Category Archives: Memories of Penn

January 16, 2012 · 9:30 am

I Remember…BYOBs

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman-Schwartz, C’04

When I was a college student, I loved going to BYOBs in Philadelphia.  In fact, one summer when I stayed at Penn, two of my girl friends and I would go to a different BYOB every Thursday night and we would bring a bottle (or three) of the finest White Zin that the State Store had to offer.  By the end of the summer we had conducted what we considered to be a thorough taste test on all the White Zins in the liquor store and concluded that Gallo was the best.  Just FYI.

I tried almost all of the affordable BYOBs in the city when I was at Penn and I loved them.  Cheap food, good company, the ability to drink wine no matter what our IDs said*, and it got my friends and I out and exploring downtown Philly.  We loved a lot of the small Italian ones and our particular favorite was a Mexican spot that was “BYOT – Bring Your Own Tequila.” We’d always go out to a BYOB with a large group before sorority formals.  My senior year, the Greek Honor Society that I was a part of took over a downtown BYOB for our end of year dinner. Every table had it’s own box of Franzia!  (Who says Penn students aren’t classy?)

I have such wonderful memories of all of these BYOBs, and I was so excited to move back to Philly in 2007 and go to all of them again.  I soon found out that BYOBs are like a lot of college things that seem charming and fun when you are there – things like dorm rooms, sharing bathrooms, having your normal bedtime be 2 AM – that turn out to be horrible ideas in the real world.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say my memories have been tarnished, but I will say that they have suffered.

So, that Mexican BYOT place?  I last ate there in May 2009.  The food and company was great, fun times were had, although my friends and I were the oldest people there by at least five years.  I thought all was good.  Until my friend wound up in the hospital with a horrible stomach bacteria.  People had to wear hazmat suits to visit her!  When she told them where she had eaten the doctors and nurses said they were not surprised and that they see a lot of cases of this after people eat at this restaurant.  I sadly crossed that one off of my list.

Next up, those little Italian charmers.  The last time I went to one of my favorite BYOB brick oven pizza places from college, there was a sign at the entrance stating, “Bottles of wine are limited to one for every two people.”  I read this in a panic as I clutched my box of wine, waiting for two of my friends to show up (judge away, but some boxed wine really isn’t bad and it lasts longer).  I spoke to the owner and told him, “I’m really sorry but I didn’t know about this policy.  If you’d like, I can ask my friends to bring bottles instead.”  He looked at me and kindly said, “Oh, ma’am, that isn’t directed to you.  That’s directed to the crazy students who come in here.” Color me old, and appalled.

Finally, my FAVORITE Italian place from undergrad is about two blocks away from where I live now.  I was so excited to have this be my neighborhood place – you know, that spot you and your husband go to when you are out of dinner ideas or want a quick and easy date night and where the owners know you by name and greet you warmly whenever you come in. What did I find there? Fast and borderline rude service, along with big, rowdy, loud groups of Penn students. As my husband glared at them for ruining our romantic date night, I said, both proud and ashamed, “You know, that used to be me and my friends.” We have since found another neighborhood Italian spot, one that the Penn students haven’t overrun…yet.

So, yes, my Penn go-to BYOBs are now a thing of my recent past, but I do have to give a shout out in general to the BYOB culture of Philadelphia. First, now that I am a “grown up”, I’ve found other, classier BYOBs here that I love going to. I’ve had some of the best meals of my life at BYOBs.  A great BYOB is a must-eat-at destination spot for any out of town visitor.  And, I’m happy to live in a place that has something for everyone, from your loud Penn student to your almost-thirty something married couple looking for a nice date night spot.

