Category Archives: Notable Alumni

She’s a Survivor! (36 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

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

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

Here is some information about the show and Chrissy:

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

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

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

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

CBS Survivor cast Chrissy Bass Hofbeck

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Penn Class of 1993 25th Reunion Countdown

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

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

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

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

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Filed under 25th Reunion, Class of 1993, Kiera R., Notable Alumni

70 Years Since Graduating and He’s Still Got the “Hurrah!” for Penn

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @KieraReilly

I always tell people that Commencement Day at Penn is the happiest day on campus, and this year, on May 19 as Penn celebrated its 258th Commencement, was no exception. In Alumni Relations, we help with the alumni processional portion of the event – alumni from every undergraduate class at Penn carry flags from their graduating year and march into Franklin Field after the graduates.

We arrive early in the morning, so we can “get robed” in our caps and gowns, and then wait for the alumni to arrive. The alumni robing is near the academic processional staging area, and I happened to be looking at President Gutmann and commencement speaker John Legend’s, C’99, chairs when the University Mace was delivered. Leslie Kruhly, the Secretary of the University, leads the academic procession carrying the mace.

IMG_3450

The staging area for the academic procession. The University’s mace was just delivered.

Me and my colleague Casey Ryan, C'95. We lead the alumni procession down Locust Walk and into Franklin Field.

My colleague Casey Ryan, C’95, and I are robed and ready to go. We led the alumni procession down Locust Walk and into Franklin Field.

After everyone is robed, we wait a bit before we get the cue to begin. Here everyone is lined up waiting for the academic procession to pass.

The alumni procession waiting for the academic procession.

The alumni procession waiting for the academic procession.

 

Then we march down Locust Walk to the front of the Sweeten Alumni House. It was a beautiful day and everyone on campus was lining the walk cheering and clapping for the alumni.

Alumni flag bearers line Locust Walk to congratulate the newest Penn Alumni!

Alumni flag bearers line Locust Walk to congratulate the newest Penn Alumni!

The alumni flag bearers then line Locust Walk and wait for the graduates. The graduates march down Locust Walk through our line of alumni flags, and the alumni cheer, clap and congratulate the newest members of Penn Alumni.

Some graduates casually walk by, others pose for pictures with their friends, or their parents and family try to capture a candid moment of them walking to graduate. And in the midst of the several thousand graduates passing us by, at the front of the alumni flag line, was Harry Gross, W’44. Harry graduated in 1944, that’s seventy years ago for those of you having a bit of trouble with the math. He wore a fun Red and Blue hat, and as he sat in his chair holding the Class of 1944 flag, he was arguably the most popular man on Locust Walk. Yes, everyone wanted to wave to President Gutmann and take a selfie with John Legend, but Harry was the star.

Graduates thanked him for coming. They shook his hand, they said wow. And when they said congratulations, Harry simply replied, “Congratulations to YOU!” And then he told them that they’d be in his same spot in seventy years!

Me and Harry

Posing with Harry

Congratulations to Penn’s Class of 2014! We’ll see you in 2084 (and we hope every year in between).

Hurrah, Hurrah, for the Red and the Blue!

Commencement from the alumni flag bearer's view.

Commencement from the alumni flag bearer’s view.

Here’s Harry leading the alumni processional into Franklin Field.

Watch videos of President Gutmann’s commencement speech and John Legend’s address here (and also photos of the day).

See all the Penn Commencement tweets #PennGrad.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Class of 1993, Commencement, Kiera R., Notable Alumni, Photos

Ancient Rome and Instagram in Los Angeles

By Kiera Reilly, C’93  @KieraReilly

Last month, members of the Southern California Regional Advisory Board (otherwise known as SCRAB) gathered to hear my classmate, Darius Arya, Ph.D., C’93, speak about storytelling cultural heritage through modern means, namely via social media tools such as Instagram and Twitter. Dar lives in Rome and is the CEO and co-founder of the American Institute for Roman Culture.

After re-connecting with him and his wife Erica Firpo, C’94, while in Rome this past May, I’ve been following them both as they share local scenes via Twitter and Instagram (Erica via @moscerina and Dar via @SaveRome). When I heard Dar would be in Los Angeles in November, I asked if he would speak to SCRAB about his work, and he graciously agreed.

An example of Dar's Instagram from a few weeks ago with this caption: The curve. Romans perfected the arch. Here, in Trajan's Markets they turned it on its side (and lined it with shops) to hold back the Quirinal Hill #culturalheritage #rome #archaeology

An example of Dar’s Instagram from a few weeks ago with this caption: The curve. Romans perfected the arch. Here, in Trajan’s Markets they turned it on its side (and lined it with shops) to hold back the Quirinal Hill #culturalheritage #rome #archaeology

The group gathered at Culina – a modern Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. Everyone sipped Prosecco and munched on bruschetta while waiting for everyone to arrive. We then sat down for a family-style dinner while Dar spoke about utilizing digital media to engage a global audience and tell stories about cultural heritage.

