Monthly Archives: February 2018

February 28, 2018 · 11:08 pm

Smokes – the Pennstitution

By Mark Sullivan, C’93

Here are some of my memories of Smokes.

Smokey Joe's Smokes at Penn

The inside of Smokey Joe’s, photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan

Raid by the Liquor Control Board (LCB)

During the first semester of our freshman year, it was still possible to get into Smokes with a Penn student ID and other questionable forms of identification. The Pennsylvania liquor control board began to crack down, and so we had to be tougher with ID’s. I began bouncing at the end of my freshman year. Members of the wrestling team/ATO had proven to be adept at handling the imposing Penn student population. As you may recall, the uniform for all Smokey Joe’s employees – bartenders, wait staff and bouncers – was a long sleeve oxford with a tie that was tucked in. Many a night, someone would show up without a tie, so there were extra ties (many of them very ugly) that were kept behind the upstairs and downstairs bars. One night during our sophomore or junior year, the LCB raided Smokey Joe’s. They blocked the front and back doors, made everyone exit one by one and checked their ID’s. Some enterprising (and underage) patrons put on some of the extra ties that were behind the bar and tried to pass themselves off as employees. Unfortunately, they wore the ties over polo shirts, baggy sweaters or sweatshirts, and the LCB was not convinced.

Joe Whelpy at Smokes

Joe Whelpy at Smokes, photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan

Erin Express

The Erin Express is a pub crawl held around St. Patrick’s day throughout University City and Center City. School buses drive a loop to each bar that participates in the Erin Express. One year, one of the buses pulled up to Smokey Joe’s and the bus driver went in to use the restroom. One of the passengers grew impatient and drove the bus to the next bar.

Smokey Joe's owners Pat and Paul Ryan

Pat and Paul Ryan, owners of Smokey Joe’s, photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan

21st Birthday Celebrations

I learned the real names of several of our classmates on their 21st birthdays. Most of the birthday celebrations were benign, but a few got out of hand, including one male celebrant who ended up riding a bicycle naked in the downstairs bar at the end of the night.

Sink or Swim flyer for Smokey Joe's Smokes

Sink or Swim flyer photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan

Nearby Shooting

By our junior year, Smoke‘s had installed the video camera and microphone to prove that each person admitted had been carded and stated their name and date of birth. Very late in the Spring of that year, I was working the door with another bouncer (who shall remain nameless). It was a very warm evening and the windows and front door were open. Smoke‘s was pretty empty – it may have even been the week of final exams. Just as the other bouncer and I were carding two women who walked in together, gun shoots rang out on the corner of 40th and Walnut just outside of McDonald’s. The other bouncer and I could see some flashes of light and the car with the shooter speed away. I remember the strong smell of gunpowder lingering in the humid air. The other bouncer and I excitedly recounted the events to everyone inside Smoke‘s. We explained how brave we had been and how we had sprung into action and protected the two women who we were checking for ID by removing them from harm’s way. The only problem was that the video recorder had been running and when they played back the tape, it showed the other bouncer and I cowering behind the two women patrons when we heard the gunshots and using them as human shields. Management played that tape every night for the following week to everyone else’s amusement.

Smokey Joe's the Pennstitution

The Pennstitution – photo by Mark Sullivan

Ken Kweder at Smokey Joe's

Ken Kweder plays at Smokes, photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan

What was your favorite bar on campus? Do you remember hanging out at Smokes? If you have memories, share them in the comments below.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of December 22 – 23, marked 20 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

Register NOW to attend our 25th Reunion!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

 

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February 28, 2018 · 12:00 am

The Revolutionary Quaker: The Unheard History of Penn’s Mascot

By: Jorge Penado, C’19
International Relations Major
Work-Study Student, Sweeten Alumni House

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Source: University of Pennsylvania Flickr

The Fighting Quaker? A term most people at Penn have become so accustomed to identifying with our mascot that we rarely question it or its history. However, anyone who is even slightly aware of the Pennsylvania-centered Quaker religious movement may wonder how a phrase so paradoxical in nature could end up becoming the well-known mascot of our own Penn. Even further, most people could also mistakenly associate Quakerism with the most famous figure in Penn’s history, Benjamin Franklin. Nonetheless, people will soon realize that Franklin was not a Quaker, himself, and that the university has never had any direct connection to Quakerism. But, even the paradoxical phrase, Fighting Quaker, does have some ground in history and became realized in the university’s athletics due to coincidental nature and geographic location.

In colonial America, the Quaker religion originally grew in prominence in New England. In the mid-17th century, Quaker missionaries traveled to North America in order to preach their religious movement that originated in England. However, they would soon enough face discrimination in New England as people considered them heretics and began to banish them from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This persecution would lead Quakers in North America to migrate southwards where they would establish thriving communities in the Delaware Valley, particularly Philadelphia. William Penn, the namesake, and founder of the state would find Pennsylvania in 1682 and would run the commonwealth under Quaker principles. Quakers would maintain their beliefs of pacifism and pursuit of the “Inner Light,” which would be internally challenged during the American Revolution. As Philadelphia had become one of the largest cities and busiest trading ports in British America, there was a significant movement in the city that supported the revolution, even amongst the generally peaceful Quakers. In 1781, the Religious Society of Free Quakers, or more simply known as Free Quakers, would be established by expelled members of the Quaker community who failed to obey their pacifist nature n order to support the American Revolution. Hence, the term, Fighting Quaker, may not be such a historical anomaly as there actually did exist a Quaker sub-community that supported fighting for American Independence.

Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection
Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection
Early Use of a Quaker to Represent Penn, Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection

However, this still doesn’t answer the question of how Quakerism and Penn became associated, and the association wouldn’t directly emerge for another hundred years. As one of the oldest institutions in America, Penn has a lengthy history, and one of the many eras in its history would have to be its prominence in athletics in the late 19th century. In the early 19th century, student athletics had taken universities by storm as various organizations and teams were established. Penn’s first sports organization consisting of Penn students, the Junior Club, was founded in 1842. It wouldn’t be long before intercollegiate athletics would become a staple of college life.

Penn didn’t actually substantially enter intercollegiate sports until the 1880s and 1890s after Harvard, Yale and Princeton had begun to organize early intercollegiate athletics. Penn would set their foot with the establishment of Franklin Field in 1894. Once intercollegiate athletics picked it, it was sports writing that would serve as the definitive influencer on Penn’s mascot. Since Philadelphia was known as the “Quaker City,” it became easy for sportswriters to associate the university with the city and thus, the predominant Quaker religion and then call Penn’s athletic teams Quakers. This emerged much like the term “Ivy League” which began in New York sports writing to identify the colleges along the northeastern coast and as a reference to the custom of planting ivy on these college campuses. At the end of the day, the Penn Quaker was referenced enough that it eventually stuck and would soon enough be used in the 20th century and depicted on various pennants.

resolver

Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection

Once the Quaker was accepted, it would undergo various changes and enhancements. Quite recently in 2004 and 2006, the mascot would be refurbished and reintroduced after a previous version was criticized by many. Interestingly enough, on February 28, 2006, the Daily Pennsylvanian would run a story about the negative reaction to the new-look Quaker as people at a men’s basketball game reacted with “curious murmurs” about the new mascot that was believed to appear too menacing. Luckily, the new Quaker mascot has been accepted by the Penn community as he makes regular appearances at sporting events throughout the year. While the university is not a Quaker institution and has minimal interaction with the Quaker community, its location in the city of brotherly love would soon enough informally secure its mascot as the one and only, the Fighting Quaker.

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February 27, 2018 · 10:00 am

What can you do with a Women’s Studies Degree?

By: Lisa Ellen Niver, C’89

“I am a travel hack,” I thought to myself during a Branded Content workshop in November 2015. I was listening to esteemed speakers and judging myself against everyone in the room. “They are real journalists,” was the chant in my head. “They went to “J” (Journalism) school and work for real papers. I would never get the jobs they are talking about.”

Later in the day, there was a travel speaker who discussed income, exposure, and experiences. Sometimes he was paid $1 or $2 a word and sometimes he just wanted to take the trip. In 2016, I was invited on a two-week luxury trip to Italy. Maybe I could pick my self-esteem up off the floor. I was making progress on my website, We Said Go Travel, and had just been hired for my first Instagram take-over, something most people in the room were shocked to learn was an actual job.

During that same year, I attended six different conferences to learn about writing, social media, and destinations. I was willing to soak up any advice and take any suggestion. I worked with a media coach and made a sizzle reel. I focused on asking for help. I used my University of Pennsylvania network and dedicated full days to my work, starting early every day and working late into the night. An editor told me, “Just be undeniably good. Whatever you do, do your best and eventually, people will notice.”

This advice was echoed at the Penn Women’s LA Career Networking Event 2017, “Women in Entertainment.” The entertainment industry panel included Meredith Stiehm (C’90), Alison Hoffman, Veena Sud, Allison Schroeder and Jennifer Gwartz (C’90). Moderator Fielding Edlow’s (C’95) questions made for a phenomenal event and included how to approach a mentor, what would you tell your 22-year-old self, how to deal with sexism and how to get an agent.

 

Penn Women in Entertainment

Penn “Women in Entertainment” Event 2017

This incredible award-winning panel included the screenwriter for Hidden Figures and the creator of Cold Case and Homeland. What did all of these women have to say? “Be kind to yourself. Don’t give up. Create a network. Add value. Know that you will get there.” I sat up in my chair and thought this is what I do. I am working hard every day. Maybe someday I will get to sit in a chair on a panel like this and say, “I actually did it.”