*The former lawyer in me would like to point out three things.  One, I do not condone underage drinking. Two, I do not admit to underage drinking in this post. Three, I will not list any of these BYOBs by name so that today’s Penn students can still enjoy them.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life, Elizabeth K., Food Fiends, Memories of Penn

December 21, 2011 · 11:55 am

Penn Year in Review

Top 11 Moments for Diversity at PENN in 2011

-Cecilia Ramirez C’05 SPP ’10

This has been a big year for diversity and multiculturalism at Penn. In honor of the New Year that is upon us, I decided to do a little “Year in Review ” of my own.

Here are eleven of my preferred moments of 2011 at Penn:

#11.  La Casa Latina Receives Biggest Donation- La Casa Latina: The Center for Hispanic Excellence receives a $20,000 donation. This was a big deal this year because this became the center’s largest donation in history. The generous contribution was made my alumna, Ruth Colp-Haber, C’81, WG’85, and will help strengthen student programming, and hopefully provide more events featuring delicious Latin food!  🙂

Denzel Washington at Penn's Commencement 2011

#10.  Denzel Washington Comes to Penn- So maybe this didn’t do anything for multiculturalism at Penn per se, but I sure was excited to see one of my favorite actors be selected as Penn’s Commencement speaker- Denzel Washington- a talented, inspirational, and accomplished actor and philanthropist, who happens to be a black man- bonus!

UPAAN Celebrates a Decade

#9.  Asian Alumni Network Celebrates a Decade- The University of Pennsylvania Asian Alumni Network (UPAAN) celebrated its tenth anniversary this past Homecoming. The celebration featured their 7th annual mentoring exchange and a delicious luncheon that welcomed student, alumni, staff, and faculty from across the years.


#8.  Makuu (Also) Celebrates a Decade – Makuu Black Cultural Center, one of my favorite places on campus, also celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2011. Their elegant evening celebration featured speakers, performances, and remarks from Dr. Amy Gutmann.


#7.  The ARCH Receives $15M- The Arts, Research and Culture House (ARCH), home to the Asian, Black, and Latino cultural resource centers on campus, received its largest donation in history as well- 15 million buckaroos! The donation will be used to renovate the entire building, providing the cultural resource centers with state-of-the-art offices and upgraded meeting space- and an elevator! Yup, an elevator 🙂 Renovations begin in the summer of 2012.


#6.  LGBT Colors Project Launches- The first issue of LGBT Colors Project, Penn’s first student publication targeting queer students of color, was launched at Penn in December. The ground-breaking magazine publishes articles, essays, poems, fiction, and interviews to provide visibility and support to the diverse and talented queer student community at Penn. Awesome!


#5.  Two Students of Color Win Marshall Scholarships- Kristin Hall W’ 11 C’11 and G.J. Melendez-Torres NU’11 W’11 were each awarded the prestigious scholarship to study at the world-renown University of Oxford in the UK. What a fantastic accomplishment!


#4.  Penn Spectrum hits the road! In 2010, Penn hosted its first alumni conference focusing on the Asian, Black, Latino, LGBT and Native alumni populations—Penn Spectrum. This successful conference took to the road last spring, starting in the Big Apple, then DC, and Atlanta; next stops include Miami, LA and Puerto Rico! Hundreds of diverse alumni from across the nation are coming out in support of this traveling series. Looks like the Spectrum Conference of 2013 at Penn will be even bigger!


#3.  Penn Unites Against Racism- More than 200 students and faculty, including Amy Gutmann, united against racism in a silent circle outside of College Hall this spring. The “We Belong” protest was in response to a DP article written about one man’s experiences with racism on campus. The sobering accounts called anti-racism allies to action and led to a victorious display of solidarity and advocacy at Penn.


#2.  Homecoming Toasts to 40Years of Black History- The Center for Africana Studies (CFAS) – originally Afro-American Studies and the University’s first program dedicated to studies of the African diaspora- celebrated its 40th anniversary during Homecoming! CFAS had a jam-packed day of events that honored this milestone in Black History at Penn and attracted hundreds of alumni to join the celebration. Cheers!


