Author: Casey Ryan, C’95
We only have a few more days to register for Homecoming, and here is a list of the top 10 things I’m looking forward to, whether or not I actually have the time to get to all of them. (I’ll be at the last three in my list with bells on! And I have a personal plug for my event that I’m organizing too.)
10. Regional Club Member Meet Up: Saturday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Class of 1953 Lounge
E. Craig Sweeten Alumni House
3533 Locust Walk
The Global Alumni Network staff invites alumni club presidents, leaders, members, Second School Committee Chairs, and volunteers to stop in to meet each other before the great festivities during the weekend. At the meet up, we will celebrate the Alumni Club Award of Merit winner, Penn Club of San Antonio, and achievement winner, the Penn Club of San Diego. For questions, please e-mail Casey Ryan, C’95, at cjryan@upenn.edu.
9. California Impressionism: Masters of Light: Friday 10 AM – 5 PM & Saturday 12 PM – 5 PM
Arthur Ross Gallery
Fisher Fine Arts Library
220 South 34th Street
California Impressionism: Masters of Light presents thirty-five paintings that illuminate the exceptional natural beauty of California and its rugged coastline. While some of these late 19th and early 20th century artists are renowned, other California artists remain unknown east of the Mississippi.
In 1874, when the First Impressionist exhibition was held in Paris, French critics derided it as radical art. By 1886 an exhibition of 300 French Impressionist paintings was held at the Durand-Ruel Gallery in New York. American audiences were enthralled and embraced the artists’ use of light, color and optics. Many American artists subsequently traveled to Paris to study the style and work “en plein air”, taking their easels outside, working directly after nature.
On loan from the Irvine Museum, works by Franz Bischoff, Colin Campbell Cooper, Anna Hills, Granville Redmond, and Guy Rose are included in the exhibition among others. A series of related programs and events is planned.
8. Student Film Shorts, Presented by the Penn Alumni Film Festival: Friday 5 PM – 6 PM
Claudia Cohen Hall, Terrace Room
249 South 36th Street
Whether you believe life imitates art or vice versa, there may be no better insight into the Penn experience of today than through these selected film shorts, each written, directed and produced by current Penn students. Join fellow alumni and students for a screening of five short films, ranging in genre from drama and documentary to animation and experimental. Space is limited; advance registration is encouraged.
7. Du Bois College House Celebrates 40 Years: Saturday 4 PM – 6 PM
Du Bois College House
3900 Walnut Street
Please join us for a kick-off reception in recognition of the 40th Anniversary of the W.E.B. Du Bois College House. This gathering, co-sponsored with the Black Alumni Society, is the place to be immediately after the game if you lived in, attended events in, or visited friends in Du Bois during your time at Penn. Live music , refreshments, memories, and conversation are all on the agenda. Award winning poet, spoken word artist, actor, and Penn alumnus Carlos Andres Gomez, C’04 will open the event. Please share photos from your time in Du Bois for an anniversary slideshow by e-mailing them to pcw2@upenn.edu.
6. Classes without Quizzes: Frank Furness and the Evolution of the Modern Library: Saturday 9:30 AM – 11 AM
Reading Room
Anne & Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Library
220 South 34th Street
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to spend 90 minutes in the Reading Room of the Frank Furness designed Anne & Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Library with three architectural historians and one practicing architect, all closely associated with Furness’s work. The discussion will focus on the ways that Furness’s design for the Fine Arts Library profoundly influenced modern library design. Participants include Dr. James F. O’Gorman, a leading architectural historian and author of The Architecture of Frank Furness; George E. Thomas, Gr’75, noted cultural historian and author of Building America’s First University: An Historical and Architectural Guide to the University of Pennsylvania; Henry Myerberg, C’76, founder of HMA2 architects with a specialty in library design; and William Whitaker, GAr’96, curator of the University of Pennsylvania’s Architectural Archives and the Kroiz Gallery. A continental breakfast will be provided starting at 9:00 AM and an optional tour of the Library will be available following the program. Space is limited; advance registration is encouraged.
This event is co-sponsored by Penn Alumni, PennDesign and Penn Libraries
5. The Philadelphia Film Festival presents FLIGHT, presented in collaboration with the Penn Alumni Film Festival: Saturday 7 PM – 10 PM
Zellerbach Theater
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
3680 Walnut Street
Join fellow Penn alumni and the Philadelphia film community for a sneak preview of the film FLIGHT, starring Denzel Washington, John Goodman, and Don Cheadle. Presented on the closing night of the 21st Philadelphia Film Festival, this pre-release screening will be attended by the film’s director, Robert Zemeckis, the Academy Award-winning director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away. For more information about FLIGHT, visit http://www.paramount.com/flight. An additional $15 fee applies to this event. Advance registration is required.
4. The Blutt Band Slam: Saturday 4 PM – 6 PM
College Green
(Please note: in the case of inclement weather, this event will be cancelled.)
Following the football game, make your way back to College Green to cheer on Penn student and alumni musicians as they compete for cash prizes in the Blutt Band Slam. Channel your inner rockstar with kid-friendly activities while you enjoy performances by members of the Penn community. This event is made possible by the generosity of Mitchell Blutt, C’78, M’82, WG’87. For more information about the competition, visit www.alumni.upenn.edu/bluttbandslam.
3. 78th Annual Alumni Award of Merit Gala: Friday 6 PM – 10 PM
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
3680 Walnut Street
Join fellow alumni, friends and guests for the 78th Annual Alumni Award of Merit Gala, honoring alumni who have demonstrated a deep commitment and undying passion to make Penn a leader in the academic community. Hosted by Penn Alumni President, Lee Spelman Doty, W’76, the event will recognize the outstanding achievements of the chosen alumni honorees, as well as the class and club award recipients. Board of Trustees Chair, David L. Cohen, L’81 and President Amy Gutmann invite all alumni to participate in this splendid occasion.
Alumni Award of Merit
Dale B. Bell, MT’81
Harve D. Hnatiuk, EE’74
Paul K. Kelly, C’62, WG’64
James J. Kim, W’59, G’61, Gr’63
Young Alumni Award
Brett E. Weinheimer, W’00
Melissa Wu, C’98
Creative Spirit Award
Jennifer C. Egan, C’85
Class Award of Merit
Class of 1992
David N. Tyre Award for Excellence in Class Communication
Class of 1967
Club Award of Merit
Penn Alumni Club of San Antonio
Additional Fee: $75 General Admission, $55 Young Alumni (2002-2012)
2. Penn Football: Homecoming Game vs. Brown: Saturday 1 PM
Franklin Field
235 South 33rd Street
Cheer on the Penn Quakers as they challenge the Brown Bears in this Homecoming match-up on Franklin Field! General admission tickets are $15, or free with the purchase of a Blue Quaker Pass. Alumni in the class of 1962 and earlier will receive chairback tickets; all other seats are general admission.
1. QuakerFest: Saturday 11 AM – 1 PM
College Green
Join fellow alumni to raise a toast to dear old Penn during this pre-game tailgate picnic. Enjoy kid-friendly activities and entertainment. Get Pennergized with performances by the band and other student groups!
Frankly Penn 