Jennifer Gwartz (C’90) told us: “There is no wrong path. There are no wrong jobs. No wrong experiences. Everything you do will enrich your storytelling. Have experiences, relationships and remember to be kind to yourself. Most of all, have fun.” I have not always believed in myself or that I would ever get anywhere, but I have kept going.

Listening to Allison Schroeder talk about a year where 44 pitches were rejected but then she went on to write Mean Girls 2 and Hidden Figures and be nominated for an Academy Award was inspiring. All of the women spoke about rejection, the need for a thick skin and perseverance.

The Penn motto, “Inveniemus viam aut faciemus—“We will find a way or we shall make one,” has been a mantra for me since my years at Penn. While I was a student, I co-founded a magazine and was active in student organizations. There were paths that seemed to be dead-ends but somehow I persisted. At Penn and after, I was often asked to defend my choice of a Women’s Studies Major. “What can you do with that?” was usually the question. My answer? “The goal of a liberal arts education is not to memorize facts but to find solutions to problems that do not yet exist. This interdisciplinary major is teaching me to think.” My coursework led me to USCF Medical school, but I chose to leave and teach science instead. After working for years in education and earning a Masters Degree, I spent seven years traveling the seven seas by ship as I worked for three cruises lines.

Traveling to nearly 100 countries, I have seen history come to life in the pyramids, Angkor Wat and Guadalcanal. In March 2017, I reached one million views on Roku, Amazon, and YouTube. In April 2017, I was named Adventure Correspondent on The Jet Set TV talk show. In May 2017, I was named a finalist in two categories for the Southern California Journalism Awards. I was invited to be a Facebook Live host for USA Today 10Best. In June 2017, I received an award from the Los Angeles Press Club, along with Andrea Mitchell (C’67), who received The Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement. In November 2017 and February 2018, I had my first two travel segments on KTLA TV.

 

Lisa Niver Andrea Mitchell

Lisa Niver, C’90 and Andrea Mitchell, C’67

 

 

Adventure correspondent TheJetSET TV

Lisa Niver, Adventure Correspondent, The Jet Set TV

During the Penn networking event, Allison Hoffman from Starz told us, “Careers are not linear.” I know for certain my path has been circular and full of stops and round-a-bouts. I realized I had closed the door on medicine and teaching but had found a window into the wild west world of media. I am a travel journalist and an explorer.

I realized what you can do with a Women’s Studies Degree from Penn: anything you can dream!
———
Lisa Niver (C’89), founder of We Said Go Travel, walked in graduation for her 25th reunion in 2014 with her college roommate. She has contributed to Frankly Penn, Wharton Magazine and created events for PennClubLA and is planning with her classmates for her 30-year reunion in 2019. Find more of her adventures at We Said Go Travel.

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February 26, 2018 · 9:31 pm

Trying to Remember Feb Club

By the 1993 Senior Class Board

Five years ago as we prepared to celebrate our 20th Reunion, we wrote a post about Feb Club, a now annual senior year tradition started by our Senior Class Board (you can read that post here: Celebrating Feb Club – 20 Years Later with Penn 1993).

Now we wondered, how did Feb Club begin? We asked the Senior Class Board for more insight, and they responded in an email chain…

Brooke Hays, W’93, WG’99

I actually came up with the idea for Feb Club because I felt bad for the Deke guys who couldnt get anyone to go out with them.  So we convinced seniors to go out every night. The T-shirts helped the Deke guys fit in at the parties.

Laurie Bieber, C’93, GEd’94

Funny man you are, Brooke Hayes!

I honestly don’t remember the details.  Anyone?

Lisa (Luther) Housel, NU’93

Ha! Brooke!! Good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor after all these years!

I don’t really remember any of the details either- glad to see I’m not the only one 🙂

Only thing I remember is trying to coordinate our schedules so at least one of us was able attend every event that month to manage things. Turned into quite a busy social schedule for all of us. Also have no idea how we ever got anything done before email and cell phones to help with communication. Lots of in-person meetings I guess! Fun times with a great team!

Elissa Laitin, ENG’93

I totally remember that the idea was a spin-off of DKE’s Feb Club. We didn’t go out every night – it was like 11-12 events during the month.

We also had a raffle to help incentivize people to come to all the events. I think it was a $100 cash prize and people were only eligible if they came to at least 10 of the 11 events, or something like that. So then we had to manually track everyone who came to every event….

One of the things that was great about it was that there were a bunch of non-bar events like ice skating, movie night, and a basketball game – and that brought out a lot of seniors who didn’t come to other things b/c they wanted social events that weren’t just about drinking.

Boy this is bringing up a lot of memories! And now I’m getting Senior Week flashbacks.  Just don’t ask me what I did last weekend – that, I don’t remember….

Chrissy Bass Hofbeck, C’93

I just went in the attic to dig out my old Penn planner in hopes of finding the Feb Club schedule. Unfortunately the only thing tucked into my planner was a photo from Spring Break in Jamaica.

That said, I remember there were 3 events per week for a total of 12. I think you needed to go to 10 of the 12 to get a t-shirt. And yes, we had equal numbers (or so) of bar versus non-bar events. So we are all having the same recollection of events. I remember having our Board meetings in Brooke’s room at Sigma Chi.

Those were good times. Hope to see you all at the reunion in May. Hard to believe it’s been 25 years.

Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro, C’93

I am so impressed with all you guys remember. I can remember neither what I did this past weekend nor the details of Feb club except that it was an idea borrowed from Deke. I do, however, have pictures…

1993 Senior Class Board Feb Club schedule

The 1993 Feb Club schedule as published in The DP. Photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro

Stephen Jung, C’93, shared these tickets from Feb Club events.

Ticket for the screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day-Off’ ticket, photo courtesy of Stephen Jung, C’93
Class of 1923 Ice Rink ticket, photo courtesy of Stephen Jung, C’93
1993 Penn Senior Class Board Feb Club movie screening

The photo was labeled Columbia Game, but looking at the seats we think it’s in the Eric 3 for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off screening. Photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro.

Feb Club event at Cavanaugh’s, photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro

 

Event at Cavanaugh’s, photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro
Event at Cavanaugh’s

Class of 1993 Feb Club skating at the 1923 Ice Rink

Marianne (Alves) Brogdale, Lisa (Bardfeld) Shapiro, and Kiera Reilly skating at the 1923 Ice Rink for Feb Club, photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro

Laura Lowry, Kristin Garland, Julie Berliner Bell, and Leslie Mag during the ice skating event. Photo courtesy of Julie Berliner Bell.
Julie Berliner Bell and Eric Swanson at the ice skating event. Photo courtesy of Julie Berliner Bell.
1993 Feb Club event at Smoke's Smokey Joe's

Smoke’s, photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro

1993 Feb Club Initiates Senior Year at University of Pennsylvania

The list of Initiates – all the 1993 Classmates who attended at least 10 events! Photo courtesy of Jenn Spadano-Gasbarro

Feb Club t-shirt Senior Class Board 1993

The back of the original Feb Club t-shirt – a tradition started by the Class of 1993! Photo courtesy of Alyssa Newman, C’93

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of February 16 – 17, 2018, marked 12 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

Register NOW to attend our 25th Reuion!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

 

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February 22, 2018 · 10:54 am

Penn Serves LA Serves Thanksgiving Meals to the Homeless in Downtown LA

By Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16

It is difficult to imagine that in 1944 Fred Jordan came to Skid Row and found hungry people living in boxes with their meager possessions strewn around the asphalt.  Sadly very little has changed in the ensuing years.

But throughout that time the Fred Jordan Mission has been steadfast on Skid Row, “Loving the unloved, feeding the hungry and healing the hurting.”  The Jordan family continues to be involved in running this non-profit, faith-based and educational relief organization.

A large crowd of Penn volunteers of all ages showed up in two shifts on this exceedingly hot and sunny Thanksgiving.  There was no shortage of helpers. Crowds of single guests and families lined up patiently waiting for their meal, while city leaders and clergy spoke and music blasted from a stage.

Penn Serves LA Thanksgiving dinner at Fred Jordan Missions

Penn Serves LA volunteers arrive on Thanksgiving morning ready to help, photo courtesy of Justin Gordon.

Penn Serves LA Thanksgiving Fred Jordan Mission

The early morning crew gathers on an unusually warm Thanksgiving Day in LA. Photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

The event was planned to create a festive, tasty and embracing Thanksgiving for the poor, the working poor and the homeless, and the Mission was prepared to serve 3000 people at their 73rd annual Street Banquet.

Penn Serves LA serves Thanksgiving Dinner at Fred Jordan Mission

Penn Alumni in front of the Fred Jordan Mission in downtown LA. Photo courtesy of Justin Gordon

Penn Serves LA volunteers Joan and Charmon came dressed in their red and blue. Photo courtesy of Justin Gordon

Penn Serves LA volunteers helped set tables, arrange chairs, serve plates of food, pass out drinks and mingle with the crowds.  Rarely has one seen larger drumsticks or heartier portions of mashed potatoes, and the diners seemed grateful for the wonderful meal and the upbeat atmosphere.

Penn Serves LA Thanksgiving Dinner Fred Jordan Mission

Penn Serves LA volunteers setting up the dinner tables. Photo courtesy of Justin Gordon

 

Serving food from the kitchen of Fred Jordan Missions. Photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly
Penn Serves LA Thanksgiving Dinner Fred Jordan Mission

Serving Thanksgiving Dinner at Fred Jordan Missions near Skid Row not far from downtown LA. Photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

Some Penn volunteers helped to pack and hand out sizable bags of produce to guests after they finished their meals.  As the sun reached its peak, tables were cleared and folded up, bags of trash were taken inside the mission, and brooms were at work to leave the streets clean before evening set in.