#1.  Faculty Diversity Plan Unveiled- Penn released a $100-million Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence this summer to diversify the university’s faculty. A few weeks ago, this historic plan also received $2M for the Presidential Term Professorships, an integral part of the plan that will support up to ten professorships.  This was a huge step for diversity at Penn and definitely my #1 moment at Penn in 2011!

What do you think of the top 11 moments? What was your favorite moment of 2011?

Can’t wait to see what 2012 holds for Penn.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, QUAKERS!

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Filed under Cecilia R., Commencement, Events, Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture, Memories of Penn, Multicultural Outreach, Review, Uncategorized

November 10, 2011 · 4:46 pm

I Remember…Music Class

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman-Schwartz, C’04

Today, I got an email from the Philadelphia Orchestra (nerd alert – I’m on their mailing list!) advertising a visiting orchestra coming to town and the fact that they’d be playing an all-Beethoven program, including my two favorite symphonies – Eroica and the 5th.  I had a major, all-out nerd attack.  In the span of two minutes, I called my husband, made sure that he was on board with the ticket purchase, ordered us two seats (after memorizing the seating layout in the Kimmel Center, including doing some Google image searches, to make sure the seats were acceptable), and exuberantly ran into another employee’s office telling her about my AMAZING purchase.   Let’s just say that her reaction did not come close to matching my level of enthusiasm.  I’m a classical music nut and I’m proud of it!  I owe almost all of this love to the University of Pennsylvania’ s Department of Music.

As a freshman at Penn, I signed up for a first year seminar called “History of the Symphony.”  I was intrigued by the title and thought it might be a good chance to learn something new.  I sang in select choirs all through high school and was in the shows, plus I enjoyed musical things like Broadway.  My dad is a classical music fan, and I’d always have to listen to classical music in his car when he’d drive me places.  He give me the choice of riding with no music and actually…gasp…talking, or listening to classical music and, to me, the choice was clear.  I’d pretend to hate it, but deep down, I thought it was beautiful.  I liked how listening to classical music stirred my imagination, painted a mood for me, and let me be peaceful and reflective.  I didn’t get to take any classes about classical music in high school, so when I got to Penn, it made sense to me to learn more about it.  I loved my symphony class and before I graduated I took two more music classes, including a music history course and a course entirely on Beethoven.

I’ve talked in this blog before about how Penn is very pre-professional and how I was constantly worried that I didn’t know what I was going to do for the rest of my life.  That’s true – except for the time I spent in music class.  In music class, my fears about what would happen to me, my worries that what I was learning wasn’t applicable to the real world at all, faded away.  I would watch my professor map out a symphony, feeling like I was learning a secret, beautiful code.  I learned what motivated Beethoven to write such deeply meaningful pieces.  I spent hours in the music library, learning how to identify parts of the symphony like the introduction, recapitulation, bridge and coda.  Soon, I was mapping symphonies on my own.  By the end of my classes, I could hear a few seconds of any Beethoven symphony, at any point, and correctly name it.  It was amazing.  I didn’t care how or when I used this knowledge, but for one of the only times in my life I was learning for the joy of learning.  And I was happy.

I didn’t become a music major or even a minor.  I never worked for a symphony or played for one.  But what I gained from my three music classes was so valuable.  I gained a love and knowledge of a true art form, which I will carry with me throughout my entire life.  I learned the power of music to inspire true creativity and emotion.  In learning this, I really think I became a better, more well-rounded person.  When it comes down to it, I think that’s what a good college education should be about.

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Filed under Academics, Alumni Perspective, Elizabeth K., Fine Art, Memories of Penn, The Arts, The Arts at Penn

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September 28, 2011 · 6:30 pm

September at Penn

Author: Dan Bernick, SAS ’14

September at Penn feels like college.

September is when everyone you met last year returns.  You see familiar faces, some whose names escape you and force you to pretend to introduce that person to someone else so she has to say her name.

