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Donna Ross Daniels

Donna Ross Daniels

Fraud investigations | Ernst & Young | Class of 1982

Before she was an executive with accounting giant Ernst & Young’s fraud-investigation unit, Donna Ross Daniels (BA ’82) tended bar at Kam's.

She's never been more popular than in those days.

“While the U of I holds many special memories for me, the focal point for me — post-studying, of course — was Kam’s,” she says. “After my first year, having spent a fair amount of time at Kam’s, I was hired as a bartender there. My logic: I likely would be on one side of the famous square bar or the other, so why not get paid for it?

“It was amazing how popular I became — certainly when I was inside the bar but also outside because many knew I was bartender there and would likely be able to order drinks faster from whoever was working.

“Having returned to Kam’s several times since graduation, I noticed it still looks — and smells — the same.”