Serving food by the Fred Jordan Missions. Photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly

The Penn volunteers headed back to their cars, home to families for their own Thanksgiving celebrations.  To get to our vehicles, we walked by tents on the sidewalks, various encampments and people returning to their lives on the streets.  Our “work” that day was easy, but one could not help but feel humbled by what we had observed and experienced.

Penn Serves LA volunteers. photos courtesy of Kiera Reilly
Penn Serves LA (and members of Penn Class of 1993) serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the homeless in downtown LA with the Fred Jordan Missions
Penn Serves LA Volunteer Joan hands out bags of food to guests after they enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal, photo courtesy of Kiera Reilly
Penn Serves LA volunteers
Penn Serves LA Thanksgiving Dinner Fred Jordan Missions

Penn Serves LA volunteers hand out bags of food to guests as they leave after enjoying a Thanksgiving meal. Photo courtesy of Jane Gutman

Upcoming Events

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 a 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.

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, PAR’21

Read about our previous events:

 

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February 21, 2018 · 10:47 am

Vietnam on Locust: The Peace Symbol Statue & History of the Vietnam War on Penn’s Campus

By: Jorge Penado, C’19
International Relations Major
Work-Study Student, Sweeten Alumni House

peace.01-744x496

Source: The Penn Art Collection

As one takes a stroll through Penn’s campus, one can easily notice the variety of public art on display across campus. From the notable LOVE Statue to the Covenant on 39th and Locust, it’s clear that Penn has devoted time to the beautification of campus. However, we don’t always consider the context and history of some of these pieces of art as we walk hastily down Locust. In particular, one piece of art that remains almost hidden from the sight of students is Robert Engman’s 1969 Peace Symbol standing in front of Van Pelt Library. At first glance, we wonder what significance it has, but one would soon discover the piece’s history as related to the university and the Vietnam War.

But first, it would benefit us to learn a bit more from the sculptor. Robert Engman was born in Belmont, Massachusetts in 1927 to Swedish immigrants. At the young age of 15, he joined the US Navy and served in the Pacific theater of World War II. After returning to the US, he received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and later, his MFA in Painting and Sculpture from Yale University in 1955. It wouldn’t be until 1964 that he would become Penn’s Director of Graduate Studies in Sculpture and until 1974 that his now familiar piece, Triune, would be found across City Hall. However, it was in 1969 that he, alongside eight Penn students, would install the sculpture, Peace Symbol, an emblem of student protest against the University’s lack of a stance on the Vietnam War.

Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection
Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection

Now, you may ask yourself, what was the stance of the university? Well, as many college campuses had done, Penn’s students and faculty began to hold various protests against US policy in Vietnam. Efforts emerged around campus such as in April 1965 with posters urging students to join the Washington March or from April 8-15, 1967 when Vietnam Week was held on campus. On June 5, 1966, sixty-seven Penn faculty members signed a nationwide petition urging the government to stop its policy in Vietnam. Nevertheless, protests against Penn would begin as a reaction to two things: Penn’s involvement with the Dow Chemical Company, the principal supplier of napalm to the Department of Defense, and Penn’s “bacteriological warfare unit.”

On one hand, students would challenge Penn’s connection to Dow with protests held in early November 1967. At a recruitment effort with Dow and the CIA, eighty protesters would line the hallways of Cohen Hall in a sit-in meant to disrupt recruitment efforts which it eventually did. On the other hand, students once again rose to protest against allegations that the university was involved in a top-secret bacteriological warfare unit. On October 15, 1965, students would protest outside the Institute for Cooperative Research (ICR), the alleged unit, which led the university to admit it’s research in biological and chemical warfare was being done from a defensive standpoint. Protests would again emerge against ICR on October 1966 at Houston Hall, and the university would report that ICR was disbanded even if President Gaylord P. Harnwell stated it had no connection to warfare.

Ultimately, the university would still maintain their lack of a stance with regards to the war. Arguments presented at the time spoke of institutional morality and whether the university even wanted to engage with national policy. Nevertheless, even though the university never adopted an official stance, other organizations and student groups continued their efforts. Whether it was the Graduate Students Association who called for an immediate withdrawal of forces, the Vietnam Commencement in 1969 which saw students and faculty commemorate 1969 graduates who were expected to die in the war or anti-war protests at the 1972 Hey Day, it was clear that Penn’s campus was exercising their right to protest in a tumultuous time in America’s history.

resolver3

Source: University Archives Digital Image Collection

Protests would continue until the end of the war in 1975 and mark a finale to the wartime dissent on Penn’s campus. From this time, the Peace Symbol would remain in front of Van Pelt as a representation of the opposition of Penn students and faculty and a focal point for the gathering of students in protests. While the sculpture would be the site of the tragic suicide of Kathy Change, a political activist, in 1996 meant to send a message against violence, it remains as a reminder of politics on Penn’s campus. Even though its history is riddled with unrest and violence, it’s important to see it as a reminder of the necessity to respect and promote the namesake of this piece of art.

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February 20, 2018 · 1:51 pm

Penn 1993 Love Connections Part 4

Since it was Valentine’s Day last week, we asked our Penn 1993 classmates if they met their spouse at Penn. Many classmates responded with the story of how they met, if they met at Penn, and if they both graduated in 1993. We will be sharing these stories over a few posts. Here is the fourth installment of Penn Couples from the Class of 1993!

Stories included in this post:
  • Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99, and Brett Fliegler, W’93
  • Michelle (Pohusky) Wellman, Eng’93, and Parris Wellman, Eng’93
  • Vyjayanti (Tharmaratnam) Desai, C’93, WG’00, and Sanjay Desai, Eng’93, W’93
  • Christie Shaw Whidden, W’93, and Michael Whidden, C’93
  • Mara Turbiner Felder, C’93, and Alan Felder, W’93
  • Meredith Grabois Josef, C’93, and Brian Josef, C’93
  • Dorothea Schlosser, W’93, and Tom Kopczynski, W’93
  • Hilary (Marion) Hayes, C’93, and Brooke Hayes, W’93, WG’99
  • Margaret (Kane) Schoen, Eng’93, and Larry Schoen, C’93, W’93
  • Liz (Rabii) Cribbs, W’93, and Derek Cribbs, W’93
  • Barry Mark, C’93, and Jorie Green Mark, C’96
  • Sejal (Tailor) Srinivasan, W’93, and Naren Srinivasan, W’94, C’94
  • Carol Wilkinson, C’94, and Dan Schoenholz, C’93
  • Jaclyn (Israel) Leit, C’93, and Richard Leit, C’94

Allison Feder Fliegler, W’93, L’99, and Brett Fliegler, W’93

The first day of senior year, I started walking home from my class at the Colonial Penn Center on Locust Walk, and I noticed Brett Fliegler walking out of the same building. I said something about about not seeing him in a while. As it turned out, he and I hadn’t been on campus together in over a year, since we were each abroad opposite semesters of junior year. Our off campus houses were on the same block (shout out to all my 4038 ladies!), so we walked home together throughout the semester and became fast friends, though we didn’t date at Penn.
After graduation, we both headed to NYC. That fall, Stacey Graff Kaufman, C’93, and I were on our way to meet Suzy Shlensky Aronoff, C’93, Jen Eisenberg Bernstein, C’93, and others (who else?) for Gabi Gould Solash’s, C’93, birthday dinner at Tony Di Napoli’s, when we ran into Brett and Todd Aronoff, C’93, on the street. Brett mentioned that a mutual friend of ours had just given him my number the day before, so of course I asked him why I hadn’t heard from him yet. He called the following Wednesday (still not sure what the hell took so long). Our first official date was a week later—we ate at Fez and saw Blue Man Group in the east Village, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Brett and I have been together for 24 years, married for 18, and took our kids, Emme (15) and Matthew (12), to see Blue Man group on the 20th anniversary of our first date. They thought it was just ok. What do they know anyway?
Allison Felder Fliegler and Brett Fliegler back in the day
Allison Felder Fliegler and Brett Fliegler on their wedding day
Allison Felder Fliegler and Brett Fliegler today
Allison Felder Fliegler and Brett Fliegler with their children

Michelle (Pohusky) Wellman, Eng’93, and Parris Wellman, Eng’93

Our story began at 220 S. 33rd Street (the Towne Building) one April evening in 1991. Six years of graduate school, one wedding ceremony, five startups, ten jobs, five moves, one money pit and one little girl later, we’re still together. Grayer, older and probably not any wiser. The best adventures are yet to come…

Michelle (Pohusky) Wellman and Parris Wellman at Franklin Field
Michelle (Pohusky) Wellman and Parris Wellman today

Vyjayanti (Tharmaratnam) Desai, C’93, WG’00, and Sanjay Desai, Eng’93, W’93

Sanjay (nickname Bobby) and Vyjayanti were friends from the very beginning of freshman year. Bobby is pretty sure he met her at a party orientation week, although she doesn’t quite remember that. They were friends throughout Penn…studying together for hours (or trying to study) on the 4th floor of Van Pelt or in Steinberg Dietrich, dancing weekends away with their same group of friends at parties, supporting each other through other relationships, taking Amtrak down to their hometowns together for vacations, and practicing bhangra past midnight with their dance troupe on the High Rise rooftop.

It’s hard to put a date on their official start of their relationship…she laughs at how many Saturday evenings she ignored his inebriated declarations of affection for her because she knew that on Sunday when they met up to study or grab a meal, he would not remember. Post college, they dated long distance as well as overlapped in Boston for graduate school. They got married in 1999 and live in Bethesda, MD with their 11 year old twin boys.

