Category Archives: Memories of Penn

June 16, 2011 · 6:24 pm

Front Row Seat

Author: Elise Betz

I had the best seat on Franklin Field for Commencement.  Why?  Because I acted as the “Stage Marshal.”

Here is why I have that honor year after year. In 2004, when Dr. Gutmann was inaugurated, I was asked to be a marshal at the formal inauguration ceremony in Irvine Auditorium.  It was a wonderful event and my job was to seat all of the visiting representatives from colleges and universities.  I did my job very well and caught the eye of the Commencement planners.  They were impressed with my seating skills, so since 2004, I have been assisting the “stage party” at Commencement.  The “stage party” includes Dr. Gutmann, the Trustees, Deans, VPs, honorary degree recipients and the Commencement Speaker. Eminent people walk by me every year – Bono, Jodi Foster, Jon Huntsman, Denzel Washington.  The perks include saving front row seats for my faculty friends…

…And also getting to see exactly where Denzel Washington will be sitting.

I  also had the opportunity to watch the Class Board carry the flags in and to take a great photo of them in front of the stage:

Here is the view of the stage from my seat:

The best part of my marshal job each year is having the perfect seat to listen to the Commencement speaker.  This year, Denzel Washington delivered a moving and poignant speech – my favorite line: “Remember this: You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.” A great reminder that we can’t take our possessions with us when we go…That what matters most are our day to day interactions with people.

The only thing I am taking with me are the memories. . . . many of which were made right here on this amazing University of Pennsylvania campus!

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June 13, 2011 · 4:06 pm

A Penn Alumnus Remembers

Author: Lynn Carroll, C’93

Most Penn students arrive for their freshman year at the tender age of eighteen. They are questioning, seeking—naïve in some ways perhaps, often idealistic.

When Aaron Heller arrived at Penn he was twenty-two, like many students of his time. He had spent the past three years overseas, part of the enormous clash of humanity that was World War II. They were a different kind of student—more serious in some ways, better able to put life into perspective—but still seeking, and determined to take advantage of the GI Bill to get a good education.

Today, Aaron asserts that he is still seeking. He and his wife Rita (CW’48), voracious readers and lifetime learners, have traveled the world to see works of art that they read about in Proust. He has also become a painter as was his older brother, Samuel.

The following excerpt is from an essay entitled “Coming Home” which Aaron wrote his freshman year at Penn, nearly sixty-five years ago:

He was short in build, this overseas returnee, and his face was flushed. His hat was sitting at an indeterminate angle. His overcoat was unbuttoned and flapped disturbingly as he ran to the ticket window.

The scene in the railroad station became indelibly imprinted in the mind. Fur coats, arms and legs, natural and man-made hues gradually resolved themselves into an intelligible impression. The complacent fat jowl above the camel-hair overcoat pierced the scene and sickened him.

“How much to Philadelphia?” he asked the ticket seller.

“Two dollars and thirty cents.” The voice that spoke was monotonous and unconcerned. It disturbed him even more when he could find no moral reason to attach to his disturbance.

Every eye was watching him and his face flushed. He was clumsy while he placed his baggage on the rack and stammered apologies to an indifferent woman. His mind slowly perceived that this woman with wrinkled face and arthritic legs was in her own petty world. He looked at the other passengers to discover that they dwelt in a circle that used the width of the body as a diameter.

You can read the entire essay here…

World War II veterans at Penn, Veteran's Club, group portrait

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June 9, 2011 · 5:39 pm

I Remember…Facebook

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman, C’04

Second semester of my senior year, I had the best time of my life and was also an emotional wreck. I was distraught at the thought of the inevitable end to college and saying goodbye to Penn (if you’ve read my commencement article, you know this culminated in a tear-filled hysterical graduation). With a couple months left to go senior year, there was this article in the DP about something called “Facebook” coming to Penn. I remember thinking, “What a stupid name for a website, the facebooks are those things we got freshman year” and then I pretty much ignored the article. This said a lot, considering that I was a second semester senior and all I did during class was read the DP.

A few weeks later, facebook hit Penn. I didn’t immediately sign up for it because it just seemed so weird. Why would my roommate have to be my facebook friend when I could just walk next door to her room and say hi? What was the point? A few days later, my friend, appalled with what I had been missing out on, bluntly told me, “Elizabeth, this thing is awesome. Just do it. And it’s only at Ivy League schools, so it’s really exclusive and cool” (watch the movie,  The Social Network. The exclusivity thing was a marketing tool for them and it totally worked). I added in my own argument that it might be a nice way to stay in touch with people after graduation, and, by the end of the day, I had an account. Madness ensued.

