Monthly Archives: November 2016

November 29, 2016 · 9:23 am

Giving Tuesday and the Class of 1993 Giving to Penn (78 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The Penn Fund Giving Tuesday #LovethePennFund

Today, November 29, 2016, is Giving Tuesday, a day for global giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

On this #GivingTuesday, I encourage you to consider a donation to The Penn Fund. The Penn Class of 1993 has always been generous in giving back to Penn, and I hope we can continue that tradition, as the Penn Fund hopes to secure 500 alumni donations today.

Senior Class Gift

Our senior year, 603 classmates donated to our Senior Gift Drive, raising $14,190.02 in support of Penn and our class project, the Class of 1993 Endowed Scholarship. This was a 27% participation rate, a record-setting level of engagement (almost 150 more donors than 1992, the next closest year).

I was on the Senior Class Gift committee, and I remember the many meetings we had deciding on our class project and working to secure as many gifts as possible from fellow classmates. I found this note from our Gift Drive co-chairs Stephanie Fish and Lincoln Singleton in my pile of ’93 memories.

The Penn Fund Class of 1993 Senior Class Gift at the University of Pennsylvania

Letter from Senior Class Gift co-chairs Stephanie Fish and Lincoln Singleton

Stephanie shared her memories of co-chairing the Senior Class Gift Drive with Lincoln:

“I do remember working with Lincoln who was always full of energy and enthusiasm. I remember that we had great participation from our class, and I was very excited to hand over the big check on Alumni Day. I think that I felt that it was important to give back to Penn because I really had such a great four years–interesting classes, wonderful friends, and lots of new experiences. I wanted to make sure others could have that same great experience. Giving back is my way of saying thank you. It also makes it possible for the next generations to have these great opportunities.”

University of Pennsylvania Class of 1993 Senior Class Gift Drive Committee

Class of 1993 Senior Class Gift Drive committee photo from our yearbook – see if you can spot Penn President Sheldon Hackney in the back!

Reunion Giving

Since our senior year, we have continued to set records, still holding records for overall ($3million) and scholarship ($2.35million) fundraising in our 15th reunion, and unrestricted fundraising ($1.127million) in our 20th reunion. Thank you for your continued generosity to and support of Penn!

Penn Class of 1993 20th reunion check with planning and gift committees

Our 20th reunion planning and gift committees pose with our donation check at our 20th reunion party on May 10, 2013.

Penn Class of 1993 planning and reunion committees with gift check

More planning and gift committee members pose with our 20th reunion check on May 10, 2013

Penn Class of 1993 pose with Penn President Amy Gutmann and The Penn Fund Class of 1917 Award

Planning and gift committee members pose with President Gutmann at the annual President’s Volunteer Reception in May, 2014, with the Class of 1917 Award that we won based on our donations for our 20th reunion.

Giving Tuesday – Donate to The Penn Fund

Please join me in making a gift to The Penn Fund today. Your gift helps to support today’s Penn students, primarily through financial aid and by addressing the immediate needs to bolster the undergraduate experience. Your support WILL make a difference. To make a gift, please use the special Giving Tuesday Giving Page:  http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/givingtuesday.

Show your support by posting on social media with the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #LOVEthePennFund. You can also share an #UNselfie that shows why you choose to give back to Penn.

The Penn Fund Giving Tuesday #LovethePennFund

*Thank you to Rachel Swartz Robinson, Class Giving Director, 25th and 30th Reunions, The Penn Fund, for sharing the Class of 1993 giving stats with us!

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

The weekend of November 11-12, 2016 marked 78 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we countdown the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
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November 27, 2016 · 8:39 pm

Homecoming Freshman Year and the Missing Tiger Heads (79 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The weekend of November 4-5, 2016 marked 79 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! The weekend also marked twenty-seven years since our first Homecoming at Penn – our Freshman year – November 4, 1989.

I saved the cover of The Daily Pennsylvanian Homecoming issue in my scrapbook, and I also found a version of the issue online from the Penn library (it is worth a look, especially to see the advertisements from the likes of Lee’s Hoagie House).

The DP Homecoming issue November 1989 The Daily Pennsylvanian

Cover of The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Homecoming insert for November 4, 1989

Searching through my old printed photos, I found only a few pictures from Homecoming.

The Penn Band in the Quad at the University of Pennsylvania, November 4, 1989

The Penn Band in the Quad, waking everyone up before the Homecoming game, November 4, 1989.

There are a good amount of fans on the Princeton side of Franklin Field, so I imagine the Penn side was much fuller. I like that the benches were alternating blue and red.

The Princeton Band performs at half-time on Franklin Field, the University of Pennsylvania, November 4, 1989

The Princeton Band performs at half-time on Franklin Field, November 4, 1989

The Penn Band performs on Franklin Field on November 4, 1989, at University of Pennsylvania

The Penn Band performs on Franklin Field on November 4, 1989

The Penn Band gathers at the far end of Franklin Field to perform during half-time, November 4, 1989.

The Penn Band gathers at the far end of Franklin Field to perform during half-time, November 4, 1989.