Vyjayanti and Sanjay Desai with their children
Vyjayanti and Sanjay Desai today
Vyjayanti and Sanjay Desai at Hey Day, April 1992

Christie Shaw Whidden, W’93, and Michael Whidden, C’93

We met at the intersection of 40th and Spruce in the beginning of senior year; it will be forever debated whether the fateful spot was at Billy Bob’s or, across the street, at Allegro.  Our paths would cross a few more times in the fall while friends such as Elissa Laitin, Eng’93, Chris Gidden, W’93, Elaine Chang, C’93, and James Helfrich, Eng’94, GEN’95, served as emissaries.  Fortuitous seating in spring semester AMES 090 brought our worlds irreversibly together.
Editor: What is AMES?
Christie: Asian and Middle Eastern Studies!
We started dating in February 1993, got engaged in Japan in November 1995, got married on Long Island in 1999, settled into Brooklyn in 2000, and have since brought three little Quakers into the world: Miranda (11yo), Everett (7yo) and Atticus (5yo).
Michael Whidden and Christie Shaw Whidden in May 1993
Michael Whidden and Christie Shaw Whidden with their children

Mara Turbiner Felder, C’93, and Alan Felder, W’93

 Alan and I met freshman year in a Chemistry lecture hall.  We were both pre-med at the time, and I thought he was really cute so I mustered the courage to sit next to him one day. He soon realized that pre-med was not for him (something about a D in Chem lab) and transferred to Wharton.  We would never have another class together but kept seeing one another around campus.  By junior year we were dating seriously, even staying together while Alan was abroad in Heidelberg. I sent him lots of care packages, and he wrote me lots of letters (snail mail on that thin, blue, international postage paper).
After graduation we remained together even though we were in different cities for several years. We finally came together in 1996 to live in South Africa for a year and get married. It’s been 21 years, and I still tease him about almost failing Chemistry! We now have two daughters (Samantha, 17 and Emily, 15) and a ton of good memories of Penn and all the years that followed.
Mara Turbiner Felder and Alan Felder back then at her sorority’s spring event in 1993
Mara Turbiner Felder and Alan Felder on their wedding day in 1996
Mara Turbiner Felder and Alan Felder with their children at a family wedding in October, 2017

Meredith Grabois Josef, C’93, and Brian Josef, C’93

Brian and I are both ‘93 grads. We met freshman year at the Quad, but didn’t start dating until sophomore year, when a chance meeting near High Rise North led to our first date—Bocce pizza & TCBY. We got engaged at the High Rises six years later and will celebrate our 20th anniversary later this month! Some of our favorite memories of Penn include late nights at Murph’s and Abner’s with friends, road tripping to see Penn basketball play in the NCAAs in Syracuse without heat in the car, and traveling together during our study abroad semester in Europe. We now live in the Washington, DC area and have two children ages 13 and 10.
Meredith Grabois Josef and Brian Josef back then
Meredith Grabois Josef and Brian Josef with their children

Dorothea Schlosser, W’93, and Tom Kopczynski, W’93

 Tom and I met in the first day of school as freshman in Community House in the Quad, and started dating sophomore year once he was single! I can still hear him crunching on Snyder’s Hard Pretzels during Accounting 101 that made me giggle. We are still very close with many of our friends from Penn- we are sitting in our kitchen laughing about pranks, parties and Merkins, some of whom also feature in Penn couples- Amy and Jeff, Steve and Elaine, and Dave and Stacey.  We married in 1996 and we are happily settled in Basking Ridge, NJ with two kids and too many animals.
Dorothea Schlosser and Tom Kopczynski on Hey Day, April, 1993
Dorothea Schlosser and Tom Kopczynski and their family
Dorothea Schlosser and Tom Kopczynski today

Hilary (Marion) Hayes, C’93, and Brooke Hayes, W’93, WG’99

Hilary and I met in the Spring of sophomore year.  She came to eat lunch with Katie Faunce at Smokey Joe’s on my first day waiting tables.  I recall they tipped pretty well.
Hilary and I didn’t connect again until the senior week pub crawl of our junior year.  That night, she was hanging with some dude on a double date alongside John Clement, C’92, and Christy Glass, C’93, W’93.  Somehow (thanks Clem), by the time we got to campus, I had replaced the dude.
After a steamy week together, Hilary left on a trip to Israel. She had given me her phone number, but I don’t think she expected me to call her. It was her home-home phone number! Her dad was very confused of why some gentile was calling all summer while his daughter was in the Holy Land. Fast forward to our 25th reunion, and we have been married for almost 21 years and have four great kids (and the oldest of them is a sophomore at Penn)!
Hilary and Brooke Hayes at Penn’s Commencement in May 2013
Hilary and Brooke Hayes with their children

Margaret (Kane) Schoen, Eng’93, and Larry Schoen, C’93, W’93

 We met senior year, introduced by Josh Astrof, W’93, Larry’s roommate and my co-editor at the Daily Pennsylvanian. Married September 1997 (with plenty of alums in attendance!) We have two kids, Julie 17, and Emily 14.
Margaret (Kane) Schoen and Larry Schoen at the Class of 1993 Senior formal in may, 1993.
Margaret (Kane) Schoen and Larry Schoen with their daughters at the London Eye in 2017

Liz (Rabii) Cribbs, W’93, and Derek Cribbs, W’93

Derek and I both lived in Kings Court/English House Freshman year but didn’t start getting to know each other until Sophomore/Junior year. We began dating at the very end of Senior year and have been together ever since. After grad school in Boston, we moved to NYC and got married in 1997 – and just celebrated our 20 year wedding anniversary this past September. Six of our Penn friends were in our wedding party: Rich Barrera, W’93, Tom Lee, C’93, Catherine (Donladson-Evans) Strawder, C’93, Sonia (Verma) Parekh, W’93, Julie (Avila) Stuckmann, W’93, and Jen (Yang) Weedn, W’93, and remain among our closest friends today.  We have been blessed by two wonderful children – Carter (15) and Cassidy (13).  Looking forward to seeing all of our classmates at the reunion.

Liz (Rabbi) Cribbs and Derek Cribbs at graduation in May 1993
Liz and Derek Cribbs’ wedding day with many Penn alumni in attendance
Liz (Rabbi) Cribbs and Derek Cribbs with their children a few years ago

Barry Mark, C’93, and Jorie Green Mark, C’96

Jorie and I met in 1995 at the candy machine inside the DP when I was visiting my middle brother Adam, C’97.  “Whoa, you look nothing like your brother,” Jorie said to me…. So I took the cue, nudged Adam aside, and spent the next few hours hanging with my future wife.

16 years of marriage and three kids later, we’re enjoying warm Florida winters and our sunny lives together. Jorie is the Senior Manager of Social Media for The Kroger Company, and I’m an Allergist in and around Fort Lauderdale.

Jorie (Green) Mark and Barry Mark years ago
Jorie (Green) Mark and Barry Mark today

Sejal (Tailor) Srinivasan, W’93, and Naren Srinivasan, W’94, C’94

 While I am Class of ’93, I robbed the cradle and married Naren Srinivasan, Class of ’94.  Naren literally picked me up on the bridge over 38th Street on our way to a South Asian Society dance party. I tripped and couldn’t walk and so he helped carry me over!
We were close friends for a long time and only started dating after he graduated from Penn and were married just two years later. We always had a connection. The first time we met up after the bridge pick up, we shut down 1920s Commons we were talking so much. Another time, he took me out to dinner to celebrate my first job offer and we didn’t even notice that we weren’t served dinner two hours after arriving when the waiter asked if we wanted dessert!
We’ve been married almost 22 years and have two wonderful children. When we are not too exhausted from our children, we can still talk up a storm!
Sejal (Tailor) Srinivasan and Naren Srinivasan in 1993
Sejal (Tailor) Srinivasan and Naren Srinivasan in 2016

Carol Wilkinson, C’94, and Dan Schoenholz, C’93

Dan and I met in line at the old Penn bookstore. After finding out my name and what building I lived in at the Quad, he looked through every floor of my building until he found my room. Then he left a note under the door with his 4 digit Penn extension. Our first date was at Beijing Restaurant on Spruce Street. That was 28 years ago!

During the fall of my freshman year, my 36 year old uncle passed away unexpectedly,  and I became sick from the stress. Dan was not big on making me go to the Student Health on my own and took me to get me checked out many times. He was a keeper! We were inseparable after that. Dan sat in on my classes and we spent all of our weekends in and around Philly.

Dan graduated in 1993 and drove up to see me on the weekends from DC. Then in 1995 we were engaged and married. We lived in DC and then moved to California when he got his MBA at Stanford. After having two kids in Los Angeles we moved back to the East Coast in 2006. We have two teenage girls and a puppy. When Dan goes back to Penn for student recruiting, he’ll stop by Beijing Restaurant and get on order of our favorite entre – chicken with eggplant in garlic sauce!
Carol and Dan Wilkinson
Carol and Dan Wilkinson’s daugters in the Quad
Carol and Dan Wilkinson at Franklin Field during their Penn days

Jaclyn (Israel) Leit, C’93, and Richard Leit, C’94

 Richard and I met when we were both cast in the Penn Players Fall 1990 show The Threepenny Opera.  He was a freshman, and I was a sophmore. While he can tell you exactly what I was wearing at the first read-through; I can’t tell you much, except that I was trying to figure out how to say his last name. We became friends and he did ask me out, but at that time I had started dating someone else. We started to get closer when we began spending more time together through mutual friends and because we were both psych majors. In my junior year, we were both on the Arts House Theater board and that is when things changed. He became one of my best friends.