Do you remember when you signed up for facebook for the first time? Remember how much fun it was to find your (real) friends and how neat it was to connect with someone you hadn’t seen for years? Imagine all of this becoming available to you a month before before college graduation. What better way to cope with your anxiety about graduation than “friending” every person you ever met at Penn. Wondering what will happen to the cute guy from music class you figured you’d never see again? Facebook friends! Nervous that you’ll never talk to one of your good acquaintances once you move to L.A. and she moves to NYC? Facebook friends!

Once you became friends with someone, you’d look at all of their friends and find even more people who weren’t actually your friends and realize you HAD to be facebook friends with them. It became absolutely necessary to be “friends” with every girl in your sorority, every single person from your classes (you could sort by class in the early days), anyone who lived in your dorm freshman year, etc. Every time I opened my email, there were at least 20 unread messages with friend requests.

Some people tried to make rules like, “I won’t request friends, I’ll just accept requests” or “I won’t join until after I graduate.” Those rules lasted about a day. Facebook was a tidal wave and everyone got swept up in it.

It seems silly now that facebook was such a big deal, especially because back then it didn’t really do anything. There was a profile, relationship status and you could “poke” someone (a concept I still do not understand). There were no walls to write, no photos to upload, no groups, fanpages, or newsfeeds. Yet, it was fascinating. There was something so captivating about connecting with all of these people I went to school with for four years. I have 803 facebook friends. I promise you, I’m not that cool. I just happened to be part of this wave that swept Penn for a month back in 2004.

The first iteration of Facebook. See? Not much to it.

When I started working in Alumni Relations, I tried making another one of those silly facebook rules – that I wouldn’t be friends with my volunteers. That rule lasted for a few months, until I realized that facebook was a vital part of my job. We use group pages and fan pages to build class unity and promote our reunions. We ask questions like, “Who was your favorite professor?” so that classmates can easily start up conversations for the first time in twenty-five years. We get our playlists for reunion parties by starting facebook discussions about music they want to hear at reunion. I think the connections that alumni are making on facebook now are so much more meaningful than the frantic “GRADUATION IS COMING” connections that were forged during my senior year. People genuinely want to talk to each other and get back in touch.  Maybe even with that boy they had a crush on from their music class…

Class of 1986's Facebook Page for Their 25th Reunion

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May 31, 2011 · 6:58 pm

Penn Fine Arts Abroad

Thanks to a generous gift by Howard A. Silverstein, W’69, and his wife, Patricia Belznak Silverstein, C’81, PennDesign students have been able to participate in the Howard A. Silverstein and Patricia Belznak Silverstein Studios Abroad. Offered every two years, these studios allow a number of undergraduates and graduates from Penn Design the rare opportunity to travel to an exciting, developing city and immerse themselves in its sights and culture.

In 2009, several friends of mine were able to go to Beijing, China where they lived and created work (and blogged). When they returned from the trip, jet-lagged and dazed, I was amazed by the stories, videos and images they shared as they unpacked all their equipment and files–it took every ounce of self-control I could muster not to feel terribly jealous. Several weeks later, I was equally floored at how quickly they were able to turn around work for the gallery show.

PennDesign in the Forbidden City, Beijing

East West South North - show card

The work was surprising, beautiful and inspiring.  The show received a review from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Penn’s President Amy Gutmann viewed the show with commentary by the artists. Click here to view more photos from her visit to the gallery.

Student describing work to Penn President Amy Gutmann

This year, fourteen undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Mumbai, India to create work for Populous Flows. Again, I was floored by the beauty, color and life in the images and videos. Again, I could really only act like I wasn’t completely and utterly jealous that these students, faculty members and staff were able to experience Mumbai so closely.

Penn Design in Agra, India

The following images were created by a faculty member and a staff member–both of whom I truly admire and respect. The first image was taken with and iPhone and does the piece absolutely no justice. I apologize…

Image from Populous Flows

And amid the hustle and bustle of life and color in the students’ work–to me, this image rounded out the experience, and made it all seem just a bit more human:

Sam Belkowitz - from Populous Flows

Populous Flows is on view at Charles Addams gallery until July 12, 2011. Anyone can view the show 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you have any interest in photography, art or India, I strongly encourage you to visit!

