Monthly Archives: November 2017

November 29, 2017 · 3:39 pm

She’s a Survivor! (36 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

In our weekly countdown posts, we are a bit behind schedule. This post should have appeared for the weekend of September 1- 2, 2017. Why? Because on August 30th our class was surprised to learn that one of our very own  – Chrissy Bass Hofbeck, C’93 – was a contestant on Season 35 of CBS’s Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers! 

After the announcement in August, we had to wait for the season premiere of the show to see Chrissy…and in every week since then, many in our class are tuning in to CBS at 8:00 PM to watch the latest episode and see if she survives. As of today, November 29, Chrissy is still competing. Tonight’s episode is a double-one, so we are hoping she survives tonight too!

Here is some information about the show and Chrissy:

Chrissy first applied to be a Survivor contestant in 2001, and continued to apply many times since then until she was finally selected for this season.

Filming for this season was in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji in April and May of this year. Chrissy’s family, and the families of the other contestants had no idea where they were filming. Everyone was provided one way tickets to Los Angeles, and then all phones were confiscated prior to them flying to their final destination. Even once a contestant is voted off, there is still no communication until the season’s filming is complete.

In pre-show publicity, show host Jeff Probst said in his Castaway Assessment on Entertainment Tonight (Septmber 12, 2017) that Chrissy was, “one of [his] all-time favorite people.” We couldn’t agree more!

Tribes this season were initially divided by positive characteristics as described by others, and Chrissy was placed in the Heroes tribe.

CBS Survivor cast Chrissy Bass Hofbeck

CBS Survivor Season 35 cast featuring Chrissy Bass Hofbeck, C’93. (Chrissy is in the front row, third from the left in a blue bikini)

Chrissy’s husband Keith could not share her whereabouts with anyone, and told everyone that she was away on business in Brazil. Once word got out that she had left her job at Prudential, he tried not to leave the house!

To train for the show, Chrissy joined an indoor swimming pool and swam laps daily. She learned slide puzzles and tangrams, and did general walking and running each day. She also weaned herself off coffee and gained 5-7 pounds.

In past shows, Survivor has had many Ivy League alumni competitors. Chrissy is the fifth Penn alumnus to compete. The others were Gregg Carey (Season 10 Palau), Charlie Herschel (Season 17 Gabon), So Kim (Season 30 Worlds Apart), Cydney Gillon (Season 32 Kaoh Rong). We are the second highest Ivy in terms of participants with Brown holding the number one slot with six competitors.

We are excited to tune in and watch Chrissy every week, and hope she survives in tonight’s episode. Regardless of how the game ends, she’s a winner to us!

Hurrah, Hurrah Chrissy! We hope you outlive, outplay and outlast the competition!

Tune in to CBS Survivor tonight at 8:00 PM!

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of September 1 – 2, 2017, marked 36 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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November 28, 2017 · 9:08 am

Why We Give – Giving Tuesday with Penn 1993 (24 Weeks To Go)

By the Class of 1993 Reunion Gift Committee

Thanksgiving.

Black Friday.

Cyber Monday.

Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday Giving Red and Blue Day The Penn Fund

Today, on Giving Tuesday, we asked the Class of 1993 Reunion Gift Committee to share the reasons why they give to Penn.

This fiscal year, the year of our 25th Penn Reunion, we’re striving to set a new record of 1,047 class donors. The previous record was set by the class of 1982 in their 25th reunion year and has not been touched for 11 years; no other class has even reached 850 donors.

Gifts of any size—from $25 to $25,000—help the Class of 1993 get to this participation milestone. Help us reach our goal by making a gift today: www.pennfund.upenn.edu/penn93

Penn Class of 1993 Ivy Stone on the Palestra

Penn Class of 1993 Ivy Stone

The passion and engagement of our class should make setting a new record a breeze—but we need you to get there! For more inspiration, read why our fellow classmates give back to Penn:

Sapna Shah, C’93, W’93

Educational access is a cause I deeply care about and by giving scholarship funds to Penn, I’m supporting students who might not otherwise get to experience all that Penn has to offer. Penn was transformative to me and I want other students to have those same opportunities.