We didn’t start dating until second semester of my senior year. We call it the Billy Bob’s conversation because we were there when we realized we should go out. We had a few break-ups and make-ups over the next few years while we were both doing our graduate studies (He was in DC getting his Ph.d and I was in Chicago earning my MSW). We actually never lived in the same state after I graduated Penn until after we were engaged. Ironically, we were also never cast in the same show together at Penn except for that one show. We married in June 1997. We began the most important roles in our lives when our children were born. We have 2 sons (13 yrs and 10 yrs) and  and a Morkie.  Both boys would love to go to Penn.

Jaci (Israel) Leit and Richard Leit at the SDT Spring Formal in 1993
Jaci (Israel) Leit and Richard Leit today
Jaclyn (Israel) Leit and Richard Leit with their children

Love these Penn Love stories? Read Part 1! Read Part 2!  Read Part 3!

We’re still hoping to collect more stories. Send us your Penn love story to upenn1993 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of February 9 – 10, 2018, marked 13 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

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February 16, 2018 · 11:01 am

Penn 1993 Love Connections – Part 3

Since it’s Valentine’s Day this week, we asked our Penn 1993 classmates if they met their spouse at Penn. Many classmates responded with the story of how they met, if they met at Penn, and if they both graduated in 1993. We will be sharing these stories over a few posts. Here is the second installment of Penn Couples from the Class of 1993!
Stories included here:
  • Michele Stein Mendoza, C’93, GSE’95, & Dennis Mendoza, W’93
  • Howard Levene, Eng’93, and Tammy (Mirensky) Levene, Eng’01, M’05
  • Carolyn (Friedman) Frank and Josh Frank, C’93
  • Helen (Punwaney) Currie, C’93, and Neil Currie, C’93
  • Janet Miller Stier, C’93, and Byron Stier, C’93
  • Leigh-Ann Maltz-Dichter, C’93, and Eric Dichter, C’93
  • Diana Tapper, C’93, and Jason Gorevic, C’93
  • Lisa Nass Grabelle, C’93, L’96, and Dean Grabelle, L’95
  • Allyson Wagner Sonenshine, C’93, and Coby Sonenshine, C’92, W’92

Michele Stein Mendoza, C’93, GSE’95, & Dennis Mendoza, W’93

How you met – First day of Freshman year on the 12th floor of High Rise South. Don’t remember much about our meeting, but we both clearly remember Dennis’ roommate introducing himself at the first floor meeting, “Hi, my name is Michael Jackson. I can’t sing, and I can’t dance.”

Michele Stein Mendoza and Dennis Mendoza at Spring Fling in the Quad, junior or senior year
Michele Stein Mendoza and Dennis Mendoza at their son’s bar mitzvah in October, 2017

From Vyjayanti T. Desai (look for her and her husband’s story coming in Part 4):

When I was looking for pictures in my old box, I found these of Michelle Stein and Denis Mendoza from our freshman year (12th floor of High Rise South).   Michelle was one of my roommates and Denis was on our floor.

Michele Stein and Denis Mendoza freshman year

Howard Levene, Eng’93, and Tammy (Mirensky) Levene, Eng’01, M’05

My wife and I are both Penn grads…but we met after graduation!

We first met on JDate back in 2002, when I was a 1st year Neurosurgical Resident at Temple University Hospital, and she was a 1st year Medical Student at Penn.

We had our first date in Philadelphia at the Victor Cafe. We had one more date but our timing wasn’t right. We did discover that Tammy’s cousin was the Rabbi at my parents’ synagogue in Cherry Hill, and we had many shared interests. She was a Biomedical Engineer (her undergrad degree) with interest in Neurosurgery, and I was a Mechanical Engineer (my undergrad degree) who became a Biomedical Engineer (PhD) and at the time was in my Neurosurgical Residency!

We re-connected in 2015 (Thanks Facebook!) on May 30th, the day before my parents’ 50th Anniversary (Dad is Penn ’54 and ’58 and Mom is Penn Graduate school ’64).

Just about 11 months later, we were married and had loads of Penn grads there.  And yes, we did sing “Hurrah for the Red and the Blue!”

1993 Penn couples #93tothe25th LovePenn

Howard Levene met his wife after Penn

Carolyn (Friedman) Frank and Josh Frank, C’93

We met in the spring semester of junior year (1992) outside of the Quaker Shaker food truck, which was outside of Stiteler Hall. I was coming out of a Psych class, and Carolyn was walking with a couple of mutual friends (Joanna Fein and Stacey Steinberg). I hadn’t ever met or seen Carolyn, and was curious who the cute girl was with Stacey and Joanna. As it turns out, she was a transfer student, which explained why I didn’t know her. We started dating a few weeks later, and never really stopped, even though we were apart for four years after graduation when Carolyn was in law school at University of Miami, and I spent a year working in Congress for Speaker Tom Foley before going to law school at Georgetown. We inadvertently set our wedding date for our five year reunion (oops!), and will be celebrating our 20th anniversary on May 16th.
I’ve attached a before and after picture — the before is from the summer of 1992, a few months after we started dating. I was working in DC as an intern for Bob Shrum, a Democratic political consultant, and Carolyn was visiting me before she flew to Israel for a summer program at Hebrew University. I picked the photo mostly because of the Penn umbrella I’m holding.
Editor: Stylist points for including a Penn umbrella that gives a nod to the red of Carolyn’s shirt.
Josh Frank and Carolyn (Friedman) Frank in DC with a Penn umbrella
Josh Frank and Carolyn (Friedman) Frank

Helen (Punwaney) Currie, C’93, and Neil Currie, C’93

My wife and I met freshman year at the Hill House front desk. We both had the same work-study job as front desk staff. We were married on June 12, 1998 and will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this June. We live in Long Beach, CA with our 2 children, Katelyn (16) and Aidan (13).

Neil Currie and Helen (Punwaney) Currie in Hill House, circa 1990
Neil Currie and Helen (Punwaney) Currie at the Hollywood Bowl last summer

Janet Miller Stier, C’93, and Byron Stier, C’93

Janet and Byron were “fixed up” by Penn Professor Al Filreis in the fall of 1992. Al was Byron’s English-major mentor and the director/trustee of Janet’s second home/summer camp.  Al arranged for them to meet with him in his office at the same time. Allison Fink Brody, C’93, was also instrumental in this pairing, by giving him the phone number for Janet. Professor Filreis read a poem at their wedding in 1997. Byron and Janet now reside in Los Angeles, where he is an Associate Dean and Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School, and she is a child psychologist in private practice.

Janet and Byron Stier’s 1997 wedding with ’93 grads. Top row: Valerie Broadwin Mutterperl, Janet and Byron, Josh Astrof, Jon Sacks Bottom row: Mina Surmeli Bayik, Jen Marlow, Jackie Einstein Astrof
Janet and Byron Stier wedding in 1997, with ’93 grads. Top row: Adam Bernstein, Michael Mishkin, Janet and Byron, Jamie Balling, Jeremy Feinstein Bottom row: Daniel Cromie, Albert Shin, James Stewart
Janet and Byron Stier today

Leigh-Ann Maltz-Dichter, C’93, and Eric Dichter, C’93

We officially met when we came to Penn in the summer of 1989 to discuss course selections. My mom embarrassingly introduced us and truly said, “You don’t need to marry him, but at least you’ll have another familiar face on campus!” We’ve been married since 1996! Thankful for our Penn roots and great friends!

1993 Penn Couples #93tothe25th LovePenn

Leigh-Ann Maltz-Dichter and Eric Dichter, then and now

Diana Tapper, C’93, and Jason Gorevic, C’93

Jason and I met one week before senior year at a party at 4012 Spruce Street.  We were introduced by Deb Brown, C’93, who promptly left to leave us talking with one another.  As it often does, the night progressed to Smoke’s and then Pat’s downtown with a group of friends, where Deb and Keith Dallara, Eng’94, W’94, obviously both not of sound mind at that point, made a bet over a cheesesteak that Jason and I were going to get married someday.  Nine years later, Keith presented Deb with her cheesesteak right in the middle of our wedding ceremony. Verdict was – not as good as Pat’s. Seems like we need another payoff from Pat’s during reunion weekend!

Diana Tapper and Jason Gorevic now
Diana Tapper and Jason Gorevic at the Chi Omega spring formal in 1993

Lisa Nass Grabelle, C’93, L’96, and Dean Grabelle, L’95

In 1993, Dean and I were both Penn law students … he was a 2L, I was a 1L … when I first spotted him. I didn’t know anything about Dean except that he was a cute red head who was kinda quiet yet very social. As my kids would say, I “low-key” stalked him – usually at law school hot spots like the Irish Pub, Roosevelt’s, Smoke’s, Cavanaugh’s and other high class “Pick-Of-The-Week” drinking holes (Hilary Marion Hayes, C’93, was with me some nights to witness this and acted as my wing lady).

Looking back it would have been so much easier for me if I had an iPhone and social media to figure out which bar he was going to on which night! Guess my stalking worked….Dean asked me out right as summer started at the end of my first year in May of 1994. After our first few dates over one marathon weekend, I drove to the shore in my sporty Chrysler Laser with sunblocked tinted windows (of course, I’m from Miami Beach!) and shared my excitement with some of my 4049 Locust girls – Monica Muzzi Moore, Angela Sabatino Collingwood and Bonnie Todd Marino.

The rest is history! Dean and I married in 1999, live in South Jersey with our two teenage girls, and visit Penn literally ALL the time (while Dean attended college at Duke, he now feels like an honorary Class of ’93 member since I bring him to everything).