Populous Flows - Mumbai trip show

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Filed under Academics, Fine Art, Memories of Penn, The Arts at Penn, Travel

May 19, 2011 · 2:04 pm

Goodbyes on Wheels

Author: Molly Sloss, SEAS’14

Moving Day at Penn (photo credit: The Daily Pennsylvanian

I never thought I would hate a cardboard box. My last week at Penn, the brown cubes on wheels became a new nemesis. Room by room, microwave by microwave, they were taking my freshman year away from me.

With the start of the last week of exams, in rolled the goodbye machines. Vans and trucks with plates from Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York arrived on campus. Shortly after, the streets were filled with caravans of cardboard move-out carts. Some were filled with mini-fridges, some with stuffed animals, some with freshmen taking turns pushing each other down Locust. Yes, that was me. Don’t tell the staff at Hill that’s why I renewed my cart 4 times. So eventually I found a way to embrace these boxes from hell. But it was not an easy feat.

I started to count down the time I had left with my friends by how full their carts were. One empty cart got me about an hour of time before goodbye. Then my friends’ rooms were empty. Their blankets that I slept with were boxed up, their food that I ate thrown out, and their whiteboards were no longer available for late-night self-expression. All of these things were in boxes. The boxes went in carts, then in vans where they were joined by their owners and before I knew it we were rising sophomores. All thanks to those cardboard carts.

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May 16, 2011 · 9:11 am

Class of 1961 Celebrates in Style

Author: Aimee LaBrie

This past Alumni Weekend, we welcomed back members of the Class of 1961 as they returned to campus to celebrate their 50th reunion. With a Friday night dinner and dance at the Franklin Institute, a Saturday morning special Women’s Breakfast hosted by co-chairs Joy Hockman and Bobbi Jaffe at the Inn at Penn, and a Sunday AM champagne and pancake breakfast in Houston Hall, the members of the Class of 1961 celebrated in style…Just like they did back in the day when they were students.

Fashion in 1961

Hill House Dorm

Classroom

Dietrich Hall

Horn and Hardart

Congratulations to the members of the Class of 1961 and thank you to everyone who returned back to Penn to celebrate this past weekend!

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May 13, 2011 · 8:47 am

Putting Some English on It

Author: Nicole C. Maloy, W ’95

A few months ago, I received an e-mail from the Free Library of Philadelphia  seeking volunteers to train to become English language conversation group facilitators. The timing on this was uncanny, as I had just begun looking for such an opportunity; I frequent a local French language conversation group, and the presence of native speakers is always a great help to the rest of us. We marvel at their generosity and patience as we stumble through the linguistic minefields of subjunctive tense and the gender of inanimate objects. Yet the French nationals in the circle gently guide us in the right direction and, most importantly, never point and laugh at us despite our frequent mistakes. I appreciate it so much that I wondered whether I could somehow do the same for people in Philadelphia who wanted to practice their English.

La Tour Eiffel! Was able to pop up North to Paris for a couple of days. Gotta love the “Train of high speed.”

Because I spent a semester abroad during the fall of my junior year, I know how intimidating it is to be surrounded by people who may as well be speaking a dialect of Charlie Brown Teacher-ese (i.e. “Mwah-mwah mwah mwah-mwah”). I know how unnerving it is to utter sentences to strangers not knowing how I will be received, or whether I will even understand the reply. And my trip was only four months long. Nothing was at stake but my semester grades.

Fall 1993 semester abroad in Lyon, France with 16 fellow Quakers and our advisor

I liked the idea of doing something to help people with much more at stake, who have made a longer-term commitment to conquering a language, and who are willing to put in the time to make it work. How pleasant it was to learn that library branches all over the city had begun to offer regular occasions for international adults to practice their English. I am so proud of Philadelphia for making these available for free! These are not English as a Second Language courses, but rather – just as important, in my opinion – casual conversation sessions where people can gain confidence putting to use what they have already learned, or are currently learning.