Fred Goltz, C’93, W’93

My reasons for giving to Penn are pretty simple:  to repay in some small measure what Penn has given and continues to give to me.  The opportunities afforded to me by my association with Penn have truly been life changing.  Helping to provide those same opportunities to future generations is not just effective philanthropy; it is a constant reminder of the importance of education as a critical stepping-stone to progress and hope.

Penn Class of 1993 flag #93tothe25th

Our Penn Class of 1993 flag

Jason Pantzer, C’93

It has been 25 years since I graduated Penn and each time I return I am impressed by new, exciting, and revolutionary developments on campus.  Penn continues to evolve and improve as one of the top universities in the country.  As a supporter of Penn, I am proud to know that each donation is used to invest in its students, campus and community in an extremely thoughtful manner.

Rachel Wagman, MD, C’93

I am passionate about the undergraduate experience at Penn – the depth and breadth of opportunities across the academic compass, and the freedom to engage with some of the top minds and leading thinkers across disciplines. University Life represents a key area of focus in my endeavor to make a contribution to benefit others: it is humbling to help students touch the experience that is Penn.

Darren Fogel, W’93

Penn is one of the finest universities in the country. The school’s reputation is bolstered by the ability of alumni to support its many unique academic and extracurricular programs and by offering assistance to those outstanding students who otherwise would not be able to attend. Our efforts help ensure the continued success of the University.

Herald Chen, ENG’93, W’93

Penn had a tremendously positive impact on me. Importantly, it is an experience that I could not have had without assistance from Penn’s financial aid and grant programs. Further, Penn is an even better institution than when I attended, but what also comes with that is an increasing cost. As the largest university in the nation to have grant-based financial aid, Penn’s undergraduate financial aid budget requires in excess of $200 million per year. Therefore, my wife and I enjoy giving to the Penn through the Penn Fund, Undergraduate Scholarships and the M&T Program as a way to ‘pay it forward’.

Ben on the Bench at the University of Pennsylvania #93tothe25th

Ben on the Bench with Penn 1993

Brett Barth, W’93

I give to Penn for many reasons.  But it was one of the most important and transformative experiences of my life.  I feel compelled to give back and Penn is worthy of my support.  It continues to improve and evolve to stay one of the preeminent universities in the world. There are many ways to give to Penn, but supporting Undergraduate scholarships and the Penn Fund (also contributing to undergraduate financial aid) are the most impactful. You are giving a gift of a Penn education and the experience that meant so much to me to those who could not otherwise afford it.

Michelle Peluso, W’93

I give to Penn for a very simple reason – it helped shape me into the person I am by introducing me to people and ideas that vastly expanded my world, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.  And just as much, perhaps now more than ever when our world is facing so much division, I want others to have that same unbelievable opportunity.

Lincoln Singleton, W’93

Penn was a transformative experience for me.  I really felt empowered by the student and faculty community there to develop and confidently be my own person.  I attended Penn by the virtue of copious financial aid programs.  I left Penn having shouldered about 10% of my four year education via student loans. Today, a student from a working poor, single parent family like mine would graduate from Penn loan free.

Give Back to The Penn Fund on Giving Tuesday

As of today, the Class of 1993 has 153 donors this fiscal year, and so close to reclaiming the #1 spot among reunion classes—the class of 2013 has 155 donors. Let’s pull ahead of them in a big way and make major moves towards our goal!

Give Today!