Lisa (Nass) Grabelle and Dean Grabelle with their daughter’s Jordan and Alexa for Jordan’s bat mitzvah
Lisa (Nass) Grabelle and Dean Grabelle during their time at Penn Law

Allyson Wagner Sonenshine, C’93, and Coby Sonenshine, C’92, W’92

Coby and I met at Skolnick’s in Houston Hall sometime in December 1989. He had seen me perform at my first Off the Beat show at the Gold Standard underneath The Palladium. When we were introduced shortly thereafter (by his unwitting ex-girlfriend, no less), Coby stood up, looked me in the eye, shook my hand, and said “nice to meet you” … this simple courtesy made such a great impression that I knew I wanted to get to know him better. (His mother loves that part of the story.)

Anyway, we ran into each other a few days later, outside of College Hall, and ended up talking for longer than we should have given the snow falling around us. We started dating in January 1990 and have been together ever since.

We moved to Los Angeles after graduation to go to law school at USC and eventually ended up in Newport Beach, California, where we are raising two boys, Solomon (17) and Max (15).
Allyson Wagner Sonenshine and Coby Sonenshine now
Allyson Wagner Sonenshine and Coby Sonenshine in 1993

 

Love these Penn Love stories? Read Part 1! And read Part 2!

We’re working on Part 4. Send us your Penn love story to upenn1993 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of February 9 – 10, 2018, marked 13 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

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February 14, 2018 · 7:58 pm

Penn 1993 Love Connections – Part 2

Since it’s Valentine’s Day this week, we asked our Penn 1993 classmates if they met their spouse at Penn. Many classmates responded with the story of how they met, if they met at Penn, and if they both graduated in 1993. We will be sharing these stories over a few posts. Here is the second installment of Penn Couples from the Class of 1993!
Stories included here:
  • Samantha (Helman) Lichtman, W’93, and Jeff Lichtman, C’93
  • Julie (Berliner) Bell, C’93, and Stephen Bell, C’92
  • Jackie Einstein Astrof, C’93, and Josh Astrof, C’93, W’93
  • Christine Lutton Foster, C’93, and David Foster, Eng’93
  • Marnie (Goldman) Altman, C’93, and Paul Altman, W’93
  • Tanya Dooley-Adija, C’93, and Onyango “Yang” Adija, W’93
  • Cindy Dauber Anapolsky, W’93, and Jeff Anapolsky, C’93, W’93
  • Ebru Ural, W’93, and Justin Sowers, Eng’93
  • Deb Brown, C’93, and Jef Pollock, C’93
  • Kerry Kennedy, C’93, and Brad Goldberg, C’93
  • Jon Tretler, C’93, WG’97, and Lisa Brichta Tretler, C’94, G’99, WG’99
  • Michelle (Cousins) Mott, C’93, NU’98, GNU’99 and Ako Mott, W’93
  • Stacey (Bucholtz) Leibowitz, C’93, RES’00, and David Leibowitz, C’93, L’00

Samantha (Helman) Lichtman, W’93, and Jeff Lichtman, C’93

 My wife – Samantha (Helman) Lichtman and I met at Penn. We started dating at the beginning of our Sophomore year, and have been together ever since. In fact, we celebrated 28 years together in September. We both graduated in 1993, and eventually ended up in Chicago where we still live and raise our three boys.
We actually met Freshman year.  We both lived in Community House in the Quad. We were friendly, but not necessarily friends. However, we both took a Political Science course second semester Freshman year. I didn’t go to too many classes because I was pledging a fraternity. One day in class toward the end of the semester I was sitting behind Samantha and saw that she had really good penmanship. I asked if I could photo copy her notes to help me study for the final. And then I asked if I could join her study group – I did think she was cute after all. She agreed to both. And then we ended up getting the same grade in the class – still a point of frustration for her. The year ended and we both went our separate ways for the summer.
When we came back Sophomore year, we were both at the Palladium one night at the beginning of school. I learned it was her birthday soon so I asked if I could take her out to celebrate. She agreed. A few days later, her friends asked her to go out for her birthday (they were really planning a surprise party) but she told them she had a date with Jeff Lichtman. So her friends found me and asked me to bring her to the party after the date. In reality, I had had a few too many drinks that night at the Palladium so I had forgotten about our date. I’m so thankful they reminded me. I took her out – we went to Chili’s just off campus (very fancy) and from there, to her surprise party. After that night, we just kept hanging out and it eventually turned into us dating and the rest is history.
Jeff Lichtman and Samantha Hellman Lichtman at a Tri Delt social in 1992
Jeff and Samantha at the bat mitzvah of a ’93 classmate’s daughter

Julie (Berliner) Bell, C’93, and Stephen Bell, C’92

We met at Penn. Evelyn Pan introduced us – a bunch of times – I think the fist time we met was in the area by the High Rises. I think we met sophomore year, but maybe earlier.
 
We went to a new year’s party in Houston bringing in 1992 and kissed at midnight – and have been together ever since. It was at Tom Schmidt’s, C’92, house in Bay Town. Rob Hernandez, C’92, Paul Linden, C’91, Kristen Garland, Jill Smith, C’93, W’93, were there. 
 
Stephen started with us but graduated in three years. He still affiliates with our class. We got engaged that year (1992) over Thanksgiving and married in September after graduation. Almost twenty-five years of marriage, with two girls aged 19 and 16.
Julie (Berliner) and Stephen Bell in the Quad during Hey Day.
Julie (Berliner) and Stephen Bell
Julie (Berliner) and Stephen Bell today

Jackie Einstein Astrof, C’93, and Josh Astrof, C’93, W’93

Josh says we met freshman year walking in a big group to a fraternity party, but I…don’t remember that.  We definitely got to know each other over delicious rubber chicken Friday nights at Hillel. And we didn’t go on our first date until Senior Week. Speaking of leaving the best for last…

Jackie Einstein Astrof and Josh Astrof at the Class of 1993 Senior Formal
Jackie Einstein Astrof and Josh Astrof in 2015

Christine Lutton Foster, C’93, and David Foster, Eng’93

A mutual ’93 friend, Emily Culbertson, introduced us. Although we were both in the Penn Band, we hadn’t met yet because Christine rode on the dry bus to out-of-town games and David rode on the not-dry bus. He likes to tell people we are a classic flute-trumpet romance.

We met our freshman year and started dating sophomore year (September 1990). We got married on August 10, 1996. Our guests tell us that they will never forget our wedding because the power went out in large portions of seven Western states (including the church where we got married) just before our ceremony.

Our families coordinated a joint dinner to celebrate our graduation that evening at a restaurant on Rittenhouse Square.
 
Some favorite Penn memories:
  • Attending the 1993 NCAA tournament game with the band. For us it was a return to Syracuse where we spent the summer of 1992 together (Christine was an intern at The Post-Standard newspaper. David worked in a Syracuse University lab and took organic chemistry).  This summer (2017) we returned to Syracuse for the first time since then as we rode our bikes on the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany with our three children (Katie, 17, William, 14, and Andrew, 12).
  • In 1994, we continued to eagerly follow the successes of the Penn basketball team. David was on a flight arriving in Philadelphia right as the team was finishing their first round NCAA tournament game against Nebraska. Christine was meeting David at the gate (remember when you could do that?) and as David walked off the plane, Christine screamed that Penn was leading! We listened together to the final minutes of the game standing at the gate in the Philadelphia airport on a Walkman (remember those?).
  • We spent our first New Year’s Eve after we got married at the Penn Club in New York.
  • Both of our roommates also married members of our class: Jeff Anapolsky married Cindy Dauber and Margaret Kane married Larry Schoen.
Christine Lutton Foster and David Foster today.
Christine Lutton Foster and David Foster with their children.
Christine Lutton Foster and David Foster on the Button at graduation!
Christine Lutton Foster and David Foster walking down Locust Walk

Marnie (Goldman) Altman, C’93, and Paul Altman, W’93

We met the first day of class freshman year. The scene was our freshman seminar class, Craft of Prose, in Bennett Hall. After class, while walking to Stouffer (chicken grillas!), Paul put on the charm and asked Marnie to dinner the next night, where we were joined by 10+ people on our ‘first date’ at Won’s Chinese Food next to Smokes. We dated all four years at Penn and, after both graduating in ’93, got married in 1995. We now have two kids (aged 12 and 15) and our oldest’s middle name is Bennett, as a tribute to that fateful day in September 1989.

Paul and Marnie (Goldman) Altman
Paul and Marnie (Goldman) Altman with their children
Paul and Marnie (Goldman) Altman at Penn Commencement 1993

Tanya Dooley-Adija, C’93, and Onyango “Yang” Adija, W’93

We are a Proud Penn couple!
Yang and I met moving in Junior year at DuBois House (Low Rise). We lived on the same floor. We found out that we were both from Long Island, and that was all it took to strike up a friendship. We had quite a few friends in common from back home, traveled in the same circles, but had never met.  We started traveling home together for breaks, enjoying long talks and each other’s company. We became best friends, and were inseparable. We continued dating through Graduate school, and eventually got married. Here we are 16 years of marriage and 2 beautiful daughters later, still just as happy as we were during those memorable Penn days.
Tanya Dooley Adija and Onyango “Yang” Adija in 2011
Tanya Dooley Adija and Onyango “Yang” Adija wedding in 2001
Tanya Dooley Adija and Onyango “Yang” Adija robed for Penn’s graduation in 1993

Cindy Dauber Anapolsky, W’93, and Jeff Anapolsky, C’93, W’93

Cindy and Jeff met at Penn. Cindy lived in unrenovated Quad in Speakman. He lived down the hall in Butcher. The sign on Jeff’s door said he was from Schenectady, New York (where I was born). So I was looking to say hi. We met in the first week or two in a mutual friend’s room on the hall.  We have been a couple since our sophomore year at Penn.

We have been married 21 years.  We have a 17 year old daughter and a 13 year old son. We live in Houston, Texas.