DSCN1344 Denise Winner-Roz Pinkus

SCRAB co-president Denise Winner, W’83, and Roz Pinkus, CW’64, PAR’94, GPAR’17

Marty Caan, W'69, PAR'11, and Jack Tauber, C'73, PAR'08

Marty Caan, W’69, PAR’11, and Jack Tauber, C’73, PAR’08

DSCN1351 Rob Weingarten-Salvador Brau-Pam Weingarten-Nora Brau

Bob Weingarten, C’74, PAR’12, Salvador Brau, C’67, Pam Weingarten, PAR’12, and Nora Brau,.

DSCN1350 Eric Reiter-Darius Arya-Jackie Bral

Eric Reiter, W’97, our speaker Darius Arya, C’93, and Jackie Bral, PAR’15, PAR’15

Table

Our elegant family-style dinner table at Culina.

It was an interesting lesson to hear how modern tools can reach a vast global audience and help share the stories of ancient roman culture, and hopefully help to further preserve these ancient sites.

My Instagram from the event @KieraReilly

My Instagram from the event @KieraReilly

For more on ancient Rome, follow Dar’s informative posts on his Instagram account @SaveRome.

For more information on the American Institute for Roman Culture, see their website at: http://romanculture.org/. You may also see Dar as he appears frequently in History, Discovery, and National Geographic documentaries and pursues projects relating to cultural heritage management, preservation, promotion, outreach, and communications.

SaveRome Rome in Snow

Dar’s Instagram from Dec. 12: Winter blues. Getting jealous of all the great winter shots I’ve been seeing on IG. Sure Rome has its Christmas atmosphere: trees, nativity scenes, light, fair in Piazza Navona, smell of roasted chestnuts are on the air, and the Lungotevere sycamore trees are becoming bare… But we really just have two district seasons: wet and dry– no snow… With some exceptions. Almost two years ago snow fell in Rome for the first time in over 20 years. So I cheer up with memories from that magical moment. #latergram #culturalheritage #rome #archaeology

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Filed under Alumni Programming, Class of 1993, Kiera R., Notable Alumni, Photos, Social Networking, West Coast Regional Office

My Top Penn List: Best Professors to Explain Washington

Author: Casey Ryan, C’95

I’m a CNN junkie. I watch Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Piers Morgan and Jake Tapper regularly.  If I get out of work at 5, I head to the gym where I can view Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room from the elliptical.  So I’ve been closely watching the government shut down and the nation’s run into the most recent spending limit cap. Last night, I watched the literal 11th hour House vote on the Senate’s bill and listened to the commentary before calling it a night.

There are so many issues in DC: laws, policy, the will of the people, healthcare, jobs, taxes, default and more. Whether or not you agree with the current vote of Congress, this quagmire has been in the news for a solid three weeks and could use a lot of clarification.  Here are my choices for Penn faculty who would do a great job to help explain the forces at work in DC.


10.      J. Sanford Schwartz, M’74, INT’78 – Dr. Schwartz is an health care policy expert, who predicted that the Affordable Healthcare Act would contentiously pass and focuses on cost-quality tradeoffs in health care, health economics, health policy and medical decision making.


9.         Michael X. Delli Carpini, C’75, G’75  – Frequently Dean Delli Carpini explores the realm of politics in this new information environment and in particular, he explores the evolution of media that has occurred over the last twenty-five years – blogs, online fundraising, citizen journalism, social networking sites, viral videos, websites – to drive political campaigns.


8.         David B. Thornburgh
– As the Executive Director, Fels Institute of Government, Mr. Thornburgh teaches Politics and Public Leadership which orients students to the constraints that characterize leadership and management in the public service focusing on the areas of  public service, policy analysis, politics, and political realism.


7.         Jeremy Siegel
– Dr. Siegel is our guru of the stock markets.  Every media event of the Congress and President seem to be orchestrated to send a message to the global markets that the US will not fail them.


6.         Olivia Mitchell
– As a professor of Business Economics and Public Policy  and of Insurance and Risk Management, Dr. Mitchell is the expert on employee benefits and compensation, health/retirement analysis & policy, international private & social insurance, labor economics & public finance and risk & crisis management.


5.         Marjorie Margolies, CW’63, PAR’91, PAR’97
– As a former Member of Congress for the 13th District of Pennsylvania, Ms. Margolies knows a thing or two about the House of Representatives which benefits her students in her class, Dealing with the Media.