Here is my only Homecoming photo with people that you can see. My freshman year roommate Lisa (Bardfeld) Shapiro is in the center carrying a tuba and a saxaphone!

The Penn Band walks to perform at half-time during the Penn-Princeton football game on November 4, 1989.

The Penn Band walks to perform at half-time during the Penn-Princeton football game on November 4, 1989.

I do not remember anything about the game, so I searched online to find the final score. Penn lost to Princeton 30-8.

The Daily Pennsylvanian sports page November 6, 1989 Penn loses to Princeton 30-8.

The back page of The Daily Pennsylvanian from November 6, 1989 – Penn loses to Princeton 30 – 8.

Then I also saw something about a Tiger mascot being attacked…which reminded me of an article I saved in my scrapbook – Penn fans attacked the Princeton Tiger mascots on the field and escaped with the tiger heads!

Here is the front page of the DP from November 6, 1989 with the full story (you can access archived issues of the DP online – here is the link to the November 6, 1989 issue).

The DP November 6, 1989 shows Princeton Tiger mascot being attacked by Penn students

The front page of the DP on November 6, 1989, shows the attack of the Princeton mascot

The Daily Pennsylvanian Penn Homecoming 1989 students attack Princeton mascot

The front page article about the attack continued on page 9

President Sheldon Hackney wrote a letter to the editor of the DP about the incident.

Penn President Sheldon Hackney letter to the editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian November 6, 1989

Penn President Sheldon Hackney’s letter to the editor appeared in the November 6, 1989 issue of the DP.

I also found this story that printed in the New York Times about the incident which details that the heads were recovered with the help of the IFC President Garrett Reisman.

Does anyone else remember this? I was at the game but for the life of me cannot remember witnessing the attack on the mascot. I do remember the coverage in the DP afterwards.

Let us know what you remember from Homecoming our Freshman year – were you at the game? Do you remember the tiger being attacked?

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

Join us we countdown the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

 

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November 22, 2016 · 3:56 pm

Mid-Terms, Finals and Blue Books (80 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The weekend of October 28-29, 2016 marked 80 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! And we continue the countdown to our reunion by looking back at memories of our time at Penn.

I have a box of old papers and things I saved, and as I sorted through it, I hoped to find ticket stubs from Penn Football and Basketball games. Or maybe those square colored paper invites to parties, or a program from a student performing art group. Surprisingly, I do not seem to have many, if any, of these items. But what I did save? My blue books from Econ 1 mid-terms and exams from our first semester of Freshman year!

Econ 1 exam blue book from the University of Pennsylvania courtesty Kiera Reilly

This must be from our first mid-term in Econ 1, first semester Freshman year.

Flipping through my answers to the exam, there are red marks with apparently the number of points I scored on each question (but no idea how much each question was worth), and a final tally of the points I earned on the exam. No final grade, or context to put the final point total.

Inside the front and back cover of each booklet is the Code of Academic Integrity, and there was a place to sign your name on the back cover.

I have not read through my answers, and probably have not looked at these books since we graduated. But I am glad I saved them, if only to vaguely remember what taking an exam was like twenty-seven years ago in the ground floor of Williams Hall.

Exam Blue book for Kiera Reilly Econ 1 class at University of Pennsylvania

Based on the date, this must be from a second mid-term or exam of Econ 1 from our first semester Freshman year.

Do you remember the exam blue-books? Did you save any of your exams?

Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!

 

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November 18, 2016 · 11:26 am

Penn Serves LA Helps L.A. Kitchen Feed the Hungry and Reduce Food Waste

By Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16

In Los Angeles, 18 million pounds of food are disposed of every day, most of which goes into incinerators or landfill. L.A. Kitchen wants to empower, nourish and engage our community. They achieve this by reclaiming and repurposing healthy, local food that would otherwise be discarded, converting bruised fruits and vegetables into healthy meals for seniors and the disadvantaged. On Saturday, November 12th, 35 Penn alumni and friends washed, chopped and prepped hundreds and hundreds of pounds of vegetables, while our kid volunteers created 200 gorgeous salads in cups. We worked alongside L.A. Kitchen’s fabulous staff and trainees, the formerly unemployed who are receiving superb training for jobs in the food industry.

We learned about the work and values of L.A. Kitchen, before our training in the proper use of lethal knives. The elderly need healthy meals, imperfect looking food can feed the multitudes, employees deserve a living wage…hunger is not about a lack of food!

Penn Serves LA instruction by LA Kitchen for knife use

Penn Serves LA volunteers watch as an L.A. Kitchen team member teaches the proper way to slice a potato with a sharp knife

Penn Serves LA volunteers with green beans at L.A. Kitchen

Penn Serves LA volunteers excited about opening these bags of green beans to prep them for salads at L.A. Kitchen

The Penn volunteers cried through onion chopping, carefully seasoned raw chicken, and transformed bushels of hideous potatoes into gorgeous tasty, diced bits. Everyone stayed and worked for hours, finally disinfecting all surfaces, washing all of our dishes, mopping the floors and readying L.A. Kitchen for the next shift. All of the Penn Serves LA volunteers left in awe of the dedicated crew at L.A. Kitchen and their noble mission to insure that neither food nor people should go to waste.