It turns out that we went to the same preschool when we were 3 in Schenectady before my family moved away. I was in the AM class and Jeff was in the PM class. We never met then.

Jeff Anapolsky and Cindy Dauber Anapolsky and their children
Cindy Dauber Anapolsky and Jeff Anapolsky today
Jeff Anapolsky and Cindy Dauber at Penn

Ebru Ural, W’93, and Justin Sowers, Eng’93

A few then and now pics, you may notice a theme….I’d like to nominate Justin as most likely to arrive at the reunion wearing his (same) Penn 250th sweatshirt. We were introduced by mutual friends in the quad our sophomore year. We both graduated in ‘93, Justin from SEAS as a bioengineer and I from Wharton with concentrations in Marketing and  Multinational Management. After Penn, we both lived and worked in New York and were married in 2000 after earning our MBA’s. Justin and I have traveled near and far wearing our red and blue since 1993. Today we live in Central Florida with our two girls who are making the journey to the reunion to buy dad a new sweatshirt.

We are looking forward to seeing many dear friends and visiting campus as a family!

Editor: What is going on in the rollerblade photo?

Ebru: Just some shenanigans – for many years we used to rollerblade from the upper east side downtown to Battery Park City and I guess that day we got bored of skating side by side? Or we might assume that I was finding new ways to sweep Justin off his feet!
I remember one time he actually left his sweatshirt behind accidentally in a bed and breakfast in Cape May and they were nice enough to send it back!  Can you imagine our suspense since we had to take the train back to New York and call them from a landline in the days before cell phones to find out if it was still there.
Ebru and Justin and Justin’s sweatshirt
Ebru and Justin with some rollerblading moves, and Justin’s sweatshirt
Ebru Ural and Justin Sowers, and Justin’s sweatshirt
Justin’s sweatshirt with Justin and Ebru

Deb Brown, C’93, and Jef Pollock, C’93

How did Deb and I “meet” is a complicated question.  I met Deb when I first read her column in the Daily Pennsylvanian which she brilliantly titled, “See Ya in Church” which meant she, like me, was a Murph’s person.  We all know… there were Smoke’s people, and Murph’s people. And I was for sure all skylab all the time.  But I didn’t actually know her at all. But reading the title of the column, seeing her picture, and then reading the content of what she wrote, I knew I had to meet her.

I met her at some point through performing arts stuff, but we didn’t really connect. And then I saw her while working the Rolling Stone exhibit where I was serving coffee (I have no clue why I did that job), and exclaimed “Downtown Deborah Brown” which caused her to scurry away in fear.

But the real meeting was on her 21st birthday when I bought her a shot at the Palladium on Locust Walk.  That was the beginning of a long courtship that took 9 years, and a few cities (and countries) in between.  Best shot I ever bought.  And the rest is history.

Deb Brown and Jef Pollock back then
Deb Brown and Jef Pollock today with their children

Kerry Kennedy, C’93, and Brad Goldberg, C’93

Kerry Kennedy and Brad Goldberg were married July 26, 2002.

We met in September 1989 on our Freshman Hallway in Community House (Thomas Penn/McIlhenny). We were friends throughout Penn, and reunited in 1998 after Kerry attended Harvard Law School and Brad was living in Los Angeles working at Fox.

Around 8 years ago, we coincidentally met up with another double ‘93 Penn couple, Debbi and Brian Stern, while serving together on the Heart Committee for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and our girls now attend the same summer camp in Maine where we get to hang out every visiting day.

Editor’s note – you can read about Debbi and Brian in Part 1.

Kerry Kennedy and Brad Golberg in 1993
Kerry Kennedy and Brad Golberg with their children today
Kerry Kennedy and Brad Golberg and friends march across the 38th Street Bridge for Commencement, May 1993

Jon Tretler, C’93, WG’97, and Lisa Brichta Tretler, C’94, G’99, WG’99

We met at a fraternity party in September 1990 – Lisa’s first week of freshman year (and not my fraternity either!)
Marriage Proposal – 1997.  I drove from New York City to Philadelphia on a brisk December day to pick Lisa up from Wharton for winter break where she was finishing the first semester of her MBA. Instead of a quick dinner and packing up the car, I cajoled her into a stroll down Locust Walk (for old times sake), and then I asked her to marry me right in front of the button (of course!). Rather than driving back to New York that night, I had a whole evening planned for us at the Four Seasons in Center City. The night included time to call our families with the news, champagne and strawberries in the room and a special dinner.
When we arrived at the room the key (yes, back when hotels had real keys) broke in the door. I couldn’t access the surprise of the champagne on ice and strawberries in the room waiting for us. While we waited, the hotel put us into another room, down the hall, where we could hear them drilling for the key and breaking down the door because the hotel management was so mortified by the thought that they ruined the actual proposal.
Fortunately for me, I had already actually proposed and Lisa had already said yes and so we had a long laugh at seeing the hotel staff scramble to fix what they thought was a marriage proposal gone awry.
Jon Tretler and Lisa Brichta Tretler in the Quad during Spring Fling
Jon Tretler and Lisa Brichta Tretler today

Michelle (Cousins) Mott, C’93, NU’98, GNU’99 and Ako Mott, W’93

How did you meet?

During Pre-Fresh. I was cutting a friend’s hair when she and her friends stopped by. We got to talking, and twenty-nine years later we still are.

Story about us?

That we were so close that the football crew used to call us “I-Chelle”.

Ako and Michelle Mott, otherwise known as “I-Chelle” back in the day
Ako and Michelle Mott with their children at a Formula 1 race

Stacey (Bucholtz) Leibowitz, C’93, RES’00, and David Leibowitz, C’93, L’00

Near the end of our sophomore year, we were both eating dinner one night at Hillel and a common friend of both of ours, Justin Sambol was there as well. He introduced us, and the three of us had dinner together. I had a feeling about David and kept my eye out for him, but soon it was the end of the year. Summer arrived and we went our separate ways.
On the first day of junior year, in September 1991, we bumped into each other on Locust Walk and I accompanied him to the bookstore. We were both history majors and I convinced him to take a European diplomatic history course with Prof McDougall that I was taking. We started spending more and more time together and within about 3 weeks we were an item. We have been together ever since! He likes to claim that he got a better grade than me in that class (but we all know that is not true.)
After college graduation, he went to London for 3 years and I went to Baltimore. We did the long-distance relationship thing until his return in the Spring of 1996. At Homecoming, November 4, 1995, David flew in from London and surprised me. He proposed to me, down on one knee, in front of College Hall, and we were married in September 1996.
Stacey (Bucholtz) Leibowitz and David Leibowitz today
Stacey (Bucholtz) Leibowitz and David Leibowitz at Penn’s Commencement, May 1993

Love these Penn Love stories? Read Part 1! And stay tuned for Part 3!

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of February 9 – 10, 2018, marked 13 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

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February 13, 2018 · 7:10 pm

Penn 1993 Love Connections – Part 1

Since it’s Valentine’s Day this week, we asked our Penn 1993 classmates if they met their spouse at Penn. Many classmates responded with the story of how they met, if they met at Penn, and if they both graduated in 1993. We will be sharing these stories over a few posts. Here is the first installment of Penn Couples from the Class of 1993!
Stories included here:
  • Michelle Allen Souder, W’93, and David Souder, W’93
  • Amy Raslevich, W’93, and Jeffrey Kelly, W’93
  • Stephanie Newman Cohen, C’93, W’93, and Matthew Cohen, Eng’93, W’93, WG’98
  • Stephanie (Bell) Loller, C’93, and Bill Loller, W’93
  • Danny Boockvar, C’93, L’96, and Laurie (Mayer) Boockvar, C’92
  • Niko Phillips-Dias, C’93, and Martin Dias, W’93
  • Marty Chazin, C’93, and Stacey (Wolfe) Chazin, C’94, W’94
  • Sharon Toback Slotkin, C’93, and David Slotkin, W’92
  • Alice Lai Platt, C’93, and Mark Platt, C’91
  • Debbi (Stoll) Stern, C’93, and Brian Stern, C’93
  • Elaine Divelbliss, C’93, L’98, and Steve Livenson, C’93
  • Nicole (Weaver) Marshall, C’93, and Stephen Marshall, C’93

Michele Allen Souder, W’93, and David Souder, W’93

David and I met junior year. I was pledging Delta Sigma Pi (professional business fraternity) and he was already in it. He was actually abroad the first semester, but I had to write him a letter as a pledge. We became friends when he got back and hung out a lot during that summer that we both stayed in Philadelphia. We started dating senior year. We both graduated from Wharton/Penn in 1993. We were together for three years, broke up for two, then got back together when we were both living in NYC and got married in March, 2000. This year we will celebrate our 18th anniversary!
Here is a picture of us from graduation and also one from our son’s bar mitzvah this past September of the whole family (Alison who will turn 16 at our reunion, Josh-13, and Andrew-10). We live in Glastonbury, CT. David is Associate Dean at the University of Connecticut School of Business and I am Senior Vice President, Agency Services at Trendline Interactive.
David Souder, C’93, W’93 and Michele Allen, C’93, W’93 at Penn’s graduation in 1993
Michele Allen Souder and David Souder with their children Alison, Josh and Andrew in September, 2017 at Josh’s bar mitzvah

Amy Raslevich, W’93, and Jeffrey Kelly, W’93

How we met: Dorothea Schlosser and Tom Kopczynski introduced us sophomore year (they are also married 1993 classmates), although we had our first class together and didn’t know one another (Economics 101).