September is when Locust Walk looks beautiful.  Although only half of Locust Walk is not under construction, strolling down to Penn Park connects you with a campus rich in history and traditions.

September is when football games are.  Heading to Franklin Field with brothers to watch the Quakers destroy or be destroyed is mesmerizing.  This year, as a returning student, I feel ownership – the football my team is my team, and we win or lose as a school.

Double Rainbow Over Penn Park, Photo by Scott Spitzer, University Communications

September is when you are enthusiastic, fresh, and excited.  When you try new things, join new clubs, and take new risks.  Fall is when my schedule is packed with shows and sports games, meals to catch-up with friends, and fun.

Soon, it will be October, and fun will become Halloween and hot apple cider.  But September at Penn feels like college.  The way college is supposed to feel.

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September 6, 2011 · 7:01 pm

I Remember…Freshman Orientation

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman Schwartz, C’04

The summer before I left for college, I was a really mean person.  I wouldn’t admit it, but I was completely stressed out about starting school.  Also, being from the suburbs of Philadelphia, most of my friends were going to Penn State.  So, not only was I scared to go to college, but also I had to listen to all of my friends talking about how much fun school would be when they all got there together.  A part of me was so jealous that they would get to experience all of this with a built in friend group and that I had to do the college thing alone.  At the same time, I was so excited to go to Penn and was just itching to start my college life and gain more independence.  It was a very complicated time, which led to me snapping at everyone in close proximity, especially my mother.  I’m really sorry, Mom. Thanks for being patient.

Even with the combination of stress, nerves and excitement, official move-in day went pretty well, besides my Dad almost breaking his back carrying my computer monitor in and out of the car. My family and I were completely enthralled by the concept of the giant rolling carts and were amazed at how efficient the move in staff was. I got to my room before my roommate, so I got to pick my side first and decorate my dorm room to make it the happiest, most colorful place EVER.  I had a collage of pictures on the wall next to my bed, giant corkboard already full of things above my computer, really bright fun bedspread that I had picked out at Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.

My Side of the Room

My roommate, however, was from South Korea and she came with two suitcases.  Her side of the room had a pale violet bedspread, the free Penn calendar on the wall and that was about it.  Grace was nice but very different from me – we quite literally spoke two different languages.  She had never met a Jewish person before and I had never met someone who actually lived in Korea.  A few hours in and already we were part of the Penn melting pot!

Roommate's Side

I don’t really remember a lot about official orientation besides those boring lectures on the Penn Reading Project (our book was Metamorphosis, which I hated, a guy turning into a bug seemed really implausible and I don’t enjoy books that are just one big metaphor), taking a walking tour of West Philadelphia, and attending a big fair for new students in Houston Hall that had a fake casino.  I remember telling myself constantly to not call my parents so I didn’t look pathetic, trying not to sit on AIM all of the time talking to my old friends, even though I wanted to, and every time I left the Quad, hoping that I would come back to my dorm room and see a message on the whiteboard on my door.

The beginning of college wasn’t as easy for me as it seemed to be for other people, and this was frustrating.  Everyone seemed to become insta-best friends with their hallmates.  My “hall” was 8 people – two doubles and four singles.  Grace, my roommate , immediately bonded with the Korean Christian Association so she had her clique.  The two girls who were next door were on the swim team, so they immediately were friends with other swimmers, and the people in the singles across the hall seemed to have no interest in leaving their rooms and making friends.  I didn’t have a built in group to eat meals with or go stand in the awful lines at fraternity parties with.  It was just me.  Luckily I’m an outgoing person, so I just forced myself to talk to people, but it really took awhile to find my footing.