 

Penn Serves LA volunteers prepping food at LA Kitchen
Penn Serves LA chopping green beans at L.A. Kitchen
Chopping and sorting celery and asparagus at L.A. Kitchen with Penn Serves LA
Salads prepared by Penn Serves LA volunteers at L.A. Kitchen

Fresh salads prepared by Penn Serves LA volunteers at L.A. Kitchen are ready to go

 

pennservesla_logo_final-1

About Penn Serves LA

Penn Serves LA impacts the Los Angeles community by engaging University of Pennsylvania alumni, parents and families in meaningful community service activities.

We have done everything from serving meals to the homeless to restoring the environment to fixing homes. Six times annually, we find another great opportunity to learn about interesting nonprofits, lend a hand and enjoy fun experience with fellow alumni.

Penn Serves LA volunteers with L.A. Kitchen after food prep

Penn Serves LA volunteers pose with members of L.A. Kitchen after a morning spent chopping, slicing and dicing food.

Join Us

We invite the Penn community in Los Angeles (alumni, parents and kids) to join us at a future event, to help spread the word and to help us plan future activities. Join us, meet new Penn people, demonstrate what service means to your kids and friends, and help fellow Quakers make a little bit of difference in our complex city!

If you have an established nonprofit that you would like us to consider for future events or announcements, please let us know. We are looking for new nonprofits to serve in meaningful ways.

Upcoming Events

  • January 7, 2017 – Blankets of Love (Manhattan Beach)
  • January 26, 2017 – Penn Serves Social
  • March, 2017 – Food Forward Harvesting
  • April, 29, 2017 – Habitat for Humanity

Contact Us

Questions? Want to join our email list? Reach us at pennserves@gmail.com.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!

The Penn Serves LA Team

Christine Belgrad, W’85, PAR’15 | Michal Clements, W’84 | Justin Gordon, W’05 | Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16 | Leanne Huebner, W’90 | Jamie Kendall, W’04 | Irene Park, C’05 | Kiera Reilly, C’93 | Jeff Weston, C’05 | Denise Winner, W’83

Read about our previous events:

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November 15, 2016 · 7:18 pm

Class Schedules and Drop/Add (81 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The weekend of October 21-22, 2016 marked 81 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! #93tothe25th

Do you remember registering for classes at Penn? I vaguely remember the summer before our Freshman year, sorting through a course catalog printed on newsprint. There were so many interesting classes, but I had to decide between really interesting classes and also taking classes to fulfill my requirements in the College.

Eventually, I made some selections, some with conviction, some with blind faith, and mailed them back to Penn. I saved the carbon copy of my requests.

class-sched-request

My class requests for my first semester of my Freshman year at Penn.

(Note the upper right the blocks for my social security number. I rubbed it out, but the SSN was on everything we did with Penn back then)

Apparently I could select a primary course, and then an alternate course if my first choice was unavailable.

In late July, I received my courses on this computer print-out.

Kiera Reilly Freshman Class Schedule first round at University of Pennsylvania

I sent in my request, and these are the classes I received.

Note that there is a spot for my social security number (rubbed out) and my home address (also rubbed out).

Of the courses I requested, French was my only match.

As an alternate to English, I was placed in Econ. As an alternate to Philosophy, I was placed in another Philosophy course, Existentialism (I distinctly remember this course taught by Carmen Romano). The Physics of Sports course was full, and my alternate I guess was full too.

I remember being freaked out that I only had three classes! But then I arrived on campus and learned about drop/add.

Do you remember drop/add? I vaguely remember needing to attend the first class of the class you wished to add, then asking the professor if there was an opening, and then sitting outside – the classroom? An administrator’s room? And handing in paperwork and getting it stamped so you could be admitted into the class.

I have two add forms from that first semester.

Drop/add form for Kiera Reilly at the University of Pennsylvania

I fill out the form and received a “Received” stamp!

I added Math 141, which was calculus. Again, note the spot at the top right for my social security number.

Drop/add form for freshman year classes for Kiera Reilly at Penn

My second drop/add form. I thought I already was placed in this class so I am not sure why I have this form.

This seems to indicate I added Philosophy 55 – the Existentialism course. I am not sure why I have this since it was already on my first schedule, but here it is.

After the drop/add period ended, I received a printout with my final schedule. Note that my address has been changed to my dorm room in the Quad – 222 Franklin.

Kiera Reilly first semester schedule at Penn

My final schedule for my first semester of Freshman year.

It indicated the dates and times of the classes, and also the buildings. WMS is Williams Hall – convenient to the Quad, and DRL, well is DRL. I think CB stands for the Chemistry Building.

Do you have memories of figuring your schedule Freshman year? Do you have any funny drop/add stories? Let us know!

Join us we countdown the weeks to our 25th reunion in May, 2018 #93tothe25th:

  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!

 

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