Some facts about our 25th reunion class gift and participation:

  • Every size gift counts and matters deeply. Your gift shows your gratitude for all Penn has brought to your life, and is your vote of confidence in Penn’s present and future. Give what is personally meaningful to you, and know how grateful we are for it whatever the size!
  • ’93 couples count as two donors in participation!
  • Your gift supports our class reunion fund, which supports our two class projects (an addition to our Class of 1993 Endowed Scholarship and the establishment of the Class of 1993 Endowed Internship at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships) and The Penn Fund (the University’s central annual fund supporting student financial aid and critical undergraduate initiatives); gifts to most individual endowed scholarships are also counted for class gift credit.
  • As a whole Penn has gone from 7th to 3rd place among our Ivy+ peers in alumni participation by percentage. Still, only about 35% of alumni give back, compared to 60% for Princeton. We can and will do better, one gift at a time!
  • Contact our class giving director Rachel Robinson at rachelsw@upenn.edu or 215-898-3645 with any questions. She’d love to hear from you!

Make your gift to The Penn Fund in celebration of our 25th Reunion here:  www.pennfund.upenn.edu/penn93.

#93tothe25th Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Committee #PRLC2017

1993 25th Reunion Committee planning our reunion at Penn in September, 2017

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of November 24 – 25, 2017 marked 24 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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November 27, 2017 · 11:16 pm

More Dorm Rooms and T-Shirts (37 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93, Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99, Josh Frank, C’93, Jennifer Jarett, C’93, and Alice Lai Platt, C’93

Our 38 Weeks To Go post featured old Penn t-shirts. Our 77 Weeks To Go post featured photos of dorm rooms. Our 37 Weeks To Go post (that would be this post), will have a little of each of those posts. So, for our classmates who are only now sorting through their boxes of Penn memorabilia or digging around to see if they still have an old Penn t-shirt or sweatshirt, there is still time to have those items included in a post!

Thanks to Allison Feder-Fliegler, W’93, L’99, we have t-shirts from Warwick and Commie House to share.

Commie House t-shirt courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99
Warwick Floor One t-shirt courtesy of Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99

Josh Frank, C’93, shared this about the Warwick shirt:

It was designed by David “Bip” Lavine, C’93, who was roommates with Josh Perelman. He was a terrific artist, and really put a lot of thought into the design of the shirt.

As noted by Jen Jarrett, Bobby constantly walked around in a towel, and was often singing (he truly has an incredible singing voice), so that’s why there are little musical notes around him.

If I recall correctly, the tower on top looked like one of the ones on or near Warwick in the Quad, and the picture quality isn’t good, but I think there’s a Kilroy or something peeking out from the bottom of it.

Of all of my dozens of shirts from Penn (fraternity, Mask & Wig, etc.), that one was always my favorite. We had a great floor, and having Bobby as our RA was an incredible gift.

Josh wrote this in response to a lively post in our class Facebook group about dorm rooms and RA’s, and the RA for Warwick One, Bobby Gonzalez, C’90, (now a professional actor known as Robert Gant), was quite popular! (Stay tuned for more on Warwick One in a future post).

Allison shared a photo of her freshman dorm room in the Quad.

Freshman dorm room in the Quad at Penn shared by Allison Feder Fliegler, W'93, L'99 #93tothe25th

Freshman dorm room in the Quad shared by Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99

Jennifer Jarret shared some dorm life photos.

#93tothe25th Penn dorm room in 1992

Elana Hordon, C’93,  taking a “working nap” in 1992, photo from Jennifer Jarett, C’93.

Dorm life at University of Pennsyvania featuring an early Apple computer 1992 #93tothe25th

Niels Damrauer, C’94, hard at work on a top of the line computer in 1992. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Jarett, C’93

Alice Lai Platt shared some photos from Hill House.

Alice writes,

You lived in Hill (hell) if your campus tour failed to include the quad, or if you got advice from someone who majored in engineering or math. The rooms were so small that my roommate and I could sit on our own beds and still hand each other the phone without getting up. I spent a lot of time outside and around campus!

I met one of my best friends there. Her roommate never showed up so she had a room all to herself. I loved hanging out in her extra space.

