The industrial design education she received was first-rate. But it was the memories of what went down after hours that Kim Vandenbroucke treasures most.
“I learned a lot more about life sitting around those carved-up wooden tables at Murphy’s,” says the 2002 UI grad, a Chicago-based game industry inventor and developer.
“They still had a CD jukebox when I was on campus, and my friends and I spent years perfecting our playlist. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Steely Dan, The Eagles and Counting Crows — we had a set that was the perfect length for a burger, a beer — or two — and the Daily Illini crossword puzzle.
“We always finished with Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days,’ and looking back, that’s a pretty good summary of our time at Murphy’s. That bar, those songs, and my best friends will stay with me forever.”