As time went on, things got better.  I became really good friends with the one other person at Penn who I went to high school with. There was a guy in one of my classes who I thought was cute – nothing happened with him, but I did become best friends with the girl who lived next door to him after hanging out at their dorm all of the time (we are still best friends – she was in my wedding in October 2010 and I will be in her wedding in March).  I met the girls from a hall two floors above me and became really close with them, and, subsequently, an adopted member of the third floor of Baird.  A month or so after orientation, and I finally had a hall to hang out with!  Woo hoo!  Slowly but surely,  I was really starting to feel like I belonged at Penn.

So, Penn orientation for me didn’t mean insta-friendships, and now, when I work orientation events (yes, I get to staff that student fair with the fake casino!), I want to go up to the students who seem kind of lost and tell them, “Don’t worry.  It works out!.”  But really, everyone seems kind of lost, nervous and unsure of themselves, even the ones who travel around in the giant packs of insta-friends.  I wish I had realized back then that I wasn’t so alone and that the people who seemed to have a lot of friends were just as nervous as I was.  Also, be honest, how many of you are still really good friends with those insta-BFFs from orientation week?

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September 2, 2011 · 3:34 pm

T-shirts and track shoes and canes. Oh, my!

Author: Nicole Maloy, W’95

I’ve always said that one of the best things about working at Penn as an alumna is having one place to put all of my Penn stuff. In any other work environment, it might appear a bit odd, if not obsessive or psychotic. Yet here, it’s perfectly appropriate to have a shelf that looks like this:

At a university, this kind of thing is totally normal. This might not go over so well in, say, a doctor’s office. Especially the track shoes.

To be fair, this is not all of my Penn stuff. There is that whole matter of the shirts and other wearable items I’ve collected between the fall of 1991, when I arrived as a freshman, and the fall of 2011, as I greet the incoming class of 2015. (2015?!) The collection started well before my first semester, though. Its origins go back to the previous December, when I discovered I’d been admitted via Early Decision.

I got home from school and picked up the mail on my way in. My grandmother was staying with us at the time, so she was home. She sat on the couch, pretending to be calm as I opened the letter from Penn, took a deep breath, and began to read it aloud. I got as far as, “We are pleased…” and then started jumping up and down, doing the happy dance. Upon reflection, I am so glad she was there for that. I know how proud she was.

She was, perhaps, slightly less proud when I picked up the phone to call my Mom at work.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi.”

“I got the letter from Penn.”

“Yeah?” More pretending to be calm. It’s clearly genetic.

“Yeah, I got deferred.”

“WHAT?!” Momentary loss of composure from Mom. Grandma, who probably heard that, sat shaking her head saying, “Oh, Nicole,” while trying not to laugh.

Mom immediately caught herself and began to reassure me despite the fact that I knew she was cursing out the Admissions Office in her head. “Well, OK, so we’ll get the applications together for the other schools, and (other things I don’t remember because I was giggling into my hand and couldn’t hear her).”

“Mm-hmm. Thanks. By the way, I’m just kidding. I got in.”

I won’t write what she said next, but I assure you, it was said with great love in her heart. Then three generations of the women in my family shared a good laugh full of joy, relief, and pride.

With Mom and Grandma at my high school’s Senior Awards Ceremony. Mom is rockin her favorite Sally Jesse Raphael glasses. Work it, Mom!

That night, while I was watching TV, my Mom called me. I went upstairs. She asked if I’d get the clothes out of the dryer for her. I went back downstairs, a little annoyed that she made me go all the way upstairs only to go back down – she’s got volume, and could have asked for the laundry from where she was, saving me a couple of trips. But, hey, I deserved it, no? So I went down, grabbed a basket, opened the dryer, and pulled out two brand new sweatshirts, tags still attached. One was emblazoned with “PENN,” the other with “WHARTON.” Turns out, she’d bought them from The Bookstore during our visit that October, and had kept them hidden until tonight. Pretty sneaky, sis.

From then through years of jumping with Track & Field, singing with The Inspiration, living in Du Bois College House, joining Friars, and generally just being at Penn, followed by years working at the University, and encountering a clearance sale at Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear before they closed (remember them, oldheads?), it’s no wonder I sometimes didn’t even realize I was covered with Penn.

