speaker

Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) held an event on July 31^st to celebrate the late Dr. Milton Friedman's 97^th birthday. The reception was attended by scholars and visitors from California to New York and Canada. Director of Publications Laura Huggins shared Senior Fellow Richard Stroup’s story of the encounter that led to PERC’s establishment. When Friedman visited Montana in 1970, he recommended selling off the national forests so they would no longer be mismanaged. John Baden and Richard Stroup questioned how he could want this given the externalities. Friedman replied he didn't know much about forests, but he knew a lot about government weaknesses. Subsequently Baden and Stroup wrote an article on privatizing the national forests and created the Center for Political Economy and Natural Resources. The center evolved into what is PERC today.

PERC has Milton Friedman to thank for inspiring them to apply markets to environmental problems back when nobody was considering the notion. To further honor him, PERC will be publishing a special back to school issue of PERC Reports this fall focusing on how parents and teachers can help children avoid eco-propaganda in the classroom and how private individuals can reconnect kids with the outdoors.

• Link to PERC's media link for the event

Time: Friday, July 31, 2009
          6PM - 9PM
What: Join the Nevada Policy Research Institute in celebrating free-market economist Milton Friedman's 97th birthday by playing trampoline dodge ball. We will also be serving food and birthday cake and discussing freedom principles.
Cost: FREE
Where: SkyZone Sports, 4915 Steptoe Street, Suite 400, Las Vegas, NV 89122
Who: Anyone 18 years of age or older. Make sure to wear athletic attire and bring a photo ID.

Details: RSVPs are required and limited to the first 25 individuals. Questions or RSVPs should be directed to Victor Joecks at (702) 222-0642 or vj@npri.org by July 24th.

Discussion of Milton Friedman over cocktails. Watched a number of YouTube videos of Milton Friedman.

• Link to RFG's press release.

A free market forum presenting the book:
Economics Does Not Lie: A Defense of the Free Market in a Time of Crisis by Guy Sorman, City Journal Contributing Editor.

• More information on the book is available on the MI website.
• Video of the event can be viewed on the MI website.
• CSpan Book TV covered the event and it aired July 19th.

The John Locke Foundation brought in Dr. Jennis Biser, assistant professor of economics and finance at NC A&T State University, to discusses the impact economist Milton Friedman had on public policy debates. Biser delivered these remarks as part of the presentation, "Milton Friedman and the Public Choice Revolution."

• A link to the video of the presentation is available on Carolina Journal TV website.
• A blog entry about the event is available on John Locke's blog

To honor the legacy of Milton Friedman, the Buckeye Institute held a Friedman Day luncheon featuring Dan Lips of the Heritage Foundation. The luncheon was well attended by representatives for members of the Ohio General Assembly, major players in Ohio’s school choice movement as well as citizens who support freedom in education.

Dan Lips spoke about how far the bi-partisan school choice movement has come, and how Ohio can implement the bipartisanship seen in Washington, DC and various states, along with Friedman’s ideas, to further the school choice movement.

AFP Foundation and OCPA teamed up with the Friedman Foundation to sponsor a School Choice Fair at the Oklahoma City Zoo on Friday, July 31, 2009.

• They gave "vouchers" to the first 300 kids who showed up for the event.
• They had approximately 500 participate in the event.
• They had 8 other private schools participate. Each school provided games and prizes, as well as, literature for the parents on their school and school choice.
• OCPA produced a Youtube video which can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VP4gHpoupc. It's really good!
• Radio: It was advertised/talked about by Stuart A. Jolly and Brandon Dutcher on the radio prior to the event.
• T-Shirts were also produced for the event
• Photos are available at OCPA's website.

Noon luncheon and speech by Rep. Matt Wingard

"Happy Hour with Milton Friedman"

• Link to Philadelphia's Bulletin article on the event.

Online- release of quotes every hour on Twitter

TCPR will attend Sgt. Bristol's "A Call to Arms" which will start at 7:00pm at Cornerstone Church in Madison, TN

Shaka Mitchell, TCPR's Vice President and resident education expert, will be participating in the event with Tea Party Nation and will promote school choice in celebration of Milton Friedman's birthday. They will have a booth and distribute copies of Friedman's works in addition to TCPRs work on the need for school choice in Tennessee

The Texas Public Policy Foundation celebrated Milton Friedman’s vision of school choice with a movie screening of Flunked, an award-winning documentary produced by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation which highlights education reforms that are transforming failing schools into successful institutions. Attendees, including legislative staff and stakeholders in the education community, entered the Foundation office to find it converted into a movie theater, complete with popcorn and soda. The program opened with an informative presentation by Chris Barbic, Founder and CEO of nationally-ranked YES Prep Public Schools.

A former teacher, Mr. Barbic founded YES Prep schools to increase the number of low-income students who graduate from a four-year college. Mr. Barbic explained how freedom of choice in education provides more students with opportunities to learn and succeed in an environment that meets their needs. This concept was further emphasized through the film Flunked, which demonstrates the shortcomings of our education system and identifies school choice as an effective solution. The event concluded with a lengthy question-and-answer session with Mr. Barbic in which attendees could ask questions about the viability of charter schools as a solution to Texas’ education challenges and have open discussion on the future of school choice in Texas.

Speaker forum and breakfast buffet.
  - Topic: "What Would Milton Friedman Think?"
Click here to read an article from the USTA Today

Evening reception

Dinner with keynote address TBD

Lunch

Panel Discussion and Q&A with online streaming

Lunch with speaker- Amber Gunn

TBD