Interior of Hill House dorm at the University of Pennsylvania, January 1990. #93tothe25th

The inside of Hill House in January, 1990. Photo courtesy of Alice Lai Platt, C’93

Dorm room in Hill House at the University of Pennsylvania, January 1990 #93tothe25th

Dorm room in Hill House, photo courtesy of Alice Lai Platt, C’93

Way back in 1989 we had phones in the rooms! Here I am with one of my freshman roommates, Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93.

Kiera Reilly and Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro in Brooks-Leidy in the Upper Quad at Penn #93tothe25th

Kiera Reilly, C’93, and Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93, in Brooks-Leidy in the Upper Quad.

If you have dorm photos or old Penn t-shirts to share, please let us know. We want to share memories from as many classmates as possible. Email us at upenn1993 {at} gmail.com.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of August 25 – 26, 2017, marked 37 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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November 26, 2017 · 10:11 pm

Penn T-Shirts Survive (38 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 with photos from Jennifer Bernstein, C’93, Sonia Biswas, C’93, and Howard Levene, ENG’93

Looking for memories of our time at Penn, I found a long forgotten box full of old Penn t-shirts. I wondered if anyone else from Penn 1993 saved their Penn t-shirts, and it turns out they did. Here is a selection of some of the t-shirts that still survive with our classmates 25+ years later.

Penn Dixie t-shirt from Howard Levene, ENG’93.

Penn Dixie shirt courtesy of Howard Levene, ENG’93

I found an old Penn Debate t-shirt.

Penn Debate t-shirt front from Kiera Reilly, C’93
Penn Debate t-shirt back from Kiera Reilly, C’93

And a Penn Band t-shirt from Howard.

Penn Band t-shirt courtesy of Howard Levene, ENG'93 #93tothe25th

Penn Band t-shirt courtesy of Howard Levene, ENG’93

A fun Absolute Penn t-shirt from Jennifer Eisenberg Bernstein, C’93.

Absolutely Penn front from Jennifer Eisenberg Bernstein
Absolutely Penn from Jennifer Eisenberg Bernstein

Sonia Biswas, C’93, had a t-shirt that Penn Dining Service gave out for Spring Break in 1990.

Spring Break t-shirt from Penn Dining Services 1990 courtesy of Sonia Biswas, C’93
Penn Dining Service Spring Break t-shirt 1990 from Sonia Biswas, C’93

A Penn Engineering shirts from Howard Levene, ENG’93.

Penn Engineer t-shirt from Howard Levene, ENG’93
Penn Engineering shirt back from Howard Levene, ENG’93
Front of Penn Engineering shirt from Howard Levene, ENG’93

I found a t-shirt celebrating Penn’s 250th anniversary.

Penn 250th Anniversary t-shirt by Kiera Reilly #93tothe25th

Penn 250th t-shirt shared by Kiera Reilly, C’93

Howard and I had t-shirts from our dorm halls.

Ware College House t-shirt from Howard Levene.

Penn Quad Ware College House t-shirt #93tothe25th

Ware College House t-shirt from Howard Levene, ENG’93.

Upper Quad t-shirt from Penn #93tothe25th

Upper Quad t-shirt from Kiera Reilly, C’93

Several of us had the New Student Orientation t-shirt. All seem to have faded in the same spots.

NSO t-shirt from Howard Levene, ENG’93
NSO t-shirt close-up from Sonia Biswas, C’93.
NSO t-shirt from Kiera Reilly, C’93.

And as modeled here by Sonia Biswas, the t-shirts were always huge. Sonia says, “I always thought the shirts were ridiculous since I’m tiny, and they were all gigantic on me. We had no choice, since the only option was always XL. Ridiculous!”

Penn NSO t-shirt on Sonia Biswas #93tothe25th

Penn NSO t-shirt modeled by Sonia Biswas, C’93 today. The shirts are all XL!

