‘I feel like I was at my best when I was with you people.’
— Glenn Close as Sarah in The Big Chill.

At some point in his early career, writer/director Lawrence Kasdan, MS ’71, likely encountered the adage “write what you know.”

It’s clear the multiple Hopwood Award-winner wrote what he knew when he conceived The Big Chill, a 1983 film about a small pack of Michigan Wolverines who reunite after one of their own dies by suicide. Known for its brilliant use of music, the film examines the ephemeral nature of “lifelong” bonds forged in those uniquely formative years at university.

The movie’s universal themes of memory, regret, lost love, and wasted potential resonated with audiences and critics at the time — and still do 40 years later. And as the ending credits roll, viewers are left to ponder: “Who’s in my Big Chill gang?”

One pack of Wolverines, a tight-knit group of 12 women from the Class of 1989, has known their unwavering answer since freshman year. Unlike the estranged friends in The Big Chill, members of this self-proclaimed “Dirty Dozen” can count 36 annual retreats (among countless other gatherings) since commencement. It’s awe-inspiring to be part of their evolving history, to sample the vintage of their friendships, and to feel the palpable security borne of “people who knew you when.” It’s a rare and precious alchemy that has kept this group together through weddings and divorces, births and deaths, triumphs, and tragedies.

‘It’s only out there in the real world that it gets tough.’
— William Hurt as Nick in The Big Chill

It began in the fall of 1985 with 12 girls on line at Alice Lloyd Hall (when “on line” literally meant standing on a line) as they prepared to move into the dorm for their first year of college. In the decades since, there have been 15 weddings (two for some) and 32 babies. There have been career successes, financial setbacks, health crises, heartaches and heartbreaks, new loves, unimaginable loss, and everything in between. Today, they finish each other’s sentences, often in their own “secret language.”

Theirs is a true and unmistakable sisterhood embodied in the motto N.E.T. — Never Enough Time. The clock just keeps ticking as these one-time co-eds now find themselves in the “sandwich generation,” parenting children while simultaneously caring for their own aging parents. They share legal advice about elder care, pass along remedies for hot flashes, and come to the rescue when one of the kids needs to find a roommate in a new city.

The group remains deeply supportive of each other, valuing these friendships even more as they grow older. On 9/11, one of the Dirty Dozen lost her husband (a fellow U-M grad from the Class of ’87). Her tribe supported her in every way possible, providing solace amid crippling grief. And they continue to show up for each other. Whether it’s chipping in to pay for a plane ticket to Girls’ Weekend (more about that later) when one is facing financial crisis, surprising one with a Peloton group ride and shout-out the day before her cancer surgery, or flying cross-country to attend a parent’s funeral, the Dirty Dozen message is constant: We love you, we support you, we got you!

“I haven’t met that many happy people in my life. How do they act?”
– Meg Tilly as Chloe in The Big Chill

Not long after graduation, the Dozen planned their first trip away — a night in Atlantic City. They quickly realized one night was not enough time together (N.E.T.) and they committed to an annual get-away, always the first weekend in May, at various locations around the country. (Of course, when the first weekend in May coincided with a Michigan graduation for one of their kids, the Dozen was quick to reschedule.)

It soon became clear the annual Girls’ Weekend was a sacred occasion. Maximizing their precious time together would require strategy. They assigned one member to serve as parliamentarian to track agenda items and ensure all pressing topics were covered during their meetups. One weekend, the Dirty Dozen drew the attention of a random passerby, resulting in yet another enduring catchphrase. As they sat on the pool deck of a Ft. Lauderdale hotel, the fellow asked: ‘How does someone get into this Circle of Estrogen?’ The group’s collective response: ‘You don’t!’

Beyond agenda items submitted in advance or on-site, there is no structure other than: “What time are we meeting in the Circle of Estrogen and where are we eating?” Sleeping arrangements are never pre-assigned; one’s weekend roommate is a surprise, much as it was freshman year (before Facebook spoiled the mystery). Today, hotel room keys are mixed up and randomly distributed at the front desk. The group runs to each room to test the key to see whose key unlocks which door. The excitement builds as the roommate scenario unfolds. They can only hope for a patient representative at hotel checkout as they shuffle credit cards to match the arrangements. As usual, the Dirty Dozen creates quite a scene!

While time seems to stop when they reunite on these annual trips, life obviously doesn’t. There have been weekends over the years where “breaking news” during their time away takes precedence: a child gets into trouble; a husband has a sudden and emergent medical issue. When life intrudes, as it tends to do, these college friends agree there is no better place to weather the storm than with their Michigan Girls, safe within the Circle of Estrogen.

‘In a cold world you need your friends to keep you warm.’
— The Big Chill movie poster

In the months between the annual Girls’ Weekends, daily group texts cover countless topics. The Dirty Dozen is an emotional sounding board and brain trust, advising on all matters from restaurant recommendations and book reviews to product endorsements and fashion counsel. Bottom line: These Wolverines have saved a fortune on therapy.

As fans of the Big Chill movie celebrated its 40th anniversary in fall 2023, these 12 friends continued to celebrate their own milestones.

Two of the Dirty Dozen daughters (who observed the depth of their mothers’ friendships since they were in strollers) cultivated their own version of a sisterhood during their time in Ann Arbor. This confirmed for the moms that their Circle of Estrogen has a profound and far-reaching impact.

Indeed, the Original Dirty Dozen is a microcosm of the Michigan experience. They are smart, strong, gritty, fun-loving women who lead professionally and charitably. They are mothers to many (no grandbabies yet). They are survivors — of cancer, of financial ruin, of disappointment. And, through it all, the deep friendship of the Dirty Dozen serves as the scaffolding of their lives.

In The Big Chill, Kasdan explored what’s lost between college and real life. He tapped into that disillusionment that takes over when life’s harsh truths erode one’s youthful idealism. As the movie poster says: “In a cold world you need your friends to keep you warm.”

Rest assured: The Dirty Dozen is warm.

Meet the Dirty Dozen: Michelle Correnti (Rosenbaum), Jodi Fischer (Orbuch), Debbie Fischer (Weltmann), Leslie Footlick (Schaller), Jill Freeberg (Gartenberg/Pila), Kim Gilman (Gelfand), Sue Greenebaum (Wasserman), Ivy Kruman (Cohen), Andrea Pollack (Gabay), Jill Poznick (Epstein), Allison Wohl (Snedecker), Lynda Zamore (Kruman) — and yes, Lynda and Ivy are sisters-in-law… Lead image courtesy of the Dirty Dozen.