Here is a sampling. This doesn’t include the hats, the jackets, the sweatpants, my varsity sweater, or assorted other bits and pieces. Maybe one day my Mom will make these into a quilt. You reading this, Mom? You’re not still mad about that admission thing, are you? 😉

One day, I was in downtown Philadelphia and decided to observe a martial arts class. The guy next to me said, “So, do you go to Penn?”

I’m thinking, STALKER! I said to him, a bit defensively, “How did you know that?”

He said, “Um, your Penn hat, your Penn shirt, and your Penn shorts.”

“Oh. Heh. Heh.” It’s a good thing we were sitting, or he might have noticed the Penn windbreaker tied around my waist.

Ah, well, back to the office. Lots of memories on this shelf. Here are some close-ups of the shrine.

That’s my Hey Day cane! (The skimmer is a replacement.) DP article from the day after Hey Day with arrow pointing to me in the crowd. Friars wine bottle cover, baseball cap, and honor cord. Photo board has Hey Day shots with buds, along with shots of us at our 10th reunion. Bottom right is us trying to recreate our poses from when we visited as high schoolers. Mine’s pretty close – see center photo.

Photos with The Inspiration. My International Student Card from study abroad in France in 1993 along with a group shot with my fellow Lyon adventurers. The High Jump Shoes, Captain’s plaque, photo with Olympic and World Champion Decathlete Dan O’Brien, Penn Relays baton and program, and Franklin Field watercolor print (thoughtful goodbye gift from another Penn department). On the right – my graduation day kente cloth and tassel.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life, Memories of Penn, Nicole M., Philadelphia, Traditions

August 23, 2011 · 3:51 pm

I Remember…Freshgrocer

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman, C’04

I know, I know.  This one seems kind of obvious.  I went to Whole Foods last weekend to get some produce and I certainly remember that.  Going to a supermarket is not a big event, right?

WRONG.  Unless you are a recent graduate of Penn and therefore think your campus always came with a convenient well-stocked (at times) grocery store, you know what I mean when I say that the arrival of Freshgrocer was an event worthy of a blog post.  When I was a freshman, Penn had no supermarket.  There was Wawa, and there was a sketchy Thriftway on somewhere around 43rd Street.  I never actually found out exactly where it was because I was too scared to go.  One of my friends went there with her parents during orientation week so she could stock up on Easy Mac and Elios pizza and I think it took all they had to not throw her in the car with them and take her back to North Carolina.

Since Thriftway was out, Wawa was my only option when it came to groceries.  I remember going there for my milk and cereal and pints of Ben and Jerry’s (freshman fifteen alert!) and then I’d supplement with the fruit food truck for some fresh produce.  Granted, an 18-year-old’s diet doesn’t require much more than that, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter.  One time I asked my best friend to bring me some fruit.  It was during Passover, I was sick and I really couldn’t eat much.  The fruit truck line was too long (so she claims), so her only other option was bringing me fruit jelly slices that her parents had given her to eat as a treat during Passover.  My poor swollen tonsils just couldn’t handle it.  Penn needed a supermarket, and fast.

Luckily, with about a week left to go freshman year, our prayers were answered.  Freshgrocer opened at 40th and Walnut and I swear I had tears in my eyes and heard angels singing as I stared up at that glistening building.  It was a miracle, like every Penn student’s collective wish coming true.

My best friend (of fruit slice fame), another friend and I were done with our finals early and decided we needed to celebrate the new supermarket.  So, we went to Freshgrocer and pretty much bought everything we could on our student budgets.  I mainly remember buying a giant baguette, tons of cheese and grapes.  We had a picnic in the quad and were so happy!  Freshgrocer led to other happy times, like visits to their candy wall during finals studying and before movies, late night food runs, and dinners of their surprisingly yummy hoagies.  That supermarket meant so much to us, because we knew what it meant to be at Penn without it.  And, despite some shutdowns because of rodent problems, ridiculously long checkout lines and a layout that was nearly impossible to navigate, we loved that store.