So far, I have met adults from their early twenties to their late sixties, hailing from Morocco, Ukraine, Spain, and more, all converging here in Philadelphia, all seeking to improve their ability to engage in the most essential of human social endeavors: to understand, and to be understood. I am honored to pay forward some time as an investment in the future of this great city of brotherly love. How happy am I to be a part of the effort? This happy:

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May 11, 2011 · 9:02 pm

Penn’s Multicultural Greek Alumni Weekend

Author: Cecilia D. Ramirez, C’05, SPP’10

Penn Relays 2011 Yardfest Crowd

Before I ever even knew what life at Penn was like, I knew what Relays Weekend was all about.  One of my first weekend visits to Penn as a high school senior occurred during Penn Relays, one of the biggest track meets in the country, and it ranks among the greatest weekends of my college career! It wasn’t just the thousands of people who literally come from around the world- displaying patriotic and collegiate pride- to watch the races that made this event so anticipated. Rather, for hundreds of people, this weekend was and remains highly- anticipated because of the Multicultural Greek events that take place.

Multicultural Alumni

Each year,  Penn’s Black Alumni Society (BAS) capitalizes on Relays weekend and the return of hundreds of Black alumni with their annual “Pass the Baton” Brunch. This year, BAS joined forces with the Association of Latino Alumni (ALA), and together, they held the first collaborative alumni event during Relays weekend. With nearly 100 people in attendance, attendees enjoyed a delicious buffet featuring salmon cakes, eggs, cheese grits, sausage, bacon, and vegetable quiche (yum!) and ALA & BAS successfully ushered in the homecoming of many Multicultural Greeks and Alumni.

Alumni Across the Years

 The Greek Side of Relays Weekend

For over twenty years, members of historically-Black, Latino, and Multicultural Greek organizations have been associated with Penn Relays weekend. Every Saturday of Relays Weekend, Penn’s Multicultural Greek Council (MGC- back in the day, known as the Big-C) hosts a “Yardfest” in the Wynn Commons area where Greeks from across generations and states lead chants, synchronized choreographed musical “party walks” or “strolls,” setup display tables, and sometimes even sell food or drinks.

Members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Strolling Photo Taken by: Joanna Plazas

One of the biggest events of the weekend, however, has to be the Annual Step Show, a long tradition in the Greek world where representatives of historically-Black and, since the mid-70’s, historically-Latino, as well as multicultural fraternities and sororities, get together in teams to  compete against each other.  Finally, the jam-packed weekend is also known for some of the best parties of the year.

This past Saturday night was no different with the “ice cold” brothers, as they are commonly known, of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. hosting the official step show after party, The Ice Age. Some, eh… more seasoned Greeks also attended one of the many Relays-themed parties around the city including the Heineken-sponsored Green Room party at the exclusive Vault Ultra Lounge. While I couldn’t partake in nighttime activities since I was heading to bed early for the Broad Street Run the following morning, it was great to see so many alumni and other guests dressed to the nines on their way to the Greek side of Relays’ activities.

Members of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. Photo Taken By: Joanna Plazas

Stepping

Stepping is a percussive performance in which the entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of claps, stomps, and chants. Like several aspects of Multicultural Greek culture, stepping is typically done with precise synchronized movement and in formations that resemble a military assemblage.

Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Stepping

These multifaceted pieces are usually intermixed with references to historical Greek facts, traditional chants and songs, and humorous skits sometimes alluding to fun rivals between groups; usually all following a theme. This year, for example, members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. presented an impressive piece following the classic Dr. Seuss story, Cat in the Hat, which they creatively renamed, Kappa in the Hat. In this performance, each of the team members sported a red “Thing” t-shirt with different numbers staying true to the original storyline. They even coupled their step with a pre-recorded humorous video of “the Kappa in the Hat” instructing their movements.

Multicultural Greek Show Crowd

May 13-16: Alumni Weekend, Round II

As I gear up for yet another weekend dedicated to alumni, I am motivated in knowing that last weekend was such a smash. The Black and Latino Alumni Associations will not be taking a break as they, along with the Asian, LGBT, and Native Alumni Associations have big plans to capitalize on even more multicultural alumni that return for Penn’s official Alumni Weekend, chock-full of great events celebrating diversity. Even though it can get pretty hectic, this spring, I especially love being a Penn alumna, Alumni Relations staff member, and multicultural Greek! I hope to see you all there…

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May 10, 2011 · 2:43 pm

Skimmers off to the Old Guard!

Author: Jason Strohl

Cane March, Lower Quad, 1941

Next week, thousands of expectant seniors will graduate from Penn, marking a milestone in every Quaker’s life as they begin new lives as citizens of the “real” world. Fifty years from now, in 2061, many of these same young people will return to Philadelphia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation from Penn, and in doing so, become inducted into one of the University’s most-lauded alumni groups, the Old Guard. This year, will see the return of hundreds of Old Guard alumni for Alumni Weekend, including a group celebrating their 75th reunion (that’s a graduation date of May 1936 for those of you keeping track).  Let’s take a look at what was transpiring at Penn and throughout the world when these dedicated Pennsylvanians experienced their own graduation.