4.         Julia Lynch – Dr. Lynch, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, studies the concerns the politics of inequality, social policy, and the economy in comparative perspective, with a focus on the countries of Western Europe and the United States.


3.         Reed Shuldiner, PAR’14 – A Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Tax Law and Policy, Dr. Shuldiner is one of the nation’s top experts on the Federal income tax – best known for his seminal work on the taxation of financial products. Plus he has advised the governments of China, Lithuania, the Philippines, and South Africa on income tax issues on behalf of the International Monetary Fund and the U.S. Treasury.


2.         Joni Finney – As the Director of the Institute for Research on Higher Education, Dr. Finney’s work on higher ed espeically on issues like public finance of higher education, governance, access and accountability might shed some light on how the issues in Washington end up affecting those of us working at Penn.


1.         Mark Duggan – Professor Duggan is the Faculty Director of Wharton Public Policy Initiative. In this role, he is my number one choice to oversee that conversation that we could have with these other nine faculty members to shed some light on the power play and issues in the Beltway.

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Filed under Annenberg, Casey R., Fels Institute, GSE, Notable Alumni, Penn Law, Penn Medicine, Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, Research, Top Ten, Wharton

Association of Alumnae Colloquium – October 10, 2013

SAVE the DATE!

Penn’s Association of Alumnae will be hosting a Colloquium on Thursday evening, October 10, 2013.  The colloquium will be the culmination of the Association’s year-long celebration of 100 years, the theme of which is  “Honoring the Past and Engaging the Future”.  The details of the event are still being fine-tuned, but some information has been confirmed and is listed below . . .

ASSOCIATION OF ALUMNAE COLLOQUIUM
Thursday, October 10, 2013
On Campus Location  – TBD

5:00-5:30 pm:  Registration

5:30-6:30 pm:  Presentations by three brilliant Penn alumnae . . .

  • Dr. Angela Duckworth, G03 GR06
  • Dr. Beverly Emanuel, CW62 GR72

  • Salamishah Tillet, C96 G04

Q&A Session

6:30-8:00 pm:  Post-panel Reception

SAVE the DATE!

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Filed under Association of Alumnae, Campus Fashion, Events, Kristina C., Notable Alumni, Uncategorized

Penn Olympic Athletes – Photo Essay

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

Penn Alumni have a long history of Olympic success.  Pictured here are some of the University’s past and present Olympic Athletes.

George Washington Orton (1873-1958), winning his Olympic gold medal, July 1900

George Washington Orton (1873-1958), winning his Olympic gold medal, July 1900

Donald Fithian "Don" Lippincott (November 16, 1893 – January 9, 1963)

Donald Fithian “Don” Lippincott (November 16, 1893 – January 9, 1963)

William Arthur Carr (1909-1966), B.S. in Economics 1933, at the starting line

William Arthur Carr (1909-1966), B.S. in Economics 1933, at the starting line

Anita Luceete DeFrantz (born 1952), J.D. 1977, yearbook photograph

Anita Luceete DeFrantz (born 1952), J.D. 1977, yearbook photograph

Gold medal winner Susan Francia C'04 G'04, and Koko Archibong C'03, stopped to pose together in the Olympic Village earlier this week

Gold medal winner Susan Francia C’04 G’04, and Koko Archibong C’03, stopped to pose together in the Olympic Village earlier this week!

This photo is today’s competitor in the Ivy+ Alumnipics competition.  Show your Penn Pride by “liking” the photo on Facebook here before 11EST tomorrow.  The more “likes” we receive, the greater our chances of winning the gold medal!

(Archival images courtesy of the University Archives Digital Image Collection, http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/archives/index.html)

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Filed under Alumni Profile, Athletics, Historical, Lisa Marie Patzer, Notable Alumni, Photos, Uncategorized

Traditional Archival Photos

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

Penn Alumni have a long history of engaging in tradition and thanks to the University Archives Digital Image Collection, it is easy to access digital photos of the University’s traditions.  Here are some of my favorites from the collection:

Penn fans throw toast onto Franklin Field after the third quarter of every home football game. The toast-throwing tradition was in response to the line “Here’s a toast to dear old Penn” in the school song “Drink a Highball”. The act of throwing toast was adopted after alcohol was banned from the stadium in the 1970s. In a good season, 20,000 to 30,000 pieces of toast are thrown per game!

Throwing toast - a Penn tradition,1999, Tommy Leonardi,  photographer

Throwing toast – a Penn tradition,1999, Tommy Leonardi, photographer

Established in 1895, The Penn Relays represent the largest amateur track meet and oldest organized relay competition in the United States. The event is held every April for three days at Franklin Field. The Relays bring together the best track and field athletes from high schools and colleges worldwide, in addition to races on Saturday with Olympic athletes. An important event to the community, the Relays bring in over 100,000 spectators each year.