Looking back, Freshgrocer was only the beginning of a 40th street expansion that continued long after I graduated.  There are now things like Bobby’s Burger Palace, Capogiro gelato, one of the prettiest CVS stores I’ve ever seen, Jimmy John’s, etc. lining Walnut Street between 39th and 40th.  Izzy and Zoe’s might be gone (I really don’t know how the students are surviving without their brunches) but the expanded Greek Lady almost makes up for that.  Don’t worry, Smokes is still standing strong.  But, there’s no doubt campus has changed, and definitely for the better.  To think, my classmates and I were there when it started, standing in a checkout line for 15 minutes waiting to buy some cheese!

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life, Elizabeth K., Food Fiends, Memories of Penn

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August 8, 2011 · 11:30 am

Celeb-Spotting: Quaker Edition!

Author: Leigh Ann P.

Although I have never actually encountered a living, breathing celebrity, I have probably spent years of my life studying them, reading about how they’re just like me! in US Weekly, and filling my tiny, mushy brain with pointless facts that no normal person would ever, ever need.  The only scenario in which this information is useful is when Jeopardy! is on, and I will definitely know the question to the answer, “The Miss Missouri sister of this Gossip Girl actor is married to the Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo.”  (Question: Who is Chace Crawford?).

If I wanted to really challenge you, I could have made that answer: “The Miss Missouri sister of this Gossip Girl actor is married to the former boyfriend of the sister of the estranged wife of the bassist for a band named after a comic book character within the cartoon The Simpsons.”  This is a reference to the connection between Chace Crawford, Candice Crawford, Tony Romo, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, and Fallout Boy, as well as an indicator that I have supremely missed my calling as some sort of psycho celebrity expert.  Do those exist in professional settings?

This is why I get so excited at the prospect of any further connection to celebrities in the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon that is my life.  Since I started working here at Penn, I am merely two degrees away from the lovely 30 Rock actress Elizabeth Banks, C’96, and I cannot tell you how excited that makes me.  The one degree between us recently revealed to me that “Liz” Banks is “wicked ticklish.”  WHAT.  How does he know???  New York Magazine has a great feature on her that reveals that she met her husband on their first day of freshman year at Penn.  Cute!  I mean, shoot.  I just forgot the last bit of AP Calculus I had in my head now that I know that fact.

I spent some time on everyone’s favorite – and probably often inaccurate, but always entertaining – online encyclopedia to discover more Penn Alumni celebs.  Let’s look at a few highlights and learn a little bit about their time as students at Penn, shall we?

Candice Bergen

Candice was a member of the now-dormant Penn chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority (never dormant in this blogger’s heart, sister!).  And before she was Queen of CBS prime time, at Penn Candice was elected Miss University and Homecoming Queen!

Tory Burch

Tory was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and majored in art history at Penn.  She is a gifted and successful designer and for a current generation of young fashionistas, her initial logo is as recognizable as Coco Chanel’s.

Andrea Mitchell

While at Penn, Andrea majored in English and was the director of WXPN.  I know when she’s reporting on a story for The Today Show, I can count on her to deliver serious and hard-hitting news about issues that affect us all.  And then a story will follow featuring Matt Lauer interviewing a 4-year-old who had her lemonade business privileges revoked by the Des Moines police department, which is a story I welcome with equally open arms.

Maury Povich

What notable Penn alum list would be complete without Maury?  I.  Love.  Maury.  There are plenty of reasons to love Maury, including but not limited to the fact that he recently donated a very generous $1 million to the Kelly Writers House.  You ARE the donor!  I guess I couldn’t find any information about his time as a student, but if you’re that curious, you can try this helpful website.