Amy Raslevich and Jeffrey Kelly – a “then” photo
Amy Raslevich and Jeffrey Kelly on their wedding day
Amy Raslevich and Jeffrey Kelly today with their children

Stephanie Newman Cohen, C’93, W’93, and Matthew Cohen, Eng’93, W’93, WG’98

We married May 1994 after meeting in September 1989. We met at Stouffer dining hall. His fraternity brother introduced us because his band was looking for a female singer and I sang. I remember being so nervous to meet him, as if he was some music executive or something.  We went on our first date that October and have been together ever since. We have three kids ages 17, 15, and 11, two boys and a girl.

Stephanie and Matt Cohen with their three kids
Stephanie and Matt Cohen today
Stephanie and Matt Cohen on their wedding day

Stephanie (Bell) Loller, C’93, and Bill Loller, W’93

We are a Penn couple! We met Freshman year but did not start dating till Sophomore year. My volleyball teammate and his Fraternity brother were dating, and that’s how we met. The four of us were having dinner at the Food Court on Walnut Street. The other couple didn’t work out, but we did, and we are all still friends. The photo of us at Penn was our first Fraternity “Formal” (Alpha Chi Rho, April 19, 1991- I know that from the date stamp on the photo!) taken in my High Rise East room. We were married a year after graduation (1994) and have two girls, now ages 13 and 2 1/2 (yeah, we know, big age gap, and yes, the little one was planned!).

Class of 1993 Penn Couples #93tothe25th

Stephanie and Bill Loller then and now photos

Danny Boockvar, C’93, L’96, and Laurie (Mayer) Boockvar, C’92

Met in Cancun 1990 on spring break and dated all through Penn and Penn Law 1996.
Married 1997.
Danny and Laurie Boockvar with their kids
Danny and Laurie Boockvar
Danny and Laurie Boockvar back then

Editor: Don’t you have a, “we got engaged on Locust Walk story?”

Danny: Yes!! Proposed at statue of Ben Franklin on Locust Walk , the exact same spot I asked her out on first date seven years earlier.

Class of 1993 Penn Couples #93tothe25th

Danny Boockvar and Laurie (Mayer) Boockvar after their engagement on Locust Walk

Niko Phillips-Dias, C’93, and Martin Dias, W’93

Martin and I met in the summer of 1989 at a Pre-College class to introduce students of color to the African America Studies program.  The week-long program started in July of our freshman year. There was a book assigned to the participants with a paper to write during the program. I did not do my job as a future college student. I didn’t finish the book. But, Martin had not only read the book but took copious notes on the book. To make up for my lack of preparation, I, along with another participant, asked Martin for his notes. Martin was quite gracious to share but he had a mischievous side to him too. I can’t recall what was requested in exchange for the notes but that experience left an impression on me.

During freshman year, Martin and I had mutual friends so we socialized in similar circles. I lived in the Upper Quad, and he in W.E.B. Dubois House-the social center of Black student life. I hung out often at Dubois House, so it was common for me to get chaperoned to my dorm by friends. Martin was one. He was big on not letting me walk the campus alone late at night. He was a gentleman, and that was nice. All this time we were friends. It was not until a spring formal in 1990 sponsored by Kappa Alpha Psi that we had a real date. We were set up to ask each other to the formal because his roommate was dating my close friend and they wanted us to double date for the formal. That was the beginning of our relationship becoming a thing more than friendship. That was close to 28 years ago. Wow, time flies.

Niko Phillips and Martin Dias in their Penn gear getting ready for our 25th reunion!
Niko Phillips-Dias and Martin Dias celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2009
Niko Phillips and Martin Dias on their wedding day

 

Marty Chazin, C’93, and Stacey (Wolfe) Chazin, C’94, W’94

Stacey and I met in PSCI 152 through a mutual friend in September 1990, a few weeks into Stacey’s freshman year. We didn’t start dating, though, until January 1992.  No looking back since!
Marty and Stacey (Wolfe) Chazin back then
Marty and Stacey (Wolfe) Chazin now

Sharon Toback Slotkin, C’93, and David Slotkin, W’92

David and I met in April 1989. I was visiting Penn after being accepted, and David was a freshman. I had come to visit Penn with David’s cousin who I had gone on a teen tour with. We met Friday afternoon…and now almost 29 years later, 2 kids (one of whom will be starting Penn in the fall), we celebrated David’s 25th in 2017 and mine this year!

Picture at Spring Fling 1990 in front of the AEPi booth in the Quad.
Sharon Toback Slotkin and David Slotkin at the AEPi Spring Fling booth in the Quad, 1990
Sharon Toback Slotkin and David Slotkin today

Alice Lai Platt, C’93, and Mark Platt, C’91

We met at a Kappa Sig rush party; a rushee brought me as his date. Knowing us in college, I’m not sure anyone would’ve bet on us getting married. 

Alice Lai and Mark Platt back then
Alice Lai and Mark Platt today

Editor: The photo on the left?

Alice: That’s the first photo of us ever. Parents weekend. I did not want to meet his parents so soon— we had only gone out a few times and weren’t serious. It helped that there was a group of his friends going with us. His parents took us all to Bocce. It was my first time having BBQ chicken pizza, and I loved it! And I guess I stuck it out with him, too. Ha!

Debbi (Stoll) Stern, C’93, and Brian Stern, C’93

Brian and I met during Spring Fling freshman year. We started dating and I started falling for him.  A few weeks later, I woke-up with a pit in my stomach. We have cousins in California named Stern! What if I’m dating my cousin?! I panicked and called my mom at 2:00 in the morning. I tried to act calm but it just blurted out… “Do we have a cousin named Brian in California?” Thankfully, no! I was relieved and fell back asleep. My mom still teases me about it to this day.

Brian’s Favorite Moment:  My favorite moment at Penn was meeting my best friend and wife. Debbi Stoll grew up to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Debbi’s Favorite Moment:  Yeah, I liked meeting Brian, too.  I’m still waiting for him to grow up!

Debbi (Stoll) Stern and Brian Stern at Penn Commencement, May 1993
Debbie and Brian Stern today

Elaine Divelbliss, C’93, L’98, and Steve Livenson, C’93

Elaine Divelbliss and Steve Libenson met at our very first Penn Homecoming in the fall of 1993. Steve was working at Monitor Company in Cambridge while I was working in Pittsburgh at PNC Bank and applying to law school. We met up with our Penn friends for the Homecoming game at Franklin Field and then all made our way to Smokes. During our senior year, Steve and I both lived in large houses off campus with many friends — all of whom knew each other quite well, except for the two of us. We never met. With everyone together at Homecoming, Steve and I found ourselves side-by-side in a booth at Smokes where we talked for hours about our many shared interests, especially our shared love of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that booth and mostly because of the Steeler thing, Steve popped the question as kind of a joke: “Should I ask you to marry me now or should I meet your family first?”

He met my family a few months later, and we were engaged in June 1994. We were married in June 1995 in the Pittsburgh suburbs where I grew up surrounded by many Penn friends, who we count among our dearest friends to this day. We have lived in Boston, Princeton, the Upper West Side for many years, and most recently Ridgewood, NJ.  Steve is a partner in the strategy consulting practice at Rosetta/Sapient, and I’m the General Counsel of Virgin Mobile USA. We have three amazing and exhausting children, Daniel (15), Lindsey (13), and Claire (6).

In our spare time, we travel with our family to fulfill our autistic son Daniel’s dream of experiencing subways and other cool transportation around the world, explore all things theater, dance and arts with Lindsey, and do pretty much whatever Claire tells us (she’s fierce for a kindergartner) — and of course we travel to Pittsburgh during the season to raise our children in the Steeler tradition.

Class of 1993 Penn Couples #93tothe25th

Elaine Divelbliss and Steve Libenson with their children in Rome

Nicole (Weaver) Marshall, C’93, and Stephen Marshall, C’93

Our story was simple in origin but has most certainly grown to the extraordinary since the fateful moment we set eyes on each other at Penn. It was early our freshman year in October. Both Stephen and I lived in High Rise South. Stephen was on the Penn sailing team with my freshman roommate. One day he came knocking on dorm room 911 looking not for a future life partner but for my roommate who was on the sailing team with him.

Stephen: I was caught of guard when Nicole answered the door. I said to myself, she is so beautiful, just do what you came for and don’t make a fool out of yourself. You will know what to do next time you see her.

Nicole:  I was struck by how handsome Stephen was. There were definitely sparks flying!

Our first date was a double date with  Penn friends to a movie and Boathouse Bar at The Rittenhouse Hotel. Afterwards, our friends went home and we strolled through Rittenhouse Square together where we would later picnic regularly with our children. I vividly remember the walk through the Square as well as our first date alone at The White Dog Cafe. Stephen and I dated all four years and both graduated in 1993, celebrating jointly with our families.

We married in 1998 and have two gorgeous daughters, both sailors! We love taking our girls to Penn’s campus and enjoy living near Philadelphia so we can take advantage of being part of the Penn community. Stephen and I will be married 20 years this May and every year we are more and more grateful that he knocked on my door that day.

Stephen:  I should add that my parents met at Penn as well.  We are trying not to burden our daughters with the responsibility of both getting into Penn and meeting their soulmate here!

Nicole (Weaver) Marshall and Stephen Marshall on their wedding day
Nicole (Weaver) Marshall and Stephen Marshall today

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

The weekend of February 9 – 10, 2018, marked 13 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 14, 2018)! Meet us at the Button!

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!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.
  • Donate to The Penn Fund in honor of our reunion! We want to break the 25th reunion participation giving record and every gift matters!

Book Your Hotel Room for Alumni Weekend NOW!

The Marriott Downtown (where we had a Penn 1993 and a Penn Alumni room block) is sold out for Alumni Weekend. There are alternative hotels near by. We recommend booking ASAP! Please see our class website for additional details.

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion #93tothe25th

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