Penn Relays, 1913, 4-mile, George Atwell Richardson, photographer

Penn Relays, 1913, 4-mile, George Atwell Richardson, photographer

Although it’s possible to get basketball season tickets without camping out overnight at the Palestra, the best seats go to those who wait in “The Line”. Groups spend 24 hours in the nation’s oldest basketball arena just to score coveted court-side seats. The tradition started in 1969, and now the date and location where the tickets will be sold is changed every year and kept top secret.

University of Pennsylvania campus, 1932

University of Pennsylvania campus, 1932

In 1916, Hey Day was established as a “Moving-Up” celebration to mark the advancement of each class. In recent decades, Hey Day has represented the official passage of the junior class to senior status and is characterized by thousands of marching students parading around campus and wearing red T-shirts, carrying canes, and biting into fake straw hats.

Class Hey Day crowds,1950

Class Hey Day crowds,1950

Hey Day has changed a bit since 1950 and the celebration is bigger and more festive than ever.  Here is a photo from the 2012 Hey Day parade.  This photo is today’s competitor in the Ivy+ Alumnipics competition.

Hey Day 2012

Hey Day 2012

Show your Penn Pride by “liking” the photo on Facebook between 11am EST Tuesday, July 31st and 11am EST August 1st.  The more “likes” we receive, the greater our chances of winning the gold medal!

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Filed under Athletics, Awards, Historical, Lisa Marie Patzer, Notable Alumni, Photos, Traditions, Uncategorized

The Secret Lives of Sweeten Staff, Part I

Author: Liz Pinnie

In my short time here at Sweeten, I have come to see the skill and passion with which my colleagues do their jobs.  However, one of my favorite aspects of said colleagues (beyond the fact that they bring in chocolate for everyone to share) is learning about the many fascinating things they do when they leave our doors.  As I began research for this article I realized that there was too much information for just one blog post, so today we’ll focus on half of our impressive third floor in Part One of… The Secret Lives of Sweeten Staff.

First off, we have our multi-talented Director of Multi-Cultural Outreach, Nicole Maloy.  A few years ago, she happened to walk by a Shotokan Karate Dojo, went inside, and discovered a new passion.  Nicole says that Karate has increased her awareness and has taught her how “to relax and focus completely- both mentally and physically- on one thing at one moment in time.”  Today, Nicole is a black belt in Karate, and though she knows she can crush any opponent, Nicole appreciates that Shotokan teaches one to end a conflict rather than start one.  Beyond her Shotokan black belt, Nicole is also a fantastic high jumper and a champion salsa dancer- but more on that later!

Love our Twitter feed? Use our website?  If so, you have Sweeten’s own Internet guru, Lisa Marie Patzer, to thank.  As Assistant Director of Communications at Sweeten, Lisa Marie is constantly keeping us up-to-date with the ever changing technology of the web and social media.  This interest continues and expands once she leaves work.  As a new media artist, Lisa Marie spends time and her artistic talents looking at the effects of new media in our world and how it relates to the human experience.  In this capacity, she enjoys “exploring the political, social and interpersonal implications of new media technologies.”  Lisa Marie’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and can next be seen in the collaborative piece she is creating for her MFA from Temple in Film and Media Arts, where she “investigates the performance of identity in online and off-line social communities.”

Another treasure tucked away on the third floor is the quiet and unassuming Jason Strohl.  By day, Jason is our Assistant Director of Communications, and my personal food truck knowledge source.  By night, he takes to the stage as bassist of Wigwam’s, one of Philly’s favorite post-punk bands.  If you go to check out his band at one of the local venues you might not recognize Sweeten’s very own Clark Kent; Jason is far too active onstage to wear his glasses.  When Jason’s not performing or working, you can find him in the back bays of New Jersey, where he likes to sit for hours drinking soda and fishing for bass.  In fact, he typically arranges an annual Fishing Derby (which sounds like just about the best way to spend a spring Sunday).  If you’re in the fishing mood, make sure you pick up a bag of Sea Life Gummies for your trip (a Strohl good luck charm) and if you’re in the mood for post punk, check out Wigwam’s at Johnny Brenda’s on April 6.

Impressed?  You should be!  And guess what- I’m not even half way through our staff.  Among others, we’ve still got a hidden DJ, two published authors, a marathoner, two bridal show models, a civil engineer, and a cheerleader to go!  Can you guess who’s who?!   Stay tuned for next month’s Part Two of…..The Secret Lives of Sweeten Staff [insert dramatic music here].

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Filed under Jason S., Lisa Marie Patzer, Liz P., Multicultural Outreach, Nicole M., Notable Alumni, The Sweeten Life

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