Do you still have old Penn t-shirts? We are still collecting photos of shirts for more posts. Please email us photos of your t-shirts to upenn1993 {at} gmail.com!

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of August 18 – 19, 2017, marked 38 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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November 14, 2017 · 11:00 am

Penn Serves LA and TreePeople at the Audubon Center

By Michelle Wattana, C’09

What a day for the Penn Serves crew! Over 25 Penn alumni, family, and friends arrived at the Audubon Center at Debs Park, ready to assist TreePeople for a day of restoration and fun! For the past 40 years, TreePeople has been gathering the people of Los Angeles to plant and care for trees, harvest rain, and renew depleted landscapes. We were grateful to join them at the Audubon Center, an environmental community hub located within the 282-acre Ernest R. Debs Regional Park in the heart of Los Angeles.

Penn Serves LA helps Treepeople in Los Angeles volunteering Penn Alumni

Some of the Penn Serves LA group ready to help TreePeople

Penn Serves LA helps with TreePeople Los Angeles volunteering Penn Alumni

More of the Penn Serves LA gang

With plenty of sunshine abound, we began by keeping the center courtyard of the park in good order, adding water and soil to surrounding plants, and raking old twigs and leaves off the ground. By the time we were finished, the courtyard looked spick and span, if we do say so ourselves!

Sprucing up the courtyard
Courtyard at Audobon Center Los Angeles cleaned up by Penn Serves LA penn alumni volunteers

A clean job well done by the volunteers

With our first task complete, the group took a short, but scenic hike to the restoration lands. With gardening gloves and tools in hand, we began clearing the land, making way for native plants such as the California buckwheat to grow and thrive. We worked up quite a sweat under the blazing sun, but had tons of fun chatting the morning away while pulling out a lot of old vegetation.

Penn Serves LA Tree People Los Angeles Penn Alumni volunteering

On the hike up to the restoration lands

Hard at work, but having fun!
Families volunteering
Gaining ground on clearing land

Before we knew it, the small piles of weeds and dried up plants we had begun turned into large mounds before our eyes. All volunteers, big and small, had a terrific time doing their part in the great outdoors. We certainly enjoyed ourselves, getting to know one another while helping the surrounding community and environment!

TreePeople will welcome volunteers in the coming months to plant and nurture small trees.  This is essential to the work of TreePeople, as the planting of the trees will serve to help cool our city, slow the run off of rainwater, provide a habitat for animals, food for people and ultimately, make our air more breathable.

So please join TreePeople and stay tuned for more events from the Penn Serves LA crew! Email us to subscribe to our Penn Serves email list where are future service events are announced first.

About Penn Serves LA

Penn Serves LA logo volunteering with Penn Alumni in Los Angeles

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

Since our founding in 2012, 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.

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.

Our next event – feeding the homeless with the Fred Jordan Missions on Thanksgiving Day is already sold-out! Join the wait-list to see if any spaces open up for volunteering.

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 | Michelle Wattana, C’09 | Denise Winner, W’83

Read about our previous events:

 

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November 7, 2017 · 2:22 pm

Remembering Arthur Ashe Speaking at Penn (39 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

While sorting through old photos, I found this photo from our senior year. It is the board of Connaissance, photographed with Albert Moore, our staff advisor for SAC activities, and legendary tennis player Arthur Ashe.

Arthur Ashe speaks at University of Pennsylvania invited by Connaissance

Connaissance board members pose with Connaissance Fall 1992 Speaker Arthur Ashe. L-R Caren Lissner, C’93, Robyn Reifman, C’94, Mark Whitcher, W’93, Arthur Ashe, Kiera Reilly, C’93, Meg O’Leary, C’94, and Albert Moore from the Office of Student Affairs. (note the halo around Caren’s head is how the photo was developed!)

I did not remember much about the speech – I remember Mr. Ashe came to Penn, that I went with Meg to pick him up at 30th Street Station, and that he died not long after he visited Penn.