Class of 1936 (75th Reunion)

Penn Women's Basketball team, 1936

In 1936…

  • Burt Reynolds, Mary Tyler Moore, and Robert Redford are born.
  • The first building covered completely in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
  • The first helicopter makes it’s maiden flight.
  • The Summer Olympics opens in Berlin and marks the first time  live television is used to broadcast a sporting event.
  • Construction on the Hoover Dam is finished.

Class of 1941 (70th Reunion)

Penn Field Hockey players, 1941

In 1941…

  • Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Faye Dunaway are born.
  • The average price for an automobile is 925 dollars.
  • The United States declares war on Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
  • The breakfast cereal Cheerios makes its first appearance as “CheeriOats.”
  • Citizen Kane makes its premiere in New York City.

Class of 1946 (65th Reunion)

In 1946…

  • Sylvester Stallone, Candice Bergen (who briefly attended Penn), and Andrea Mitchell (Penn Grad, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent) are born.
  • ENIAC is unveiled at Penn (see newsreel above.)
  • Gasoline is priced at 21 cents per gallon.
  • The first meeting of the United Nations is held in London.
  • Bikinis make their debut in Paris.

Class of 1951 (60th Reunion)

Penn varsity basketball team, 1951

In 1951…

  • Kurt Russel, Gordon Brown, and Bonnie Tyler are born.
  • I Love Lucy premieres on television.
  • The average annual salary in $4,200.
  • The Catcher in the Rye is first published by J.D. Salinger.
  • The world’s first nuclear power plant opens in Utah.

Class of 1956 (55th Reunion)

Skimmer Day, 1956

In 1956…

  • Paula Zahn, Teena Marie, and Joe Montana are born.
  • The Woodland Avenue Trolley on Penn’s campus was buried in order to create Woodland Walk.
  • Elvis Presley appears on the Ed Sullivan Show.
  • Minimum wage is one dollar an hour.
  • Trans-Atlantic telephone cable service begins.

Please join us in congratulating the Old Guard as they return once more to Penn in 2011!

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May 9, 2011 · 7:41 pm

I Remember…1986

Author: Leigh Ann P.

1986 was a very special year, and not simply because it was when this blogger celebrated her 5th year of being alive (the most noteworthy occasion of an otherwise fabulous year for yours truly, of course).  A wonderful class of 1986 Penn graduates emerged from Commencement as Penn Alumni, and this weekend they will celebrate their 25th reunion during Alumni Weekend May 13-16 with nearly 600 in attendance.

I considered doing a reflection of world events in 1986 for this post, but who really wants to read about Chernobyl or the Challenger?  Not you, and certainly not me.  Let’s talk about pop culture!

When the Class of 1986 graduated, the box office rankings looked like this.  I am tickled that Steve Guttenberg makes multiple appearances on this list, but the fact that any Police Academy film ever outranked Pretty in Pink is just criminal.

  1. Short Circuit
  2. Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling
  3. Fire with Fire
  4. Blue City
  5. The Money Pit
  6. Dangerously Close
  7. Legend
  8. Wise Guys
  9. Critters
  10. Gung Ho
  11. Police Academy 3: Back in Training
  12. Pretty in Pink

Now, if there’s anything I love more than the early ‘90s pop musical oeuvre, it’s the mid-‘80s.  Dare say you, what could possibly be more audibly enjoyable than Color Me Badd?  I know.  I know.  I give you: Whitney Houston times two with a splash of “Walk Like an Egyptian.”  Let’s take a look back at the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 1986!

1. “That’s What Friends Are For”…..Dionne & Friends

2. “Walk Like An Egyptian”…..Bangles

3. “On My Own”…..Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald

4. “The Way It Is”…..Bruce Hornsby & The Range

5. “You Give Love A Bad Name”…..Bon Jovi

6. “Greatest Love Of All”…..Whitney Houston

7. “There’ll Be Sad Songs”…..Billy Ocean

8. “How Will I Know”…..Whitney Houston

9. “Kyrie”…..Mr. Mister

10. “Kiss”…..Prince & The Revolution

And lastly, who was People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986?  Hellooooo, Mark Harmon!!!

Congratulations to the Class of 1986 and to all of the Penn alumni celebrating their reunions this weekend!

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