Melissa Rivers

Apparently Melissa was a founding member of the Tabard Society, an off-campus secret society for women.  I wonder if Wikipedia can tell us any more secrets about this secret society!

In related news, did you ever notice how clicking around on Wikipedia will always – eventually – lead you to Henry VIII‘s page?  Or am I the only one to whom this happens?  Let us know about the crazy places you’ve ended up on Wiki in the comments section!

I might be famous one day. Were you nice to me?

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Filed under Leigh Ann P., Memories of Penn, Notable Alumni

July 27, 2011 · 5:17 pm

Making History…Living History

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02

It’s easy to take for granted the amount of history that surrounds you at a place like Penn – especially when you spend so much of your time on campus that it begins to feel like your second home.  For example, my office building – the Sweeten Alumni House – originally housed the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.  It was in the mid 1960’s after a fire – allegedly set off at a holiday party when a fraternity brother fell asleep with his cigarette too close to a crepe paper snowman – took the life of at least one young party-goer that the building eventually fell into the hands of the alumni association.  And yes, there are plenty of rumors about the ghost of said party-goer haunting the 2nd floor ladies room.  However, on a daily basis, one gets caught up in emails and phone calls and meetings and quickly forgets all of this.

Ironically, it was a recent trip off-campus that reminded me about Penn’s historical context.  Last week, as a previous blogger mentioned, the entire Alumni Relations staff headed down to 310 S. Quincy Street for a day long staff retreat at the Mask and Wig Clubhouse.  Most Penn alumni and friends are very familiar with the all male comedic theater troupe, the University’s oldest student group founded in 1888.

Mask and Wig Grill room circa 2010

Not as many, I would suspect, have had the chance to visit the group’s clubhouse, acquired in 1894 as a gathering place and rehearsal hall.  As per the Mask and Wig website:

Prominent Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre was commissioned to convert the building, which had previously served as a church, a dissecting room, and a stable. He hired the young Maxfield Parrish, who would later become one of the greatest illustrators of the twentieth century, to decorate the interior.

Indeed, it is hard not to appreciate this history when you walk into the Mask and Wig Clubhouse.  The Grille Room – a wood-paneled bar/lounge on the first floor – is decorated with caricatures of members; a tradition that continues today, with the second century of members’ caricatures continued upstairs at the entrance to the theater.  Next to each member’s caricature is a peg for their personal mug, which they alone can take down and use when present.  Despite recent renovations to provide facilities for handicap accessibility, including an elevator, as well as air conditioning, the Clubhouse retains its authentic, historic atmosphere.

Mask and Wig Grille Room circa 1910

Next time you come to campus, I encourage you to take a moment to stop and take a moment to take in the history that surrounds you.  Maybe even read one of the plaques on those statues you’ve whisked past dozens of times before on your way to class or a reunion party.

Woodland Walk (aka Locust Walk) circa 1915

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life, Historical, Making History, Memories of Penn

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June 29, 2011 · 5:55 pm

Remember Penn

The University Archives Digital Image Collection, available through the Penn library system, allows you to pull up photos from yesteryear, including ones from alumni events. I love old photos–I love the clothes and the hair styles and wondering what happened to the people in the pictures.  I love that you can also search for particular photos. Here’s  one what a search for  “homecoming” yielded for me (btw, save the date for this year’s Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture,  November 4-6, 2011. Also, we again face the Princeton Tigers this Homecoming Weekend).

This football guide book was for the game on October 22, 1966.

Artist: Louise Day, October 22, 1966

And here’s the game book from November 2, 1957:

Artist: Robert Foster

Finally, one from November 15, 1952.

This photo was taken a Alumni Day, 1952. I imagine that one of the woman is saying to the other, “Oh, no, Margie, this t-shirt certainly won’t be too small on you.” If you can think of a better caption, please send it along.

Photographer: Mike Pearlman, 1952

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Filed under Aimee L., Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture, Memories of Penn

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