I hoped that Caren, Robyn, Mark, Meg and Albert might recall more than that, and Meg was the only one that had a clear memory. She wrote:

My biggest memories are of the drive picking him up at the train station.  If you remember, I hadn’t had my driver’s license very long and not a whole lot of experience driving.  My driving made Mr. Ashe quite nervous – he held the dashboard the whole way and kept asking questions of Kiera, basically asking if she’d like to take over the driving and making sure that I was going the right way.  I don’t think I drove him back to the station though. It wasn’t that long after that he died, and I remember feeling a little guilt that maybe my driving had stressed him out and made his illness worse.

I also remember that, of all our speakers, I felt that he was the most modest.  He asked for very little special treatment – just reimbursement for his travel costs (he took the train from NYC; so pretty inexpensive) and a very reasonable speaking fee.  And, in person, he was very unassuming and didn’t put on any airs, was quite down to earth.

Luckily, The Daily Pennsylvanian sent staff writer Charles Ornstein, C’96, (now a Senior Reporter for ProPublica), and he filed this report (you can see a PDF of the article here).

Arthur Ashe speaking at the University of Pennsylvania November 4, 1992

Arthur Ashe speaking at the University Museum on November 4, 1992.

Arthur Ashe speaking at the University of Pennsylvania, photo by Steve Waxman, the DP

The DP Arthur Ashe AIDS

DP staff writer Charles Ornstein

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

The Daily Pennsylvanian covers Arthur Ashe's visit to Penn for Connaissance

Meg’s memory is correct about Mr. Ashe being so humble. As soon as I read her note, I remembered that too. We were fortunate to help bring many prominent speakers to campus, and as Connaissance board members we often had dinner with them before the speech. But he was probably the nicest and most unassuming speaker I ever met. It was a true honor to meet him and have him speak at Penn.

While he was on campus, Mr. Ashe spoke with DP Sports Writer Jonathan Mayo. The link to their conversation as published in the DP is here.

Sadly, Meg was correct in her recollection that Mr. Ashe died not long after he visited Penn. The DP reported his death on February 8, 1993.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of August 11 – 12, 2017, marked 39 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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November 3, 2017 · 8:48 am

Script Penn – A Penn Band Homecoming Tradition (27 Weeks To Go)

By Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93, and Kiera Reilly, C’93

While our #93tothe25th countdown posts are a bit behind schedule (see our last post 40 Weeks To Go), we thought it fitting to skip ahead Penn Homecoming is this weekend. Twenty-five years ago we celebrated Homecoming during our Senior Year.

Classmate Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro was the Drum Major of the Penn Band and shared this video recorded  by her father Bennett “Buddy” Bardfeld, W’55, L’58 as the Penn Band takes the field during half-time of the Homecoming football game.

Lisa writes: Script Penn began in the 1970’s and it became tradition for the Penn Band to “write” this at the end of the half time show at the Homecoming game. The video is from our senior year, 1992. Band alumni are welcomed to join the current students on the field for script Penn, with or without instruments. Once Penn is spelled out, everyone in the stands is asked to rise for “The Red and Blue”.

Lisa also shared some of her buttons from Homecomings since we graduated. Does anyone else have any old Homecoming buttons?

Penn Homecoming buttons

Penn Homecoming buttons from 1994, 1995 and 2002 courtesy of Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93

We hope to see you this weekend at Penn Homecoming! Click here for Homecoming activities this weekend, including gatherings with the Classes of 1988 – 1993!

Let’s Go Penn! Beat Princeton!

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

This weekend, November 3 – 4, 2017, marks 27 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)!

Join us we count down 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!
  • Join our reunion committee – email Lisa Grabelle at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com.
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Important hotel update! Overwhelming response from our great class has sold out the Downtown Marriott Class of 1993 room block for Saturday night. There are alternative hotels. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

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Filed under 25th Reunion, Class of 1993, Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture, Kiera R., Memories of Penn

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